Light shimmered, breaking apart in fragments, revealing the being within the light.
Two exact souls combined into one. Zamasu, wearing his Supreme Kai clothes, but with the colour palette of Gohan Black's outfit. His hair was styled the same as Black's Super Saiyan Rose appearance, but with Zamasu' white colour and a single long bang to represent his previous Mohawk style. A scar appeared over his left eye, the only imperfection on an otherwise flawless being.
"I am justice given form. I am justice given the light. Behold my power, my splendour, my beauty," his voice echoed, a combination of the souls of two Zamasus. "Let my light shine upon the world, so that all know of my glory, my absolution…praise me…revere me…Zamasu."
A large Halo formed behind the fusion, giving him the appearance of a holy warrior. He hovered in the sky, hands splayed like he truly was a deity, his Halo shining brightly as a contrast to the dark sky behind him. He opened his grey eyes and a smirk graced his face as he looked down upon the mortals before him.
"Take a look upon your god, mortals, for I, Zamasu, offer you forgiveness for your sins and with this forgiveness, I shall purify the universe so that beauty can blossom once more. I shall cleansed the corruption and bring back the light from the darkness that the mortals have wrought."
"Hey, look, it's got wings," Pan tried for a joke, trying to cover up her fear at the intensity of the pressure she could feel emanating from the fusion.
"A touch preachy, aren't you?" Gohan sneered and with a shout, he powered up into the Saiyan God form. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying what you're selling. You're a dangerous threat and we will defeat you."
Zamasu smiled gracefully, a smile of conviction. "Of course you would strike out at a god like the lesser being that you are. You are an inferior creature, lashing out at the righteous light that encompasses the world. Perhaps you should embrace your judgement."
He flared his hand, sending out a powerful Kiai and the sheer force of it swept everyone off their feet, save for Gohan, although he was forced to his knees. Amazed at the power, but refusing to be deterred, he pushed himself back up, as Trunks slowly got to his feet and powered up to his Saiyan God form as well, standing side by side with his mentor.
"You ready to do this?" Gohan asked.
"Yeah. Let's shut up him up for good."
Together, they burst their flaming auras to life. Zamasu smirked. Gohan and Trunks shot off towards their opponent, slamming punches and kicks against his body with the force of their blows creating shockwaves…and yet, not a single move made Zamasu flinch. He closed his eyes, calmly taking every single blow without any effect, unfazed by the assault – he caught both Saiyans by their ankles.
"You pitiful creatures dare strike a god?" Zamasu said evenly. "You lash out in futileness, because violence is the only path you know. Violence is all you can ever know. There can be no peace with you mortals and as such, I will render that peace with a force of my own."
He slammed Gohan and Trunks into each other and carelessly tossed them aside. Lazuli flew into the sky, in her Super Android form, and charged a large ball of energy and launched it at Zamasu – he caught it with one hand and easily dispersed the energy, leaving Lazuli stunned by the action.
"You, artificial being, are an example of the foolishness of mortals," Zamasu said. "In their arrogance, they believed they could play god and create a life-form like you. You are an abomination."
"Have you looked in the mirror yourself lately?" Lazuli sneered.
"I am beautiful, as a god should be, the perfect example of divinity and I will not have you blaspheme me!"
His Halo shimmered and a huge bolt of lightning energy slashed the sky and struck Lazuli – she screamed in agony, Azure cried out for her mother and the Android tumbled towards the ground, unconscious; Tapion caught her in time, horrified by Zamasu's immense power, while Trunks cried out in anguish for her.
Zangya, in her Super Hera form, launched her Trap Shooter, spraying the sky with emerald ki blasts. Zamasu swept his hand across his chest, neutralising every single blast with a Kiai and the sky lit up with their destruction – he swept his hand again and a Kiai sliced through the explosions and tore into the ground, blasting Zangya off her feet.
