Judge the Vain II (The World of Dragon Ball)

The sound of silence wafted over the deadened land. Ever so slightly, a trickle of wind passed over the area blowing pebbles and small clouds of dust across the ground. Obsidian and Zamasu locked their focus upon each other waiting to see what the other would do first. A few seconds of this felt like a grueling eternity especially for the worn down Saiyans that were standing behind the cloaked assassin in the distance. Goku and Vegeta felt embarrassed over how easily they were shut down just moments before now having an unfamiliar party fight on their behalf. Shin, Gowasu, Mai and Trunks also were watching nervously unsure of what was going to transpire before them. As a result, the feeling of anxiety was filling the air along with the tense atmosphere created between the two combatants.

It happened in a flash. Obsidian seemingly disappeared from his position attacking Zamasu head on with the blade of Vajra drawn out. The self-proclaimed true god was surprised ever so slightly yet instinctively moved to guard against the attack by charging his palm with energy that took the shape of a blade. In that moment, he managed to block the first strike but he felt the sheer force behind the masked assailant which resonated like a sonic boom from the impact. However, Obsidian didn't just stop with that move.

Doubling back for short pace of around two feet, the shrouded warrior dashes back in for a series of swings with his blade directly upon his foe. From slashes that came down from above to rapid attacks sweeping in left to right, Obsidian did not hesitate to display his well-trained and diverse swordplay. Zamasu had little choice but to step away and dodge or parry attacks that were aimed at him with full intent for a fatal blow. Though the deity did not feel fear, he felt a sudden thrill like he would be able to test his powers in this form using this mortal being as his test subject. This was the perfect battle he needed to prove himself. Despite of wanting to torment the Saiyans for their insolence, perhaps dealing with this foolish stranger in such a grandiose fashion will allow those present to see just what he was capable of. Though as fate would have it, Obsidian was actually pulling his punches to see exactly what Zamasu could do.

"God Split Cut," Zamasu uttered as a violet blade around his hand grew with intensity which was a sign that he was going on the offensive.

Doing just that, the hybrid deity began to charge at Obsidian swinging his hand around like he actually had a blade in his possession to try and get the assassin off-balance; however compared to the swordplay he was used to seeing, Obsidian thought of it as nothing more than sloppy. Nevertheless, the two went at it with full force as the sound of steel colliding against a hardened concentration of aura filled the air while the two demonstrated incredible speed eclipsing beyond the door of moving massively faster than light. Appearing like visible strands of hair that caused small sparks of light upon collision, the pair of fighters battled fiercely along the ground leaving small craters in the scorned Earth before moving into the air. Vacuum-like implosions resonated soon after with the heated exchange leaving spectators stunned with the ridiculous display of power.

During the exchange of blows, Obsidian made it a point to gradually draw Zamasu away from where Goku and company were currently recuperating so that they would not be in any danger from this battle. Once at a decent enough distance, the traveler focused more on the fight at hand and began to analyze what the being was capable of in his head.

He's fast like me and can react to my attacks with extreme precision. Plus he has that regenerative ability that may be a little annoying to deal with. He has to have the fragment on him. Going off what I've seen with the Demon Gods and even that Dragon King from the first universe I visited, he definitely qualifies as someone that would find great appeal in the use of the crystal.

"You're wide open mortal!" Zamasu yelled out thus interrupting the masked man's thought process. The deity managed to slip past his opponent's guard and land a solid hit with his fist sending the caped individual flying.

Obsidian's body quickly spiraled towards the ground landing in a cluster of wrecked buildings before the structures collapsed upon him. A few seconds passed before the Stormbringer emerged from the pile of stone patting dust off of his armor.

"That was quite careless of you, Obsidian. You should not let your guard down when the fate of all mankind rests upon your shoulders," Zamasu spoke cockily.

"Ah trust me; I've done it before…at least a few times. By now I'm used to it but congratulations on landing an actual hit. You caught me in the midst of thinking of how to thoroughly embarrass you stylishly. Gotta say though, for you to be some 'perfect god' I'm really disappointed that this is all you got for me. I mean seriously, I can beat you as I am right now without using any real effort at this point," Obsidian spoke in a condescending tone.

"Careful now, you just might wind up regretting that statement."

"Feel free to prove me wrong then."

"So be it, take this: Blades of Judgment!"

"Wait…what?"

Zamasu summoned a massive array of red energy orbs. He aimed with one hand to send them flying towards his foe within the blink of an eye as they soared through the air like needles. As opposed to just impacting the target directly, the energy projectiles surrounded the target before creating a chain reaction of explosions. However, that wasn't the only volley that the evil Kai decided to unleash.

"Lightning of Absolution," Zamasu uttered unleashing bolts of purple electricity that joined together like a giant bird and rushed the area where his enemy was last located.

A massive pillar of smoke covered the general area where Obsidian was after the thundering roar of the multiple impacts from the waves of energy detonated. The spectators in the distance, namely Goku and Vegeta, could not help but to hold expressions of shock over what just occurred. If that was anyone else, they would either be dead or severely injured threatening to pass through death's door but no one understood he caliber of the person that received those attacks just now.

