Trunks's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped so low you could have fit a fist in his mouth.
"Dad... Dad is amazing! He became a Super Saiyan 4 so easily!" Trunks muttered to himself. He'd heard Goku talk about how difficult the transformation was, and he hadn't expected his father to master it so quickly.
"Trunks, we are Saiyan royalty. We don't lose our minds when we transform into Great Apes, so mastering Super Saiyan 4 is naturally easy for us," Vegeta explained with a smile, a hint of royal pride in his voice.
"Is that so? Back then, it took us so much effort just to become Super Saiyans," Trunks mused. Then, a look of anticipation flashed in his eyes. "Dad, why don't you try stacking the Super Saiyan God form on top of Super Saiyan 4?"
Vegeta didn't say anything, but his eyes showed he was itching to try it. He also wanted to see just how strong a Super Saiyan 4 God would be.
Vegeta took a deep breath. The energy around him began to fluctuate violently, and golden godly energy started to mix into his dark red aura.
About three minutes passed.
Snap!
A flaming, fire-red aura erupted from Vegeta's body. His hair turned fire-red in an instant, and his energy spiked to a whole new level.
Super Saiyan 4 God!
"You did it! That's awesome, Dad!" Trunks jumped up and down, pumping his fists in the air.
"It wasn't that hard," Vegeta said, his smile growing even more confident. Even though it annoyed him that he was following in Goku's footsteps, he had to admit that the path Goku had chosen was truly extraordinary. Before, Vegeta just couldn't swallow his royal pride, but now, if it meant surpassing Goku, what was a little compromise?
"Can you go even further? Dad, try using Ultra Ego!" Trunks suggested, even more excited than before.
Vegeta's expression turned serious as he tried to trigger Ultra Ego while in his Super Saiyan 4 God form. However, no matter how hard he tried, the purple aura of Ultra Ego wouldn't appear.
"It's not working?" Trunks asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
"I've already touched the threshold," Vegeta said, his lip curling upward. He wasn't discouraged. "I just need a bit more time to train, and I'll definitely master Ultra Ego in this form."
"That's great, Dad!" Trunks was back to being excited, his eyes full of worship.
"Let's head back," Vegeta suggested. The godly flames faded, and he returned to his normal state, though his tail remained held high.
"Got it!" Trunks quickly summoned the Flight Cube. The Cube dropped from the sky with a whoosh and came to a steady stop in front of them. Vegeta and Trunks stepped onto the Cube and said their final goodbyes to the Namekians.
Whoosh!
The Flight Cube turned into a streak of starlight and shot into the night sky, heading toward Earth. It quickly vanished past the horizon of New Namek.
"Grand Elder, the evil has finally been wiped out. This is wonderful," one of the Namekians said with a relieved smile.
"Let's gather the Dragon Balls, even though they've turned back into stone," a Namekian named Esca suggested. He leaned down to pick up the One-Star Dragon Ball from the ground.
"You're right, Esca," Moori nodded gently. "Gather them up. In about a hundred days, they'll turn back into Dragon Balls just like before. Give them to the elders of each village to keep safe."
"Yes, Grand Elder!" The six elders stepped forward and took the Dragon Ball belonging to their village.
"Grand Elder, here is the One-Star Dragon Ball from our village," Esca said, holding out the stone ball to Moori with both hands.
Crack...
Just as the ball was about to reach Moori's hands, a tiny crack appeared on its surface, spreading out like a spiderweb.
"Uh..." Esca's face went pale. His hands shook slightly as he looked at the Dragon Ball in panic.
Moori: "..."
"Grand Elder, I really didn't use any force!" Esca explained quickly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He didn't want to be blamed for breaking a Dragon Ball. He carefully turned the ball over, and the crack was clearly visible, stretching from the top all the way to the middle.
"Grand Elder, our Dragon Balls don't have any cracks," the other elders said, quickly checking their own stone balls.
"Maybe the energy from Mr. Vegeta's Super Saiyan 4 transformation was so strong it cracked the ball," Moori said. He didn't seem to mind and waved it off with a smile. "We'll just have to fix it later. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you, Grand Elder!" Esca let out a sigh of relief, a grateful smile on his face. He was glad Moori wasn't angry.
