A/N: Final chapter. I want to thank everyone for all your reviews, favourites, and follows with this story; huge shout-outs to MeteorElDrago, MIinoka, and Blazing rage for your support, amongst others. Thank you.

Despondency clung to the air like a heavy veil; Baby Vegeta trudged through the ruins of his once-glorious citadel, his body in great agony from the beating he'd received from Mechikabura – such power terrified him and after witnessing the Demon Emperor demolish Black, the Tuffle quickly made his escape. He had no idea what he would do now…his empire was annihilated, his allies dead, and he was left alone, virtually waiting for death to come and find him. Any equipment he could use to escape this point in history was destroyed, trapping him here – with a weary sigh, Baby collapsed upon the remnants of his scorched throne, propped his face upon his fist and waited.

He didn't have to wait long.

Baby frowned. "Why won't you die?"

Black's lips twitched. "I wonder that myself, given the times I've cheated death recently. I suppose I simply refuse to let anyone kill me, no matter who they are."

"Mechikabura begs to differ. So, what do you want?"

"Your help, Baby."

The Tuffle snorted. Towa rolled her eyes. "We're wasting our time, Black."

"Your Demons annihilated everything I've worked so hard to build," Baby growled at the Time Witch. "And you're just an asshole who won't damn well die when he should," he tossed at Black. "And you want my help? If it's to fight Mechikabura, you can forget it; I'm not helping."

"Perhaps you're right," Black said to Towa. "He may wear the body of Vegeta, but he possesses none of the Saiyan's pride; just like all Tuffles, he's a coward."

Baby glared at the Saiyan-Kai. "I realise what you're trying to do, Black, but it won't work. He is too strong for all of us…and why the fuck is she wanting to kill him? Aren't they besties?"

"He took my daughter…I want her back," Towa replied.

"That's your problem, not mine. I'm not getting involved. Now piss off."

"If you don't help us, then it will become your problem when the Demon Realm takes over this universe," Black responded.

Baby cackled, his laugh hollow and defeated. "How can we beat him, Black? He is too powerful. I was lucky to escape from him alive."

"I can grant you some of my Demon God power," Towa offered. "It won't be enough, but it should help in the very least."

"Sounds great…and then what? Say we manage to defeat Mechikabura…what happens afterwards? We all go back to trying to kill each other?"

"Aside from Towa and Eikyu, I don't want any mortals present in my utopia," Black said. "But, if you help us, I can spare your life this once."

"I will even provide you with another timeline that you can inhabit…should you survive."

"Ohh, so thoughtful…that gives me great incentive."

Annoyed, Towa strode forth, tapped her staff on the ground and created the Energy Zone around Baby, healing his injuries. In the process, she also transferred a portion of her Demon God power to the Tuffle, enhancing his energy…leaving him surprised.

"There," the Time Witch said. "Is that better?"

"I'm going," Black announced, two fingers to his forehead; Towa claimed his offered hand. "Are you coming or not, Baby?"

"We're going to die anyway," the Tuffle said. "I suppose I'd rather die fighting."

He touched Towa's shoulder and the trio vanished from the ruins of the Tuffle Citadel.

-X-

Everything was complete and all that was needed now was a drop of his blood; Mechikabura nicked his finger and held it over the seal – a teardrop of blood formed and fell towards the seal – a ki blast vaporised the droplet and Mechikabura sighed, rising up from his kneeling position.

"You haven't learnt, have you?" he stated as he faced Black. "Your arrogance is astounding."

"The same could be said about you," Black responded.

"How did you get in here, by the way?" Towa appeared behind her grandfather in her Demon Goddess form and the Dark King smirked. "Of course…Towa…I'm disappointed in you."

"Tell me something new," she retorted.

"You will both die here, while your daughter helps me birth a beautiful new universe."

"Enough talk," Black growled, transforming into Super Saiyan Rosé. "We'll settle this now!"

