Zagraeus laughed as Jiren winced in pain; colliding with one of the energy beams that they were trapped within. "I told you that Shougen could handle her." He proudly remarked, catching Jiren's punch with a cocky smirk plastered across his face. "I was wrong, I admit that. But tell me; where is he now?" Jiren asked, motioning with his head to the side. Raising an eyebrow, Zagraeus changed his attention towards the giant hole in the arena that Broly was currently starring into. "Impossible!" Zagraeus gasped; his right eye twitching in shock. "Perhaps he would have fared better if you had been their to assist him. Instead, you wasted time trying to prove your strength to me." Jiren remarked, watching Zagraeus carefully as he clenched his fist tightly.
Looking from side to side as the beams began to dissipate, Jiren crossed his arms. "This is my fault, I've wasted to much time. It's time to get serious." Zagraeus announced as he stared at his shaking fist.
Seeing Goku land next to Broly, Jiren shook his head as Zagraeus growled. "Kakarot!" Jiren sighed, turning to look towards Zagraeus as he spoke Goku's name.
Without leaving Jiren a chance to retaliate, Zagraeus punched him in the face, sending him sliding towards the edge of the platform that they stood upon. "Sleep." Zagraeus ordered as he copied Jiren's attack from earlier; leaving Jiren in a state of shock when Zagraeus appeared inches infront of him with a red energy ball In his hand. Glaring at him, Zagraeus pushed the energy sphere into Jiren's chest, lifting him off the ground.
For the first time for most of the warriors present, the sound of Jiren's pain filled screams silenced the entire null realm.
Every fighter, both still in the fight and on the stands alike; stared, completely shocked as Jiren became the victim of his own attack. As the attack ended, a large explosion rocked the stage as everyone continued to stare, expecting Jiren to stand completely unharmed.
Everyone gasped in surprise when they saw Jiren laying motionless on the ground.
Looking down at his handy work, Zagraeus's normal Stern and serious expression and disposition returned.
Without a word Zagraeus landed and grabbed Goku by his hair, tossing him aside before glaring at Broly. "I would like to help. I want to continue our fight." Broly stated, sighing in relief when Zagraeus looked away from him. "Fine, but try anything funny and you'll never fight anyone again." Zagraeus ordered as he looked into the hole. "Shougen! You down there?!" Zagraeus called, kneeling next to Sakura who was still sitting against a rock. "Zagraeus? That you? Get me the hell out of here!" Nodding, Zagraeus looked up towards Aoia. "He's alright, let's give him a hand!" He stated as Vegeta looked from Zagraeus to Aoia.
As Aoia nodded at Zagraeus's words, Vegeta scowled when Aoia glared at him. "Round two of our encounter will have to be postponed, my teammates require my assistance." Aoia explained as she walked past Vegeta who watched her with growing anger. "Oh no you don't." He scoffed, following her.
Zagraeus glared at Vegeta when he landed next to Aoia. "I have no interest in you right now. Walk away, before you give me a reason to." Zagraeus stated as Vegeta swiftly changed his attention to Goku who had landed with his head half imbedded in a rock. "Kakarot!?" Vegeta gasped as he ran towards him.
"Shouldn't they be taking advantage of this situation?" Champa asked, looking at Berrus. "I believe that it is a good idea to wait; Goku still has yet to regain his full strength. Using this short window of time in an opportune way to regain stamina would be beneficial for both Goku and Vegeta. Besides, we all know that Goku and Vegeta would choose to wait until either Shougen has been rescued or eliminated before attacking." Whis explained, shaking his head. "These dammed Saiyan's are going to be the end of me." Berrus admitted, sighing as he shook his head."
Looking up at Zagraeus, Aoia tilted her head. "How are we going to retrieve him?" She asked as she began to scan the ground below her. "I was hoping, you'd know." Zagraeus admitted, chuckling nervously. "Can you guys shut the hell up and focus! I can feel the ground moving." "well, maybe you should stop eating so much." Zagraeus joked as he leaned himself down into the hole. "Damn it! it's to deep, can you use your other sword to climb out?" Zagraeus asked as Shougen groaned in reply. "I lost it." Shougen replied, causing Zagraeus to shake his head. "How do lose something that big?" Broly asked, visibly confused until Kukei's voice echoed from above. "It's up here, he must have tried to use it to climb out before he dropped it!" She called, waving it in the air. "I thought about doing, but when I grabbed my other sword the ground broke. I guess I must have put to much weight on one side." "Well that's just great! Just my luck that the biggest guy we have gets stuck in the hole!" Zagraeus complained, receiving groans from Shougen in response. "Zagraeus!" "Sorry, any ideas?" Zagraeus asked, looking from Broly to Aoia. "We have to be very cautious about what our next actions may be." Zagraeus's eyes narrowed in confusion at her words. "Why?" "What Shougen stated is true, the ground beneath us is slowly being pulled towards him." "So we need to act fast before Shougen pulls down the rest of the stage with him?" Broly asked, flinching slightly when Sakura fell against his back, her ears flopping over his shoulders.
