As Karaen returned to the Watchtower, her pace quickened, making her way straight to the briefing room. A few Leaguers gave her curious looks—none of them recognized the uniquely dressed woman, but she paid them no mind.

In the briefing room, she found Batman working at the console. He barely glanced at her before returning his focus to the screen. "You're back ten minutes ahead of schedule," he noted. "What happened?"

Karaen's expression tightened with focus. "I sensed two huge power surges on Earth, brief but distinct," she said, approaching the terminal. "Computer, access satellite telemetry from the last ten minutes. Scan for anomalous energy signatures across all spectrums. Cross-reference with historical baselines. Triangulate the source and isolate any residual energy patterns," she commanded, her eyes narrowing in anticipation.

The computer whirred into action, and within seconds, the screen was filled with data. Martian Manhunter, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. "The computer would've flagged anything significant and alerted us—" he started, but the machine cut him off.

"[Energy fluctuation detected. Threat assessment: Negative. Identified sources: Son Gohan, Superman. Recalibrating... Threat confirmed: Doomsday. Anomalous energy signature detected. Two additional lifeform fluctuations: minor. Location: Planet Earth. Analyzing further...]"

The room went silent as the data continued to process. A 3D model of Earth appeared on the screen, rotating slowly.

"You can't be serious..." Karaen groaned, the computer had a picture of earth.

"Energy concentration located," the computer chimed in, as if it could hear her dissatisfaction. The virtual planet zoomed in, centering on North America.

Karaen sighed. "Figures it'd be there."

Batman's fingers flew across the keys. "That matches with what Oliver warned us about." His eyes narrowed as classified documents filled the screen—marked with the name Project Apex Sentinel.

"Bio-engineered weapons," Batman explained. "Clones made from the DNA of Superman and Gohan. We thought we had more time—their project deadline wasn't for another two years."

"Clones? Great." Karaen crossed her arms. "The energy I sensed felt stronger than Gohan's when he fought Darkseid. If these clones are already that powerful, we're in trouble."

Manhunter frowned. "The Watchtower didn't pick up anything extreme. The readings were normal."

"That's because it wasn't regular ki," Batman interrupted. "It was divine energy. Mortal sensors don't pick up on it easily, but divine ki—well, only those trained or attuned to it can sense it."

Karaen nodded in agreement. "Gohan mentioned this before. Mortal ki is easy to sense, but divine ki is different—hidden from anyone who's not a deity or trained by one. That's how I could feel it all the way out in deep space."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Batman turned to her. "I've been trying to quantify divine energy, but it's proven... tricky," he admitted.

"Once Kara goes to train with Gohan, I think I'll send Superman along too," he explained as Karaen nodded. "He has been saying he wants to start training,"

"We need to be as prepared as possible for any upcoming threats," Batman finished.

In the Time Nest.

Chronoa approached Gohan, who was seated with a solemn expression on his face. Circe opted to remain in her own corner, while Strix stood with Diana as Vermont tapped Gohan with his staff.

"I do not detect any spells that could potentially harm you or Diana," Vermont explained, having already healed himself from his battle with Merno.

Gohan nodded, though his fist was clenched. "You weren't joking when you said he was strong..." Vermont could only nod in agreement.

"And let us not forget that was a clone," Circe reminded. She wasn't too far away, but her comment drew their attention to her, snapping her back to reality. Flinching, she apologized. "Sorry," she muttered. 'This is why the gods shunned you. You can't shut up,' she chastised herself, expecting a verbal lashing for speaking out of turn. To her surprise, Gohan just nodded.

"No... you're right. The best we could manage was a scratch, and that was purely from Trunks's effort alone." Gohan felt the weight of his failure crushing him. "But when the time came... my energy just dissipated, as if it was teleported away from me," Gohan mused in frustration.

"We definitely could have restrained him if my Dragon Fist hadn't failed to activate," Gohan surmised, but Chronoa shook her head as she joined the conversation.

"Perhaps, but that wouldn't have meant much. We restrained Merno's clone almost as soon as our battle began, and in the end, that meant nothing," she explained, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"Although, maybe it's a good thing," she added, drawing everyone's attention.

"Good?" Gohan questioned.

"Yes. It's no mystery that you have incredible latent potential, Lord Gohan. If Merno came for you, it means he knows about you and wanted to remove you before you could become a problem. Across time, many individuals have learned to gauge their enemies' potential, draw it out, and crush it to prove their superiority," she explained before nodding slightly.

"The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. The two previous Destroyers he killed were particularly promising as well. Perhaps, in a few hundred thousand years, they could have grown beyond even Lord Ramton," she added, reflecting on the power climb of countless warriors.

"But you, Lord Gohan, have reached the average strength of a Destroyer God within a few years, which is unheard of," Chronoa continued. Gohan grimaced.

"I might have climbed that high, but if there's any truth to what Merno said, it's that I'm too reliant on my transformations and techniques. I need to focus on getting stronger overall... I've pushed my Saiyan genetics as far as they can go, and I've mastered divine techniques, but..." Gohan knew deep down that he hadn't fully confronted his Energy of Destruction either.

"Maybe I could ask Beerus for some pointers," Gohan muttered to himself as Ramton approached him.

"Do not let that angel cloud your mind with doubt. True, your base power may not stand out, but your command of divine techniques is remarkable—aside from your control over Destruction. Your mind, body, and spirit aren't fully aligned with it. You barely touch the surface of its potential, and yet, even that surpasses what many gods achieve in a lifetime. You are already among the strongest Destroyers because of your mastery of divinity. If you fully embrace your role and power as a Destroyer, you will understand the true depth of Destruction's strength. It is only as powerful as the one who wields it—enough to challenge even angels," Ramton advised.