bookbashuk Page 108
Page 108
She abruptly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Lin Ye, filled with a fiery intensity he had never seen before—a mixture of immense pain and maternal protection: "The chip...take it!" Trembling, she used her last strength to pry a tiny chip, the size of a fingernail and shimmering with an unstable blue light, from a hidden slot on the control panel, and slammed it hard into Lin Ye's palm. The chip's edges were still stained with her warm, sticky blood.
“Go…save him! Go to Q37! Use this…activate it…interfere with old Bulma’s brainwaves! Hurry! There’s no time!” Bulma almost screamed, blood dripping from her chin.
Lin Ye looked at the blood-stained chip in his palm, which seemed to be pulsating slightly as if it were alive, and then looked at Bulma in front of him, who was bleeding from all seven orifices, barely breathing, but whose eyes were as stubborn as steel. He instantly understood her whole plan—to use her current consciousness, or even her life, to interfere with her future self and buy Trunks a chance to survive!
"Then what are you going to do?!" Lin Ye's voice was low and hoarse, and the veins on his hand holding the chip bulged.
"Don't worry about me! Go!" Bulma pushed him with all her might, but her body went limp again from the recoil. Blood trickled down her face, making her look exceptionally grim. "Coordinates... I've synchronized them with you... Let's go!"
Her gaze was fixed on the constantly ticking countdown on the screen: T-00:04:37…
Lin Ye no longer hesitated. He gave Bulma one last, deep look, as if trying to etch her image into his very soul. Then, he abruptly turned, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he rushed out of the laboratory. Only his low growl, suppressing his raging fury, remained in the air:
"Hold on! Wait for me to come back!"
Looking in the direction Lin Ye disappeared, Bulma's lips twitched with difficulty, as if she wanted to laugh, but the movement aggravated her wound, causing her to cough violently. More blood gushed out.
"Heh... Will she come back..." she murmured, her gaze refocusing on the black hole equation on the screen that represented destruction, and the blurry image transmitted in real time from the Q37 coordinate point in a small window next to it—that was her last concern.
Hyperdimensional space—Q37 coordinate point.
There are no stars here, no concept of up, down, left, or right; only distorted light and shattered fragments of space raging like a storm. Enormous ripples in spacetime spread out in waves like the pulse of a dying beast, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.
At the eye of the storm, two figures confront each other on a shattered spatial fault line.
The future Trunks was no longer the naive boy he once was. He wore tattered combat gear, his face weathered and filled with deep-seated grief and indignation. The photon energy sword in his hand, which had once slain countless powerful enemies, was now trembling violently, its tip pressed firmly against the throat of an old woman.
Beneath the sword tip, a charred spot had already appeared on the skin.
"Why?!" Trunks' voice was hoarse, filled with endless pain and confusion, almost a roar. "Tell me! Mother! Why did you do this?! Why did you create this thing? Why... destroy everything?!"
The old woman before him—the elderly Bulma—had disheveled, gray hair, her face etched with deep wrinkles and an eerie, inhuman coldness. Her eyes were vacant, as if her soul had long since been ripped away, leaving only an empty shell driven by some command or madness. She wore a tattered research robe, her withered fingers pressed tightly against a complex device suspended in front of her chest, pulsating and emitting an extremely dangerous dark purple light. At the core of that device was a terrifying creation materialized from the equations of the black hole singularity—a time-space bomb!
The bomb's energy readings were skyrocketing, and the countdown to destruction seemed to be echoing throughout the entire dimension.
Ignoring the sword at her throat and her son's questions, old Bulma seemed completely focused on the impending bomb, uttering incomprehensible, mechanical whispers: "...Clear...variables...correct...must...complete..."
Trunks was in despair. He couldn't recognize the cold, crazed woman before him, single-mindedly focused on detonating the bomb of destruction, as the mother he remembered, forever vibrant, who loved him more than life itself. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, his hand gripping the sword trembled violently with extreme restraint.
"Answer me!!!" he cried out like a wild beast.
At this critical moment, when despair was overwhelming!
A figure, like a shooting star tearing through space, suddenly burst into the center of the storm! It was Lin Ye! Ignoring the raging spatial turbulence around him, his gaze instantly locked onto the mother and child facing off in the center of the storm, as well as the bomb on old Bulma's chest that emitted a heart-palpitating aura!
Time seems to be stretched infinitely.