"You dare try to deny my light?" Zamasu demanded. "Unrepentant mortals. It is no surprise why the universe is the way it is with your sinful natures. But I will cleanse-"
"Shut up!" Trunks shouted and he fired the Final Impact. It exploded harmlessly against Zamasu and he flew at the fusion, lashing out with his fists, trying to put a dent…somewhere, somehow. "All your preaching is making me sick. You think mortals are evil when you slaughter innocents and call it justice. You're not a god…you're a delusional whackjob and I will stop you! Big Bang Attack!"
The smoke cleared and Zamasu sighed, almost disappointed-like. "This is the path mortals put themselves on. How can creatures created by the gods never evolve beyond the primitive need to commit violence? All the wars and deaths were wrought by your hands because you are incapable of learning, incapable of evolving." Trunks snarled and launched another physical assault, but Zamasu ignored it. "The gods created such flawed and basic creatures, yet they too never learnt from their mistakes. Instead, the cowardly wretches chose simple observation instead rather than acknowledge and correct their mistakes."
He punched Trunks in the stomach with such power, the half-Saiyan thought his entire body would burst from the blow, his eyes wide with agony as his lungs failed to work and he reverted to his normal form. Zamasu tossed him aside and was instantly bombarded with a shower of energy blasts from Pan and Azure. The fused Supreme Kai sent out a shockwave that slammed into the two quarter-Saiyans and blasted them across the sky – Zangya caught the pair, trying to hide the fear that wanted to show on her face. He had such overwhelming power that she couldn't see a single way they could win against him. As much as she wanted to run, she knew she couldn't, not while she knew Tapion would stay and fight.
"Zangya…can we win?" Pan asked, her voice wavering with fear.
"I'm…I'm not sure," the Hera replied honestly.
Zamasu's hand snapped upwards and caught Gohan's ankle, stopping his sneak attack. He squeezed lightly and Gohan howled in pain. "Gowasu was a fool. Why should gods only observe and never intervene? What is our purpose if all we do is sit back and let the universe crumble under the corruption of the mortals? He didn't want to act and called me insane for wanting to do more beyond my simple role."
"You really do love hearing yourself talk," Gohan gritted through the pain and he winced when Zamasu squeezed again.
"A god who does not act against evil is no god at all." He hurled Gohan towards the ground and the half-Saiyan slammed into Trunks, taking them both down. "Let my light show you the path…to your extinction. Blades of Judgement!"
The Halo glowed and hundreds of red, needle-like energy blades rained down from the light, piercing the ground around Gohan and Trunks, caging them in like penned animals. Zamasu clenched his fist and the blades detonated, igniting the surrounding area. Flames stretched across the streets, giving the ruined city the appearance of Hell, smoke wafting through the clouded sky. The stench of smog and decay polluted the air, as Tapion moved Lazuli out of the blast range, Zangya landing beside him with the young girls, all staring in horror at Zamasu. His Halo shimmered behind him like a beacon of light against the midnight sky, even though he represented everything but hope.
The smoke dissipated to reveal Gohan had thrown himself over Trunks and summoned an energy shield to protect against the numerous explosions; the shield faded as Gohan helped a wheezing Trunks to his feet.
"Are you okay?" Gohan asked.
"I…I can barely breathe," Trunks whimpered, slowly inhaling to try and get his lungs to function properly. "One hit, Gohan, and I was out of the fight. How are we going to beat him?"
Zamasu held up his index finger and a small ball of energy appeared on his fingertip. It rapidly expanded from the size of a marble to the size of a small car and Zamasu raised his hand, prepared to hurl the Holy Wrath. "You are at the end of your path, mortals. This is where you perish and the universe will be restored."
He launched the Holy Wrath and it increased in size as it descended, reaching the size of a small asteroid. Gohan gasped in horror at the size of the deadly attack and as the only one with enough power to even stand a chance, he strode forth, cupped his hands to his side and launched a God Kamehameha at the cataclysmic sphere. Almost immediately, his knees wanted to buckle under the absolute power of the energy ball, but he refused to crumble and he held his ground, doing his best to try and repel the Holy Wrath.
If it was allowed to strike the ground…
"Dad!" Pan cried and she flew to his side. She was terrified of the impending Holy Wrath, but she knew she couldn't stand aside and do nothing, even if she wasn't strong enough; she had to try and she mimicked his stance. "Kamehameha!"
