The Tournament Battles Continue...
Gohan and Toppo continued to stare each other down as their two shades of aura seemed to surround them calmly. Everyone couldn't help but feel the anxiety, the waiting absolutely killing them slowly. Everyone watching back on Earth couldn't even eat or enjoy their food as they saw the entire thing unfold before their very eyes. The fact that Gohan and 17 were nearly eliminated while Frieza was down for the count brought them back into reality despite the two victories prior to this. However, Krillin continued to be mesmerized by Gohan's new found power, "I don't know what happened to Gohan but...whatever he's become saved 17's behind. I can't tell whether or not to count this as luck or a miracle.".
"Probably, both if I had to say. I just hope he's become strong enough to fight that guy on his own," Riley muttered.
The stage started to shake violently, the growing pressure emitted off of their auras indicating that the showdown was going to commence. Gohan slowly formed into a stance, his back foot moving just enough so the it's behind his front as if he was ready to charge. His legs squatted slight, causing his aura to flicker a bit while he balled his fist closest to his back foot while his hand closest to the front curled it fingers as if they were claws. Combined with his body tilted more towards an angle to where his front leg is always facing it's opponent, Gohan had solidified a stance that compliments both his father and Piccolo's style of fighting. All he needed to do now was focus on his opponent and anticipate his moves accordingly as he felt this fight would be decided by whoever gains the upper hand first. Once he mustered up his resolve he decided to make the first move, "Here I go...".
The half-breed took only a single step in order to close the distance between them, his overall speed shocking the god of destruction a bit as he saw his leg raise towards his head at frightening velocity. With seriousness, he used his forearm to defend, allowing the Saiyan's leg to crash into it with bone crushing force. Their was a momentary pause before the aftershock came, the ground cracking beneath them as they stared into each other's eyes. Without warning, they broke out into a short flurry of punches and kicks before disappearing from where they were previously standing. They moved swiftly across the stable part of the broken stage and tried to out pace the other in a contest of speed. Each time Gohan would have seemingly taken the universe 11 candidate's blind spot, his blow would be met with one of his own before vanishing again. In vice versa, Toppo would try to catch the half-breed slipping, however, Gohan seemed rather perceptive, catching whim of his feints rather easily and effectively countering with quick jabs to the stomach.
They weren't effective, but it showed clearly that a contest of speed was not the only thing being fought here. Now growing tired of this little game of theirs, Toppo swung with a right hook aimed at his torso in an attempt to make him back away. But, due to his large size, the half-breed simply leapt into a high knee to the chin, stunning him a bit as he tumbled backwards in pain. The barrage didn't end there as Gohan delivered another quick knee to the same spot before dropping down below his waist in order to sweep one his his legs off the ground with a swift kick. The giant god of destruction became off balance enough for his body to start fall towards the ground, though, he wasn't willing to fall into a position of vulnerability and prevented his fall with the support of his hand. Using his free hand, he pointed at the half-breed who became shock at what he was about to do, "Justice Flash!".
Gohan recoiled at the sight as he crossed his arms in order to defend. He felt the energy pellets push him far away into a boulder, shattering it as it barrage him enough to cause many spontaneous explosions. Toppo kept his fire going, feeling as if he had the advantage now that he's pinned him down with his Justice Flash. But, it was short lived since the smoke suddenly dispersed to reveal the Saiyan blocking the barrage with what seems to be an energy disc emitting from his right hand.
"Is that all you got?!" Gohan shouted, his Ki forcing the disc to encase his body like a shield while it flared to life. He forcefully kicked against the ground, rocketing through the energy volley as if it were nothing. Toppo growled, now extending both his hands out in order to not only double the amount but also the power as well. But, it was proven to be useless the moment Gohan closed the distance in a heart. The god of destruction candidate took a glance at him for a moment, surprised that he blitzed right through his volley of energy blast until he felt the half-breed ramming a barrage of punches into his stomach before uppercutting him in the chin. The blow caused him to stumble back a bit before he regained his composure and grabbed onto his arm while he was still in reach. Immediately, he retaliated with a front kick to the stomach: knocking the wind out of the Saiyan so that he can deck him twice across the face with his large pair of fists. He then went in for a more power punch that would of smashed the half-breed into the ground but from seeing the dangerous speeds that the fist was traveling at, Gohan's body reacted in time to weave under the punch while deliver several strong jabs to his stomach. Toppo stifled for a moment until, nearly keeling over in pain from the blows he received. But, Gohan didn't let up, turning his back towards the candidate so he could grab a hold of his enormous arm. With a mighty roar, he lifted his giant body only to slam him into the ground so hard that it literally shattered into squares. Toppo groaned from the aching feeling in his back before snapping out of his distraught state, flexibly kneeing the half-breed from universe 7 with his large leg. As he was blown away by the blow dealt to him, Toppo flipped himself before the half-Saiyan could even recover and began to charge his destruction orb.
By the time he stopped skidding against the ground was when he realized what he was about to unleash on him, "Hakai!". Gohan grunted as he saw the blast come at his fast. He didn't have time to dodge so he did the next best thing that came to mind: he channeled an absurd amount of his new found power and punched the blast head on. His fist collided with the destruction orb with great force, causing crackles of purple lightning to spew out and strike the ground. He groaned, the strain from keeping this up starting to get to him. But, he knew he had to do this, which was why he pushed himself a little harder, shattering the orb as he did one last thrust. Toppo stared at him with pure shock, unable to coherently fathom what just happened.
"Im-Impossible!" Toppo sputtered as that was his only response to the feat. Meanwhile, Gohan was wheezing for air from exerting himself. He quickly caught his breath as he knew this was no time to be tired. Without warning again, he dash towards Toppo despite the feeling that he had in his arm. The god of destruction candidate only stared at him for a moment, baffled that not only he destroyed his Hakai Sphere with nothing but raw power but also was willing to continue fighting. The thought repeated itself several times in his head until he was socked hard in the jaw by a thunderous right hook that made his feet slide back a few feet. The strike forcefully made he stare into the sky for a moment until he started to get angry, instantly lowering his head to glare right into the person responsible. He watched him charge right towards him, deciding that he to would meet him in the epicenter of attack. They both roared, forming their respective energy balls in the palm of their hands: Gohan's being a lavender color while Toppo summoned another Sphere of Destruction in the palm of his hand. Once they met, they launched their arms forward at the same time, the orbs colliding to summon for an eruption of two contrasting shades of purple.
The two growled at each other, neither allowing the other for dominance in this clash of raw power. Inevitably, the power struggle came to an abrupt end as the force generated turned into an explosion of Ki that separated them while digging a deep crater into the ground. Both of their hands were sizzling, smoke oozing off of the surface of their skin. They ignored it, focusing more on their opponent over their own well being. Before Gohan could make another move, Toppo fired a barrage of Hakai's, forcing the Saiyan the dodge side to side in order to avoid being hit. Little did he know that it was all a decoy because not too long after avoiding about nearly 50 of them, Toppo took the opportunity to dash in and grab him by the face while he was distracted. The candidate slammed him into the ground and dragged him across the gravel, ramming him through several small buttes of rock in the process. Gohan gagged continuously as the gravel prickled against his skin. He slowly opened his eyes before they shot open as if he had gotten another surge of strength. The half-breed grabbed his arm that was holding his face and roundhouse kicked Toppo so hard that he stopped moving long enough for him to land another kick to the chin: this one rocketing him into the air as if he was a toy rocket. Then, while the candidate was busy recovering from being airborne, Gohan flipped himself onto his feet and unleashed a barrage of energy bullets to chase him. By the time Toppo managed to land his feet on the side of one of the floating rocks, he noticed the energy barrage coming towards him, his current rational forcing his body to create a Hakai sphere as an act of protection. He held it out with both hands supporting it and had it erase the energy bullets one by one until he pushed it forward so it can hurl itself towards Gohan at frightening speeds.