Nodding, Aoia glanced at Goku and Vegeta. "Precisely." Aoia answered, leaving her teammates to debate about their next plan of action.
Pulling Goku's head from the rock, Vegeta sighed. "Are you alright?" Vegeta asked, pushing him to the ground when he laughed. "I'm okay, thanks Vegeta." Goku thanked, taking a deep breath as he sat next to the rock. "So, their trying to save Shougen?" Goku asked, rubbing his neck. "Seems like it." Vegeta replied, crossing his arms. "You're not going to attack them?" Goku asked, flinching when Vegeta growled at him. "Are you serious? What kind of warrior do you take me for? Attacking when their not even prepared for it. I'll wait until their ready and then I'll take them all out by myself." Vegeta stated, scowling as Goku shook his head. "Alright." He simply replied, watching as they stared in the hole.
"I know what to do." Sakura stated as she used Broly's arm as a wall to lean against. "What is it?" Zagraeus asked, crossing his arms sternly as Broly repositioned himself to steady her still wobbling body. "He's to far down to grab right now, but if I use my ears as a slingshot and push him back up here, you and Broly can grab him and pull him up." Sakura explained pointing at Zagraeus. "You do realize that this maneuver will result in your elimination." Aoia responded as she scanned her. "Your strength and stamina is at its limit, if you attempt this; you will have no chance of recovery." Sakura smiled at Aoia's hard to understand concern. "I know that, I don't have anything left in me anyway. At least by doing this, someone who can still actually fight will be back in the tournament. I would just hold you guys back like this."
Hearing his words, Zagraeus sighed, realizing that she was right. "If this is what you want to do, I won't stop you." Zagraeus stated as Sakura giggled at Broly's worried eyes. "Shougen has saved us so many times, it kinda feels weird to be the one saving him." "That it does." Zagraeus agreed, gasping when the ground beneath them shook. "What the hell are you doing up there!? Hurry it up!" Shougen ordered as Aoia nodded in agreement. "He is correct, Shougen's massive body weight is beginning to pull the ground towards him." "Alright, didn't have to say it like that." Shogen grumbled as Sakura and Zagraeus laughed. "There is no point in sugar coating the obvious, brother." Drago admitted, landing alongside Merus and Merrick, walking up next to the hole as Merus and Merrick ran over to Vegeta and Goku.
As Drago gazed into the hole, Shougen groaned as Broly and Sakura stepped next to Zagraeus. Closing her eyes, Sakura patted Broly's arm. "Thanks for letting me lean on you big guy." She thanked as Broly nodded, a large smile on his face. "Ready?" Sakura asked, turning towards Zagraeus, Drago and Aoia; waiting for their confirmation. "Are you prepared brother?" Drago asked, looking down at him as Aoia took Sakura's hand in hers. "Allow me to assist you." Aoia stated as a humming noise escaped from her nose, a faint blue glow beginning to emit from her hand. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side as Shougen growled once more. "Whatever your gonna do, hurry it up!" He ordered as Drago tutted his tongue. "Patience is a virtue, you know." He stated, smiling when Shougen groaned in annoyance. "For once in your life; can you just shut up?" Shougen asked, groaning when Drago chuckled. "Well, as much joy as it would bring to you, I am afraid that I must to deny your request." Drago replied as Aoia released Sakura's hand. "There, I have shared some of my energy with you, we can only succeed by working together." "Right." Sakura agreed as she pulled Aoia into a hug, letting a slight smirk stretch across her face. "Sakura, let's go!" Zagraeus called as he took his place, on his knees next to Broly.
Joining them, both Sakura and Aoia shared a glance and nodded as Drago stepped to the side. "Whenever you're ready." Broly stated as Sakura took her place between him and Zagraeus. "On three; one, two... Three!" Sakura called as she dove head first into the hole.
