Previously on Dragon Ball Aftermath: Rewrite

After powering up, Goku has defeated Qhuteus, only for the sorcerer to create a five-way fusion that decimates the multiverse from its raw power. It killed everybody in the multiverse, leaving only Goku. The Saiyan reunites with his Saiyan side, obtaining Ultra Instinct Stage Three. With Qhuzarus defeated, he now has to go on a quest beyond his multiverse to bring everything back to normal.

Chapter Thirty-One

Goku flies away from the multiverse, a dark, cloudy void in front of him. He'd recall everything that happened and he'd close his eyes, tearing up. "I will find a way to bring everybody back. I don't know how yet, but I will."

He looks up to see the darkness around him clearing up. His eyes widen as he bursts out into a sight he barely can comprehend. He sees endless dots in the distance, brighter than a night sky.

Immediately, he would sense powerful energies in every direction. "Where am I...?"

Suddenly, a pod flies over, opening its door. "Life form detected. Please enter the pod to escort you to safety."

Seeing no other choice, Goku flies over and gets in. The door closes, and the pod takes off at speeds even faster than he can fly, disorienting him for a moment. Light bends around him, as he then lands on a massive floating chunk of land.

He steps out, looking around. He would see pods flying above him, left and right. "Has this been outside my multiverse this entire time? This has to be a dream."

Goku looks in front of him to see a female angel walk over to him. She looks at him, then a screen manifests in front of her. She scrolls through it, squinting. She taps a button, and a light scans the Saiyan, confusing him.

"You're Son Goku from Multiverse #1094625419582," the angel says, clearing her throat. "What's a mortal doing beyond the confinements of their multiverse...? Well, I can't say it's uncommon."

"Where am I?" Goku asks. "Who are you?"

The angel raises an eyebrow. "Did your Omni King not give you directions? Then why are you here?"

"My multiverse was destroyed," Goku says, and the angel raises her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps I could-"

"I want to bring everybody back," the Saiyan interrupts. "A powerful fusion named Qhuzarus destroyed my multiverse. I defeated him and-"

The angel raises her hand. "Hold on a second. Did you defeat a Code Q? Not many outside the Guardians have handled those with ease. How were you able to do that?"

Goku opens his mouth and is about to tell the truth, but decides not to. "I caught them off guard and destroyed their Potara."

The expression on the angel's face would immediately tell Goku she doesn't believe him. "Right... Unfortunately, there's not too much I can do about the destruction of your multiverse. It's the natural order of this Metaverse."

"Metaverse?"

"It's the space that contains the multiverses you can see. There are four of them in the Omniverse, which holds existence itself," she explains. "You could find a multiverse just like your own before it was destroyed and doesn't have a Son Goku."

"I'm not going to do that," Goku replies, getting irritated. "Don't you have a pair of Super Dragon Balls on hand?"

"Using Super Dragon Balls outside their origin multiverse is a crime," the angel replies. "The Guardians are powerful beings beyond our comprehension, so don't try anything. One law is broken, and you could be erased."

"No matter what, I am going to restore my multiverse," Goku says. The angel sighs, tapping on the screen. "Suit yourself. I only serve as a guide, so I'm unable to do anything of any value in my sad existence."

Goku squints at her. "What's your name?"

"The name's Adia," she replies. "I'm one of the many, many, many guidance angels. The Time Council assigned certain angels to be a guide with no choice. I was unlucky enough to be one of them."

"I haven't met an angel like you before," the Saiyan says. "Usually they're completely neutral."

"Twenty-six billion years of service will do that to anybody," Adia replies. "Now if you don't mind, there's a long line behind you and I need to get it moving before I'm in trouble."

Goku turns around to see a massive line of many familiar and unfamiliar individuals around him. "Oh, right." He walks forward, admiring the beautiful sight of the countless multiverses around him.

Suddenly, he sees a massive white trail fly over his head, being so fast that he can't react to it until it's past him. "Huh?! What was that?"

An alarm behind him goes off and Adia turns around, sighing. "Everybody, we have a Code Q for the second time today. Please remain calm."

"Qhuteus?!" Goku growls, powering up into stage two. Adia turns around, creating a barrier around him. "Leave it to a Guardian to take care of the problem. You don't need to interfere."

