With Black Goku executed by Bulla's Final Flash, all eyes shifted back to Zamasu.
But before anyone could act, Trunks' sharp gaze flicked skyward. A sudden unease gripped him, as though something, someone, was out there, watching them.
Whoosh!
His hand shot up, releasing a concentrated beam of Ki. The laser streaked through the sky, cutting through clouds and air currents, yet struck nothing. At the same moment, Gohan's expression hardened. His own eyes locked on the point where Trunks' attack had disappeared.
"You felt it too, Trunks?" Gohan murmured.
Trunks' crimson eyes narrowed, fixed on the empty heavens.
(There is no mistake. There was something there just now.)
"Yeah, Gohan. But… whoever it was, they're gone."
The two exchanged a silent nod. Both brothers knew someone had been spying on them. But with no trace left behind, they had no choice but to let it go.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Do you even know who I am?!"
Bulla's sharp voice cut through the tense air. Trunks and Gohan turned to see her standing with her hands on her hips, glaring down at Zamasu. Zamasu's blank expression said everything. He had no idea who she was.
Watching his reaction, and recalling Black Goku's equally uncomprehending glare earlier, Bulla felt a strange chill creep up her spine.
(Don't tell me… this Dark One isn't the one I knew!)
"Hmph! Do whatever you want, kill me, torture me! Makes no difference," Zamasu sneered, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Filthy worms will always be filthy worms!"
He stood defiantly, though just moments ago he'd burned through every ounce of strength trying to escape. No matter how far he fled, Trunks had hunted him down, beaten him into submission, and dragged him back.
"Kill you? If killing you was possible, I'd have done it already, you bastard," Trunks growled.
Bulla's palm lashed out, slapping him across the face. A thin trail of blood seeped from Zamasu's lip before instantly healing.
He chuckled darkly, his grin infuriating. "Exactly! You can't kill me! I'm immortal! The god who can never die! HAHAHA!"
Trunks' patience snapped. His fist crashed into Zamasu's face.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A flurry of punches followed, each one drawing a pained howl from the so-called god.
"Buu---" Trunks called coldly, his voice carrying a deadly edge, "Swallow him. When we get back, I'll learn the Evil Containment Wave."
He shot a quick glance at the corner of the battlefield where Broly lay, battered and barely conscious.
(Never thought he'd fight on our side against Zamasu. He couldn't win, but… if we can keep him on our side, he'd be a valuable ally.)
"Buu, take him too," Trunks added. "We'll seal them both at once."
Majin Buu blinked, then grinned mischievously. Bulla, however, tilted her head, confusion plain on her face. The Evil Containment Wave? She'd never even heard of such a technique.
She wasn't alone, Gohan's brows furrowed in puzzlement.
"Evil Containment Wave? What's that, Trunks?"
Trunks turned to him. "Gohan, Uncle Goku never mentioned it? Master Roshi should know. We can ask him when we get back."
Gohan scratched his head awkwardly. He'd never heard of it. This world's Gohan had lost his father early in life; even after Goku's resurrection, knowing his father's carefree nature, it wasn't surprising Goku had never bothered to tell him.
There was another possibility: Goku himself might have forgotten the technique even existed.
"ULALALA!!!"
Majin Buu stuck out his tongue, making ridiculous faces at Zamasu as the immortal god glared in rage.
Zamasu dangled in Trunks' grip like a helpless chick. Trunks' hold was ironclad, he knew the moment he loosened his grasp, Zamasu would use Instant Transmission to escape.
Majin Buu floated nearby, gleefully pulling faces and taunting the so-called god, whose pale face flushed with humiliation.
SLAP!
Trunks' palm cracked across Zamasu's face.
"This is my little brother," he snarled coldly. "If he wants to mess with you, he can. You'll sit there and take it!"
"Buu. Swallow him."
At those words, Zamasu froze, terror flashing in his golden eyes. Memories of being pummeled mercilessly by Broly inside Majin Buu's stomach flooded his mind.
And now, Trunks had casually ordered Buu to swallow Broly as well.
The divine pride that had once defined Zamasu shattered into dust. His immortal body, his ultimate blessing, suddenly felt like a curse.
For the first time, Zamasu hated his own immortality. To spend eternity trapped, tormented by mortals… death would have been a mercy.
"Bastard! Kill me if you dare!" he screamed, thrashing violently.
SLAP!
Another strike silenced him.
"You're pathetic," Trunks spat, his voice low and cutting. "You want to die? Everyone here wants to kill you. You were just bragging about your immortality a moment ago. What happened to all that arrogance?"
A cruel smirk tugged at his lips.
"Funny, isn't it? We can't kill you… but we have plenty of ways to make you wish we could."
He glanced at Buu. "Eat him."
Obedient as ever, Majin Buu fired a beam of magic from the antenna atop his head. In an instant, Zamasu was transformed into a piece of chocolate, helpless and silent. Buu popped him into his mouth and swallowed without hesitation.
On the battlefield's edge, Broly, battered and barely clinging to life, gasped for breath. Even with a massive hole punched through his abdomen, his Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline refused to let him die.
Trunks gave the order, and Buu swallowed Broly as well, tucking him safely inside.
With both threats neutralized, the battlefield fell eerily silent.
The entire world felt dead.
Bulla's eyes stung as she surveyed the desolation. It was too familiar, too much like the future she'd once lived through. And from what Black Goku had said earlier, she suspected this parallel timeline held no version of her at all.
He'd only recognized Trunks… not her.
That realization left her unsettled. Something about this entire situation didn't feel right.
"What's wrong, Bulla?" Trunks asked gently, waving a hand in front of her face.
She blinked, shaking herself free of her thoughts, and smiled softly. "It's nothing, brother."
Then, trying to lighten the mood, she grinned.
"By the way, this new form of yours is incredible! Will you teach me, Trunks?"
Trunks chuckled. His crimson hair swayed slightly as he relaxed his shoulders.
"This form… Boundary Breakthrough Super Saiyan 4… It's the pinnacle of Super Saiyan 4. You'll need to master that form completely first. Then, maybe."
Bulla nodded, thoughtful, then cocked her head playfully.
"So, how do we get back now, big brother?"
The question hit Trunks like a blow. It was one he'd been avoiding.
"We wait," he said firmly. "Dad and Uncle Goku should arrive in the time machine soon."
…
The four of them sat in silence, waiting.
Hours passed.
Then a day.
Two.
Three.
Still, Goku and Vegeta never came.
At last, Trunks rose to his feet, every instinct screaming. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
(End Of This Chapter)
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