"Broly… accept your fate."
With a single thought, Goku used Shunkan Idō, appearing directly in front of the battered Legendary Saiyan.
BANG!
A punch sent Broly flying. Goku's figure became a golden afterimage, his fists moving at a speed imperceptible even to trained warriors. After the second fusion, his power was absolute, overwhelming. In moments, Broly was a ruin of broken limbs and shattered pride; Goku had mercilessly shattered his arms and legs. Broly had lost all capacity to fight, and could no longer even maintain his Bukūjutsu. If not for Goku's ki holding him in place, he would have been cast adrift in the endless void.
"Im… possible… You… cannot… be… this… strong… Kaka… rot… I… will… not… lose… I… will kill… you…"
Even now, on the brink of annihilation, Broly refused to yield. The flames of hatred in his eyes burned with a terrifying, berserk intensity. A final, desperate surge of power began to awaken within him. His flickering ki crept upward once more, and tendrils of crackling lightning started to dance across his broken form.
What a terrifying opponent. Goku watched the last embers of Broly's power flare. Truly a monstrous talent. Had he not crossed paths with me, he might have grown to become an unstoppable force.
"A pity you chose to stand in my way. That made your tragedy inevitable."
Goku's hand formed a blade. Golden ki condensed around his palm until it gleamed like a sword of solid light. With a final, decisive motion, he thrust forward.
His hand pierced Broly's chest, clean through the heart.
"Ka… ka… rot…" Broly's right hand twitched, reaching for Goku's throat one last time, before falling limp. The emerald light in his eyes guttered and died. The violent, seething aura of the Legendary Super Saiyan faded, the monstrous muscles receding as he reverted to his base form. Then, even that last vestige of power vanished into the cosmic chill.
The Legendary Super Saiyan was no more.
Goku let out a quiet sigh. Broly had been a worthy adversary, but also an existential threat. The so-called 'Legendary' state was not a path to enlightenment, but a vessel forged from pure hatred—a being of endless battle and mindless destruction.
He released his grip. Broly's lifeless form began to drift. Goku raised a hand, energy coalescing between his palms.
"KAMEHAME—HA!"
A torrent of blue-white energy erased Broly's body from existence, leaving not even cosmic dust behind. In a universe where a single cell could spawn a new horror, Goku left nothing to chance.
The battle was over.
With a final glance at the silent battlefield of stars and rubble, Goku focused. Shunkan Idō.
He reappeared on Earth, the familiar gravity and air a stark contrast to the vacuum he'd just left. The usual sounds of the world slowly seeped back into his awareness.
---
Not long after Goku departed, the silence of that sector of space was broken. A small, oddly shaped spacecraft flickered into view. A hatch hissed open, and a tiny, wizened, and decidedly ugly alien floated out, held in place by micro-thrusters.
He clutched a strange device that beeped and whirred incessantly. Chattering in an incomprehensible tongue, his bulbous eyes widened with clear shock as he scanned the area.
Suddenly, his scanner pinged. Among the debris of a shattered asteroid, he spotted a few, minuscule droplets of dark blood. Delight crossed his wrinkled features. He quickly extended a collection instrument, sucking the precious samples into a storage vial.
A moment later, his scanner pinged again, leading him to a tiny, frozen fragment of flesh drifting nearby. A wide, grotesque grin split his face. He carefully sealed the biological sample inside an ornate glass container, its preservative fluid glowing faintly.
Mission accomplished, he scurried back into his ship. With a silent flash, the craft vanished, leaving the scene of the epic battle to its eternal silence once more.
---
"BOSS! I knew it! You're the most awesome being in the universe! You wiped out that freak! My admiration for you is like the Widow Zhang's milk—boundless and ever-flowing!" Brute latched onto Goku's leg, practically drooling with worship.
Goku sighed and shook him off with a gentle kick. Why did this idiot always have to phrase things in the most punchable way possible?
"G-Goku-san… Aniki…" Anjēru's face flushed a brilliant scarlet when she saw him, a mix of relief and shyness leaving her momentarily speechless.
"Well, well. I didn't expect to see you on Earth, Anjēru. And with this oaf Brute in tow. Quite the surprise," Goku said, his tone softening.
Brute scrambled forward again, putting on his most pitiful expression. "Boss, our planet… Kada Star… it's gone. Blown to bits by that guy. Can… can we live on Earth from now on?"
"Fine. Just don't cause any trouble," Goku replied offhandedly. Once the Dragon Balls were active again, he could simply wish their home world back. No big deal.
"Y-you… you're really Goku?" Kuririn finally found his voice, stepping forward to stare, his disbelief plain.
"Hey, Kuririn! You've grown a bit. Still not as tall as me, though!" Goku reached out and ruffled his old friend's smooth, bald head with a familiar, easy-going smile. The fondness was genuine. He might not be the original Son Goku, but the bonds formed in childhood still meant something.
"It really is you? But… it's only been a couple of years! You've changed so much! And your power… it's terrifying. Is that 'Kami-sama' training really that incredible?" Yamcha gaped, Tenshinhan and the others equally stunned.
"The power I have now has little to do with Earth's Guardian," Goku explained calmly. "It's the result of my own training. To put it simply, I'm not an Earthling. I am a Saiyan, a warrior race. We grow stronger through constant battle and rigorous training." Since they would have found out eventually in the original timeline, he saw no point in hiding it now.
"No wonder… you're an alien," Yamcha breathed, the concept finally clicking.
"Alien or Saiyan… you'll always be my good friend… Son Goku, right?" Kuririn asked, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
"Of course," Goku answered, his smile warm and genuine. "It's lonely at the top. Everyone needs a few good friends."
---
Poor Broly. Reduced to a stepping stone in my eternal, authorial quest for the source of all creative power…
POWER STONES!!!
d=(^o^)=b ~ HECK YEAH!