Chapter 120 - Rebirth of Fusion

Gohan and Trunks felt themselves pulled magnetically towards each other. They met in a whirl of colour; the light took shape, a tornado of purple and blue spiraling into the sky.

Black eyed the ongoing fusion with disgust etched onto every line of his face. "Time and time again, you mortals imitate the gods; ignorant of your own shortcomings, all you can do is grasp for our greatness. And now, you sin again."

As it had when the two Blacks fused, the light seemed to take shape as a person, and then the person itself become solid. He was clothed in a black sleeveless top, with a high collar reminiscent of Trunks' ascot, worn over an undershirt. The emblem for Capsule Corp was emblazoned on his chest. His pants were equally dark, fastened with a belt, and they they flared out towards the end like those of Gohan's gi. He wore strapped, white boots ending in solid black tips, and tied over his back was Trunks' sword. From the man's ears dangled the emerald-hued Potara. But most staggering was his hair; it stood upright, divided evenly between lavender and black, and his eyes were a shining blue.

The new Saiyan looked down at his body, flexing his fingers.

It felt incredible.

He felt unstoppable.

Never before had he felt this strong. Even when his two individual halves had achieved Super Saiyan God.

The fused Saiyan took his first breath, relishing the feeling of air flowing through his lungs, stimulating the ki within him that felt so limitless.

"They did it!" said Shin, his black eyes alight. "They fused!"

"I've never felt such tremendous power from a mortal before," Gowasu said, stunned. "What are these Saiyans?"

"What should we call you?" inquired Shin.

"You're right," said the dual-haired Saiyan. When he spoke, his voice was an even blend of Gohan and Trunks, combined to create a whole, new voice. "Gohanks sounds about right. I suppose with the two bodies they stole, that'd make them a Kūhan. Since there's no telling if I'm going to be able to return to Gohan and Trunks, a new name is only right."

"This isn't a permanent merger," said Gowasu. "For individuals who are not Kaiōshin, the Potara allow a fusion of only an hour. It was a safety precaution for those who would some seeking our power." His narrow eyes swiveled to the fused Kūhan Black, who seemed perturbed for the first time. "You're on borrowed time as well, Zamasu."

"Damn you, Gowasu," snarled Kūhan. "You didn't tell me these Potara had such limitations."

"And I see I was right to keep such vital information from you."

"I'm relieved," said Gohanks, running his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure how Mai or Erasa would have taken to Gohan and Trunks being combined..."

Bulma was without words. The power she felt emanating from Gohanks was staggering. She couldn't gauge its upper ceiling - just like Black's own. Closing het eyes, Bulma tried to get a true depth of feeling for the two in front of her. What she saw was behind measure. Scopeless. "This is horrifying," she said, sweat beading down her face.

"What do you mean?" asked Shin.

"They're both monsters," said Bulma. "The entire planet is smothered by their ki and they're not even trying." Never before had she truly appreciated the people she was friends with.

"It seems we're both on a timer, Black," said Gohanks. "Let's dispense with the pleasantries."

"Gohanks, wasn't it?" said Kūhan Black. "Your paltry imitation of we gods is fortuitous. I can send you both to the Afterlife at once!"

Emptiness.

Bulma could only describe it as that.

Where Black and Gohanks has stood, the source of the ki now enveloping the planet, there was just void. The only indicator of movement was the trace explosions happening around them from every direction. Too many to count. Numerous in the extreme.

In the skyline, Black and Gohanks were engaged in battle. The explosions which were all Bulma could feel were, in truth, an exchange of blows from both parties. Black deftly parried Gohanks' blow with a palm, diverting the force and sending it towards the ground, which burst to pieces, cracking the sewer line below. Gohanks dodged Black's responding blade, heat sizzling over his head yet finding no target. The resulting slash shot backwards, a crescent shaped wave of force bending space around it as it moved.

An uppercut from Gohanks forced Black's torso upward, his arms snapping to his side. Forcing his hand onto Black's head, Gohanks dragged him down to the asphalt, letting him loose as they crashed into the ground. Black careened away, spinning out before forcing himself to level with a kiai. Gohanks and Kūhan Black raced across the city, their feet barely touching the ground.

