Bluffing? That's called outsmarting them, darling

Tens of thousands of kilometers away, amid the desolate meteorite belt, Trunks was wrapped in a green aura as he anxiously gazed toward Planet Vegeta.

Feeling Son Gohan's energy fading, Trunks was frantic with worry.

"How could this happen..." Trunks slammed his fists into the surrounding meteorites, wishing he could rush back and fight alongside him.

But he remembered Son Gohan's stern instructions when he'd sent him away. He knew that with his current strength, rushing back would only get in the way. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to hold back. "Damn it!"

Suspended in midair by white chains, Son Gohan was being battered by a relentless flurry of blows.

Kakarot's fists pounded into Son Gohan's abdomen, cheeks, and chest, one after another.

Son Gohan coughed up mouthfuls of blood, but his golden eyes remained unusually resolute. Even as he took the beating, he kept a close watch on every subtle movement Kakarot made.

Huh?

Son Gohan's eyes narrowed slightly as he picked up on a crucial detail.

Kakarot's physical movements when he attacked and the activation of Miracle Power weren't in sync at all!

Whenever Kakarot launched an attack, his body had already moved, but the Miracle Power responsible for erasure and locking on always lagged behind by an almost imperceptible fraction of a second.

It was like someone wielding a firearm: after the command to fire was given, the weapon itself took a few tenths of a second to respond.

Maybe I can use this!

A glint flashed in Son Gohan's eyes as he thought of a way to turn the tables.

Kakarot hadn't truly mastered the supreme power of rules. He was merely forcing reality to change by "wishing" to that Miracle Power, which was why there was a delay.

Thud! Another heavy punch.

"Why'd you go quiet?" Kakarot grabbed Son Gohan by the throat, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Come on, keep talking."

Son Gohan didn't struggle. He stayed perfectly calm, then bared his bloodstained teeth in a grin.

Kakarot's expression darkened. The five fingers around Son Gohan's throat tightened abruptly. "What are you laughing at?!"

"I'm laughing at how pathetic you are." Son Gohan looked him straight in the eye, his gaze full of undisguised mockery. "You can't even throw a basic punch without fumbling. Your stance is so unsteady you're like some scrawny stray dog. Sure, you've got strength to spare, but your technique is so lousy you're worse than an ordinary Saiyan Low-Class Warrior."

Son Gohan's voice was quiet, but every word cut like a blade.

"You may have godlike power from who knows where, but that doesn't make you a true god."

A poisonous glint of murderous intent flashed in Kakarot's eyes. As the ruler of this world, he hated nothing more than having his authority challenged.

"So what?! No matter how good your technique is or how strong you are in a real fight, you can't break through my defenses! You can only take a beating from me like a dead dog!" Kakarot snapped, his right fist gathering a dazzling white light before he smashed it toward Son Gohan. "Besides, if I want to, I can gain fighting skills far beyond yours in an instant!"

"Heh..."

Son Gohan took the blow head-on, his body jolting violently. He raised his head slightly, a menacing pressure radiating from his wild eyes. "I was only playing around with you. Now I'll show you, you frog in a well, what a true god is!"

"Still running your mouth!" Kakarot frowned and snorted.

Son Gohan's tone was utterly arrogant. "You're just showing off with borrowed power. I came here from the divine realm specifically to get rid of a fake like you."

"Big talk! If you could really do that, would I be beating you down right now?" Kakarot laughed in fury, but his hands unconsciously slowed for a moment.

In that very instant,

the fierce aura of Super Saiyan 4 around Son Gohan abruptly died down.

His fur receded at incredible speed, and his long hair shortened. Without warning, he dispelled every transformation and returned to his base form!

In the distance, Trunks sensed Gohan's energy plummet, and his face went deathly pale.

"Why did Gohan's energy drop so much?!" Trunks's mind went blank. He could no longer hold back. A golden aura erupted around him, and he rushed off to save him without a second thought.

But the next moment, he stopped himself short and stared blankly into the distance. "Gohan's energy is rising again, and it seems stable."

He couldn't make heads or tails of it. He had no idea what was happening on the battlefield.

