Goku didn't think—he simply moved. Golden fire erupted around him as he shot straight past his first two forms, landing hard in Super Saiyan 3. But this wasn't the wild, energy-leaking transformation from years ago. Every strand of his impossible golden mane moved with purpose. His eyes burned with the focus of a man who knew exactly what was at stake.
"Get everyone back," he said, his voice echoing with the strange resonance of Super Saiyan 3.
Vegeta's transformation came with significantly more cursing.
"Like hell I'm letting Kakarot show me up!" The prince's aura exploded outward in a blue-white inferno, his hair shooting out in every direction as he hit his own perfected Super Saiyan 3. But this time, his energy was controlled—fury honed into a blade.
"I don't care what timeline you crawled out of," Vegeta snarled at Black, "nobody threatens my family and walks away!"
Future Trunks drew his sword before anyone saw him move. The golden transformation ripped through him like lightning, his hair whipping around as Super Saiyan 3 took hold. Then, all that massive energy compressed—his hair fell back to normal Super Saiyan gold, but his aura was like the sun through a magnifying glass.
"Perfect Super Saiyan," he muttered, voice steady. "I'm done running from nightmares."
Present Gohan felt the familiar electric tingle as his hidden power awoke. No light show, no screaming—just a quiet shift that made the air heavier. Mystic form had always been strange like that: all the power, none of the drama.
"So this is why Elder Kai unlocked my potential," he said quietly.
The fusion happened almost automatically. Present Trunks and Goten had practiced the dance so many times they could do it in their sleep.
"Fusion—HA!"
Gotenks materialized, already pissed off, his Super Saiyan 3 transformation immediate and spectacular. His ghostly pale hair defied physics as it whipped around his head.
"Hey, discount Gohan!" he yelled at Black. "You just made this personal!"
Piccolo's change was quieter but somehow more intimidating. His already impressive frame expanded, green skin taking on a metallic shine as his Super Namekian state kicked in. He looked like he could bench press mountains.
"I raised that boy," Piccolo growled, jerking his head toward present Gohan. "Watched him grow up. You're not laying a finger on him."
The human fighters knew they were outclassed, but they'd been outclassed before. That never meant useless.
Krillin dropped into his stance, hands raised.
"Kamehameha barrier!"
Golden energy streamed from his palms, forming a wall of crackling power.
Tien flanked him, third eye snapping open.
"Neo Tri-Beam formation!"
His energy merged with Krillin's, turning their wall into something that looked solid.
Yamcha jumped between them, his Wolf Fang technique twisting into something defensive.
"Spirit Ball shield!"
Multiple energy orbs spun around the trio like angry bees.
Chiaotzu floated above, psychic powers weaving everything together.
"Linking our ki!" he announced. "Everyone hold steady!"
The four of them created a dome of golden light that pulsed like a heartbeat. It wouldn't stop someone like Black, but it might buy the heavy hitters some time.
Master Roshi felt his ancient bones creak as old power stirred. His frame bulged and expanded until he stood nearly seven feet tall, turtle shell straining at the seams.
"MAX POWER!" His voice was deep and booming, nothing like his usual cackle. "I may be old, but I can still throw down when I need to!"
Blue-white energy built between his palms as he settled into the classic Kamehameha stance.
Android 17 and 18 moved like they'd practiced this.
"Infinite energy barrier!" 17 called, hands weaving patterns that created geometric shields of pink and blue energy around the humans' defense.
"Photon Flash wall!" 18 added, her own energy forming a second layer that looked like crystallized light.
"Our power cores don't run out—we can keep this up all day!"
They positioned themselves at opposite ends, their barriers creating an intricate double-layer defense.
"We've got your backs!" 17 shouted to the Saiyans. "Just worry about ugly over there!"
In seconds, the tournament grounds had become a war zone. The air hummed with power as nine of the universe's strongest fighters prepared to face something that might be stronger than all of them combined.
Black just watched, that twisted smile never leaving his face.
What happened next wasn't planned. There was no strategy meeting, no coordinated attack. It was pure instinct—nine warriors moving as one because they all understood: talking time was over.
Goku moved first, but barely. His perfected Super Saiyan 3 form blurred as he launched forward, both hands cupped at his side.
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
The beam that erupted wasn't the usual blue-white. This was something deeper, more concentrated—like looking into the heart of a massive blue star.
Vegeta came from the opposite angle, pride refusing to let Goku attack alone.
"FINAL FLASH!"
But this wasn't the wide-spread blast he usually threw. This was compressed, focused into a lance of pure yellow energy.
Present Gohan didn't waste time with beams. He went straight physical, Mystic form allowing him to move at speeds that made the air scream. His first punch aimed at Black's solar plexus, followed by an uppercut that could shatter mountains.
"You're not me!" he shouted. "You'll never be me!"
