'Gohan! Hang in there!'
Piccolo's roar echoed through Gohan's mind like a clap of thunder. Having been blasted away moments earlier, Piccolo struggled back to his feet, his unwavering gaze remaining fixed on Gohan as he projected his determination through telepathy.
Gohan gritted his teeth so hard that his face twisted in agony. It felt as though countless steel needles were piercing his organs.
Every muscle and every nerve screamed in unbearable pain, as if his entire body were being torn apart by razor-sharp blades. Even so, all of his concentration remained focused on Jiren; he didn't have the luxury of answering Piccolo.
Jiren's body was far tougher than Gohan had ever imagined. The advantage Gohan once held had completely disappeared, replaced by a crushing sense of helplessness.
Then Piccolo's voice rang out again.
'Gohan! Don't you dare fall here!'
At that moment, a gentle green light enveloped Gohan's body, and he immediately understood: Piccolo was using his healing technique again, doing everything he could to restore Gohan's strength.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan glanced behind Jiren. Piccolo was bent over with both hands on his knees, breathing heavily as sweat streamed down his face. Repeatedly using such a powerful healing technique was clearly taking an enormous toll on him, yet he never stopped supporting Gohan.
Fortunately, Piccolo now carried within him the knowledge of two Namekians skilled in healing. That alone gave them a chance to keep fighting.
Still, even after his stamina was restored, Gohan couldn't gain the upper hand. Jiren's white energy beam continued pressing down like a ferocious dragon, completely suppressing Gohan's Kamehameha. The healing had only delayed the inevitable; it hadn't changed the outcome.
Piccolo saw everything, his mind racing. He knew Gohan couldn't defeat Jiren alone. If they wanted any chance of winning, he had to fight beside him; they couldn't put all their hopes on Gohan alone.
His eyes shifted toward Gohan, who was clenching his jaw so hard it looked like he was about to shatter his own teeth. He had reached his limit.
Piccolo knew the Kamehameha possessed tremendous destructive power, but when it came to finishing an opponent with a single decisive attack, nothing surpassed the Special Beam Cannon.
Without hesitation, Piccolo sprang toward Jiren.
Jiren immediately noticed him approaching.
"Don't waste your effort," Jiren said, his voice cold and completely dismissive. "You're no match for me. I don't know how you managed to get back on your feet... but if I could knock you down once, I can knock you down a second time. The same goes for Gohan."
He didn't consider Piccolo a threat.
Piccolo didn't respond. Instead,
"'Four-Body Fist!'"
With a thunderous shout, four identical Piccolos instantly appeared around Jiren.
Jiren's expression immediately became serious, his relaxed posture replaced by complete vigilance. He swung his right hand, a sharp energy wave ripping through the air as he raised his arm, preparing for the assault.
'Whoosh!'
A violent gust exploded across the battlefield. The four Piccolos charged simultaneously, launching a relentless barrage of attacks from every direction.
Unbelievably, despite the flawless teamwork and relentless assault from all four Piccolos, Jiren blocked every attack with a single hand. Effortlessly. He never even allowed them to get close.
His arm moved so quickly that it left countless afterimages, each motion smooth and fluid, without the slightest opening.
His expression remained as cold and unmoving as ever.
"You think this is enough to distract me..." Jiren said calmly, "...and buy Gohan time to recover?"
Before he even finished speaking, he vanished.
'Bang!'
His palm struck one of the Piccolos, launching the clone hundreds of meters away before it burst into nothingness.
The other two clones didn't hesitate, charging together with a battle cry. Jiren merely lifted one leg in a casual sweep,
'Boom!'
The resulting shockwave sent both clones flying over a hundred meters before they, too, disappeared.
"I told you, "
Before Jiren could finish his sentence, another roar thundered across the battlefield.
"Is that so, Jiren?!"
The real Piccolo suddenly appeared directly in front of him, raising both hands to his forehead with fingers spread wide and palms aimed straight at Jiren. A tremendous amount of energy gathered instantly.
