Inside Universe 7's observation room...
Beerus watched the fierce battle between Beast Gohan and Jiren unfold on the screen. He was extremely pleased with Gohan's performance.
After all, Gohan had fought him before, and at the time, Beerus had considered him the strongest individual fighter Earth had to offer. Since then, Gohan had spent another two and a half years training inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
His attention briefly shifted to Piccolo in the distance. Something didn't make sense. Piccolo clearly knew healing techniques and could have restored himself at any time, so why had he deliberately dragged himself around looking battered and half-dead?
Just as Beerus was wondering that, Piccolo pushed himself back up from the pile of rubble. Every wound on his body had disappeared. He looked completely refreshed, his eyes shining with quiet satisfaction as he watched Gohan battle Jiren.
At that moment, Beerus remembered what had happened when he threatened Piccolo and Gohan's daughter, Pan. Gohan's rage had unleashed a power unlike anything Beerus had seen before.
Then, when Beerus was about to finish off Goku and Piccolo, Gohan had broken through and awakened his Beast form.
Beerus suddenly understood.
"So that's it..."
"That Namekian used himself as bait to draw out Gohan's hidden power. Not bad. He played that perfectly."
"It looks like Universe 11's so-called strongest warrior isn't all that impressive after all. I'd like to see how much longer Vermoud can keep acting so smug."
A grin spread across Beerus's face.
But just then, Whis spoke. "Lord Beerus... I think you're celebrating a little too early. I don't believe Jiren is as simple as you think."
The moment he finished speaking…
'BOOM!!'
A deafening explosion echoed from the screen, and Beerus immediately looked back.
...
Gohan was relentlessly pummeling Jiren.
At this point, Jiren was completely on the defensive as Gohan's fists poured down like an endless storm. At first, Jiren could do nothing but block with everything he had. But as time passed, something began to change.
Gohan's punches kept getting heavier, and his speed kept increasing. And yet... Jiren no longer looked so helpless. While he had done nothing but defend at first, he gradually began slipping in the occasional counterpunch.
There's a reason people say that those watching from the outside see more clearly than those caught in the fight.
After taking some time to recover his completely drained stamina, Piccolo didn't rush back into battle. Instead, he climbed to the summit of a towering mountain to carefully observe Jiren's every movement.
Standing silently at the peak, Piccolo locked his sharp gaze onto the battle below. Then he noticed something strange, and his brow twitched.
'Can it be...? Why does it feel like... that guy is gradually getting used to Gohan's punches?'
A chill ran through him. Just as he'd feared, as he continued watching, Jiren slowly shifted from pure defense to taking the initiative.
'Bang!'
Gohan's fist collided head-on with Jiren's once again. This time, the gap between them had disappeared. Only now did Piccolo truly understand why Universe 11's God of Destruction had placed such enormous expectations on Jiren.
'Jiren really is something else...'
At the same time, Gohan realized it too: Jiren had gotten stronger. Then he noticed the faint smile on Jiren's face.
The moment Jiren smiled, the tide of battle shifted.
Their locked fists were suddenly forced apart by an overwhelming force. Gohan staggered backward several steps, while Jiren didn't move an inch. A faint, firefly-like glow began to shimmer around his body.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
As he roared, his power exploded once more. An immense aura burst out from him like a tidal wave. The skintight suit that Gohan had beaten to tatters finally split apart, his muscles swelling and veins bulging across his body.
The battered warrior from moments ago was gone. Standing there now was a completely different Jiren.
He smiled with absolute confidence. His body trembled slightly, then vanished.
The air filled with his overwhelming aura as afterimages flashed everywhere, making it impossible to tell where he would appear next.
Gohan slowly closed his eyes, focusing entirely on sensing Jiren's energy.
'Behind me!'
'Whoosh!'
Gohan spun and threw a punch, but it hit nothing but air.
His eyes snapped open. Jiren was still standing exactly where he had been.
Gohan froze.
'What...? I clearly sensed him attacking from behind. So why did I miss?'
Before he could figure it out, Jiren moved again. Gohan sensed Jiren's aura rapidly closing in. Thinking Jiren was about to attack from the front, he looked up, only to find Jiren still standing in the same spot.
Panic crept into Gohan's heart.
'What's going on?! His energy is right in front of me!'
'BOOM!!'
Before he could react, an earth-shattering punch slammed into him. Gohan was launched through the air like a kite with its string cut, tumbling over and over.
Before he could recover from the blow, Jiren appeared before him again like a ghost. Without thinking, Gohan threw a full-powered right hook, but it missed completely, the real Jiren had already slipped behind him.
With a swift motion, Jiren chopped his hand downward toward the back of Gohan's neck.
Fortunately, Gohan's combat instincts, honed through countless battles, warned him at the last instant. He didn't hesitate. Without even turning fully around, he fired a barrage of dazzling ki blasts behind him.
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!'
The explosions shook the battlefield as massive shockwaves obliterated several nearby mountains, sending countless rocks and clouds of dust soaring into the sky. In an instant, thick smoke engulfed everything.
When the dust finally began to settle, Gohan looked ahead, and his heart sank.
Jiren stood in the distance exactly as before, without a single scratch marking his body. His cold, emotionless eyes remained fixed on Gohan.
(End Of This Chapter)
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