Esca knew in his heart that he hadn't used any force; the crack had appeared out of nowhere. He carried the One-Star Dragon Ball to a special energy room designed for storing the balls while they recovered.
New Namek returned to its usual peace. No one gave a second thought to the cracked Dragon Ball. But they didn't know that this crack was like a virus, quietly brewing a new crisis.
Whoosh!
A faint, invisible black mist escaped from the crack. It shot into the sky and vanished into the depths of space, heading straight for the center of Universe 7.
...
In the vast reaches of Universe 7.
A Super Dragon Ball, the size of a planet, was slowly orbiting a star ten thousand times larger than the sun. Its golden surface shimmered with mysterious light.
But then...
CRACK!
A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the Super Dragon Ball. Though it looked small from a distance, up close, it was like a massive canyon, large enough to hold an entire city.
...
Back at the Sacred World of the Kai, the battle was still going on.
Goku and Beerus had been fighting for over half an hour. The shockwaves from their clashes had swept across the entire planet. The ground was covered in bottomless craters, and the distant palace had long since been leveled by the energy ripples.
The two of them were going back and forth, every blow landing with solid force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of their clashing were constant, and it was still impossible to tell who had the edge. However, as Goku found his rhythm, his energy grew even stronger, and he was slowly starting to gain the upper hand.
Beerus was gnashing his teeth, getting more and more annoyed. How is this Goku so good at fighting? If this keeps up, I might actually lose! Where would my dignity as a God of Destruction be then? Can't this kid just give me an out?
Boom!
Their fists clashed again, starlight energy meeting purple Destruction energy in a massive shockwave. Goku and Beerus were both sent flying backward, sliding dozens of meters across the ground before they stopped.
Beerus ground his teeth, getting ready to charge back in, when Goku's expression suddenly changed. He looked shocked and waved his hands quickly. "Wait a second, Lord Beerus!"
Beerus felt a surge of joy and let out a long sigh of relief. Is this kid finally going to give up? He tried to hide his smugness and huffed, "What? Can't take it anymore? Giving up now is the smart move."
"Uh... Lord Beerus, are you talking about my current state?" Goku blinked, looking totally lost.
"What else would I be talking about?" Beerus rolled his eyes.
"I could stay in this form all day!" Goku grinned, looking perfectly relaxed. He'd only sensed something strange; he wasn't even thinking about giving up.
Beerus: "..."
Beerus's face went as black as a pot. His Destruction energy churned violently, and his anger was ready to explode. This kid is doing this on purpose, isn't he?!
"Then let's keep going until you do give up!" Beerus shouted, getting ready to lunge.
"Something's not right... I feel like something is very wrong," Goku said, frowning and scratching his head. He suddenly turned his head toward the stars above, his expression turning serious.
"What's not right?" Beerus frowned, looking in the same direction, but he couldn't see anything but the dark night sky. "Is there something over there?"
"I just felt a very familiar evil energy being born in the depths of space," Goku said, his brow knit tight.
The energy reminded Goku of the Shadow Dragons from the GT timeline. It was the same darkness, the same thirst for destruction.
"Evil energy?" Beerus's expression turned serious as well. If it was something that could catch Goku's attention like this, it wasn't just some small trouble.
Whis raised his staff, and the crystal ball on top began to glow with a pale blue light as he scanned the depths of space for energy ripples.
"Mr. Whis, can you see what it is?" Goku asked urgently, walking over to him. "I have a feeling it's like the birth of the Shadow Dragons."
"Shadow Dragons? What are those?" Whis asked, looking confused. He was the Whis from Trunks's timeline and had never heard of them.
"To put it simply, if the Dragon Balls are used too many times to grant wishes, they build up negative energy. The Shadow Dragons are monsters born from that negative energy," Goku explained, trying to put it into words while still feeling a lingering fear of the Shadow Dragons from the GT timeline.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Whis smiled and waved his hand. "In our world, the energy cycle of the Dragon Balls is very stable. They don't produce negative energy at all. You could use them a hundred or even ten thousand times and nothing would happen."
"Really? That's great!" Goku let out a long sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. But then he looked back toward the stars, his brow furrowing again. "Wait, then why do I still feel that evil energy drifting this way?"
"That way?" Whis immediately raised his staff. The crystal ball glowed with a soft blue light as he scanned the direction Goku was pointing. He projected the image for everyone to see.