SCHING!

Gohanks had drawn his sword, the blade blade swinging through the air, clashing against Kūhan Black's own energy sabre. The metal was truly remarkable, resisting the energy of an absurdly powerful god without so much as bending. Gohanks' sword sliced upwards, meeting in tandem to Black's own energy blade heating the air in its downward descent.

SCHWANG!

The blades continued to make contact, the two merged warriors dancing across the arena, leaving the city in their literal and figurative dust as they moved.

"Should we follow them?" asked Bulma, ready to take flight.

"No," said Gowasu, waving his hand. An orb materialised before them, a crystal ball which allowed them to view the fighting without needing to be able to properly sense their ki. "This will give you a far better view than your own senses. Also...I believe we are safer away from them."

Shin nodded, downcast. "I wish there was more we as gods could do. But it is in Gohanks' hands now."

Black's blade attempted to sear through Gohanks' own, and found no purchase. The two repeatedly clashed weapons as they made their away away from the city and across the globe. As the two adversaries converged once again, the very fabric of the sky seemed to tense with anticipation. Their audience, so far away from them now, even from this distance, could feel the immense pressure of their ambient ki melding with the tension of their imminent clash. The next strike came swiftly, as Black swung his ki-infused arm in a wide arc, its energy blade leaving a trail of bright light that sought to cleave Gohanks in two.

With a deft twirl, Gohanks brought his ebony-hued blade up to meet the blow, the swords clashing with a thunderous SCHWING! that sent shockwaves rippling through the clouds. Sparks of light danced around them, a dazzling display that momentarily blinded those watching from their crystal ball. Their swords met again and again, the air around them a whirlwind of dancing sparks and light. Gohanks' dodged and weave with intense agility, though it was matched by Black's almost snake-like strikes. The wind itself howled in protest at every clash of their weapons, neither Saiyan giving an inch.

Suddenly, Black gained the advantage; with the extra dexterity of his arm being one with his weapon, he managed to deflect Gohanks' katchin sword with a twirl of the wrist, sending it spiraling upwards, away from the swordsman's grasp. Gohanks' eyes widened in surprise, but as Black moved to capitalise on the opportunity, Gohanks raise a palm directly into Black's face. The two were at a standstill, Gohanks' hand outstretched, ready to unleash an attack at any moment, Black's blade also inches from the fused Saiyan's face.

"It appears our skills with the blade are equal," surmised Black, clearly impressed in spite of himself.

"It'd look to be that way," said Gohanks, grinning. "But how's your speed?!" Light erupted from his palm, Black leaning back deftly to dodge it. At the same time, Gohanks' sword spiraled back down into his grasp. Gripping and sheathing it in a single motion, Gohanks pursued Black, who had taken to the skies to gain some distance.

Northern Mountains, Earth

"ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ɢᴀʀɢᴀɴᴛᴜᴀɴ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢꜱ," said No. 16, staring out of the mouth of the cave. He had activated his self-diagnostic protocols, ensuring that every component of his being was at optimal capacity, and realised these readings were indeed not erroneous. The endoskull contained within his cranial covering was going haywire reading the output of power - and that was without the frequent tremors of the planet, which grew more rapid in scope by the second. "ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʀᴜɴᴋꜱ, ɴᴏʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ 'ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ'."

"Right," nodded Dochi. "My sensors are only good for biological signs, not energy readings. But you're got an eye for these things, Gevo."

"ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀꜱꜱᴀᴜʟᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪꜱᴘᴏꜱᴀʟ," replied No. 16. "ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜰɪ—"

"Alright, alright," said Dochi, waving off the mechanical talk. She'd really need to rewire him when she had the chance; Gevo's habit of communicating robotically was an error the late Dr Gero hadn't accounted for, and her neural processor was grafted to a living human brain, so she had the advantage of more human-like thought and speech. "What's the trajectory, Gevo?"

"ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʀᴀᴘɪᴅʟʏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ 18220 ᴏꜰ 500, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛʀᴀᴊᴇᴄ-!"

"Gevo!" Dochi snapped.

"ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ!"

