Judge the Vain I (The World of Dragon Ball)

Obsidian was traversing the cosmos heading to the next location where another fragment would possibly be located. With 3 in his possession, his journey was finally at the halfway mark. One could get anxious about the end given the progression but he only maintained his focus of reaching the finish line not trying to distract himself with thoughts of home until all of the fragments were in hand. Besides, there was another matter that currently held his attention and that was the movements of these Demon Gods. He defeated three of them so far but there had to be more waiting for him obstructing his path of gaining ownership of the other pieces of the Arcana Crystal.

Lucifer was surprisingly strong which translated to the possibility of even stronger demonic deities on the road ahead. Coupling with the fact that these beings aren't afraid to enhance themselves using the fragment, Obsidian couldn't help but feel that he would eventually have to push his body further to unleash the latent potential he held within. Admittedly, the Harbinger was truly attempting to hold back out of fear of affecting the different worlds he was visiting but that last fight changed things. If he had to use Cosmic Foundry to defeat one Demon God, then who knows what the other deities would push him to do if they are enhanced by these shards.

Who was pulling the strings of the Demon Gods and why are they all so familiar with him? Even with the mask on and his identity clearly obscured, they know who he is by referring to him as the "Son of Mercer". If they were this well-informed then someone at the top of the hierarchy was obviously plotting against him or his family. The Second Primordial War seemed to stir a series of coalition mobilization despite of the fact that Akasha has awakened. Team AKARA's fame has spread but it seems like the challenges have only intensified.

"Only this time, I'm the one being directly challenged…" Obsidian sighed heavily while speaking his thoughts aloud. He needed to know more about his enemies, specifically who was leading them.

"Indra, what do you know about the leader of the Demon Gods? If they are structured similarly to the gods in Elysium then surely they have to have a king or something."

[You wouldn't be wrong about that but the concept of the 'Demon King' is a convoluted one that changes based on many changes in beliefs and cultures. Even with us gods, we didn't know who the Demon King was since the identity of the person was always obscured. During the Great War, the Demon Gods moved about as they pleased though some of us noticed that they had some form of coordination. However, it seems that this person is more active than ever before.]

"So if you don't know who this person is, then can you at least tell me how many Demon Gods I should be prepared to deal with?"

[It's hard to say really. At one point, the core of the leadership or militarized structure that populated Inferno numbered somewhere in the seventies but that number may have decreased over time or increased if anyone was deemed worthy of demonic deification.]

"Great, an enemy that I know next-to-nothing about that has forces in an unquantifiable number is targeting me and hindering me from getting back to where I belong. Well, no one said this journey was going to be easy."

Just then Obsidian felt the energy signature of another fragment ahead. When he rushed forth into a mysterious cosmic cloud of dust, he found himself floating in a void in which 12 distinct universes were arranged around each other like a clock. This was something he was not expecting at all. The entire space was like a closeted multiverse, if one could even call it that, where each universe was separate and defined but identical to the others in a form of parallelism. Trying to comprehend the logic of this was something the cloaked assassin had no time for. Focusing his attention on the task at hand, he felt the energy signature of the fourth fragment coming from the 7th universe in the arrangement and immediately bee-lined towards that area.

*****

Earth – the home of humanity yet in the seventh universe this serene planet has seen its share of unique experiences and has had several alien species visit and also call this place home. From the remnants of the once elite warrior race known as the Saiyans to the guardian nomadic race of Namekians, many types of people have also come to call this place home. However these peaceful days were not always the norm. In its past, threats such as other alien species, androids built by a psychopath, and even deities appeared to disturb peace. Nevertheless it somehow survived, even if by a narrow margin. The warriors that fought for their home were commonly referred to as the "Z Fighters" and once more they had another challenge to face but this time…it involved the forbidden act of time travel.

It all started when a young man came back in time to seek aid in dealing with a threat that sought to destroy all of mankind across every universe and every timeline for the sake of creating a land that belonged solely to the divine. He needed aid and sure enough he got it but the matter was more complicated than what was initially thought. The reason was that the malevolence had managed to use the mystical wishing orbs known as the Dragon Balls to achieve immortality and manipulated time in such a way that his existence was unaffected by conceptual erasure by a God of Destruction. As a result, more brute force tactics would be required.

In the gardens of Capsule Corp, the big name company worth an insurmountable amount of money that developed almost all of human technology used in this era, the two strongest warriors of the Z Fighters prepared to travel back to the future in order to challenge the threat in the future. The first trip didn't go so well but things would be different this time. As the pod ship that was a time machine was ready for lift off, the two Saiyan warriors named Goku and Vegeta were preparing to leave.

"Wow Vegeta, looks like you got a little stronger in the last 24 hours. I guess the Hyperbolic Time Chamber really paid off for ya," spoke the spikey, black haired goofball that has saved Earth countless times in his years.

"Hmph, I'd rather rely on my prowess as a proud Saiyan warrior than use some cheap trick to defeat my foes, Kakarot," the shorter, black-haired man swiftly responded in a chastising tone.