The half-breed caught a glimpse of the fast approaching destruction ball and leapt into the air before it could even approach him, leaving it to erase a good portion of the ground beneath him. However, Toppo used this as another distraction as by the time the Saiyan looked up, the god of destruction candidate had closed the distance between them. He stared into his purple eyes in shock before noticing his leg starting to rise for a roundhouse kick. Seeing this, he prevented it by knee his leg in order to stop it from rising high enough for the strike before sending him flying with a kick across the stomach. The candidate crashed into the floating rock he was previously standing on, the rubble seemingly holding him in place as he groaned a bit. He looked up to see Gohan descending to ground level rather slowly, his anger slowly rising as he was losing the battle thus far, "I've cast aside everything unnecessary for the power needed for survival! Even my own justice...yet, he still holds his own against me without sacrificing everything that made him who he is?!".
"Tch, I refuse to believe it...Like hell I will!" Toppo shouted, flaring his Ki uncontrollably. His power skyrocketed, surprising everyone with how ferocious it has become. Gohan was wondering what came over him until he was bashed hard in the face. He was dazed, almost falling unconscious until the god of destruction candidate kicked him hard in the stomach. He gagged as he impacted the ground hard, his feet sliding far enough to nearly meet the edge of the ring. He fell onto one knee, seeing the obvious scorched ground created by the friction of him skidding against it. He didn't have time to think too much about it because the moment he got up, at least five large Hakai orbs were hurling towards him.
Grunting, he dashed forward, narrowly dodging each of the orbs until he turned his body to face his opponent that was hovering above him while he was still in motion. He placed his hands together and aimed directly at him, "Consecutive Nuclear Masenkos!".
As if his hands were a machine gun, Gohan unleashed an unfathomable amount of Masenko's at Toppo, however, the god of destruction candidate roared in defiance, his aura seemingly cloaking him in a barrier of destruction energy. Rapidly, the energy bullets were being vaporized in an instant as the barrier surrounding Toppo was growing larger and larger by the second. Eventually it became large enough to encase some pillars of rock before dispersing the rest of Gohan's attack. The half-breed stopped himself from moving by flipping himself onto his feet, but, by the time his feet touched the ground, Toppo was already closing in on him. With little time to dodge, he caught Toppo's fist head on while throwing a punch of his own only for it to immediately have it caught in his ginormous hands as well. They both growled, struggling for dominance until Toppo didn't show any mercy and rammed a Ki blast in the half-breed's stomach. Gohan felt air leaving his body that was soon launched into a pile of rubble that exploded open impact. In a matter of seconds, he slid himself out of the smoke, his one knee on the ground as he was trying to regain some oxygen.
Kuzuku who had narrowly dodged a punch from Jiren noticed this, his concern being evident by his facial expression, "Gohan!". The half-breed heard his pupil's voice and decided to struggle to stand up, his knees nearly buckling from even attempting. The smoke cleared, revealing the glowing, furious eyes of his opponent. He extended his fist out, flaring his Ki so that he can assert how much stronger he is. His eyes bore into him, his dark purple particles that emitted off his energy flickering around him in a spiral.
"Survival is all that matters! And for survival comes strength! To gain strength means to sacrifice something in value! Without doing that then you have no hope in defeating me!" Toppo stated boldly, his tone serious and dangerous at the same time.
Gohan slowly took a stance, flaring his Ki as well. He analyzed the situation carefully, "He's completely cast aside everything that he stands for...All for the sake of power?! What he says may be right but I personally don't know. Because...my family and my friends are what I am today and I refuse to cast that aside!".
Gohan clenched his fist and let out a blood-rushing roar, his lavender Ki flaring even larger than before while the gray-electric aura shrouding his body seemed to grow thicker. He charged in with his fist already in front of him, his eyes displaying a new resolve in them. The candidate for destruction grunted in annoyance and met his fist with his own, believing that he would overpower him easily. However, he was instantly mistaken the moment their fists connected. The ground rumbled beneath them a bit before cracking under the pressure with both of their energy emitting from the cracks. At first, Toppo had the upper hand as he managed to stand his ground until he felt his feet start to slide. He was confused, pondering on where all this strength was coming from. The half-breed clenched his teeth, grating in his own struggles until he finally pushed Toppo's arm back enough where he made him lose his balance. While he was still in shock, Gohan spun around and kicked him across the stomach hard enough to make him stumble backwards in agony. He coughed, blood hitting the ground at the same time he received another blow to the stomach: this time a hard gut punch that left him speechless. The half-breed didn't let up on the pressure by kicking his opponent hard across the face and launched him through the air while he was still dazed. Toppo hovered above ground for a bit, his mind trying to wrap around where this strength was coming from until it dawned to him that he was getting thrashed around. He gritted his teeth and forcefully slammed his feet into the ground in order to stop himself, almost immediately pointing his open palm out towards the Saiyan.
"Hakai!" Toppo shouted, firing a barrage of destruction spheres at Gohan with malice laced behind them. The son of Goku glared for a moment before making his move, narrowly dodging and weaving around the orbs before kicking the last to that made his way towards him. In no time, he closed the distance between them and unleashed a barrage of punches all over his body. Eventually, Toppo had enough, almost harshly slapping aside Gohan's fist before attempting to kick him across the face until he used his leg as leverage in order to retaliate with a roundhouse knee to his neck. The blow left Toppo dazed long enough for another kick to send strike him across the side of his skull, rocketing him into a pile of rubble as the Saiyan landed on his feet again. He waited for a moment until he saw Toppo shoot out of the rubble and onto a rock above him.
He was visibly angry, the veins on his head threatening to pop any second, "I've had enough! I'll send you plummeting into the void no matter what!". Toppo widened opened his arms, generating two abnormally large Spheres of Destructions in the palm of his hands before bringing them together to form a ginormous orb. Gohan stared up at it, somewhat nervous at how much power was behind that single attack.
"He's putting all that he has into that one attack, plus, this power is slowly fading and seems only temporary. Probably because I didn't unlock it through training but only through emotion. The only way for me to counter is to use up every bit of energy I have left!" Gohan thought, knowing full well that this will be their last clash that would decide the match. To meet his attack head on, Gohan powered up all the way to his maximum, his Ki flaring to unimaginable levels. The rubble surrounding him levitated as his aura continued to increase in pressure until hitting a constant standstill. Once he figured that he reached his max, he brought his hands together on his forehead for a moment, his arms generating a whitish-purple glow before he motioned them into a spiral: eventually meeting together to form the iconic stance that his father was known for. He brought his arms to his waist, prepared for anything that would happen next, "Heavenly...!".
The words acted almost as a command for the whitish-purple energy orb in the palm of his hand while he chanted the name of his attack, "Kaaaaaa...meeeee...!". The orb grew into a more complete form as it emitted comforting rays of light from it. Toppo growled, seeing that he was still going to continue to persist against him. His Sphere of Destruction had become complete, destroy all of the rubble around him as well as crumbling the platform he was standing on slowly. He wasted no time since he didn't wanted Gohan to unelash his attack before he could.