After about a minute, the projection showed a dark green planet. Its surface was covered in thick, sticky swamps, and from a distance, it looked like a piece of moldy jade.
"A planet over here just had an earthquake, and it opened up a massive canyon," Whis said, pointing to a crack in the center of the planet in the projection.
Goku leaned in closer and squinted. Sure enough, a canyon hundreds of kilometers long had split open in the swampy land, and a black mist was slowly rising from its depths.
"Is something evil being born in that canyon?" Goku asked, still not feeling quite right about it.
"It seems like some kind of newly born evil being, but in the universe, this kind of thing is actually very common," Whis said with a nonchalant smile, clearly not taking it seriously. "After all, the universe is vast. New beings are born every day, and it's not strange for a few of them to carry an evil aura."
"Are you sure it's not a Shadow Dragon?" Goku scratched his head again, a nagging feeling in his gut.
"It shouldn't be," Whis shook his head gently, his voice certain. "It's probably just a new life form whose energy happens to feel a bit like what you described as a Shadow Dragon."
"Hmm... I guess that's possible," Goku nodded, thinking Whis's explanation made sense.
Then, Goku started doing some math in his head. With his current Super Saiyan 7 strength, even if a Shadow Dragon did show up, he should be able to beat it easily. After all, the strength of a Shadow Dragon was a world away from someone like Vegito Black.
Once he worked that out, Goku stopped worrying about the Shadow Dragons. But then, another thought popped into his head.
He leaned in and whispered to Whis, "Mr. Whis, what about the Super Dragon Balls? Could they crack and give birth to monsters like Shadow Dragons?"
"Oh my, Mr. Goku, your imagination is truly wild!" Whis couldn't help but giggle. "Maybe you should stop fighting and go write novels. You'd probably be a best-selling author in the universe."
Goku: "..."
Goku's lip twitched. He felt like Whis wasn't taking his concerns seriously at all.
"Don't worry, what you're talking about is impossible!" Beerus huffed from the side, his tail flicking impatiently. "The Super Dragon Balls are artifacts created by the Dragon God Zalama. How could they give birth to such low-level monsters? You're really dreaming, kid!"
"I was just thinking, if they did give birth to one... just how strong would that monster be?" Goku rubbed his chin, a hint of genuine fear in his eyes.
"Hmph, even if one was born, I'd destroy it myself. It's not your problem!" Beerus puffed out his chest with an arrogant look, though he was secretly grumbling. This kid is always thinking about random nonsense. What a jinx.
Goku nodded seriously. Since Lord Beerus had said so, even if a Shadow Dragon did appear, the God of Destruction wouldn't just sit by and watch.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's get back to the fight!" Beerus beckoned Goku with his hand, his purple Destruction energy rising again.
"Lord Beerus, we've been fighting for almost an hour. How about we get some food and take a break?" Goku suggested. His stomach let out a perfectly timed growl. After fighting for so long, he was starving.
"There's no need for that!" Beerus huffed, though he secretly let out a sigh of relief. He was actually getting a bit tired too, but as a God of Destruction, how could he be the one to suggest a break? "We'll eat after we settle this!"
"Really? We can eat once we find a winner?" Goku's eyes lit up like two stars, and his serious expression vanished instantly.
"Of course—assuming you can win!" Beerus smirked, his mind already making plans. Kid, just give up already! If you give up, we can eat, and I'll have a way to save face. Otherwise, if we keep going, I'm really afraid I'll lose and look like a fool.
"Actually, I have a trump card I haven't dared to use yet. Do you want to see it, Lord Beerus?" Goku leaned in closer and lowered his voice, a sly glint in his eyes.
Beerus: "..."
Beerus's face went dark, and his heart skipped a beat. He really didn't want to see it, fearing that Goku actually had some secret move that would knock him flat.
"What? Are you saying... you can still get stronger?" Beerus's voice shook a little. He had a very bad feeling about this.
"It's hard for me to get any stronger in such a short time. This is pretty much my limit," Goku said honestly, his voice sincere.
Beerus let out a long, long sigh of relief. The weight on his heart finally lifted, and his tail relaxed on the ground. After a short silence, he asked curiously, "Then what do you mean by a trump card?"