"Hey you two, try to stay focused. This is the last trip you guys can make to the future so make sure you defeat Black and save Trunks," added the bluish-green haired woman and heiress to the Capsule Corp Empire known as Bulma. She was Vegeta's wife and they had son who was called Trunks. In this timeline, Trunks is only about 10 years old but the child she was referring to was the future version of Trunks who initially traveled back in time alerting everyone of this threat.

Black—short for Goku Black—was the name of the sinister terror that sought out the extinction of all mankind. The true name of the being was actually Zamasu but he used the power of the Super Dragon Balls to permanently switch bodies with Goku in one timeline thus inheriting all of the abilities of a Saiyan warrior and the strength of being a deity in his own right. His partner was another Zamasu from another timeline that wished for immortality. Together these two beings completely defied all natural laws of time travel seeking to rewrite the very fabric of existence for their own personal benefit.

"Goku, Vegeta, remember that the fate of all life lies on your shoulders. I cannot go to the future with you to defeat Zamasu since I already erased him in this timeline," said the 7th Universe's God of Destruction, Beerus, who appeared like a giant, purple feline creature.

"Hmm, you both better hurry. The distortion in time caused by Zamasu's misdeeds could start affecting this timeline at any given point now," the blue-skinned angel that served Beerus known as Whis commented.

Just as the pair of Saiyans were about to jump in the machine to depart, the blue skies turned dark as night and the bellowing noise of thunder began to ring out. As surges of lightning cracked the skies apart with blinding light, a dense form of a distinct energy signature tapped into the atmosphere. Anyone with trained senses would be able to recognize that this was not a normal phenomenon. Of course with two divine beings present along with the highly trained Saiyans, they were able to tell just that.

"You don't think Black and Zamasu finished off the future Earth and made their way to this timeline do you?" Goku asked while balling his fists up.

"Don't be an idiot Kakarot, surely you can sense that this power is entirely different," Vegeta replied.

"Indeed, this power is unlike anything I've ever felt before. In fact, it's not even an energy signature that I can recognize from any of the 12 universes," Whis analyzed.

Beerus maintained his silence, training his attention to focus solely on the storm above. He wanted to know who or what was causing this disturbance considering the issue that was currently at hand. The storm intensified which caused a panic in the downtown area. The winds began to wail like a creature was howling into the night while the blinding streaks of lightning escalated in intensity before striking the ground in the form of a giant, spiraling pillar of light shaking the Earth underneath. The area was blanketed by the obstructive light for a few seconds or so before revealing a silhouette in the midst of the impact zone.

Obsidian found himself on a version of Earth once more. However much like in past instances, it appeared to be in a time period different from the era he was used to. Judging from the looks of buildings and other architectural structures in his surroundings, the youth surmised that he was in a more futuristic era. The dark blanket of storm clouds faded away letting the blue sky and daylight resume its occupancy. Taking a moment to let the information of what he could visualize sink into his mind, he began to try and sense the presence of the fragment but something was indeed off once more. He felt that the energy was here but it was distant at the same time which meant that finding the fragment was going to be a little more difficult than he was hoping for. In all likelihood, it meant someone got their hands on the fragment but he couldn't sense another power source alongside the fragment's trail so this needed some serious investigating. After spending a few seconds lost in his own thoughts, he found himself seeing five people standing there staring at him, four of which seemed to possess serious strength. In addition, he couldn't help but to feel awkward observing the appearance of the four.

I thought my hair was weird…but these guys have some unique tastes in style. Seriously…how does it stand like that?

"Hey you armored bastard, who the hell do you think you are?" yelled out an agitated Vegeta breaking the long-standing silence that wafted between the parties present.

Someone who'd probably kick your ass without really trying but that'd probably be bullying…okay let me not say that. Damn edgelords…

Looking down and shaking his head for a moment, Obsidian merely walked over towards the group ever so casually maintaining an aura of calm not displaying any form of hostility to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. Fortunately the language was similar to what he was used to, just ever so slightly advanced due to the changes in time. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"My name is Obsidian. I'm obviously not from your universe or even your time period. I've been traveling the cosmos looking for fragments that don't belong in particular worlds. One of these fragments is located in this universe and I've come to collect it before any harm is done. Although it seems that what I'm looking for isn't exactly here yet I felt myself drawn to this universe."

"So you really aren't from any of the 12 universes then?" Whis inquired curiously.

"Yes that's correct. Where I'm from exists in an entirely separate multiverse far from here…very far I'm afraid," Obsidian answered with a hint of distance in his voice, "But yes, where I am from you probably would not be able to reach with conventional means. No offense, but I would not be surprised if you were unable to perceive it."

"Oh please, you really don't expect us to believe that much right? If you are really from a universe that exists outside of the 12 universes then how could you make it all the way here? In fact, how do we know that you're not just a delusional liar or someone who's just trying to fabricate his own existence?" Beerus spoke with doubt questioning the enigma's logic.

"Calling someone you don't know a liar? That's cute coming from a giant talking house pet," Obsidian swiftly remarked without any further delay. In that next moment, a dense, violet aura radiated around Beerus in agitation over what the stranger just uttered.

"You've got some nerve to mock a God of Destruction," he spoke emanating his aura causing the ground to shake violently in response. Whis tried to reach out to calm the deity down but Beerus was already stepping to Obsidian without cause of concern.