Shougen gasped when Sakura began to plummet toward him, squinting in confusion when she rolled backward, wrapping her ears around his ankles as she passed him. Shougen grunted as the ground shifted once more towards him. "What the hell are you doing!?" He yelled, looking down to see Sakura, speeding back up towards him. "Let go!" She cried as she planted her feet against his. Following her orders, he gasped when a jolt of power fired him up towards the mouth of the hole.
Grabbing his extended hands, both Zagraeus and Broly groaned as they pulled him out. "Happy now?" Drago asked, wiping dirt from him when Shougen shook himself like a giant dog. "No thanks to you." Shougen critiqued, casually slapping Zagraeus and Broly on the back, causing them to stumble forward, almost falling into the hole himself if not for Broly catching him. "We should move, quickly!" Aoia ordered, grabbing Shougen and Drago by the hands, pulling them along. Both Zagraeus and Broly gasping when the ground quaked beneath their feet. Looking at each other, they both began to run after Shougen and the others, forgetting momentarily that that were enemies as the ground began to cave in. Spurring Broly to scoop Zagraeus into his arms as he began to run faster when the ground beneath them began to cave in. Scooping Drago and Aoia into his arms; Shougen vaulted onto a floating rock next to Broly, sighing in relief when an entire quarter of the stage collapsed into the void. "Thanks." Zagraeus mumbled, leaping out of Broly's arms when he saw Jiren join Goku and the others. "I must thank you for your assistance, that was quite the combination of quick thinking and fleet footwork." Aoia praised, causing Shougen to rub his head and blush. "Do not let that go to your head, remember; this is a serious situation." Drago ordered, as Shougen growled. "Don't tell me what to do." Shougen retorted, crossing his arms sternly. "Sakura of the 13th has been eliminated, 12 fighters remain." The Grand Priests announced as Sakura appeared next to Fleur. "Are you alright?" Fleur asked, gently nudging her. "Yeah, I'm good, but I think I need new shoes." she replied, laughing when she held up her feet, the remnants of her shoes falling from them, revealing her brown rabbit paws. "The hell?" Ronin asked, picking up one of the scraps; only for it to fall to ash in his grasp. "That was cool." "Yes, everyone worked together, that was nice." The Zeno's announced as they smiled.
Drago jumped when Shougen's second sword fell directly in front of him, driving itself halfway into the arena. "Would you kindly stop forcing your belongings onto others? Namely me." Drago asked, pulling the sword from the ground. "Deal with it" Shougen replied, slapping his arm at him.
Scowling, Drago tossed it over the side. "When we return home; I swear. "What're you gonna do? Nag me to death?" Shougen asked, resulting in muttered words from Drago as Aoia covered his mouth. "Are you done arguing with your husband yet?" Zagraeus asked, causing Shougen to look at him in confusion. "I don't have a husband, I have a... Wait a minute!" Shougen yelled, realizing what Zagraeus meant. "There is no time for this foolishness." Aoia ordered as Merrick, Goku, Jiren, Vegeta, Merus and Broly lined up across from them. "Aoia; finish Jiren, Shougen; handle your friend, Drago; take the kid… The Angel, Kakarot and his annoying boyfriend are mine." Shougen clenched his fist and grumbled when Zagraeus gave him orders, following them nonetheless.
Strutting towards their opponents, the remaining four members of Universe 13 glared at them with a newfound fire burning inside of them, the unquenchable fury of Universe 13.
Stepping up to Broly, Shougen smiled. "It's nice to have friends sometimes." He admitted, receiving a nod from Broly as he took a fighting stance before charging at him.
Glaring at Goku, Zagraeus clenched his fist. "Time to die, Kakarot." "No you don't!" Yamcha roared as he landed behind him. "Who are you supposed to be?" Zagraeus asked, turning to look at Yamcha. "I'm the one that eliminated your friend; Hiromi. Now, it's your turn." Yamcha stated as Zagraeus chuckled. "So what? You beat Hiromi and you suddenly think that you can beat me?" Zagraeus asked as he shook his head, mocking him. "I'll tell you what, I'll give one free shot, so you better make it count." Zagraeus announced, taking a deep breath. "So come on, try something." Zagraeus mocked, motioning with his finger for Yamcha to come forward.
Scowling, Yamcha leapt into the air, punching him in the face, smirking when Zagraeus recoiled slightly as he tilted backward.