Mechikabura pondered. "I only need a drop of my blood to unleash the Demon Realm, but I suppose I could spend a few minutes beating you into submission." A ki blast launched out of nowhere – the Dark King casually deflected it and Baby stepped out of the shadows, surrounded in an aura of dark demonic energy. "So, the parasite wishes to die as well…how quaint…very well, we shall get down to business."

Black lunged with the Rosé-blade and Baby fired the Reverse Shot – in the same flowing movement, the Dark King swept Black aside and cut down the magenta ki blasts; he fired an energy wave that Baby barely dodged in time, destroying a wall. Black teleported and slammed a kick to Mechikabura's head – he grabbed Black's leg and hurled him through the ceiling – Black ended up outside the castle and Mechikabura pursued, slashing away with the ōdachi.

"Where's your Ultra Instinct?" the Demon Emperor taunted as they crossed blades.

"Keep pushing me and you'll find out," Black growled, pushing away and landing atop a spire.

"Hmph, you'll be dead before that ever happens."

Baby flew up and fired the Revenge Final Flash – Mechikabura deflected the beam with the flat of his blade and lunged – Black intercepted with the Divine Retribution – Baby joined and launched a Big Bang Attack at point-blank range into Mechikabura's face. The Dark King punched Black away, then grabbed Baby by the throat and drove him into the side of the castle.

"You Tuffles are a cancer upon the universe," he said as he slowly strangled Baby. "There is no place for you here."

Black appeared, driving his knee into Mechikabura's head – the Dark King didn't flinch, but he hurled Baby into Black and blasted them with a dark energy wave. The pair tumbled out of the smoke cloud and together, they flew at the Dark King, unleashing a barrage of blows – Mechikabura dodged or deflected every strike – the Rosé-blade came into play once more and Black moved into Divine Lasso – as Mechikabura repelled the javelins with his ōdachi, Baby moved aside and fired the Galick Gun. The Dark King stopped the energy wave with one hand, eventually dispelling it.

"Your efforts are futile," Mechikabura stated. "There is absolutely no point in you trying to fight me at all; you are bound to lose in the end. Your only option is to embrace your fate."

"Never!" Black cried. "Kaio-ken times twenty!"

The brilliant red aura flared around his Rosé one and he blasted at Mechikabura, unleashing a flurry of slashes; Baby joined in, hurling punches and kicks – Mechikabura weaved around their fists and feet, only blocking when he needed to; the ōdachi glowed with energy and he created a shockwave that blasted the pair away. They charged, the Dark King retreated and he unleashed a huge blade of energy that sliced through the top spire of his castle. The spire tumbled and Mechikabura swiftly slashed the rubble to pieces, sending them towards Black and Baby. The former destroyed the crumbling parts with the Rosé-blade, Baby blasting his way through – Mechikabura suddenly appeared, whipping the ōdachi around dangerously. The Tuffle yelped, a cut appearing on his chest – Black took his place, clashing blades with the Dark King.

"Your end draws near, Goku Black…can you feel it?" Mechikabura smirked as he nonchalantly parried Black's blows. "A new dawn approaches, all thanks to your daughter…you should be proud."

"You will give her back to me!" Black snarled. Nearby, Baby ascended, gathering energy for the Revenge Death Ball.

"No, I don't think so," the Dark King replied and he parried Black's slash and kneed him in the gut, driving the air out of him. "This is the role she was born to play." He elbowed the winded Black on the back and the Saiyan-Kai crashed into the castle.

The Revenge Death Ball wasn't complete, but with Black out, Baby had no other choice or the time and he hurled it – Mechikabura sliced it in half, neutralising the devastating sphere. Baby immediately launched a barrage of ki blasts, hoping to smother Mechikabura with the bombardment – the Dark King appeared behind the unsuspecting Tuffle and ran him through with the ōdachi. Baby choked on his own blood and Mechikabura flicked him off the blade; he smashed through the castle and crash-landed at Black's feet, blood pooling beneath him.

"Get to him," Black told Towa. She nodded – and screamed when the ōdachi exited from her torso. "TOWA!"