Zamasu began to laugh maniacally over the folly of the person that just received the full-on punishment of his prowess. There was no way that his opponent would be left alive after all of that. He was the one true god of all creation and this power was a testament to that. However, he was still greatly underestimating who his opponent was.

"Man, are all your moves cheap rip-offs of what I can do?" Obsidian questioned with a heavy sigh as his swept his arm one time instantly dispersing the mushroom cloud around him.

"What? That's impossible!" Zamasu yelled in astonishment.

"Then you attacked me with a lightning based attack? Come on man, if you really knew anything about your foe, you would know that attacks like that won't work against me. If anything, you just gave me a little bit of a power boost."

"Tch, you bastard…you dare to mock me?"

"Heh, you sound like that purple cat back on the other Earth. You deities are something else in this universe. Now try this on for size, Rain Unyielding!" Obsidian cried out casting a move that he picked up due to his link with the Rose-Eyed Stormbringer.

The skies opened up for a brief moment as multiple projectiles of concentrated lightning rained down assailing Zamasu without delay. If the deity didn't feel Goku's Kamehameha Wave, he would definitely feel this one. Thousands of highly potent bolts of electricity assailed him effectively turning him into Swiss cheese in that moment but at most they felt like annoying stings to the deity. As the "rain" stopped, Zamasu was indeed full of holes from the attack but they simply closed up leaving the man with a smile.

"It looks like your attacks didn't work on me either. That was quite—"

"Exalted Cleaver!"

Obsidian gripped Vajra with both hands releasing a crescent moon-shaped lightning attack that traversed the gap between the two men without any real delay cutting off the words of the egotistical being. Zamasu merely cracked a smile as he just floated in the air waiting for the attack to make content. As it did just that, the energy blast passed through him without any damage like he was some sort of projection that was immune to attacks from a human being.

"So you know how to do that too?" Obsidian observed calmly.

"Making my body intangible to your attacks is far too easy. Really, what were you hoping to accomplish by fighting against me?"

"I'll answer that but first, I have a question for you. Where is the fragment?"

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Zamasu. Out of everyone that I've met in this universe, you're the only one that would find great appeal in the item I seek especially since it's always the vain and ambitious ones that seem to find it when I visit another universe."

"Oh, I think I have an idea of what you are talking about," Zamasu spoke slyly reaching into his sash emanating a violet glow of energy and pulling out a small object. He held it in his hand for a time before opening his palm slowly.

"You must be talking about this beautiful stone," he said in a slightly condescending tone.

There it was the fourth fragment. It held a purple luster appearing like amethyst emitting the divine energy like the other stones that Obsidian had in his possession. The objective was in his sight but he had an obstacle in his way to overcome first.

"I'm only going to say this one time so pay attention. Hand the fragment over to me; you have no idea what it's capable of," Obsidian stated with a commanding voice.

"Foolish mix breed abomination, are you seriously trying to demand something from a god? That is exactly why mortals should all die because you lot have forgotten your place before divinity. Besides, I find myself entranced by the beauty of this object and I can feel the power being generated within it. Perhaps I will make use of it and wipe you from the face of this planet."

"Don't do it, Zamasu. I've been holding back for quite some time. I'm not afraid to kill you for it."

"Then show me just how powerful a creature like you can be in the face of perfection!"

"Dammit Zamasu, don't!" Obsidian shouted out charging forth as fast as he could to prevent the deity from taking advantage of that item. But it was too late.

In that small fractional difference in time in which the hooded warrior closed the gap with his ludicrous speed, Zamasu inadvertently called forth the latent potential of the sacred shard he was holding onto. The energy of the stone coated the deity's body in that moment just as Obsidian dove in with his blade swinging it down upon the man's position. A flash of light occurred as the luck for the good guys seem to dwindle again. When the assassin sought to make contact with his attack, he seemingly passed right by his target as the silhouette of radiance evaded ever so slightly. During that listless moment of floating in the air, the masked man turned his head to see the light fade revealing his evolved enemy.

With a wild hairstyle like Goku's except still pure white, most of the physical features of Zamasu remained unchanged. There were only two extremely visible effects. The first was that the eyes of foe became a glossy silver of immense intensity carrying intimidation that could pierce into one's soul. The second was the change in aura that held a mixture of hues blending between light blue, cerulean and white. As he saw this change, Obsidian felt like his chest took a hard hit and his breath was stolen from his lungs. That was a result from being hit in an unseen matter that resulted in the man go flying down in the ground instantaneously without any signal at all.

"Ahh, so this is what that fragment could do? I believe I know what this power is called. It's a state that no God of Destruction has ever obtained when a warrior reaches the height of his power and becomes full in tune with his battle focus; Ultra-Instinct was the name," Zamasu spoke aloud relishing in his newfound strength.

"It can't be…how could he have unlocked that power of all things?" the Supreme Kai of the 7th universe spoke with a complex expression mixed with fear and bewilderment locked upon his face. This caused everyone around him to turn back to him wondering what he was on about.

"Ultra-Instinct, how powerful is it?" Goku asked with a hint of naivety.

"If I had to make a comparison right now, I'd have to say that Zamasu is literally infinitely above Lord Beerus and then some. He's in a league of his own in strength that could greatly surpass the might of even Omni-King. He truly has become the definition of a god."

