"Let's go," the Left Guard ordered.
"At once."
Shin prepared Kai Kai while Elder Kai watched from behind, trembling at the thought that Gowasu's failure might somehow drag the rest of them into trouble.
At least Zamasu had not been his student. Otherwise, he might have been summoned for punishment as well.
"Kai Kai!"
Shin transported both guards to the Sacred World of the Kai in Universe 10.
The moment they arrived, the guards' expressions soured.
Inside the palace, Ken was sitting across from Gowasu with a board game between them.
"It's been far too long, Ken." Gowasu laughed as he advanced one of his pieces. "I'm glad you came to keep me company."
He placed it down with a triumphant tap.
"Checkmate."
"I wouldn't celebrate yet," Ken said with a sigh.
Gowasu examined the board again.
"But it is checkmate."
"Look behind you."
Gowasu turned and found the Left Guard and Right Guard standing at the entrance.
"What are Zeno-sama's guards doing here?"
Ken drew a slow breath.
"Gowasu, you're in serious trouble."
The warning drained the satisfaction from Gowasu's face. He rose quickly, approached the guards, and bowed.
"Welcome. May I ask what instructions bring you to Universe 10?"
"Your apprentice Zamasu entered another timeline and began slaughtering its gods," the Left Guard said. "He murdered every Supreme Kai there, causing every linked God of Destruction to disappear as well."
Gowasu stumbled backward as the words struck him. For a moment, his mind simply refused to process what he had heard.
"You will come with us and receive Zeno-sama's judgment," the Right Guard continued.
Gowasu sank to his knees.
"Understood."
"I warned you that Zamasu's obsessions were becoming dangerous," Ken said. "You refused to believe me."
"How could he do something so foolish?" Gowasu whispered. The trust he had placed in his student now felt like blindness.
"You can reflect on that before Zeno-sama."
Ken flicked one finger across the board and shattered Gowasu's king.
Gowasu stared at the broken piece.
Apparently, Ken had been the one delivering checkmate after all.
"I'll accept whatever punishment Zeno-sama gives me," Gowasu said, forcing himself to stand. "But please allow me to visit that timeline first. If I speak to Zamasu directly, I may still persuade him to abandon this madness."
Neither guard answered immediately. With Ken present, they were reluctant to make the decision themselves.
"You still think he can be reasoned with?" Ken shook his head. "Going there would most likely get you killed. Still, it's your life."
"Killed?" Gowasu gave a dry, uncertain laugh. "Zamasu would never murder me. He may be misguided, but I raised and taught him myself. We have always had a good relationship."
Ken saw no reason to argue.
He drew his staff through the air, and the crystal projected a scene from Future Trunks's timeline.
Zamasu stood before another Gowasu.
His energy blade punched straight through his teacher's chest.
The confidence vanished from Gowasu's face as he watched his own counterpart die. His hand instinctively pressed against his heart, as though the blade had pierced him too.
"Zamasu… He truly…"
The Left Guard could barely hide his disbelief.
"Do you still intend to reason with him?"
"You may be the first Supreme Kai in history to train an apprentice who murdered his own teacher," the Right Guard added.
Shin watched the image with wide eyes.
His own students had never been especially impressive, but at least none of them had tried to kill him. Beside Gowasu, his failures suddenly seemed far less catastrophic.
"You will answer to Zeno-sama now," the Left Guard said before bowing toward Ken. "We'll be leaving."
Ken acknowledged him with a nod.
"What will happen to Zamasu?" Gowasu asked. "Someone still has to stop him."
"Goku and Vegeta have already entered that timeline," Ken replied. "They intend to kill him."
Gowasu finally lowered his head.
"Then I'll go and accept Zeno-sama's judgment."
The Left Guard turned toward Shin.
"Take us back."
Shin activated Kai Kai and transported both guards and Gowasu to the entrance of Zeno's Palace.
The Grand Priest was already waiting.
Shin and Gowasu immediately dropped to their knees, while the guards bowed.
"Follow me," the Grand Priest said.
The two Supreme Kais entered the palace with their nerves stretched to the breaking point.
Zeno-sama sat upon his throne, watching them without a word.
Shin and Gowasu prostrated themselves again, their foreheads nearly pressed to the floor. Neither dared breathe too loudly beneath the gaze of the highest god in existence.
Zeno-sama hopped down from the throne and walked toward them.
Every small footstep made their fear worse.
Before either could faint, Zeno-sama climbed onto Shin's back and wrapped his legs around him.
Only then did Shin remember why he had been summoned.
He was supposed to serve as a mount.
Zeno-sama shifted around several times, testing the seat, then slapped Shin on the rear.
"Go!"
Shin scrambled forward too quickly.
The sudden motion threw Zeno-sama over his head and sent him sprawling across the floor.
The entire palace went silent.
Shin began bowing so frantically that his forehead struck the ground again and again.
"I'm sorry, Zeno-sama! It was an accident!"
Zeno-sama climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and stared at him with growing displeasure.
Then he turned to the Grand Priest for help.
The Grand Priest lifted one hand and created a saddle. With a casual motion, he fitted it over Shin's back and shortened his legs until his hands and feet rested at the same height.
