The Tournaments Continues...
Kuzuku and 21 were both trying their hardest to search for Goku's Ki in hopes of instant transmissioning directing to him to save time. 17 watched the two, confused at what they were trying to do but before the couple could essentially get a read on his Ki, Goku had already beat them to the punch and teleported before they could. The took notice of this, noting to themselves that they still weren't as good as Goku when it comes to instant transmission. Though, that thought was instantly snapped when they saw Goku nearly collapsing to the ground. Kuzuku rushed over quickly and caught Goku before he could fall, knowing that using that technique probably took it's toll on whatever was left in him. The hero of Earth looked at Kuzuku with one eyelid open and gave him a weak smile, "Thanks, I didn't expect instant transmission to take the last of my stamina but it was at least worth it.". Kuzuku shook his head and grinned as well.
"Don't sweat, besides, you were simply incredible out there. You gave us a scare but still, achieving something that even the gods couldn't reach is an achievement in of itself," Kuzuku complimented.
Goku chuckled a bit but groan from doing so, yet he couldn't help but keep that smirk on his face, "Thank you again, Kuzuku. I don't really know how I transformed into...uh, what was it again?".
21 giggled at his denseness and answered his question before anyone could, "It's called Ultra Instinct.".
"Right, I'm gonna have to figure out how to transform into Ultra Instinct again in order to fight Jiren again," Goku admitted, his face now slightly serious.
Kuzuku nodded in agreement alongside with 21, "You're right about that one. But first we gotta get you healed up.".
"Yeah, though it might take me sometime for me to heal you and just for your information, you won't be running around at full strength, most likely not even seventy percent judging by the damage sustained," 21 warned, walking over to Goku as she prepared to heal him.
The Saiyan nodded, taking her warning to heart, "Alright, but no need to worry about my power output. I'll be able to recover my stamina as long as I am able to move and by sometime. I can use Super Saiyan God to speed up the process if am backed into a corner.". Kuzuku's worries were about to be flushed down the toilet at how well things were going so far, though, he couldn't help but notice the sounds of battle from afar. He looked over in it's direction, noticing that it was indeed Jiren who was fighting someone else. He checked to see if anyone else could sense it as well, getting his answer immediately as he noticed Goku and 21 looking in the same direction. The only one to not notice was 17 who couldn't really sense energy but he could feel the tension in the air to know something was going on.
"It's Hit, he's most likely fighting Jiren right now...," Goku said.
"Can he win? His time-skip is rather difficult to counter after seeing him use it in battle a few times," Kuzuku asked, hoping that the assassin would take Jiren down somehow.
Goku shook his head, "I don't know but after fighting Jiren one on one, he'll most likely go down if he slips up for even a second. There's also the danger that despite me gaining that unknown power, I could still tell that Jiren was merely holding back a bunch of his power. We've barely even begun to see what he can do.". Kuzuku gulped from that statement but soon relaxed. He quickly turned around and picked up on something that was approaching them.
"Alright then 17, I need you to take 21 and Goku somewhere else so she could finish healing him. If you're going to watch Hit's fight, make sure you find a spot that's safe and try to avoid confrontations," Kuzuku insisted.
17 nodded, "You can count on it, but why though?". The android's question was answered right then and there as he saw someone walking towards them. He wore a black spandex shirt along with black Gi pants with a white belt. His sky blue buckled boots were fastened tightly, and over his outfit was a sleeveless brown vest that was buttoned enough to only show his abs. His black padded gauntlets extended just past his forearm. The new warrior's hair was slightly wild and long enough for some of it to drape over his shoulders with four short bangs covering parts of his forehead. His narrow eyes that matched with boots were slit like a cat and he had a small beard on his chin. He appeared to even have light-gray skin with noticeable small fur. 17 looked over to Kuzuku who was now completely serious: he could tell this guy was someone not to take likely and that's saying something. 17 looked over to 21, signaling her that it was time to go. She nodded and helped Goku up from the ground and onto his feet. Before she could follow 17, she heard Kuzuku call out to her.
"21!" Kuzuku shouted, gaining her attention. 21 paused, turning to see what her husband wanted.
Kuzuku glared at the new fighter, "I know that after healing Goku you'll be exhausted due to the vast difference in power. Try not to push yourself after that, okay?". 21's eyes widened, before giving him an assuring look.
"You got it, please be careful dear," 21 said before taking off with 17, leaving her husband to deal with this new threat. Kuzuku smirked to himself, ready to take on this new adversary head on.
"Understood...," Kuzuku muttered at the sight of the warrior stopping. The two faced off with no one around to intervene. Kuzuku could feel the pressure this guy was emitting, though it wasn't as thick as Jiren it was enough to keep him on guard.
"I assume you thought that you could somehow take advantage of Goku's vulnerable state and knock him off before we could even sense you?" Kuzuku asked, already figuring out what this guys plan may be.
"That's right, but I wouldn't have been satisfied with knocking him off that way but that would make my job easier. He isn't the only one that everyone in this tournament was after," He admitted. Kuzuku already knew what he meant by that and took a stance immediately. It was obvious to him not only did Kuzuku reveal that Goku was stronger than him back at the Expo, he also displayed power that was rather impressive. He was pretty much deemed a threat at that point and it didn't help that before the tournament started, he emitted some of his true power after getting all excited. He was pretty much targeted right from the start. The man folded his hand into a fist and brought it in front of his face, his eyes displaying a ferocity that Kuzuku had never seen before.
"Kuzuku Ayoma! I'll be your opponent from here! I'll be the one to pave a path for universe 4's victory, Stark Civen!" Stark proclaimed, generating a powerful gale of white Ki with a blue outline. Kuzuku covered his eyes from the strong winds as he tried his hardest to stay on his feet. Zugo from afar noticed this similar Ki, his eyes dilating from the mere pressure.
"What in the hell? This Ki is unbelievable! How did someone this strong go unnoticed until now!?" Zugo exclaimed with worry. Meanwhile, Quitela was snickering to himself at the power generated from his warrior and beside him was Vyrian who didn't looked surprised.
