Snow filled the sky as it drifted endlessly down as two figures moved rapidly across the snowfield, leaving a trail of footprints in their wake.
Trunks was chasing a black silhouette.
As he increased his speed, the shadow's true appearance gradually became visible.
"Stop! Don't run!" Trunks warned.
The next second, he hurled an energy blast from his hand, sending it straight toward the black figure.
Boom!
A massive crater was blasted into the ground, but the black shadow still managed to escape. Yet Trunks refused to give up the chase. In the next instant, he transformed into his Super Saiyan form.
His speed surged dramatically, and a golden light spread across the snowy landscape.
In the blink of an eye, Trunks caught up with the black shadow. He threw a punch, and at that same moment, the black figure also struck back with a punch.
Bang!
Their fists collided, shattering the silence of the snowfield with an explosive sound. The brilliance of the Super Saiyan form then illuminated the black shadow.
The black shadow-like person was wearing a black robe.
When the two confronted each other head-on, Trunks's eyes met the pair of eyes hidden beneath the hood, and Trunks could see a trace of fluctuation appear in the black-robed man's gaze, and he froze for a full second.
For Trunks, this was an excellent opportunity; losing focus in the middle of a battle could be fatal.
He immediately threw another punch, blasting the man backward. However, the attack did not seem to affect him much. He merely retreated less than a meter before stabilizing himself.
Then, the black-robed man quickly widened the distance between them.
Trunks examined the man before him. Judging by his strange attire, he quickly came to a conclusion.
"You're dressed so bizarrely. Are you from Universe 10? I didn't expect the first opponent I'd run into to actually be someone from Universe 10."
Trunks clearly remembered that, before the tournament, there had been one relatively normal person among those ridiculous guys from Universe 10.
That person should be the black-robed man standing before him now. Because the Kaioshin leading Universe 10 was Zamasu, Trunks already had a negative impression of them.
Although Beerus said that the Zamasu of this timeline was a diligent and responsible Kaioshin, Trunks found it hard to believe.
Something abnormal always hides something suspicious.
Assuming that a dog reflects its master, Trunks held considerable hostility toward the black-robed man before him.
However, the man simply stood there with a blank look in his eyes.
His gaze never once left Trunks.
This made Trunks feel puzzled because it had already lasted nearly a full minute.
"Hey, what's the matter? Did Zamasu give you an order to confuse me? Why aren't you saying a word?" Trunks asked the black-robed man.
Only after hearing these words did the man finally react. He shook his head and stretched his body slightly.
Then, a deep voice came from his mouth.
"You... Super Dragon Balls... what wish... make?"
His fragmented speech made Trunks doubt the man's ability to express himself. Fortunately, based on what had just happened, Trunks quickly understood what the man meant.
Earlier, he had probably overheard the conversation between Trunks and Super Perfect Cell.
So, he was probably trying to ask... 'What wish would Trunks make after obtaining the Super Dragon Balls?'
"Didn't you already overhear it? Why ask me again when you already know the answer? If you didn't hear it clearly, I can tell you again."
"I'll make it clear: After we win, we will restore all the universes that had been erased by Zen'ō (the King of All)."
As soon as these words were spoken, the black-robed man's language system seemed to collapse again.
He stammered, "No... no... you can't do that... that's not allowed."
As he spoke, his head began to shake, and his expression filled with pain.
"No, that's not allowed! I have to stop you!"
Seeing the man's strange behavior, Trunks felt utterly baffled.
He blurted out, pointing at the man: "What's wrong with you? Did Zamasu order you to do this?"
"Let me think. What kind of wish would that guy make after getting the Super Dragon Balls? Erase humanity? Or swap bodies with someone?"
"Oh, wait, that's not right. If Zamasu used the Super Dragon Balls to erase humanity, he wouldn't get to enjoy killing people himself. The second option is more likely."
Despite Trunks's remarks, however, the black-robed man continued muttering to himself.
He kept repeating, "No... that's not allowed..."
This made Trunks feel like he was watching a madman. Suddenly, a world-shaking surge of power erupted from the black-robed man.
A monstrous aura burst outward, its overwhelming pressure rushing forward. His domain expanded instantly, causing the entire snowfield to tremble violently.
As his aura surged, the black-robed man seemed to return to normal.
"I will not let you succeed."
After uttering those harsh words, he suddenly rushed straight toward Trunks.
At that moment, Trunks's fighting spirit ignited as well. He gathered his strength and threw a punch, meeting the attack head-on.
Boom!
Their fists collided, and in the next instant, a burning heat began spreading through his hand.
The man in front of him was still growing stronger! Then, something unexpected happened, something that left Trunks completely confused.
The battle had just begun to heat up, and Trunks could sense the man's power rising.
Suddenly, however, the man withdrew his punch and took several steps back. The black-robed man actually smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"Heh... heh... heh... How wonderful."
After saying those simple words, he turned around before he added a few more words.
"However, I still won't let you succeed."
With that, his figure silently disappeared into the heavy snowfall. Trunks scratched his head, unable to understand what that guy had just done.
A question mark practically appeared above his head.
"What the hell was that guy doing? Is he crazy? Or was he testing me for Zamasu?"
"Forget it. There's no point in thinking about it. We'll run into each other eventually anyway. I'll conserve my stamina for now."
With that, Trunks began heading back the way he had come.
But at that moment, he sensed a subtle change in Super Perfect Cell's power.
… … …
(End Of This Chapter)
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