Lin Ye saw the deep despair and pain in Trunks' eyes, and the inhuman coldness on Bulma's face. Without any hesitation, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he crushed the bloodstained chip in his palm!
“Buzz——!!!”
An invisible, extremely special brainwave frequency, mixed with Bulma's (in the present world) life imprint and painful will, shot towards old Bulma with precision and ferocity, centered on Lin Ye, like an invisible sharp cone!
"Uhhh-!!!"
Old Bulma's body stiffened abruptly, as if struck by a high-voltage current! Her empty eyes suddenly erupted with an unprecedented chaotic light! The cold numbness receded like a tide, replaced by immense pain, confusion, and... a long-lost clarity that had been forcibly awakened!
Her hand, which was on the bomb, suddenly loosened and began to tremble violently.
"Cough...cough cough..." She coughed violently, like a drowning person finally surfacing, and turbid tears welled up instantly, washing away the dirt and numbness on her face. Her unfocused gaze struggled to focus, little by little, on the young face in front of her, a face filled with pain and anger.
Those eyes…those features…it’s her Trunks! Her son, whom she would do anything to protect!
“Trunks…” A hoarse, dry voice, yet full of human warmth, finally escaped from old Bulma’s throat. The maternal love contained in that voice, suppressed for far too long, almost overflowing, burst forth like a flood, instantly shattering the dam of despair in Trunks’ heart.
Trunks trembled violently, as if struck by lightning, and for the first time, the sword in his hand wobbled: "Mom...Mom?"
“My…child…” Old Bulma’s tears flowed uncontrollably as she looked at Trunks, her eyes filled with endless guilt, pain, and the deepest love. That gaze finally belonged to a mother, to Bulma. “Mama…will always…love you…”
These words are like a final farewell, and also like a final redemption.
Just as Trunks was shaken to his core, and Lin Ye thought the interference was successful and was about to rush forward to seize the bomb!
Old Bulma's eyes suddenly became incredibly resolute! It was a choice made with the last vestiges of her clear will, transcending life and death, transcending time and space!
"No—!!!" Lin Ye and Trunks screamed in terror at the same time!
But it's too late!
Old Bulma's face revealed a smile that was almost one of relief, a smile tinged with boundless love and apology. Instead of suppressing the bomb, she used the last of her strength to forcefully pull back her arms, pressing the time-space bomb—which was about to reach its critical point and was powerful enough to annihilate this dimension and even affect countless timelines—hardly and desperately into her chest!
"boom--!!!!!"
An indescribable light instantly engulfed everything!
That wasn't the light of an explosion; it was more like the "nothingness" at the beginning of the universe, the "annihilation" where everything returned to nothingness! Wherever the light reached, the violent spatial turbulence, the shattered spatial fragments, all matter and energy... were silently erased, swallowed up, and returned to the most primordial nothingness!
In the final instant before the all-consuming, absolute light of annihilation completely engulfed his vision, Lin Ye, relying on his perception beyond the limits, pierced through the destructive radiance and seemed to see the distant, distorted edge of space.
There stood a girl in a white lab coat with her signature blue ponytail. That was… Bulma in her youth!
She stood there quietly, her face devoid of fear or sorrow, only displaying a timeless understanding and a faint, almost farewell-like relief. She gazed at the center of the burst of light, at her future self about to be swallowed up, and then, gently, gently, waved in the direction of Lin Ye and Trunks.
At the corners of his mouth, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible smile, the kind of smile a scientist would have, a smile that suggested he had grasped some ultimate mystery.
The next moment, absolute darkness and nothingness completely overwhelmed all of Lin Ye's senses.
The coordinate point Q37, along with all the tragedy and sacrifice that occurred there, was completely erased, as if it had never existed.
Only the blood-stained chip fragment, still retaining Bulma's last warmth, was clutched tightly in Lin Ye's unconscious hand. The countdown on the lab screen was forever frozen at T-00:00:00, then plunged into deathly darkness.
Chapter 262 The Final Chapter of the God of Destruction
The Temple of Beerus, a symbol of cosmic order and the power of destruction, now uttered a mournful cry, like a dying beast, overwhelmed by its burden. The massive purple crystal pillars supporting the temple snapped one by one, crashing down with deafening roars, sending up clouds of purple stardust imbued with destructive energy. The magnificent dome was riddled with spiderweb-like cracks, and large chunks of stone, carved with cosmic patterns, continued to peel away and fall, crashing onto the cold temple floor with deafening thuds. The entire space trembled violently, as if the very foundations of the universe were shaking.