His hands were folded as they were placed in front of his mouth, "To be honest, we were suppose to conceal him for last but I guess it couldn't be helped." Vyrian looked over to Hudo and Zugo who were shocked by Stark's strength and he couldn't blame them. His eyes then turned towards Kuzuku who was still standing before his might, his eyes still filled with the will to fight.
"Zugo, Hudo, you're friend will have to be on his toes from here. The person he's fighting here is probably the strongest universe 4 fighter in existence. I can confidently say that he's even stronger than me...," Vyrian muttered.
Meanwhile with Hit and Jiren...
"Graaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!"
Hit screamed as he was dealt another blow that sent him through a rock or two. He flipped onto his feet, coming to a full stop as he got ready for his opponent's next attack. Just as expected, Jiren had already closed the distance and appeared right before him with another punch ready to send him flying even further. Hit hissed, using his time skip to avoid the blow and move behind the gray warrior. For a moment, it looked as if Jiren didn't notice but the assassin noticed the sign of reaction and used his ability to get some distance. Guessing correctly resulted in Jiren missing a side-chop aimed presumably at Hit's neck. The universe 11 warrior saw Hit had already jumped away, though he didn't quite sense any movements in the air.
"So this is the legendary assassin's Time-Skip? Interesting...," Jiren muttered, now realizing how Hit was evading his seemingly heavy attacks. Champa was caught snickering cockily at how well his ace was holding his own against Jiren.
"Heheheheh! It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't get pass Hit's Time-Skip! Now knock him off, Hit!" Champa cheered loudly, displaying is bad manners in front of others. Hit stood up on his own two feet and took a stance, his hands balled up into a fist with one closely defending his right side. Immediately, the assassin used his Time-Skip once more, this time to take the offensive by closing the distance and throwing a jab at Jiren's face. However, the gray warrior quickly dodged the punch once the time-skip had expired. Hit's eye's widened before he was dealt a painful counter-punch to the face that made him stumble back a bit. Before he could have a chance to chase him down, Hit used his Time-Skip as well as his speed to maneuver behind his target with another fist ready but just like last time, Jiren was able to read his intentions again, flipping over his punch and kicking him in the back of his head. The assassin most certainly felt that one, stunned a little by the damage from that kick but regardless, he was ready to use his Time-Skip once again but before he could, Jiren was already throwing a onslaught of punches. With no other options, Hit crossed his arms to shield himself from a direct hit. Hit could feel his arms grow numb with each time Jiren's fist connected.
Jiren gave him a frown at his persistence and ended his assault with powerful front kick that broke the assassin's guard. Hit flew back a bit but used his Time-Skip in hopes of catching him off guard through deception. Though, it was proven futile yet again as Jiren turned around and decked him in the face, causing him to disappear again. The gray warrior's eyes moved to the very spot Hit would show himself, spinning around and reverse kicking the assassin in his ribs. Hit grunted, clutching his ribs after that attack before he was suddenly grabbed by the face. Jiren practically dragged Jiren through the air after leaping towards a domino of rocks that were lined up perfectly. Forcefully, he rammed the assassin throw them, gaining some loud groans of pain before coming out of the last rock with his palm still gripping on his face. Jiren then threw Hit onto the top of another rock with a flat surface, causing him to bounce on top of it before stomping down on his stomach with both feet, causing the structure to be completely destroyed. For a second, Jiren had though he ended it with that attack just like he thought with Goku until he noticed that Hit was no longer beneath him. Before he could touch ground, he noticed Hit was coming from his side, kicking him across the face in which he saw him use Time-Skip again. Jiren huffed, "It's useless...". The very moment he said that, dodged the punch from above and grabbed Hit's arm, throwing him over his shoulder. The assassin landed on his feet, disappearing once again with his Time-Skip to avoid being stomped on. Jiren quickly foresaw this, immediately landing a back fist directly on his jaw.
"Tch!" Hit hissed, using his Time-Skip yet again. Jiren caught him again with another kick to the opposite ribs, earning some gags before he used his technique again. The gray warrior was beginning to grow old of the same attack over and over again, turning around quickly and punching Hit dead in his chest. He coughed uncontrollably as he was sent hurling into a rock, the impact creating a shockwave that swept away some dirt. Jiren stood firmly, not moving an inch until Hit makes another pointless move.
Champa's mouth was as wide as it can get, "Are you kidding me? Why is Jiren able to know where Hit is going attack from?! Isn't his Time-Skip suppose to make him undetectable?!". Vados thought for a moment in order to answer her lord's question.
"If I had to guess, Jiren didn't just adjust to Hit's movements but also his ability known as Time-Skip. Somehow, Jiren is able to sense Hit's movements and attacks despite them being in a separate space," Vados answered. Coincidentally, the audience from universe 7 heard this clearly and couldn't believe how ridiculous this guy can be.
"Tch, what a complete monster. He's literally out of this world that it's not even funny!" Zugo grumbled.
"No kidding, it's like this guy is a walking cheat code," Hudo commented.
Piccolo crossed his arms, though his initial expression is stern he is still baffled by Jiren's capabilities, "But why does Hit continue to use something that he knows that doesn't work?".
"Perhaps it's because it's the only thing keeping him in the ring...," Whis unconditionally replied, gaining the attention of the three eliminated fighters.
Whis placed his staff on his lap and explained, "If you think about it, Hit has been gathering information through fighting his opponent and learning their habits in hopes of getting an opening for the perfect time to strike. At the same time, Hit has avoided detrimental blows that would of knocked him off a while ago thus buying him some time so he can find that opening that he desperately needs.".
"So the real question is, how long can he hold out?" Beerus muttered.
Jiren, saw the assassin free himself from the rubble and fall onto his feet. He gave him a questioning glare before sensing another battle from afar. Hit noticed this and looked towards where Jiren was looking, "Hmph, focusing on someone else's battle rather than the one in front of you?". Jiren darted his eyes at the assassin's comment.