Mechikabura tossed the Time Witch off his sword and blocked the Rosé-blade with a savage sneer. "That's two down already, Goku Black; you are all that's left and your death is imminent. I will allow you to die beside Towa, at least, a fitting end for the pair who helped birth the Demon Realm."

"I will destroy you," Black promised.

"Boy, you could never."

He grabbed Black by the hair, tossed him up and fired a stream of energy blades from the ōdachi – Black blocked with his energy blade, but the force of the blows punched him through the wreckage of the castle – Mechikabura appeared behind him and struck with a simple backhand – more of the castle crumbled due to Black's body. The ōdachi vanished and Mechikabura proceeded to bludgeon Black using his full strength, pin-balling him throughout the collapsing castle – Black attempted to fight back, his efforts in vain as the Dark King countered to devastating effect.

"What is the trigger?" Black wondered in desperation, his body bloodied and bruised from Mechikabura's assault. "How do I obtain Ultra Instinct again?"

The Dark King fired a ki blast – Black responded with a Warp Rosé Kamehameha – Mechikabura decked him in the gut; as Black recoiled from the pain, the Dark King grabbed him by the hair and drove him into the deepest floor of the castle. Black tried to get up, but Mechikabura stepped on his head and held him down.

"Have you realised the futility of your actions or are you too stubborn to understand?" the Dark King questioned as Black struggled beneath his boot. "My power is so great that only angels can stop me and there are no angels around…what hope do you have against me? You are miniscule, Goku Black, a simple pawn who has played his part and overstayed his welcome. Face it, you've lost; your daughter is mine, and your Tuffle friend and your whore are dead…accept your defeat and I will give you a noble death worthy of a lowly warrior."

"I refuse," Black growled. "I will not surrender to you…I will keep fighting to the very end."

"So be it."

Mechikabura flicked Black into the air with his foot, appeared behind him – and slammed a chop upon Black's neck and instantly rendered the Saiyan-Kai unconscious. His body tumbled towards the ground once more, crashing into a heap – Mechikabura shrugged his shoulders in disappointment as he landed beside Black's prone form and contemplated his next decision: should he kill Black now or should he wake Black so he could witness the revival of the Demon Realm?

Kill him.

The ōdachi appeared and Mechikabura swung it towards Black's skull – a flash of light, a burst of energy, and Black vanished. The Dark King frowned in confusion…and then he felt an intense heat bearing down on his back and he slowly turned around…Black was conscious, his eyes silver once more, surrounded by the silver aura – he surged towards Mechikabura, fist cocked – the Dark King stopped the blow with his palm, although he was surprised by the result. With a grin, Mechikabura reverse-gripped the ōdachi and slashed upwards, creating a wave of azure flames – Black was gone.

"Where did he go?" Mechikabura pondered – Black caught him with a Super God Fist. "Bastard!"

He smashed through a wall and quickly caught himself in time to avoid Black's Aura Slide – he slashed, Black vanished, and Mechikabura managed to block his kick. Black bounced off and charged in with a flurry of blows; Mechikabura found himself on the defensive, even though he was able to keep up with Black and block his punches, but he couldn't do much else, and it started to piss him off. He vanished from Black's assault and launched a series of energy waves from the ōdachi – Black weaved around them as he closed in – Mechikabura suddenly appeared and managed a land a blow against Black's chest with the surprise manoeuvre; he opened his hand and unleashed an energy wave that hurled Black across the Demon Realm.

Dimensional slashes emerged around Black, spewing streams of glass-like shards – Black darted away with nimble grace, as more formed around him, and he realised that Mechikabura was trying to restrict his movements; he countered that effort with a Black Kamehameha and the Dark King bisected the wave; Black slammed into him knee first – Mechikabura narrowly parried the strike. He swung the ōdachi and Black deflected with his Aura Slide, setting off a bladed battle.

