The broken cityscape of Chicago was before them.
Buildings that once stood proud now lay in ruins, streets cracked open like wounds in the earth.
And among the devastation sat Mark, perched on a chunk of concrete that had once been part of an office building.
Blood covered his hands, his face, his clothing - none of it his own. Around him lay the scattered remains of what could only be described as a massacre.
Dozens of bodies - all with his face, all twisted variations of Mark Grayson - lay torn apart, limbs separated from torsos, heads from necks.
A small distance away, Angstrom Levy's decapitated head stared sightlessly at the clouded sky, his oversized brain now nothing more than cooling matter.
Further away, another Mark Grayson - this one native to this reality - tended to a young woman with red-tinged hair.
Eve.
Her leg was badly injured, and this other Mark was carefully wrapping it with torn fabric, his movements gentle despite his own bloodied appearance.
The air shimmered slightly, a subtle distortion in reality that went unnoticed by most. Then Goku appeared, materializing several yards from where Mark sat amidst the carnage.
For a moment, neither moved. Goku took in the scene with calm, evaluating what was before him - the bodies, the blood, the devastation stretching for miles.
His gaze finally settled on Mark, noting the vacant expression, the slight tremor in his hands.
Mark's head snapped up, sensing Goku's presence.
Without a word, he pushed himself to his feet and ran toward his adoptive father, slamming into his chest with enough force to make even Goku take half a step back.
Mark buried his face against Goku's chest, his entire body shaking.
Goku's surprise lasted only a fraction of a second before his arms wrapped around Mark, one hand moving to cup the back of his head protectively.
"I've got you," he murmured softly. "I'm here now."
Mark's fingers dug into Goku's back, holding on as if afraid he might disappear. His breathing came in ragged gasps.
"I had to," Mark whispered, his voice barely audible. "They wouldn't stop. They were going to - they'd already-"
"Shhh," Goku soothed, rubbing gentle circles on Mark's back. "You don't need to explain. I understand."
As he held his trembling son, Goku's gaze shifted to the other Mark and Eve, who were watching the scene with a mixture of wariness and confusion.
Without releasing his hold on Mark, Goku addressed them.
"What happened here?" he asked, his voice soft but carrying clearly across the distance.
The other Mark and Eve exchanged glances, tension evident in their postures.
They had just witnessed one version of Mark slaughter dozens of his counterparts - and now this stranger had appeared from nowhere, clearly possessing power beyond normal humans.
"Who are you?" the other Mark finally asked, moving slightly to position himself between Eve and Goku.
"My name is Goku," he replied simply. "This is my son, Mark." He nodded toward the young man still clinging to his chest. "I believe we have much to discuss, but first, I'd like to understand what happened."
Both were clearly confused on the son part, but began processing his words.
Eve placed a hand on her Mark's shoulder, wincing as she shifted her injured leg. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I think we can trust them."
After a moment of hesitation, the other Mark nodded - seeing that it was best to not lie or not answer someone who appeared out of thin air, and was clearly strong, sensing the bit of pressure he gave off.
"It started with Angstrom Levy," he began, gesturing toward the decapitated body. "He showed up with... with them."
He waved his hand at the scattered corpses. "Evil versions of me from other dimensions. They were tearing the city apart, killing everyone they could find."
Goku nodded, continuing to comfort his Mark while listening attentively.
"Your Mark arrived with Angstrom," Eve continued, her voice steadier than Canon Mark's. "At first we thought he was part of them, but then... something incredible happened."
"He just... pulled them all to him," the other Mark said, still sounding bewildered. "Like freaking gravity. Every version of me across the city, including me, was suddenly yanked up into the air, and then we were all here, above the city."
Goku's expression remained neutral, but internally he recognized the technique. 'The telekinetic application of Ki I taught him last month.'
'He sensed their similar energy signatures and pulled them all to a central location. Impressive range and control, especially under pressure.'
"He trapped them all in some kind of energy field," Eve continued. "He sided with us immediately, said he'd come with Angstrom to stop this, but had been too late."
The other Mark nodded. "He questioned them - asked why they were doing this. The things they said..." He shook his head, disgust evident on his face. "They talked about power, about how humans were beneath them, how they'd embraced their Viltrumite heritage and become what they were meant to be."
"Mark - your Mark - he said he'd make them understand, to feel what they did to be wrong," Eve said quietly. "To feel the pain they'd caused. He beat them over and over to make them understand."
"He asked them if they would stop," the other Mark continued, his eyes a bit glazed now, as if looking back to the past. "If he let them go back to their worlds, would they change? Would they stop hurting people?"
Goku glanced down at Mark, still trembling against his chest, and tightened his embrace slightly.
"Most of them swore they would," Eve said. "They begged for mercy. But your Mark... he just looked at them and said they were lying. That if he sent them back, they'd continue making their worlds suffer."
"And then he started killing them," the other Mark finished, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper. "All of them. Angstrom too. It was... I've never seen anything like it."