"Don't you worry, assassin. You'll be dealt with in due time. I'm just curious as to where this other power came from, that's all," Jiren replied.
Hit raised a eyebrow, not sure as to what he was talking about. Sure, the two powers are enormous enough to give him trouble but the overall statement showed that Jiren had expected one of them to be this strong, "What could you mean by that?".
"It doesn't really concern you, especially in the situation you are in. But, let me indulge you before I knock you off. You should of been aware that there was another Saiyan, a rather young one who is strong enough to pose a possible threat just as the other two. But there is currently a power that stayed hidden that I was not aware of, probably because he's been masking it until now," Jiren explained.
Hit smirked an bit, "Are you worried? You don't seem like someone to be distracted by something as trivial as that,". Jiren crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"Worried? Why should I be? As far as I have seen, no one in this tournament stands a chance against me. Now, it's time that I escort you off the stage...," Jiren replied, his tone serious and his eyes revealed to be narrowed.
Meanwhile, somewhere with Goku...
Goku leaned his back steadily against a wall as he watched 21 heal him. They were surrounded by rubble which concealed their presence from enemy fighters. 17, who really didn't mind at all, was keeping watch nearby for anyone approaching. The hero of Earth took a glance at 21's expression, noticing that her face was filled with worry while sweat was beginning to fall down her face. He could only assume that not only is she concern for her husband but healing him to even a suitable amount of strength was going to take a toll a lot faster then it should. Goku smiled a bit and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up to see what he wanted, "You're really that worried about Kuzuku, aren't ya? He'll be find, he's strong enough to even rival me.". 21 smiled weakly, appreciating the tender comfort a little.
"Thank you, Goku. Hearing that means a lot," 21 said, gratitude in her voice.
Goku chuckled lightly until he turned a bit serious, "But...I do get why you'd be worried. This power is not only one to be excited about but also intense.". 21 nodded, not denying that statement at all and continued to focus on healing Goku in the meantime.
Now, with Kuzuku and his fight
"Whoa, too close!" Kuzuku panicked, ducking under a punch aimed towards his face. The Saiyan saw a kick coming from below and weaved to the side to avoid it, unaware of the fact that it was just a decoy. This lead him wide open for a low kick to his legs, sweeping his feet off the ground completely. Kuzuku worried for a moment and grimaced when he saw another fist coming straight towards him. Quickly, he placed his hands together to block the punch, the force sending him flying through several rocks before he came to a stop once his feet found ground again. He looked at his hands to see them to be shaking from the blow, indicating that his punches were no joke at all. The Saiyan didn't have much time to complain when as soon as he looked up, Stark was already chasing him down. Kuzuku scrunched his eyebrows and turned straight into Super Saiyan 2 in order to brush of the next punch to the side. As he allowed Stark to pass by, Kuzuku leaped backwards to launch a few Ki blasts at his back. The universe 4 fighter turned around as soon as they were nearly approaching. His face showed zero signs of worry and extended one finger out and muttered.
"Rinkaku Arts: First King's Radiance, Primary Flash Cannon!"
In an instant, a large and stable energy wave that matched the color of his ki, shot right out of the tip of his fingers and consumed the blasts fired from the Saiyan. Kuzuku's eyes widened before dodging it completely by fast falling on a rock. He looked behind him to watch the wave explode in mid-air, it's force shaking the arena effortlessly. He was left in shock, the thought of that attack landing giving him some shivers on his back. He turned his glare at Stark who seemed to be still, probably thinking of ways to take Kuzuku down.
Kuzuku began to think, "Okay, looks like this guy is more dangerous than I thought. I should've guessed it by that display of Ki earlier but still...". Stark placed his finger down and stared at the Saiyan, waiting for him to make a move.
"That attack was way too powerful for him to be standing there without any signs of fatigue. There has to be a secret to...huh?" Kuzuku's thoughts stopped immediately when all of a sudden, he lost sight of Stark. His brain went into a frenzy of panic for a moment until he felt a hand placed firmly to the side of his skull. His eyes slowly darted to his right to see Stark glaring at him calmly.
The words that came out of Stark's mouth were almost in slow motion, "Rinkaku Arts: Second King's Radiance, Impact Burst!". In a split second, Kuzuku felt a energy pulse bang itself against his head, his ears ringing as he was flown through several pieces of rubble. He groaned loudly before crashing into one last pile of debris like a car colliding into a wall with numerous piles of rocks tumble down on top of him in the process. Stark landed back on his feet and waited patiently until instantly, Kuzuku shot out of the smoke, closing the distance between them just enough to throw another punch. Stark closed his eyes and placed his hands in his pockets, swiftly kicking Kuzuku in the stomach hard enough to not only knock the air out of him but also disperse the dust around them. The Saiyan gagged before he was delivered a quick punch to his stomach that sent him rocketing into the pile again. Stark placed his hand back in his pocket and stared, looking a tad bit unimpressed.
"Uraggh...," Kuzuku groaned, moving a piece of rubble of himself. He noticed Stark standing there with his expression unchanging. From that fact alone, Kuzuku forced himself out of the rubble and dashed out of the pile, only to stop a few feet away from his opponent. He dusted himself off before looking at him dead in the eye.
"I can see that you aren't really serious yet...," Kuzuku noted, knowing it was such an obvious assumption based on his facial expression.
Stark merely gave him a taunting gesture, " Honestly, not even close to it yet. At least give me some resistance before I defeat you.". Kuzuku smirked at that comment, his Gi that was hanging over his waste blowing due to the wind while he undershirt of was a tad bit scratched.
"Alright, then how about I turn up the heat!" Kuzuku shouted, raising his hands into the air before forcefully bringing them to his waste. Instantly, he transformed into his evolved Super Saiyan 3 state, breaking the ground beneath him with his immense pressure. The same creamy-yellow ki with the white particles danced in silhouette to the greenish lightning that has now been added. Kuzuku's now Super Saiyan 4 like eyes never took its eyes off it's target who now seemed more intrigue with the fight.