Trunks watched as father and daughter combatted Zamasu's attack and as the pain faded from his body, allowing him to breathe properly, he could focus on the god ki in his veins and with a shout, he powered up to Saiyan God. He swiftly joined the pair and pulled his hands to his side. "Galick Gun!"
Three beams powered against the Holy Wrath, slowing its descent, but it wasn't enough. Trunks forced himself to withstand the pressure, while Pan refused to quit, just like her father. Watching the trio struggle, little Azure felt that she had to try and help as well. She was only a kid, nowhere near as strong as any of them, but if she could help, just a little bit…flaring her golden aura, the young child joined her father's side, pulled her hands to her side and fired the Galick Gun. Her tiny body threatened to collapse from the strain, but she didn't want to quit, not while the other three were fighting and she couldn't give up on them.
"Hold steady, Azure!" Trunks coached her. "Focus your power. Don't give up!"
"You can do it, Pan!" Gohan called to his daughter, seeing her struggle. "Do not let Zamasu win. We'll stop him together, so stay with me and let's make him regret ever picking a fight with us!"
Zamasu snarled in frustration as the combination of the Father-Daughter Kamehameha and Galick Gun pressured the Holy Wrath, holding it at a stalemate. He simply couldn't allow this to happen and exerted extra power, forcing the Holy Wrath against the four beams.
"Don't let him win!" Gohan cried at his daughter. "Use everything you've got, no matter what!"
"Azure, we can do this!" Trunks added and he thought of his father, hoping that wherever he was, Vegeta was looking at them with pride. "Let's make the royal bloodline proud!"
Together as one, the four Saiyan hybrids powered their energy beams and propelled the Holy Wrath into the sky. Bewildered by the display of power, Zamasu could only watch as the combined Kamehameha Waves and Galick Guns finally pierced through the Holy Wrath, lifting it above the city where the energy sphere detonated. The explosion could be seen for miles, making the dark atmosphere appear like day, as the resounding shockwave pummelled the city and swept everyone off their feet with the force, while the fires that devoured the city were extinguished in an instant. Even Zamasu was struck – he was blasted higher into the sky, but he easily overcame the shockwave…the fury on his face was palpable. As he helped his daughter to her feet, Trunks spotted the fused Supreme Kai, could see his enraged face and yet…
"Did you see that, Zamasu?" he called out to the fusion. "That was the power of mortals. That's why you won't win, despite your fusion, despite everything you've preached about…when we stand together, we are a force to be reckoned with."
"Yes, quite indeed," Zamasu responded, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice. "Such is the power of mortals. Left unchecked, you have breached the realms and claimed the power of divinity for your own, believing that it is your right to wield it. Such arrogance. No wonder mortals are nothing but the physical embodiment of sin, for committing evil is all you're capable of. It is my duty to cleanse the universe and I will see that through. But I am not a god without mercy and my judgement is swift and supreme. Lightning of Absolution!"
Bolts of lightning lashed out from his Halo, slicing through the air like furious scars – Gohan stepped in front of Pan and took a direct hit from the attack and he screamed from the torment as the lightning burned him to the core and it was only because he was a Saiyan God that he survived the blast. Reduced to his normal form, he fell back as Pan could only stare in horror, tears in her eyes as she reached for her father, catching him before he hit the ground. His breathing was shallow, energy burns covering most of his body, while his upper gi and undershirt had been blasted right off.
"Dad, no," Pan begged as he lay in her arms, unconscious but alive…barely. "Please don't go. I just got you back…don't leave me."
"You bastard!" Trunks screamed, enraged and his aura burst to life around him, burning with the same fury that charged through him.
He shot through the air towards Zamasu and struck him with the Burning Strike – the fused god didn't even flinch, merely frowned, and Trunks unloaded with a variety of punches and kicks, trying anything that could do something to the Supreme Kai. Zamasu summoned his energy blade and slashed wide and only instinct saved Trunks from being disembowelled – he flew out of range and thrust his hands out to his sides, charging energy into his palms.