"Dammit…I refuse to think that this is it just because this asshole had nerve to use a cheat move to bump up his power. He's yet to feel the wrath of a true Saiyan warrior," Vegeta spoke in frustration.

"Hey give Obsidian a chance here. The guy said he was holding back right? Perhaps he'll finally show us that power he's been keeping under wraps," Goku replied with optimism.

"You hold way too much optimism for someone you barely even know, Kakarot."

"Maybe, or you're just afraid to admit when you're wrong, Vegeta."

"Hmph."

In the meantime, Obsidian found himself gradually getting back to his feet feeling that last hit more than he had initially anticipated. He shook his head for a second and stretched his arms out before training his sight towards his heightened foe. He wasn't sure if that was a fluke or the deity just reached a league that he was not prepared for but either way, it seems like this fight was about to get even more difficult.

"You shouldn't drop your guard down you know," Zamasu spoke before appearing in front of Obsidian in the midst of the self-made crater from earlier. The youth in the mask was the one caught off guard this time as the deity slapped him away with one back-handed fist.

The cloaked man's body soared off into the distance faster than any of the spectators could keep up with. Zamasu immediately gave chase taking off from the ground after Obsidian almost instantaneously in a blur of motion. Soaring alongside to coasting body of the masked man, the ascended entity could only grin due to the overwhelming advantage he seemed to have over his opponent. Being trained to handle difficult predicaments such as these, Obsidian did not even waver as he gained control of his motion a bit and began to use the force behind his blow to try and strike at his enemy. As he swung his blade back, he saw that Zamasu seemingly moved in a slow motion. This didn't make sense to him because that would mean that his attack was sure to land but in reality, his enemy moved his body out of the way in a blurring motion.

The blade cut through nothingness as the white-haired individual continued to coast with his foe in the air. The Stormbringer began to swing his blade relentlessly towards his foe but each time, the swipes of his blade only cut air. It was then that Zamasu hit Obsidian again sending him upward into the air but the lad didn't even know he was hit until he found himself changing trajectory and he felt a numbing sensation under his chin from the force of his head being sent upward. Upon this, Zamasu just barraged his target with a torrent of hits that battered the armor of the man as he soared higher and higher into the sky. They would eventually reach the upper limits of the atmosphere appearing like shooting stars ascending higher going away from the Earth as opposed to being pulled down by the gravity of the planet. Within those next moments, they vanished from the sights of those who bore witness to the battle on the ground.

Now, both combatants were in the dark vacuum of space. It was here that Zamasu did not even bother to hold back anymore as he broke through his limits of patience and began to display his full fury. He rapidly beat upon the body of the armored individual who still had the strength to grip his blade tightly as he was on the receiving end of a never ending barrage of hits that would shatter the planet they were fighting on thousands of times over. With one strong kick, Obsidian was sent hurdling through space passing straight through the moon flying into the open void of the stars. Zamasu pursued ruthlessly as he played ping pong with his foe's body.

Every hit was more devastating than the last as the evil god just batted his opponent all around the boundaries of the 7th universe before breaking through the borders that was kept tightly wound by the space-time continuum. Like an egg being forced out of its shell, the cloaked Harbinger was thrown away towards the next universe being the twin of the one he just exited, the 6th universe. With one smooth roundhouse kick, Obsidian was sent into that space but was then barraged by a series of massive energy Ki blasts. These blasts literally tore holes in the fabrics of space and time as the 6th universe was agonizingly being torn apart.

"Chou Makouhou!" Zamasu yelled out opening his mouth releasing a powerful red beam of energy upon the space therein.

The impact turned the entire 6th universe into pixie dust after that but Zamasu knew better than to think his opponent was dead. Using his seemingly incomprehensible speed, he pursued the boy into the cosmic dust cloud that would eventually churn into a spatial distortion. In an attosecond, he found the floating body of the seemingly unconscious Obsidian. He reached down and grabbed the male by his throat and held him up.

"This is true power that you filthy mortals try to imitate but fail to grasp the true nature and beauty of. You are no better than Saiyan scum, perhaps worse than that since you claim to be a half-breed mongrel. The very thought of your bloodline disgusts me. You may not be from the universe that I hail from but you are nonetheless a mistake that stains the reputations of gods. Perhaps I should visit your world with my newfound powers and wipe out everyone you know and love. That would fix many problems in itself," Zamasu smirked with insidious delight.

"Heh heh, you're…really pathetic, you know that?" Obsidian began chuckling beneath his mask, "Making all of those threats and boasting about your powers as a god? Yeah, you're…definitely no better…than the people I've fought in my past. Word to the wise, Zamasu… Even if by some miracle, you made it to my universe…you'd die like the sorry little bitch…that you are…"

"Still the blasphemous fool even when you're about to die, such are the ways of all mortals I suppose," Zamasu sighed heavily, "I thank you for giving me a nice exercise but now it's time you die!"