"It's not like I haven't mocked gods before. Besides, it's not really difficult. I'm doing it right now straight to you," the hooded assassin spoke with a casual tone.

"You must really have a desire to be destroyed where you stand," Beerus continued using his energy signature to size up the male before him.

"If you're trying to intimidate me, you're failing. It's a damn shame that the arrogance of the gods extends even in this universe. Normally I don't like to show off or anything but since you're making such a strong effort to impress me then allow me to oblige in kind…"

Obsidian stands completely still yet relaxed before allowing a small wave of his own latent power leak out. A deafening aura of his own divine making came out from the hooded warrior's vessel quickly ascending past the output and greatly overpowering what Beerus elected to show off alerting everyone present of the strength that lied within the youth. The Destroyer felt a bead of sweat dot his brow as he clearly felt the power coming from the man. He was trying to maintain his composure but instead, he was profoundly surprised to feel divine energy on such a grand scale. Just who was this stranger and how could one man hold so much power? Taking a glance behind him, he saw Goku and Vegeta both looking a bit unnerved and Whis just showing an expression of fascination.

"Now then, before I wind up drawing the attention of all the other universes in this cluster of space," Obsidian spoke nonchalantly before suppressing his power, "My fragment doesn't appear to be around here so looks like I'll just have to come out with it. Are there any obnoxious, power-hungry deities or overly ambitious gods craving for more power around here?"

"Sounds like you might be looking for Black and Zamasu," Goku spoke up from behind. Obsidian walked around Beerus and towards the man in the orange outfit.

"And where can I find them?"

"In the future…" Goku coughed softly.

"Wait…what?" Obsidian paused yielding a deadpan tone.

"Yeah…to prevent a long and complicated story…basically those guys are in the future but they are so much of a threat that they are threatening all of space and time."

"Traveling back and forth from the present to the future doesn't make sense so I'm guessing what you really mean is that he's messing with world lines. You're not going to the future, just a parallel Earth in which events probably happened differently and are operating on a separate space-time continuum that mirrors this one. In other words, if this future Earth you speak of is real then that means someone from that time period came back to this one and changed a critical event thus separating the shared histories of both worlds," Obsidian explained.

Great…another reminder of what I did…

"Well before this Black and Zamasu get their hands on what I'm looking for, I need to get to this parallel Earth."

"That's where we're going right now actually."

"Well I hope you don't mind if I request to tag along?"

"I'm all for it, you've got some serious power and I'm excited to see you in action."

"Kakarot you fool, the damn time machine can barely fit the two of us inside!" Vegeta yelled in protest.

"Oh come on Vegeta, you felt this guy's power the same as I did. Don't you wanna see what he can do?"

"I don't give a damn about that. You've got to be kidding me right now."

"Come on Vegeta, please?"

"Er…Kakarot…and Vegeta right?"

"Ah no, you don't have to call me that. Vegeta here just enjoys using my Saiyan birth name but I prefer to be called Goku."

"Noted but anyways, I can just latch onto the machine from the outside. I can handle traveling through time and space. I mean, that is how I got here so."

Obsidian then strolls up to the strange contraption that was in the short distance ahead of him and floated in the air a bit before touching the metallic surface of the time machine. A trail of static came from his hand as he stuck to the machine using a magnetic current. With all of that being settled, Goku and Vegeta hopped up into the machine ready for takeoff.

"Good luck out there guys and…Obsidian right? I know you're a stranger and all but could you do me a favor and make sure these two idiots don't get themselves killed?" Bulma expressed.

"Sure Miss…"

"It's Bulma. My name is Bulma."

"Right, I'll see what I can do then Miss Bulma."

"Make sure you come back with those two Saiyans. I'm curious to see what kind of power you really boast in a fight," Beerus shouted aloud.

"Only if you want me to embarrass you again," Obsidian responded.

Goku started up the machine immediately and took off before another incident would break out. A bubble appeared around the vessel before it disappeared taking the three warriors to the alternate Earth.

*****

On the parallel Earth that was known by the Z Fighters as the "future", two beings were soaring through the ashen grey skies that covered the desolate land home to the dying race of humanity. Given the state of the vast landscape, one could say that humanity was on the verge of extinction due to the tedious cycles of war or a nuclear holocaust but neither of those was the cause. In fact to the surprise of the uninformed, mankind was all but destroyed by two terrifying individuals.

Shrieks of terror and blood curdling screams echoed out before being swiftly cut off by being mercilessly executed from beams of energy raining down above. Two silhouettes glided through the skies nonchalantly not even showing any hesitation with their onslaught. One man bore an identical resemblance to Son Goku but had a slightly darker skin tone and more defined eyes filled with a sinister nature. He wore a dark gray uwagi, a long-sleeved black undershirt with a turtleneck, a red sash around the waist, black pants and white boots. Draping a single gold and green Potara earring on his left ear, he was known as Goku Black or Black for short. His partner was another incarnation of himself but only in the original body that he had before taking the original Goku's body in another timeline. This man had pale green skin, gray irises, white eyebrows and a white Mohawk. He wore a violet long-sleeved shirt under a gray and yellow coat, a light blue sash around the waist, dark blue baggy pants and white boots sporting a pair of Potara earrings. His name was Zamasu.

