Chapter 222: Stuck In Timeline

(After hearing Goten's words, the Old Supreme Kai and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.)

(This guy's strength is terrifying-even the God of Destruction, Beerus, is no match for him.)

(Fortunately, for some reason, he seems to have a good impression of both Supreme Kai and Beerus.)

Shin: "Goten, what is your purpose for coming to the God Realm this time?"

(Supreme Kai suppressed the fear in his heart and asked.)

(For someone this powerful, there had to be a reason for his visit.)

(It certainly wasn't just to see them.)

Goten: "Ah! I do have a purpose."

(Goten replied seriously.)

Goten: "I came to the God Realm to borrow your space-time ring. I want to return to my universe, but for some reason, my ability disappeared. So, I hope to use the space-time ring to go back to my timeline."

(In the last battle with Zeno and Zalama, Goten's six space-time rings had vanished.)

(When exactly they disappeared, even he wasn't sure.)

(Perhaps losing them was the reason he had lost his ability to teleport.)

Old Kai: "What?! Goten, that's absolutely unacceptable! The space-time ring is a Supreme Kai treasure-it cannot be given away without permission. Using it recklessly could disrupt the timeline and cause unexpected consequences!"

(Both Supreme Kai and the Old Supreme Kai's expressions changed drastically.)

(The space-time ring was a privilege exclusive to the Supreme Kai.)

(Even the God of Destruction had no right to use it.)

(If misused, it could create chaos across timelines.)

(People could die, and entire timelines might collapse.)

(Unless absolutely necessary, even Supreme Kai refrained from using it.)

(And now, Goten was asking for it directly!)

(Naturally, they couldn't hand it over so easily.)

Goten: "Lord Supreme Kai, I respect you a lot because, in another timeline, Supreme Kai saved my life. But that doesn't mean I have unlimited patience with you. After all, you are not the Supreme Kai who saved me."

(Goten said, his tone turning cold.)

Goten: "And just to be clear-I'm not asking for permission. I'm here to take the space-time ring."

(The Old Supreme Kai trembled as he met Goten's icy gaze.)

(He knew very well that if Goten wanted to kill them, it would be effortless.)

(But the real issue was that if they handed over the space-time ring, neither Beerus nor Zeno would be able to bear the consequences.)

(They could even be erased for such negligence.)

Goten: "Are you afraid of Zeno? If so, there's no need to worry. I just killed Zeno's guards at the Temple of Zeno. They should already be aware of my strength. Forget Beerus-even Zeno can't control me!"

(Goten said casually.)

Old Kai: "What?! Even Lord Zeno can't stop you?!"

(The Old Supreme Kai's expression changed drastically.)

(Supreme Kai Shin might not fully understand who Zeno was-after all, Shin had always been irresponsible and ignorant.)

(But the Old Supreme Kai knew very well.)

(Zeno was above even the God of Destruction.)

(The supreme ruler of all existence.)

(With just a word or a thought, he could erase entire universes.)

(And now, Goten claimed he had killed Zeno's guards right in front of him...)

(This was beyond shocking.)

(But looking at Goten's unwavering expression, the Old Supreme Kai didn't think he was lying.)

(He had been arrogant even in front of the Grand Priest.)

(He was more than capable of doing such a thing.)

(But Goten was just a Saiyan hybrid... Could he really have surpassed Zeno?)

(After some hesitation, the Old Supreme Kai clenched his teeth.)

Old Kai: "Alright, in that case, take the space-time ring."

(They had no way to stop Goten.)

(Whether he was bluffing or not, one thing was certain: no one in the Supreme Kai Realm could stand against him.)

(Refusing his request would likely mean death.)

(Although Supreme Kai Shin didn't fully understand the Old Supreme Kai's reasoning, he followed suit and handed over five space-time rings to Goten.)

Goten: "Thank you for your cooperation."

(Goten said.)

Goten: "Don't worry-before I leave, I'll make sure to tell Zeno that this has nothing to do with you."

(As his voice fell, he slipped the five space-time rings onto his fingers.)

(With a wave of his hand, a dimensional portal appeared before him.)

(Stepping forward, he vanished.)

(But when he reappeared- He was back on Earth.)

Goten: "What?! How is this happening?! I clearly left this timeline... so why am I back?"

(Goten frowned, sensing the familiar ki of Goku and Vegeta.)

(He had definitely left this timeline.)

(So why had he returned?)

(These were the ki of Goku and Vegeta from this very timeline...)

