The instant Jiren's eyes met Piccolo's, his pupils contracted. A powerful sense of danger surged through him without warning, hitting him like a tidal wave. In that split second, Piccolo moved with lightning speed. He raised one hand to his forehead and shouted,
'"Demonic Flash!!"'
A brilliant golden beam erupted from his fingertips. Like a bolt of lightning, it tore through the battlefield, leaving a glowing trail in space as it shot straight toward Jiren's eyes. The attack carried overwhelming force, as though it intended to burn away not only his body, but his very soul.
Jiren was already in an extremely difficult position. Only moments earlier, he had been using both hands to hold back Gohan's devastating Kamehameha, and now Piccolo's Demonic Flash was striking from another direction.
If he failed to respond, he knew the consequences would be severe.
Without another choice, Jiren gritted his teeth and pulled one hand away from the Kamehameha to block Piccolo's attack. The muscles in his arm bulged as he thrust his palm forward. The instant it met the golden beam,
'Sizzle!'
Golden sparks exploded in every direction. Jiren's body trembled under the tremendous pressure, but his eyes remained locked firmly on Piccolo.
---
Meanwhile, inside Universe 11's observation room...
Everyone watched the scene in stunned silence before panic spread through the room, worry and anxiety written across every face.
Dyspo was especially furious. His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, "They're ganging up on Jiren! Damn it! I wish I were still out there fighting beside him!"
Standing nearby, Kahseral answered calmly, "Ever wonder why I jumped off the stage? We can leave it to Jiren. There's no need to worry."
Even so, Dyspo clenched his teeth, clearly dissatisfied. Behind him, the remaining Pride Troopers who had already been eliminated wore equally angry expressions. Their fists were tightly clenched, but there was nothing they could do except watch from the observation room.
Just then, the silent Toppo finally spoke, his unwavering eyes remaining fixed on Jiren.
"They may have the advantage right now," he said steadily, "but I believe Jiren can handle it. I have absolute faith in him."
His deep, confident voice seemed to calm the tense atmosphere, easing everyone's nerves just a little.
Dyspo frowned. He couldn't understand where Toppo's confidence came from. After all, Goku and Gohan were no ordinary opponents, and their strength had already been proven throughout the Tournament of Power.
Unable to hold back any longer, Dyspo asked, "Toppo... what exactly do you mean by that?"
Before Toppo could answer, the Angel Marcarita suddenly turned toward them. Graceful as ever, she shot Dyspo an exasperated look before rolling her eyes.
"I already told you, didn't I?" she said. "You should really get used to calling him 'Lord Toppo', Dyspo."
Her clear voice hit Dyspo like a thunderbolt, and only then did he realize he'd made the same mistake again.
An apologetic look immediately appeared on Dyspo's face. He quickly lowered his head and said, "R-Right... My deepest apologies, Lady Marcarita. Please forgive my carelessness and disrespect."
His attitude was completely sincere. Keeping his head bowed, he didn't dare meet Marcarita's eyes. Then he straightened up and respectfully turned toward Toppo.
"So... Lord Toppo, what exactly did you mean just now?"
His eyes were filled with anticipation as he waited for an answer.
Toppo was clearly still getting used to the new title. He blushed slightly before quickly regaining his composure.
"The truth is..." he began, "Jiren is far stronger now than he used to be. I'm not exaggerating when I say he's reached an unbelievable level."
There was unmistakable pride in Toppo's voice; he was genuinely happy to see how much Jiren had grown.
"All of that is thanks to Lady Marcarita's special training," Toppo continued. "During that period, Jiren endured a level of training that ordinary people couldn't even imagine. Every single day, he pushed himself beyond his limits. After countless days and nights of hard work, he finally broke through those limits. His physical strength underwent a complete transformation. In my opinion, Jiren's body has now reached a level of durability unlike anything we've ever seen."
Toppo's eyes shone with confidence. "So no matter how Universe 7's two fighters attack him... it'll all be pointless."
The moment those words left his mouth, the screen erupted with a tremendous roar. Everyone looked up.
