"Vegeta, he…"
At this moment, Krillin, who had been closely watching the battle, felt his pupils shrink. Vegeta's aura had grown tremendously—it was clearly a qualitative leap.
"Looks like Dad and that mysterious guy are finally going to have a real fight!"
Future Trunks let out a long breath of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
After all, watching his father get completely crushed earlier had been hard to accept.
Most people believed that with Vegeta's power increase, things wouldn't be as one-sided anymore.
But only Goku frowned slightly.
Although Vegeta's power had risen, Goku didn't feel any real pressure from him. At best, they were on the same level.
But Zeru…
Now in Super Saiyan 2…
Was giving off an overwhelming sense of pressure—undeniably real.
So…
In Goku's eyes, the outcome had already been decided.
Whoosh!
Just as everyone—except Goku—was anticipating an intense battle, Zeru moved.
To everyone present, it looked like he merely shifted slightly before vanishing from the sky.
The next moment—
He was already in front of Vegeta.
Tap!
He flicked his finger—
Right onto Vegeta's forehead.
"Your power may have increased," Zeru said calmly, "but in my eyes, you're still pathetically weak."
Vegeta, in his Super Saiyan form, had pushed himself to 50 billion through rage and wounded pride.
But—
Zeru's base power was 7 billion.
With the 100x amplification of Super Saiyan 2—
That meant 700 billion.
50 billion versus 700 billion.
The result was obvious.
Crushing defeat.
Before the words even fully settled—
Vegeta was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
"This guy is way too strong!"
Everyone was stunned.
But thinking about it—
Even Cell had been erased instantly.
So Vegeta losing like this… made sense.
"Who is he? When did such a powerful Saiyan appear on Earth?!"
Future Trunks frowned deeply.
If someone like this existed in his timeline—
Goku, Gohan, and even Vegeta wouldn't have died to the Androids.
Earth wouldn't have fallen into ruin.
Whoosh!
Zeru returned to his base form and instantly appeared in front of Goku and the others.
"Zeru! What was that transformation just now? Why was it so strong?!"
Goku rushed forward excitedly.
"That was Super Saiyan 2."
Zeru smiled gently and, seeing their confusion, continued, "It's the second stage of Super Saiyan. Beyond that, there's Super Saiyan 3… and Super Saiyan 4. But… Super Saiyan 4 is something you likely won't be able to achieve."
Everyone looked bewildered.
These concepts were far beyond their current understanding.
Zeru didn't elaborate further.
Instead, his gaze shifted—
To Lazuli.
She was already looking at him.
Their eyes met.
It felt as if sparks were igniting in the air.
"Lazuli… would you like to go for a walk with me?"
Zeru invited her directly, making no attempt to hide his interest.
Instantly—
Everyone's eyes turned to her.
"I…"
Lazuli's face flushed red. She stole a glance at Zeru before lowering her head, unable to speak.
"If you don't answer, I'll take it as a yes."
Zeru stepped forward, took her hand—
And vanished instantly.
"This…"
Android 17 blinked, then chuckled.
"Well… Cell's gone. Guess it's time to train harder."
Goku took a deep breath, then suddenly smacked his forehead.
"Ah! I forgot to ask how to transform into Super Saiyan 2!"
Zeru's transformation had opened a new world for them.
They now understood—
Super Saiyan was not the end.
There were higher forms.
Stronger heights.
Super Saiyan 3…
Super Saiyan 4…
What were they like?
Boom!
At that moment, Vegeta's aura flared again.
Whoosh!
He flew back to the group.
"Where's that guy… Zeru?!"
Covered in dust, his face filled with frustration and unwillingness.
As the proud Prince of Saiyans—
Being crushed like that was unbearable.
Even knowing he wasn't a match—
He still couldn't swallow that humiliation.
"He left," Goku said, his eyes shining. "Vegeta… that form he used was Super Saiyan 2. I think I need to train harder and achieve it too!"
"You?"
Vegeta scoffed, reverting to base form.
"That transformation will be mine first. Just wait and see."
Whoosh!
With that, he shot into the sky and disappeared.
"Vegeta…"
Goku shook his head with a wry smile.
If Super Saiyan 2 were that easy—
He would've achieved it already.
Still…
After seeing Zeru—
He felt something.
A spark.
"Everyone, I'm going to train. See you!"
Without wasting another moment, Goku placed two fingers on his forehead—
And vanished.