The force of their blows rocked the entire Demon Realm as they clashed, creating flashes of energy that could be seen for miles. They battled with ferocity, matching each other blow for blow, unable to land a decisive hit – their battle shook the hellish dimension to its very foundations. With each passing millisecond, Mechikabura grew frustrated – he was stronger, yes, but the very nature of Black's Ultra Instinct, seemingly incomplete as it may be, enabled him to evade virtually everything the Dark King threw at him. He needed something, anything, to gain the edge and defeat his opponent; he knew that it was because of his arrogance, his belief that he was superior to Black, that dragged him to this moment, locked in battle against the Ultra Instinct technique.

The landscape around them was wrought by the intensity of their fight, their immense power too much for the realm to handle – Mechikabura parried Black's ki blade and caught him with a swift slash of his ōdachi and Black slammed into the side of a cliff; the Dark King immediately hammered him with a continuous stream of energy slashes, pinning Black against the rocks. The Saiyan-Kai defensively held his position, unable to move as the Dark King sought to overwhelm him via his immense speed and power.

Mechikabura kept up the barrage, hoping to break through Black's defences and flay him, whilst charging a ball of dark energy with his other hand to serve as the finishing blow. He was so absorbed in his efforts that he didn't notice the odd reflective flash within the stream of slashes – even though his body was guided by Ultra Instinct, there was a small cloud of confliction of Black's mind that hampered his full abilities. Pummelled by the bladed crescents, he began to let go of that doubt and trust in the Ultra Instinct and fight back against Mechikabura.

The Dark King noticed the flashes, representing Black's rising offensive, and he splayed his hand. "DIEEEEEE!" he screamed as he unleashed the Darkness Judgement.

The fully-powered energy wave smashed into the cliff and obliterated it with a massive explosion – a stream of pure silver energy blasted through the explosion with the intensity of an erupting star and Mechikabura gasped, his back burning from a colossal heat – the Demon Realm struggled to contain the vast galaxy-like energy that burst within its confines, shaking the realm to its core – Mechikabura fearfully turned around and his jaw dropped in horror, his eyes burning from the sight but he couldn't bring himself to look away.

A human-sized pillar composed of silver energy awaited him – Mechikabura, in horror, slashed frantically, but the ōdachi seemed to pass through the pillar without harm. In truth, the energy was moving so fast that it appeared to be still; with a shout, the Dark King attempted to run the energy through – the ōdachi got caught and Mechikabura watched on in terror as his ki sword was annihilated. He floated away in fear as the silver energy burst, finally revealing Goku Black.

His upper clothing disintegrated, unable to withstand his burning power; his silver eyes of cold steel fire, his hair now shimmering silver and refined, a brilliant aura of silver with fragments of blue and purple energy pulsating around him – a Halo exactly the same as Merged Zamasu emerged behind his shoulders and the Rosé-blade, now silver and purple, materialised upon his right hand.

"No," Mechikabura gasped. "No, it's not possible…IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

Black blinked. Mechikabura gasped, Black now behind him – and a thousand hits met their mark. Needles of energy were left in their wake and they detonated and Mechikabura screamed.

Black's speed and power…it could not be possible and yet it was: he had mastered Ultra Instinct.

Black and Mechikabura faced each other – a burst of power – the Dark King smashed against another cliff-face on the other side of the Demon Realm, his mind unable to process Black's newfound power, reeling to keep up – blades of purple energy rained down from Black's Halo and pierced Mechikabura and the Demon Realm came alive with a resulting detonation.

"He can't win…I cannot let him win!" Mechikabura thought with rage. Fear gave way to fury and he roared as he utilised every single drop of his immense power, creating another ki ōdachi, as his dark aura burst to life around him. Black charged.

The blades slammed against each other and the surrounding area was annihilated by the resulting clash of power.

The seal cracked under the pressure.

Dimensional slashes emerged around the combating warriors, disgorging the razor-sharp shards – Black didn't even appear to be dodging as he moved through the streams, ripping energy waves of his own. Mechikabura slashed – Black punched him and the Dark King was rocketed across the Demon Realm from the incalculable power.

