Trunks looked at the strongest warriors Earth had to offer, and for the first time in over a decade, the crushing weight on his heart finally eased.
Even so, he still looked hesitant.
His gaze drifted toward Vegeta again and again.
"Um... Uncle Krillin."
"Since my mother in this world chose a different partner..."
"Then about my identity... it'd be better if..."
He trailed off before finishing.
Krillin chuckled.
"Of course. But I should at least give him a little warning."
He casually threw an arm around Vegeta's shoulders and lowered his voice.
Speaking so only the two of them could hear, he grinned mischievously.
"When we get to the future, if you see something you really weren't prepared to see, try not to have a heart attack."
Vegeta immediately slapped Krillin's arm away, looking utterly disgusted.
"If you've got something to say, then spit it out! Stop putting your hands on me!"
Krillin's grin widened.
He pointed at Trunks.
"That kid is Future Vegeta's son."
Vegeta froze.
Then he forced out a cold laugh.
"My future self?"
"Hmph. I already figured that much out. Saiyan blood doesn't lie."
"I don't know which woman Future Me had him with..."
"But judging from the brat's strength, he's barely worthy of carrying the blood of the Prince of Saiyans..."
Before Vegeta could finish, Krillin casually added one more sentence.
"It's Bulma."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The smug smile on Vegeta's face froze solid.
His eyes widened... and widened... until they nearly popped out of their sockets.
"W... What?!"
His voice cracked halfway through, sounding like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
"B... Bulma?! That loud, annoying woman?!"
"The same woman who drew ten tubes of my blood a few days ago?!"
Vegeta felt as if his entire worldview had suffered a blow even greater than Frieza himself.
What kind of cosmic joke was this?!
"No!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
He clutched his head as his face cycled between green and white.
"And besides..."
"Isn't Bulma your wife?!"
"How could she possibly end up with me?!"
Krillin shrugged sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder.
"Pretty obvious, isn't it?"
"I stole your wife."
"Hahahaha..."
"Accept reality, Your Highness."
Vegeta turned to stone.
Then completely shattered inside.
Only one sentence echoed endlessly through his mind.
I stole your wife...
Watching Vegeta question his entire existence instantly lifted Krillin's mood.
Now that was some premium gossip.
Worth every second.
"Alright."
"Everyone's here, so it's time to get moving."
Krillin turned around and snapped his fingers toward empty space.
"But before that..."
"I should let the ladies at home know where I'm going."
He pulled out his communicator and casually started a video call home.
The screen lit up.
Bulma, Launch, and Aki immediately crowded in front of the camera, three breathtakingly beautiful faces squeezed into one frame.
"Honey!"
"Why aren't you home for dinner yet?"
"Were you off fooling around with Goku again?"
"Krillin, Bra kept calling for Daddy earlier."
Facing the questioning from his three wives, Krillin didn't even blink.
He answered smoothly without missing a beat.
"Ahem."
"My dear wives, something urgent came up."
"I just accepted a major assignment."
"I have to take a business trip to a parallel universe."
"You girls take care of the kids while I'm gone."
"I'll bring back some local souvenirs."
"A parallel universe?"
Bulma's eyes instantly sparkled.
"Does it have new technology?"
"Oh, definitely!"
"All kinds of cutting-edge tech."
"Android technology, infinite energy systems..."
"As much as you want."
"Then hurry up!"
"And make sure you copy all the research data before you come back!"
Done.
...
After hanging up, Krillin calmly put away the communicator while Trunks, Goku, and the others stared at him in stunned silence.
"Relax."
"Nothing special."
"Now then."
"Trunks, lead the way."
Trunks finally snapped out of his daze.
He was about to activate the Time Machine when Krillin stopped him.
"I already told you."
"We don't need that rusty antique."
Krillin raised his right hand.
A mysterious force gathered in his palm.
It wasn't ordinary ki.
It was a higher-dimensional law.
[Temporal Anchor Locked.]
[Target Timeline: No. 789-B (Future Trunks' Timeline).]
[Analyzing Temporal Barrier...]
[Analysis Complete.]
"Hold on tight!"
Krillin shouted.
Golden aura exploded from his body, enveloping Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, and the still shell-shocked Vegeta.
Boom!
Space didn't shatter.
Instead, it tore open like the surface of water, revealing an enormous vortex.
Inside the vortex was no darkness.
Only countless streams of dazzling colors.
Past.
Present.
Future.
Fragments of endless timelines flashed through the swirling current.
"Let's go!"
Krillin charged in first, leading everyone straight into the vortex.
...
Inside the Time Tunnel
It was an experience beyond words.
Up.
Down.
Left.
Right.
Those concepts no longer existed.
Goku stared wide-eyed at the streams of light rushing past.
"Whoa!"
"They're so pretty!"
"They look like giant jelly desserts!"
"Dad, don't touch anything!"
Gohan clung tightly to Goku's clothes, his face slightly pale.
"The pressure here is incredible."
"It feels like my body's being stretched!"
Piccolo remained silent, staring at the flowing images around them.
He saw Namek's destruction.
He saw Earth's prehistoric age, when dinosaurs ruled the planet.
He even caught glimpses of a time before he himself had ever existed.
"So this..."
"...is the River of Time."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Only Krillin was in a state of complete exhilaration.
To everyone else, this place was a deadly temporal storm.
To him...
It was an all-you-can-eat buffet.
[Ding! High-density Temporal Energy detected!]
[Absorbing...]
[Absorption Successful!]
[Temporal Law Proficiency +1%... +2%... +5%...]
Krillin could feel the Martial God Core inside him spinning at unbelievable speed, greedily devouring the surrounding temporal particles.
The golden core gradually developed delicate silver patterns across its surface.
The sensation was indescribable.
Like a desert finally receiving long-awaited rain.
His body rejoiced.
Every single cell continued to evolve.
[Congratulations, Host!]
[Passive Skill Acquired: Mid-Level Temporal Resistance.]
[Temporal Resistance: Grants immunity to most time-based techniques, including Time Freeze and Time Reversal. Allows free movement within temporal turbulence.]
"Awesome!"
Krillin couldn't help shouting with excitement.
This trip had already paid for itself before they had even reached their destination.
"We're here!"
Trunks suddenly pointed toward a gray point of light ahead.
Krillin's eyes sharpened.
He thrust both hands outward.
Rip!
The tiny point instantly expanded into a massive exit.
A decayed, lifeless wind filled with the stench of death blew through the opening.
"So..."
"This is the future?"
Vegeta finally snapped out of his existential crisis.
Feeling the suffocating silence and death hanging in the air, his brows knitted tightly together.
"Let's go."
"Time to see it with our own eyes."
Krillin led the group.
Six streaks of light shot out of the temporal tunnel and into the devastated future world.
--------------------------------
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