With that, the sinister Kai threw his foe with all his might into the interdimensional rift that seemingly separated the 12 universes. Using telekinetic abilities, he caused all of the remaining universes that were mostly extinguished of life due to his rampage of slaughter when he was two people and caused them all to collapse down upon the flying person in the far distance. In total, he threw 10 universes at Obsidian leaving the 7th universe unscathed for the moment. With the same oral beam attack he used earlier, he caused them all to explode multiplying the event known as the 'Big Bang' 10 fold to embrace and claim the life of the anonymous soul that dared to challenge him. With a swift motion, he traveled back to Earth.

"Kakarot, can you sense that guy's energy at all?" Vegeta asked wondering what was going on.

"Hmm…." Goku thought as he placed two fingers against his head trying to sense Obsidian's energy signature.

"Nothing at all…"

"Dammit, that bastard showed off all of that fancy strength and wound up getting himself killed. I should have taken on that fused son of a bitch myself!"

"Oh you would have met the same fate…or rather, you will soon enough, Vegeta," Zamasu spoke appearing on the ground before the wounded warriors.

"It seems your friend won't be coming back from what I just did to him. After all, he did just suffer being caught in the middle of 10 universes detonating in his face."

"You….you what?!!!" Trunks yelled out in disbelief.

"You…you destroyed all of the other universes trying to kill one man?! Is there no end to your savagery?!" the Supreme Kai cried out in horror.

"All of those innocent lives gone just like that. Even the life of that young man who saved me was taken by you. How could you do this, Zamasu?" Gowasu asked in disgust.

"You're nothing but a monster and you try to call yourself a god? That's just despicable, Zamasu! You're the absolute worst, the worst of all the people I've fought in the past," Goku criticized in anger.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the deity laughed, "And what can any of you do about it? I am the one true god. There is no way that any of you can defeat me no matter how many of those Senzu beans you take. I'm beyond all limits, I'm invincible! I am the definition of power in one body!"

Zamasu laughed maniacally as Goku and the others just gritted their teeth in anger, frustration, and even despair. The idea of defeating this person without some sort of miracle was impossible. The elite Saiyans from the 'past' were now faced with a situation where not even a fusion of their own could save them and their wild card in this was just batted away by means that was too unbelievable to comprehend. All hope seemed lost until a lightning bolt seemingly came down from the heavens above and struck the ground with a loud crash in the space between the last remaining fighters and the invincible being before them.

"You know it takes a lot to manage to piss me off and I was already feeling it before but I was trying to keep myself calm, now? Well that's an entirely different story…" spoke the voice of a man that Zamasu thought he just finished off.

"No, it cannot be! There's no way you are alive after what I did to you!" shouted the panicked deity.

In the midst of light that faded away, the figure of the man in armor with a now tattered cloak and somewhat scratched up and scuffed armor stood with a small fracture in his mask. Lightning sparked all around his body as he stabbed his blade into the dirt and stretched his muscles out. Behind him, the people that he allied with were all both astonished yet excited at the same time.

"Congratulations on fully getting my attention. I shouldn't have bothered holding back but I'm still getting the hang of using just enough of my power to beat down someone and not overusing it," stated the one and only, Obsidian.

"Hmph, so you managed to avoid death after all? Color me impressed," Vegeta called out.

"I told ya, this guy has got some crazy power and we haven't seen any of it yet," Goku followed suit.

"Yeah, you're right about that Goku. But it's about time I get serious because playtime is over," Obsidian spoke reaching over his shoulder and unlatching his cape thus flipping it off letting it go into the breeze before it dissolved into particles of light.

"I didn't expect to do this since I was hoping to remain anonymous but showing off every now and again doesn't hurt too much," the Stormbringer said before pulling his mask away from his face before letting it drop into the dirt in which it dissipated as well.

The man then flipped back his hood and pressed a mechanism on his collar that retreated the support covering his head and such removing the secondary cloth-like mask underneath the red and steel colored faceplate. It was then that his iconic heterochromia hair blend of black and white paired with his crimson irises and tanned skin was exposed to the enemy before him.

"I want you to see my face for this one, but first…" Obsidian noted then turned his heel and went towards the group behind him revealing his face to them. He walked up to Goku and patted him on the shoulder.

"Listen up, all of you. At some point, this fight is going to get out of hand and you guys might be in danger. You should all be prepared to go back to the past and leave me to fight this guy."

"You sure about that? That means we'd have to leave you behind," Goku noted.

"It's fine, I'll manage. I'll let you see something cool first but I mean it…when it gets bad, you get out. No excuses," Obsidian warned, "No arguments either, Vegeta."

"Tch…you're only going to get yourself killed again," the stubborn prince spoke.

"What he means is that we'll do what you asked but don't you go dying on us, okay Obsidian?" Goku translated with a smile.

"Heh, please. Don't insult me; just who the hell do you think I am?"

Turning away, the lone wolf walked back towards his sword glaring at his enemy as the aura of positivity and comradery vanished. He felt his anger beginning to boil up inside of him like a volcano about to erupt but it wasn't blind rage or anything; this was a feeling that he carried inside him from when he sorely felt the desire to kill a certain Primordial back in his own world.

"Where were we? Oh yeah, that's right. Let me clue you in on something Zamasu, you shouldn't underestimate us mortals. That's the problem with you divine beings and your arrogance; you get so caught up in your own power that you forget your purpose and what you should be doing. You forgot what it meant to protect those who cannot protect themselves and the idea of guiding the ones who are lost. You're the very definition of everything that is wrong with being divine. That was your first mistake.