The Saiyan's cracked his knuckles before taking a stance, "Is this what you asked for?". Stark didn't say a word and nodded, taking the unfamiliar ferocity that was now part of Kuzuku's aura seriously.
"Alright, then don't blame me if I hurt you...!" Kuzuku warned, dash past Stark's defenses. The universe 4 warrior's delayed reaction was long enough for him to plant a afterimage for which when he realized Kuzuku was gone, he turned around to throw a kick which completely phased through it. Left in shock, Stark didn't see the kick that would soon slam itself into his head, sending him hurling throw several rocks before flipping himself onto his feet. He looked up to see Kuzuku coming at him in a zigzag motion. Quickly, he formed his hand into a karate chop and swung downwards.
"Rinkaku Arts: Third King's Radiance: Radiating Slicers!" Stark roared, unleashing three energy slice that vibrated at immense speeds. Kuzuku's eyes widened at the amount of attacks he had to deal with, only to quickly evade two of them while placing a Ki blast on the side of the last one in order to cause it to explode: resulting in a cloud of debris to form and conceal his presence. This didn't help much as it was clearly visible that Stark could still track his movements through the smoke, quickly turning around and deflecting his surprise punch to the side while throwing a kick in the process. The Saiyan saw this coming, ducking under his leg in order to counter with a Ki blast from below, however, Stark manage to regain ground and grab his hand before he could fire. Kuzuku looked up, meeting him eye to eye until he smirked for a moment, causing his opponent to become confused. He looked down to see his other hand with another Ki blast ready to fire. Instantly, a large explosion separated the two, giving both fighters some distance with smoke coming off them both. Stark clutched his ribs before looking at Kuzuku who was snickering to himself.
"Cheeky maneuver but also risky from point blank range," Stark commented, his face somewhat displeased.
Kuzuku stopped his snickering but a smile was still clear on his face, "You're right, but it was better than nothing in that situation.". Stark frowned, getting back into a stance as he prepared to continue the fight at hand.
"Those rash plans are going to cost you and you will soon learn that in just a few...," Stark warned, powering up as he began to get more serious.
Kuzuku did the same as well, smiling as if he was going to have the time of his life, "Oh really, then let's see how long I last then, shall we?". In a flash, the two lunge at each other, colliding instantly and causing a bright, blinding light that could only be generated from the force of their forearms locking onto each other until it instantly disappeared to reveal them clash at absurd speeds. Neither seemed to be letting up their attacks as everyone else in the tournament continued their own battles.
Somewhere Else In The Arena...
Caulifla and Kale maneuvered around the rubble and shadows for quite some time now. Luckily enough, both fighters had actually recovered enough to continue fighting again but through an unusual suggestion from Caulifla, they decided to stay undercover for a while. They took each step carefully, hoping to not make too much noise so that someone nearby could hear them. The Saiyan gang leader looked back to her protege, seeing that she was getting a tad bit tired from walking, "Kale, let's stop for a second and rest. It doesn't look like anyone has found us yet". Kale looked up as if she was about to protest but no words came out of her mouth. Instead, the two walked quickly towards a rock and hid behind it in order to avoid detection. Kale let out a sigh and decided to turn around towards the direction she presumed her sister to be hiding in so they could have a small opportunity to talk, however, that thought was destroyed the moment she felt that she had bumped into someone's back accidentally. The Saiyan girl jumped for a second, only to get into what could be described by Vegeta, a pitiful excuse of a fighting stance.
"Huh? Oh Kale, you're okay?!" The person said in a lone tone of relief. He turned around, revealing his face so that she would drop her hostility or what little hostility she had.
Kale's eyes widened a bit, "Cabba?". Her voice was kinda mixed with relief and slight bitterness. She still remembers the time when she became rather furious at him which led her to transform but also nearly killing him in the process. And to think it was simply because she thought that he was gaining some of Caulifla's affection. Honestly, now that she thinks about it, it's rather funny.
"Cabba? Why are you here?" Caulifla asked in a lone tone as well while she slowly crawled her way to the two.
Cabba gave a small wave and explained, "Well, I was looking for a place to rest since I just got done with a fight of my own. I can assume you two are doing the same and it was just coincidental that we all gather here in this one spot.".
"I see, so now that you are here, I can assume that you actually won your fight right? Who was it against?" Caulifla wondered. She pretty much was only asking since she needed to pass the time with some talking.
Cabba rubbed his shoulder, remembering what happened, "Well, it was against universe 10's Obuni. He was really powerful and he forced me to push pass my limits and transform even further.". Caulifla blinked a few times, inching a bit closer towards his face which startle him for a second.
"You achieved Super Saiyan 2?!" Caulfila asked with little excitement in her voice.
Cabba laughed nervously until a thought came in mind, "Wait, Super Saiyan 2? So you came up with a name for it?". Caulifla shook her head, remembering the person who actually taught her how to transform into that state.
"No, that Saiyan from universe 7 told me about it. He even taught me how transform into again like last time," Caulifla corrected.
Cabba thought for a moment on who it was, "Hmmm, Master Vegeta is probably the first one to rule out, knowing that his personality plus Caulifla's direct and rude approaches towards things definitely wouldn't mix so well. If anything, Vegeta would of probably done the following. Glare, Grunt, extend hand out, fire, and next thing you know, Caulifla is sent flying off the stage in a heartbeat with Kale chasing after her. Yeah pretty accurate if you ask me. Then...,"
Cabba then looked up, his hands now cupping his chin with one arm folded, "Hey Caulifla, was it Kuzuku or Goku?". The Saiyan gang leader blinked for a moment from the question.
"Uhhhh, Kuzuku? Why ask?" Caulifla wondered, not sure where he was going with this.
"Nothing, just curious that's all. It seems that he's helped us both out in some shape or form. During that fight against Obuni, Kuzuku decided to take the stronger one in universe 10 by himself, saving me the trouble of a 2 on 1 fight," Cabba explained.