Zagraeus hummed as Yamcha hovered, held aloft by his fist pressed firmly against Zagraeus's cheek. "Thanks, that kinks been killing me all week. That's what I get for falling asleep when playing tea party with Shougen's brats." Zagraeus explained as Yamcha leapt backward. "You showed me some of your power. So, let me show you some of mine." Zagraeus stated as he rose his hand in the air before snapping his fingers.
Everyone gasped when Yamcha began to spasm, crying out in pain before an explosion rocked the stage, sending him flying from the edge. "Yamcha of the 7th has been eliminated, 11 fighters remain." The Grand Priest announced as Yamcha appeared next to 17. "Damn it." Yamcha muttered, shaking his head as Berrus chuckled. "Don't be too hard on yourself, you did better than I thought you would. Ultra Instinct is difficult on the body… You were able to reach the first stage of it. Be proud of that, that's something only a few people will ever achieve. You did your best, just leave the rest to Goku and Vegeta." He admitted, smirking when Yamcha nodded in agreement.
"Were up next." Vegeta stated, powering up, a pale green aura surrounding him. "Vegeta?" Goku gasped, seeing Vegeta's new and surprising transformation. Merus took a deep breath as a pale white aura surrounded him. "We do not have time for idle chit chat Goku." Merus stated as Goku nodded. "Right." He agreed taking a deep breath as he regained Ultra Instinct. Seeing this, Zagraeus smiled before charging at them.
Both Merrick and Drago stared at each other for a moment before either one chose to move, scanning the other very carefully to try and find a hidden weakness. "So, now it's you and me." Merrick stated, placing his hands in his pockets. "So it would seem." Drago agreed, nodding his head as he cracked his neck. "Shall we?" He asked as he took his sword in hand. "I guess. If I don't, Caulifla will yell at me again." Merrick replied, glancing up at her. "Is that so? Well than, let us begin." He stated as he held out his hand toward Merrick, smiling as he fired hundreds of small fire balls toward him.
"I will be your opponent now." Aoia announced, her eyes turning yellow as she began to scan Jiren. Looking slyly at her, he turned to walk away. "Give me a reason to fight you." He stated, gasping when Aoia appeared infront of him.
Removing her hands with her underarms, she smiled and released a powerful energy attack from her wrists, clouding him from view.
The bodies of both, Goku and Vegeta shuttered every time Zagraeus's heavy fists collided with them. "Kakarot!" "Way ahead of you!" Goku quickly replied as they both jumped to the sides of Zagraeus, allowing Merus to release a flurry of punches so quick that they seemed invisible. "Final Flash!" "Kamehameha!" Zagraeus scowled when Merus jumped to the side, laughing when he saw that both Saiyan's had released large and powerful energy beams toward him. Shaking his head, Zagraeus held out his arms, his fists clenched tightly, a large smile plastered across his face. He began to laugh when their attacks neared him.
Everyone's eyes shot open in complete shock when their attack's were absorbed into Zagraeus's fists. "What the hell?" Berrus asked, staring at Zagraeus in shock as the spikes on his knuckles glowed a bright red. "How did he do that?" Gohan asked, looking at Piccolo when he hummed. "Perhaps he possesses the ability to absorb energy like Morro like Moro." "So energy absorption exists in your Universe as well?" Peiri asked, looking at Piccolo.
Not receiving any answer, she turned back to the fight. Just in time to see Zagraeus teleport infront of Vegeta, his fist pushed tightly against his chest. "You can have this back if you'd like." Zagraeus smirked as he spoke, sending him flying when a energy beam; identical to Vegeta's Final flash shot from his fist.
Turning his attention to Goku, Zagraeus laughed. "No where to run now, Kakarot." "Who's running." Goku replied, a strange seriousness to his demeanor as Merus landed next to him.
Not waiting for them to attack first, Zagraeus charged at him, assaulting them with heavy blows.
Aoia watched Zagraeus's onslaught until the smoke from her attack cleared, revealing Jiren standing, starring at her. "You have made your point." Jiren stated, clenching his fist as he began to power up, regaining his red aura. "It seems as though, holding back will not be required, nor recommend for this encounter." Aoia stated, as she replaced her hands. "I won't hold back either." Jiren replied, smirking when Aoia appeared behind him.
Without turning around, he blocked Aoia's punch with one of his own. The energy between them, resulting in a massive explosion, clouding then from view.
Before the explosion had time to subside, Aoia and Jiren began to rocket across the stage at such a rapid pace; they could only be seen momentarily when their fists connected, destroying any nearby debris that happened to be next to them.