Your second mistake was threatening my home, my family. Even though I know that they would be more than enough to deal with you, the thought of your wretched existence tainting my universe makes me sick. I'm trying to do whatever it takes to get back to them and I'll be damned if I let some no name motherfucker like you waltz in on my turf. And finally, your third mistake was underestimating me. So for that, I'll show you exactly what I'm made of. I never thought I'd have to go this far while being on this journey…so congratulations on being the first victim."

Obsidian then clenched his fists and let himself power up. The ground began to violently shake as the clouds grew darker almost like a pseudo phase of the night cycle. Grand spectacles of lightning cracked the skies much like before when he first arrived on this planet except the lightning was purple. Instantly, the bolts crackled down and struck the body of the youth as the energy was absorbed into his body. Like before, his armor had the amethyst sheen to it while lines appeared on his exposed face. His eyes burned with a brilliant rose-color but this time, they appeared almost like a light pink akin to the color of cherry blossoms in full bloom. The white strand of his hair mirrored this same color as the electric amethyst aura burned like a miasmic flame around him. As this transformation took place, he flexed his muscles once caused a pillar of light to beam into the heavens above scattering away the darkness. The might of this form was conveyed by the density of his power that greatly transcended what he released before rivaling...no, surpassing the energy of the Ultra Instinct deity. This was the true nature of his form that he often used in battle as of late.

"This is one of my transformations, my final one that I currently have available. Where Saiyans have levels in transformations from what I gather, I have stages in which everything about me changes. Black had something similar to this form with that Super Saiyan Rose but for me, this version of my 'Storm trance' states is called Heart of the Storm. Though in this case, it would be the Mastered version of it," Obsidian explained in a quietly enraged tone.

"It's also my first time pushing myself to this point but you managed to draw it out of me," he continued before drawing his blade out from the ground.

"But that's not all I'm going to show you…"

Obsidian picked his blade out of the ground and traced two fingers across the edge of the weapon.

"That healing factor of yours and resistance to electricity is going to annoy me, so let me change things up a bit."

The color of the steel part of the sword then gained a unique shade of purple that appeared to have shades of deep blue blended with the royal hue. To be more precise, this color was used in dyes and inks for clothes that actually grew on plants in the wild and it was colloquially named after it as means of use that his father passed onto him when he visited Elysium for the first time.

"Indigo Rain…"

This technique was something that was like the Crimson Thunder application but more along the lines of that variation's cousin. For the Stormbringer, it was something that would be pivotal in this next round fighting this ascended monster. To add even more spice to the mix, Obsidian flipped the blade around in his right hand in the reverse blade grip before slanting his body like a predator about to attack. This style was something the male had rarely used.

"Heh that form, that stance, even that unique color of your blade still will not be enough to defeat…"

"You talk way too fucking much," Obsidian spoke cutting Zamasu's boastful sentence off.

With one swift swing that was amazing fast, he split open the man's right shoulder causing him to bleed. Normally such a scratch would heal in a second, especially with the added effects of Ultra Instinct; however, the regeneration process slowed to a crawl and to add insult to injury…

"Gah, dammit it burns!" the evil being winced as he took note of the bubbling flesh.

Dashing away from his foe, Zamasu noted that the wound healed but it was incomplete as the skin still held a raw scar. Combine that with the fact that he received an attack from the assassin without warning even though his current state should greatly transcend all elements of speed—in his mind—he didn't understand what just happened.

"Looks like I found something that can hurt you at last."

"Tch…that was only a lucky shot, mortal…"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Indigo Rain was the technique that Obsidian inherited from his father, Alexander Mercer, when the noble legend held his hand upon his son's head after the youth visited Elysium. As per its name, it was an indigo variant of lightning that changed the properties of electricity by adding a new effect. In this case it was an ailment of sorts that targeted an enemy's regenerative factors ignoring some concepts of immortality. It slows down and erodes healing factors and infects its target with a poison that mutates the cells in one's body to a point where the being affected winds up having their body fighting against itself. To explain it in a common vernacular, it's like the immune system believes that other vital areas in the body are an infection that needs to be purged causing the cells to fight against one another. Indigo Rain literally made its target turn on itself on the inside leading to a gradual and agonizing death.

Without further delay, Obsidian sped towards his enemy once more but this time Zamasu was ready for him to some degree. The two beings collided without further delay as their fight unfolded wildly before the spectating audience in which it appeared like tens of copies of both fighters were wailing at each other. Their battle transcending the concepts of speed that Goku and Vegeta could perceive making it difficult to even keep up with. Their fight only escalated in extremity as they gradually began to ascend to the skies with their battle moving away from the area once more.

In the air, Obsidian displayed the unpredictable and insanely swift nature of his reverse blade fighting style. He swept in with his blade cutting across Zamasu's mid-region before tucking his body over like he would do a back flip letting his leg swing back threatening to kick his foe in the face with his heel. After that motion, he used the momentum of this motion to complete the flipping move before sliding around in a full 180-degree curve and attacked from the left side. He cut across once more before doubling back by angling his wrist to where he could slice at Zamasu once more. Then he spun on his feet attacking like a whirling top threatening to carve up the evil deity on all sides.