"Thank you!" the petite woman groaned, flipped a switch at the nearest rockface.

A faint click echoed through the stillness, and a hidden mechanism within the rock face sprang to life. Light erupted around their mountain-side home, which coalesced into a pulsating honey-comb pattern, descending upon the mountain base like a jade-hued shroud. The energy barrier fully activated, humming with a gentle vibration that rippled through the earth, Dochi had managed to activate this mechanism just in time - the shockwaves passed over them, parting, seemingly, around her defences, harmless as a breeze. Bathed in the soft glow of the barrier, Dochi peered outside the cave wall, her face frustrated. "What the hell are those boys doing?!"

High Above The Northern Mountains

The two figures burst onto the scene, Black following Gohanks like an eagle followed its prey. Extending his palm, ki surged around it. The kikōha rushed forth, snaking its way towards Gohanks, missing him narrowly. Colliding with the mountainside, it erupted in a horizontal geyser of light. A gargantuan portion of the mountain's face was demolished. Gohanks leapt from rock to rock in the smokescreen, as Black extended his palm, releasing a bombardment of light.

Each wave soared past Gohanks, the fused warrior deftly and narrowly avoided each streak of light. Cocking his hand back, Gohanks let fly his own volley - snakelike tendrils of ki collided with Black's own attacks. The colliding attacks met and burst into a display of light and smoke. Gohanks' aura flared, in time to see five new kikōha bursting through the smoke, heading pell-mell towards him. Avoiding them, he noticed the blasts turning back, regaining their lock on him.

They're tracking? Gohanks thought. His aura bursting to life, the dual-haired man rushed forward, ducking around the waves. They pursued, Gohanks pivoting in midair, avoiding colliding with the nearest summit as he dashed through the air. The attacks raced alongside him, cutting him off, and forcing Gohannks to break, backstepping and bringing up his arms to let loose a burst of ki, piercing and disrupting the incoming waves from below. They burst into light, the ki sending pulsating force throughout the summit.

Exhaling slowly, Gohanks locked eyes with Black, who was floating closer.

"I thought we were dispensing with the pleasantries?" said Black.

"You're right," nodded Gohanks.

The two clenched their fists at their sides, their eyes flashing green. Golden light erupted around both Saiyans, shimmering at first before igniting in a violent blaze. Ki stretched from the heavens to the earth, their bodies as centrepoints. Black and blue eyes flashed emerald, their hair changed from their normal hues to brilliant, white-gold, billowing in the high-pressure winds emitted by their energy.

"So this is the power of a fused Super Saiyan," said Black, glancing down at himself, at a loss for words. His shoulders began to shake, the man breaking out laughing. "I can do anything with this power! I feel amazing!"

He's right, though he doesn't have to be so loud about it, thought Gohanks, wincing slightly at the man's laughter. Just when I thought he couldn't get more obnoxious.

Both aura flared, blazing, around the Super Saiyans. The heat seamed to sear at the air itself, flames whipping about in tendrils...

...only for Gohanks to move, snapping from one spot to another in an instant, tearing through space. Black stepped back, shocked, as Gohanks' fist rocked through his entire body. A single, solitary punch forced him careening backwards. Gohanks cartwheeled backwards from his own force, doubling back and rocketing towards Black. The latter himself rebounded, Super Saiyan aura bursting to life, surging forward towards his opponent in a rush of gold. Their fists crashed together, their auras flashing at the centrepoint. Despite the very force shaking the mountains around them, both fighters were stalwart, and the blow was absorbed by their bodies. Bursting apart, the two darted to the ground, landed roughly, inelegantly.

Ki coalesced in Gohanks' palm. He slung it forward, the blasts winding through the air towards Black, who avoided them with ease. Explosions list the rear, kicking up wind and smoke as Gohanks' technique burst the ground beneath them apart. Black trailed indigo ki behind him, with a speed that surpassed the blink of an eye, Kūhan dashed forward, hand thrust outward, and released a torrent of ki in the form of a massive, concentrated blast. Gohanks' combined instincts - Gohan's years of combat, and Trunks' years of survival - anticipated the strike. At the very last instance, Gohanks' fist shot out, the golden aura around it meeting the purplish-blue hue of Black's ki head-on. With a flick of his wrist, he deflected the blast skyward, the explosion of light momentarily painting the darkened sky with a brilliant flash of blue.