"Now fall, Son Gohan! HAKAAAIII!" Toppo roared, unleashing his enormous attack without a second thought. Gohan only stared at it as it slowly descended upon him due to its rather large size. His eyes narrowed as he bored into the spot he was aiming to hit.
"Haaaaaaa...MEEEEEEEE!" Gohan shouted, the glow of his build up energy growing more intense. From a distance, it could only be described as the beginning light that a big bang emitted, only that it was purple. Everyone on Earth prayed for him to survive as they could tell the intensity of the situation from merely looking at it. The suspense was killing them, wondering if he would really make it out alive or not. However, Videl, along Pan seemed to still believe in him wholeheartedly, their faith giving him support despite them being in different realms. With the thoughts of his wife and child in mind, he poured everything out in one final attack.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gohan roared with all of his might, unleashing an almost ferocious but yet calm Kamehameha. The wave crashed into the orb of destruction, acting as a direct counter to Toppo's energy. The shockwaves emitted were enough to force the angels to put up a barrier out of safety while also forcing the allies from both sides to take cover...well except for Jiren who merely watched the spectacle from afar while the Saiyan rushed for safety. The ground beneath Gohan began to shatter, his arms giving way as he felt his power begin to drop quickly. He gritted, pushing himself far pass him limit for victory. With one last roar, his prayers for more strength was answered, the wave seemingly pushing puncturing a hole before shattering the orb of destruction into nothing. Toppo's eyes widened at the sight of the energy wave approaching him dangerously fast. He tried to push it back with his hands but it was proven to be futile as it was too large in size to hold down. It enveloped him completely, his screams of agony and disbelief echoing throughout the void before he became completely engulfed by the blast. Below him was Gohan who was still pushing despite winning the struggle. The ground holding him onto the stage disintegrated completely, leaving only the void to await him after he was done. But he didn't care. He had to to make sure that he finished this for good. With that thought in mind, he made one last thrust that caused the wave to turn into a catastrophic explosion of great force. Compared to the Hakai made on Frieza, the explosion was multitudes stronger than even that, illuminating the void completely with its light as it blew both fighters off the stage. The shockwaves rattled the arena even more, nearly taking the other half of it with them in the process.
Eventually, explosion subsided and along with it came the bright flash of light that blinded them. Everyone uncovered their eyes, only seeing that the half that didn't have the timer on it was divided into even small portions due to the explosion. The smoke made it hard to tell who won thus leaving everyone in the dark. Hudo wiped some of the sweat off his forehead, worried that he might of been obliterated if it wasn't for the angels. He sighed with relief before asking the big question, "So, who won?". As if it were a comical thing to ask, his answer was given when both Toppo and Gohan teleported back to the stands, both landing on the respective sides of their teams. They were reverted back to base form, battered and out right tired from the fight. The Grand Priest cleared his throat over the sounds of the Omni-Kings giggles of excitement.
"It seems that Son Gohan of Universe 7 and Toppo of Universe 11 have fallen out of bounds! Thus meaning the battle between the two has ended in a draw!" He announced with the cheers of the Omni-Kings still hovering over his voice.
Piccolo instantly rushed over to Gohan's aid and lifted him off the ground for support, "Gohan, are you okay?!". He stirred a bit before opening his eyes. They darted slowly at the Namekian that had been a close uncle to him ever since he was a child and smiled.
"Yeah...how did...I do?" He nodded weakly, his voice clearly showing how tired he is.
Piccolo smirked with approval, "You exceeded all our expectations. You were amazing out there.". Gohan nodded quietly, accepting the compliment without saying anything else. Meanwhile Toppo was instantly healed by Marcarita along with Barabatos who saw the whole fight unfold before his eyes. They didn't even notice he was awake until Toppo's enormous body landed on top of him. The candidate of destruction straightened himself and faced Vermoud with guilt.
"Forgive me, Lord Vermoud. I was too weak," Toppo apologized, the feeling of defeat ruining his mood. Vermoud didn't say a word and only looked at him for a second before staring back at the Saiyan who was being healed by Whis.
"I guess it couldn't be helped. We'll just have to count on Jiren to win this on his own," Vermoud said with confidence in the warrior's ability.
One by one, the remaining three Saiyan crawled out of their bomb shelter and gather around the pillar Jiren was standing on. Each one of them stared up at the proud warrior as he looked down on them, knowing full well that at the moment they were the ones standing in his universe's way for survival. He turned to glance at Toppo who was watching from the stands in disgrace, his only words for the warrior of justice being harsh, "How pathetic. To cast away your principles for tremendous strength and still suffer in defeat. I expected better from you, Toppo.". Toppo flinched at his words but settled down back into disgrace as he knew he was right. Goku couldn't help but intervene after hearing that.
"Hey, how can you say such a thing! I thought he fought pretty hard against my son!" Goku shouted.
Jiren merely huffed at his question, "And what did he get in the end? He casted everything that he stood for just so he can gain even greater power and then lose. I will congratulate your son on defeating Toppo without casting aside who he is. Well done!". The three Saiyans glared at him as he started to smirk at them. He balled his left hand into a fist in front of him as he felt it was necessary for him to start taking the tournament more seriously.
"Now feast your eyes on a power that far surpasses what Toppo became earlier..." Jiren muttered, the air around him growing thicker. He started to power up, his energy almost reaching multitudes of levels compared to how it was before. They all stared in shock at how strong he was getting as the pressure emitting off him was staggering. They could only stare and watch him power up as his level was already surpassing Toppo and was still growing. In small flickers, Jiren's Ki began to spark around him, as if they were ignitions to what came next. Eventually, he roared as his aura ignited into a bright fiery flame pillar that nearly blew the Saiyans away from where they were standing. They all crossed their arms in hopes that it would help them maintain ground as they watched him power up before their very eyes. Eventually, the flaming red pillar subsided to reveal Jiren descending the ground slowly, his body enveloped in a blazing hot Ki. The moment he touched ground, his aura unleashed a bone chilling pressure that sent trails of flames pass the three Saiyans.
Just standing near the flaming trails of his Ki was enough to emit enough heat to cause Kuzuku to sweat. He wiped some of the sweat off his face before it could drip to the ground, "Just what kind of monster is this guy? His power is unreal.". Goku flinched a little as one of the streams of his Ki passed by his legs.
"He was hiding this kind of power this entire time?" Goku muttered. At least Jiren calmed his raging Ki and drew it back into his body to where it now kept a constant pressure emitting off of him. He stared at them for a moment, seeing that two of them were in shock at his strength until he heard muffled laughter coming from the third. They all turned to Vegeta who had his arms folded with confidence, his eyes closed after processing the situation at hand.
He soon reopened his eyes, glaring daggers at the proud warrior with his dark blue eyes, "So you finally decided to get serious? Isn't it kinda late since all your friends are gone? Cause all we have to do is defeat you and we win, isn't that right?!". Jiren stared at him before huffing in amusement because of his claim. It seemed blasphemous in his eyes.
"Don't make me laugh. Even with you three together, you still don't stand a chance. My strength alone had already sealed your fate," Jiren boasted, clearly confident that he will be able to fodder all three of them at once.
Vegeta growled at his boasting and flared his evolutionary Ki, roaring as he charged at him with veins popping, "I don't care how much power you have in your disposal, Jiren! I'll surpass you in no time!".
"Vegeta, wait! We have to-" Goku called, trying to stop the Saiyan prince from being reckless. But, he was already out of reach as he was closing in on the proud warrior.