Zamasu had narrow time to counter. He found himself retreating for most of these attacks folding his body inward like the shape of the letter 'C' to tuck away from the initial strike that tried to go for his midsection. With the kick, he had to bring his arms over his head to protect himself but that left his flanks open thus taking a small gash across the upper section just barely below his collar. After that, the fusion hybrid winced in pain from taking that attack but he could not afford to drop his guard. The spinning motion had him bobbing and weaving as best he could forcing him to draw out his violet blades over his hands in an attempt to parry those rapid strikes.

A break in motion occurred after that onslaught for a moment letting Obsidian observe the damage that he dealt to his opponent. Zamasu's clothing had tatters everywhere but the most prominent was across the chest towards the collar where he broke through the skin again. A lavender mist escaped from the area in which showed that the poison entered into the corrupt being's body once more. That was progress but more would be needed to finish this man off for good. He took a small breath then cracked a small smile twirling his indigo imbued blade around for a brief respite.

"You're getting slower, Zamasu," Obsidian taunted with a sly grin.

"You're just pressing your luck, abomination. But that is all about to change…" Zamasu spoke with a seething hatred for the being before him. He rubbed his arm slowly and infused more aural energy into it forming a blade shaped like a scythe.

"Aura Slide…"

"Oh look, a scythe? Man, how much are you going to rip off of me? I mean I got two but using either of them on you would put a blemish on their beauty."

"Damn you…"

The deity swung his blade once as the energy soared past his target tearing open space. Obsidian merely looked over his shoulder raising an eyebrow over that maneuver thinking it was rather impressive but he didn't have long to admire it nor think about the possible effect that spatial disruption would have.

Zamasu rushed in immediately after that as the next collision between the two began. Eventually their fight was taken higher into the upper atmosphere towards the vacuum of space. The sound of the indigo blade against the violet aural blade rang out like steel clashing against steel as the harmonious chirping of their collisions echoed throughout the entirety of the planet. With one smooth motion, it was then like the two entered into a higher dimension at that point as they visibly disappeared completely from the trained eyes of anyone watching them. They entered a point where space was completely blacked out all around them as their blows rang out in a bursting phenomenon. The sheer force of impact between the two reached a scale that rattled the four dimensions as the destructive energy released by their colliding blows had the potential to ripple out into space through that rift beyond the space-time continuum they were bound within shattering countless other realities.

As the Saiyan-Kai hybrid attempted to slice up his foe, Obsidian either batted the attacks away or skillfully moved around them. Now being on the receiving end of a seemingly untouchable opponent, the man with Ultra-Instinct grew with visible frustration on his face letting his battle focus be broken apart by being outpaced by someone he considered a lesser lifeform. In consequence, Zamasu charged his blade as much as he could in that small fractional moment and swung across in a horizontal motion like he was attempting to behead the Stormbringer. As if expecting this, the youth pulled a surprising move.

The blade came across but slowed as it entered the amethyst, flame-like aura as a series of images spawned from Obsidian's silhouette when he moved away. He seemingly blinked to another position leaving a hollow copy of himself in his initial point though he was really already well out of the way of the attack honed in on him. It was like he took note of the motion that Zamasu used upon first unlocking Ultra-Instinct and evading Obsidian's attacks, replicated it, and then added a twist on it that actually surpassed the original motion. As a result, the Crimson Harbinger found himself in an advantageous spot for a critical blow.

"You're finished," he uttered taking his blade in the reverse grip and bringing it up into an uppercut style cutting Zamasu up the middle for a gruesome hit.

Blood began to spray out from the divine being upon receiving this attack. His consciousness wavered in that moment as he felt his body convulse from the shock of the blow. In that moment, he just floated there in place absent-minded as his pain receptors screamed voraciously from that single strike. Obsidian did not even give him the courtesy of catching his breath thus driving his fist down upon the being's skull sending him back down to the Earth's surface causing him to fall into the crater that was made earlier. Immediately, the assassin followed suit reappearing on the ground less than an attosecond later.

"Impossible, it's just impossible! How could a mortal like you have the power to best me? Gah!" Zamasu grunted in muffled shouts coughing up blood as the gash across his chest began to fester.

"I told you already, your last mistake was underestimating me. The moment I became your opponent was the moment you were already dead," Obsidian responded in a cruel tone.

"What?! Don't make me laugh mortal!"

Zamasu's eyes were widened and strained as his wrath and arrogance came together taking over his mind leading him to completely snap losing his reason.

"I am the definition of godhood! I am the very definition of infinity!"

"That's funny. Considering the fact that you had an immortal body, you actually nerfed yourself when you fused with Black. After all, he had a mortal body so sure your combined power may be divine in nature eclipsing what it means to be a 'god' in nature. Yet here you are, bleeding just like any other human you've killed. You're not infinite at all Zamasu; you're just a pathetic joke that couldn't come to terms with his weaknesses."

"Curse you, Obsidian! Curse you a thousand times over! You'll regret this! This I swear!!!!!!"