Together these two were carrying out the "Zero Mortals Plan" by finishing off every mortal sign of life in the universe. They were also the reason why Trunks sought help from the past in order to defeat them. The deities went about wiping out every inch of life unopposed for the moment. They both had wicked smiles of enjoyment and pleasure upon their faces despite of the fact that their victims were innocent people who never asked for anything save for the peace and solitude they lived for. Men and women of every age were not spared by the savage pair. However, they seemingly came to a stop when one of them, Zamasu, paused in the air sensing something nearby.

"What is it?" Black asked looking to his counterpart with a form of concern.

"Do you not sense that? There's a strange source of power coming from somewhere down below that we have yet to come across," the green-skinned deity explained before descending towards the area where the energy emanated from.

Following behind him, Black wanted to know what the man was talking about. They walked through the rubble of a small city that was littered with corpses reeking of death. Unaffected by the gruesome sight being the ones who caused it, they trudged along the quiet road until coming to a small bush where Zamasu bent down and picked up a small, amethyst looking crystal that leaked out the strange yet divine energy in question.

"What is that mysterious thing?" Black spoke up looking at the item over Zamasu's shoulder.

"I have no clue but this seems to be the source of the energy that I was sensing," Zamasu responded. As he juggled the item around in his hand, he felt that energy entering into him slightly giving him a boost in his strength.

"Ahhh I can feel something welling up within me right now. Perhaps we could use it to carry out our plan."

"It does have me rather curious as to how to utilize it. It could serve as a last minute trick to defeat those annoying Saiyans," Black pondered while Zamasu slipped the shard into his sash.

Suddenly both deities found themselves sensing a familiar energy signature, one that related to one of their enemies in the distance just a few hundred miles or so. With wicked smiles, both Zamasu and Black instantly took off to eliminate the source. Not even a full second had passed before they appeared before a young man clad in a denim jacket and matching pants with a red scarf around his neck. With bowl cut bluish hair, the pair stumbled upon the last remaining Saiyan of this era and the one who led Goku and Vegeta to come to this timeline in the first place; he was the son of the Saiyan Prince known as Trunks.

"Have you come to face your demise with what little bit of Saiyan pride you have left?" Black called out in a taunting tone being most familiar with the youth.

"Tch…someone has to put an end to your tyranny Black!" Trunks cried out drawing a sword from over his back before powering up. His hair spiked up with a golden blonde hue as his blue eyes turned a pale green. Lightning sparked around his body while a flame-like golden aura raged around him signifying the transformation into the second stage of the Super Saiyan transformation.

"You still foolishly defy your fate using a feeble power like Super Saiyan against me?" Black smirked wickedly as he descended before the warrior powering up into his own Super Saiyan state.

"As long as I draw breath, I'll never stop raising my blade against you!" the youth shouted with determination before charging at his opponent with full fury.

Trunks thrusts his blade directly at the Saiyan deity hybrid in an attempt to run the blade straight through the man's heart but Black merely shrugs off the coming attack by stepping to the side. As the boy glides past, the opposing god lifted his knee swiftly impacting the child in his gut while elbowing him on the back of the neck. The devastating maneuver practically rendered Trunks helpless as Black merely spun his body around before backhanding him away into the ground. Zamasu laughed while watching before he was shot in the back of the head by an energy blast.

The green-skinned former Kai turned around slowly to see a black-haired woman in a dark blue military uniform holding a shotgun that was still smoking at the barrel. She was one of Trunks' allies and closest friends known as Mai. The girl had no super prowess or ridiculous strength to boast about physically but she had the heart of someone who would do anything to protect the innocent. She was just a regular human being openly defying one of the gods displaying this fact with her fearlessness while staring down the immortal being before her.

"Mai…get…out of here!" Trunks muttered in a strained tone panicking over what Zamasu would do to her. However, those words fell on deaf ears when the evil deity dashed over to her grabbing her by the throat. She let out a muffled cry in pain upon being hoisted in the air while choking.

"MAI!" Trunks yelled out as his adrenaline kicked in allowing him to ignore his agony as he sought to save that girl's life. Black merely chuckled as he cut the angry child off leading them to have a brief exchange of combat before the evil deity easily overwhelmed the male catching him by his throat as well.

"That's enough, Zamasu!" a voice called out which caused both deities to drop their guard as well as their victims in surprise. Both of them turned to see an older Kai heading their direction with yellow skin. Followed behind by a shorter and younger Kai with white hair dressed up in a Mohawk with lavender skin, these two men were beings of great importance. The first was the Supreme Kai of the 10th universe known as Gowasu while the other was the Supreme Kai of the 7th universe that went by the nickname of Shin at one point in time.

"Gowasu…how are you here?" Black inquired in disbelief as his former master approached him with a calm yet scornful eye over what the man had become. The false Saiyan scanned over the elder and saw a mysterious ring on his hand along with a matching one on the other Supreme Kai's hand.

"Ah, so you used a time ring? That makes sense," the sinister being concluded.

"Look at how far you've fallen in your own madness, Zamasu. How could you do this? I told you that a Kai's job was to oversee mankind, not destroy them!" Gowasu lectured.

"The mortals are a weak and violent race that knows nothing of being at peace. All they do is make war and slaughter. The universe would be better off without them and that's what I aim to do," Black rationalized.