Watching this display of strength, Peiri rose to her feet. "I didn't know that Aoia was capable of such tremendous power and speed." "Sturan is a genius, never underestimate his capabilities." Ronin stated, pride in his voice, crossing his arms as he spoke.
Glancing at 17 and 18, Berrus crossed his arms. "She's a machine like you; why is she so much more advanced?" He asked, narrowing his gaze when they looked at him. "We were never built for situations like this. We were built for the sole purpose of killing Goku. Though we may be leagues stronger and faster than we were before, we are still limited by the bodies we have." 17 explained, crossing his arms. "17 is a lot stronger than I was before but he cant make himself as strong as he'd like because of his body. If he tried to, his body would fall apart. Theirs nothing synthetic about her, she is completely robotic; it is a lot easier to upgrade her capabilities thanks to that." 18 explained, crossing her legs as everyone looked back to the fight.
"This is amazing." "Yes, it is very amazing." The Zeno's cheered, watching as Aoia and Jiren rocketed across the arena, giggling every time they destroyed something.
Jiren began to chuckle when he forced Aoia through a rock, only for her to easily catch his follow up punch. "I have to admit, I underestimated you. You are more powerful than I thought and much more capable then you look." Jiren admitted. "Do not worry about minor discrepancies such as those, my Master foresaw that making my visage as innocent and unthreatening as possible would give me an edge in battle." Aoia explained, a small smile on her face. "I see." Jiren replied, looking down at the girl and chuckling.
In perfect synchronicity they both pulled back their other arms and punched the others fist, resulting in another barrage of powerful punches being traded between them.
Jiren's eye snapped to the side when Merus yelled, being carried across the arena by a blue energy blast, similar to Goku's Kamehameha while Zagraeus laughed maniacally, charging after him with both Goku and Vegeta trailing behind.
Watching them, Jiren was distracted long enough for Aoia to deliver a powerful punch to his face, sending him crashing through three large rocks.
Before she could react, Jiren appeared behind her and punched her in the back of the head, sending her crashing through a opening in the arena.
Landing on a small rock under the arena, Aoia smiled. Looking down at her, Jiren smiled as well, raising his hands over his head. "Your strength is admirable, but so is mine." He stated as a red ball began to form. Aoia hummed in interest as she watched Jiren's attack continue to grow until it was almost as big as Goku's spirit bomb. "What the hell is that?" Shougen asked as both him and Broly looked up at the attack in a daze while Zagraeus continued to attack Goku, Merus and Vegeta.
Taking a deep breath, Jiren launched his attack towards Aoia as her eye began to glow orange, analyzing both Jiren and his attack.
Raising her arms, she grit her teeth as the attack reached her, her hands pressing against the pure power of Jiren's attack as it began to push her backwards, her eyes bulging when the back of her left foot reached the edge of the small platform. "It's over." Jiren announced, tilting his head when Aoia began to scream as she began to push the attack back, taking a step forward.
Everyone watched in shock as she began to yell even louder as a large white light appeared, pulsating from within the attack. Speechless, Jiren watched as his attack imploded. "How?" He asked, crossing his arms as Aoia sighed. "I used a small containment field that Master had created to contain your attack so that I could bring it back to the lab for him to run analyze. Little did I expect your attack to be so powerful that it would completely overload it." Aoia explained as Jiren smirked, shaking his head. "Any other tricks you haven't shown yet?" Jiren asked as Aoia tutted and waggled her finger. "Telling you would spoil the surprise, would it not?" She asked, fixing her boots while she spoke.
Jiren waited patiently until Aoia returned to the stage before charging at her and starting another rapid fire session of attacks as they flew across the arena, taking turns forcing each other through rocks.
Blocking Merrick's kick with his sword, Drago smirked. "You will find Siegfried a much tougher obstacle than Tinkamenia's gloves." Drago stated as he forced the Tuffle back. "I can see that." Merrick replied, wincing when something pushed him forward.
Looking behind him, Merrick scoffed when he saw a clone of Drago's engulfed in a strange cosmic aura. "What the, can he use Ultra Instinct?" Berrus asked, looking over at Peiri. "No, using Siegfried's power; Drago can create clones of himself that act on their own. Maybe it's the power of Talos that lies within the blade that's causing his clones to have the aura." Peiri explained, crossing her arms as she looked back down at the fight.