The insane deity cried out as his aura grew unstable before lashing out. Sensing something was off, Obsidian backed away towards Goku and the others. He observed the flesh of Zamasu begin to boil as the poison effects of Indigo Rain rapidly spread across his body but for some reason, space was tearing apart. Turning his sight towards the sky, he could see the mystical presence of souls being pulled through the opening faintly bearing resemblance to evil deity himself.

"If I'm not infinite as I am now, then I'll absorb time and space across hundreds of thousands of universes spread throughout every space-time continuum to become a truly omnipotent god!" the insidious fool declared.

"Shit…that's not good at all," Obsidian muttered. He then turned to see the party of spectators all holding vary expressions of shock over what was going on before speaking up.

"Goku, get everyone out of here now, I mean it!" Obsidian warned.

"Wait, what's happening?!" Goku responded back.

"He's fusing across different realities. This universe is no longer safe. You have to take everyone and head back to the past. Leave me behind, I'll handle it."

"But…"

"DO IT NOW!"

Leaving no room for further argument, Goku took the capsule containing the time machine out and deployed it. Quickly, the Saiyan warriors along with the half-Saiyan Trunks and Mai jumped inside while Gowasu and Shin relied on another means of traveling back in time using rings. Obsidian watched as they disappeared from sight as the fate of humanity across space and time throughout potentially all of existence depended on him in this defining moment.

Looks like I'll have to erase everything myself but I'm going to have to use something that goes beyond Cosmic Foundry. Time to pull out my Kamui…no, I have to go further than that. I have to finish this in one single shot.

The Stormbringer's mind flashed back through his combat experiences and his training recalling the fighting style that his stronger family members used. He recalled how Akame could kill anything with a single swing of her blade, as well as his brother's sword style. He remembered the Red-Eyed Hero vividly in that moment, visualizing how he infused all of his teigu at their peaks channeled into one decisive weapon known as True Murasame.

Aniki, Aka-sensei, I hope you both don't mind if I borrow something from you both.

Obsidian looked to his blade, Vajra, then at his foe that was still powering up. Feeling what he had to do, he took off high into the heavens beyond the boundaries containing the universe and even further into the vast space beyond the 12 universes of this world line. He gripped both hands upon his Indigo Rain blade and began to focus on it as a single point. Quieting his mind to feel like he was one with his weapon, he began to chant:

"I am the one who was forged in fire,

My body of steel honed with a refined edge.

I wandered onto numerous battlefields bathed in crimson,

Yet I have saved the lives of many.

While being a blade, I cannot embrace you;

Without being a blade, I cannot protect you.

For I was always one with the sword,

And the sword was always me.

Entranced in this mindset, I am absolute

So as this soul soars through the heavens,

Kieru sen!"

With this chant, Obsidian crafted the third version of his techniques that he called the 'Absolute Blade Trance'—Kieru Sen ("Vanishing Line"). He concentrated the full might of the multiverse that he could summon as Cosmic Foundry and infused it into a singular point, being Vajra in this case. Combining this with the nature of his Kamui: Sundering Strike—which gathered momentum from traveling across the universe in an instant—he held the instrument of a one-shot kill technique that would defeat Zamasu once and for all.

The assassin traversed through space in that moment with his luminescent blade that was a spiraled mixture of indigo, purple, cerulean with hints of crimson sparks as he rapidly descended upon his target. The Anti-Multiverse technique was the defining moment that would end this battle for good. It was the final maneuver that the Son of Mercer would use to cleanse reality of this wretched evil. Though, it would not come without a major cost.

In that next fractional break in time, Obsidian brought his blade down upon his target cleaving him down the middle putting a stop to his last minute desperation play thus putting an end to what he thought he was going to accomplish. The conceptualized destructive capabilities contained within that final attack had the potential to spread out and encapsulate every possible aspect of space where Zamasu's influence attempted to reach and erase his very presence along with the areas of space-time continuum that could not be saved. However, the strike was focused enough to wipe away the mad deity along with his existence upon the astral plane. The only thing that remained visible was a shining, purple stone sitting idly in the dirt of the Earth. Obsidian leaned over and grabbed hold of the stone after sheathing his blade.

"It's finally over…" he uttered before taking a long look around seeing the aftermath of his battle.

It's a disheartening to see the planet this quiet without humanity around.

With that, the man took a deep breath before focusing for a brief second on a single thing before taking off through time.

*****

Back in the present, Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Mai and the two Supreme Kais appeared in Bulma's garden. Met by Beerus, Whis, and the lady who owned the grounds, they were shocked to see them back so soon. They were all worn out and needed treatment. Shin carried Gowasu off to the side while Trunks embraced his mother. A few others came out from the house to greet everyone on their return but Goku and Vegeta still held looks of concern in their own way.

"Did you defeat Black and Zamasu?" Beerus asked plainly getting straight to the point.

"Wait, where's that masked fellow that went with you?" Whis inquired.

"He stayed behind to fight Zamasu. He used the Potara rings to fuse into one then took the item that Obsidian was looking for and unlocked something called 'Ultra-Instinct'," Goku explained.

"Wait…he did what? How is that even possible?" Beerus questioned in disbelief.