"Final…FLASH!"
Zamasu's eyes widened when the massive energy beam smashed into his body with tsunami-like force – he was rocked from his position by the power, but with Black's power and his own immortality, he survived the blast…he smirked at Trunks, as the right side of his face disintegrated, reforming into purple goo.
The sight was sickening, but Trunks couldn't help but smirk. "What happened to your immortality? Your face is looking like the contents of a baby's diaper."
Zamasu hesitantly touched his damaged face, felt the goo and his eyes widened in surprise, as it dawned upon him: Zamasu was immortal, but Black was not and now fused together, it meant that he was only half-immortal, prone to damage. The simple idea of it sent the Supreme Kai into a rage and he created the energy whip, lashing it around Trunks' neck.
"I am pure and perfect, a god, while you are an abomination, the personification of sin," Zamasu snarled at the half-Saiyan. "It is my duty to wash the universe clean of evil, as a righteous god to destroy the disease that has infected the beauty of the universe with their tainted arrogance."
Trunks struggled to breathe as the whip constricted around his airway, but then Zamasu hurled him towards the ground – and opened fire with the Blades of Judgement. A few needles pierced Trunks' body while the rest surrounded him and ignited. There was a devastating explosion and when the smoke cleared, Trunks lay there in his base form; his clothes tattered as he struggled to cling to life. Azure left her mother's unconscious side to hurry to her father and Zamasu bellowed with laughter as he looked upon the two quarter-Saiyans holding onto their cataleptic fathers.
"Embrace my light, heathens, for it is the only comfort you will receive," the fused Supreme Kai orated. "The tyranny of mortal-kind has reached its crescendo; I, Zamasu, the cleansing flood, will wash away the plague of mortals and thus birth a new, perfect and beautiful utopia!"
"Wow," Zangya deadpanned. "He really loves the sound of his voice, huh?"
"Yes, but he has the power to back up his claims," Tapion added, trying to remain composed despite how much he actually wanted to panic. "He is simply too strong for us; we need to retreat and come up with a way on stopping him."
"You know it won't be that simple. With his power, he'd obliterate us before we even try to run," the Hera said and she looked at her lover. "Simply put, we need a distraction."
"Wait, Zangya, what are you suggesting?" the Konatsian started to asked, fearing the implication, as Zangya gave him a soft, sad smile and shot off towards Zamasu. "Zangya, wait!"
Transforming into her Super Hera form, Zangya fired off the Trap Shooter – they exploded against Zamasu, but the smoke cleared to reveal the irritated fused Supreme Kai and she hurriedly fired off another energy blast.
"Ugh, you are a pestilence," Zamasu growled. His face still hadn't regenerated properly, leaving him with the disfigured look as he spread his arms wide. "You are a cancer on the universe and surgically removed you shall be."
"Dammit," Tapion muttered to himself as he watched Zangya duck and weave around the Blades of Judgement. He hoisted the comatose Lazuli onto his shoulder, unable to bear the thought of leaving Zangya, but he knew he had no other choice; if they didn't retreat now, there'd be no retreating at all. "Pan, Azure, grab your fathers and let's get out of here."
"What about Zangya?" Pan called, watching the Hera distract the fused Supreme Kai.
"Come on, we've got to leave now!" the Konatsian bellowed. "Move it!"
Startled by the usually calm swordsman's outburst, the eldest quarter-Saiyan did as she was told, lifting up her injured father, as Azure did the same with some struggle, having retrieved Trunks' sword just earlier and handling both her father and the weapon at the same time was difficult for her, but she managed. Tapion let them leave the battlefield first, gave one last look towards Zangya, hoping that he would get to see her soon; he didn't want to even contemplate the other possibility, but now was their only chance and with a heavy heart, he turned away and flew after the two girls, hoping it was worth it in the long run.
Zangya unleashed another Trap Shooter, the emerald energy blasts connecting with the needles and exploding across the sky like a series of massive fireworks – she needed an opening to find her own escape, but Zamasu rushed through the explosions, his right hand wreathed in an energy blade and he slashed at her – at the last split-second, she threw out her Psycho Threads and Zamasu fell straight into them, his body constricted by the near-invisible threads of energy that tugged at his life.