Caulifla went silent from the new information bestowed upon them. She couldn't quite get the reasoning. If they wanted to, they could of eliminated them from the get-go but for some reason, they decided to help them out by fighting side by side and teaching them new ways to gain power. Was it because they were fellow Saiyans? Was it pity? Or did they have an alternative motive that would eventually give them the victory? Caulifla shook her head, confusing her two teammates. She decided not to dwell on this topic any further, knowing she has to focus on the tournament.
"Who cares what their motives are? We'll just have to blow every single one of them off the stage and win," Caulifla encouraged herself. Just as that thought passed by, a loud sound of explosions shook the trio Saiyans. Immediately they decided to huddle up together and peek around the rock they were hiding behind of.
"Wait is that?" Cabba muttered, not believing how funny fate can be.
"HRAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Kuzuku roared, decking Stark hard across the face. The Saiyan didn't let up as he followed up with a firm knee to the stomach, only to spin around to kick him in his face with his heel. Stark was stunned a bit, nearly collapsing to the ground until he stop himself with one arm. He then twisted his body, kicking the Saiyan across his cheek, blood spewing out of his mouth for a moment. Though, he recovered from the blow quickly and grabbed his foot with a mighty grip. Kuzuku roared, spinning the warrior around before throwing him into a large pillar of rock but just as soon as it seem to have exploded, Stark dashed out of the rubble immediately. Just like that, the two were clashing blow for blow yet again, their punches only grazing each other cheek before the Saiyan blocked a punch with his knee. Kuzuku growled, spinning again to launch another reverse roundhouse kick at his neck. Stark saw this, blocking it with his forearm. The universe 4 warrior pushed his foot off him, disrupting his balance before getting ready to throw another punch.
Kuzuku gritted his teeth in panic, "Crap, I won't have enough time to dodge this!". Immediately, Stark's fist went crashing into his stomach, the pain resembling to something continuously ramming itself into his gut.
"Rinkaku Arts! Fourth King's Radiance: Furious Roaring Gun!" Stark shouted, the final blow of his continuous-singular attack resulting in a burst of energy that sent Kuzuku flying throw several pillars. The shockwave generated, leveled parts of the area as well, creating an absurd and unhealthy amount of dust that would clear in due time. Kuzuku howled in pain, crashing into what seemed to be a large rocky wall, his back bouncing off it as he coughed out blood. His knees didn't take long to touch the ground as blood from his mouth begin to drip onto the floor.
Kuzuku groaned, "Graghh...it felt like I was blasted constantly in my gut by Vegeta. I should careful about this guy's techniques. After getting hit by them a few times, I think I understand the principle by now.". In meantime, the stands were silent as well simply because of studying the fight so far while they also watched Hit dealing with Jiren.
"This is rather interesting...," Whis muttered, finally understanding the technique Stark was performing.
"You've noticed it to? Well that's not surprising since you are an angle after all," Zugo commented, his eyes still glued on Stark. The whole time, his eyes were fixated on his fighting style, his technique, his habits and movements. Everything seemed so familiar to him as if he read about it before.
Whis grabbed his staff, straightening itself up right so he can check something real fast. He peered into the blue orb for a second and looked back at Stark, only to let his staff float again, "Yes, and I guess our assumptions may be correct. Stark is using an ancient and sacred fighting arts that were lost long ago. The Rinkaku style or better known as the Ten King's Grateful Radiance.".
"Ten King's Grateful Radiance?" Hudo repeated, curious as to how Zugo knows about it.
Whis decided to continue on with his explanation, "Well, I am not sure how this applies to other universes but in universe 7, the Rinkaku style was taught to the highest authority next to the king of planet Zertex in the earlier years of Beerus's rule. Interesting enough, Beerus-sama during his early years of training decided to go visit the planet from time to time for it's food in which I came with him along the way.". Beerus turned around instantly and gave Whis a glare for giving away too much information in the presence of the Grand Priest. Whis could help but laugh at his lord's reaction and continued.
"While Beerus-sama was having his fill, I've watched the art being performed before through the wielder during that time. The concept was to manage to draw out a special kind of Ki that doesn't appear in many people. In fact, most people I sensed with this quality of Ki are hard to detect and for most part, are completely unaware unless they are taught by another," Whis said.
Hudo tilted his head, willing to listen, "What's that? Is it something genetically geared towards their people? Is it like god ki?".
"Not quite, it could be in any mortal. This special Ki that isn't bestowing you the presence of a god nor does it give you it's qualities. This Ki is more specifically known as Rou and it's qualities are what makes it effective in battle when paired with Rinkaku. The style draws out Rou which has the quality to synchronize and amplify normal Ki to levels that make their predecessors look feeble in comparison. After the amplified Ki has reached a certain point, it reaches a state of purity or what Rinkaku describes as King's Radiance. Each have a designated level reaching up to ten with each one perform a different action and some being more powerful than the others. But, it takes a tremendous amount of focus and concentration to perform while in battle and you have to be quick with your thinking otherwise you'll end up slipping," Whis explained, seeing that Kuzuku was straightening himself out.
The Saiyan looked beyond the smoke, hoping to catch a glance of Stark so he can at least know his position. It didn't take long for him to notice a odd light appearing in the smoke. He scrunched his eyes to try and get a clearer look until they shot wide open from realization on what it was.
"Rinkaku Arts! Fifth King's Radiance: Relentless Flash Cannons!" Stark roared, unleashing a barrage of energy waves at the Saiyan. The dust cloud instantly dispersed as numerous energy waves were coming at him dangerously fast. Kuzuku powered up quickly and dashed forward, taking the attack head on by dodging continuously until he closed the distance. Stark didn't bother to move and only kept on firing a barrage of energy-waves from his fingertips as he watched the Saiyan evade.
Kuzuku growled, "Damn, just how long can he keep this pressure up? Doesn't he get tired from fire all of those at this pace?". Kuzuku looked to see if there was any signs of Stark becoming tired or restless but to his dismay, there weren't any.