Mechikabura launched a stream of ki from each finger on his free hand, stretching far and wide – Black flew through the beams unhindered and kicked the Dark King in the gut – he sliced, and with a mighty swing, Black shattered the ōdachi once more. Infuriated, Mechikabura lashed out with his fists, imbued with his energy.

Black dodged. And retaliated.

Mechikabura narrowly avoided the blade and sliced his hand skywards, creating a crescent blade of energy – Black evaded and lightning bolts stabbed at the Dark King.

They hurled blows and blasts at each other, the intensity of their fight generating a vortex that demolished anything around them and destabilising the seal that kept the Demon Realm contained.

Black lunged – Mechikabura slashed his hand – Black twisted under the Dark King's fist – and cut his torso. Mechikabura responded with a powerful energy wave that Black blocked, although he was propelled away by the force.

The Dark King raised his hand to the sky – a portal of hellish energy emerged and rained down a storm of energy arrows, covering a vast area and destroying anything they touched – Black flew through the storm – and cracked Mechikabura in the jaw.

A hundred hits followed before Mechikabura could even react, blasting him away.

The Dark King spammed energy wave after energy wave, trying to catch Black off-guard; Black skated atop each blasts as he closed the gap. He leapt off the final blast and lunged with the Rosé-blade – Mechikabura swung his energy-coated fist, creating a devastating explosion from the impact.

The seal shattered from the force, despite its distance from the battle.

No longer confined, the Demon Realm poured into the universe, spreading like a plague and corrupting anything in its path.

Black slashed the Rosé-blade and launched the javelins of the Divine Lasso – Mechikabura cut into the dimension to swallow the needles and he returned them via another dimensional tear – Black smashed him with a Super God Fist – Mechikabura was driven across the barren wasteland, slammed into a mountain and it shattered when the force of the blow caught up to Black's speed.

"You will give me back my daughter!" Black bellowed for the first time, flaring his intense aura.

Mechikabura whirled around – Black struck him again and again with rapid movements, each charge landing a hundred hits fuelled by Black's rage. The Dark King was helpless against the punishing assault, as Black punched him with a kiai, followed by a rapid onslaught of kiais. Finally, Black impaled Mechikabura with the Blades of Judgement, piling on the punishment with the detonation.

In agony and left panting heavily from the brutal attack, Mechikabura focused his energy into his hand, creating a massive sphere of dark energy – Black creamed him with a Supreme Black Kamehameha Wave. Severely weakened, the Dark King couldn't find the strength to stand and ultimately collapsed to his knees, unable to do a thing as Black approached.

Black punched his fist into Mechikabura's chest, his other fist plunging deep into the Dark King's stomach – Mechikabura screamed, as Black pulled his hands free, extracting a large cocoon of energy that he cradled as the light crumbled to reveal an unconscious Eikyu. With the considerable loss of his power, Mechikabura reverted to his youthful form and gulped woozily, struggling to maintain his consciousness as Black tenderly set Eikyu down and approached again, this time with the Rosé-blade.

Black raised the ki sword.

And screamed in absolute agony as the strain of the Mastered Ultra Instinct took its toll of his body – there was a vicious spray of blood that spewed from his back and black bolts of lightning energy caused him to convulse, his hair and eyes losing the silver sheen. Black crumbled to the ground, still screaming until the effects finally wore off and the Dark King had to wonder if his opponent had been killed by the mystical technique – Black sucked in a rattling breath, dispersing the Dark King's thoughts. Wearily, Mechikabura forced himself to his feet and staggered to the comatose Black, creating another ōdachi with the remnants of his energy.

"A worthy death for a worthy opponent. You gave me one hell of a fight, Goku Black, but in the end, I have proven to be the victor," the Dark King spoke as he raised the ōdachi. "Farewell, Saiyan, for your death births a new era."

He brought the ōdachi down – the blade stopped an inch from Black's throat. Mechikabura frowned, restrained by an unknown force that kept him from landing the finishing blow – a familiar power made its presence known and Mechikabura looked to it, everything making sense now.

He was frozen in time.

