The Saiyan Devil
Chapter 21
Goku's expressionless face watched as Celeon lost consciousness; the older Saiyan felt immense pressure when Celeon used Kaio-Ken, disobeying his wishes when they learned that Celeon's Evil Ki seemed to continuously increase the multiplier, which would eventually break down the body.
However, due to that fierce recklessness, Celeon allowed Goku the chance to go into Ultra Instinct, clearing the dark shadow that Jiren seemed to exude with a silvery aura called hope.
Goku walked forward with a calm yet powerful presence. His mind was shockingly clear of the raging thoughts that plagued his mind. He was now at the final recesses, his mind and soul only focused on defeating Jiren.
Jiren, sensing the opposing threat, reacted with no words. His fists primed for a strike, only for Goku to dodge it and, in the same breath, land a counterattack that caused Jiren to grip his stomach with pain; spit flew from his mouth as he took pained stumbles back.
Everyone watching was in awe. Their eyes momentarily dropped as they saw how Goku immediately turned the tides in his favor with one strike.
Jiren, however, didn't allow the pain to bother him any longer as he released a shout of frustration, his ki wildly blazing the ruined arena. With a kick, Jiren darted at Goku at breakneck speeds.
Goku continued to stare expressionless before he began to dodge all of Jiren's strikes. His eyes were closed, allowing himself to immerse in the tranquility of Ultra Instinct.
Goku jumped in the air, but Jiren followed right behind, continuing their fight. Goku also began to attack, and his fists clashed with Jiren's in a wave of expert punches.
The air around them rippled with chaos, shaking the entire Null Void as if threatening to shatter it in its wake. Goku's eyes remained closed, while Jiren's eyes, a color of obsidian fury, glared at the closed-eyed Saiyan.
Jiren, a few minutes ago, was handling all four of his opponents with relative ease, allowing them to strike with their mightiest attacks and shutting them down with his pure prowess. Still, now, he was exerting a level of power after so long it felt foreign!
This feeling mixed with his strength, increasing his power output in his strikes. He couldn't allow his anger and rage to infect his flow. He knew the way to power was with might, not something as trivial as anger.
He was the strongest Mortal, having already surpassed his God Of Destruction! As it stands now, he was the strongest mortal in the entire cosmos.
Goku went for a leg sweep, but Jiren dodged by ducking. The aftermath caused a string of explosions, making the arena light up with a tangerine hue. Jiren went for a Power Impact, but Goku felt the attack coming and used his left hand to redirect it, moving Jiren's hand by the wrist.
Goku opened his eyes, and an invisible force slammed into Jiren, knocking the universe 11 mortal away, slamming him into several crags. Goku dashed in, charging a Kamehameha, its azure glow becoming a beacon of desperation as the time began to tick.
A white glove swiped away the dust, revealing Jiren. His eyes went to Goku, who had his arms stretched, shooting his iconic Kamehameha. Jiren was enveloped in the attack, yet he made no attempt to escape.
Sparks of red could be seen escaping the contrasting blue light, and after a moment, Goku's Kamehameha began to struggle for dominance as Jiren retaliated with a crimson blast.
Goku felt his Kamehameha weakened in the intense beam struggle and changed tactics, a barrier erected around him as he began to use Kamehameha as a defensive shield.
Jiren's attack crashed into him, but it disappeared immediately, thanks to the blue shield.
"I see! He used Kamehameha as a shield to avoid being damaged," Krillin immediately dissected what happened, and a hopeful expression appeared on his face as that happened.
Back in the arena, Goku and Jiren had begun to exchange fists, but this time, Goku's attempts at a successful blow had diminished from when he had the upper hand before.
His mind, normally one to carefully observe his opponent's movements and analyze counterattacks, had become his greatest weakness while in the state of Ultra Instinct.
He would need to control this, just like how he was able to control his Super Saiyan forms!
Goku and Jiren darted from one side of the arena to the next, causing complete annihilation and destruction as their blows became emanators of explosions.
Jiren managed to land a strike, centered directly at Goku's torso, knocking him down, yet the Saiyan made no attempts to stay put as he rolled to the side as Jiren shot a volley of red ki blasts.
Jiren propelled himself high in the air, and his abyssal black eyes snapped, and a white stream became visible, knocking Goku in place as an influx of invisible blasts shot down on Goku like a storm of missiles!