Kuzuku groaned, flaring his Ki as well, "Looks like we're doing this the old fashion way. Not like we had much of a choice anyways...". He charged in as well while Goku followed with his Kaioken X20. The three warriors of universe 7 rushed Jiren from all sides, however, before they could even realize it, he was already behind them. Shocked by his speed, Kuzuku turned around only to receive a hard kick across the face that launched him through several platforms that hovered above the stage. Goku and Vegeta watched with shock as they too were stunned by his raw speed. He was far faster than Dyspo could ever hope to be and his strength was nothing to laugh at. Before Goku's body could react, Jiren decked him hard across the face before spin kicking him into the timer that reads approximately 12 minutes left in the tournament.
Vegeta gritted, unleashing an onslaught of punches out of retaliation while Jiren caught every single one of his fists with ease. With a mighty roar, the last surviving warrior of universe 11 pushed Vegeta's arm to the side so he could break his guard before elbowing him hard in the stomach. The prince howled in pain, the feeling of oxygen leaving his body leaving him speechless as Jiren practically pushed him with his elbow and rammed him into the broken half of the stage so hard that it forced it to become lower than the larger half. He laid there, twitching in pain as he tried to regain his breathing while Jiren hovered his hand over him.
"Say goodbye...," He muttered until he noticed Kuzuku from the corner of his eye. He turned to block his punch that caused power gales to shred the ground surrounding them. Jiren stared into his eyes that were laced with shock, "That's a pretty good punch. I can see why you were able to defeat Barabatos. But compared to the other two gnats, your current power wouldn't make much of a difference.".
Kuzuku didn't give much of a warning as he threw a roundhouse kick towards the side of his skull. Skillfully, he blocked it with his forearm as it sent him hurling towards the upper part of the stage while Kuzuku chased him down with a flurry of punches. The two practically glided above ground until they land on the side of the stage. His fists continued to fly at Jiren without leaving him any room to even breath, however, he was easily shut down by a simple back fist that nearly sent him flying. He took advantage of his stunned state and kicked him hard in the ribs, rocketing him up the side of the stage and into the air only to kick him towards the ground. His screams were heard until he impacted the ground hard, his body tumbling over the gravel before crashing into a pile of rubble. Jiren wasn't one to let up on his opponents as he touched ground quickly so he can chase the Saiyan down. But, he stopped as he heard Goku coming at him from behind, turning quickly while putting up a firm guard to defend against his barrage of punches. It didn't take him long to see an opening, uppercutting the hero of Earth in the chin while also kicking him away in the chest. Goku was left breathing heavily from the blow, thus becoming a perfect opportunity for Jiren to dish out more punishment until he leapt away from the flurry of energy blast that came from above. He looked up to see Vegeta coming at him, his face full of anger.
"You're mine, Jiren!" He yelled, his fist outward as he prepared to ram it into his face. Jiren growled, his eyes shining bright red as he emitted pressure off his Ki to stop the Saiyan dead in his tracks.
Vegeta was both shocked and confused as to what had happened, "Wh-What!". Before he knew it, Jiren channeled energy into his fist, causing it to glow as if it were a heated piece of metal before shoving it into his stomach. The torrent of energy passed through Vegeta and knocked the wind out of him as well as completely shattering his armor. The prince let out a cry of pain as he reverted back to base form until he was sent crashing into the boulder behind him by another punch to the stomach. Goku watched in horror as he saw Vegeta laid out in base form.
"Vegeta! Tch, damn it!" Goku cursed, charging in on his own without much thought behind it. He saw that Jiren's fist were still blazing red which caused him to worry as he thrusted his fist at him with enough force to send a blazing hot shockwave at him. Cleverly, he placed his hands on his forehead and teleported above the warrior. He was caught by surprise, seeing that he somehow teleported above him without him realizing it initially, but he knew that his strength was what still gave him the edge. Goku quickly brought his hands together in one motion, his palms quickly accumulating the energy for his signature attack, "KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAH!".
Jiren snarled at the attack, his fist burning brighter than ever as his body became shrouded in his fiery Ki, "Is this all you three had to offer? Pathetic!". He roared while throwing his fist up for an uppercut that collided with the blast. In what could be described as just sheer power, Jiren literally shredded Goku's Kamehameha with a single punch as the shockwave splitted the wave in two before diminishing into nothing. The shockwave inevitably struck Goku in the chin and hurled him to the ground. Everyone was left in shock at the sight of all three Saiyans laid out on the ground in such a short amount of time.
"I can't believe he erased Father's Kamehameha with just an uppercut." Gohan commented.
Piccolo nodded, astonished by how ridiculous this guy can be, "Yeah, he's simply just unbelievable!".
Jiren paid them no mind and stared at the hero of Earth who was glaring at him as he groveled against the dirt. He didn't say a word and only walked towards him so he could finish him off. But, he dropped his guard too soon as 17 came flying out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around Jiren to prevent him from getting away. The proud warrior glared at him, wondering why he wasn't able to sense him until now.
17 smirked, pulling one of his arms back to generate a power energy blast at maximum output, "Hi there, I've got something really special just for you!". Without hesitation, the android slammed his blast into his back before it encased them both in a dome of static energy. There was a slight tremor before it exploded large enough to force Goku to quickly get up and leap onto one of the platforms above ground. Vegeta and Kuzuku were lucky enough to be far away from the blast zone as they watched the area become demolished before their very eyes. The light soon faded, leaving everyone in question on the status of the android from universe 7 rather than Jiren himself. As a pebble hit the ground, the answer to their questions would be clear. The smoke surrounding the android revealed him laid out on a pile of rubble as he was blown away by the explosion, his back stinging from the impact he made. On the other hand, Jiren was revealed to be visibly irritated as a hole formed on the back of his shirt to reveal a wound.
"Impossible, they actually managed to wound Jiren?!" Vermoud shouted, surprised that he'd even see the day that the proud warrior was shown even the slightest bit of damage.
Jiren overheard his shouting, recoiling at the word "wound". He was supposed to be this unbreakable wall, a force that would have no equal and stand above all who opposes justice. Strength was his drive, his motivation, his reason for existence. For him to get injured was contradictory to his image of absolute power. He snarled at that thought, turning to glare at the very person who was responsible for this, "Curse you!". 17 groaned at the sound of his irritation as he tried to stand up, only to fall to his knees after suffering tremendous damage from getting caught up in his own blast but he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Is that anger I hear? I don't get why you're mad because the damage look kinda suits you. Though, I'm the one to talk since I did something as reckless as nearly blowing myself up," 17 said, his chuckles mixed with both satisfaction and pain.
Jiren clenched his fist, his eyes throwing daggers at the android, "I'm about to make you wish Toppo eliminated you, bastard!". Now enraged, he charged in so fast that 17 didn't even have time to process him moving. Immediately, he received a rib shattering gut punch that simply left him in utter agony before Jiren formed an energy ball in his fist. He roared, unleashing the blast into 17's stomach without remorse and rocketed him into the air. 17 muffled in pain as the blast carried him into the sky before exploding right in front of him, hurling into the piles of buttes that laid across the stage. He tumbled, the wounds that he previously received beginning to burn as he came to a stop. He struggled to get up for a moment until Jiren busted right through one of the rocks next to him and grabbed him by the face before throwing him like a rag doll.
