Previously on Dragon Ball Aftermath: Rewrite

After defeating Qhuzarus and learning about the Metaverses thanks to Adia, Goku has gone to the Central and found an arena to fight freely. With little difficulty, he defeated an alternate Daishinkan, but he now has a true challenge: his rival from another multiverse.

Chapter Thirty-Two

[Music: Two Steps From Hell - Timebomb]

The two roar and clash elbows, an explosion splitting the arena down the center. They run across the arena, clashing fists with one another. They lock hands and press against each other, the whole place shaking.

Goku growls as Vegeta smirks. Vegeta then yells, head-butting the Saiyan. Goku yells, flying back. He skids across the ground, his nose bleeding. He chuckles and flies forward, a glowing trail behind him.

Vegeta raises his hand, launching a purple blast that Goku slices in half with his hand. The Saiyan swings his fist, sending bursts of wind that slam into the king's gut, causing him to stumble back.

"Is that all?" Goku's eyes widen as Vegeta instantly shoots in front of him, grabbing his face and slamming him to the ground. Goku tries to punch him in the face, but he barely budges. "What the?!"

The Omni King grabs and throws him in the air, then raises his hand, charging an energy ball. "BIG BANG HAKAI!"

A Hakai orb flies toward the Saiyan, surrounding him. Goku grunts, struggling against its power. "I've never felt Hakai energy like this!" He inhales and white divine energy bursts out of him, dispersing the Hakai orb.

He closes his eyes, transforming into Super Saiyan Blue. His calm aura turns a light blue as he stacks the two forms. He lands on the ground, slides his foot back, and gets into his fighting stance.

Vegeta grins, running forward at full speed. He goes to ram into his rival, but Goku brings his fist back and uppercuts him with a lot of force, resulting in a shock wave. The king yells, flying up in the air.

Goku follows it with a Kamehameha that travels through a portal he creates. Another one appears behind Vegeta, resulting in the beam nailing him in the back. "AGHHH!"

The Saiyan creates more portals; the beam hitting the Omni King from all directions. "HAAAA!"

Vegeta's eyes open, and he roars, the Kamehameha dispersing. His purple aura turns darker, and the symbols of a Hakaishin appear on his chest. He lands on the ground, his eyes glowing purple.

"This is Ultra Ego Stage Two," he says, cracking his knuckles. He'd be even more buff than before. "Aka, the full power of a God of Destruction."

Goku would remember seeing that state for the first time in the first battle with Abysus. Beerus had used that state, but still stood no chance against the evil god. Thinking of this reminds the Saiyan of his home, which saddens him for a moment.

He'd snap out of it when Vegeta rushes forward, swinging a powerful punch. Goku clashes with it, a pillar of energy shooting into the sky. They clash back and forth at an incredible speed, with cracks splitting the arena further.

Goku yells and punches him in the face, causing him to flinch. He gets angry and his purple aura flares up even more. Vegeta grabs his head and slams his knee in his rival's face, stunning him.

The Omni King then summons white divine energy and combines it with a Hakai orb, resulting in a powerful attack. Black electricity crackles around him and he raises it in front of Goku's face. "True Hakai."

A massive glowing beam consumes Goku. The pain would be immense. He yells, losing his transformation. "Shit! I'll die if I don't..."

Vegeta roars, putting more power into his attack. Suddenly, it blows apart, surprising him. Goku gets up, now surrounded by a harsher aura. His hair spikes up a little and his irises glow white.

Goku enters Ultra Instinct Stage Two, a burst of wind catching the king by surprise. He growls and leaps forward, swinging a kick at his rival, but Goku catches it with an expressionless face.

He brings his fist back and hundreds of thousands of blows hit Vegeta in the gut, making him cough up blood. "You bastard!"

With his other hand, the Saiyan launches an anti-matter blast that consumes Vegeta and sends him crashing into the invisible barrier, nearly breaking it. He falls to his knees and clutches his gut.

He coughs, then laughs, getting up. "No more playing around."

The Omni King roars, entering Super Saiyan White and stacking it with his destruction powers. It would be a deadly combination. Black electricity dances across the entire arena, shocking Goku.

