The Fierce Battle Ends

This timeline's Gohan moved.

Wrapped in a golden aura, he charged forward. The ruins beneath his feet collapsed into a massive crater the instant he pushed off, his golden aura trailing behind him as the air tore with a piercing shriek.

Son Gohan's pupils constricted. So fast. Before he could react, the punch slammed directly into his face, its force blasting through him and sending him flying like a cannonball deep into the city ruins.

Rumble—!

Layers of reinforced concrete collapsed, and dust shot into the sky.

The ruins fell silent for a moment. Then, a hand reached out from the pile of rubble and pushed aside the stones in front of it.

Son Gohan rose to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked down at it, but the corner of his lips curled upward.

"Not bad. Your battle power's this high—why didn't you use it earlier?"

There was no answer from the other side.

This timeline's Gohan floated in midair, lightning wildly crackling around him. His hair stood upright in golden spikes, and undisguised killing intent burned in his eyes.

His face twisted with rage, his teeth clenched tight.

Son Gohan's golden aura erupted once more.

His body flashed, leaving only an afterimage behind.

The two golden figures collided head-on in midair.

Fist met fist!

Boom—!!

Centered on the two of them, a shockwave exploded outward in a ring. The ruins on the ground were overturned, rubble shattered into powder, and even the distant remains of buildings were pushed down by the blast.

This timeline's Gohan roared as he threw punch after punch, every strike filled with all his strength—he was fast, but Son Gohan was faster.

The experienced Son Gohan tilted his head to evade the first punch, deflected the second with his palm, then seized Gohan's wrist and yanked him toward himself.

The instant his center of gravity shifted, this timeline's Gohan's expression changed.

Son Gohan drove a heavy front kick straight into his chest.

A dull boom rang out as this timeline's Gohan spun through the air, smashed through a broken wall behind him, then plowed a trench dozens of meters long across the ground before stopping.

Rubble and dust drifted through the air, while a golden aura had already burst forth from within the ruins.

He charged out of the smoke, his face smeared with dust and blood, his gaze fiercer and more vicious than before, like a wild beast gone mad.

He rushed in with both fists. Son Gohan met him head-on, and they engaged in close combat.

The dull thuds of fists striking arms, the sharp cracks of knees hitting waists, the piercing whistles of elbows grazing temples—all the sounds blended together into an unbroken series of sonic booms.

This timeline's Gohan slammed a fist into Son Gohan's shoulder. Son Gohan grunted in pain but did not retreat, instead sweeping an elbow across his opponent's cheek.

Gohan's head snapped to the side, blood spraying from his mouth. Yet he used the force to twist at the waist and turn, whipping a roundhouse kick back hard into Son Gohan's side.

Son Gohan was sent flying sideways, his feet carving two deep trenches through the ground. Before he could steady himself, the golden figure had already caught up to him.

Their fists collided again. This time, neither retreated.

The two golden auras pressed against each other, electric arcs clashing wildly in the air with crackling snaps as sparks flew in every direction.

The ground kept sinking beneath the pressure of the two forces, cracks spreading from beneath their feet hundreds of meters away.

Rubble floated upward, ground into powder within the auras.

Two similar faces stood inches apart in the golden glare—one burning with killing intent and rage, the other calm yet carrying an icy chill.

"Aah—!!"

This timeline's Gohan roared, pouring all his power into his arm. Son Gohan was forced back half a step, but he had yielded that half-step deliberately.

The instant his weight shifted back, he used the momentum to turn and swept a spinning kick into this timeline's Gohan's knee.

His opponent lost his footing, his upper body involuntarily pitching forward. Son Gohan followed with a knee strike straight into his chest.

Gohan threw back his head and spat out a mist of blood, his entire body sent flying backward.

Before he even hit the ground, he forcibly flipped himself upright in midair, standing in the sky as his golden aura erupted again.

He drew both hands to his waist, brilliant blue light gathering in his palms, growing more and more blinding.

"Kame—ha—me—ha!!"

Son Gohan drew his fists to his waist in sync. It was the same Kamehameha, a blue beam blasting from his palms.

The two torrents of energy collided head-on in midair.

Bzzzz—!!

Blinding white light erupted from the point of impact, energy particles spraying madly in every direction.

The ground below cracked beneath the pressure of the leaking energy, and the rubble of the ruins was swept up and instantly vaporized.

After two seconds of deadlock, both streams of energy spiraled out of control at once, exploding into a massive mushroom cloud.

The flames of the explosion lit up the entire battlefield. The shockwave flattened the ruins within several hundred meters, while smoke and fire surged into the sky and lingered for a long time.

The thick smoke slowly began to disperse.

Son Gohan of this timeline knelt on one knee, the golden aura extinguished as his Super Saiyan form reverted to normal.

His chest heaved violently, every breath coming with difficulty.

He had expended too much stamina, and his energy was nearly depleted. Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand, but his arms gave out halfway and he collapsed again. In the end, he fell to the ground and passed out.

Son Gohan slowly descended from midair, Super Saiyan 3's long hair whipping wildly in the wind while lightning continued to crackle steadily around him.

Though his breathing was somewhat more hurried than usual, he still maintained his Super Saiyan 3 form without wavering.

Son Gohan's recovery and physical strength were superior. His awareness swept through the depths of his body, where the Dimensional Seed had long since filled with this high-quality energy. A faintly unusual golden pattern shimmered amid the luster flowing across its surface.

The breaking of one's potential limit—the instant this timeline's Son Gohan had shattered his own limits in rage—that special energy fluctuation had been completely captured by the Dimensional Seed.

This was even more precious than high-quality energy and would be of great use in breaking through bottlenecks in the future.

The spectator stands had long since descended into chaos.

Chi-Chi clutched Bulma's arm tightly, her face pale and her lips trembling.

Bulma held little Trunks in her arms, her brow tightly furrowed as she could not understand it no matter how she tried. "Why are the two Son Gohans fighting?"

Oolong hid behind a chair with only half his head exposed, his teeth chattering.

"Son Gohan—!" Chi-Chi cried, her voice choked with sobs.

Son Gohan walked up to the unconscious Son Gohan of this timeline, crouched down, and reached out to grip and shake his shoulder.

This timeline's Son Gohan slowly opened his eyes. Rage still lingered in his gaze as he looked at the identical face before him. His lips moved, as though he still wanted to kill him.

Son Gohan looked at him, his tone solemn and every word firm.

"Remember this. Hold on to the power you have now. Never forget how this moment feels."

"What does anger feel like? Where does strength come from?"

"Otherwise, when Earth faces another crisis, what will you use to fight the enemy? There is never any peace in this world."

This timeline's Son Gohan stared blankly at him.

Son Gohan released him and rose to his feet. Super Saiyan 3's golden aura slowly receded as he returned to normal, the sharpness on his face fading back into calmness.

He lowered his head for another look at his other self, still sitting on the ground. The corners of his lips curled slightly, carrying a hint of tranquil indifference.

Instant Transmission activated.

His figure vanished from atop the ruins.

Only this timeline's Son Gohan remained, sitting on the ground and silently staring at the spot where he had disappeared.

Deep within Universe 7.

In an uninhabited star system, there was nothing around but lifeless rocks and belts of dust.

Son Gohan floated in the void and activated the Dimensional Seed within his body.

The rainbow crystal trembled softly, tearing open a dazzling spacetime passage before him. The halo at its entrance flowed and shifted unpredictably.

He glanced back in the direction from which he had come, then turned and plunged headfirst into the passage.

Rainbow light swallowed his figure. The entrance slowly closed, and this silent starfield returned to its darkness and stillness.