The android had to at least went through eight rocks before he was saved by Goku who quickly maneuvered through the floating platforms in order to catch him before he fell out of bounce. They both landed back on the stage near the proud warrior who seemed to have calmed down a bit. Goku helped the android to his feet while 17 clutched his arm in pain, "Thanks for that, Goku. I barely made it out of that.".
Goku gave him a nod and smirk, "Yeah, you're really impressive. Thanks to you, I think I've got an idea on how to damage Jiren.". Just as he said that, Kuzuku and Vegeta came out from the rubble they were in and regrouped with their team. Now, Jiren was face to face with four separate opponents, each one taking a stance as they were ready to get back into the fight.
"Listen up everyone, we need to create an opening for us to hit him with a massive attack that is stronger than the one 17 used. If he's unguarded then we should be able to damage him." Goku explained, as his eyes bore into the titan before them.
Vegeta clenched his fist as he didn't even second guess his plan, "You don't have to tell me twice Kakarot! If it will give us the win then so be it!". With a newfound fierceness, he transformed right back into Super Saiyan Blue Evolution. The gales generated sliced the surrounding rocks in two, creating a smooth surface as the top layer was disintegrated. Goku then turned to Kuzuku, his eyes showing how much trust he had in the Saiyan.
"Kuzuku, Vegeta and I will try and get Jiren's attention. Once he's distracted, I need you and 17 to hit him with the strongest attack you can muster right now. You can jump in if things are looking hairy for us." Goku insisted.
Kuzuku nodded, powering up as well, "Got it, I'll be sure to hit him as hard as possible.". Jiren couldn't help but get impatient, his fiery aura bursting to life to represent his emotions. He glared at the group as he took one heavy step forward to which it caused the ground to tremor violent.
"Are you done scheming up a plan to beat me?" Jiren asked, his tone low but yet dangerous at the same time.
They ignored his question as they counted down the seconds. The silence was deafening, so much that they could hear the sound of a pebble falling off a cliff. The moment it touched the ground, it acted as a signal for their plan to be set in motion as Kuzuku raised his hand to provide a diversion, "Quantum Breaker!".
In record time, his light blue energy wave shot out of his hand and made its way to Jiren at tremendous speeds. The proud warrior was unimpressed, disintegrating the blast into nothing but light particles with only a glare. However, Goku and Vegeta had already closed the distance between them, their fists rushing towards him at the same time as they picked up speed. Quickly, he raised both his forearms to block the punch until he notice Goku getting below his waist so he can sweep one leg off the ground with a swift kick. He grumbled at how he allowed his balance to be shaken, though, he focused on the defensive and blocked the double kick aimed at his stomach before he was rocketed through a pillar. They chased him endless with a barrage of punches and kicks since they didn't dare to let up on the pressure. Jiren watched them carefully, eyeing at the younger Saiyan who was watching the fight from afar. After some thinking, he brushed off both Vegeta and Goku's kick and took to the air, drawing the Saiyans with him in the process.
In a blink of an eye, they disappeared, their movements only being displayed with rapid shockwaves that covered the sky. Despite this, Kuzuku kept track on their movements carefully, waiting patiently for the opportunity to strike while he wasn't looking. After seeing countless images of them fighting, he finally found the opportunity he was looking for as Goku and Vegeta covered his vision while Jiren was about to throw a shattering kick at them. His eyes widened as he quickly brought his hands to his waist to charge up his attack, "17, fire in the direction I am shooting! Do it, now!". The android nodded, aiming his energy wave at where Kuzuku was looking.
"Photon Flash!" 17 shouted, unleashing his blue destructive wave while Kuzuku was about to do the same.
The Saiyan gritted his teeth before roaring his attack out loud, "Mystic Kamehamehaaaaah!".
In a flash of light, Kuzuku unleashed his clear sparkling energy wave to help assist 17's attack. The two beams combined into one, forming a larger attack than they were separately. Goku and Vegeta smirked, noticing that the attack was coming until they simply moved out of the way to leave Jiren to deal with it. He crossed his arms to defend before the attack encased him with its light, the feeling of the combined attack somewhat giving him a burning sensation on his arms...but that was about it. His aura started to return, shrouding his body as he was starting to overcome the pressure.
"Silly tactics like this will only work once!" Jiren claimed, breaking the energy wave into nothing but useless energy.
Vegeta and Goku looked back at the proud warrior in disbelief. They were just simply baffled, especially Vegeta who could of sworn his right eye was twitching, "Impossible, he took that attack head on without even a scratch.". As he said that, Jiren dashed around the numerous floating platforms before rocketing himself towards the owner of the attack with an impassive expression on his face. Seeing this, 17 quickly put up a countless amount of barriers in hopes to slow him down but Jiren simply shredded them to pieces with just his fist alone. The two noticed this and leapt away to avoid being hit. They watched him slam into the ground like a nuke leaving a desolate crater in its wake. To not waste anymore time, Jiren waved his arm to the side in order to blow away the smoke so he can get a clearer visual on his targets. He pointed his blazing hand towards them and fired a large energy wave that rivaled the size of the one used against him.
"Crap, we gotta move!" Kuzuku shouted, his feet quickly landing on a small chunk of floating debris before kicking off it to avoid the blast.
17 did the same just in the nick of time, the wave seemingly passing by them as it blew them away with its pressure alone. The Saiyan flipped onto another platform and looked over to Goku in order to gain his attention, "Goku, force him to the center rock between all of us! We'll have to overwhelm all at once!".
The hero of Earth caught on quickly and did exactly what he was told while Vegeta got into position. In an instant, Goku teleported behind Jiren before kicking him toward the rock above. The proud warrior flipped himself onto the chunk of rubble while Goku leapt onto a platform that surrounded him. Without hesitation, the four warriors of universe 7 prepared to unleash their most powerful attacks at once. Kuzuku powered up as he was already premeditated his attack before hand, "X10 Mystic Kamehameha!".
"Photon Flash!" 17 howled along with him, their attacks being set to hold Jiren in place as he formed a powerful barrier around him.
While he was occupied, Goku and Vegeta powered up as well, the hero of Earth seemingly reaching his maximum as he generated his own attack as well, "KAMEHAMEHAAAAAH!".
"Gamma Burst Flash!" the prince roared as both of their attacks joined in on the assault. Now surrounding him were four of their most powerful attacks pressuring from four different angles. The proud warrior's barrier started to shrink a bit until he decided to unleash more of his power, slowly but almost inevitably pushing the attacks back with just the sheer pressure of his aura alone. Despite this, they continued pressing on their attacks, hoping that they would wear him down enough in order to break his barrier. The shockwaves ruptured the ground below, causing more chunks of rubble to float upwards as Jiren continued to defend. He was starting to get annoyed and decided it was best to put an end to their struggles in one fell swoop.
His eyes glowed brighter along with his fiery aura, "My power is without rival!". He roared loudly, unleashing an explosive wave of energy all around him so powerful that it disintegrated all four of their strongest energy blasts in one go. They all watched in horror as the supernova like explosion consumed them with its light. They were left dumbfounded, screaming in agony as they were blown away by the explosion of Ki before it dispersed into nothing. Everyone watched in complete shock as the three Saiyans crashed into the ground near each other in base forms while 17 was launched through a pile of debris.
They were practically gasping heavily for air, their stamina drained to the point where they didn't feel like they had the energy to move. Goku laid groveling against the ground, coughing a bit as he felt almost completely depleted, his voice almost deflated due to exhaustion "He's...so strong! He just beat our coordinated attacks just like that?".