"That's absurd and you know it. Where did I go wrong with you? It's not too late for you to stop this nonsense and come home to Universe 10 with me," Gowasu pleaded extending his hand towards his lost apprentice.

Black took a moment of silence looking at that hand thinking about the elder's words. He was being offered a second chance, one of redemption for his heinous acts. It takes a man of great fortitude and patience to want to offer forgiveness over what he's done. Some would call that foolish, that this man who slayed other deities to secure his seat of absolute power across many universes and varying timelines to be offered another chance yet Gowasu offered it still.

"Master," Black began to say while reaching out to grab onto the man's hand. Seeing this, Gowasu made a small smile of approval.

"It's too late for your sentimentality," Black said in a deep tone before instantly impaling the old man with his hand that possessed concentrated violet energy like a blade on it coming out the other side.

"Gowasu!" the Supreme Kai of the 7th universe screamed out in horror over the gruesome sight. Black's face was filled with sadistic delight as he stood there for a moment mumbling into his former master's ear.

"This makes the third time that I've killed you Gowasu. Did you really think that I would not hesitate to kill you? The first time was when I decided to act on this plan, while the second was recruiting my other self. Now this is number three. Once again, you lose," the dark deity gloated before removing his hand from the center of his chest.

The yellow-skinned elder from the 10th universe fell down to the ground on his back as the ruthless tanned male walked away from him. He didn't care what the other Supreme Kai thought as Shin ran over to Gowasu's side clutching his hand frantically. Once again, Black felt like he had yet another victory.

"I hope the rest of you have spent the last moments making peace with yourselves for it's time that this world dies once and for all."

In that next moment, a rupture in space occurred as the time machine that Trunks had used before appeared carrying three people who would attempt to put a stop to this evil, two of which were familiar these opponents while the other was a newcomer to the field. All eyes on the ground turned to the skies as the time machine materialized. For Trunks, Mai and the Supreme Kais, this was a welcome sight of hope. For Black and Zamasu, it was the return of annoyances and hindrances to their plan.

Goku and Vegeta pop out of the ship with ease while a masked third party, Obsidian, drops down from behind the ship. Pushing a button on the side, the time machine turns into a capsule as the Saiyan in orange grabs it and tucks it away for use at a later period of time. The two Saiyans stare at Black and Zamasu with determined looks while Obsidian merely glances over the environment for a moment letting his consciousness take in the scenery.

The destruction of human civilization combined with the scent of ash and death floating in the air reaching towards the gray skies above painted an all-too familiar scene of war that the robed male was accustomed to. This area that could be described as Ground Zero reminded the assassin of what his world had appeared to be after the effects of the Second Primordial War. Quieting his mind, he felt like he could hear the horrific screams of all the lives that were taken in this timeline. It was not something that he could become numb to; war is a constant that lives to consume the innocent. However, war wasn't the factor that did this…it was just senseless genocide. When Obsidian refocused his attention towards the two identifiable evil powers before him, he could feel a familiar fury beginning to spark inside of him. For that small instance of time, he nearly forgot about the thing he sought after but a small trace of energy caught his senses as he felt the presence of the fragment nearby.

"It seems you've returned to face your demise. And it looks like you brought a witness to your imminent destruction, though I fear the stranger will only join you in the grave as well," Black smirked while taunting the three.

"Heh, you really think things are going to go like it did last time? You must be out of your mind," Vegeta responded with a tone of pride. He tilts his head signaling Black to follow him. Taking him up on that, the pair blast away from the area. Meanwhile Goku just keeps his eyes on Zamasu but that focus is broken the moment a loud cough echoes out from the dying Kai in the distance.

"Gowasu?" Goku asked in an exasperated gasp but before the Saiyan could move, Obsidian already appeared by the elder's side shocking the heroic man with the spikey hair as well as the green-skinned deity. Meanwhile, Trunks had crept around the back of false god grabbing Mai and dashing over to Goku's side with her in his arms.

"Good to see you back, Goku; however, who on Earth is that?" Trunks asked curiously referring to the hooded warrior.

"He's a stranger we met back in the present. He popped up outta nowhere just as we were about to leave. We thought he was an enemy for a second but he said he was lookin' for some fragment that he sensed. Get this; the guy isn't even from any of the 12 universes! In fact, he even made Lord Beerus shiver in his boots for a second when they had a little aura contest!"

"R…Really? That's…that's insane!"

"I know right? So he tagged along to possibly give us a hand."

Zamasu overhearing all of this just silently stood by in the distance observing the stranger as he kneeled down by the body of his former master. He tried to sense any form of energy from the man but could not feel anything at all. It was an enigma as to why he could not ascertain such a simple thing considering just how fast the hooded individual moved not a moment ago.

"Stay still," Obsidian mumbled in a calm tone as he cast his gaze over Gowasu's dying body while life was slowly fading away. The man was secretly amazed that the old man lasted this long from the blow. Any second longer and he would have died right then and there but feeling divine energy from the elder meant that whatever energy he had within him kept him alive this long. The lavender skinned Kai merely stared at the hooded warrior before him in shock and curiosity.

"Who…who are you?" he questioned.