Then he shouted, "'Solar Flare!!'"
An intense flash erupted from his hands like a miniature sun exploding into existence, the blinding light shooting straight into Jiren's eyes.
Even someone as powerful as Jiren couldn't completely avoid it. Almost instinctively, he raised his free hand to shield his face, but he was still caught.
For a brief instant, his vision went completely white, and dizziness washed over him. He shook his head violently, rubbing at his eyes.
The blindness lasted barely a second, but for Piccolo, one second was enough.
When Jiren finally opened his eyes again, he froze.
Someone had wrapped both arms tightly around him; it was Piccolo. Like an immovable mountain, Piccolo locked Jiren in a crushing bear hug.
Jiren stared at him in confusion. 'What's he trying to do?'
The feeling of being restrained infuriated him, and he immediately began struggling with all his strength to throw Piccolo off.
But Piccolo only tightened his grip, his arms sliding down from Jiren's shoulders to lock firmly around his chest while his legs wrapped tightly around Jiren's waist like iron chains.
Jiren couldn't break free, and his patience finally snapped.
"Let me go!"
Piccolo answered with a calm smile, his voice steady and absolutely certain. "That's not going to happen, Jiren."
Piccolo's unexpected move immediately changed the battle. The massive energy beam Jiren had been directing at Gohan wavered for the first time, its power noticeably weakening.
From the other side of the battlefield, Gohan saw the opening, his eyes widening with determination. The instant Gohan felt Jiren's attack weaken, he didn't hesitate. He pushed his aura even higher and poured every ounce of strength he had into his Kamehameha.
'BOOM!!'
A deafening explosion shook the arena. The already overwhelming Kamehameha roared forward like an unleashed beast, crashing into Jiren's white energy beam with unstoppable force.
An endless sea of light erupted across the battlefield as the blinding radiance swallowed the entire Plateau Module.
Sky and earth alike disappeared beneath the brilliant white glow, everything seeming insignificant within that ocean of light. The once-majestic arena trembled violently as chunks of rock collapsed from every direction.
Yet amidst the chaos, an eerie silence settled over the battlefield. Only a single second passed, but it felt like an eternity.
Then, a chain of thunderous explosions erupted across the arena, rolling from one end of the battlefield to the other.
At last, the two energy beams completely canceled each other out. When the light finally faded, less than a third of the Plateau Module remained, with broken slabs of rock drifting through the air like scattered snowflakes.
Even so, three figures were still standing on the shattered battlefield.
Suddenly, Jiren let out a furious roar.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!"
His power exploded once again, his aura surging outward like an erupting volcano and radiating overwhelming pressure. He was trying to blast Piccolo off his body through sheer force alone.
Of course, Piccolo understood exactly what Jiren was doing. Almost instantly, brilliant orange flames erupted around Piccolo's body as his power began climbing at an astonishing rate. Within only a few seconds, he had drawn out every last bit of energy hidden inside him.
Watching from a distance, Gohan immediately sensed the change. The moment he looked toward Piccolo, his heart nearly stopped. Piccolo looked like a living nuclear bomb, overflowing with terrifying energy that threatened to explode at any moment.
Fear instantly gripped Gohan.
"Uncle Piccolo?!" he cried out in horror, because he knew exactly what Piccolo was about to do.
Self-destruct. Piccolo intended to sacrifice himself to take Jiren down with him.
"No...! Don't do it, Uncle Piccolo!" Gohan shook his head frantically as tears streamed down his face. He couldn't accept it.
Then, a stern voice echoed directly inside his mind. It wasn't a request; it was an order.
'Gohan! Forget about me! Use this chance to charge the Special Beam Cannon! He's far too strong; even my self-destruction will only buy you a few precious moments! There's no time to hesitate! Stop overthinking it and do it!'
Piccolo's voice was urgent, resolute, and prepared to die.
Hearing those words, Gohan forced himself to calm down, his racing thoughts finally settling.