"Just wait a second, Lord Beerus. We'll be ready in no time!" Goku grinned. He turned and winked at Broly, who was still munching on some energy fruit nearby.
Broly got the message instantly. His eyes lit up, and he didn't even bother to pick up the piece of fruit that fell out of his mouth. Finally, the fusion! Broly had been looking forward to this for a long time!
Broly quickly ran over to Goku and stood in the perfect spot. He got into the starting position for the Metamoran Fusion Dance, his body tensed with excitement.
"Lord Beerus, here we go!" Goku called out with a smile. He started the light dance steps, quickly moving toward Broly. Broly moved in perfect sync. Their movements were like mirror images, every step hitting the same rhythm.
A second later, their index fingers touched with perfect precision. A blinding white light erupted, swallowing both of them. When the light faded, a brand-new figure stood in their place.
The man had a face that looked like both Goku and Broly. This was their fusion.
Kakaroly!
Beerus: "..."
Beerus's face went completely black, and his lip was twitching like crazy. So your "trump card" was the Metamoran Fusion? You kid... that's cheating! How many times stronger does a fusion between two Saiyans get?!
"Hehe, Lord Beerus, I won't be holding back!" Kakaroly grinned, showing off a row of perfect white teeth. His aura suddenly exploded, his hair turning silver-white in an instant, and dark green lightning crackled around him.
Super Saiyan 5 transformation!
But he wasn't done yet!
Kakaroly let out an ear-splitting roar. His silver-white hair began to take on a green tint, and the dark green lightning became even more violent. His energy shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption, making the entire Sacred World of the Kai shake violently.
Whoosh!
Kakaroly vanished from the spot, leaving only a green afterimage. He roared toward Beerus at a speed that surpassed even the God of Destruction's reaction limits.
Bang!
Beerus didn't even see the move before he felt a heavy weight on his head. Kakaroly grabbed Beerus's head and slammed it hard into the ground.
Thud!
A dull sound rang out as Beerus's head hit the dirt. His head started spinning, his vision went black, and his mind went blank. He almost lost consciousness right then and there.
Then, Kakaroly kept his hand on Beerus's head and started grinding it into the ground as he dragged him across the planet. Rocks flew and dust swirled, leaving a long, deep trench in the earth.
Frieza, who was watching from the sidelines, was completely stunned. A fusion of Goku and Broly? This is too much! He actually dared to grind the God of Destruction's head into the dirt? This is insane!
The Old Supreme Kai and the Supreme Kai were hiding behind a rock in the distance, shaking with fear and barely daring to breathe. That's a God of Destruction! The god who rules over destruction in the universe! Is it really okay to just grind his head into the ground like that? They didn't even dare to look at Beerus's face.
"Oh my, oh my... Lord Beerus, you really need to try harder. You can't go around embarrassing the Gods of Destruction like this," Whis said from the side. He let out a helpless sigh, but the corners of his mouth were twitching upward. It looked like Lord Beerus had finally met his match.
Beerus: "..."
Is this the time for snide comments?!
Beerus was livid. He gathered every ounce of his strength and threw a heavy punch right into Kakaroly's stomach. But Kakaroly didn't even flinch. It was like being poked by a mosquito. An attack of that level couldn't even break through his defense.
Kakaroly kept grinding Beerus's head into the dirt, even speeding up on purpose. After about ten seconds of that, Kakaroly used his other hand to deliver a massive punch to Beerus's gut.
Pfft...
Beerus spat out a mouthful of purple blood. He felt like a deflated balloon. Every organ in his body felt like it had been shifted out of place, and he was in a world of hurt.
"Kid, you're getting too cocky!" Beerus was beside himself with rage. He opened his mouth and spat out a concentrated purple Destruction energy ball, aiming right for Kakaroly's face.
Kakaroly just tilted his head slightly and easily dodged the blast. The energy ball exploded in the distance, carving a massive crater into the ground.
Then, Kakaroly grabbed Beerus by the tail like he was picking up a kitten and started swinging him around, slamming him into the ground over and over.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of the impacts were constant. Beerus let out one cry of pain after another, his tail hurting like crazy and his dignity completely in tatters.
A minute later, Beerus's vision went black, and he completely passed out, his body hanging limp.
To be continued…
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