"North City," is a grim and desolate place located in a barren, rocky landscape, with a few dilapidated buildings standing amid the rubble. The sky is perpetually overcast, and the air is thick with smoke and ash from the countless battles that have taken place here.
The world has been devastated by two androids, leaving only a few pockets of civilization scattered throughout the wasteland. The streets are mostly empty, with only a few desperate survivors scrounging for food and supplies. Buildings that still stand are mostly ruins, with broken windows and collapsed roofs. The only signs of life are the occasional flickering light in a window or the sound of gunfire in the distance.
The few inhabitants of North City are mostly scrappy survivors, doing whatever it takes to stay alive. There are no formal governments or law enforcement agencies, and the strongest groups often prey on the weak.
Gohan's heart pounded in his chest as he faced off against the androids. He had trained hard for this moment, but he knew he was at a disadvantage with only one arm. Android 17 and 18 sneered at him, their cold mechanical eyes glinting in the dim light. "This is going to be too easy," 18 said, cracking her knuckles. "Where's your little friend" she asked Gohan.
Gohan gritted his teeth, not answering her question, and charged forward, his arm raised to attack. Android 17 darted forward with incredible speed, launching a flurry of punches that Gohan barely managed to block. He knew he couldn't keep up with the androids' speed, so he switched to focussing on defense, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Android 18 moved in from the side, her speed almost too fast for Gohan to track. He managed to dodge her attack, but she followed up with a swift kick to his midsection, sending him flying backward. Gohan hit the ground hard, his vision blurring for a moment. He struggled to his feet and once again took his stance. "I won't lose" he thought.
Android 18 dashed forward once again attempting another kick to his midsection which he managed to block, and 17 followed up with a powerful punch to his face. Gohan stumbled backward, his vision blurred and his head ringing.
He tried to regain his footing, but before he could recover, the androids were on him again. They landed blow after blow, driving Gohan back step by step. He fought back as best he could, but it was clear that he was outmatched. His remaining arm shook with exhaustion, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
Finally, Android 18 delivered a devastating kick to Gohan's chest, sending him flying backward. He hit the ground hard, barely conscious. Android 17 and 18 stood over him, their cold eyes gleaming with triumph. "Time to finish this," Android 17 said, raising his hand charging up one final blast to end the fight.
The multiverse, sometimes referred to as the "infinite multiverse" or "omniverse", is a vast network of parallel realities, each with its own version of events that unfold. Every decision or event that occurs creates a new reality, branching off from the previous one. Countless parallel universes exist simultaneously, each with its own unique set of circumstances and outcomes. These parallel universes can range from subtle variations on the "main" reality, to vastly different worlds with events having unfolded completely differently. It is at this point where the story you know diverges from the events that unfolded in this branched reality.
Gohan struggled to his feet once more, battered and bruised in front of the two androids who had delayed his execution due to curiosity after seeing the Saiyan's will to survive. "I almost respect it" said Android 17. "It's pathetic" 18 scoffed.
Gohan recalled the image of his mentor Piccolo lying motionless at his feet. The androids had proven to be too powerful for the protectors of Earth and one by one each of his friends had fallen to these monsters. Memories of all the people he had lost began to flood his mind. He thought of his mother Chi-Chi, who had been killed, and his mentor Piccolo, who had sacrificed himself to protect him. He thought of all the friends he had made over the years, like Krillin and Tien, who had given their lives to protect the Earth but failed. The ground beneath him began to shake.
Gohan felt the anger and sorrow rise within him. Wondering what would happen if he allowed his rage to surface for he could feel it swirling inside like an angry vortex. Decinding to let himself go, his anger boiled over, his body began to tremble with power. The air around him hummed with a raw, intense energy that seemed to draw on the very fabric of the universe.
With a fierce cry, Gohan unleashed a massive amount of energy, blasting the androids back with a ferocious burst of power. As he gathered his strength, he could feel the power inside him building, surging to the surface in a wave of pure unbridled rage. The air around him felt dense as he unleashed all of his pent-up emotions. A bright light surrounded him, and he felt a surge of power coursing through his body. He could feel his muscles bulging and his ki increasing as he transformed into a new level of Super Saiyan. Sparks of electricity began to cut through the air around him as the power within begged for release.