Black staggered back from the force of his own deflected blast, bringing his arm down as he tried to recover from the pushback. Gohanks, undeterred, settled into a low fighting stance, before lunging, moving in a blur of motion that defied the eye. Black, however, met him blow for blow; golden auras clashed together, and the impact of their fists echoed like thunderclaps, each strike shattering the ground beneath their feet. As they clashed, Gohanks saw his opening and acted without hesitation; he spun around gracefully, his leg cocked back, muscles stressed with power. He executed the kick, his Super Saiyan aura blazing brightly. The spinning kick connected with a powerful shattering sound, sending Black careening backwards.

Skidding to a halt some distance away from Gohan, Black held his jaw, his emerald eyes burning with fury. "What's the meaning of this!?"

Gohanks looked around in mock surprise, as if expecting to see someone else around. "Oh, did you mean this?" he asked, pointing at the kneeling form of Black. "I'm just as surprised - surprised at how powerless you are."

"Watch your tongue before I rip it out," snarled Black, standing back up and dusting himself off. "You dare call me powerless?" A shout escaped his lips, and shockwaves rippled through the mountainous area as Black's Super Saiyan aura grew brighter and brighter, and the ground beneath him trembled with the weight. "My power - my divine might - will bring you to your knees!"

The winds whipped around him, and the very fabric of reality seemed to bend in his presence. The furious gale rushed over Gohanks, who felt his hair and clothing billow back, yet he was far from intimidated.

"You're pathetic, alright," said Gohanks. "What you've done is no fusion. Yes, two bodies may be combined together, but your soul is just that of the greedy Zamasu, who stole the bodies of Son Gokū and Son Gohan. Even if you take their raw power and even their techniques, their years of experience and unique fighting styles will never truly belong to you. But inside me are the combined efforts and desires of Trunks and Gohan — that's what you lack!"

"This form is perfect," shot back Black. "I have taken the sins of Son Gokū, who would defy the gods and defile divine power, and that of his son, into myself. I have martyred myself for the sake of humanity's sins, yet it is still not enough. I embody justice; I do not need the experience you speak of, I simply need to direct this body with my divine will to enact punishment!"

Trunks' fury bridled within Gohanks' mind, his teeth gritting in fury. "You still speak of justice, after all you've done!? The lives you've taken, the worlds you've destroyed?! Your twisted view of purity is nothing but madness masquerading as righteousness!" With a sudden burst of speed, Gohanks lunged forward, throwing a powerful right hook backed by the weight of injustice Trunks' had felt at the hands of Zamasu. The force behind the blow was explosive, Gohanks' fist connected with Black's jaw with a sickening crack, the man's head snapping back as he reeled from the force.

"Are they equal?" asked Shin. amazed. "Both of them have such incredible power!"

"It looks like Gohanks is the stronger one," suggested Bulma as they watched Gohanks meet Kūhan Black blow for blow. The crystal ball made the battle visible to their eyes, so she was able to see Gohanks' fist streak towards Black, a beacon of gold light in the darkness. The two powerful beings collided, the force of their impact sending shockwaves rippling through the planet that the trio of observers were more than able to feel. She saw the punch connected with a resounding boom, but instead of bending, Black's body seemed to absorbed the blow. "But its by a shade; Black is definitely adapting."

"It isn't the individual," said Gowasu. "It's those two. Gohan and Trunks, the strongest warriors of the past and present. Opposites normally produce the strongest effects in fusion, but I believe that Gohan and Trunks' hearts, resonating in this same cause, had produced a kind of miraculous power."

"So we can win!" grinned Shin.

"It isn't set in stone," replied Gowasu. "I know Zamasu's fighting style - he is adaptive, and clever. And now, he possesses the powers of two divine Saiyans. Gohanks will have to fight in earnest."

