The sudden turn of events left Son Goku momentarily stunned.
"He ran away?"
"Alright, Beerus," Turles said, turning to the God of Destruction. "We'll leave the Zamasu of our timeline to you. As for this 'Goku Black' fellow, he's our responsibility."
Beerus nodded, though he looked irritated. "Fine, I'll deal with him. I never imagined someone like that would crop up in the Supreme Kai circles. Honestly, he's got the right temperament for a God of Destruction, just the wrong job..."
With the tasks divided, Beerus and Whis transformed into streaks of light and vanished.
Turles turned to Bulma, Son Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks. "Let's go. We shouldn't keep Goku Black waiting."
With a thought, a brilliant white light flared, and the group vanished from the spot.
When they reappeared, they were standing in the timeline ravaged by Zamasu. The city was a graveyard of smoldering ruins, and the metallic tang of blood hung heavy in the smoke-filled air.
Goku's brow furrowed as he scanned the devastation. "What an unforgivable bastard..."
"Let's move, Kakarot!"
"Right!"
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
The two Saiyans took to the sky, flying straight toward Goku Black's location.
"Impatience must be in the blood," Turles muttered, following them. Bulma and Trunks quickly trailed behind.
On the other side of the ruins, Goku Black sensed several powerful signatures moving toward him at high speed. When he saw Son Goku and Vegeta descending, his eyes widened in shock.
"You... how are you here?!"
"Hmph. You're using my body to commit these atrocities," Goku said, his voice cold. "You didn't think I'd just let you get away with it, did you?"
"You're Zamasu, right? We already know," Vegeta interjected. "You used the Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Kakarot."
"Hmph. Too much talk, Kakarot!" Vegeta stepped forward, his face twisted into a feral grin. "Let me go first. Beating the hell out of a guy with your face... it's going to be exhilarating."
"Heh. So you found out about that too?" Black narrowed his eyes, his expression turning wicked.
"And what about the 'me' from that timeline?" Vegeta asked. "What happened to him?"
"Heh heh heh... what do you think happened? I killed him, of course!" Zamasu laughed, the sound dripping with malice.
"Hmph. I guess that's one more reason for me to kill you!"
"Tell me... how did you travel to this timeline?" Black asked, curious.
"Shut your mouth! Zamasu, prepare to die!"
Vegeta didn't wait for an answer. He exploded into motion, his power flaring as he charged. The prospect of pummeling someone with Kakarot's face had him reaching a state of pure, unadulterated excitement.
BOOM!
Zamasu pivoted, catching Vegeta's fist. "Hmph. Savage Saiyans. This is exactly why mortals have no place in this world!"
"Funny," Vegeta mocked, leaning in close. "You're using a mortal's body to say that. Isn't that right, Kakarot?"
Vegeta didn't give him a chance to recover. He pressed the attack.
WHAM!
The strike sent Goku Black skidding backward, his boots carving two deep furrows into the cracked earth.
"Hmph. Say what you want," Black sneered, shaking out his hand. "I was getting bored of fighting Trunks anyway. He's far too weak to push this body to its limits."
"HAA!"
BOOM!
A golden aura erupted, laced with crackling blue bio-electricity. Goku Black surged into Super Saiyan 2.
"Hmph. Super Saiyan 2? So what? Watch me cave in that pathetic face!"
"HAA!"
Vegeta matched him, instantly igniting into Super Saiyan 2. He lunged forward, a golden blur of pure aggression.
"Arrogant fool! Do you really think you can?"
Black charged to meet him.
BOOM!
The two golden energies collided, the sheer force of the impact cratering the ground beneath them.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their figures flickered across the battlefield. With hundreds of exchanges per second, the air was filled with golden afterimages and the thunderous cracks of breaking sound barriers.
Trunks, who had just arrived, stared in awe. "My father... he's so strong..."
Suddenly, Vegeta caught a microscopic opening. He buried a fist deep into Goku Black's solar plexus.
CRACK!
The blow doubled Black over like a shrimp, and a spray of blood erupted from his mouth.
"Gah! Ack—!"
The sheer force sent Black spiraling away, but Vegeta wasn't finished. He blurred forward, catching Black's leg mid-air. He swung the villain down with a roar—executing a brutal, Hulk-style slam into the ground.
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
The earth trembled under the repeated impacts.
"Hahahaha! Beating that face really does wonders for my mood!"
"But a fake is a fake! A counterfeit is still a counterfeit! How much of Kakarot's power can a soul like yours actually draw out?"
Vegeta hurled Black into the air. He extended both hands, and a relentless barrage of Ki blasts erupted from his palms.
The "Prince's Technique."
Turles watched from the sidelines, wondering if Vegeta was working through some personal issues. The sheer intensity of the "Prince's Technique" suggested a high level of pent-up resentment.
The golden energy rained down like a Gatling gun, scouring the ruins and carving a massive crater into the landscape.
Phew!
Vegeta exhaled, his eyes locked onto the smoke. He knew a barrage like that wouldn't be enough to finish a body as resilient as Kakarot's.
Sure enough, as the dust cleared, Goku Black remained. He was panting, his Gi tattered, standing behind a flickering energy barrier.
"You're strong... Which era's Vegeta are you?!"
"Hmph. Figure it out yourself!"
"By the way," Vegeta added, a cold smirk crossing his face. "That body of yours is from further in the future than us. I wonder just how far you can take it?"
"HAA!!"
Vegeta roared as he surged into Super Saiyan 4. His Ki exploded, golden flames turning into a primal, crimson pressure. Red fur covered his body as his power reached a staggering peak.
"What?! What kind of transformation is this?!"
Black's pupils shrank. He was completely stunned. He had never seen this form before. In his observations, Goku and Vegeta only ever used the "Blue" form. What was this feral, fur-covered nightmare?
"What's wrong? Haven't seen this one before?" Vegeta taunted. He suddenly dropped back to his base form, then instantly ignited into Super Saiyan Blue.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
A calm but terrifying divine pressure washed over the ruins. Blue flames roared around Vegeta as he stood there, radiating the power of a god.
"Well? Transform already! Otherwise, I might just kill you by mistake!"
Vegeta's smile was full of confidence as he mocked the shaking Zamasu.
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