The throne room of Viltrum was silent save for the soft hum of nature.
Grand Regent Thragg sat upon his elevated seat, his massive frame perfectly still as he reviewed the latest reports from across the empire.
His red and white uniform, adorned with the royal crest of Viltrum, stretched across his muscular chest. The cape draped from his shoulders cascaded down the steps of the dais, a symbol of authority as much as the throne itself.
Thragg's eyes narrowed as he read Nolan's latest transmission once more. The corners of his mouth twitched upward in the closest approximation to a smile he would allow himself.
"Most compatible," he murmured, the words carrying a weight of possibility that had eluded the Viltrumite race for generations.
The report was meticulous, as he expected from Nolan. Humans and Viltrumites shared remarkable genetic compatibility - far more than any species they had encountered in their millennia of conquest.
Their DNA could intermingle with minimal complications, producing viable offspring that retained Viltrumite strength while introducing much-needed genetic diversity.
It was the solution they had sought since the Scourge Virus decimated their population, leaving barely fifty pure Viltrumites in the entire universe.
"Earth will be the salvation of our race," Thragg said to the empty chamber, his deep voice resonating against the polished walls. "Nolan has done well."
According to the timetable, Omni-Man should be finalizing the conquest now - separating the genetically superior specimens for breeding programs, eliminating resistance, preparing the planet for Viltrumite occupation.
Soon, very soon, the empire would have a new breeding world. Thragg would ensure the Viltrumite race not only survived but thrived once more, becoming the dominant force in the universe as was their birthright.
A soft sound - barely perceptible even to his enhanced senses - drew Thragg's attention to the far end of the throne room.
The massive doors remained closed, yet somehow a figure now stood within the chamber.
A man of average height with dark, unruly hair and simple clothing strolled casually across the polished floor as if he were taking a leisurely walk through a garden rather than entering the most secure location on Viltrum without invitation or announcement.
"Nice place you've got here," the stranger commented, looking around appreciatively. "Very imposing.
The high ceilings, the dramatic lighting, the oversized throne - it all screams 'fear me, I'm important.' A bit theatrical for my taste, but effective, I suppose."
Thragg's eyes narrowed dangerously. No alarms had sounded. No guards had attempted to intercept. The stranger had simply... appeared.
"Who are you?" Thragg demanded, his voice cold and measured despite the rage already building within him. "How did you enter this chamber?"
The stranger continued his casual inspection of the room, running a finger along a decorative column and examining the dust - or lack thereof - with mild interest.
"The cleanliness is impressive," he remarked, ignoring Thragg's questions entirely. "Though I'd expect nothing less from a species so obsessed with perfection.
You know, there's an interesting irony in that - pursuing physical perfection only to be nearly wiped out by a microscopic virus. Almost poetic, wouldn't you say?"
Thragg rose from his throne, his massive frame casting a shadow across the chamber. "You will answer me, intruder, or you will die where you stand."
The stranger finally looked toward the throne, but rather than showing fear or even appropriate deference, he frowned slightly.
"You know, I don't particularly enjoy craning my neck to look up at people," he said conversationally. "It's uncomfortable. I prefer conversations on equal footing."
Before Thragg could respond, an invisible force slammed into him with the weight of a collapsing star.
His body, which had withstood the most devastating attacks from the mightiest warriors across the galaxy, was suddenly crushed downward with irresistible pressure.
The throne cracked beneath him, stone and metal giving way as Thragg was driven forward. He tumbled down the steps of the dais, his momentum halted only when he reached the stranger's feet.
The pressure continued, forcing his face against the cold floor, his cheek pressed into the polished stone with enough force to crack the material beneath him.
A boot came to rest on the back of his head, applying just enough pressure to emphasize the humiliation of his position.
"Much better," the stranger said pleasantly. "Now we can have a proper conversation."
Rage burned through Thragg's veins like molten metal. In thousands of years, no being had dared to treat him with such disrespect.
No force in the universe had ever brought him to his knees, let alone pressed his face into the ground like a common insect.