Future Trunks came in with his sword, but not as expected. Instead of slashing, he used the blade as a focus for his ki, channeling Perfect Super Saiyan energy until it glowed white-hot.
"Burning Slash!"
The energy wave that erupted was surgical—designed to cut through anything, even divine ki.
Gotenks decided subtlety was overrated.
"SUPER GHOST KAMIKAZE ATTACK!"
A dozen ghostly copies materialized around Black, each crackling with Super Saiyan 3 energy. But these weren't jokes—these were weapons of mass destruction with silly faces.
"Let's see how divine you are when you're blown to bits!"
Piccolo took the direct approach. His massive Super Namekian form moved with surprising grace as he extended his arm.
"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"
The spiral of energy was twice as wide as usual, spinning with enough force to drill through the world's crust.
The coordinated assault was beautiful and terrifying. Six different attacks from six angles, each one carrying enough power to level a galaxy. The air itself seemed to tear apart from the conflicting energies.
Black's reaction was… disappointing.
He didn't dodge. Didn't block. Didn't even look concerned.
The Kamehameha hit him square in the chest. The Final Flash caught him from the side. Gohan's punches landed with sickening thuds. Trunks' energy blade sliced across his torso. The ghost kamikaze attacks detonated in a chain reaction that turned the platform into a crater. Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon drilled straight through the smoke.
For a moment, there was silence. Smoke and dust filled the air so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Then Black's laughter cut through it all.
"Is that it?" His voice carried no strain, no pain, nothing but amusement. "After all that posturing, that's the best you can manage?"
The smoke cleared. He was still floating there. His clothes were torn, a few scuff marks on his skin, but he looked like someone who'd just finished a light workout.
"My turn," he said.
What followed wasn't a fight. It was a masterclass in overwhelming power.
Black moved so fast even the Super Saiyans could barely track him. One second he was in front of Goku, the next behind Vegeta, then above Gohan—all in a heartbeat. Each movement left devastation in its wake.
His fist connected with Goku's ribs, the sound like a gunshot. The most powerful warrior in the universe went flying, his perfect Super Saiyan 3 form flickering as he crashed through three stadium walls.
Vegeta tried to catch him with a point-blank Big Bang Attack, but Black swatted the energy blast aside like a fly. His return strike sent the Prince of all Saiyans into the ground so hard the impact created a secondary crater.
"DODGE!" Future Trunks screamed, swinging his sword in a desperate arc. Black caught the blade between two fingers, his face a mask of casual dismissal.
"You brought a sword to a god fight," Black said, then flicked his wrist.
The blade—tempered by countless battles—shattered like glass. Trunks stared at the broken hilt for half a second before Black's palm strike sent him spinning.
Present Gohan came in swinging, Mystic power flaring as he threw everything into a combination that should have pulverized anyone. Black blocked them all with his pinky finger.
"You disappoint me most of all," he said to Gohan, almost sadly. "So much potential, wasted on such pathetic ideals."
His counter-attack was a simple backhand, but it sent Gohan skipping across the grounds like a stone on water.
Gotenks tried to rush him, but Black didn't even turn. A casual backward kick caught the fusion in the stomach, doubling him over. Before Gotenks could recover, Black grabbed him by the hair and hurled him toward Piccolo.
The Namekian caught his student, but the impact sent both tumbling.
"You okay, kid?" Piccolo grunted.
"Define okay," Gotenks wheezed, his transformation flickering.
In less than thirty seconds, Black had dismantled six of the universe's strongest fighters like they were children playing at war.
But the others weren't done.
Master Roshi's MAX POWER Kamehameha erupted from behind the smoke, his ancient technique refined by centuries of practice. The beam was smaller than Goku's, but it moved with surgical precision, aimed at Black's heart.
The human fighters coordinated their next move without speaking. Krillin's Destructo Disc came in low, Tien's Tri-Beam hammered down from above, Yamcha's Spirit Ball spiraled in, and Chiaotzu used his psychic powers to try and hold Black in place.
Android 17 and 18 opened up with everything they had. Infinite energy meant they could spam their most powerful attacks without worrying about running out. Pink and blue energy beams crisscrossed the battlefield.
For a moment, it looked like it might work. The combined assault created a light show that could be seen from space. Energy beams, ki blasts, and psychic attacks all converged on Black.
The explosion was magnificent. The remaining stands were vaporized. The artificial lake boiled away. Every piece of glass within a mile shattered.
When the light faded, there was a crater where the grounds used to be. At the bottom, Black was still floating, completely unharmed.
"Now that," he said, "was almost interesting."
His rose-colored aura pulsed once, and the shockwave knocked everyone to their knees. Even the androids struggled to stay upright.
Only Future Gohan remained standing at the crater's edge, untouched, his face unreadable as he watched his alternate self hover above the destruction.