In the heart of the temple, the throne where Beerus once lazily dozed had been reduced to dust. Amidst the collapsed ruins and billowing dust of destruction, the angel Whis knelt on one knee. His signature elegance and composure were gone, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and an unconcealable sorrow. He held tightly in his arms Beerus, the God of Destruction of Universe Seven.
Beerus was in a pitiful state. His magnificent God of Destruction robes were tattered, covered in scorch marks and tears. His once powerful purple body was riddled with deep, bone-revealing wounds, the edges of which swirled with ominous black energy that relentlessly eroded his divine form. Most shockingly, the amethyst crown on his forehead, a symbol of his God of Destruction, was now covered in spiderweb-like cracks and nearly shattered. His breath was weak, each breath a hoarse, bellows-like sound, and purple divine blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, staining Whis's pristine white uniform and spreading into glaring purple spots.
The scepter that Weiss never parted from, a symbol of angelic authority, now had a hideous crack at its tip, from which strands of pure divine power were uncontrollably escaping, like life slipping away.
"Cough...cough cough..." Beerus struggled to open one eye, while the other seemed to be corrupted by some force, barely able to open a slit. He looked at his claws, which were becoming somewhat ethereal, as if they might vanish at any moment, his voice hoarse and weak, carrying an incredulous weakness and self-mockery: "Even...even a Concept God...is heading towards annihilation...how ironic..."
His body, especially the most severely injured parts, was becoming transparent and ethereal at a visible speed, as if the fundamental rules that constituted his divine body were collapsing.
Whis's body trembled slightly, and he tightened his grip on Beerus's arms, his deep voice filled with suppressed emotion: "Lord Beerus..."
at this time!
Above the collapsing temple, the backdrop of a chaotic and turbulent starry sea was abruptly replaced by an indescribable nothingness that transcended all rules.
The space was silently torn open like a curtain, and a vehicle of unimaginable size and strange shape, resembling a giant baby cradle, slowly emerged.
The King's Ride!
The vehicle emitted a soft yet chilling white light. The moment it appeared, the entire temple space, on the verge of collapse, seemed to be paused. The collapsing rubble, the dissipating destructive energy, and even time itself, all froze for a moment before this supreme will.
Two small figures floated in front of the vehicle. They wore strangely styled white robes and tall crowns on their heads. They were none other than the supreme gods who ruled all universes—the Omni-King! The two Omni-Kings had identical childlike faces, their eyes as pure as crystal, yet empty and devoid of any emotion, as if they contained all the mysteries of the birth and end of the universe.
Their small, jade-like hands were raised simultaneously, palms facing the ruins below, and towards Whis and the dying Beerus in his arms.
Without sound, without warning, two beams of light, indescribable in color and seemingly containing the very concept of "nothingness," suddenly shone from the Omni-King's palm! They were the Lights of Purification! Representing the power of erasure, the most fundamental force in the universe! Wherever the light passed, even space itself emitted a silent lament, utterly "deleted"!
"The game... should end." A childlike, clear voice, yet imbued with absolute divinity and utterly devoid of human emotion, echoed like the laws of the universe, clearly reaching the depths of Whis's consciousness. It was one of the Omni-Kings who had spoken.
The shadow of death instantly enveloped Whis and Beerus! Faced with this supreme power of cleansing, even the angel Whis felt the insignificance and powerlessness of his own authority! He subconsciously held his scepter horizontally in front of him, trying to gather the last of his angelic power, even if it could only buy Lord Beerus a moment!
“Vis…Vis…” Beerus’s weak voice rang out. Just before the light of cleansing was about to engulf them, Beerus’s only remaining eye suddenly opened, unleashing the last vestige of the arrogance and determination of a God of Destruction! With the last bit of strength he had just regained, he shoved Whis’s chest!
"Walk!!"
Caught off guard, Whis was propelled out of the core coverage area of the Cleansing Light by the force containing Beerus's last divine power! He stared in astonishment at Beerus, watching his mangled body resolutely head towards the two beams of light representing the ultimate end!
Beerus grinned, revealing a smile that mixed with pain, relief, and a hint of mischief. He shouted with all his might in Whis's direction, his voice sounding particularly weak under the terrifying pressure of the descending light of cleansing, yet reaching Whis's ears with unparalleled clarity:
"Go and eat... pudding... in every universe... you damned angel!"
