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The figure before them… that outfit. It looked so familiar, painfully familiar.
Trunks' eyes narrowed. There was no mistaking it; this man was connected to Zamasu.
But what unsettled him was that the black robe draped over the figure, concealing him like some executioner from the shadows.
This was utterly unbelievable. There is another Zamasu in this timeline as well?
So it was true. As long as Zamasu existed anywhere, he would always be a scourge.
"Hey, Zamasu," Trunks called out, already bracing himself for battle. "We meet again."
"Trunks, you mean… this guy is also Zamasu?" Gohan's eyes swept the cloaked figure with suspicion as he asked.
Trunks nodded firmly before replying. "Yeah. Even though he's hiding under that robe, his Ki… It's unmistakable."
At that, the black-robed Zamasu seemed faintly taken aback. By all rights, this Trunks should never have encountered him in this world. Yet somehow, he knew him to the point of recognising his Ki.
Zamasu smirked as he spoke. "Hmph. I don't know how you figured out my identity… but does it matter, Trunks? I've already killed you once before. Killing you a second time, or a hundred, makes no difference."
This statement was made with the same arrogant declaration. Trunks had heard it all before. He only sighed and shook his head.
"Enough talk."
Fwoooosh!
A violent surge of Ki erupted from Trunks, shaking the very air. In an instant, his body ignited with primal energy as he transformed into Super Saiyan 4.
His form blurred and vanished-
'Instant Movement'.
Before Zamasu could even blink, Trunks was upon him. There were no words, no warnings,, as with enemies like this, only fists spoke the truth.
BOOM!
One clean strike sent the black-robed Zamasu hurtling through the sky, his body tumbling end over end.
But it lasted less than three seconds before Zamasu halted himself in midair, dusting off his cloak and speaking with a mocking smile on his face.
"Heh… this transformation, I've never seen it before. But from the looks of it, this is nothing special."
From his words, a detail became clear: though he had slaughtered countless Trunks across countless timelines, not one of them had ever achieved Super Saiyan 4 Form.
Perhaps, in all his journeys, he had never even witnessed any Saiyan attain this form.
Gohan, meanwhile, scrutinized the battle with hawk-like focus. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the foe.
This one… this Zamasu is different from the other two.
Trunks' Super Saiyan 4 is powerful, but it doesn't carry the same crushing presence it had two days ago against that other timeline's threat.
Something is off about this Zamasu…
"Trunks! I'll back you up!"
Gohan's aura exploded in golden light, his hair sparking as he ascended to his Super Saiyan 2 Form.
The black-robed Zamasu rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles as if loosening up before the slaughter.
Then his voice boomed: "Very well! Allow me to show you the power of a god!"
With a roar, golden flames erupted around him.
Fwoosh!
It wasn't Super Saiyan Rosé. No, this was the standard golden form, yet wielded by a supposed divine being.
With his arms folded across his chest, Zamasu sneered down at them. "Humans, you cannot hope to contend with the glory of the gods!"
But before his smug words had even finished echoing, Gohan was already upon him.
Bam! Bam! Crack!
Fists and feet clashed in a violent blur and the air itself screamed from the collision of power.
Trunks, watching the battle unfold, froze for a heartbeat.
(Just a Super Saiyan? Shouldn't he have transformed into Rosé by now?)
(No… something's off.)
Trunks' cold gaze locked onto the golden aura blazing around the black-robed Zamasu.
His first strike as Super Saiyan 4 should have sent the man flying miles away, even if he hadn't put his full strength behind it. For Zamasu to shrug it off so arrogantly? That seemed impossible.
And now… this Zamasu wasn't even in his Rosé Form. Just an ordinary Super Saiyan state.
That could only mean one thing.
He's still adjusting to this body.
The more Trunks thought about it, the more his gut twisted. If this really were "just" Super Saiyan, there was no way the aura would feel like that.
Zamasu's Super Saiyan should never have been able to stand toe-to-toe with Gohan's Super Saiyan 2.
After all these years, Gohan had never stopped training. His Super Saiyan 2 had long since surpassed its old limits, rivaling even Super Saiyan 3 in power.
And yet, here he was… locked in an even struggle with this cloaked intruder.
Something was deeply, deeply wrong.
"Gohan! Cut loose, give it everything you've got!" Trunks barked.
Gohan gave a sharp nod. His aura erupted and a storm of golden light drowned out Zamasu's glow. Lightning coiled around him as his full-powered Super Saiyan 2 form burst forth.
BOOM!
Their fists collided. Gohan's punches against Zamasu's forearm, their bodies straining in perfect opposition, locked in a line of pure force.
"Heh. Is that all?" Zamasu sneered mockingly.
But Gohan only gave a calm, confident smile.
Then it came, an explosion of white, divine Ki bursting from his body.
Mystic Gohan had returned.
The balance shattered instantly. Gohan's punch slammed through Zamasu's guard, forcing his arm back. His next strike lined up squarely for the bridge of Zamasu's nose.
But what happened next froze him.
Just before the blow could land, the black-robed Zamasu's lips twisted into a dark, delighted smile.
"Mmm… good. Very good. You're making this god excited!"
In a blink, a dense, rapidly condensing energy sphere flared to life in his palm.
The sight made Trunks' instincts scream.
Without hesitation, he powered into Full-Power Super Saiyan 4, his body flickering forward with him using the skill 'Instant Transmission'.
He had to intercept.
The question gnawed at him harder now than ever: 'Why was Zamasu hiding beneath a robe?'
As the sphere neared Gohan, Trunks hurled his own energy blast to intercept, his other hand lashing out to seize the enemy's cloak.
BOOOOOOM!
The battlefield erupted in a storm of force and smoke, the explosion rattling the heavens.
When the haze finally parted, Trunks stood there, the tattered black robe in his grasp. He flung it aside. It fluttered in the air before vanishing into the drifting smoke.
And from within the haze… the figure emerged.
Half of his face was crimson, twisted, almost monstrous.
A pair of Potara earrings gleamed in the dim light.
Trunks' pupils shrank. There was only one being he could think of, the invincible warrior, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta…
Vegito.
(End Of This Chapter)