Goku nodded, understanding perfectly what had happened. Mark's developing Ki sense had detected the malice in their energy signatures.
No matter what they said, their life force revealed their true intentions - the darkness, the cruelty, the lies. Mark had sensed it all and made the only decision he could.
Throughout the explanation, Mark's trembling had gradually subsided. His breathing had slowed, becoming deeper and more regular.
Goku looked down to find that Mark had fallen asleep standing up, his head still pressed against Goku's chest, his fingers loosely gripping the back of Goku's shirt.
'Emotional exhaustion,' Goku thought, gently adjusting his hold to better support Mark's weight. 'The first kill is always difficult. And to kill versions of himself - to see what he might have become had he chosen a different path - that's a burden few could bear.'
He looked back at the other Mark and Eve, his expression thoughtful. After a moment of silence he spoke, "I have a question for you both," he said, his tone shifting to something more formal, more measured. "If you could eliminate the Viltrumite threat permanently, would you?"
The pair looked startled by the abrupt change in topic.
"What do you mean?" the other Mark asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"It's a simple question," Goku replied calmly. "If you could have Viltrum just die - all the Viltrumites, all fifty that remain in the universe, including your father - would you wish for that?"
"Fifty?" Eve repeated, her eyes widening slightly. "There are only fifty left?"
Goku nodded. "That's why they want Earth. To turn it into their breeding ground. Their species is on the brink of extinction, and they need compatible DNA to rebuild their population."
He paused, letting the information sink in. "So I ask again: would you wish them gone?"
Eve was the first to understand what he was really saying. Her eyes darted around the devastated landscape - the broken buildings, the bodies of civilians partially buried under rubble, the smoke still rising from fires across the city.
"Yes," she said firmly, meeting Goku's gaze directly. "If they're monsters who would do this - who would enslave entire planets, kill billions - then yes. I want them all dead."
the other Mark looked at her in shock. "Eve-"
"Look around you, Mark!" she interrupted, gesturing at the destruction. "This is what they do. This is what they want for our entire planet."
She turned back to Goku, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't understand how it would be possible, but after seeing what your Mark can do... you're probably strong enough, aren't you? This is our chance to end this nightmare once and for all."
Canon Mark fell silent, clearly conflicted. He stared at the ground for a long moment before finally raising his head to look at the gray sky overhead.
After minutes of silence, clearly thinking - Goku patient enough to wait - he spoke,
"Do it," he said quietly. "But... my dad. He's not like them anymore. He's changed. He was captured by them, going to be executed for treason. Please, spare him."
Goku nodded once, a decisive movement. "Hold him for a moment," he said, gently transferring his sleeping son to the other Mark's care.
Mark stirred slightly but didn't wake as the other Mark carefully settled him into a seated position beside himself, letting Mark's head rest on his shoulder.
Goku stepped back, closing his eyes in concentration.
He raised his hand up a bit, infront of him, palm up, and created a dozen small Ki blasts - tiny spheres of energy that hovered just above his skin, each pulsing with power.
His senses expanded outward, reaching across the vast expanse of space, seeking and finding the distinctive energy signatures of Viltrumites scattered throughout the galaxy.
One by one, the Ki blasts disappeared from his palm, vanishing instantly as he sent them to their targets.
Each blast, a piece of his own energy, was essentially a part of him - allowing him to instant transmission his attack directly to each Viltrumite not on their homeworld, excluding those near Nolan.
His control was perfect, a testament to his mastery of Ki as a Kai who experienced the legendary Fusion.
With that task complete, Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished.
Exactly one minute later, he reappeared before Eve and the two Marks. But he wasn't alone.
Three figures materialized alongside him: a battered-looking Nolan Grayson in tattered prison clothes; a massive orange-skinned alien with one eye; and a massive, white-furred humanoid with a lion's face, dressed in gladiatorial armor.
Canon Mark recognizing Battle Beast and his dad jumped to his feet in shock, instinctively moving to protect both Eve and the sleeping Mark.
"It's alright," Goku said calmly, raising a hand in a placating gesture. "They're not threats."
The orange alien - Allen - started forward, relief evident on his face. "What the hell-"
A sharp look from Goku stopped him in his tracks. "My son is sleeping," Goku said firmly, his tone brooking no argument.
Allen blinked in confusion, looking between the two Marks before understanding dawned on his face. "Your son...?" he repeated, glancing at the sleeping Mark.
The white-furred lion man - Battle Beast - seemed entirely unconcerned with everything at hand. His nostrils flared as he stared at Goku with intense, predatory focus.
"You," he growled, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. "I sense it. The power. You are the worthy opponent I have searched for across galaxies!"
Without warning, Battle Beast lunged forward, claws extended toward Goku's throat.
Goku didn't even shift his stance. He simply raised one hand and flicked Battle Beast's forehead with his index finger.
