Back on Earth, Trunks and Mai led the remnants of humanity in agonizing suspense. Neither Raditz nor Zamasu had returned. In reality, only ten minutes had passed since the two gods vanished into the cosmos—but in this suffocating atmosphere, every second stretched into an eternity. Each heartbeat felt like an hour.
"What's happening up there? Are we... are we..." One man clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his entire body trembling. Sweat poured down his face in sheets. For some people, the anticipation was worse than death itself. A swift end would be preferable to this torturous waiting, this limbo between hope and despair.
But most clung to life with desperate fervor. They clasped their hands together and prayed silently, fervently: "Please... let him win. He has to win."
"Mr. Trunks..." Mai's voice was barely above a whisper. "Do we still have a chance?"
Trunks's jaw set with determination. "Believe in him, Mai. In all the years I've known Mr. Raditz, he's never once disappointed us. This might be the greatest challenge he's ever faced, but I know—I know—he can overcome it."
The memories flooded back unbidden. The Androids. Cell. The Galaxy Overlord. Broly. The time-traveling demons Mira and Towa. Every single one of them had fallen before Raditz's indomitable will. No matter how overwhelming the odds, no matter how impossible the situation, Raditz had always found a way to create miracles when backed into a corner.
This time will be no different. Trunks believed that with every fiber of his being.
Seeing the unshakeable conviction on Trunks's face, Mai found herself smiling despite everything. She'd come to trust this young warrior completely—every word he spoke, every promise he made. If Trunks believed in Raditz, then so would she.
Humanity had survived this long through sheer stubborn refusal to give up. Even if Raditz fell, even if all hope died with him, they would fight to the very end.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of slow, deliberate applause echoed across the devastated landscape, ringing out with unsettling clarity in the eerie silence.
"Who's there?!" Trunks's hand flew to his sword, the blade singing as he drew it and pointed toward the sky. His body coiled like a spring, ready to explode into action.
"Now, now... pointing sharp objects at a lady isn't very gentlemanly, is it?" A woman's voice, smooth and cultured, drifted down from above.
She descended slowly, almost languidly, her silhouette resolving against the darkened sky. Long brown curly hair cascaded past her shoulders, framing a face that was equal parts beautiful and unsettling. Her eyes glittered with an intelligence that seemed almost predatory. She was tall and slender, her posture perfect, her movements precise.
Her outfit was striking—black stockings, a tight pencil skirt, and a pristine white lab coat that fluttered in the wind. Frameless glasses perched on her nose, completing an appearance that screamed "research scientist." She carried herself with the same intellectual confidence Trunks had seen in his mother when Bulma worked in her laboratory, that unmistakable aura of genius.
"Who are you?" Mai stepped forward, her feminine instincts immediately registering hostility toward this mysterious newcomer. Her hand remained on her pistol.
The woman brushed a stray curl from her face, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. "I'm an envoy. You can call me—" Her gaze slid toward Trunks, and she blinked those beautiful, dangerous eyes. "Android 21."
Android 21.
The words hit Trunks like a physical blow. His mind went into overdrive, racing through possibilities. He'd only ever encountered one group that used numbers as designations: the Androids. Only Dr. Gero's creations were called by numbers instead of names.
"That's impossible!" Trunks's voice cracked with barely controlled panic. "There are no more Androids! We destroyed them all—every single one!" He'd never heard of an Android 21 in any timeline. Dr. Gero himself had been Android 20. After him came only Cell. Where could a 21 possibly fit? This woman certainly didn't exist in his timeline.
Android 21 approached with measured steps, her white coat billowing dramatically. "You're quite right—I was indeed created. The man who made me was a true genius." Her expression softened with something that might have been nostalgia. "I even had a child with him, though my memories of that time are... fragmented. Unclear. But I remember enough. I am Android 21."
Had a child with her creator? Trunks's eyes widened as the implications crashed over him. Could she be Dr. Gero's wife? That would explain how she'd remained hidden for so long, concealed in those remote mountain laboratories! It all made a terrible kind of sense.
But clearly, the transformation into an Android had involved memory modification. Android 21 seemed disconnected from much of her past, as if viewing her former life through frosted glass.
"Even if you are Android 21," Trunks growled, keeping his sword raised, "what do you want here? Why now?"
"My current role is that of a divine messenger. I've come to deliver a message." Android 21's tone remained conversational, almost pleasant. She extended one elegant hand. "I'm looking for Raditz. Where is he?"