"I'm just a lost traveler who's trying to correct the abnormalities of different universes while finding my way back home. But you can call me Obsidian," the masked Stormbringer responded as he placed a single hand over the gaping wound. He focused a small measure of electrical energy and discharged it into the opening forcing the cells in the body to accelerate causing rapid regeneration of all damaged tissue and organs therein. Within seconds, if even that, the wound was completely gone and Gowasu took in a deep inhale of air with his vitality returning to him.

"Gowasu, you're alive!" Shin cried out with joy.

"I am indeed," he responded while looking at his hand and clenching it into a fist for a second. Turning his attention to the anonymous warrior, he nodded slowly.

"You have my gratitude stranger. You saved me," he said.

"Don't mention it. This world needs its kind souls…and even kinder deities to guide them," Obsidian replied before standing up and turning toward the evil being in the short distance. With the other party member away, the cloaked visitor attempted to feel out for the fragment again but something was blocking the energy signature somehow. It was then that a sudden surge in power in the background caused everyone's attention to be diverted in another direction.

An insidious shade of purple, divine energy came from the body of Black as his dark, soulless looking eyes turned a pinkish shade while his hair that was once gold took a similar shade only slightly darker. The burning purple flame mixed with a lavender shade as the pressure of dense and dark divine energy radiated from the Saiyan body that Black possessed. He casually named this intimidating form Super Saiyan Rose, a form he achieved simply by fighting Vegeta one time and understanding the nature of Super Saiyan Blue. His opponent could only crack a smile.

A scarlet infused with golden energy rushed out and escaped into the sky for a small instant emerging from the proud Prince of Saiyans unleashing the fruits of his training after 24 hours in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He had achieved the glory of the Super Saiyan God form that was thought to only be unlocked when 5 Saiyans came together and infused their energy into another Saiyan. This was how Goku first unlocked it in order to battle against Beerus once upon a time but since being able to reach the threshold of divine energy, Vegeta was able to harness it and force its availability to him.

"I'll take you out with this form this time," Vegeta boasted with determination.

"Red? How interesting," Black responded before rushing at his foe.

Going above and beyond speeds that greatly surpassed the faster-than-light doorstep, the pair began exchanging a series of heavy punches and kicks displaying their advanced martial arts skills. The impacts of every blow that countered each other thus equaling out thundered like deafening explosions while clouds of dust began to rise up to the sky and the ground cracking underneath.

It didn't take long before Vegeta was able to outpace Black unlike their initial encounter. The Saiyan Prince was just testing out the form for a bit and held back for the initial exchange before he began to show off the greater speed feats that Super Saiyan God carried. Black found himself punching the air for a few seconds as Vegeta bobbed and weaved between the evil god's attacks. Instantaneously after each missed strike, the Super Saiyan God struck in kind with intense blows that made the Rose Saiyan gag for air.

"So Saiyans are capable of transformation?" Obsidian pointed out shifting over to Goku's side in the meantime while observing the change in power levels that Vegeta and Black displayed.

"Yeah that's right. We all have different stages with our transformations that are unlocked through various stages in our training," Goku responded.

"How come father is red instead of blue?" Trunks asked coming up from behind Goku on the left side.

"He's using Super Saiyan God this time around. It's the stage before Blue but it's a lot different and beneficial in combat. Blue does have a lot of power but it drains heavily on the stamina and it decays rapidly in strength and efficacy with each constant transformation. God form on the other hand is well-balanced in speed and power and consumes a lot less stamina which in turn maximizes all three of the said factors," the orange clad hero explained.

"Interesting, I didn't think there was another breed of warriors in the vast depths of space that held similar principles of transformation," Obsidian analyzed.

"Oh? You have transformation feats where you come from?"

"Yeah, quite a few people I know back home can do that, myself included."

"You're gonna have to show me before you leave."

"Well if I have to push myself to a certain point, you just might see that. Although I think your friend has it under control. I think I'm seeing that Super Saiyan Blue you were talking about."

"So you caught onto it as well eh? Heh, those eyes of yours are impressive even though you're wearing a mask."

"What are you both talking about?" Trunks cut in to ask.

"Every time Vegeta is able to land a single attack on Black, he switches from God form to Blue allowing him to channel the maximum output of power that Blue possesses before changing back. Because of this, he's able to conserve his stamina completely and unleash all the power he needs to take on his foe," Goku stated.

"Looks like this fight won't last long then. That leaves Zamasu to deal with I suppose. I can't sense the item I'm looking for…but I feel like either he or the one you call Black might know where it is. He doesn't have to be in good healthy standing for me to interrogate him. So do you want to fight him Goku or should I take him?" Obsidian asked turning a bit to monitor the green-skinned man.

"I'll take him since I have to seal him away due to him being immortal."

"Wait…what?"

Before Goku could explain what he meant, he took off upon motioning Zamasu to follow after him. The two went off into the distance leaving Trunks, Mai, Obsidian, and both Kais—who wandered over to the area where everyone was talking—to stand there and watch everything unfold. The son of the Saiyan Prince merely gazed up at Obsidian as the cloaked person stood silent save for a hefty sigh through his mask.

"So…you're from a different universe?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah an entirely different multiverse, to be exact, I'm just trying to find my way back but of course I've had to take steps to find some items to help me get home. I take it you're the one who traveled back to the past leading up to all of this?" Obsidian spoke.

