As he walked, he noticed liquid slowly flowing beneath his feet again. Its sticky feel made him recoil in disgust.
Unable to resist his curiosity, he crouched down and dipped a finger into the liquid, then brought it to his nose and sniffed. That was a huge mistake. The pungent stench rushed into his nostrils, nearly knocking him unconscious. Goku Black couldn't help shouting, "Oh my god, that reeks! Where the hell am I? Good grief!"
Complaining didn't change anything. The darkness around him remained endless, and only the faint glimmer ahead drew him onward. He could only suppress his nausea and quicken his pace toward the light, silently hoping he could get out of this godforsaken place soon and uncover whatever secret it was hiding.
Goku Black's pace grew faster and faster. That mysterious energy was like an invisible hand, gripping his mind tightly. As he drew closer to the ruins, the air around him grew increasingly strange, suffused with an ancient, weathered feeling.
As he stepped inside the ruins, the ancient characters glimmered faintly in the dim light, as if they had come alive and were whispering secrets sealed away by time. The battle scenes on the murals looked so vivid that every punch and every wave of energy seemed to hold the power to destroy the heavens and the earth. Goku Black's gaze roamed greedily over the images, and he kept imagining himself ruling the universe once he had mastered those powers.
"These powers will all belong to me soon!" Goku Black muttered, his smile growing more and more twisted. Just as he was about to reach out and touch a stone wall covered in intricate patterns, a sudden gale swept through the ruins. The wind howled as if countless tormented souls were wailing. Amid the gale, a phantom figure slowly appeared, glowing with a cold blue light. Its eyes blazed as it fixed its gaze on Goku Black.
"Outsider, this is no place for you.
"The phantom figure's deep voice echoed through the ruins, making Goku Black's eardrums ache. But Goku Black showed no sign of backing down. Instead, battle fervor burned in his eyes.
"Hmph. Now that I'm here, I'm not leaving empty-handed. Whoever you are, you won't stop me from claiming these powers!" Black flames rose around Goku Black, the embodiment of his mingled fury and greed.
The phantom figure shook its head slightly. "Fool. You cannot control these powers. Touch them, and you will unleash endless disaster."
Goku Black paid it no heed. He suddenly flashed forward, turning into a dark blur as he charged toward the stone wall. Seeing this, the phantom figure raised a hand and sent a blade of blue light streaking toward him.
Goku Black dodged easily, then gathered a black sphere of energy and hurled it viciously at the phantom figure.
The energy sphere exploded violently the moment it struck the figure. The entire ruin shook, and rubble rained down.
Yet when the smoke cleared, the phantom figure still hovered in the air, completely unharmed, as if the attack had been no more than a gentle breeze.
"Know your place," the figure said coldly. It quickly formed a seal with both hands, and the energy within the ruins began to surge wildly. The ancient characters and murals blazed with light, sending out beams of energy that trapped Goku Black.
Goku Black struggled with all his might, trying to break free of the energy's restraints, but his strength seemed insignificant against the powerful bonds. "Damn it! I won't be trapped here!" he snarled, veins bulging across his forehead.
As the beams of energy tightened around him, Goku Black felt as if his body were about to be torn apart. But the greed and resentment in his heart only grew stronger. At this life-or-death moment, he unleashed all his power. Black flames roared outward, battling fiercely against the beams of energy around him.
Goku Black's black flames and the beams of energy held each other at bay. His body trembled, every muscle taut, as if he might be crushed by the tremendous force at any moment. But his eyes revealed a near-mad determination, driven by an insatiable thirst for power.
"I will never lose to some unknown power!" Goku Black roared. His voice echoed through the ruins, dislodging even more rubble.
He focused, trying to find a weakness in the beams of energy. At this critical moment, he spotted a tiny fluctuation between them. It vanished in an instant, but his keen eyes caught it.
Without hesitation, Goku Black gathered all his power in his right hand, forming a massive black energy sphere. He seized his chance and fired it at the spot where the fluctuation had appeared.
BOOM! A deafening blast rang out. Under the tremendous impact, a tiny gap appeared in the beams of energy. Goku Black's eyes lit up. He knew this was his only chance.
Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he threw himself toward the gap with all his strength. As he neared it, a powerful counterforce surged toward him, trying to drive him back. But Goku Black gritted his teeth and charged forward without hesitation. As he squeezed through the gap, the beams of energy grazed him, carving one bloody gash after another across his body.
At last, Goku Black broke free of the energy beams. He crashed heavily to the ground and gasped for breath, covered in wounds, blood pouring from them. But he paid them no mind. He looked up at the phantom figure, hatred and greed burning even more fiercely in his eyes.
"Did you think that would stop me?" Goku Black slowly rose to his feet and sneered. "Now it's my turn to strike back!"
With that, Goku Black rapidly swept his hands through the air, and the dark energy within him surged forth like a raging tide. He gathered it into a massive black vortex of energy. Its terrifying aura seemed capable of devouring everything.
The phantom figure sensed the immense threat, and its expression grew solemn.
It knew that Goku Black was no ordinary foe. If he succeeded, the consequences would be unimaginable. The phantom figure stopped holding back. Light blazed around its body as an ancient, mysterious power began to pour forth.
"Since you refuse to listen, don't blame me for what comes next," the phantom figure said softly, its voice carrying a note of helplessness and resolve.
Goku Black snorted and pushed the black energy vortex toward the phantom figure without hesitation.
The vortex surged toward its target like a roaring beast, carrying enough force to destroy everything in its path. The phantom figure reacted swiftly, pressing its hands together and firing a dazzling blue beam at the vortex.
In an instant, brilliant light engulfed the entire ruin, and the tremendous impact of the energy sent everything around them crumbling.
Huge fissures split the ground. Stone pillars toppled, and the ancient characters and murals crumbled to dust beneath the force of the impact.
Goku Black and the phantom figure were both hurled away by the immense shockwave.
Goku Black slammed into a stone wall and spat out a mouthful of blood. His body had reached its limit, but he still refused to give up. He struggled to his feet and looked at the ruined site around him, the fury in his heart burning even hotter.
Before you continue