At that moment, a memory resurfaced. He remembered the day Raditz invaded Earth, when Piccolo and his father, Goku, had fought side by side for the very first time. Goku had willingly held Raditz in place so Piccolo could charge the Special Beam Cannon, and in the end, they had died together.
And now, history was repeating itself. Only this time, Gohan would be the one firing the Special Beam Cannon, and Piccolo had taken his father's place.
Holding back his tears, Gohan raised two fingers to his forehead and began charging the Special Beam Cannon.
Meanwhile, Jiren's aura continued expanding. Its overwhelming force was finally beginning to pry Piccolo away from him, the grip of Piccolo's locked hands starting to break as his legs began to give out.
Still clinging to Jiren, Piccolo stared him in the eyes and shouted, "It's almost over!"
Jiren had already noticed the change at Gohan's fingertips, where an overwhelming amount of energy was gathering. So that was their plan, Piccolo's strategy had been seen through.
Jiren's expression didn't change, his eyes remaining cold and emotionless. Without warning, he raised one arm and fired a sphere of destructive energy toward Gohan. The blazing orb streaked across the battlefield like a meteor, racing straight for him.
But at that very moment, Piccolo did something completely unexpected: he began shaking his entire body violently, every muscle tensing and trembling. It looked almost ridiculous, but it was deliberate, he was throwing off Jiren's aim, making it difficult to target Gohan accurately.
"Hmph. You think a trick like that can stop me?" Jiren grunted, unimpressed in the slightest. "Keep dreaming."
But Piccolo refused to let up. "I'm not letting you ruin this!"
Then he roared again, "And while you're at it... enjoy the surprise I prepared just for you!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Piccolo's body began to swell once more as he activated his Giant Form. His body rapidly expanded while an unimaginable amount of energy poured out from every cell.
The power inside him surged violently, causing his entire body to glow with dazzling light, yet even as the energy reached its limit, so great that it threatened to burst from his body, Piccolo still didn't stop.
Jiren's eyes narrowed; he hadn't expected Piccolo to have another move in reserve.
Then, at the very peak of his power, Piccolo smiled.
"Gohan... the rest is up to you."
The next instant, every bit of his energy compressed into a single point that resembled a black hole, swallowing light itself.
Then, it exploded.
'BOOOOOOOM!!'
A deafening blast swallowed the battlefield as an endless sea of light consumed everything.
For that brief instant, the world seemed to contain nothing except that overwhelming brilliance. The shockwave spread in every direction, shattering the land and hurling rocks through the air while the atmosphere twisted under the unimaginable heat.
Standing outside the blast radius, Gohan had been prepared for this, but the explosion still left him speechless. He opened his mouth, trying to call out, but his throat had tightened so much that no words came out.
Piccolo's self-destruction had dealt catastrophic damage to Jiren. When the smoke finally cleared, Jiren staggered to his feet.
His clothes had been completely blown away, leaving him stripped down and covered in burns. He had never imagined Piccolo would resort to something like this.
"D-Damn it..."
His vision blurred; the explosion had wounded him far more than he wanted to admit.
Just as he struggled to stand, a furious roar echoed across the battlefield like thunder.
"'SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!!!'"
Gohan's shout shook the heavens as a spiraling beam of energy tore through the sky like a dragon unleashed from its cage. Moving faster than the eye could follow, it shot straight toward Jiren with unstoppable force.
There was no time to dodge. Having just endured Piccolo's self-destruction, Jiren's body and mind were still reeling, so acting purely on instinct, he thrust one hand in front of his chest to block.
But what he didn't realize was that this Special Beam Cannon contained every last ounce of Gohan's power.
'SHHK!'
A sickening sound echoed across the battlefield as the beam punched straight through Jiren's hand, leaving a massive hole. And it didn't slow down; it continued drilling relentlessly toward his chest.
'WHOOSH!'
The next instant, Jiren's body collapsed to the ground like a falling mountain.
...
(End Of This Chapter)
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