Yet despite his fury, something deeper and more primal was awakening within him - a sensation he had never experienced before. Fear.
"I know about your plans for Earth," the stranger continued, his voice still casual but with an underlying hardness that cut like a blade.
"Quite ambitious, really. Finding a genetically compatible species to rebuild your dwindling population. Very practical."
The boot pressed down slightly harder.
"Unfortunately for you, you've made a significant miscalculation. Earth isn't just some random planet ripe for conquest.
It's special. Some might even say it's God's favorite world. And such places tend to have... protectors."
Thragg attempted to gather his strength, to push back against the impossible pressure pinning him down.
His muscles strained to their limits, veins bulging across his forehead with effort - but he couldn't move a millimeter.
The stranger removed his foot and walked around Thragg's prone form, examining him with the detached interest one might show a particularly unusual specimen in a laboratory.
Then, to add further insult, the stranger casually sat down on Thragg's back, as if the Grand Regent of the Viltrumite Empire were nothing more than a convenient piece of furniture.
"Let me tell you what I know," the stranger said, making himself comfortable. "I know that the Scourge Virus reduced your population to less than fifty pure Viltrumites.
I know that you've been conquering worlds for millennia, all in the name of 'improvement' but really just to satisfy your species' pathological need to dominate."
He paused, as if considering his next words carefully.
"I know you sent Nolan - Omni-Man - to Earth as an advance scout. To infiltrate, evaluate, and prepare the planet for conquest.
And I know he's been there for quite some time, playing the role of hero while awaiting your orders."
The stranger leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone.
"What you don't know is that Nolan has failed. Spectacularly, I might add."
Something cold settled in Thragg's stomach at those words. Nolan was one of their best - a true believer in Viltrumite superiority, a warrior of unquestioned loyalty. If he had failed...
"He's dead, isn't he?" Thragg asked, his voice a low growl despite his humiliating position.
"Yes," the stranger replied. "The Nolan you know is indeed dead."
Thragg felt a pang of rage mixed with an unfamiliar sense of loss. Not for Nolan personally - Viltrumites did not form such attachments - but for what his death. Another pure Viltrumite lost when they could least afford it.
"Now," the stranger continued, his weight shifting slightly on Thragg's back, "I could kill you right now. It would be trivially easy.
I could destroy this planet, and in those same moments, eliminate every remaining Viltrumite scattered across the universe.
I could erase your entire species from existence before you could even register what was happening."
Thragg's mind raced. The stranger spoke with absolute certainty, as if describing the simplest of tasks.
And despite every instinct of pride and defiance that had been bred into him over millennia, Thragg found himself believing the threat.
"It would be justified," the stranger continued thoughtfully. "The atrocities your people have committed in the name of 'improvement' certainly warrant extinction. An eye for an eye, as they say."
He paused, and Thragg could feel the stranger's attention focused on him with unnerving intensity.
"But I've decided to give you a chance."
The pressure holding Thragg down eased slightly - not enough for him to move, but enough to indicate that the stranger was making a point.
"You see, I have children whom I care for deeply. They've experienced hardship, certainly - the cruelty of life in its various forms.
But they've never encountered anything quite like the Viltrumites. And I find myself curious about how they might handle such a challenge."
Thragg remained silent, processing the implications.
This being - whatever he was - was treating the potential conflict between his children and the mightiest warrior race in the universe as some sort of... educational experience?
"So here's what's going to happen," the stranger continued. "Viltrum can continue to exist. Your empire can continue its expansion - within certain parameters.
You will minimize innocent casualties in your conquests. You can still make your attempts on earth. But again, innocent casualties at a minimum."
Thragg finally spoke, unable to contain his question despite the danger. "And if we agree to these terms, we can still conquer other worlds? Continue our mission? Gain Earth upon fulfilling your demands?"
The stranger laughed - a sound that sent an involuntary shiver down Thragg's spine.
In a movement too fast to perceive, the stranger's hand shot out, grabbing the back of Thragg's head and pressing his face harder into the floor.
