A Figure in Despair

Is this really how it all has to end? Just like that, with resentment still lingering?

"Goku!!"

Old Kai's voice suddenly exploded in Goku's mind, sounding old and urgent, as if he had never been so flustered in his life.

"Don't be silly! Get out of the way! That attack is too evil, and its power is too much for you to handle! Use Instant Transmission to get to the Supreme Kai Realm right now! Hurry!"

Goku's body trembled slightly, but his feet remained firmly planted on the ravaged land.

He barely looked at the black sun that was devouring everything in front of him; his gaze seemed to transcend destruction and penetrate the ruins of memory.

Countless images flashed through my mind--

Vegeta's face was covered in eerie lines, his eyes were vacant, and his silver hair reflected a cold light in the moonlight; Gohan and Goten, his beloved children, stood blankly behind their enemies like soulless puppets; Piccolo, his former rival and friend, stood there stiffly, his tall green figure like the most loyal puppet, silently announcing their defeat...

Every scene was like a red-hot knife, stabbing viciously into his heart.

No refunds.

There was nothing left behind him.

Beneath his feet lay the world upon which his friends, family, and countless innocent people depended for survival.

Goku slowly and laboriously straightened his spine, which was in so much pain it felt like it was about to break.

The golden flames still flickered, the blood still flowed, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever before.

Qi Heng's golden eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, exceptionally clear amidst the swirling dust and energy turbulence, their depth unlike anything a human should possess, utterly devoid of emotion.

He just looked at Goku, his voice not loud, but it pierced through all the noise. "Come find me again when you're strong enough."

Each word was like a cold nail, striking Goku's eardrums.

Goku gritted his teeth, almost drawing blood from his lips.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, causing his hands to go numb with pain.

My fingers were white from exerting too much force and were trembling slightly.

It's still not strong enough.

This fact is branded on my heart like a hot iron.

Qi Heng didn't even assume a fighting stance; he simply stood there, quietly watching him.

But that kind of oppression was a thousand times heavier than any mad enemy.

But he just wouldn't admit defeat.

Absolutely not.

The anger, resentment, and stubborn defiance surging within him, mingled with the Saiyan's innate fighting spirit, erupted from his throat in a heart-wrenching roar—

"Aaaaaaah--!"

This roar seemed to tear the sky apart, its frenzied determination echoing across the wasteland.

With a roar, the golden aura of Super Saiyan 3 surged dramatically, as if doused with oil!

The energy reached its peak, and a dark golden beam of light shot straight into the sky, confronting the black, ever-growing energy ball in Baby's hand from afar.

Two completely different forces collided, and the mere clash of their auras distorted the space around them, spreading out like ripples on water.

The shockwave surged wildly outwards, wiping away the ruins completely. The rubble and steel bars were reduced to dust, and the ground was sheared down layer by layer, leaving an area of hundreds of meters in utter silence.

The golden aura surrounding Goku began to turn strange.

The color shifted from dark gold to a deeper, more intense hue, with the edges even exhibiting an unstable glow that bordered on a blazing red.

That was the last potential within his body, a sign of being frantically squeezed out under dire circumstances, a sign that the Saiyan bloodline was about to break through its limits and venture into the unknown.

Its power was no longer stable; sometimes it stretched into a long whip, sometimes it exploded into star-like points, and its strength was almost out of control.

But his body was already on the verge of collapse.

The small body trembled violently, every muscle felt like it was being torn apart, the pain was like being burned and pricked by needles; the bones were under unimaginable pressure, making a faint, piercing creaking sound, as if they could break at any moment; the blood vessels under the skin bulged, like green snakes crawling around, as if they were about to burst at any second.

The sweat had long since evaporated, leaving only a layer of white mist from the rising energy enveloping my body.

A child's body is not meant to be a vessel to contain such divine power.

But he's still holding on.

His knees trembled, yet he refused to kneel; his back was bent, yet he stubbornly refused to fall.

Golden pupils, like flames, were fixed intently on the approaching black Destruction Sphere.

"It's no use! A death throes!"

Baby's face contorted from channeling all his energy; he roared and shoved the black sphere away with a vengeance.

"Die with your resentment!"

The ball of energy, as black as the dead of night, shot out of his hand like a meteorite launched from hell, its speed suddenly increasing!

It trailed a long, black tail of flame, as if it wanted to devour the light. The space shattered with an unbearable cracking sound, breaking into pieces like glass, leaving behind an unhealable black scar with eerie light flowing at its edges.

Those were the marks left by the violent tearing of the spatial structure, proof of the collapse of the laws of the universe under destructive forces.

Even before the energy ball arrived, the aura of destruction had already locked Goku in place, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

The shadow of death fell coldly over us.

Goku closed his eyes.

The sounds of the world suddenly became incredibly clear.

He heard the piercing shriek of the energy sphere tearing through the air, like the howling of ghosts; he heard the pounding of his own heart, like the final beat of a war drum; he also heard, from the distant ruins, Pan's heart-wrenching cries, filled with despair and sorrow—

"Goku--!"

Then, above all the other voices, another voice rang out—

That's enough.

That wasn't the anxious voice of the Old Kai.

It's another voice.

Calm as the eye of a storm, steady as a mountain, possessing an unquestionable strength.

The sound wasn't loud, but it overwhelmed all the explosions and cries, reaching Goku's ears directly and echoing throughout the entire desperate battlefield.

Goku suddenly opened his eyes.

A figure appeared between him and the black Destruction Sphere, seemingly out of nowhere.

His black hair swayed only slightly amidst the turbulent energy flow; his posture was upright, exuding a reassuring stability.

What's most captivating are his eyes—golden pupils, still calm as water, reflecting the all-encompassing darkness ahead.

Qi Heng.

Faced with the black energy sphere powerful enough to wipe out the entire city, Qi Heng simply raised his right hand.

The movements were casual and relaxed, without any sign of tension.

With fingers spread and palms facing forward, one simply meets the torrent of destruction.

The next second, no explosion occurred.

The black energy ball came to a stop.

The destructive force was steadily caught by a seemingly insignificant hand.

The energy ball throbbed and struggled wildly in Qi Heng's palm, like a living, black tumor.