"I'm amazed you're all alive if that's the case. Ultra-Instinct stacked with a Potara fusion? I'd hate to count him out but it's better off to assume that our mysterious friend isn't coming back," Whis concluded.

"Hmph, damn that bastard. He boasts about his power and winds up letting himself get killed. What a fool," Vegeta scoffed in irritation though that was his pride getting in the way of obscuring his actual concern about whether or not the man won.

It was then that a rift in space tore open as a densely powerful concentration of aura poured through. The energy signature was massive but due to being exposed to it before, Goku and Vegeta knew whom it belonged to. It was then that the armored assassin came through still in his Mastered Heart state standing before everyone present as his ridiculous aura wafted out while the rift instantly sealed up behind him. Feeling this insane pressure, Beerus held a complex expression on his face of disbelief while Whis could only marvel over it.

"Well that was fun," Obsidian said as his body returned to its base state. With his face exposed, everyone who didn't get to see it before was able to see the youthful lad beneath the mask.

"You're alive!" Goku spoke up in joy.

"Well then, looks like I stand corrected," Vegeta commented with a smirk.

"Yeah, that Zamasu guy was a bit of a stubborn pain in the ass to kill but he won't be bothering you guys anymore," he stated casually before juggling the fragment around, "Plus I got what I was looking for."

"So that's the fragment eh? Looks like a piece of jewelry or somethin'" Goku pondered while observing it from afar.

"Yeah, but that's what gave Zamasu that Ultra-Instinct in the first place," the assassin responded then tucked away the stone in the same pocket dimension with the other pieces he had.

"Tch…dammit, looks like I overdid it a bit," Obsidian noted clutching his sides that began cramping up on him forcing his knees to buckle a bit.

"What did you do to win? You were pretty damn frantic about getting us out of there," Goku questioned while fumbling in his shirt to pull out a pouch that had a small green bean inside.

"Well to be short without any specifics, I basically destroyed the entire future timeline and all affected realities that were tainted by Zamasu's influence alongside the multiverse contained therein."

"You did what?!" everyone yelled out.

"What? You guys can't do that or something?"

"The only person capable of wiping out creation in an instant is Omni-King. How on Earth can someone like you do that?" Beerus asked in disbelief and suspicion.

"That's a casual feat where I'm from," the youth responded with a deadpan expression.

"What in heaven's name are you?!" the destroyed asked.

"A demigod but details…no worries."

"Heh, Lord Beerus is quaking in his boots over here," Goku chuckled while walking up to the armored male and handing him the bean in question.

"As if I'd be worried about a half-breed deity compared to me, Goku!" Beerus quickly denied.

Obsidian took the bean in the meantime and looked at it curiously. When he looked at Goku's face, the Saiyan merely smiled with an approving nod. Trusting the man, he ate the bean and felt his strength come back to him all at once along with the strain of using that ridiculous power move fade away.

"Thanks, that feels much better," the assassin nodded in approval flexing his muscles a bit in relief.

"Don't mention it; you deserve a Senzu bean after that. But with that insane power of yours, I bet you'd be one hell of a contestant if you were to take part in this Tournament of Power that's about to go down," Goku stated.

"Tournament of Power?"

"Yeah, it's a tournament featuring fighters from all across the 12 universes. With your strength, you'd be a formidable foe to fight against."

"No offense but I'd probably win with little to no effort."

"Oh? So you really are that confident in your power huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so but I'm only like the…17th strongest person in my universe and even that number is being generous."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah…you should see my sisters, my older brother, my parents and what not. What I can do is nothing compared to them. I'm like a baby compared to them."

"That's…um…what kind of people do you have to deal with in your universe again?"

"Hmm…well someone like Zamasu is about on the lesser-tier spectrum in the hierarchy of gods."

Everyone who listened to the conversation that was going on between the armored boy and the Saiyan just were rendered completely speechless and in utter surprise. There was nothing that they could say but Bulma had something to ask.

"Hey Obsidian, how old are you exactly?" she inquired.

"In my time? I'm only 19."

Silence passed through the area leaving youth to just tilt his head unsure of what that was for. Shrugging his shoulders, he took a deep breath as his cape reappeared on his back and his armor instantly repaired itself of any scrapes and scratches on its surface. He touches his neck as his helmet bound his head, then the red and steel mask appeared hiding his face once more.

"Well everyone, I should go ahead and leave; my journey isn't over yet."

"Hey, be sure to stop by sometime whenever your quest comes to an end. I'd like to spar with ya at some point," Goku called out.

"Heh sounds interesting; I just might have to do that. Though I might have to test out Beerus too and see what he can do."

"Hmph, you'd be surprised at the power of a god like me," Beerus smirked with delight in the thought of a new challenge.

"So a course of embarrassment for you as well…gotcha."

"…."

Obsidian chuckled along with the rest of the small crowd before the armor of the man radiated with lightning around his body. A hole in the sky opened up as he took off after waving goodbye to everyone. With the fourth fragment in his possession, the Traveling Harbinger soared off to the next destination in his journey.

It looks like they have their fair share of problems with deities as well. When will the gods learn that any one of their kind that doesn't understand the value of mankind shouldn't be called gods to begin with? That's why…you're the only one I can truly believe in, Onee-sama.