The androids looked on in shock as he emerged from the transformation, his eyes blazing with a newfound intensity. Gohan charged at them with newfound ferocity, impaling Android 18 with a single punch. With her midsection still wrapped around his arm, slowly, he turned his gaze to Android 17 who for the first time had the look of fear on his face.
Gohan and began to grin.
"You'll pay for that" yelled Android 17 furiously as he charged at Gohan, who then ripped his hand from the hole in Android 18 with incomprehensible speed, and seized Android 17 by the neck. "No. You're going to beg me to kill you" said Gohan.
Android 17 fired a barrage of energy blasts at Gohan but the Saiyan stood his ground holding the androids neck with a fierce vice-like grip. The blasts exploded all around them sending shockwaves through the air and kicking up clouds of dust. None of the blasts were powerful enough to affect Gohan.
Drunk in his new found power and the thought of revenge, Gohan lifted Android 17 off the ground and held him aloft, his fingers digging deep into the androids synthetic skin. As Android 17 straggled to break free, Gohan summoned a massive amount of energy to his hand intending to crush the Androids neck and separate the Androids head from his body but, before he could follow through, a feeling of intense unease overtook his body.
Up in the sky, the sound of laughter could be heard. Where the sound seemed to be coming from, the air crackled with a strange energy. A swirling vortex of laughter apeared, seemingly, out of the sky itself. The vortex pulsed and shimmered with a red light as if it was alive and had a mind of it's own. The energy began to twist into what resembled a massive, deranged grin, with sharp teeth and wild frenzied eyes. The laughter grew.
Gohan dropped 17 and began to fire energy blast into the portal which now seemed to be both growing and heading towards them. In fact, the portal was expanding in all directions.
Android 17 picked up his sister in an attempt to escape. "Oh no you don' still have sins to pay for" Gohan said catching 17 by the leg who then proceeded to fire more blasts at Gohan. Distracted by his desire to kill the Androids, Gohan had wasted a few seconds, which was all the time it took for the vortex to reach the three of them.
The world around them vanished, replaced by a swirling vortex of red which began to shift into all the colors that could be seen with the human eye. The gravity inside seemed to swirl and come from all directions and steadily began to intensify.
Within the vortex, the laughter grew louder and more intense. Gohan was afraid that his mind had begun to break. He released his grip of Android 17 in an atemmpt to close his ears which was difficult given that he only had one hand. On the brink of madness, he let out a fierce cry which seemed to be the only relief for the pain of a shattering mind.
Before he knew it, the vortex was gone. The experience which seemed like minutes, he now recalled, was only a few seconds.
Wondering if what he'd experiences was real, Gohan powered down to his base form and looked around trying to get his bearings.
Everything looked strange and unfamiliar. There were buildings unlike any he had seen before. Cars driving along the road and even the sky looked different. There were people around him and they seemed to be going about their daily lives as if the world has not been devastated by the Androids.
Suddenly it dawned on him.
"The Andoids!" Gohan looked around. "I've let them get away!"
The ground once more began to vibrate once more as he felt the rage start to swirl as he imagined his failure. The air around him once again began to crack with energy.
Suddenly he began to feel a strange presence in the air around him. It was as if something was trying to reach out to him.
With a sudden burst of energy, a red ring appeared seemingly out of nowhere, hurtling towards him with a deafening scream.
"Gohan of... Earth. You have a great rage in your heart. You belong to the Red Lantern Corps".
The ring landed on Gohan's finger, and he felt a surge of power coursing through his veins. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, the rage and anger seemed to consume him from within. Unable to controll himself, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, then ascended into Super Saiyan 2. His power kept rising as if it had no end and the ground beneath him began to shake violently.
He felt power like never before. Power which kept rising until it even seemed to dwarf the transformation which he'd unlocked not an hour before. Along with that power, came uncontrollable rage.
He'd never felt such power, nor such rage, nor such madness.