Meanwhile the audience back at home were at a disbelief that the strongest warriors in their universe were taken down so easily by one man. Krillin couldn't help but slammed his fist on the table.
"Damn it, that was literally their best attacks wrapped into one and it didn't even damage him!" Krillin cursed, knowing full well that was everything they had. They all stared at him, the color leaving their faces coherently at how dire the situation was.
Piccolo clenched his fist out of pure and utter frustration, "Even with an enhanced version of Vegeta's final flash it was still not enough! Even the very same finishing move Kuzuku used to defeat Kugeki was useless against him! What now?!". 21 couldn't help but become worry, her eyes staring at her husband who had his back laid out on the ground as he tried to regain some oxygen. She then eyed Jiren, seeing that he was staring down at the three with contempt, as if they were something that he absolutely despises. She was confused, unable to understand why he was giving them that look as everyone else seemed oblivious to it.
"Why...what drives Jiren to be this strong?" 21 muttered. Vermoud was surprised at her words, picking them up faintly due to his acute hearing. He looked at the majin who seemed to be busy watching her husband struggle and decided to answer her question.
He sighed, remembering everything he could recall about Jiren's past, "You ask what drives him to further his strength?". They all turned towards the god of destruction except for Toppo who already knew the story. Only they knew his backstory as they were the only ones he talked to.
"When Jiren was a child, a mysterious being attacked his planet while he was out exploring in the woods. He was young and still maintained his innocence until he came home that fateful day to see his parents...his family killed right before his very eyes," Vermoud revealed, gaining the attention of everyone including the battered warriors on the ground.
The god of destruction fumbled with his hands as he pressed on with the story, "Before he was killed, he was rescued by a man known as Gicchin who would be later known as Jiren's master. From their, he would train with his master as his strives for further strength while following his teacher's path for the sake of justice. And down that path, he acquired many new companions that would fight alongside him. But, those times were ended quickly as soon as the very same villain from before returned. They fought valiantly against it and leaving Jiren to believe they actually stood a chance. But, reality hit him harder than it should have. One by one, countless of his new companions died before his eyes...even the very same person who lost his life: the person he consider a father after the lost of his parent...". Vermoud closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing on with his past.
"His suffering didn't end there as even when he tried to rise again with his remaining comrades, none of them wanted to stand with him. He was betrayed, believing that they didn't want to fight alongside him because he wasn't strong enough to protect them. It led to this one belief: The weak could do nothing but obey the strong. That marked the beginning of his solitude." Vermoud said, eyeing the proud warrior as he continued to look down on the warriors of universe 7 as they listened to his past.
He cleared fixed his position as he remembered the day he met Jiren, "He realized that trust was worthless and that strength is justice and absolute. Nothing else matters but winning. If you win then you'll gain everything that you desire. Emotions and compassion aren't necessary for victory. His drive to become stronger so he can become the pinnacle of strength through his own means was what drew me towards him...".
They were all silent, now understanding where his drive was coming from. 21 now understood him, he was betrayed and with that betrayal came solitude. He trained endlessly in order to acquire the strength he has today. But, she still doesn't know why he seemed agitated when they were fighting.
Jiren remained silent, leaping down off the rock he was standing on so he can personally escort them off the stage, "That's enough talk, Vermoud...". He took a single step forward until he heard something moving next to him. He turned, noticing the android who seemed pretty calm after hearing his story.
"So, that's what happened to you, huh? Which means the wish you want with the Super Dragon Balls is to undo everything that happened in the past, right?" 17 assumed, dusting his hands as if he knew things were about to get ugly for him.
Jiren slightly recoiled at his words before blasting him without a word, his screams echoing as he stumbled back from the blow. The android smirked as another thought came to mind, "You're a pretty human guy, but, if what they say is true then does that mean you were just using them just to get what you wanted?". Hearing this, Vermoud got visibly angry at his accusation.
"Shut your mouth! You don't know a damn thing about Jiren!" The god of destruction shouted.
17 ignored him as he noticed Jiren respond slightly to his observation, "It also sounds like you live obsessed with what happened to you in the past, am I right?". Jiren gritted his teeth, his tolerance running very thin at his words. He vanished in front of the android and kneed him hard in the stomach before kicking him hard across the face, launching him just in front of the remaining warriors standing in his path. Without much time wasted, he jumped onto a rock above, bring both his hands together in order to form a blazing energy ball in-between them.
"Me, obsessed with the past? Tch, why should I be?! Strength is absolute and forgives all! Even the past! As long as I stand at the pinnacle, then something that meaningless has no correlations to me! Because...something like that will never happen again!" Jiren roared, raising his blast into the air so it can expand to an enormous size. The energy ball emitted dangerous waves of heat that melted the chunks of rubble around him. 17 got up slowly, his resolve still pushing him forward into not giving up. Kuzuku noticed this, struggling to move in order to at least provide some contributions to his efforts but he body was acting against his will.
"1-17! Do-don't, do this! I know what you're thinking but he's too strong!" Kuzuku warned.
17 smirked at his concern, "Perhaps, but I don't think we have much of an option left anyways.". He powered up to his maximum despite feeling excruciating pain coming from his injuries. With all his might, he wrapped around a separate barrier for each of the Saiyans before creating a triple layered shield in front of him. Despite seeing this, Jiren remained impassive, only thinking of it as nothing more but a failed attempt to delay the inevitable.
"Lament for your own weakness while you plummet towards the erasure of your existences, Overheat Magnetron!" the proud warrior shouted, unleashing his devastating energy blast as it hurled towards the android. 17 braced himself for impact, the collision producing a shockwave powerful enough to blow his sleeves off completely as he nearly buckled over from the initial force. His struggles were evident and proven to not last long as in a short amount of time, his first two layers were shattered with ease. He muffled sounds of distress, his arms threatening to give way as he tried desperately to hold off the attack himself. But, after realizing that he wouldn't last much longer, he quickly wrapped a barrier around each of the Saiyans as he awaited his demise.
"There, that should protect you while you get enough rest," 17 muttered.
Goku stirred against the ground, his eyes laced on the android as he could only sit by and watch him in his peril, "N-No! 17!". The android could hear the sound of the Saiyan's voice and smiled as he stared into the energy blast before him. His last barrier started to crack as the thoughts in his mind began to race.
"Oh yeah, how could I forget. When this is all over, tell Gohan that I said thank you for saving me back there against that big guy. It's a comforting thought, sacrificing myself for the sake of everyone's survival. I kind of like how human that is..." 17 admitted, his final barrier shattering to pieces. He smirked before roaring as he enveloped himself in Ki before commencing his own demise through self-destruction. His explosion was grand enough to act as a shield while Jiren's attack exploded along with it. The light produced a blinding effect that covered the entire arena, leaving almost everyone clueless as to what had happened. Once the light faded, they saw nothing but piles of rubble from where the explosion occurred and among the destruction laid three Saiyans with barriers still wrapped around them until they shattered, allowing them to stand up slowly after receiving the short rest that they needed. But, what stricken them wasn't their survival but the sign of no Android 17 thus making their worst fears into a reality. 18 couldn't help but shed a few tears, the little girl in her arms wondering as to why her mother was crying.
"That idiot, he sacrificed himself to keep us in the tournament! He should of ran when he..." 18 cried, her tears settling down as soon as she felt Krillin's hand on top of hers. He couldn't bare to see her sad as it was rare for her to express such an emotion. He could only listen to her sniffles while turning back to the display of the last remaining fighters of universe 7 standing before the titan of the opposing universe.