Goten: "So, I still can't go back? Even with the Supreme Kai's space-time ring?"

(Goten frowned tightly.)

(He had assumed that using the space-time ring would allow him to return to his own timeline through the dimensional portal.)

(But now, it was clear he had been too optimistic.)

(It simply wasn't possible.)

(Drifting through the dimensional portal had only led him back to this timeline.)

(It seemed he was stuck here for now.)

(With no other choice, Goten returned to Earth and sought out Goku and the others.)

Goku: "Goten, are you okay? We were all worried when the Grand Priest took you away."

(Goku's worried expression eased slightly upon seeing Goten unharmed.)

(Even though Goten was from another timeline, he was still his son.)

(Naturally, Goku had been concerned.)

(He also knew that the Grand Priest was unimaginably powerful-after all, even Beerus, the God of Destruction, had to kneel before him.)

Goten: "I'm fine. No one in this world can hurt me."

(Goten spoke with confidence-not arrogance, but certainty.)

(He had the strength to back it up.)

(Even Zeno and the Grand Priest, the most powerful beings in existence, had been unable to stop him.)

(He had killed Zeno's guards right in front of them and still walked away unscathed.)

(It was unlikely they would try to challenge him again.)

Goku: "You really are amazing, kid. Much stronger than I ever imagined. It looks like what you said before was true-Vegeta and I really are just frogs in a well. There are far too many beings out there stronger than us. We thought Super Saiyan 4 was the peak, but after what we've seen today, we realize how foolish we were. In the face of real power, Super Saiyan 4 is nothing."

(Goku chuckled helplessly.)

(He and Vegeta had believed they had reached the pinnacle of strength, but today's events had shattered that illusion.)

Goten: "You don't need to belittle yourselves. Super Saiyan 4 may not be the strongest transformation, but reaching that level proves your talent and strength."

(Goten smiled reassuringly.)

Chi-Chi: "Goten, it's good to see you're safe. Your mother was worried about you."

(Chi-Chi ran over and spoke with concern.)

Gohan: "By the way, Goten, how strong are you now? Have you reached an even higher form of Super Saiyan? To be honest, Dad and I are really curious about your power. Can you show us?"

(Gohan asked eagerly.)

(Goten had faced off against a God of Destruction as if it were nothing-his strength was beyond comprehension.)

Goku: "Yeah, Goten! We're all really interested! Can you show us just a little?"

(Goku clenched his fists excitedly.)

(Even Piccolo and Krillin, standing nearby, shared the same anticipation.)

(After witnessing Goten easily defeat Beerus, they were desperate to see the true extent of his power.)

Goten: "Alright! Since everyone wants to see, I'll show you. But don't be too shocked."

(Seeing their eager expressions, Goten nodded.)

(Then, he clenched his fists.)

(SWOOSH!!...)

(A terrifying surge of energy exploded from his body.)

(In the next second, Goten's hair turned silver and flowed down to his hips.)

(His upper body was covered in silver fur.)

(Though it resembled Super Saiyan 4, it was entirely different.)

(This was Super Saiyan 5.)

(Of course, this wasn't even his limit.)

(Even at this stage, his power had reached an unprecedented level.)

(A simple stomp could easily shatter a universe.)

(Goten's base combat strength was simply too high.)

Goku: "I-It's terrifying... Is this Goten's true power? It feels like an endless abyss... this strength is unreal!"

(Goku was dumbfounded.)

(He had already expected Goten to be powerful, but this... this was beyond anything he had imagined.)

(The sheer intensity of Goten's power felt as vast as the universe itself.)

(WHOOSH!!...)

(Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Goku.)

(It was Vegeta.)

Vegeta: "Kakarot, what the hell is going on?! That massive energy-is it coming from Goten?!"

(Vegeta's expression was rigid.)

(He hadn't expected Goten's power to be at such an absurd level.)

(This was a realm they could never hope to reach.)

Goku: "Yeah, Vegeta. That's Goten's power. And I don't even think he's using his full strength."

(Goku's voice was serious.)

(Even though the energy Goten was releasing was beyond comprehension, his instincts told him that this still wasn't Goten's maximum power.)

Vegeta: "Are... are you kidding me, Kakarot?! You're saying this isn't even his full strength?! Damn it! The gap between us and him is just... ridiculous."

(Vegeta clenched his fists tightly.)

(He was once again dealt a heavy blow.)

(Goten's power was already so overwhelming it was hard to fathom.)

(And yet... This wasn't even his strongest form?! It was monstrous.)

[To Be Continued...]