Flashes go through his mind as he senses a massive energy in the distance. He'd remember Qhuzarus destroying everybody with ease. He yells and swings a punch, shattering Adia's barrier.

The angel's eyes widen. "What strength!"

Goku flies up, zooming past the many pods in the sky. One multiverse in the distance lights up and explodes, sending many into a panic. He puts his fingers to his head and uses Instant Transmission, appearing behind the massive energy.

Without a doubt, it would be his worst fear. Qhuzarus glances at Goku from behind him, smiling. "Ah, another multiverse... I'll start with you."

Goku leaps back and yells, entering Ascended Stage Two. He flies forward and swings a kick, but it does nothing to the fusion. It slowly raises its hand, but the Saiyan teleports out of the way, sweating.

"Come on... Come on... I have to use Stage Three again!" Goku clenches his fists, feeling a tingle of power, but nothing happens. Qhuzarus vanishes in front of him and grabs him by the neck. "A new beginning for all realities..."

Suddenly, a beam hits Qhuzarus from the side, sending him spiraling back. "What?!"

Goku leaps back and looks to the side to see a colossal figure. It would have glowing, neon blue armor. "Guardian #910672 at service. Code Q will be contained."

Qhuzarus laughs before waving his hand. A massive arc of energy flies toward the guardian, but it shoots out of the way, disappearing from Goku's vision. The guardian appears behind Qhuzarus and goes to grab him, but the fusion gets out of the way.

"I won't lose against the Metaverse's Loyal Guardians," the fusion says. He roars, an explosion of energy affecting the nearby multiverses, even damaging them. The guardian reaches down and unsheathes a white blade.

Before Goku can blink, the Guardian instantly vanishes in front of Qhuzarus and yells, going to slice him. The fusion raises his hand and creates a blade out of Qhuteus's dark red energy, and the two clash, the shock wave sending Goku flying.

Adia watches from below, tapping the screen in front of her to create a protective barrier around the entire area. Qhuzarus swings his arm, launching the guardian back. It stops and flies toward him, wings of energy forming out of its back.

Goku's eyes widen. "It's using Stage Two's full power!"

"Looks like I've pushed you to full power," the evil fusion says, before raising its hand. "Your death will be one of many."

Goku powers up into full power Stage Two as well, catching the guardian's attention. He flies forward, the quantum energy of space and time gathering in his fist. "Time to use my Stage Three Attack... I can't access the real form right now because I'm still drained from my battle, but I can use its energy!"

The guardian's eyes widen when he sees Goku's power. "Impossible."

The Saiyan flies toward Qhuzarus, who looks at him with a blank expression. "What are you do-"

Goku roars, swinging his fist toward the fusion. He blocks it and grunts, a massive explosion sending him crashing back. The guardian flies behind the fusion and a slice goes down the middle, shocking him.

The guardian towers over him, sheathing its blade. "Code Q neutralized."

A white light spreads through the fusion's body and he yells, dispersing into energy particles. Goku watches, his jaw dropped. "Our biggest threat, just gone like that..."

The guardian turns toward Goku, its face expressionless. It then flies away, leaving Goku alone. The Saiyan flies back to the ground next to Adia.

Adia walks over and helps him up. "How... how did you do that? I thought it was foolish of you to engage in battle with a Code Q, but you were able to harm it. You claimed to have defeated one when it was off guard, but now I see that isn't true. Lying to a Guidance Angel isn't wise. Tell me the truth."

Goku sighs, looking down at the ground. "Do you know about something called Ultra Instinct Stage Three?"

She blinks. "Yes, all Guidance Angels know about that form. It is exclusive to the Overlords and beyond. Why is that?"

The angel then realizes what she said and covers her mouth. "Err... Udun, mind filling in for me? I'm going on break."

An angel Goku didn't notice before gets up and yawns. "You haven't taken a break in two million years, but sure."

He walks over, maintaining the queue as Adia grabs Goku's hand and drags him away, much to the confusion of the Saiyan. When they are in a place nobody can see them, Adia turns toward him.

"First things first. How do you know about the existence of stage three?" She asks. "Not even the Omni King class has any knowledge of the form. The guardians know about it, but they can't use it. Explain yourself."