The impact sent the massive warrior flying backward, crashing through a broken building nearly fifty yards away in an explosion of dust and debris.
"Calm down, little kitty," Goku said, his tone one of mild annoyance rather than concern.
As he spoke, he gestured toward Mark, enveloping his sleeping son in a gentle rose-colored light - a protective barrier to ensure his rest wouldn't be disturbed.
Battle Beast emerged from the rubble, his white fur now stained with dust and blood from a gash on his forehead. Rather than being deterred, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"YES!" he roared, charging forward again. "FIGHT ME!"
Goku sighed, disappearing from view only to reappear above Battle Beast.
He placed one hand on the warrior's shoulder and, with the gentlest of pushes, sent him face-first into the ground with enough force to create a small crater.
Landing gracefully beside the downed fighter, Goku straightened his shirt. "I'm going to destroy Viltrum now," he announced casually, as if discussing a minor errand. He placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished once more.
The group left behind stared at the empty space where Goku had stood, speechless.
"Did he just say...?" Allen began, unable to complete the thought.
"Destroy Viltrum?" Nolan finished, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's not possible. No one has that kind of power." Even though having just witnessed Goku destroying his prison, and killing all in it with a simple ki blast.
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High above Viltrum's atmosphere, Goku materialized in the cold vacuum of space.
The planet below him looked peaceful from this distance - a blue-green orb not unlike Earth, its surface dotted with clouds and continents.
He hovered above it for a moment in silence, appreciating its beauty.
He held out his hand, palm downward, and generated a small orb of Ki in the center - no larger than a golf ball, glowing with a soft yellow-black-colored light.
"This is for Mark," he said softly, though no sound carried in the vacuum. "One less thing for him to worry about when he wakes."
He released the orb, watching it drift downward toward the planet's surface. It moved slowly at first, then accelerated, becoming a streak of light as it pierced Viltrum's atmosphere.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a tiny point of light appeared at the planet's core, visible even from space.
The light expanded outward, consuming the planet from within as Goku's Ki destabilized its very foundation.
Viltrum began to fracture, massive cracks appearing across its surface.
Goku could sense the life forces on the planet - Thragg, the remaining Viltrumites, the people who served them going about their daily lives one moment, then experiencing confusion and terror the next as their world literally fell apart beneath their feet.
One by one, those life forces winked out as Goku's energy consumed everything in its path - unable to fly out as they were literally pulled back by a telekenetic field sourcing from the Ki causing all of this.
The planet's destruction accelerated, chunks of its mass breaking free and spinning away into space before disintegrating completely.
Then, with a final, silent flash, Viltrum exploded - transformed in an instant from a living world to expanding rings of debris and cosmic dust.
Goku watched the spectacle with detached interest, the flames of destruction reflected in his dark eyes.
He had ended entire civilizations before, in another life, another existence. But this was different.
This wasn't the act of a self-proclaimed god cleansing what he deemed unworthy.
This was a father protecting his son's mental health, eliminating a threat that would have eventually caused worry in them for others - the people of this universe.
It was practical. Efficient. Necessary.
Without another thought, Goku instant transmissioned back to Earth, reappearing exactly where he had stood minutes before.
-----------------------
Battle Beast had just managed to climb to his feet, one hand clutching his injured shoulder, blood matting the fur on his forehead.
"Viltrum is gone," Goku announced, moving directly to his son and gently lifting him onto his back.
Mark stirred slightly but remained asleep, his arms automatically wrapping around Goku's neck.
"What do you mean, 'gone'?" the other Mark asked, his voice strained with disbelief.
"Just ask your friend to send some people to where Viltrum was," Goku replied, nodding toward Allen. "They'll find nothing but space dust."
A chill ran through the group as his words sank in.
All except Battle Beast, whose eyes gleamed with renewed excitement at this - understanding even more how powerful his desired opponent is.
"Well, I should be going," Goku said, adjusting his hold on Mark to ensure he was secure. "Thank you for looking after my son." He placed his fingers to his forehead, preparing to instant transmission away.
"WAIT!" Battle Beast roared, lunging forward with surprising speed despite his injuries. He managed to grasp Goku's shoulder just as the technique activated. "Our battle is not finished!"
Goku's eyes widened slightly, realizing he couldn't abort the transmission without risking harm to Mark - who's unused to this method of universal travel.
"Stupid fucking fuzzball," he muttered as the three of them - Goku, Mark, and Battle Beast - vanished from sight.
The remaining group stood in stunned silence, staring at the empty space where they had been.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it.
So yeah, Mark has made his first kills - we'll see more of what happened in future chapters and how this affects him.
I hope this made sense - especially with Ki sense making Mark completely understand how evil his counterparts are, how many they've killed, and how letting them go was essentially just him killing other people by proxy, since he knows they will do it and won't stop.
Also yeah, Battle Beast tagged along. What will happen to him? Will Goku kill him? Will he become the family's warrior pet? Or something else entirely?
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)