Gray.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but an endless, suffocating gray.
The sky was buried beneath thick storm clouds, hiding the sun completely. Only a faint, murky light managed to force its way through, casting a dim glow over the shattered earth.
Even the rain was black.
It carried the sharp stench of sulfur and burnt ash as it drizzled steadily from above, like infected blood oozing from the wounds of the world itself.
The group landed atop the ruins of an abandoned city.
The once-magnificent skyscrapers had been reduced to broken shells. Twisted steel beams jutted out from collapsed buildings like exposed bones.
Burned-out cars and unrecognizable wreckage littered the streets.
Every so often, bleached skeletons could be seen half-buried beneath piles of rubble.
There were no birds.
No insects.
Even the wind howling through broken windows sounded like the mournful cries of ghosts.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"...This... this is West City?"
Goku slowly looked around.
The cheerful smile that usually never left his face had completely disappeared.
His eyes settled on a rusted metal sign beneath his feet.
Though badly weathered, the faded words could still be read.
Capsule Corp.
Bulma's home.
Now it was nothing more than a pile of ruins.
"Damn it..."
Gohan clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
Golden aura flickered uncontrollably around his body.
He wasn't the Gohan of this timeline.
But seeing his mother's home reduced to this...
Seeing humanity driven to extinction...
The rage buried deep within his bloodline still surged to the surface, demanding destruction.
"So this is the work of the Androids?"
Vegeta kicked aside a broken teddy bear lying in the street.
His face darkened.
"They turned Earth into this..."
"What disgusting taste."
Trunks stood silently in the middle of the ruins.
His eyes were filled with sorrow.
"Yes."
"Androids 17 and 18 enjoy killing."
"They destroy simply because they find it entertaining."
"In this world, less than one-tenth of humanity remains."
"The survivors hide underground like rats."
"They're barely surviving."
"There is no hope."
"No future."
"Only endless fear."
Krillin remained silent.
He opened his system panel and scanned the world.
[Current Location: Future Timeline (Wasteland Branch)]
[Environmental Rating: Extremely Hostile.]
[Planetary Will nearing collapse. Resentment Level: Critical.]
[Mission Alert: Two high-energy lifeforms detected moving southeast, accompanied by large-scale loss of life.]
"Found them."
Krillin finally broke the silence.
He looked toward the southeast.
A cold light flashed across his eyes.
"Looks like things are getting lively over there."
Everyone followed his gaze.
Though they couldn't see anything with the naked eye...
That overwhelming evil ki blazed like a spotlight in the darkness.
Even hundreds of kilometers away, they could still hear the constant explosions.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
"Let's move!"
Goku vanished instantly.
Without another word, everyone released their ki.
Five streaks of light shot toward the southeast.
...
Paseri City.
Or rather...
What had once been Paseri City.
Now it was hell on Earth.
Flames consumed everything.
Explosions echoed without end.
Panicked civilians screamed as they fled through the streets.
But before death...
Their speed meant nothing.
"Hahaha!"
"Run!"
"Come on, run faster!"
Floating high above the city was a black-haired young man wearing a black T-shirt and an orange scarf.
He laughed wildly while casually tossing down energy blasts.
Android 17.
To him, this was nothing more than a game.
A game called Destroy the City.
Every blast he fired erased dozens of lives.
Every explosion reduced another building to rubble.
"How boring..."
Sitting lazily atop a collapsed building nearby was a blonde young woman.
Android 18.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other.
One hand supported her chin.
The other idly played with a pearl necklace she had stolen moments earlier.
She was beautiful.
Unnaturally beautiful.
Her flawless features surpassed human perfection.
Her golden hair shimmered in the firelight.
Her icy blue eyes contained not the slightest trace of warmth.
The black vest hugged her perfect figure.
Her denim skirt revealed long, slender legs.
Yet beneath that breathtaking beauty...
Lurked pure killing intent.
She was like a poisonous rose blooming atop a mountain of corpses.
Cold.
Elegant.
Deadly.
"These people are too fragile."
"They aren't even worth using as target practice."
With a casual squeeze, 18 crushed the priceless pearl necklace into dust.
The glittering fragments drifted away in the wind.
"Where's Trunks hiding?"
"I haven't beaten him up in a while."
"My hands are getting itchy."
"Who knows?"
17 shrugged.
A massive sphere of energy formed at his fingertips.
"He's probably hiding in some rat hole, shaking in fear."
"If he won't come out..."
"I'll erase this entire city."
"Let's see where he hides after that."
He casually flicked his wrist.
The gigantic energy sphere, powerful enough to wipe out half the city, roared toward the crowded shelter below.
"It's over..."
"Someone save us!"
The terrified civilians closed their eyes in despair.
Then...
Whoosh!
An orange-clad figure appeared beneath the energy sphere out of nowhere.
No flashy technique.
No dramatic pose.
He simply raised one hand.
Pop.
The enormous sphere vanished instantly.
As effortlessly as bursting a soap bubble.
"Hm?"
The smile froze on Android 17's face.
Android 18's cold eyes narrowed.
For the first time...
Her expression changed.
As the dust settled...
Goku stood atop the ruins.
His familiar orange gi fluttered in the wind.
He slowly raised his head.
His sharp gaze locked onto the two Androids in the sky.
"Your game..."
"...ends here."
17 blinked.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Hey, 18."
"Am I seeing things?"
"Isn't that Son Goku?"
"According to Dr. Gero's records..."
"...he died from a heart virus."
18 rose to her feet.
For the first time, genuine interest appeared in her icy blue eyes.
"A dead man came back to life?"
"Interesting."
"I was starting to think today would be boring."
A cruel smile slowly spread across her face.
It was the smile of a hunter spotting the perfect prey.
"Since the main attraction has finally arrived..."
"...I'll just kill you one more time."
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