Looking around himself, Merrick grit his teeth when Drago's laughter surrounded him as five more clones formed, surrounding him completely as the real Drago held his sword in the air. "What is this?" Merrick asked, shaking his head in annoyance. "This is the might of my lord: the all father; Talos. We strike you down so that our people may live. We strike you down; not for hate, not for jealousy or for ill. We strike you down for the people that look to the sky's in hope that Talos will guide them through another day unscathed. We are the guardians of peace. We are the righteous hand of Talos's wrath… We shall defeat you, for we are many." Drago announced as his clones charged alongside him into battle.
"That is cool." "I know. For we are many. Hahaha." "So funny, but so cool too." The Zeno's stated as they laughed.
Assaulting Merus with a barrage of punches, Zagraeus smiled before dashing backwards just as Goku attempted to punch him in the face. Zagraeus's hearty laughter echoed across the null realm as Goku punched Merus in the face. "All this power and your still so foolish." He critiqued as he released a massive pink energy wave from his hand; sending Merus crashing to the ground.
Zagraeus continued to laugh as he grabbed Goku by the hair, stunning Vegeta with a savage kick the moment he appeared behind him. "You two are pathetic; you call yourselves warriors, yet our children are more capable than you. My daughter would have killed you herself if Jiren had refrained from playing the hero." Zagraeus stated as he kneed Goku in the chest, delighting in the pain filled screams. "And you, the mighty Vegeta; I thought that someone with as much bravado as you would be a worthy foe, but you were brought to your knees by Aoia. If this is the best that the Saiyan race has to offer. I think it would've been better if you had gone extinct. Toppo said something earlier that fits this situation quite nicely. "Trash belongs in the trash." I think it was. It was a waste of my time to come here. There had to be some mistake, Master Zamasu must have seen it wrong… There is no way that you could have killed my mother. If you don't intend to show me the power you held when you used your spirit bomb attack, Kakarot. Than you are of no more use to me." Zagraeus ranted, dropping them.
As both Saiyan's fell limp, weak and hopeless, Zagraeus turned around, smiling when he saw that Merus had returned. "You are one of Talos's kind aren't you? You must have been holding back for their sake. I will warn you, it is unwise to test me." Zagraeus ordered as Merus smiled. "Is that so? Than I suppose I have to go all out." Merus replied as he steadied himself, covering himself in a pure white aura, the ground quaking under their feet.
The Zeno's leaned forward in their thrones as Merus's power rose. "This is awesome, he's really strong." "I know, but do you think he can beat Zagraeus?" "I don't know, but this is exciting." They stated, laughing when a large explosion rocked the stage.
Everyone's eyes shot up into the sky when a rapid string of shockwaves rocked the entire realm every time their fists connected. "Incredible, I never thought there would be someone to give Zagraeus an actual fight." Peiri stated as Berrus smiled. "Were not gonna go down that easily." Berrus announced, looking up at Merus as Whis glanced at him. "Is something bothering you my lord?" He asked as Berrus began to grind his teeth. "Zagraeus is so far out of our league, the others cant tell but I know that Zagraeus is simply toying with them. What are we supposed to do against something like this?" He asked, making sure that no one else overheard. "We must simply believe in Goku and Vegeta." Whis replied, sighing when Berrus shook his head. "Those idiotic Saiyan's are going to be the death of me." He mumbled before looking back at the fight.
Both Broly and Shougen punched the other in the face, wincing as a huge smile covered both of their faces. "I haven't had this much fun during a fight in a long time." Shougen admitted, wiping sweat from his bald head. "I didn't know that fighting could be fun." Broly admitted, removing his armor, Rubbing his neck as he threw it to the ground. "That armor is nice but it's hell on the shoulders, I have respect for Vegeta for being able to wear it for so long." Smiling, Shougen crossed his arms. "I have only ever worn armor once, wearing armor is for the weak. I prove my strength by taking every attack with my body instead of having something to protecting me." He explained as Broly shook his head and smiled. "You are a strange man, Shougen." Broly stated as Shougen cracked his knuckles. "I've been told that a lot over the years, I've also fought a lot of people, only a handful have ever beaten me. Listen, I know you're holding back. I want you to show me your full power, I want to test myself against someone like you. But only if you're willing to put everything on the line." "Aren't we already putting everything on the line with this tournament?" Broly asked, genuinely confused. "Fair, but I still want to test your full power." Shougen's attitude became more strict as he repeated himself. "Fine, but I have to work my way up to it." Broly agreed as he planted his feet and began to yell, his hair returning to a pale green color as his body grew again. "Are you ready?" Broly asked, watching as Shogen shook in anticipation. "I won't now until I try." He admitted as he charged toward Broly.