Jiren, who had seemed cornered only moments ago, suddenly exploded with an overwhelming surge of power, like a volcano erupting. The sheer force left everyone speechless.
Facing Piccolo's attack, Jiren displayed terrifying speed and control. The hand he had been using to block Piccolo suddenly shot forward and grabbed the Demonic Flash itself.
The brilliant golden beam, which looked like a bolt of lightning, was effortlessly caught in his hand as though it were nothing more than a candle flame.
But he wasn't finished. With a slight squeeze of his palm, a raging white energy beam erupted from his hand, blasting straight toward Piccolo with devastating force.
Jiren didn't even bother dodging the Demonic Flash; he simply endured it head-on, and the attack barely seemed to affect him. Even while tanking the blast, he launched an even fiercer counterattack.
'BOOM!!'
The white beam slammed into Piccolo. His body was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, completely overwhelmed by the torrent of energy before crashing heavily into the ground in a cloud of dust.
With Piccolo forced out of the fight, Jiren could finally devote his full attention to Gohan. Facing Gohan's Kamehameha, Jiren remained completely calm as he brought both hands together.
In an instant, a massive white energy beam burst from his palms like a roaring white dragon, ripping through the air with an ear-splitting shriek and colliding head-on with Gohan's Kamehameha.
The two enormous beams clashed violently, the surrounding space twisting and distorting under the overwhelming pressure.
"Damn it... This guy's power is beyond anything I imagined!" Piccolo had only just managed to climb back to his feet, staring at the clash in complete disbelief.
Gohan felt the same. 'No... There's no measuring this guy's strength!'
Gritting his teeth, Gohan decided to pour even more power into his attack. He drew in a deep breath as the ki inside his body surged like a raging flood before pouring into his hands.
With a powerful shout, he forced even more energy into the Kamehameha, driving the beam straight toward Jiren.
But then, something completely unexpected happened. Gohan's Kamehameha slammed into Jiren's white energy beam, but instead of breaking through, it was slowly being swallowed.
Bit by bit, the brilliant blue beam disappeared into Jiren's attack. Worse still, Gohan realized his arms were beginning to shake uncontrollably.
At that moment, Piccolo finally recovered. Knowing Gohan couldn't keep this up much longer, he used his long-range healing technique again without hesitation.
As Gohan struggled to hold the beam, a warm, powerful energy suddenly enveloped his body. His eyes widened. 'Thank goodness Uncle Piccolo is here... If he hadn't stepped in, I really might have lost this fight.'
As Piccolo's healing took effect, Gohan's nearly exhausted stamina rapidly returned. He took a deep breath, clenched his hands, and poured all of his restored power back into the Kamehameha.
The blue beam instantly regained its former brilliance and overwhelming force, pushing the battle, which had been tilting heavily in Jiren's favor, back into a stalemate.
But Jiren immediately noticed something was wrong. He had clearly sensed Gohan's Kamehameha reaching its limit moments earlier, so how had its power suddenly recovered?
Jiren fixed Gohan with his sharp gaze. Then, with a deep roar, an even greater torrent of power erupted from within him. This time, he intended to finish Gohan once and for all.
"Come on!" Jiren shouted. "I don't care how much strength you still have left! This attack will make sure you never stand up again!"
As his thunderous roar echoed across the arena, his energy exploded like a bursting dam, surging relentlessly toward Gohan.
In that instant, an overwhelming feeling of helplessness washed over Gohan. It felt as though the crushing pressure would consume him completely, but the responsibility of protecting Universe 7 drove him forward.
Gritting his teeth, Gohan forced himself to dig even deeper, dragging every last ounce of power hidden within his body to the surface and gathering it into the Kamehameha.
---
Meanwhile, the battle was being broadcast live inside Universe 7's observation room.
Seeing Gohan give everything he had, Beerus rose from his seat in shock. But what truly stunned him was Jiren.
The power Jiren was displaying had far surpassed anything Beerus had expected. Even more unbelievable, this Jiren bore almost no resemblance to the "Jiren" who had appeared in Universe 10. It was as if they were two completely different people.
