Majin Buu was the tournament's greatest loophole—a living cheat code wrapped in pink flesh.
He could remain on the battlefield indefinitely through regeneration. He could absorb enemies to eliminate them from play. But most importantly? He could absorb allies, saving them from elimination while simultaneously gaining their abilities and power.
When the final count came, Buu could simply regurgitate his absorbed teammates and maintain numerical superiority. It was a strategy with multiple layers of advantage—especially against an opponent like Toppo.
Four fighters above Super Saiyan 3 level couldn't threaten someone wielding Hakai energy. But combined into a single warrior through Buu's absorption? That changed everything. It also eliminated the risk of Piccolo, Android 17, and the others being picked off individually.
When the strategy had first occurred to Raditz during tournament preparation, he'd felt like a genius.
"HEY!" Raditz leaned over the railing, shouting toward the battlefield. "IT'S TIME! DO IT NOW!"
Before the tournament began, Beerus had briefed everyone on contingency plans. Raditz had specifically instructed Majin Buu on this tactic: absorb Piccolo first. With the Namekian's intelligence guiding him, the rest would follow naturally.
Facing Toppo's overwhelming pressure, they had no choice but to execute the plan.
Majin Buu didn't remember much—his mind worked simply, focused on immediate concerns. But Raditz's words had been crystal clear. The pink demon separated portions of his body while dodging Toppo's relentless assault, sending the malleable flesh flowing toward Piccolo.
"Still relying on such cheap tricks?" Toppo stood tall and proud, gathering Hakai energy into a sphere. The purple-black orb pulsed with erasure itself. "Those tactics are USELESS against me!"
He hurled the destructive attack—but the fragments of Buu's body weren't approaching him. They flowed around the Hakai sphere and converged on Piccolo instead.
"I see." Piccolo glanced toward Raditz in the stands, then at Majin Buu. Understanding clicked into place. His expression twisted with reluctant acceptance. "Pity I don't have greater strength to contribute. But at this critical juncture... this may be our best option."
Suddenly, he stopped running. Turned. And sprinted toward Buu's approaching fragments.
"What?!" Toppo's eyes widened at the unexpected maneuver. His face shifted through shock to realization—
He watched Piccolo willingly dive into the pink mass. The Namekian was engulfed, pulled inside Majin Buu's body in seconds.
The transformation began immediately.
Majin Buu's form grew taller, more defined. His upper body sprouted clothing—Piccolo's gi and weighted cape materialized across pink flesh. The antenna-like protrusions on his head elongated, becoming more prominent. His eyes sharpened with intelligence that hadn't been there moments before.
Absorbing his own allies? Toppo's mind reeled. It was strategically sound but deeply unsettling. And worse—Majin Buu had become noticeably stronger.
"So that's your plan!" Toppo's voice carried equal parts shock and respect. "Fusion through absorption—sacrificing individual fighters to create a more powerful whole!"
Gohan and Android 17 immediately grasped what Piccolo had done. Understanding washed over them—this was their path to victory. Majin Buu with Piccolo absorbed had grown exponentially in power, approaching the level of when he'd absorbed Gohan in Mystic form years ago.
"Am I next?" A bead of sweat rolled down Android 17's temple. His emotions churned—complicated, conflicted. If possible, he'd prefer to avoid being absorbed into someone's stomach. The trauma from Cell still lingered in his memories like a scar.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Buu said—Piccolo's tactical mind shaping the words. Pink tendrils rolled toward Android 17.
"What an unpleasant experience this is going to be," 17 muttered.
But for victory? For Universe Seven's survival? He could sacrifice his autonomy temporarily. The writhing mass wrapped around his body, pulling him into Buu's form.
Gohan bought time for the absorption, engaging Toppo with everything he had. His Mystic power flared to maximum, forcing the God of Destruction candidate to focus entirely on him.
In the stands, shocked murmurs rippled through the divine observers. Who would have predicted Universe Seven possessed such a tactic? Though upon reflection, it wasn't fundamentally different from fusion—just executed through far more disturbing means.
Buu's appearance after absorbing Android 17 changed minimally—his clothing gained elements of 17's ranger outfit, his build became slightly more refined. But his power had climbed again, surging toward heights that made even gods take notice.
Gohan could feel that tremendous aura radiating from his transformed ally. Even he felt pressure from it. Not divine ki—but vast, surging power that approached godhood through sheer magnitude.
Toppo snorted dismissively. "Marginally stronger, perhaps. But still insufficient to defeat me."
"No," Buu replied, and his voice carried Piccolo's tactical precision and Android 17's cold efficiency. "We don't need to defeat you. We just need to ensure you can't defeat us."
With Piccolo's genius-level intelligence and Android 17's infinite energy combined with Buu's immortal body, protective capabilities, and cloning abilities—they'd created something unprecedented. Even Hakai energy couldn't easily destroy this fusion warrior.
After all, Toppo was merely a God of Destruction candidate—not the genuine article. His understanding of Hakai remained incomplete. He couldn't wield it with Beerus's mastery.
Toppo unleashed a storm of energy spheres, bombarding Buu and Gohan with overwhelming force. He fired Hakai blasts at precise moments, erasing fragments of Buu's body that separated or floated beyond the arena's edge.