"Yeah, it's not the first occasion I've made a trip back in time."

"I'm amazed there hasn't been some mystic power that sought to correct the abnormality. It seems the laws of time travel are different here."

"It's considered taboo from what I heard from Lord Beerus, but I suppose this issue is being regarded as a special case."

"Heh, try not to break those rules too much. Trust me; there are consequences at some point."

"You sound like you have experienced a similar situation."

"I have. I changed time once and even though a superior force led to that change's erasure, I am still suffering the consequences from that decision."

Silence then passed between the two males for a moment before yet another surge of power wafted out into the air. Goku had transformed into Super Saiyan Blue where his hair stood up with a blue color and his black irises turned a similar shade culminating with a flaming-like pale yet luminescent cerulean aura surrounding him. He picked out a capsule and tossed it out causing a jar to appear. Seeing this, Zamasu only tilted his head in confusion. Before any words could be said, Goku spread his legs apart and thrust his arms forward.

"Mafuuba!" he shouted out causing Zamasu's body to be engrossed in a green wind tunnel of sealing energy. His cries echoed out over the vast area while his Saiyan opponent poured his stamina into using this technique also known as the Evil Containment Wave. The presence of the fallen Kai was captured in that moment while Goku's body twisted a bit trying to control where the vessel would go. Using an intense and grueling form of focus, the Saiyan poured the entity into the jar before quickly rushing to close it up with the lid.

"Gotcha at last Zamasu," he spoke before pulling a slip of paper and placing it on the jar. However just as Goku thought he could relax, he saw that the seal was a coupon for some erotic shop. It was at this moment that the Saiyan felt like he truly messed up, no thanks to his elderly master back on Earth that taught him this technique and was supposed to deliver a proper seal.

He sits the jar down and dashes away before Zamasu breaks out once again although filled with a terrified reaction over what he just endured which was made evident by the sweat coating his brow. Knowing that this was going to have to be a fight, Goku just takes a fighting stance but assumes the Super Saiyan God form since using the sealing move coupled with Blue just wore down a lot of his stamina.

"You'll pay for that Saiyan scum," the deity spoke in a chastising tone.

"Heh, I may have messed up but I know that you aren't a good fighter unlike Black over there so this form is more than enough to take you down," Goku replied.

"Oh? But you forget that my body is immortal," Zamasu countered.

"That may be so but without your partner, you're hardly a threat and Vegeta's got that pretty much covered."

Not allowing another word slip from the overbearing Kai, Goku charged forth at great speed punching Zamasu directly in the jaw and sending him flying back. From there, it was all in favor of the scarlet colored Saiyan as he began to wail on the immortal god. He didn't spare a single moment to allow for the enemy to counter despite of the fact that his stamina was worn down considerably. With that, the echoes of two intense yet one-sided fights occurred simultaneously as Vegeta and Goku appeared to have quite the upper hand.

Obsidian focused on this from afar paying attention to the way they fought. He felt like this was going way too easy, that there had to be something more to these two super-powered individuals if they were a combined threat that sought to tear reality apart and affect multiple timelines at once. Sure it should be a good thing that he didn't have to fight but he couldn't ignore this weary feeling as if something was going to happen that would escalate way beyond everyone's control here.

Also…I can't help but feel somewhat offended over this guy being called Black. Not only is his name kinda weird to take seriously but is this guy ripping off my transformations? Damn faker with his wannabe Heart of the Storm state. Ugh, I wish I could punch him just for that but oh well. Still…I just might have to fight if this feeling winds up being correct.

During that time, Black and Zamasu were pushed back finding themselves standing together breathless covered in dust and sweat. Although Zamasu had an immortal body capable of recovering from any fatal blow, it did not stop him from feeling the wear of combat. His partner had a few cuts and abrasions along with instances of bruising here and there from the fight against the prideful prince. Vegeta and Goku stood together confidently in their Super Saiyan God forms feeling that this fight was just about settled.

"Dammit, how could these disgusting mortals be capable of pushing us back so easily?" Zamasu asked in disbelief.

"They may be pushing you back but I haven't reached the limits of this body yet. I can keep going," Black spat back.

"Don't be such a fool, we still have the plan to consider!" the Kai shouted out grabbing his partner by the collar.

"Tch, then don't hold me back and let me end this. Just do your job and heal me afterward!"

"This isn't the time for us to be fighting. We still have a few secret moves left, one of which we're both wearing on our ears."

"You're not saying…"

"Yes, we must become one and show off the power of a truly divine being to win!"

"Alright, so be it. Let us end life on this planet once and for all."

"Looks like there's some trouble in paradise," Vegeta chuckled.

"Yeah this is over; wait a second, dammit!" Goku called out noticing something about to change for the worse.

The two deities began to shift their earrings around with Black placing one on his left ear and Zamasu placing the earring on his opposite side. Seeing this taking place, Goku jumped into the air and hurled an energy blast down on the location that the enemy was standing on but it was too late. Both beings merged into one causing a bright radiance to form as a result which then led to the reveal of a force far stronger than either one of the two from earlier. There stood Zamasu with the garb of the Kai colored in Black's fashion and white, spiked hair like a Super Saiyan emanating a suffocating aura of pure, unadulterated power unlike before. This left everyone present speechless.