He flies forward, the entire arena shattering and crumbling into dust. "ANTI-GALICK GUN!"

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku launches a beam as well, clashing with his rival. He grunts, shocked by how much power Vegeta is outputting. "This is what Vegeta is capable of?!"

For a split second, he activates an older technique of his. "KAIOKEN!" A red aura envelops him, as his beam overpowers Vegeta, sending him back. He powers down, walking toward the Omni King.

Vegeta goes to uppercut him, but Goku leaps out of the way and spin kicks him, knocking him back. Vegeta turns toward him, wiping blood off his lip. He smirks and flies forward, ramming into the Saiyan and knocking him to the ground.

Goku gets up, clutching his gut. Vegeta lands, walking up to him. "Is that all, Kakarot? I should've expected better from you."

The Saiyan opens his eyes, which would be glowing. Vegeta's eyes widen, taking a step back. "What the?!"

Goku roars, a halo appearing behind his head and wings forming out of his back. A massive beam of energy crashes through the arena's barrier and shatters it. Vegeta grunts, skidding back from the force.

"That's..." His eyes widen. "That's the same form Gogeta used against Ozatus! But that's impossible..."

Goku enters Full-Power Stage Two. He walks forward, an intense glowing aura surrounding him. Vegeta leaps back and launches a Final Flash that impacts him, but it disperses into nothing.

The Omni King flies forward, swinging a punch, but Goku stops it with a finger. "What?!"

The Saiyan flicks Vegeta on the head, sending him flying out of the arena's bounds. He crashes through multiple buildings in the Central, coughing up more blood. "This power... I can't hold back against him! Never have I been pushed this far since Qhuteus..."

In an instant, he leaps back up and lands in the arena, powering down from his destruction powers. "Nicely done, Kakarot. Guess there's no point in holding back anymore. I'll go full power."

He clenches his fists and the symbols on his attire glow. A calm white aura surrounds him, erasing the ground under him. He opens his eyes, and they would be completely white. "This is the destructive power of Zeno combined with my own... Let's begin."

One by one, the crowd disperses from the area due to no more protective barrier. Goku and Vegeta fly toward each other and clash a fist, a massive shock wave destroying more of the surrounding area.

Angels run away as the force blows others back. The two Saiyans go back and forth, destroying more of the area. Just then, a winged figure flies toward, holding a white blade.

Right before they clash another punch, a blade stabs into the ground in between them, stopping their battle. They look up to see a Guardian, much to their shock.

"Enough," it says, aiming a blast toward them. "Guardian #2827104 in service. You are causing destruction. Stop or you will be apprehended."

Vegeta grumbles while Goku scratches his head. "Sorry about that. Guess we got too carried away." He waves his hand, as all the destruction repairs itself. The guardian lowers its hand and spreads its wings. "Consider this your only warning."

It flies off, leaving the two Saiyans alone. They power down and hover to the ground, walking away from the scene. Just then, they would sense energy rapidly coming toward them from behind.

Daishinkan from earlier yells and flies forward, a glowing trail following him. "DAMN YOU!" He passes by many confused angels, going to swing his staff at them.

Simultaneously, the two Saiyans launch a combined blast that sends him flying hundreds of miles away. Vegeta scoffs, turning around and moving again. "I've never fought anybody as powerful as you. Kakarot died to Qhuzarus... Everybody, even my Bulma. It still haunts me to this day."

Goku slowly nods. "Yeah... I just lost mine. But I am trying to find a way to bring us back."

"I've already tried that," Vegeta says. "I tried to use a pair of Super Dragon Balls, despite the guidance angel's warning. A guardian apprehended and punished me before I had the chance."

Goku stops, thinking for a moment. "There has to be a way. There are countless multiverses, right?"

Vegeta sighs. "Just give it up, Kakarot. With those damned guardians in the way, I can't accomplish anything."

Goku looks at him, seeing the expression of a crushed man. "What if... we could help each other? What if we could work together and figure this out?"

The king ponders this for a moment. "But how would we avoid the guardians? There are tens of millions, probably more."

He looks into Goku's eyes and sees a flash of blue and purple light, confusing him. "What the?"