"Find then, I guess I'll just have to force you!" Kuzuku shouted, his Ki flaring before he dashed between the onslaught of energy-waves. The Saiyan was so fast as he appeared just next to Stark who seemed unaware of the fact that he's broken through his barrage until Kuzuku kneed him in the cheek, his jaw nearly breaking due to the force. Kuzuku retracted his knee and spun around, delivering a spinning back-fist to the side of his head before vanishing in front of him, his fist already ramming itself into his stomach in which it caused him to keel over. Stark gagged in pain as the Saiyan retracted his punch to immediately deck him with a spinning elbow to the face. The blow sent him flying back a bit, only for him to land back onto his feet as he skidded across the clutched his chin, his breather staggering from the damage but still he stood strong. He saw Kuzuku staring him down, obvious but yet small bruises he received from dashing straight ahead into his barrage.
Kuzuku spit out some blood and smirked, "There's the fatigue I was looking for. I knew there was no way you could continue that barrage without getting tired.". Stark wiped the blood from his mouth and gave Kuzuku a mean look.
"I think I got your technique figured out. Each time you used one of those 'Rikaku Arts' were in situations where you had time between our exchanges or when we weren't combating at all. I'm not entirely sure how you do it but one thing's for sure, they aren't immediate and takes time to charge." Kuzuku said, sure that his guess was correct.
Stark stood up, tearing off a piece of the loose shoulder part of his clothes, "You're correct, however, that not really much of a problem for me. Now let's continue...,". The universe 4 warrior took his stance, his Ki erupting in sync with his fighting spirit. Kuzuku did the same as white electricity raged around.
Cabba watched everything, though he had trouble keeping up with their tremendous speed, "Looks like Kuzuku found a troublesome match-up of his own. He's even able to go toe to toe with him in that form he used against Gyex.". Meanwhile, Caulifla was slightly frustrated as Kale was trying her best to calm her down...scratch that, she was trying her best to hold her back so she didn't blow their cover.
"That bastard, he was holding out on us. Keeping us in the dark so he can dwindle his power over us!" Caulifla complained and accused.
Kale held on tight, her grip on her sister's arms were becoming looser and looser by the second, "Sis, I sure that wasn't his intention.". Her plea trailed off into a whisper and most certainly didn't come anywhere close to reaching any sort of reasoning. That until said Saiyan sensed danger coming and quickly grabbed Kale as she leaped out of the pile. Cabba followed as well, the two looking down at the explosion as they land on another rock nearby.
"Alright, who has the nerve to attack us while our guard is down?!" Caulifla shouted, not caring whether or not Kuzuku and Stark can hear her. The Saiyan girl heard some snickers below, causing her to looked down at the source. It was none other than Ribrianne and Rozie.
"Hahahah! You think you can just sit there and hide from our love? Who would of thought universe 6 Saiyans would be such cowards while everyone is fighting?" Ribrianne mocked.
Caulifla felt a vein twitch. Immediately she let Kale down so she can stand on her own and cracked her knuckles, "Kale, you stay here. I'm going to blow off some steam...". The clear danger in her voice already said that there was no stopping her. Cabba sighed, knowing there was no turning back from this as well and took steps to stand next to her.
"If you're going to fight now then I'll just simply join you," Cabba offered.
Caulifla's head snapped towards him, giving him a snarl in the process, "Hell no, buzz off wimp! I don't need your help!".
"It's not a matter of your wants Caulifla. I'm simply ensuring that you don't fall off the stage somehow. These fighters are tricky you know?" Cabba assured.
The Saiyan girl wasn't really in the mood right now to argue and simply comply, "Fine but don't get in my way too much! Kale, you stand up here and observe from afar, you'll be safe up here since you'll be able to see everything!". She then jumped down with Cabba who was following suite, the two landing in a synchronized fashion.
"Hmph, such tomboyish attire, honestly, you are far from a maiden in universe 2's standards!" Ribrianne cackled.
Caulifla smiled darkly, her fist clenching tighter and tighter with each passing second, "Keep talking and laughing fatty, I'll make sure to send you flying all the way back to your universe soon enough!". Instantly she turned Super Saiyan while dashing right at the maiden with a energy blast in hand.
Moving Onto Vegeta's Status...
The Saiyan Prince was currently standing on a pillar as he observed all the fights so far. Currently he was holding onto the arm of a fighter from universe 4, a similar species to Majora. He was possibly related and his name was Shosa though judging by his condition, he was looking all too great right now. However, the fight he was most closely observing right now was Hit's who seemed to be having trouble still since he was dealt another devastating blow to the gut in which it sent him crashing into a pillar again. Vegeta growled at that, "Tch, the damn assassin is losing! To think someone who's bested me once before is getting throttle around so easily that it's infuriating!". The sound of Vegeta's yelling made Shosa groan a bit in his unconscious state thus reminding Vegeta about him.
"Oh, how can I forgot about you. I'm sorry but your time here is done, goodbye...," Vegeta said while lifting the warrior to face level. Effortlessly, the Saiyan prince released his grip only to kick Shosa hard in the stomach. The werewolf creature flew across the stage and out of bounce in an instant while the Saiyan prince proceeded to dust off his shoes. Vegeta then stopped from sensing something approaching towards him. He turned around and walked to the opposite side of the ledge where the source was coming from. The prince looked down and saw who it was. His face instantly turned into a scowl at the sight of who it was. His resembles to someone he knew was simply uncanny and indisputable.
Vegeta huffed in annoyance, "You didn't learn you lesson from last time didn't you? I thought you would at least learn from before but I guess it runs in your race's blood, Frost.". The frost demon chuckled as he stood amused at the sight of such an old foe.
"Oh, I am flattered that you would remember someone like me. It's been a while and I can't tell you how much I've wanted to see you. I still remember the embarrassment you gave me back at the tournament...," Frost said, his voice trailing off into a menacing tone as he squeezed tightly on something. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the sound of something in pain.