"Foolish mortal," Zamasu sneered. "Did you honestly expect to stop a god? You are an ant trying to fight against the sun." He grabbed the Psycho Threads, showing to Zangya the lack of power they had over him – he yanked on the Threads, hauling Zangya in and with a punch, he drilled her towards the ground.
Zangya slammed into the earth, splintering the area around her as she shuddered and whimpered in pain – that one hit felt like it had broken her entire body, such was his power and it absolutely terrified her. As she lay there in her crater, unable to move an inch, Zangya watched as Zamasu prepared the Holy Wrath and she could only hope that Tapion and the girls had managed to escape, to give Lazuli, Gohan and Trunks another fighting chance against the Supreme Kai. Zamasu released the Holy Wrath and it descended towards the Hera and she couldn't help but wonder if this was her dues finally being paid for all the atrocities she had committed across the galaxy in Bojack's name.
Had she done enough to make up for her past? Or was this the only way she could?
The Holy Wrath was warm against her skin and Zangya's mind turned towards her son, even as it was wracked with pain, she could only think of Minotia – she wished she could hold him one last time, just simply have him nestled in her arms and have all her worries washed away by the precious gift Tapion had given her. She wished she'd get to see him grow up, to see what kind of person he'd become, but fate was cruel to her and now, she would never get that opportunity.
"Minotia…Tapion…I love you…" were Zangya's last thoughts before she was consumed by the Holy Wrath, leaving nothing behind but ashes.
-X-
The cool wind on her skin contrasted with the warmth that flowed through her body and Lazuli fought her way out of the realm of oblivion, opening her eyes to see Gohan healing her. She frowned in confusion, taking a quick look at their surroundings and noted that they were on the Lookout.
"Hey," she greeted the half-Saiyan as he finished the healing and leaned back on his haunches. "How'd we end up here? What happened to Zamasu?"
"We couldn't stop him," Gohan admitted, his voice clipped with frustration and despondency. "It's a good thing I'm a master of running away from fights I can't win."
"Well, in this case, I'm thankful for it. Hopefully, there's a way to stop him," the Android said as Gohan helped her to her feet and she saw her small family and Pan, but no-one else. "Where's Tapion and Zangya?"
At that, Gohan's face became forlorn. "Tapion is over there," he pointed towards the small palace. "There's a reason why we were able to escape."
"Oh no," Lazuli thought as she realised she couldn't sense Zangya at all and combined with Gohan's words, she worked out the reason. She found herself walking towards the building and inside, where she found Tapion standing solemnly, his eyes red and tears running down his cheeks. "Hey," she greeted gently. "I'm sorry about Zangya."
"Thank you, but it won't bring her back," Tapion wept, wiping the tears away. "Why did she have to do it? We have a son, she shouldn't have done it – what am I going to now? Minotia will grow up without his mother – assuming we survive, of course."
"We will," Lazuli told him, her voice burning with determination, even though she felt unsure on the inside. "I won't let Zangya die in vain. She gave us a chance to make a plan and strike back at Zamasu, so trust me when I say that we will make him pay."
"How?" the Konatsian despaired. "Zamasu is immortal and even two Saiyan Gods aren't strong enough to withstand him."
Lazuli frowned. "Only half." When Tapion frowned at her in confusion, she continued. "Zamasu was immortal, but not Black, so the fusion is only half-immortal, which means we can actually hurt him."
"No-one is strong enough."
A light bulb went off in Lazuli's head and she hurriedly rushed onto the Lookout and Azure caught her in a hug around her waist. Lazuli was caught by surprise from the sudden affection, but she stopped for a moment to hug her daughter in return. Kami knew that the little girl needed it.
"I was scared, Mommy," Azure shivered against her mother's body. "I'm still scared."
"I know, my dear, I'm scared as well," Lazuli admitted. "And it's okay to be scared, but we can use that to face our fear and become stronger. Don't worry, peanut, we'll defeat the big bad monster." Gripping her daughter's delicate hand, Lazuli approached the two half-Saiyans. "So, I've established that Zamasu isn't truly immortal – he's only half, which means we can still hurt him."
