If that were the case… something still didn't add up.
According to the rules established in Dragon Ball, a new timeline is only created when someone travels back in time to alter the past.
Future Trunks hadn't even traveled to Gran's timeline yet—so logically, this future timeline shouldn't even exist…
"…No, that's not right."
Gran shook his head.
The timelines in Dragon Ball had already been tangled beyond recognition—no one truly knew how many parallel worlds existed anymore.
Even if his own timeline didn't yet have a corresponding future, that didn't mean there was only one future timeline in existence.
"So… I've crossed into a completely different future timeline?"
Gran checked the temporal map within his Time Ring—and sure enough, this world was indeed one of the many future timelines.
"This place… feels familiar?"
Bulma looked around, recognizing fragments of the surrounding structures. Her eyes widened in shock.
"This is West City on Earth!"
"That's right. We've arrived at West City… in another timeline."
"But why is it like this…?"
Bulma clenched her fists as she stared at the devastated ruins.
"Could it be that Earth in this timeline has suffered some kind of catastrophe?"
She turned to Gran, her expression pleading.
"Gran… can we stay for a while? I want to check on my home."
Even if this wasn't her timeline—
This was still Earth.
Her parents, her family, her friends… they existed here too.
She needed to know what had happened.
"According to the rules of the Time Patrol, without the Time Supreme Kai's permission, we're not allowed to travel through time freely—nor interfere with other timelines."
The moment Gran said this, Bulma's expression fell.
He let out a sigh.
"…But since you came all this way to save me, I'll make an exception. I'll take you to see what happened in this timeline."
"Thank you, Gran!"
Her face instantly lit up again with joy.
At the End of Time, within the Time Vault.
Chronoa stood among countless scrolls, overseeing the flow of different timelines.
Suddenly—
A ripple appeared on the wall as a dimensional space opened, and a scroll floated out, glowing faintly.
"…Hm?"
Chronoa frowned.
If a timeline had been corrupted by evil forces, the Time Scroll should emit a dark aura.
But this one—
Was shining with a silver-white light.
"What's going on?"
She quickly opened the scroll.
A scene appeared instantly—
Gran and Bulma, standing within a future timeline.
"What?! Wasn't Gran supposed to be training to comprehend space-time power? Why is he in another timeline already?!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
She hurriedly pulled up the recording of his training.
When she saw that Gran had comprehended space-time power in just one year, she was completely stunned.
"This has to be a joke!"
"I thought it would take him at least ten years—I seriously underestimated him. This guy is a monster!"
Her voice echoed through the Time Vault.
"…Wait!"
Snapping out of her shock, Chronoa's expression turned serious.
Without her authorization, Gran entering another timeline was strictly forbidden.
"What is he trying to do?!"
Just as she was about to intervene—
A vague figure suddenly appeared within the Time Vault.
"Lord Time King!"
Chronoa immediately bowed.
"You've finally returned!"
The Time King nodded slightly before speaking:
"Gran is like you—both of you possess temporal singularity. Your actions will not create new parallel timelines."
"So there's no need to interfere."
"Let him do as he pleases."
(Note: "temporal singularity" has been revised to "space-time singularity" for consistency.)
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, in the future timeline.
Gran was completely unaware of what had transpired in the Time Realm.
At that moment, he and Bulma rose into the sky.
From above, West City looked utterly devastated—like a battlefield that had endured countless wars.
"How could this happen…?"
Bulma bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry.
Suddenly—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the ruins in the distance.
"Gran! I can sense a battle—but why is there only one energy signature? And it's getting weaker!" Bulma asked anxiously.
"There's not just one," Gran replied, frowning.
"There's another… but it's so faint it's almost undetectable."
Bulma couldn't sense the enemies—
Because they were Androids, and androids had no detectable ki.
But…
Of the two detectable signatures—
One was already on the brink of death.
The other was rapidly fading.
At this rate… both of them were about to die.
That shouldn't be happening!
In the original future timeline, the Androids toyed with Trunks and the others.
Even after Gohan died, Trunks was supposed to survive.
But from what he was sensing now—
They were about to be wiped out entirely!
"Come with me."
Gran grabbed Bulma's wrist.
A silver-white light enveloped them—
Space-time power.
It was the very power he had just comprehended—and now, for the first time, he used it.
In an instant—
The two vanished into space itself.
Within the ruins of West City.
"Trunks! How are you?! Wake up!"
A one-armed, golden-haired warrior was fighting two opponents alone.
Behind him lay a young boy—
His abdomen had been pierced clean through, his internal organs spilling out.
His life force was fading rapidly.
That boy—
Was Trunks.
And the one-armed warrior—
Was Son Gohan.
"AAAAAAAH!! UNFORGIVABLE!!"
Sensing Trunks' life slipping away, Gohan's power surged once more.
With a clenched fist, he charged toward Androids 17 and 18.
"Oh? Your power's increased a bit," Android 17 said casually as he dodged the attack.
"But it's still nothing."
He drove his knee upward—
THUD!
"Pff!"
Gohan spat out a mouthful of blood as the blow struck his abdomen.
The sheer force sent him flying upward into the sky.
"I thought this might get interesting," Android 18 said as she appeared above him.
"But you've still disappointed us."
She clasped her hands together and brought them down hard onto his back—
CRACK!
His spine shattered.
Gohan plummeted to the ground like a meteor.
BOOM!!!
The impact obliterated the surrounding ruins, leaving behind a massive crater.
At the bottom—
Gohan lay motionless, barely clinging to life.
"…Dad…"
"I'm too weak… If only you were still here…"
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect Earth…"
Tears of despair streamed down his face as he thought of his father.
END OF CHAPTER
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