The stone beneath him cracked further, spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact.
"You still don't understand your position," the stranger said, his voice suddenly cold. "There is no negotiation here. No reward for good behavior. No carrot in this scenario, only the stick."
The pressure increased, and Thragg felt his skull straining against forces that defied comprehension.
"You obey, you continue to exist. You disobey, I erase the Viltrumite stain from the universe. It's very simple."
The stranger released his grip, allowing Thragg to breathe again.
"The choice is yours, Grand Regent. Though I suspect someone who has dedicated his life to the survival of his species won't have much difficulty making the rational decision."
Rage burned through Thragg's veins like fire. In thousands of years of life, no being had ever dared to speak to him this way, to treat him as inferior.
The very concept was anathema to everything he believed, everything that defined Viltrumite existence.
Yet beneath that rage, his mind was processing the situation with cold clarity. This being had appeared in the most secure location on Viltrum without triggering a single alarm.
He had incapacitated the strongest Viltrumite alive with seemingly no effort. He spoke of destroying an entire species across the universe simultaneously as if describing a trivial task.
The threat was credible. More than credible - it was certain.
For the first time in his long existence, Thragg faced a force he could not overcome through strength or will or strategy. A being who could, with a thought, undo everything he had worked to preserve.
The choice was indeed simple.
"I... understand," Thragg said, each word tasting like ash in his mouth. "The Viltrumite Empire will comply with your demands."
"Excellent," the stranger said, standing up and brushing imaginary dust from his simple clothing. "I knew you were reasonable."
The pressure holding Thragg down vanished completely, but he remained where he was, calculating the risks of movement.
"Oh, you can get up now," the stranger said with a casual wave of his hand. "Our business is concluded for the moment."
Slowly, with as much dignity as he could muster, Thragg rose to his feet. He towered over the stranger - a physical superiority that now meant absolutely nothing.
"You never answered my question," Thragg said, his voice carefully controlled. "Who are you?"
The stranger smiled - a warm, almost friendly expression that somehow made him even more terrifying.
"My name is Goku," he said simply. "Remember it well, because if we meet again, it will be under far less pleasant circumstances."
With a casual wave and that same unsettling smile, Goku vanished - not flying away or using any visible technology, but simply ceasing to exist in that space.
Thragg stood motionless in the destroyed throne room, his mind racing through implications and possibilities.
The ability to appear and disappear at will meant this being could be anywhere, at any time. Could be watching even now.
For the first time in his existence, the Grand Regent of the Viltrumite Empire found himself truly trapped.
Not by physical constraints or enemy forces, but by the simple, inescapable reality that a power beyond his comprehension had taken notice of his people - and found them wanting.
He would obey. To the letter. He would ensure the survival of his race by whatever means necessary, even if it meant abandoning Earth and accepting these new limitations.
But as he surveyed the damaged throne room - the physical manifestation of his humiliation - Thragg made another silent vow.
He would learn everything he could about this "Goku." About his powers and weaknesses - if any existed.
(Though he will forgo going after his children beyond the established parameters this 'Goku' has put, Thragg decided internally.
If this entire exercise was because of those very children, he did not wish to imagine what catastrophy would befall them if they were the ones he focused on using as leverage.
He won't till he is certain he has a way to kill this creature.)
And he would wait. Patiently. For as long as necessary.
Because while Viltrumites could be defeated, they never truly surrendered. They adapted. They evolved. They survived.
And eventually, they conquered.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter!
So, I already hinted at this with the whole mentorship Goku has going for his kids, so I hope this development doesn't feel too expected and boring, but yeah, Goku's gonna use Viltrum as his kids' training equipment.
Like a complex question on a exam.
He as Zamasu though different now isn't particulalry protective of innocents or whatever. Sure he sees now his genocides as wrong, but he is no hero.
He does what he wants, when he wants, and now since he loves his family, does what he believes is best for them.
He himself sees no responsibility on his part to protect anyone but who he himself cares for.
So yeah, do tell me how you found the chapter and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)