"You want Mr. Raditz?" Trunks's grip tightened on his sword hilt.
"He's not here?" Android 21 tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. "Did he and Zamasu destroy each other? No... wait." She glanced at the sophisticated watch on her wrist—some kind of advanced scanning device. "I'm detecting his energy signature. Faint, but present. He's somewhere very distant..."
The casual way she'd detected Raditz's ki from across the universe sent another chill down Trunks's spine. What kind of technology was she working with?
Mai had already drawn her pistol, the weapon trained steadily on Android 21's center mass. Every instinct she possessed screamed danger.
"Hehehehe..." Android 21's gaze shifted to Mai, and her tongue flicked across her lips in a disturbingly predatory gesture. "Such a fiery personality. And you look... delicious."
"Delicious?" Both Trunks and Mai echoed in confusion.
Suddenly, without warning, Android 21's eyes blazed with otherworldly light. Catastrophic energy erupted around her body like a volcanic explosion. Crimson and black flames roared to life, consuming her human appearance entirely.
Her transformation was horrifying. A tail sprouted from her lower back. Her hair shifted from brown to pure white. Her skin took on a pink hue, and her body structure morphed into something eerily similar to Majin Buu's physiology. A cold, suffocating aura blanketed the Earth like a funeral shroud.
"No... no, it can't be!" Trunks's face went chalk white. "That appearance... she's like Majin Buu!"
The terrible truth crystallized in his mind. Android 21 possessed Majin Buu's cells—she was a cell-devouring artificial being, a genetic horror that combined the worst of Dr. Gero's technology with the most dangerous organism in the universe. And now she'd released her true power, her violent aura rolling across the landscape in waves.
Before Trunks could fully process the revelation, Android 21 vanished.
WHAM!
She materialized directly in front of him, her small fist—packed with devastating power—slamming into his abdomen with bone-crushing force.
Trunks's eyes bulged. Acidic bile erupted from his throat as his entire body convulsed. The power behind that single punch was unquestionably on Majin Buu's level—possibly even stronger.
Gritting his teeth through the agony, Trunks let his rage explode outward. Golden light engulfed him as he transformed into a Super Saiyan, his power surging dramatically. He launched a lightning-fast counterattack, his sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc.
The battle had begun.
Meanwhile, at the center of the universe...
The multiple layers of space-time barriers had shattered completely, leaving only Raditz's light green telekinetic wall still intact. It floated in the cosmic void like a gossamer bubble.
The swirling majesty of distant galaxies stretched endlessly before Raditz's eyes—billions of stars slowly rotating through the eternal darkness. He floated freely in the vacuum, utterly exhausted. This bone-deep weariness from pushing himself beyond all limits... he'd only experienced it twice before: during his training sessions with Beerus and Whis.
Zamasu hadn't been quite as powerful as Lord Beerus, but the gap was narrower than Raditz would have liked—perhaps only a twenty or thirty percent difference..
If Beerus hadn't given me that Destruction energy, Raditz thought soberly, I probably couldn't have sealed him at all.
But there were silver linings. Having survived this crucible, Raditz could feel his strength had evolved again. He'd broken through barriers he hadn't even known existed, touched new heights of power. Saiyans were like that—the more intense the battle, the stronger they emerged. Zamasu's overwhelming might had inadvertently pushed Raditz to new limits.
At the same time, this battle had revealed critical weaknesses. His Ultra Instinct took far too long to activate, and the ethereal state was frustratingly unstable—likely to dissipate as combat intensity increased. Still, even incomplete Ultra Instinct was an invaluable trump card. With it in his arsenal, he could at least survive against opponents who surpassed his power level, even if he couldn't attack effectively.
Raditz crushed his last Senzu Bean between his teeth, savoring the instant restoration of his stamina. He lay back against the fabric of space itself, allowing himself to float freely among the stars.
Nearby, the prison containing Zamasu drifted within arm's reach—a swirling sphere of emerald energy veined with purple Destruction power. Raditz had carefully sealed it within layers of telekinetic force. He couldn't touch it directly, not without risking the seal's integrity, but he could manipulate it with his mental abilities.
"Time to go home," Raditz murmured to the void.
He placed two fingers against his forehead and reached out with his senses, locking onto Trunks's energy signature across the impossible distance.
Instant Transmission.
In a blink of displaced space, Raditz vanished from the heart of the universe—taking Zamasu's eternal prison with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~