His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the frost demon, chuckling a bit before revealing what he had in his hand, "Curious? I caught this little guy myself and I must say he was a pesky little rascal. But after some minor adjustments and time, I've got him in my grasp now and he's been quite the plaything as I waited out the tournament till the timer ran out.". The thing that was in his hand turned out to be Damon of universe 4. He was small but he looked pretty damaged and worn down to the point of him not being able to flee.
"But like all play things, they lose their worth after some time," Frost shrugged, tossing the insect into the air and slapping it directly out of bounce with his tail. He reopened his eyes, glaring at the prince who was simply unimpressed.
He growled in anger, "Now, I'll enact my revenge on you Vegeta! Now that I've been offered a chance of redemption and freedom from being outlawed, all I need now is to deliver some payback!". Vegeta remained silent until he burst out into a fit of laughter, angering him even more.
"Bwahahahaha! I can't even believe that I am hearing this from your mouth. You know, it's ironic that someone from the same race as him would hold such a grudge against me! It's hilarious...," Vegeta said, his laughter dialing down.
The most devious grin formed on the princes face, his eyes foreshadowing his pent up aggression, "You'll make up for the perfect punching bag for someone that looks just like you later. Don't worry, I'll make sure I don't kill you.".
Now, 21, Goku, and 17's Situation...
21 heard another explosion from where Kuzuku was, her heart pounding in worry. She couldn't help but worry. I mean, she was his wife after all and although this is pretty much a inter-universal martial arts tournament, worrying for his safety had always been on her mind. But those thoughts were instantly drowned after finishing up on Goku who seemed to be looking over his shoulder most of the time. She let out a sigh before smiling, "All done Goku!". The Saiyan looked bewildered for a moment, as if he was lost in something until someone finally snapped him out of it. He gave the majin a glance and smiled.
"Thank's 21! I feel a whole lot better now! But are you going to be okay after healing me?" Goku chuckled with his stupidly ear to ear grin.
21 continue to smile, the grin and expression reminding him of Kuzuku's, "No sweat, I've built the stamina to heal better than before. I can at least do two more large doses of healing at your level before it actually starts to affect my ability to fight. Remember, I don't recommend you trying to take on strong opponents right off the bat.". Goku gave her the okay sign as he chuckled some more, his goofy nature really lighting up the mood.
"Got you, you've at least gave me enough stamina to turn Super Saiyan God which is impressive in of itself. I think you should rest here as I bet Kuzuku will be dead tired after his fight," Goku said. His smile soon faded until he turned back to what he was looking at. The majin was a bit confused until she heard...
*Crash!*
What she saw was yet another pile of rubble collapse from the overwhelming force of Hit being tossed around like a rag-doll. The assassin pushed the rubble up quickly and clutched his ribs while closing his eyes in hopes of coping with the pain easier. Though, the moment he opened them, the first thing he saw was Jiren's fist colliding right into his stomach.
He gagged, keeling over a bit until another punch decked him in the face, rocketing him through several pieces of rubble before crashing into a large rock, the debris clouding his status. Jiren didn't take long to land on the ground as he stood firm in his position. He waited patiently for the assassin to make a move but at the same time, he was growing increasingly annoyed by his feeble attempts. Meanwhile, Hit laid in the crumbled debris, pushing the objects off him as he tried to get up. His vision was mostly blocked by dust clouds but he knew one thing for sure.
"Krrk, I can't keep on taking damage like this. It doesn't matter how much I avoid fatal hits, his punches will take its toll in no time. But, The smoke is probably concealing my movements along with the fact that multiple pieces of rubble of blocking his way. From what I can tell, he has a habit of landing in the previous position of his opponents after dealing a strike. Probably because he doesn't see me as a threat and his tendency to wait for his opponents next move in terms of approach. Which means...," Hit thought to himself, seeing the opportunity before him. He slowly raised his arm and extended it out into a fist, channeling some of his Ki to be put into this last assault.
Hit gritted his teeth and focused his aim, "This will be my only chance! Haaaaaaah!". The assassin fired an invisible energy wave similar to before. The wave traveled through numerous objects before reaching the area where it's intended target was. As ridiculous as it sounds, Jiren saw the intangible blast somehow and blocked it with one hand until it dispersed into nothing. Little did he know, Hit used his Time-Skip and dashed behind him when he got the chance. The moment Jiren realized what had happened, he turned around, ready to knock the universe 6 fighter down once more but, he was too late.
In pretty much a half of second, Hit managed to deal the swift punch that he needed on the right side of Jiren's chest, his Ki passing through him like a shockwave. The gray warrior merely stood there, slightly impressed as this was the first time that the assassin managed to land a blow in this fight. Hit narrowed his eyes, "This is the one hit that I've been waiting for. Now you will be put at bay!". The assassin let out a small roar, pushing the warrior back with one final thrust to where he went flying through several pieces of rubble.
"Jiren!" Vermoud shouted with a hint of actual worry.
The Pride Trooper's feet touched the ground and skid to a full stop towards the edge of the ring. Jiren looked down to see the small dent in his chest until it quickly healed itself, "Hmph, what a futile little attack...". That was until he felt a pulse encase him, his body being wrapped around in a purplish aura as he stood at the edge of the ring.
"What is that?" 21 muttered, curious of the new development in this fight. Hit landed on top of another rock, his hand extended out as it to, was shrouded in purple Ki. Jiren tried to move, clenching his fist tight in an attempt to overpower it. He slowly managed to look at Hit who was focusing rather hard in seemingly holding him at bay.
"This is Hit's trump card...a attack that binds his opponent in a cage of time similar to the principles of his Time-Skip. With it, it must feel like time itself is holding you down," Vados explained. Champa snickered excitedly and raised his hands into the air in celebration.
"Nice Hit! Hold him there until it's all over!" Champa shouted.
Vermoud clenched his fist in annoyance, "Jiren, move! This is nothing compared to your absolute power!". Hit tightened his grip on Jiren, as if this was for dear life.