"Trust me," he says. "I have a guidance angel that might be able to help us. Her name is Adia."

Vegeta closes his eyes, turning away. "Fine. What will you do in the meantime?"

"I'll check up on her soon," Goku replies. "How will we stay in contact?"

The king pulls something from his pocket and hands it to him. The Saiyan takes it and studies it. "An ID?"

"It'll draw a trail to me when you focus your energy on it," Vegeta explains. "Everybody that enters the Central automatically gets it and can pass copies of them to others they want to keep in contact."

"Gotcha." Goku puts the ID in his pocket and walks away. "I'll get in touch when it's time. For now, I'm going to explore a little and then talk to Adia."

He then stops, falling to his knees. "What's... this feeling...?" His vision becomes blurry, and his eyes flash blue and purple. "Crap... The fatigue from the war and using stage three is too much... I've barely recovered from it and the fight with Vegeta only made it worse..."

Goku falls forward but stops himself using his hands. He sweats, feeling hot. Vegeta runs toward him, trying to figure out what's wrong. "Kakarot? Kakarot!"

Goku pants, as electricity sparks around him. He closes his eyes and wakes up moments later to see a true hell before him. His eyes widen as he sees the entire Metaverse in shambles.

Many dark figures fly everywhere, causing chaos. Red lightning strikes everywhere, tearing reality itself to shreds. The vision he had of Qhuzarus all the way back after Abysus was first defeated would be nothing compared to this. Reality would fight with itself, constantly struggling to keep its form.

A dark being vanishes in front of him and he leaps back in retaliation, entering Ultra Instinct Stage Three. He brings his arm back and launches a blast as wide as a planet toward it.

It growls and grabs the blast, tossing it away. "You have the power of Zalama..."

"Impossible! Even stage three?!" Suddenly, everything fades around him, and the only thing left is the figure of Zalama staring him in the eyes. But something would be different. This time, he wouldn't feel the same warmth as he felt before when meeting the dragon god in his mind.

This time, he would only feel darkness from him. He would see the chains locking the namekian up. Zalama looks up weakly. "Wake up."

He opens his eyes and finds himself in a healing pod, except far more advanced than the one on Namek. "Where... am I? What happened?"

Goku presses a button and the hatch opens. He climbs out, his legs feeling stiff. "Wait... I fell unconscious hours ago, probably."

An angel walks forward, stopping him with his staff. "Ah, good. You're finally awake. You've been out for 93.6 Tiks."

The Saiyan grunts, feeling fully recovered. "How long is that?"

"Approximately two months."

Goku's eyes widen and he looks around, shocked. "T-T-Two months?! How did that happen?!"

The angel taps his chin. "I had very peculiar readings of your energy. It's not one hundred percent conclusive, but it seems as if... you're an Overlord."

The Saiyan pauses before walking up to the angel. "Listen, I need you to not tell ANYBODY about this."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why are you hiding? How is a Goku able to tap into the power of one?"

"Listen, if anybody finds out, it could spell war for the entire Metaverse," the Saiyan replies. "Please, it's a very long story, but I promise I'm not here for evil intentions. You have to believe me. You cannot tell anybody."

The angel chuckles. "Well, even if I wanted to, I'm unable to share this kind of information without your consent. I do wish you luck, though. Please be careful."

"Thank you for healing me," Goku says. "Uh, how do I call one of those pod things?"

"Just ask for one out loud when you leave the building and it will come."

Goku nods, leaving the area. "Man... The Central is really convenient. Everything is free and simple." He walks away down the streets of the Central. There would be floating holograms everywhere. He sees something that catches his eye and his stomach rumbles. He holds it, groaning. "I haven't eaten in so long... Not since before I left the Angelic Chamber."

He walks over, and an angel walks forward. "Greetings. How may I serve you?"

The Saiyan looks at the menu, tapping his chin. "You know what? I'll just have one of everything."

The angel nods, before waving their hand and an orb the size of a baseball appears on the countertop. "Enjoy."

Goku picks it up, confused. "Uhhh... Okay. How do I pay for this?"

The angel smiles. "We don't pay for food in the Central. It's completely free."

"Oh, cool. Thank you." Goku walks away, holding the baseball-sized orb. "What the heck am I supposed to do with this?"