Everyone's eyes widened as the arena around Goku immediately melted under Jiren's sharp and propulsive attack. The only thing left was the rock that Goku was standing on; if that were destroyed, it would be the end!
Celeon, Vegeta, and Android 17 were still knocked out, meaning all Jiren would have to do was push them over to achieve his victory.
Goku remained a stalwart pillar of light and hope not only for Universe 7 but for Universe 6 as the two sister universes forged an unspoken truce.
Goku's body however, began to twitch with a pulsing fervor, the sound of colliding impacts rung through the air like bells, and immediately everyone noticed that Goku was sending attacks of his own!
Goku's body began to straighten, and his mind began to clear of the muddled thoughts that seemed privy to return like a constant sickness. His silver eyes, shining like the stars, maintained their unflappable light, showing surging determination.
Goku moved his head. His eyes met Jiren's as they spoke silently. Goku's silver eyes snapped, and one decisive blast, shaped like an air bullet the size of a fist, slammed directly into Jiren's gut!
"He landed a strike!"
"This is it!"
With a beastly shout, Goku summoned an influx of energy, which revealed itself below the floating rock. Its swirly, luminescent appearance gave one the impression he summoned a galaxy!
Jiren recovered by flipping on the large center pillar, clutching his wound with his eyes staring at the amazing spectacle that laid bare for everyone to see. He couldn't help but move his lips into a smile that erased his previous grievances.
"I see, amassing this much power to combat mine…truly superb. It's only right that I respond in kind!"
Jiren, like Goku, began to amass an incredible amount of energy. His red ki, spreading like a forest fire, couldn't be contained by anything but him. As he stretched out his right arm, his hand began to collect the accumulated heat and energy he produced, preparing for one final attack!
Goku, down below, began to do the same thing. His breathing was calm, inhaling the galactic energy.
"FINISH THIS NOW, JIREN!" Belmond suddenly yelled as a mountain of sweat was trailing his face.
"IT'S OOOOVER!"
Jiren released the attack he centered in his right hand. Its speed and size are comparable to a meteor strike. This attack would surely clutch victory for Universe 11!
However, Goku raised his leg and slammed the rock he was on, his body disappearing under the red, scorching meteor-like ki blast.
And in a single breath, everyone turned their gaze to the center pillar, and their eyes blinked for what felt like the first time since this tournament started.
Everyone saw a figure shrouded in a dense amount of platinum silver light, and in their raised hand, a small red orb could be seen.
Jiren, stunned for a moment, turned around to strike immediately, but the figure jumped in the air to avoid his attack. The red ki orb seemed to dance in their hand before the figure slammed it into Jiren's back, causing a large explosion that sent Jiren away, causing the entire null void to be cloaked in a bright red light temporarily.
Everyone could feel it, the presence of complete silence and transparency. The Gods Of Destruction, in tandem, stood up as the figure cloaked in white walked towards the edge of the pillar to stare down at Jiren.
As the luminescence began to fade from the figure, it appeared to be Goku, whose black hair matched the silver radiance his eyes exuded, revealing a platinum silver color.
"It's astounding, this mortal really is something else…look at that brilliant glow, there could be no doubt, this is it, complete in all its majesty…this is…AUTONOMOUS ULTRA…INSTINCT!"
…
Jiren could only stare in bewilderment as Goku looked down at him, his gaze direct and opposing, yet held no malice.
Jiren stood up, his eyes never leaving Goku's as the Saiyan's upper gi was completely torn off. Jiren, for the first time, felt he looked down too much on these Saiyans and their seemingly endless strength.
Vegeta pushed through his limits, mastering his Super Saiyan Blue state; Celeon pushed past his body's limits, pulling out Super Saiyan God in its complete state, even stacking it with Kaio-Ken, and now Goku, who fully harnessed the power of Ultra Instinct!
Jiren, feeling anger towards himself, could only silently berate himself as his power began to rise!
He was going to go all out, right here and now!
AN: We're reaching the finale. I felt that having no dialogue would set the tone for the dire situation, especially with only 4 minutes left. I hope you all enjoyed this one. As such, I would like to ask anyone who read from Chapter 8 (The Start of the T.O.P) until now thoughts to give their thoughts. I would like to hear them!
See ya next chapter!