"Whis! What exactly is going on with this guy?" Unable to suppress his astonishment any longer, Beerus turned to Whis. "How can he be this strong? There's no way this is the same body as that fake Jiren from Universe 10!"
Whis's expression was just as serious.
"They are indeed the same body, Lord Beerus," he explained calmly, "but they come from different timelines. In the countless parallel universes, it's perfectly normal for alternate versions of the same individual to develop differently because of their experiences and circumstances.
"Besides, no one understands a body better than the person who was born with it," he continued. "The body-swapping method used in Universe 10 may have seemed clever, but it could never bring out that body's true potential. After all, someone occupying another person's body always needs time to adapt to it."
Whis paused, his sharp eyes fixed on Jiren on the screen. "There's something else... After watching him closely, I've noticed something rather unusual about this Jiren."
His voice was unusually grave, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to Whis, waiting for him to reveal the truth.
After taking a slow breath, Whis continued, "Based on what I've observed, Jiren's increase in strength is no coincidence. It's clearly the result of specialized training. And if I'm not mistaken, the one who trained him was most likely Marcarita."
He paused for a moment, giving everyone time to absorb what he'd just said.
"As you know, Lady Marcarita specializes in training that focuses on strengthening the body itself," Whis added. "That kind of training draws out a person's potential to the greatest extent possible and rapidly increases their overall power."
Beerus and Supreme Kai Shin exchanged stunned looks, Beerus unable to believe what he was hearing.
"That's impossible! It's only been three days!" Beerus waved his arms in disbelief. "How could anyone complete that kind of training in just three days? Don't tell me Universe 11 has something like our Hyperbolic Time Chamber? That would be ridiculous!"
He stared at Whis, hoping for a different answer, but Whis simply shook his head.
"I don't know whether they possess a Hyperbolic Time Chamber,"
Whis said.
"But, Lord Beerus, it's too early to rule anything out. The universe is filled with countless dimensional spaces, and our Hyperbolic Time Chamber is only one example. It's entirely possible they used another type of dimensional realm to achieve a similar result. The universe is unimaginably vast, containing countless mysteries beyond our understanding, a seemingly bottomless black hole, for example, may actually be a gateway to another dimension entirely."
Beerus fell silent as he listened. But what truly shocked him wasn't the possibility of another time chamber; it was the realization that Marcarita had personally intervened for the sake of Universe 11.
Angels were supposed to remain neutral, yet she had apparently gone out of her way to help prepare Jiren.
Thinking it through, Beerus realized what had probably happened. Marcarita had most likely reported everything she witnessed, the battle between Beerus, Truhan, and Vegito, to Vermoud.
After learning just how terrifying Universe 7's fighters really were, Vermoud must have decided to act immediately.
In other words... this entire plan had probably been orchestrated by Vermoud himself.
As Whis finished his analysis, Beerus finally understood. The smug smile Vermoud had worn when they first met now made complete sense.
Beerus stared at the screen without blinking, his heart pounding against his chest. Even as a God of Destruction, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this nervous. An invisible pressure gripped his heart, making it difficult even to breathe.
At this point, words meant nothing. The only thing he could place his hopes in was the untapped potential of Gohan and Piccolo.
Beerus slowly closed his eyes, his lips trembling as he muttered under his breath, "Come on, Gohan... Piccolo... You have to defeat Jiren..."
Never in his life had Beerus imagined that he, a God of Destruction, would one day become so emotionally invested in the fate of mortals. But now he understood exactly what they felt: the anxiety, the hope, the desperate anticipation.
Because he knew this battle wasn't simply about Gohan and Piccolo winning or losing, the fate of Universe 7 was hanging in the balance.
If they failed to eliminate Jiren here and allowed him to advance, Universe 7 would be in serious trouble. And knowing Vermoud's calculating nature, Beerus had no doubt that Jiren had already been ordered to target Universe 7 above all else.
Thinking that, Beerus frowned deeply, his mind churning like a storm-tossed sea.
(End Of This Chapter)
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