Shougen gasped in shock when Broly caught his punch and retaliated with one of his own. Back stepping slightly, Shogen grasped his face as blood dropped from it. Laughing, he removed his hands to reveal his nose, twisted in an unnatural way, blood dripping from it. "No way! He broke Masters nose with a single punch!?" Kukei gasped in complete disbelief. "We're not as weak as you thought, huh?" Champa bragged grunting when Peiri began to laugh. "Don't let it go to your head, if a broken nose was enough to stop Onii, we would have been dead years ago. It just caught me by surprise that Broly could actually give him a worthy fight, that's it." Peiri explained, smirking when Champa began to mumble.
Turning her gaze back towards Shougen as he cracked his nose back into place, wincing when her voice echoed from above. "You better not make me look like a fool after defending you, you hear me!?" She asked, shaking her fist at him. Shaking his head, he rolled his eye. "I got this, just stop bothering me!" He ordered before Looking back at Broly, a huge, ecstatic smile spread across his face. "Now this is the power I wanted to see!" He cheered, charging headlong at Broly once more.
Catching Broly's punch, Shougen smirked as he spun on his heels, driving his elbow into Broly's chest. Releasing Broly's fist, he assaulted Broly with multiple punches, chuckling when Broly recoiled with every strike. Before Broly could react, he quickly grabbed Broly by the face, slamming his own head into his, stunning him completely.
Shougen's hearty laugh echoed across the null realm as Broly recoiled, grasping his head, his teeth grit tightly in pain. "What is your head made of?" Broly asked, rubbing the point of impact. "Well, I guess it helps sometimes to have a solid steel plating around my skull." Shougen admitted, knocking on his own head. "That was unexpected." Broly stated, shaking his head. "Hey, are you okay?" Shougen asked as Broly winced again. "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied before Shougen's fist slammed into his stomach.
Lifting him into the air, Shougen laughed as he slammed Broly's back onto his shoulders before slamming him into the ground. "Wow, I didn't expect that." Broly admitted as he rose to his feet, gasping when Shougen slammed a giant rock into him before releasing another barrage of powerful punches to him.
Jiren took a step back from Aoia, taking a deep breath as he clenched his fist. "I suppose robots don't need to rest, do they?" He asked as he stared at her. "Not true, even artificial life forms like me have to rest, or our bodies will seize up and lock our movement." Hearing her reply, Jiren squinted; not fully understanding her. "Unlike you, I am made of processors, cogs and circuit boards; with to much strain over time, they will short circuit and burn out, rendering me unable to move." Nodding, Jiren crossed his arms. "Unlucky for you though, that this body still has much more stamina then yours." Aoia stated, smirking as she spoke.
Holding out her arm towards him, Aoia smirked, quickly shooting her fist at him. Shaking his head, Jiren caught it; inches before it impacted his face. "Really?" He asked as an innocent giggle escaped Aoia as she appeared behind him. "As I have learned over the years; sometimes the most simple of tricks end up being the most effective." She explained, unleashing a powerful energy blast to his back from her wrist.
At the same time, flames shot from her wrist, shooting it forward once more. Jiren grunted when it caught him off-guard, allowing it to impact his face; leaving a red mark at the point of impact.
Before he could react, Aoia reattached her hand before putting all 10 fingers in her mouth, biting down on them. Aoia smiled when she removed her hands, the tips of all ten fingers remaining inside her mouth.
Turning around, Jiren looked at her confused. "Ake his." she muttered, her voice muffled by her fingers as she rose her hands toward him, she fiired ten small energy beams from them.
Jiren gasped and jumped away from her when the energy beams began to cut straight through the stage, wincing when one hit his leg, burning the inside of his left thigh. "What is she doing? She's not even aiming at Jiren." Belmond asked, watching Jiren intently as he dodged her attacks. "Look, she's leading him." Berrus replied, pointing at them.
Looking down, they all saw that by dodging Aoia's attack; Jiren was being expertly led to a single section of the arena. The stands and the Zeno's fell completely silent as they watched Aoia and Jiren, still unaware of the full intentions of Aoia's plan.
Landing on a small area of the arena that Aoia's attack had yet to touch, Jiren sighed, narrowing his gaze when Aoia laughed as she halted her attack, reattaching her fingers.