Shin still looked like himself, but his proportions now resembled a proper riding animal.
"This should be more comfortable," the Grand Priest said.
Zeno-sama climbed into the saddle.
The improved seat earned an approving pat against Shin's back. When Zeno-sama shook the reins, Shin obediently moved forward.
A sharp pull brought him to an immediate stop. The bridle yanked painfully against his mouth and nose, forcing a miserable cry from him as his front legs rose from the floor.
"I want to try the other one."
Zeno-sama dismounted and looked toward Gowasu, who was still kneeling nearby and desperately hoping to remain unnoticed.
The Grand Priest produced another saddle and fitted it onto him. Gowasu's legs shortened just as Shin's had, leaving him with the same humiliating proportions.
Zeno-sama settled onto his back and tested the seat.
It was acceptable.
"Lefty, race me."
The Left Guard struggled not to react to the nickname. Ever since Ken had started calling him that, Zeno-sama had adopted it as well.
He bowed and approached.
"Choose one," Zeno-sama said, gesturing between Shin and Gowasu.
"Whichever Zeno-sama prefers."
"Take that one."
Zeno-sama pointed toward Shin.
The Left Guard mounted him immediately, while Zeno-sama remained astride Gowasu. Both riders lined up beside each other.
The Right Guard raised one arm.
"Begin!"
Shin and Gowasu charged across the palace with Zeno-sama and the Left Guard on their backs.
In Universe 10's Realm of the Gods, Ken descended above Rumsshi's planet in a trail of starlight.
Rumsshi rushed forward and dropped to his knees the moment he recognized him.
Kusu remained composed, her bright eyes following Ken as he approached.
"KusuIt's been a long time. Did you miss me?"
"Very much," Kusu replied with a playful smile.
"What part of you missed me?"
Kusu held his gaze for a moment.
"All of me."
"I missed all of you too," Ken said. "Every moment we were apart."
Kusu's petite frame did nothing to diminish her beauty. She looked like an elegant woman rendered at a smaller scale, with every curve still perfectly in place.
"Did you come here just to see me?" she asked.
"You haven't heard what happened in Universe 10?"
Kusu blinked.
"What happened?"
She had never made a habit of tracking Zamasu's movements, and his crimes had taken place in another timeline rather than their own. There had been no reason for her to notice.
"Rumsshi, you can get up."
Ken helped the elephant-like God of Destruction back to his feet.
"Thank you."
"What happened?" Kusu asked again.
"Gowasu's apprentice used a Time Ring to enter a parallel timeline," Ken said. "Then he murdered every Supreme Kai there."
Rumsshi's trunk went stiff.
"What did you say?"
Kusu's playful mood vanished beneath genuine surprise.
She had always suspected Zamasu's thinking might lead him toward something extreme, but even she had never imagined he would massacre the gods of an entire timeline.
"That idiot Gowasu!" Rumsshi grabbed his own trunk in fury and squeezed until his face turned bright red. "I warned him to keep that student under control!"
Ken and Kusu watched him silently until he finally released it.
"Zeno-sama has already summoned Gowasu to the palace," Ken said. "There's a chance he'll be erased on the spot."
Rumsshi's ears shot upright.
The moment he understood what Ken had said, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
"Rumsshi fainted," Kusu observed.
"That easily?"
Kusu suddenly looked toward the distance.
"Oh my. The universe appears to be disappearing."
"Is Zeno-sama erasing it?" Ken followed her gaze with apparent fascination. "What an unusual sight."
Rumsshi sprang upright and frantically searched the sky.
Nothing was happening.
Kusu smiled at how quickly he had recovered.
"You woke up fast."
"Don't joke about that!" Rumsshi clutched his chest, struggling to catch his breath. "Are you trying to kill me?"
A strained silence followed.
"Ken…" Rumsshi's voice dropped into something far more respectful than usual. "Did Zeno-sama say whether Universe 10 will be erased?"
"That may depend on how Gowasu behaves."
Ken truly could not predict Zeno-sama's decision.
In the original course of events, Gowasu had traveled to Future Trunks's timeline and nearly died there. This time, he had been taken directly to the Palace instead.
The altered path made the outcome uncertain, even if Ken still understood the broader direction of events.
Rumsshi's fear hardened into anger.
"I'll never forgive Zamasu!"
His trunk whipped from side to side, blasting air with every movement.
"I'll take you to his timeline later," Ken said. "You can erase him yourself and prove that Universe 10 is willing to clean up its own mess."
Rumsshi's eyes brightened.
"Thank you, Ken!"
He dropped to his knees again, suddenly eager for the opportunity.
In Future Trunks's timeline, Goku Black and Zamasu had completed their Potara fusion.
Fused Zamasu regarded Goku and Vegeta with absolute confidence, the slightest upward curve of his mouth promising that he already considered the battle over.
Both Saiyans raised their guards.
Fused Zamasu vanished.
He passed between them before either could follow his movement.
A heartbeat later, blood burst from Goku's mouth. Vegeta folded beside him, one hand clutching his chest where the unseen strike had landed.
Both crashed to the ground before they had even understood that the attack was finished.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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