The air crackled with tension as the two two unyielding forces of nature continued their bout. Black was proving to be well adept at movement, dodging and weaving through the chaos with grace. With a sudden burst of speed, Black leaped backward, performing a flawless backflip at the same time Gohank's unsheathed his sword and swung it down for a decisive strike. The katchin weapon narrowly missed its target, the air being rent around them. Black's feet touched the ground again, and in the same fluid motion, he launched themselves into the air. Positioning one arm behind him, he extended the other, mauve energy alighting itself around his hand.

Black rained hell down upon Gohanks, a virtual meteor shower of kikōha raining down towards the dual-haired fused Saiyan. The intensity of the incoming barrage was palpable, the atmosphere crackling with energy. Gohanks' muscles coiled like a spring, leaping backward to avoid the onslaught. The ground erupted in a series of burning craters, sending plumes of dust and debris spiraling into the sky. Twisting and turning in a mesmerizing dance of evasion, Gohanks weaved through the rain of destructive energy, his movements a blur of speed.

They're volatile?! Gohanks noted, surprised by the barrage's lack of true piercing power.

They were explosive bombs, which could only mean they were meant to obscure his sight. He spun on his heel, gripping his sword firmly, bringing it up sharply in an arc to parry the strike he'd guessed was coming. The whirl of motion was a flash of steel slamming against a dark-hued energy which had struck at Gohanks in a serpentine motion. The clang of metal meeting ki rang throughout the Northern Mountains, the ground shattering as the blades met. Black's eyes met Gohanks', both staring murder. Drawing on the ingenuity of the two who combined to make him, the fused swordsman somersaulted over Kūhan Black's head, narrowly avoiding the searing ki sabre. As he landed, he swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming to simply cleave Black in two.

Black, however, was no slouch in reaction; he contorted its body, learning to the side, and the blade sliced through empty air. He took advantage of the brief opening and retaliated with a sharp forward kick, Gohanks' square in his chest, sending him reeling backward. The power of the impact caused the trees around them to burst, shattering into splinters of leaves and wood. Gohanks managed to recovery, using the momentum to propel himself skyward. Black followed, and their battle proceeded to leave the mountainous area, towards the vast expanse of open forest that surrounded the Northern Mountains.

Gohanks and Kūhan Black hovered above the green canopy, two shimmering golden stars in a sea of green and blue. Gohanks performed a quick succession of hand movements in front of himself, before raising his hands above his head, yellow light pooling inwards above both palms.

"Let's see what you can do then!" grinned Black, beckoning towards him.

"BURNING MADAN!" Gohanks brought his hands down. Above the vast sea of trees, a brilliant golden kikōha pierced the sky, illuminating the canopy in a fiery glow. The power behind the blast was unmistakable, Gohan and Trunks' combined power resonating through the forest. A multitude of animals, sensing the disturbance in the natural order, paused to gaze from deep within the foliage towards the blazing sky.

With an intense burst that echoed through the forest like thunder, the golden blast was cleaved in two by an fiery, crimson-coloured ki blade. As the two halves dissipated on either side, the figure of Kūhan Black took was illuminated by both their fading light, as well as a different glow. The combined might of two Zamasu now projected a dark crimson glow - the divine flames of the Super Saiyan God, made manifest before Gohanks.

"You think too highly of yourself, mortal," said Black, his crimson eyes shining maliciously. "But I'll teach you fear thoroughly before I kill you."

A/N: Hello everyone! How fun to release a chapter on the same day as more Dragon Ball news! I wanted to make sure I got a chapter of this fic out before Sparking Zero, because I can't say I'll be focused for like a month! This was a fun chapter to write, as I tried to channel a lot of Shida in this fight scene. I love his fluid style, and for two fighters stronger than almost anything I've shown in this story before, I really wanted to really convey the sort of speed and power I've not been able to until this point. Add to the fact that both parties are swordfighters, and I've been able to capture something truly unique here. The last time I wrote a battle with this sort of speed and power was in a one-shot. Hopefully, the action in this chapter translated well; I definitely want to bring out another chapter before Sparking releases, but if not, I beg you all will be patient. I'm gonna be trying to work on Tale of the Sky Maiden next. I'll see you all very soon in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles!