Nestled into the side of a mountain that overlooked a beautiful and luscious valley, a small cottage resided, its previous owner having recently 'vacated' the premises. It was quiet and remote with a stunning view and therefore the perfect place for Black and Zamasu to enjoy their downtime with a perfected cup of tea. After all, just because they were gods didn't mean they couldn't have a break every once in a while and for Zamasu, nothing was better than a cup of tea…other than his plan to bring a perfect utopia to the universe.
"Tell me," Zamasu said as he set his cup down. "Why did you not wish for immortality?"
Black sneered and simply transformed into Super Saiyan Rose. "Why would I when I have this kind of power at my disposal? It's almost its own kind of immortality; my power makes me invincible. Might controls everything and without it, you cannot serve your purpose. Immortality only gets you so far."
"Perhaps. I prefer the safeguard; after all, I have heard rumours of beings that are stronger than the Gods of Destruction."
Black rolled his eyes as he powered down. "They are still mortals. Besides, it's not like we don't have a back-up plan. That's why I gave you my Potara…not that we'll need it."
"I hope so. I do not want anything to derail the Zero Mortal Plan."
"Yes, yes, the next time we see Trunks and his friends, I'll kill them. Stop fretting, Zamasu. Nothing can stop us, not even a mortal who thinks he has a right to our power."
"Yes, I am aware of that."
"And if you're worried about Zeno, don't bother. You know full well as I that he has no interest in anything outside his cosy little palace. Even if he does learn of our plan…he might thank us for it."
"I am simply cautious, hence my immortality. And you know the potential of a Saiyan's power."
Black shrugged carelessly and reached for his tea. "Let them come. I will destroy them all."
Zamasu hummed. "How's the tea?"
His comrade drained his cup dry and set it down. "Perfect. Now, shall we continue?"
"Yes, I'd be delighted to."
-X-
Lazuli stood on the edge of the Lookout, amazed at how clearly she could see the world below, like her senses had been vastly enhanced. But that meant she could see Black and Zamasu attacking another city, rooting out people like they were rats and mercilessly killing them; a game to the pair. The pair reminded her so much of herself and 17 to the point it was nauseating and if she hadn't renounced her old ways before, she'd definitely would now. It infuriated her that she couldn't do anything to stop them, not when one was far out of her league and the other was immortal. It made her almost wish for the days when life was pleasant and the biggest threat she had to face was Broly; she'd prefer it if there was no threats, but she knew that was unrealistic.
Lazuli glanced towards the Chamber, thinking of Trunks and Azure. Their time was almost up and she wondered how much they'd progressed in that time. They desperately needed any kind of advantage they could get and if Trunks had gotten stronger again, like he did before he fought Demigra, then there might be a chance…a big 'might'. She didn't like how Azure had been thrust into fighting for her life and ascending to Super Saiyan so soon; it wasn't ideal, but that was the circumstances and Lazuli couldn't change it even if she wanted to. Besides, it wasn't like her father hadn't been forced into a similar situation, but that didn't mean Azure had to do it as well…Trunks had been fighting his entire life and Lazuli could tell he was over it, wanting nothing but peace. Five years had felt like a long time, but it simply wasn't long enough; when this was over, Lazuli was taking her family on a vacation. They all deserved it.
The door opened and Trunks stepped out, hand-in-hand with Azure. It practically broke Lazuli's heart to see the innocence gone from her daughter's young eyes, replaced with the steely look of a warrior, a look she had seen in Trunks' eyes for decades.
"I hope your father wasn't too rough on you," Lazuli called out with a smile and the hardened gaze evaporated into childish joy as Azure grinned widely.
"It was fun. Papa was teaching me more about being a Super Saiyan."
"Well, I'm glad you had fun, munchkin," the Android and she looked at Trunks. "How are you?"
"I'm hoping it's enough," Trunks replied as he stood beside her, their daughter between them and he looked over the edge. "I have to stop them, Lazuli, no matter the cost."
The Android remained silent for a moment. "Does it seem familiar to you?"
"Huh? How so?"
She turned to face him, seeing two pairs of blue eyes look at her for the answer. "When 17 and I ruled the world. It'd be foolish to say that Black and Zamasu don't remind you of us."
"I…" Trunks trailed off and Lazuli looked at her daughter's quizzical face. They had never explained to her about Lazuli's past and if the Android had her way, Azure would never find out about it or at least until she was old enough to deal with it. "Look, I won't lie; it does. I had time to think about it in the Chamber. As horrible as you were back then, you've changed and it led to Azure; I won't change that ever. These two…they have a plan they're hell-bent on carrying out and I know you'll help me stop them any way we can."
Lazuli gave a single nod of acknowledgement, her attention on Azure. The little girl was peering over the edge of the Lookout, her eyes wide as she saw the world below and the Android hoped her daughter didn't hear too much; granted, it was a conversation she'd prefer to have in private with Trunks, but some things couldn't be helped.
"We have to," Lazuli said softly. "For her."
The half-Saiyan nodded in agreement and ruffled Azure's hair. The child light-heartedly protested and Trunks smiled, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head; he gave one to Lazuli, quick but full of need, passion and love and just as she hoped it wouldn't end, Trunks broke away and dove off the Lookout.
"Come back home, Papa!" Azure called after him.
-X-
Black flung a Power Ball and it annihilated a crowd of fleeing humans, while Zamasu looked on with approval. The doppelganger was in his base form, seeing no need to be transformed to eradicate the pestilent humans, but in hindsight, he probably should have; he was smashed from behind, blasted through the air as blows rained down upon his back. The strikes didn't hurt too much, but it was the deceitful surprise that annoyed him so much and he cursed himself for letting his guard down.
Trunks, in his Saiyan God form, delivered a final blow that smashed Black into the ground and when Zamasu tried to intervene, Trunks crushed his face with an elbow strike. As the Supreme Kai reeled from the blow, the hybrid fired a swift Big Bang Attack at Black, burying him beneath the city.
"Impertinent mortal!" Zamasu snarled as he lunged with his Aura Slide.
Trunks blasted the wind out of his lungs with a punch to the chest. "Hm, since you're immortal, you're going to be a problem. I wonder how we can remedy that."
Zamasu darted backwards as he fired the Heavenly Arrow; Trunks shot past the energy blasts, grabbed Zamasu by the face and drove him towards the ground, smashing his head into the pavement. He lifted the Supreme Kai up, changed hands and smashed him face first into the pavement again; drawing his sword, Trunks pinned Zamasu down with his boot and drove his sword into Zamasu's skull, punching it in to the hilt and pinning the Supreme Kai to the ground.
"Bet you're wishing you're not immortal now. Perhaps for once you'll learn to keep your mouth shut," Trunks growled as Zamasu flailed his arms, unable to get any kind of proper grip on the sword. "I'll come back once I'm done with your friend."
Zamasu wanted to yell at him, but with the sword exiting his mouth, that was impossible. There was a burst of energy from where Black had been buried and he rose up, fury etched on his face as he transformed into Super Saiyan Rose, snarling at Trunks.
"Lucky shot."
"You let your guard down, so it's your own fault," Trunks shot back.
"Oh, aren't we feeling confident, Saiyan?"
"Your reign of terror is at its end!"
"Yes, you've said that before," Black said in a bored tone, as Trunks flared his aura of orange flames and lunged, but Black easily blocked his fist. "Honestly, Trunks, why bother? I mean, it took you twenty years to defeat the Androids and they're insects compared to me. I am a god!"
"Yeah? So am I!"
Trunks slammed his knee into Black's jaw and punched him; Black skittered back on his feet, smirking in amusement as he copped several powerful blows from the hybrid. He noted that Trunks' strength was stronger than before and it made him wonder how the half-breed had managed to increase his strength so much; it still didn't compare to Black's own power, but it brought to mind Zamasu's caution earlier about the potential of a Saiyan's strength. Sick of the punches, Black summoned his energy sword and slashed wide – he scored Trunks on the stomach when the half-Saiyan tried to avoid it, but they both watched as the wound burned with God ki before it completely healed.
"Interesting," Black noted and he sadistically grinned. "That means I get to have some fun with you before I end your pathetic life."
He lunged and slashed wide; Trunks dodged and rammed a fist into his ribs; Black struck him in return and followed through with a spin kick to Trunks' chest. He launched a Power Ball only for Trunks to recover in time and swat it aside; Black used the time to close in on his prey and sweep his sword down, aiming to split Trunks in half; he struck an Afterimage and Trunks blasted him from behind with the Burning Strike.
"He has indeed gotten stronger," Black mused as he wiped his mouth. "And if I don't act now, he just might get the advantage over me. I cannot allow a mere mortal to best me and jeopardise everything I've worked so hard to build up. The Zero Mortal Plan will proceed as it should."
Reforming his blade into his aura, Black brought his heads to his forehead and fired a Rose Masenko – Trunks vanished and booted him in the jaw. Snarling, Black threw a punch and it clashed against Trunks' fist, the force from the impact shattering everything around them. Black's Rose aura clashed with Trunks' God aura as the pair fought to overcome the other – in the end, the doppelganger proved the victor when he forced the hybrid's arm aside and punched him across the street. Trunks bounced onto his feet and released an energy blast; Black dodged it and lunged forth with his energy blade. Trunks dodged by a whisker and fired a punch into his foe's ribs. Black slashed, missed again and planted a kick against Trunks' chest that punched him through a building. Once more, Trunks bounced onto his feet and he pulled his hands to the side.
"Galick Gun!"
Black smirked as he twisted around the beam, but as he did so, he swiftly realised that Trunks hadn't actually been aiming for him – the beam slammed into Super Android Lazuli and she absorbed its energy, her muscles bulging as her body struggled with the godly power. Finally, her body resumed its normal figure and she breathed in amazement at the feel of the power bursting through her.
"Wow," Lazuli spoke as she wobbled from the heady power coursing through her body. "Just…wow."
"You vile mortals," Black snarled. "The power of the gods is not something you can throw around like it's a toy. The sheer audacity – all you have done is presented my cause with proof that it needs to be carried out; that the mortals need to be erased."
"Why don't you just shut up?" Lazuli replied and she fired the Infinity Flash, battering Black with a series of energy blasts.
He flew out of the storm, only to get intercepted by Trunks, the pair exchanging a series of furious blows. Black deflected Trunks' fist and narrowly dodged Lazuli's kick; the couple ganged up on him, working together in perfect tandems after years of fighting and training together – Black found himself hemmed by the pair, fending off blows as fast as they came.
"This isn't right," Black growled in his thoughts when he parried Lazuli's fist and Trunks struck in the opening it created. "I am a god! I should not be pressured by mortals who think they can wield the power of the gods!"
Trunks and Lazuli struck Black at the same time and as he flew backwards, the Android raised her hands, pressed together with her palms out and fingers straight up. Trunks moved behind her, his hands cupping the outside of her hands and together, they compiled their energy into one large ball; it became the size of a beach-ball as Trunks whispered in her ear. "Ready?"
She nodded and they fired the energy – it slammed into Black and a mighty explosion erupted; the imposter tumbled from the cloud of smoke and the secondary explosion released a powerful shockwave that blasted Black through the wreckage of the city. He came to a stop in a small crater, an annoyed look on his face, his clothes smoking.
"That…tickled…and now I'm pissed off," Black thought as he pulled himself free of the crater. "Where the hell is Zamasu?"
Trunks landed before him, while Lazuli touched down behind him. Black looked between the pair and smirked as he engaged his energy blade; the numbers may be against him, but his power was greater and they weren't a concern to him. The pair flew at him at the same time and Black unleashed a wave of energy from his sword, forcing Trunks to divert from his path and it allowed Black to evade Lazuli's fist, re-appearing behind her and he pressed a Power Ball to her back. She yelped as she blasted through the air and Trunks avoided her to drive his fist into Black's face.
Black struck with a backhand and he threw out a Kiai; Trunks flipped over it, only to catch a kick to the chest. As he was thrown by the attack, the hybrid launched a Burning Attack and Black smirked as he sliced it in half, twin explosions erupting behind him. An energy blast caught him in the flank and irritated, Black slashed wide, firing a wave of energy from his sword. Lazuli destroyed it with an energy blast of her own, as Black flew through the smoke to swipe at her. She dodged the blade, but he kicked her in the face and she skidded along the ground from the blow.
"Damn it, we can't even make a scratch on him," Lazuli thought in frustration as she watched Trunks battle Black, only to eventually cop a Power Ball to the abdomen and get blasted away. "What will it take to destroy-"
Her thoughts were cut off and she screamed when Trunks' sword burst through her lower chest, right under her ribcage. Her scream instantly caught Trunks' attention and Zamasu poked his smirking face over the Android's shoulder.
"I believe this belongs to you," the Supreme Kai said in a condescending tone as he shoved Lazuli away and she reverted to her normal form, clutching at the sword as her blood pooled around her.
"Lazuli!" Trunks screamed and he made to move for her, but the distraction was what Black needed and he rammed his blade into the hybrid's stomach, pushing him until they came to a building wall and Black slammed Trunks against the concrete, pinning him in place.
The blow wasn't aimed for a kill shot, rather, it was meant to incapacitate and the half-blood hissed at the pain burning through his body.
"You know, when you think about it, this is entirely your fault," Black smirked.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Trunks growled through the pain. The blade hadn't struck any major organs, but every minute movement he made sent a shockwave of pain throughout him.
"I'm sure you've worked out that I'm not really Gohan. Even for a brainless Saiyan, you're not stupid. No, I'm actually him," Black said, jerking his thumb at Zamasu. "Zamasu, the apprentice to the Supreme Kai of the 10th Universe, and because someone decided to mess with time, there are two of us, but we are still one and the same."
"You see, Gohan was meant to die at the hands of the Androids, but because you changed time, not once, but twice, Gohan lived," Zamasu continued as he joined them. "All under Chronoa's eye and as the Supreme Kai of Time, she should know better than to leave timelines like that incorrect. But in her arrogance, or laziness rather, she corrected nothing."
"Gohan lived instead of dying that fateful night like he was meant to and as a result, he trained under the Elder Kai, bringing out his full potential: a mortal, touched by a god and for a god to allow that to happen? Sacrilege," Black continued and he twisted the blade, just to make Trunks squirm and struggle to alleviate the pain. "That said, it did make Gohan the perfect instrument, the perfect weapon of justice as an example of the foolishness of both gods and mortals, a tool to be used against them and strike them down for allowing it all to happen in the first place."
"You…you bastard!" Trunks snarled.
"Oh, but we haven't even gotten to the best part yet," Zamasu grinned. "Zamasu here made a wish with the Dragonballs to switch bodies with Gohan. Take a guess what happened next."
"Gohan was with his family, his happy little family," Black grinned devilishly. "So when I made the wish, well, it caused quite the surprise. Had to do something about it, so, I killed them." He twisted the blade, flesh and blood squelching as Trunks screamed in agony. "I killed Videl and sweet, little Pan. Poor fools. They truly had no idea why Gohan would turn so viciously upon them. And then, I slaughtered everyone else without mercy." Again, Black grinned as he continued the torture, delighting in both Trunks' screams and the recounting of his story. "Every single one of those deaths is on your head, Trunks, because of your sinful arrogance," he punctuated each word with a twist of his blade.
Agony pulsated throughout Trunks' body, but so did the rage and as Black's words struck home, they fuelled the rage building inside the hybrid; the accusations swarmed him, taunting him, the image of Pan…murdered by the monster wearing the face of her father.
"You steal the body of my best friend, murder his family…my mother…and you blame me for it?" Trunks snarled through gritted teeth, his rage boiling over and he flared his blazing aura as his rage overcame his pain. "I was only trying to help people…to give them a better chance at life…and if you think that is a sin…then allow me…to tell you what I think about it!"
Black frowned as Trunks gripped the blade and removed it from his body; even Zamasu's eyes widened in surprise and then with a roar, Trunks struck Black with a powerful punch that blasted him away. Zamasu gasped in surprise as Trunks bellowed with rage, his aura burning around him in tune with his fury and then the hybrid was gone. It took Zamasu a moment to register that Trunks was currently whaling on Black, pulverising every inch of him he could reach.
"You…are…a…monster!" Trunks punctuated with furious blows, shockwaves rocking the city from the strength of his wrath and Black tried to fight back, but a blow to the chest dropped him.
Zamasu summoned his Aura Slide, ready to intervene, when Trunks suddenly appeared for him, his sapphire eyes blazing with fury. The Supreme Kai gawked for a moment and that was all the half-blood needed; he delivered a savage blow to Zamasu's stomach, tearing the air from his lungs, his fist almost penetrating the Supreme Kai. As Zamasu staggered back, his eyes wide from the powerful blow, Trunks held his hand out, giving the peace sign with his thumb out to the side; he fired the Final Impact – the energy bolt tore a hole straight through Zamasu's torso, which left the Supreme Kai reeling in shock. A Big Bang Attack swiftly followed and Zamasu was hammered through the city and wrapped up in the almighty explosion.
Black growled as he stood up and Trunks appeared before him and slammed home an uppercut; Black rocketed through the air and Trunks gave chase, landing blow after blow after furious blow. The fact that a monster like Zamasu had stolen the body for a person like Gohan, a gentle, caring and wholesome person and used it to commit absolute atrocities in the name of justice…murdering Pan, Videl, Trunks' mother and countless others…the rage fuelled Trunks' strength and he pulverised Black – a rage-fused punch slammed Black into the side of a building, cratering it and Trunks threw his hands out to the side, charging his energy.
"This is it!" he thought. "I will destroy Black here and now!"
"Well…that was fun," Black spoke and in surprise, Trunks paused in his preparation of the Final Flash. "The rage you felt increased your strength…how interesting. A special trait of the Saiyans. Rage equals power; a simplistic thing for the barbarians…but since I too have the body of a Saiyan, that means I can empower myself through rage…and my rage burns greater than any you have ever felt. The rage towards the gods that created the mortals. The rage towards the gods who refuse to acknowledge their mistakes and allow the mortals to thrive. The rage towards the mortals who think they are above the gods and the gods who do nothing about the arrogance of the mortals. Allow me, Trunks, to show you my rage."
He shouted, flaring his aura and shattered the building into rubble. His aura converted into the Violent Fierce God Slicer and with a roar of power, he transformed the blade into a violet whip. Grinning at Trunks' shocked face, Black whirled the whip around his body several times – then snapped it forward with the speed of al lightning strike – Trunks couldn't react in time and he cried out when the whip struck him. Black grinned, whirled the whip and snapped it again – this time, he wrapped it around Trunks' neck. The hybrid gasped as the whip constricted his throat and he tried to pull it off, but the whip was too tight and Black smirked as he channelled his energy through the weapon, causing it to glow.
"You cannot even begin to comprehend my rage and my power," the doppelganger said, smirking at Trunks' struggle. "You are a mortal, a fleeting speck in the wind and you should know by now to remember your place!"
He yanked the whip like a ripcord and the gathered energy created an explosion of pink energy that engulfed Trunks. His smoking body gradually fell from the smoke cloud and Black sent his whip forth, wrapped it around Trunks' ankle and with a flick of his wrist, he smashed Trunks into the ground. The hybrid struggled to get up, but the whip cracked across his back and he yelped, collapsing again. Black grinned and snapped lash after lash upon Trunks' back, leaving angry pink welts across his crimson fur. Trunks yelled in pain with each blow and after a final lash, Black dropped until he stomped on Trunks' back and wrapped the whip around his neck once more and yanked his head back. Trunks choked, grappling with the whip as Black forced his body to bend, putting pressure on both his throat and his whip-scored back.
"Your arrogance has cost this world, this universe in this timeline and all the others you recklessly created," Black spat venomously, his voice dripping with disgust. "And you have the nerve to call me a monster? I am doing what the gods refuse to do: clean up their mess. This is what happens when they leave the mortal unchecked: they pollute the beauty of the universe and believe themselves to be on the same level as the gods…believe they can share in our power."
Trunks couldn't breathe and in combination with the agony being inflicted on his body, it became too much for him: he lost the Saiyan God form and reverted back to his normal form. Black grinned viciously and he placed his foot on Trunks' head, then smashed his face into the ground. He finally removed his whip, leaving Trunks barely conscious and shaking with pain.
"Get up," Black growled. "Unless you wish to die on your gut like the rest of the mortal filth."
His body protesting, Trunks forced himself to get up. This was it, he knew, he was going to die. He had failed everyone, failed to protect the world and all he cared about. Even with the power of a Saiyan God, it simply hadn't been enough: Black was too strong and there was nothing Trunks could do about it. At best, he could accept his death while standing on his feet. He just hoped that his parents were proud of him, even though he failed them. He hoped Azure would proud of him and the thought that she might greet him in the afterlife caused Trunks to choke up.
Zamasu arrived, standing beside Black as he watched the badly-injured Trunks with a smirk. Black shared that same smirk and he cupped his hands to the side, charging the Super Rose Kamehameha. As he stood waiting for death, Trunks thought of Lazuli, how they had changed and grown in the last several years, especially in regards to their daughter. They had a good run, he thought, watching the energy in Black's hands increase. He was too weak, unable to do anything but mentally say goodbye to everyone he loved; the Kamehameha was ready and Black was in the process of releasing it –
An energy blast slammed in front of the villainous pair and the surprise of it caused Black's Kamehameha to go haywire and completely miss its target. Trunks stood there, stunned by the sudden turn of events and Zamasu suddenly went flying, as if he had been knocked aside. The dust cleared and Black was driven away from the scene by a powerful beam – a familiar powerful beam.
Trunks' heart stopped and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the person approach him with a friendly smile on his face.
"No…no way…" Trunks stammered in shock.
"Hey, buddy," Gohan greeted him. "It's been a long time."
A/N: The Gohan that Black is wearing is the same Gohan who Trunks saved from the Androids and Mira earlier in the story. Also, there should be about six or so chapters left to go after this one.