In her Time Unleashed form, Chronoa hovered before him, a graceful smirk on her face. Mechikabura mentally cursed her, infuriated by her presence. At that moment, a freshly-healed Towa appeared beside Black and she quickly checked him over, before noticing their daughter nearby and she moved to her offspring's side, checking her vitals.

"Today is not your day, I'm afraid," Chronoa spoke to Mechikabura. "Your dream will not come to fruition…I hope you are used to disappointment, for you will experience it for eternity."

Towa grabbed Eikyu and Black and warped them through space and time. Using her vast power and complete control over time, along with her immense magical knowledge, Chronoa captured the escaping Demon Realm in the bonds of time, freezing the dimension – and then she banished the entire realm, all occupants included along with Mechikabura and even herself, into the Time Labyrinth, effectively saving the universe from the Demon Realm's corruption.

Unfortunately, despite the Demon Realm being banished from the confines of the time stream, its effects weren't reversed, leaving the universe partially damaged.

-X-

The warm energy seeped into Black's body and slowly brought him out of his coma; he shielded his eyes against the brightness of the world, his body aching despite being healed and he moved to sit up. Hands touched and guided him and he looked at Towa, unable to help a small smile at her.

"How many times have I cheated death now?" he inquired.

"Only because I've been there to save your ass," Towa retorted. "I'd hate to think what would happen if I wasn't around…perhaps my life would be simple and stress-free…and I wouldn't have lost everything…well, perhaps not everything."

Black followed her line of sight and saw Eikyu sitting nearby, her back to her parents; she was hunched over, her arms on her raised knees. "Child," Black called out and Eikyu looked at him. "Come here." She walked over as he stood, supported by the Time Witch; he stared at his daughter, seeing Towa reflected back at him, but also seeing faint traces of himself. "The three of us will become the foundation of a new world; Mechikabura is gone and that allows us to rebuild without him breathing down our necks…unless you prefer to go elsewhere, in which case, I will not begrudge you for your decision."

Towa contemplated that proposal. "No…no, I think I will stay…our utopia will flourish, especially with Chronoa out of the way as well; we will be unhindered and should we be opposed, you have Ultra Instinct."

"Hm," Black replied. "I am unsure about that…I have no idea how to consciously tap into that power…and it damn near killed me...alas, there is no threat who would require such an extreme measure and so, I am not concerned. I have already proven my strength and dominance."

"So, that's it now?" Eikyu asked. "We're one big happy family creating our new empire?"

"Does that bother you?" Towa questioned.

"You trained me for a year to kill my father and now that doesn't matter anymore?"

"Do you still want to kill me?" Black asked. "Or would you rather join me in my new universe?"

The hybrid pondered her decision; despite the negative portrayals of her father and her training, she'd witnessed how he had protected her in battle and even rescued her from within Mechikabura (she was going to have nightmares for years). "I guess you aren't so bad after all," she stated. "And I have nothing better to do, soooo, I can hang around…until you guys get boring."

Black sniffed at her attitude; at least she had made the right decision. A small part of him wondered if he had made the right decision by allying with a Demon to create his vision; he reasoned that it didn't ultimately matter – Towa had proven herself with the birth of Eikyu and her assistance in battle…her intelligence and cunning would prove beneficial in the time to come as they established their utopia of pure beauty.

Mechikabura was gone.

Chronoa was gone.

This was his time now. This was the start of his new era – the universe would be reborn in his image, free from the pollution of mortals, just like he'd always envisioned. Black glanced at Towa by his side and he clasped Eikyu on the shoulder.

No-one could oppose them now.

A/N: Does it seem like I pulled MUI outta my ass? In a way, yes, and it was something I wanted for the final battle: MUI Black vs Perfected Mechikabura. I do feel like the execution is meh, but that's me personally; I do feel like it's rushed; at the same time, I didn't want to unnecessarily drag the story out for longer than what it should be. Either way, that's it, it's all done now. Thank you everyone, I hope you've enjoyed it.

Until next time.