The Grand Priest simply announced a disclosure before anyone could assume, "As you may have all witnessed, 17 of universe 7 had sacrificed himself willingly through self-destruction. This doesn't violate the rules as Jiren wasn't responsible for directly killing him as this was nothing more but a suicide attempt. Which means, the tournament of power shall continue from where it left off!".
Jiren stared down at the three warriors that were glaring at him, "You should be grateful that he sacrificed himself to protect you from your own weakness. But, because he was weak, he ended up dying in the process.". Goku growled at him until he felt the strength in his legs leave his body as he collapsed to the ground with heavy gasps.
"Damn, the aftereffects of overexerting Kaioken X20 is starting to take its toll. My body is refusing to listen to me now," Goku damned as the effects of over using the Kaioken had weakened him considerably.
Jiren noticed this, huffing out of disappointment, "And just like that, we are down to two. Your only hope in defeating me is now on the ground, groveling over his own weakness. But, that is what my strength has lead me. I am now, triumphant.". Kuzuku balled his hand into a fist, his Ki sizzling off his body as he took a step forward alongside Vegeta.
"You think this is over, Jiren? As long as our bodies are still on the stage then this fight isn't far from done yet!" Kuzuku said. They both tried powering up into Super Saiyans but failed due to lack of stamina. With frustration, the two Saiyans cursed at their own depleted forms for not being able to transform.
Jiren on the other hand was amused at this, "And just like that, your beloved transformations have left you. I'll start with you, Kuzuku Ayoma!".
Without warning, Jiren rushed in front of him and delivered a gut wrenching fist to his stomach that caused him to cough out blood. He stumbled back, clutching his gut before attempting to retaliate with a punch of his own. Seeing it as futile, the gray warrior indulged in his efforts by catching his fist before jabbing him hard in the face so hard that he flew into the side of the pillar behind him. Without mercy, Jiren raised his hand as the Saiyan laid against the wall in pain, unleashing an energy wave in an attempt to knock him off. Kuzuku's eyes widened as he felt imminent danger lacing behind the attack.
"Shit!" Kuzuku cursed, crossing his arms while also creating an energy barrier to shroud his body. Before he knew it, the wave exploded, detonating with unimaginable force as he was flown right into the timer nearby. His back hit the solid surface so hard that he gagged out blood from the impact alone. The Saiyan was lucky that he was indented there but due to the punishment he was just dealt with, his body was now refusing to function at all as he felt all his nerves shut down at once.
Jiren sucked his teeth as he noticed that he was eliminated yet, "Tch, looks like you are a persistent one as well.". The gray warrior turned to Vegeta who was ready to continue fighting despite how weakened he was. The prince slid his feet slightly forward before dashing in with his punch ready to strike. His opponent was unfazed by his approach as he knew he had no power left, catching his fist with utmost ease before retaliating with a hard uppercut to the chin before kicking him through several boulders. He chased after the prince himself, his speed allowing him to gain the high ground as he drop kicked him into the dirt, earning agonizing gags from the arrogant warrior. While he was down, Jiren kicked him hard in his stomach, his body sliding against the dirt until he came to a stop. Vegeta felt his body ache in pain, telling him that it was best to call it quits while he is still functional. However, the commands of his own body was outweighed by the voice that came to his head.
"Vegeta..." the voice said, instantly waking the Saiyan from his state of weakness. He groveled against the dirt, struggling to stand on his own two feet as he recognized the voice immediately. Everyone watched with awe at how determined he was, his resolve almost inspiring as he set the example for all Saiyans before him. The prince raised his fist slowly, his face clearly drowsy, "It's not over till it's over, Jiren! I swear that universe 7 is going to win!".
"Hmph, what rubbish. You can hardly talk in the state you are in now," Jiren retorted.
Vegeta spat some out of his mouth, ignoring his factual statement completely, "Don't underestimate a Saiyan! A punch like that will never be enough to take us down in a single hit!".
He roared, charging in recklessly at the titan with nothing but adrenaline keeping him going. The gray warrior remained impassive, side stepping his punch easily before bashing him away with a hard blow to the face. His back skipped against the ground before nearly falling off the edge of the stage, causing everyone to worry whether he was okay or not.
"Vegeta!" Piccolo cried, hoping that would wake him up from his injured state. With the sound of the Namekian's voice in mind, he slowly staggered to his feet, revealing a black left eye from the blow he was dealt. He was wheezing, his fatigue only growing more intense as he continued to keep his body awake. He slowly made a fist, his feet stumbling towards Jiren with the little strength he had left.
"It's...not over yet!" Vegeta roared, swinging his fist forward in an attempt to strike the titan. However, he missed widely as Jiren merely stepped backwards to avoid the punch. Relentlessly, Vegeta was punished with a barrage of punches to vital points in his body, each blow becoming heavier than the one before. Eventually, he was dealt a thunderous right hook to the side of his skull that nearly made his body tumbling over to its side. His open eye was wide, showing how distant he was as he was getting ready to pass out. That was until the voice popped in his head, "Vegeta! What are you doing?!".
The light in his eyes returned immediately at the image of his wife popping into his head, his feet slamming into the ground in hopes to prevent himself from falling. Jiren was now intrigued by his resolve as he went in for another punch aimed towards his face. With a simple weave, he dodge to strike and returned it with a firm back fist to the face. He flew backwards a bit, only to flip himself onto his feet as he placed his hands together for one last attack.
"Final Flash!" He roared, unleashing his golden energy wave at Jiren. He merely stood there, taking the full-front of the blast head on as it exploded. Vegeta was left gasping for air as he watched the smoke reveal the proud warrior to be standing without much of a scratch. His face became contorted with frustration from the results of his attack while Jiren stared him down as he towered over him.
"Tell me, what motivates you to go to such lengths when the fight is already over?" Jiren asked, curious as to what drives him in particular.
Vegeta chuckled before attempting to throw another punch at the pride troopers face, only to have it caught before it even made it halfway. He glared into his eyes, seeking the answer that he wanted while he continued to smirk at him, "Who knows? Even if I told you, an emotionless bastard like you wouldn't even begin to grasp the concept...on what it means to fight in order to protect!". Jiren's eyes widened at the last part of his words before becoming impassive again.
"I see, I'll acknowledge that you have great pride, but now it's over!" Jiren declared before bashing the prince hard across the face. Everyone watched in horror as the Saiyan prince was flown off stage and into the void. But, before he could so much as disappear he couldn't help but damn himself.
"Forgive me...Bulma, Bulla,...Trunks, and even you to Cabba. I wasn't able to keep my promise...," Vegeta lamented in his thoughts while he struggled to raise his hand towards his rival. A small energy ball came out of it as he fired it at the Saiyan, "Kakarot...Kolard, I leave the rest up to you two. Somehow, you must win this for universe 7. Don't let me down...!".
In a blink of an eye, Vegeta was transported back into the stands. The moment he landed in the stands, the energy blast he fired before transferred itself to Goku, restoring a bit of his stamina as he watched his rival's demise.
Kuzuku was struggling to move, now infuriated after watching Vegeta get decimated in seconds, "Dam-Damn it! Did that attack really do me in so easily?!".
While Kuzuku was beating himself up about his current state, Goku stood up and readied himself to fight. He balled his fists at his waist, instantly transforming into Master Super Saiyan Blue with the little energy he had left. The gray warrior merely stared at him, sighing as he knew that it was futile to even try against him.