Before anyone had the chance to react, Jiren gasped and crossed his arms as Aoia appeared above him. "Hyper drive mode activated." She announced as flames burst from her boots, propelling her forward.
Wrapping her arms around Jiren, they crashed through the arena. The spectators gasping for different reasons as they watched both warriors fall to their eliminations. The Zeno's laughing when an energy blast flew from under the arena and curved itself to perfectly impact Jiren's back, bringing them back up to the arena. "What was that?" "I don't know, but that was cool." "Yes, whoever did that is a good friend." They agreed as Jiren and Aoia reached the safety of the arena.
With his serious demeanor returning, Jiren manipulated Aoia's rocket propulsion to twist himself in the air, slamming her face into the ground. As Aoia's rockets pushed them across the stage, Jiren forced Aoia's face further into the ground; creating a ditch as they flew across the stage. "Shougen, I am nearing your location. I require assistance." As Aoia spoke, Jiren scowled as he punched her in the face; understanding that he was flying into a trap.
Glancing to the side, Shougen saw a dust cloud rocketing towards them, smiling as he caught Broly's punch. Looking directly into Broly's eyes Shougen smiled. "I'm ready when you are." He stated as Broly shook his head. "We will arrive in roughly 15 seconds." Aoia stated, her voice echoing from his amulet.
Narrowing his gaze, Broly gasped when Shogen grabbed his arm and spun in a circle. "Let go, now!" Using him as a bat, Shougen smashed Jiren just as Aoia released her grip; sending both Jiren and Broly flying as Shougen grabbed Aoia's extended arm, halting her movement. "I appreciate your assistance." She thanked, patting his chest as she waggled her feet, trying to extinguish the flames that were still shooting from the souls of her boots.
Licking his hand, he placed it over both boots, completely extinguishing the flames. "You good?" He asked, lowering her to the ground. "I attempted to eliminate Jiren by using myself as fodder, yet I still failed." She admitted as Shougen placed his hand on her head. "How did you get back up here anyway?" He asked as Aoia pointed into the distance. "The ones known as Goku and Vegeta still remain. It would seem that they are almost as selfless as you." She stated as Broly and Jiren returned.
Zagraeus chuckled when he caught Merus's punch. "I expected more." He mocked, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "Not very strong for an Angel, are you?" Zagraeus asked, smiling when Merus scowled. "I may not be as strong as I once was, but I am still a warrior of the 7th Universe." Merus stated, vanishing.
Shaking his head, Zagraeus rose his right arm next to his head, slamming his knuckles into Merus's face the moment he appeared. Closing his eyes, Zagraeus chuckled before quickly spinning around, slamming his knee into Merus's stomach. Watching as Merus gasped in a combination of fear and shock, Zagraeus laughed when he slammed his elbow into the back of Merus's neck. "Take this." He stated, placing his fist against Merus's back, the spikes on his knuckles glowing a bright red before firing a blue beam identical to Goku's Kamehameha; carrying him into the arena, causing it to quake on impact.
Goku sighed as Vegeta crossed his arms, a large, disappointed expression plastered on his face. "All right, Jiren is still in the fight." He stated as Vegeta grumbled, putting his hand in his pocket, taking a deep breath as he pulled out two red Potara's. "Kakarot." Vegeta ordered, tossing one to him.
Catching it, Goku looked from the earing back to him in complete shock. "Where did you get them? These are different from the ones we used when we fought Zamasu?" Goku asked, holding it up. "Merus gave them to me." Tilting his head, he squinted at Vegeta. "But didn't Gowasu tell us that it's only permanent if a supreme Kai was involved. It didn't last very long against Zamasu and we're a lot stronger than we were back then… will we really be able to beat him in the time we have?" Grumbling, Vegeta equipped the earing and sternly crossed his arms. "These red Potara's are different, according to Merus they will fuse any two beings together forever. It doesn't matter if we aren't Kai's." Hearing Vegeta's explanation, Goku gasped. "Wait, you want to fuse together?" Goku asked, genuinely confused. "It's the only chance we've got Kakarot, don't play dumb with me! If we go out there again; were finished! And Merus wont last much longer." Vegeta yelled at him, causing Goku to flinch. "Are you sure about this? Forever is a pretty long time." He stated, causing Vegeta to clench his fist in anger. "One more word Kakarot and I'll crush them!" "Alright! Alright, you don't have to shout at me." Goku complained as he equipped the earing, laughing while Vegeta scowled as they were pulled toward each other.