He squeezes it, and it glows, confusing him. Immediately, bunches of food materialize on the ground in front of him in the middle of the street. The passing residents look at him with a strange look.

Despite this, he'd plop down on the ground and eat to his heart's content. After he finishes all the food, he clears his throat. "Uh... Can I get a pod over here?"

For a second, nothing happens. Then he sees a gleam in the sky for a brief second before a pod shoots down and lands in front of him, opening its hatch. "Pod delivered. Please step inside and vocalize your destination."

The Saiyan walks forward into the pod and sits down. "Take me to Adia, the guidance angel."

Without warning, the pod shoots forward and pins him to the wall. It flies away from the Central and past countless multiverses. It halts at a familiar floating island. "You have reached your destination."

It lands next to Adia, alarming her. "Wh-what?!"

The hatch opens, and Goku steps out, brushing himself off. "I'm never gonna get used to that. Uh, hi, Adia. It's been a while."

"Hello," she replies, tapping the screen and keeping the line going. "You've been gone for longer than I expected."

"Let's just say I had a big drawback using... 'that'," Goku replies and she nods. "Yeah, it's expected for a mortal that doesn't have the body to maintain it for long. I haven't come to any conclusion about your issue with your multiverse."

The Saiyan sighs. "I was afraid you'd say that. Is there nothing I can do? I have to bring my family back, everybody."

"Udun, mind filling in for me again?" Adia asks and her friend groans. "Again? What's your deal?"

"I'll give you a full day off from here."

"Deal."

Adia gestures for Goku to follow her, and he does. They walk around the corner and she sighs. "Alright, look. The only way you can possibly pull that off is with a pair of Super Dragon Balls. But it's far too risky to attempt."

"Is it possible to do it without the Guardians finding out?" The Saiyan asks. "There has to be a way."

She shakes her head. "It's not possible. They have incredible senses. If they find out, one of them will likely report it to the Time Council and war could begin."

"That is, if they can get there."

Adia flinches. "You're not suggesting..."

"I am," Goku replies, crossing his arms. "If they find me, I'll go stage three and incinerate them. No witnesses."

She clenches her fists, before summoning her staff and aiming it at his chest. "I will not allow that, Saiyan. Killing a Guardian is an unforgivable crime."

He grabs her staff and crushes it, staring her in the eyes with killing intent. It would be his Kakarot side taking over. "It's either I kill some or a war begins that destroys the Metaverses. I'm not making any compromises. I'm bringing back my home."

Sweat goes down the angel's face, as she would experience fear for the first time in a long time. "F-Fine... Didn't have to crush my staff for that..."

"I'll do it with another version of Vegeta," Goku explains.

Adia gives him a concerned expression. "Very well. What will you do now?"

"I'm going to visit an old friend of mine and borrow their Super Dragon Balls." Goku walks and gets back into the pod. "I'll see you later, Adia. Right now, I want to see some familiar faces."

He presses a button. "Bring me to Future Trunks's timeline. Uhh... The same guy who visited my multiverse."

"Searching..." The pod beeps for a moment. "'Future Trunks's timeline' could not be located."

Goku sighs and reaches his hand into his pocket, pulling out his ID and reading it. "Alright, uhh... I'm from multiverse #1094625419582. Take me to where Future Trunks resides."

"Scanning... Multiverse #1094625917542 located. Inhabited by a Half-Saiyan named Trunks, previously known for visiting your multiverse. According to records, he has broken multiple laws of time."

The pod shoots forward, with Goku holding on tightly this time. Moments later, it arrives in front of another multiverse. It flies in and lands in a palace unlike Zeno's. The Saiyan gets out, confused. "Where... am I?"

He turns to see a familiar figure on a golden throne. "What?! You're... Zateus!"

The god looks at him, confused. "How did you get here, Son Goku?" He gets up and walks over to him. "Ah, you're not from this multiverse..."

Goku gets in a stance, entering Ultra Instinct. "Why are you here, Zateus? Where's Zeno?"

"They've been gone for ten years," the god replies. "We won the war as Ozatus and killed the gods. We have created a peaceful reality."