High above Planet Vegeta,

Son Gohan hung in the chains, facing Kakarot's stunned expression in his base form.

"Open your eyes and watch closely."

Son Gohan let out a low growl.

Boom!

A muddied purple-green aura exploded from Son Gohan's body. His short black hair stood on end, and his muscles swelled rapidly like balloons being inflated.

Super Saiyan Mimicry!

Kakarot froze for a moment, then sneered. "That's it?"

"This isn't over!" The energy radiating from Son Gohan swelled again.

"Haaaa!"

The purple-green aura was instantly replaced by pure gold. His upright hair turned a dazzling golden color, and his emerald eyes grew cold and sharp.

Super Saiyan 1!

His energy was a full five times greater than it had been in the mimicry form.

"What are you even doing?" Kakarot was baffled by Son Gohan's transformations.

Son Gohan didn't answer. He tilted his head back and let out a savage roar that soared into the sky.

Rumble!

The pure golden aura was swallowed whole by a wild, ink-green blaze. Son Gohan's frame grew larger once more, his thick muscles coiling like dragons. He radiated a feral, brutal menace.

Legendary Super Saiyan!

His energy doubled again.

"Next is Legendary Super Saiyan 2!"

Son Gohan slammed his fists together in front of his chest.

Deafening thunder suddenly erupted around him. Dense green lightning writhed over his body like raging serpents, and his energy doubled once again.

Kakarot folded his arms and scoffed. "Boring!"

"Gaaaaah!"

Son Gohan crouched and roared again.

The upright green hair atop his head extended wildly, cascading all the way down to his waist. His brow ridges rose, his eyebrows vanished completely, and his energy increased fourfold.

Violent winds swept across the world.

"This is Legendary Super Saiyan 3 Stage!"

But before Kakarot could say a word, Son Gohan immediately began another transformation.

The green light that had just ravaged the area abruptly stilled, then contracted back into his body.

Wild, waist-length black hair and crimson fur once again covered his upper body.

This time, there was no earth-shattering explosion of energy, no terrifying roar of a storm. He drew in every bit of his aura perfectly, not letting a single trace escape, returning to an absolute state of simplicity.

"This is Super Saiyan 4 Full Power!"

Kakarot frowned. "Is this what you were talking about?"

"Don't rush."

Son Gohan rolled his neck, the joints cracking. He could clearly feel that some mysterious force was making the power within him easier to build.

The instant the words left his mouth,

BOOM—!!!

A pressure several times more terrifying than all his previous forms combined descended with a thunderous crash.

The red aura around Son Gohan surged. His long black hair began changing color at the roots, turning an eerily vivid crimson before their very eyes!

His aura no longer looked like a jet of flame. It had become a tangible liquid, dark red energy silently flowing over his body. With every cycle, it radiated an absolute pressure that eclipsed everything else.

Super Saiyan 4—Limit Break!

Kakarot's brow furrowed. The Rule Chains binding Son Gohan began to tremble and shrink back uncontrollably in the face of this power.

Crack!

The white Rule Chains wrapped around Son Gohan's limbs could no longer withstand this overwhelming, unreasonable might. They shattered into countless white specks of light.

Freed at last, Son Gohan hovered silently in the vacuum.

Kakarot's expression changed drastically. He was about to increase the output of Miracle Power and bind Son Gohan again when—

"Next, you'll witness true divine power!"

"Impossible!" Kakarot cried out. "Stop bluffing, Son Gohan!"

He said it, but deep down, he couldn't shake the worry that Son Gohan still had power to spare.

As if in response, Son Gohan slowly raised his right arm.

A faint hum.

A particle of pure violet Destruction Energy appeared in his palm, like a brilliant star.

The moment he saw that violet light, Kakarot's eyes widened. The absurd suspicion in his heart grew even stronger.

Son Gohan rose into the sky and looked down at Kakarot. A wicked smile curled his lips.

He gazed at Kakarot's stunned expression below and spoke calmly. "I am the supreme god who governs the order of countless space-times."

"God of Spacetime Destruction! Son Gohan!"