Before he could finish speaking, the two beams of light, representing absolute erasure, had already completely engulfed Beerus! The blinding light erupted instantly, as if to annihilate every trace of Beerus's existence, along with this entire space!
"Lord Beerus—!!!" Whis's pupils suddenly contracted, and he let out a heart-wrenching cry, all elegance gone, leaving only pure grief!
At that critical moment, when Beerus was about to be completely erased!
“Buzz——!!!”
A seven-colored stream of light, completely different from the "nothingness" of the Light of Purification, and containing the chaotic creation and tenacious will to protect, suddenly slashed in from the side like a sharp sword tearing through despair! It was Lin Ye!
He appeared on the flank of the Light of Purification at some unknown time, clutching a seemingly insignificant fragment with edges flowing with the brilliance of a chaotic nebula—the Fragment of Creation! His eyes were sharp as knives as he forcefully blocked the path of the Light of Purification aimed at Beerus!
"Stop it!!!"
Lin Ye roared, pouring all his power into the fragment without reservation! The fragment of creation erupted with unprecedentedly brilliant light, forming a solid seven-colored barrier!
“Boom——!!!!!”
An indescribable, terrifying energy storm exploded instantly! The seven-colored barrier formed by fragments of creation collided violently with the light of annihilation, representing ultimate erasure! Space shattered like fragile glass, and time itself became completely disordered! The raging energy turbulence swept everything away, and the last remnants of the temple were utterly reduced to cosmic dust by the shockwave!
Lin Ye was the first to be hit, feeling as if his soul was being torn apart by the collision of these two supreme forces! He desperately held onto the fragments, the muscles in his arms bursting and bleeding from the excessive strain. But in that instant of extreme confrontation and intense mental concentration, his gaze pierced through the turbulent energy storm and caught sight of the two child gods hovering before the Omni-King's chariot!
At the very moment when the light of cleansing was blocked and the energy surged most violently, Lin Ye clearly saw a fleeting, extremely subtle, and extremely brief stream of cold, regular data—something no living being could possess—fleeting deep within the pure, crystal-like eyes of one of the Omni-Kings! It was like the most sophisticated program running in the background!
Immediately afterwards, the same glint flashed in the eyes of the other Omni-King!
A groundbreaking and mind-blowing idea struck Lin Ye's mind like lightning!
“Data flow…program execution…cleanup…monitoring…” All the clues connect instantly! Bulma’s discovery of the system vulnerability, the crisis across time and space, the demise of the Concept God, the Zeno’s emotionless “Game Over”…and this cold, programmed data flow at this moment!
"Ha...hahahaha!" The overwhelming sense of absurdity and the arrogant arrogance of seeing through the truth instantly overwhelmed Lin Ye's reason. He burst into laughter amidst an energy storm powerful enough to destroy galaxies, his laughter filled with mockery and desolation: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! What supreme god! What ruler of the universe! You...you fucking aren't gods at all!"
His voice pierced through the energy storm, sharp and penetrating, striking the two children: "You are nothing but a 'system' created by a higher dimension... a monitoring program! A group of pre-programmed... prisoners tasked with cleaning up 'abnormal variables'!!"
"What?!" Whis, who was in the distance, and Vegeta and Goku, who had just regained their footing and were also shocked by Lin Ye's words, all heard this earth-shattering declaration!
Vegeta's expression changed drastically as he instantly understood Lin Ye's meaning, a terrifying glint flashing in his eyes: "Program?!"
Sun Wukong scratched his head, looking shocked but more so decisive: "Huh? Who cares about procedures! Let's take apart those two brats' toys first!"
Lin Ye's revelation was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, bringing a momentary pause and a tremendous information shock. Vegeta and Goku, these two battle-hardened Saiyans, had their fighting instincts ingrained in their very bones! They didn't need to dwell on "why"; they only needed to seize this fleeting opportunity!
Just as the Light of Purification and the Fragments of Creation were locked in a stalemate, and the Omni-King seemed to experience a slight, almost program-like, delay due to Lin Ye's revelation—
"call out!"
Vegeta's figure transformed into a streak of dark blue lightning, moving at a speed that surpassed spatial perception! He didn't rush towards the Omni-King's main body (that would undoubtedly be suicide), but instead, with unparalleled precision, lunged at an energy pipeline node beneath the Omni-King's mount, which was constantly spewing high-concentration energy and connected to the source of the Purification Light! The azure energy wave he condensed and compressed to its extreme in his hand slashed out like a scalpel!
"Break it off!!"