"Thank you...Vegeta. I'll be sure to try to get the job done!" Goku shouted, his feet kicking off the ground: propelling himself towards Jiren at about half his speed. His opponent side stepped, brushing his punch off to the side as he rammed his fist into Goku's stomach. The hero of Earth keeled over, his eyes dilating in pain before he received another punch across the face. Then one to the left and another, and another. Until the scenario turned into Jiren using Goku as a punching bag. Little by little, he was pummeled non stop, each blow striking him across his jaw in hopes to knock him out. Then out of the blue, the titan kicked the hero of Earth in the chin, launching him onto the platform above as he was knocked out of his transformation. The kind-hearted Saiyan tumbled against the ground, the gravel digging into his skin until he hoisted himself up quickly. By the time he got back on his feet, Jiren was already towering him, his eyes glaring into his shock expression before continuing his beat down. Punch and punch, Goku's body was slowly becoming shattered.
Jiren paused for a moment, his fist glowing red as he was going to hit him harder compared to the previous punches, "Haaaaaah!". He roared, slamming his fist into his stomach hard enough to nearly cause him to fall off the platform they were standing on. The audience watched with racing hearts as Goku was literally the only one left standing that was able to fight. Kuzuku growled, clenching his fist as he watched the hero of Earth struggling for air.
"He's done! His legs aren't even moving at this point! He's far too exhausted to continue! I need to think of something quick, but what can I do? My body is refusing to move for me as well after taking that blast head on. Even if I went down there, it's not like I was going to make a difference! Is this really how it is all going to end...?" Kuzuku thought, his brain moving at a hundred miles per hour as he tried to think of a way out of this. But, nothing came to mind that was guaranteed until flashes of Goku's limit breaking form came to mind, "I guess we have no choice, we have to bet it all on that if we are going to make it out of this alive..." .
With that thought in mind, Kuzuku struggle to free his right arm from the rubble and pointed it towards the hero of Earth. He focused for a moment, drawing out every inch of energy that he had left to give at the moment and generated a small energy orb similar to Vegeta's.
"Goku, take this! It's all that I can muster but it will at least get you back on your feet!" Kuzuku shouted, firing the small orb of energy at the hero. Goku's left eye open as the orb hit him directly before shrouding his body in a bright light, his energy slightly being restored despite his drowsiness.
Kuzuku smirked as sweat was visible on his face due to sacrificing his remaining resources for Goku, "You better win...otherwise Chi Chi is going to be pretty pissed at you...". His eyes slowly faded in color as his body fell to the ground, landing in a pile of rubble as he drifted away to unconsciousness. From his sacrifice, Goku balled his fist as he slowly picked himself up, his eyes still drowsy until they were closed shut.
"Kuzuku...thank you...," Goku muttered, his arms loosely hanging from his sides. His head was cast down towards the ground, his hair covering his expression as he was left in deep thought. Despite the extra dose of energy, he still felt weak, his body only responding to him momentarily due to the donation of Ki.
Gohan couldn't help but be frustrated as he noticed Kuzuku's sacrifice wasn't enough to give him enough strength to move, "Even with Kuzuku giving up his energy, Father still doesn't have the strength to keep going...!".
Meanwhile, Jiren walked up to the Saiyan, knowing full well that the outcome was going to be the same no matter what they did. He raised his fist, a red aura surrounding it as he glared into his defeated form, "The end has come, Son Goku. In the end, your trust begets you nothing!". He roared, twisting his body so he can maximize the force in his final punch that would decide universe 7's face. In that moment, Vegeta's eyes opened, seeing the sight of his rival on the verge of elimination. Out of desperation, he sprung up out of his seat and tried to call upon some sort of miracle.
"KAKAROT!" Vegeta shouted, his voice making the Saiyan twitch a little.
Goku's mind suddenly went into deep thought, the flashes of images of what would happen if he were eliminated. The faces of fear and sadness, the tears of his family and friends as their bodies are erased from existence. His wife and his two sons huddle together as they vanish before his very eyes, eventually leaving him isolated, alone as everyone else had gone with them before he would join them in nothingness. The thought irked him, almost becoming unbearable to even think about, "Chi Chi, Goten, Gohan, Videl, my granddaughter Pan, Krillin, Master Roshi, Kuzuku, Vegeta, 17...and everyone else who's been with me up till this point. I can feel your trust in me even in this moment. Because of that, I..." .
In that decisive moment, Goku made up his mind. His body and soul responded immediately as Jiren's fist was only but an inch away from his face. From there, one would believe the fight to be over until a shocking surprise would leave everyone baffled the sequence. Before Jiren's eyes was his fist seemingly going through an afterimage of the hero. He was confused for a moment as the afterimage dispersed into nothing but Ki. The gray warrior stood there, his fist still extended outwards as he was left in utter confusion until he felt a sharp pain in his abdominal area. He clutched his stomach, wondering where or when did he get hit by a blow. He looked around for a moment as nothing seemed to be in front of him. Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a trail of blue Ki flowing behind him. Seeing this, he turned around to see a shadow as the other half of the platform seemed to be covered in darkness. He squinted, trying to make out where the trail of energy was coming from until he saw silver glowing eyes pop open. Jiren instantly knew who this was, his eyes narrowing in on the owner of the Ki as it grew tremendously more powerful by the second, "So, you've finally decided to go beyond once more, Son Goku...".
The moment he heard his name, the Ultra Instinct aura shrouded his body as the darkness surrounding him faded back into light. His hair was slightly pointed up as he stood there with a deadpan expression on his face while steam seemed to circulate his body. Everyone watched in awe as a literal miracle unraveled before their very eyes. Whis couldn't be more pleased, "I've never thought that he'd enter that state for the third time! Especially in a moment like this!".
Beerus smirked, cracking his knuckles as a great weight lifted over his shoulders, "It took him long enough though. He was giving us all a heart attack in those final moments. But I guess it doesn't matter now, let's have a look at it once more...his Ultra Instinct!".
The area surrounding the two warriors started to shake, the rubble levitating from the pressure emitting between the two. As they stared each other down, Kuzuku couldn't help but stir in his unconscious state, smirking as his body was able to sense the power as clear as day. From here, it will be a battle between the two strongest fighters of their respective universes and with 9 minutes left in the tournament of power, the victor of this fight will decide it.
A/N: Alright, so this chapter took a minutes and honestly, I didn't expect it too be this long. At first, it was literally going to be the Gohan vs Toppo fight which was originally 4,000 words in total. However, I'd figure that it wasn't enough so I got a little carried away and decided to add in the four vs one scenario against Jiren since it's basically a chapter of them getting bodied in order to showcase how strong Jiren is (He tanked and overpowered a X10 Mystic Kamehameha that actually made Kuzuku stronger than Goku in that moment while also holding off three powerful attacks.). In regards for the massive long break, I was getting ready for college visits and my senior year in high school along with a bunch of other stuff. That and I needed a break since I literally posted on average 3 or 4 chapters a month which was draining. Other than that, Gohan's transformation isn't going to be something he can easily tap into as stated. It really only came out as an act of desperation similar to Ultra Instinct. Why I made it this way? So it would bring some balance since we won't have another person at SSBE level or even greater since that would probably be unfair for future villains. As for the name of this form, I've been thinking along the lines of Transcended Mystic or something along those lines. Maybe if a better name comes to mind then I'll use it in later chapters (Main reason as to why I didn't give it a name in these two chapters.).