The Saiyan blinks, looking around. "Uhh... Okay? I'll head to Earth now."

Zateus clears his throat. "No need. Abysus, my son, would you mind taking this one to Universe Seven's Earth?"

A muscular figure walks forward toward Goku. "Yes, father. Let's go, Saiyan."

Goku takes a step back. "Hold up. Why are you acting so different? Why are all of you so... nice? And how are you alive, Abysus?"

"Our only goal was to eliminate the gods," Abysus explains. "Our intention was never to kill the mortals unless they got in our way. We wanted a better multiverse without the restrictions of the gods. He resurrected me using the Super Dragon Balls. Father has plans to bring back Zydis soon."

He places a hand on the Saiyan's shoulder and they teleport to a familiar location in West City. Goku senses the energies in the multiverse and feels the mortal level has improved from his own.

"Uh, thanks, Abysus," he says, walking forward. He finds the Gravity Chamber and walks into it to see Future Trunks training with weights on. "Ahem."

The Half-Saiyan pauses and turns off the gravity. "Oh hey, Goku. You're already done with your training with Omesus?"

Goku tries to speak but no words come out of his mouth for a moment. "Uhh... Hey, Trunks. I'm not the Goku from this reality."

Trunks takes a step back, getting a little nervous. "Are you a time traveler? Wait... Now that you mention it, your energy is different."

"I'm the Goku you gave the medicine to all those years ago," he replies and the Half-Saiyan's eyes widen. "G-G-G-Goku?! I haven't seen you since the aftermath of Zamasu. How did you get here?"

Goku sits down and fills him in on everything. From the arrival of Abysus, to Broly, to Zateus, and then Qhuteus. After he finishes the story, Trunks stands there, shocked. "Your multiverse... I can't believe it."

He sits down with the Saiyan. "So that's who that towering figure that warned me was... I don't get it though. If you guys have pods that can go to any location in the Metaverse, why am I not allowed to have my own machine?"

"Probably because it's dangerous and unstable," Goku replies. "Look, I... I have to use the Super Dragon Balls to bring back two multiverses at once. I just hope Super Shenron's able to do it."

He looks up at the Half-Saiyan. "But enough about me. How have you been? Where's Mai?"

"She's actually become a police officer alongside Krillin, believe it or not," Trunks says. "I've also obtained a new transformation."

An aura shoots up around him, and he yells, entering his ultimate form. A white aura envelops the room, shaking it. "Elder Kai unlocked my potential, and now I have a form just like Gohan."

Goku smiles. "That's pretty neat." He then looks down at the ground, feeling off.

"What's wrong, Goku?"

"It's just... ever since fusing with my Saiyan side, I've been different," the Saiyan explains. "I've been crueler and less like I used to. I don't know if it'll be like this forever."

Trunks places a hand on his shoulder, powering down. "Look, everything's going to be alright. Trust me, I know your pain. I've lost my home to one of those Omni Kings... At least you have a chance to bring yours back."

He looks up at the sky. "I came here years after... Zateus, was it? After he killed the gods. I didn't mind. In fact, I liked it. A Zeno erased my home. It felt nice knowing he wasn't going to be a problem to anybody anymore."

Goku leans his head on the Gravity Chamber's wall, thinking for a moment. All this time, he was blind to the fact that Zeno really has done terrible things in the past. Despite having a childlike mind, it's almost as if... he never got the right guidance.

His eyes widen. How could Zeno have created the multiverse? He's only seen the Omni King erase, not create. They rely on Daishinkan to do those things. Master Roshi told him that the Zenos seemingly had trouble keeping up with him and Jiren's battle, according to his observations.

He gets up. "Trunks, I'm gonna go take a walk. You keep training, alright?"

The Half-Saiyan nods. "It was nice seeing you again, Goku." He turns the chamber back on and Goku leaves the area, trying to contemplate things. No way could Zeno have created the multiverse. But who could've? They rely on-...

His eyes widen and everything clicks with him. There's no other probable explanation.

Daishinkan was the former Omni King.

To Be Continued in Chapter Thirty-Three

Sorry for the delay! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Will Goku succeed with his plan? Find out in the next chapter!

~ Scruffy