"Look, it was a long story," Goku says. "I met Zalama in my mind after Qhuzarus destroyed my entire multiverse, and he gave me his power."

She wouldn't respond for a while so the Saiyan would look up to see her staring at him, her eyes wide. She then realizes and clears her throat, regaining her composure. "The Dragon God Zalama, the former second most powerful Overlord in the Omniverse? He's been missing for a very, very long time. You claim you met him?"

Goku would explain the entire story that happened during the Qhuteus war and Adia stands there in silence for a moment. "I ordinarily wouldn't believe you, but there's no possible way you could know about Zalama's connection to Stage Three. You mustn't tell anybody about this, not the guardians, not even the Council. If they learn a mortal has somehow obtained stage three, they would start pointing fingers at the other quadrants of the Omniverse and an all-out war could begin."

"A war?" Goku raises an eyebrow. "Aren't these quadrants all connected?"

"No, they aren't," Adia replies. "Nearly a quadrillion years ago, three quadrants were at war with each other. It nearly led to the entire destruction of reality as we know it. Even the Founder had trouble stopping it."

"The Founder?"

"She's the creator of everything," she explains. "She's the most powerful being in the Omniverse."

"What will that guardian do now that he's seen my power?" Goku asks.

"... Hopefully, like many others, it won't report this finding to the Council," she replies. "It knows better than to risk causing a war."

Goku nods slowly. "So... Does this mean I can't use Stage Three?"

"Not unless it is absolutely necessary," Adia says. "Listen, Son Goku. Whatever the reason is that Zalama contacted you, make sure the Council doesn't find out your secret. Right now, you might be on the level of an Overlord. Also, could I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Please don't tell anybody you talked to me," she says. "If they find out your secret, then learn I was involved, I could be erased as well."

"No problem, but in exchange, please help me restore my multiverse," Goku replies, and the angel looks down at the ground, then back up again. "Alright. I'll do what I can. I can't guarantee anything, but I do have an idea."

"Where should I stay in the meantime?"

Adia taps her chin. "Perhaps you need to stay in the Central for a few hours. You best lie low just in case that Guardian wishes to find you. It's a massive metropolis that connects all four quadrants of the Omniverse. There are plenty of things to do there."

"Alright, will do. Thanks, Adia," Goku says, and the angel nods. He leaps off a platform, with a pod detecting and stopping in front of him. He gets in and sits down, hearing the pod speak to him.

"Welcome, Son Goku from Multiverse #1094625419582," it says. "Please vocalize your destination."

"Take me to the Central," Goku replies, and he hears a ding before his pod shoots forward past millions of multiverses at an incredible speed. The Saiyan grunts, holding on for dear life.

After thirty minutes, the pod finally stops. Goku gets out, his knees feeling like jelly. He looks up to see a seemingly endless city spanning in every direction in front of him. "Whoa... And I thought West City back on Earth was impressive."

He sees countless angels in all directions, many of them unrecognizable to Goku. Suddenly, he sees a familiar face pass by him and his eyes widen. "Whis?!"

The angel stops, turning toward him. He raises an eyebrow. "Hello. Have I met you before?"

The Saiyan pauses. "It's me, Son Goku."

"I haven't met you before," Whis replies. "You must be confusing me with another multiverse's version. I'm currently on my once every one billion year break."

Goku sighs. "Well, at least I got to see a familiar face." He walks away, leaving the angel alone. "Where do I go? I've never felt this lost in my entire life."

He walks down an alleyway and turns a corner, walking ahead and ending up in a different area. He looks up to see a body flying toward him. He ducks and turns around to see an angel slam into the wall, grunting. "What the?!"

He turns to see a cheering crowd in three stands overlooking an arena match. An angel that looks similar to Daishinkan would stand in the center of the arena, an intense aura surrounding them.

"Does anybody else wish to challenge me?" He asks. Without a second thought, Goku walks up to the arena and leaps up, landing a distance away from the angel. "I'll give it a go!"

The angel smirks. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Daishinkan of Multiverse #70941959127."

"I'm Son Goku of Multiverse... whatever number it is," Goku replies. "You seem different from the Daishinkan I know."