"It seems Hit is putting all of the power he has left into this attack. He really does intend on holding Jiren until the end. He's probably asked himself: What must be done to ensure universe 6's chances of victory? Being such a solitary assassin throughout his career and after seeing Jiren's power first hand, he must of decided at the beginning that things were going to be this way. For the first time, Hit is placing his trust in others to help him carrying out a goal and his unwavering resolution on holding Jiren down is a sign of that...," Vados commented, sensing the resolve that the assassin had build up.
Champa took another look at Hit after now just understanding his plan, "Hit! Hold him frozen until the end!". Jiren heard those words and the tone of the god's voice.
"That tone...does this god really have hope? For someone like him...tch!" Jiren thought with annoyance. Forcefully, the gray warrior began to break through Hit's attack, taking steps towards him ever so slowly. The assassin was pushed back by the sudden force, his grip on him loosening. Jiren didn't seem to stop moving as well, in fact, he was slowly moving faster and faster with each passing second.
Hit hissed in a low tone, "What a monster! I should of known that I wouldn't hold him out till the end. If that's the case, I'll put everything I've got into this last attack and gamble it all on this. Though it's not very assassin-like of me to do...". Hit raised his hand and gathered the remaining energy he had stored into the palm of his hand, forming a detonating energy ball in the process while hold Jiren at bay. Immediately he leaped into the air and plunged towards Jiren with not only his attack, but his resolve as well.
"This is it, Jiren! For universe 6, defeating you is a must in order to protect it even if it gives us only a slight chance! That is the job given to me by universe 6 and I'll place my pride as a assassin on the line in order to complete it!" Hit proclaimed, lunging his final attack towards the warrior. Just like that, the energy ball collided, bursting out into a purple eruption of energy. The audience were blinded by the light from the assassin's final assault and couldn't really tell what was happening. Hit closed his eyes, accepting that he may be blown off the stage in the process in his final act of desperation. But, he felt something was off, something was just not right.
That was when a familiar voice filled his ears with fear, "Assassin pride... for protecting others? What rubbish!". Suddenly, the purple energy was dispersed by flaming red, Hit's eyes shooting wide open to see that his energy ball didn't detonate itself and that Jiren was still standing. Goku was about the only one on the stage to realize what had happened.
"He...He stopped it with just his glare!" Goku said, bewildered completely by the feat.
Jiren slowly moved his had towards the purple energy ball and grabbed it. With tremendous force he crushed it along with the time cage that bound him before violent grabbing Hit by the face. He squeezed hard, earning some screams of agony before slamming him right into the ground, the red flaming aura dispersing into a shockwave as a large crater formed beneath them. Jiren squeezed hard and pressed Hit's face into the ground as he glared at him, "Someone like you, a assassin, shouldn't be talking about things such as pride and protection. You're mere existence is meant to kill for profit. Not only that, it doesn't matter how much resolve you build up, if you are weak then it will be easily crushed just like this. To take pride in that...is merely an insult to those who are worthy!". Jiren then picked Hit up and kicked him hard in the stomach, rocketing him into numerous piles of debris. All the while, Caulifla and Cabba were locked in battle, both somewhat winning in their Super Saiyan forms against the two universe 2 maidens until they sensed someone coming fast.
Without warning, the rock between them shattered, revealing Hit to be flying passed them in what seemed to be slow motion to them. Cabba's eyes widened with fear, "Hit!". He was too late to catch him, his body moving too fast as he crashed landed into a large pile of debris. The assassin tried to get up but staggered doing so. It didn't take long for Jiren to appear in front of him and knee him in the gut. Hit gagged until he had his throat grabbed by Jiren choking the life out of him. The gray warrior didn't even bother giving him any remorse or mercy, only placing a large Ki blast in Hits stomach and blasting him off into the sky.
He then turned around and crossed his arms, the blast detonating in mid air and exploding with a large impact on the stage. The smoke clouded Hit's status until he was shown flying out of the smoke and off the stage, eliminating the assassin from the tournament. He teleported back to the stands and landed back first, his body showing the clear injuries he had received from fighting this monster. Everyone was left stunned, so much that they couldn't say a word. Literally the whole arena stopped fighting from the power displayed and for Kuzuku who saw the whole thing happened before his eyes while stopping his fight with Stark, it was most certainly a breath taker.
"Unreal...," Kuzuku muttered.
Stark regained his breathing, his reaction no different from the others, "I must commend that assassin for taking on such a beast. In all honesty, he's the one fighter I sensed that I don't even want to attempt to fight.". Jiren opened his eyes as soon as Barabatos, Toppo, and Dyspo landed next to him.
"So, Jiren, think you went a little overboard?" Barabatos asked. The gray warrior didn't say a word and merely walked towards the center of the stage.
The Grand Priest cleared his throat and announced, "Pardon the intrusion everyone, I would love to announce the Tournament Of Power is nearly half over now! So how about we change the scenery?!". While he said that, the omni-kings squealed happily as the World of Void turned green. Jiren sat down and crossed his legs, closing his eyes as he was about to begin meditation.
"Jiren...," Toppo muttered.
Jiren nodded and gave one last glance to Goku who was watching him like a hawk, "I leave the rest to you, Toppo. The warriors that I thought I was needed for are no longer any interest to me...". He closed his eyes and began to meditate, his red aura levitating the rocks around him. and shattering them. Goku's expression didn't change. He only understood the memo that Jiren was throwing out there. That...no out there is worthy enough of his time.
A/N: This Chapter was packed with so much action that I spent at least two hours typing this. One of the goals I am trying to make with this arc is giving Jiren more influence as the final boss by adding some conviction to his character. Unlike the anime where he sits around and does nothing the whole time with his dialogue having little to no conflict between them until...you know the final showdown (UI Goku and LB Jiren). In this story, Jiren will show more hints and dialogues that will actually tie into what his character was supposed to be in Super with the proper execution added to it (Well hopefully). I am doing this due to the fact that this was what he was mainly bashed for: A bad antagonist of the T.O.P arc. Jiren is one of my favorite characters and hopefully I can do him right in this story. Also, press F for Frost. Shouldn't have revealed himself because of revenge. Also, if you are wondering why this was late, I literally came back at 11:45 today.