"That explains why half his face turned into goo when I blasted him," Trunks reflected. "If we're to truly do some damage, we're going to need more power."
"Any idea on where to produce that extra power?" Lazuli asked, building up to reveal her plan.
"I have one," Gohan suggested. "We do the exact same thing he did: we try our own brand of fusion."
The Android deflated. "Well, you stole my idea…unfortunately, we don't have any magical earrings lying around."
"There are more than one way to fuse. My father taught me another version in Other World…it's called the Fusion Dance, but the trouble is that it's not an easy technique to learn and it's not like I have the time to teach it. Not only that, but the fusion only lasts for half an hour…after that, it wears off and we'd have to wait an hour to try again."
"Isn't it a good thing we have something called a Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Trunks said with a fond smile towards Lazuli and she couldn't help but return one.
"A Hyperbolic what?" Gohan questioned in confusion.
Trunks grinned. "Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It's a place where you can train inside for a whole year, but outside, only a single day passes. It's how I got strong enough to beat the Androids after I travelled back in time."
Lazuli watched the emotions change rapidly on Gohan's face; regret was the biggest one being played, for if he had known about it years ago, he could've ended the Androids before they became too much of a threat and he could've lived to see his daughter grow up; could've lived out his dreams instead of fighting every single day and ultimately die. Lazuli felt her own regret, but now was neither the time nor place.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gohan finally said. "It's our only option, so let's take it."
"It won't take a year to learn?" Trunks asked as he led his mentor towards said room.
"No, it won't, but we don't have the luxury of time. I fear it won't be long before Zamasu tracks us down."
Lazuli watched the pair go and then their energy vanished, signalling their entrance into the strange dimension and she resigned herself to wait alongside Azure and Pan, hoping that Zamasu wouldn't track them down before the half-Saiyans were done, but she wasn't holding out much hope either: with Zangya gone, he'd be tearing the world apart in search of them. Any human caught in his path suffered and as much as she wanted to help them, Lazuli held back. The scenery below resembled the devastation she had often left in her wake with 17 by her side and the similarities made Lazuli feel nauseous. Guilt threatened to wreak havoc on her conscious, but she shoved it aside in favour of Gohan's suggestion: focus on saving the world instead and now with Zangya's death added to the list, the Android felt the compulsion to see Zamasu wiped from existence.
-X-
Forty-five minutes passed before Lazuli's worst nightmare came to fruition: Zamasu was heading straight towards the Lookout and there was no sign of Gohan and Trunks yet.
"Pan, Azure, get ready!" Lazuli cried in alarm. "Zamasu is coming!"
There was a burst of power from behind her when the two girls took on their strongest forms and the Android transformed as well, just in time when Zamasu rose above the Lookout, a maniacal smile on his disfigured face.
"This is where you've been hiding like sewer rats," the Supreme Kai sneered. "Looks like I've finally found you."
"All that time and you still haven't found some concealer for your face," Lazuli shot at him. "I know some techniques if you're interested in covering up that vomit that is your face."
"Silence, you arrogant filth! You cower on a platform that is suited for a god, not for lowly mortals. You truly have no problem with crossing the boundaries. Such arrogance should be punished."
"Are you going to preach me to death?" she taunted.
"This platform…I can see everyone, all the mortals, the cowering wretches that they are," Zamasu mused and then his grin grew wide. "A platform of the gods is the perfect stage."
The Halo shimmered and before Lazuli could do or say anything, lightning bolts blasted from the Halo, sliced through the air in all directions and arced towards the Earth – obliterating any human they struck, stretching across the entire world in an instant and with that one technique, Zamasu annihilated the human race, with only a few handful left alive, Videl and 16 amongst the survivors. He laughed in delight, the accomplishment of reducing the human population to near-extinction level going to his head – his power was truly immense, god-like and there was nobody who could stop him from carrying out the Zero Mortal Plan to its purifying conclusion.
The door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber opened and Gohan and Trunks stepped out.