Daishinkan chuckles as his eyes glow red. "In my multiverse, I have killed and absorbed all my children shortly after joining Zateus."

"I don't even want to know what caused that," the Saiyan replies, getting in a stance. "In my multiverse, you were always on the good side. You killed Zateus."

The Grand Priest's smile fades. "I assassinated Zeno and absorbed his power. Because of that, I have become an even greater Omni King than I once was..."

"What do you mean-?!" In an instant, the angel vanishes in front of him and slams his staff into Goku's gut, making him cough up spit. "You let your guard down."

A massive anti-matter beam consumes the Saiyan, nearly sending him out of the arena. He yells and powers up into Super Saiyan Blue, breaking out of it. Daishinkan's eyes widen. "What? How is this Son Goku so powerful?!"

The audience cheers, with many of them bewildered. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku launches a blue beam that travels across the air, heading toward the angel. He yells and spins, slamming it away with his staff toward the crowd.

It hits an invisible barrier and explodes upon contact, sending a burst of wind in every direction. Daishinkan enters Ultra Instinct and leaps forward at a quick pace, instantly in front of the Saiyan.

In an instant, Goku enters Ultra Instinct Omen and dodges a punch from the Grand Priest, confusing him even further. "He dodged it?"

"KAAAA!" Goku shoots forward in an instant, his face expressionless. Millions of invisible forces hit Daishinkan from every direction, stunning him. He falls to his knees, bleeding. "How can a Goku be so powerful? This shouldn't be possible."

The audience watches on, confused as well. Daishinkan stands up and flickers, entering Ultra Instinct Stage Two. "Come."

The Saiyan inhales, his hair turning silver. He enters Mastered Ultra Instinct and flies forward, clashing a kick with Daishinkan. A massive explosion shakes the entire area, cracking the ground under them.

Goku raises his hand and creates a Power Pole made of energy, the same one he used against Qhuteus. He aims it at Daishinkan and yells. "Extend!"

In less than a millisecond, it nails Daishinkan in the gut, making him cough up blood. He flies to the invisible barrier with full force, cracking it. The crowd cheers, starting to chant his name. "GO-KU! GO-KU! GO-KU!"

The Grand Priest falls to the ground before getting up and clutching his gut. "This... this isn't over!"

Behind him, another figure takes a step on the stage. He turns and his eyes widen, sweat going down the side of his face. "You're..."

A man Goku knows all too well steps forward, wearing the attire of the Omni King. Goku takes a step back. "V... Vegeta?!"

"That's Omni King Vegeta to you," he replies. Daishinkan tries to attack him, but he waves his hand, swatting the angel out of the way. "Guess you're another Kakarot."

"You're not the Vegeta I know," Goku replies. "Why are you wearing Zeno's outfit?"

"When the evil gods declared war on the multiverse, Daishinkan and Zeno's guards trained me to truly master the power of destruction in the Angelic Chamber for thousands of years. The war began, and Qhuteus trapped us in-"

"Yeah, I know that part," Goku says. "I've experienced the same thing."

"... Before the battle with Qhuteus began, Zeno passed his power onto me to give me an advantage. I combined Super Saiyan White with the great destructive power of Zeno to defeat him." His face darkens.

"That's before that bastard Qhuteus resurrected the other three and fused with them, destroying my multiverse... I was the only one that escaped."

"The same happened to mine recently," Goku says. "When did this happen?"

"It happened three years ago," the prince replies. "I've lost everything. I've tried to find a way to bring everybody back, but it's no use."

Goku pauses then gets in a stance, his power rising exponentially. "We're no different after all. We all suffered because of Qhuteus. I'll find a way to help us both. But in the meantime, I'm itching for a good battle."

Vegeta chuckles, cracking his knuckles. His hair spikes up and turns purple. His eyebrows disappear, much to Goku's confusion. "I'll start with this form then... Ultra Ego. Show me what you can do."

Goku yells, a massive glowing aura surrounding him. He flies forward, with his rival from another timeline doing the same. The two roar and clash elbows, an explosion splitting the arena down the center.

To Be Continued in Chapter Thirty-Two

The next arc has begun. Now we know that the multiverse the entire story took place in thus far was only one of many. It opens up endless new possibilities for the progression of the story.

~ Scruffy