"I am the incarnation of justice, of the universe itself! Bow and give praise to me with this divine and beautiful definition of immortality encased in this perfect body of mine. Relinquish yourself to the most powerful god, Zamasu!" the fused deity spoke out proudly not afraid of displaying his vanity.

As his imposing might was keenly felt all across the battlefield, Goku and Vegeta could only stand in preparation for the most intense fight of their lives. It was amazing how quickly this fight went from something they felt they would be able to win to something they were all but assured to lose in just a snap of the fingers. Zamasu just yielded a sinister grind gazing over the foolish Saiyans before him extending his arms out like he was just an almighty persona; though his power currently had the means of backing it up.

Before the Saiyans could even move, Zamasu rushed past them with speed they could not even perceive or react to. Standing behind them with a wicked smile on his face, Goku and Vegeta just collapsed to their knees returning to their base forms clutching their sides in agony from the unexpected hit. Vegeta becoming pissed off turned Super Saiyan Blue and took off after Zamasu throwing clumsy punches that resulted from being stunned earlier. The new form of the deity just batted him aside with a backhand to his face. Goku attempted to do the same despite of having a severe lack of the stamina necessary to maintain the form. As a result, Zamasu did much of the same to the Saiyan warrior just using hand motions to mess with the trajectory of attacks that Goku tossed out at him.

"Tch dammit, take this then! KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku shouted out using his signature move blasting a giant hole straight through Zamasu's body. The gaping opening should have killed the man but the divine being just regenerated whole repairing his clothes as well. Then Zamasu just punched his enemy one time sending him flying as well.

"Feel my wrath!" the evil being shouted out before discharging a wide area blast from his body sending the two Saiyan warriors flying all the way back to where Obsidian, Trunks and the others were located. They were severely injured and simply overwhelmed which painted a grim situation for everyone present…or so they would be led to believe. Zamasu floated overhead casting an expression of delight over the worn out party having a sickening form of enjoyment over the pain he was causing.

"When will you mortals learn your place? You cannot defeat me, you never will. Humanity is just a pointless species composed of pawns that should have been discarded a long time ago. You lot in particular tried so hard to reach the level of gods but you taint our divine nature. Smiting you here is just a mercy so please remember to be grateful for that much!" Zamasu ranted with pride.

Those words that he spoke along with his earlier overinflated introduction made Obsidian have a flashback of another person similar to this man. He recalled a similar overbearing and self-righteous Primordial God that made him feel like a worthless puppet and cause great strife in his own universe. The Second Primordial War was a major turning point in his life in more ways than one. It opened his eyes to a great deal of many things and changed his opinions over many concepts such as gods. Hearing this revolting babble made him remember the face of the bastard that tried to take everything he knew and ever loved from him—The Architect. Recalling the lengths that man went through just to achieve his goals being reciprocated in a pale fashion from this man's words only made the dark assassin feel that earlier spark of seething fury grow.

"It's my turn…" Obsidian uttered audibly enough for everyone around him to hear.

"What? Who the hell do you think you are? No one asked you for help dammit!" Vegeta raved even though he was feeling immense pain.

"You sure you want to do this? I mean, I know you showed off a little power but that guy is on a whole different level than what we felt from you earlier," Goku added.

"This isn't someone that should be fought against in one-on-one combat," the Supreme Kai of the 7th universe pleaded.

"Just sit back stranger and let us Saiyans handle this son of a bitch!" Vegeta yelled out.

"Oh would you all just shut up?!" Obsidian shouted out silencing the protesting parties. Everyone immediately went silent.

"You have power, I understand that but I'm not going to stand idly by and let you kill yourselves over some ridiculous pride. If it makes you feel any better, don't consider what I'm about to do as 'saving' you. Just think of it as someone wanting to have a go at the annoying son of a bitch up there."

Obsidian didn't even allow room for an argument as he began to walk out onto the open space staring up at the deity at the skies.

Besides, I can't help myself from being really annoyed right now.

"Hey, you up there with the ridiculous arrogance, I'm your opponent this time around. Let's put those so-called god powers of yours to a real test!"

"Hmm? You're the stranger from before. I still can't get a sense of your power. Then again, you're probably just another foolish mortal ready to be sacrificed for the sake of my divine might!" Zamasu chuckled as he descended towards the ground to meet his new challenger.

"Yeah, I don't want to brag about this but I'm only half mortal or human as it were. The other half is something that's called a Primordial God where I come from. So I guess you could say that my divinity greatly surpasses yours but I don't care for labels too much," Obsidian responded in tandem.

"I see, so you are a demigod then. Consider me interested in what you can do now then stranger."

"The name's Obsidian, hope you don't mind if I put a shock to your system."

Suddenly a wave of electrical energy spirals around the armored male's body causing the ground to shake as the aura that he unleashed before intensified before his opponent yielding great astonishment all around. Even though he was surprised, Zamasu felt excitement for the battle to come regardless of knowing the outcome due to his confidence in his strength.

"Shall we begin then?"

"Yeah, let's do just that," Obsidian replied to Zamasu's remark reaching for the blade at his side.