"If we fused together, we might be able to fight him directly," Gohan suggested, struggling to deflect Toppo's relentless assault. "Buu, absorb me too—"
"I can't." Buu's outstretched arm exploded under a Hakai blast, then regenerated instantly. "Your Mystic state—the divine realm—I can't carry that. It exceeds my capacity."
Gohan's eyes widened. Absorption had limits? Buu couldn't take in power that fundamentally didn't match his own nature!
Fighting Toppo remained difficult for the duo, but as Buu had stated—they were no longer in danger of elimination. They could hold the line.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Dyspo had successfully pinned down Broly. The rabbit-like warrior attacked with blinding speed, his form becoming nothing but streaks of light as he hammered the Legendary Super Saiyan from every angle.
Broly's overwhelming strength meant nothing if he couldn't land a hit. Dyspo's velocity exceeded his reaction time, forcing him into a purely defensive stance.
The berserker Saiyan roared in frustration, swiping at empty air where Dyspo had been microseconds ago. His inner turmoil caused his aura to expand continuously, growing more unstable. His tail—normally wrapped around his waist—came loose and whipped the ground like a serpent.
Then Universe Eleven's remaining fighters joined the assault. Kunshi, Vuon, and Tupper converged on Broly's position to help Dyspo finish the job.
Energy bindings wrapped around Broly's limbs. Yellow explosive wires detonated against his torso. High-velocity wind storms battered him from multiple directions. The combined bombardment created continuous explosions that shook the entire arena.
"This is bad." Whis's normally cheerful expression grew serious.
"Of COURSE it's bad!" Beerus snapped. "Even Broly's being overwhelmed! Those Universe Eleven bastards—"
"That's not what concerns me." Whis shook his head slowly. "Lord Beerus, haven't you noticed? Broly's rage continues to escalate. He's stimulating deeper potential through anger, but the power is exceeding his ability to control it."
Raditz felt ice flood his veins. "You mean he'll go berserk? Lose control completely?"
"Possibly worse." Whis's tone carried unusual gravity. "If his power exceeds his body's capacity to contain it... he may die."
Die? The Legendary Super Saiyan transformation had a fatal limit? Raditz's mind reeled. He'd never imagined Broly possessed such a ceiling. Was it because of his inability to comprehend divine realms? Did the lack of god ki create a cap on his raw power?
"BROLY!" Raditz leaned over the railing, shouting desperately. "STOP POWERING UP! CONTAIN IT!"
But there was no response from the smoke-shrouded battlefield. The energy continued rising—an exponential curve climbing toward catastrophe. Yet Broly's characteristic roars had fallen silent.
"He appears to have lost consciousness," Whis observed quietly.
Raditz's eyes widened in horror. Impossible. This can't—
Then he saw it. The tail emerging from the thick smoke. And its color had changed.
Brown. Reddish-brown. The distinctive shade of—
"SUPER SAIYAN 4!" Raditz nearly jumped out of his seat.
He'd witnessed this form before. When Baby possessed Broly, the entity had forced this transformation. Had Broly's body remembered that state? The violent expansion of energy hadn't been uncontrolled at all—it was deliberate. A breakthrough to transcend his limits!
True, Broly couldn't comprehend divine ki. But evolution didn't follow a single path. Who said the berserker Saiyan was simple-minded? In his own way, Broly was a genius.
"Everyone FALL BACK!" Dyspo's voice cracked with sudden terror, his instincts screaming danger.
Too late.
The explosion smoke erupted outward. Broly burst through like a meteor, a long tail of smoke trailing behind his form. He crossed the distance to Dyspo and the others in less than an eyeblink. Every energy restraint, every trap, every bombardment—all of it became meaningless.
The attacks that had bound him moments ago now shattered against his aura like rain on steel.
"That's impossible!" Vuon's voice trembled.
Their proudest techniques couldn't even touch Broly anymore. The Saiyan had transformed into something beyond their comprehension.
A fist materialized before their eyes—too fast to perceive, too powerful to block. All four Universe Eleven fighters took the impact simultaneously.
The shockwave was apocalyptic.
Two fighters—Vuon and Tupper—were launched clean off the arena, their bodies disappearing into the void before they could even scream. Dyspo and Kunshi managed to grab the edge, barely avoiding elimination.
They looked up at the figure standing before them and felt their courage waver.
Broly's body had been remade. Red fur covered his torso, arms, and legs—primal and wild. His hair remained jet black but radiated an eerie green glow, as if lit from within by emerald fire. His muscles had refined rather than bulked, becoming denser, more efficient. His eyes blazed yellow-gold with bestial intelligence.
He looked like a god of war from ancient mythology.
Every deity in the stands sat in shocked silence. They'd been stunned by mortal fighters countless times during this tournament, but this—this transformation transcended anything they'd witnessed.
Even Whis appeared genuinely surprised. He hadn't known Broly could achieve this form. Once again, Saiyan potential had defied expectation and surpassed divine prediction.
"I'll... I'll show you..." Kunshi struggled to his feet, trembling but defiant. Energy filaments began forming between his fingers.
"NO!" Dyspo's scream was desperate. "RUN! JUST RU—"
The warning came too late.
Broly's massive form had already closed the distance. A sphere of green energy materialized before his chest—no charging time, no warning. Just instant, devastating power.
Like a supernova contained in a fist-sized orb.
BOOOOOOM.
The light was blinding. The force shook the entire World of Void. When vision returned, observers saw that an entire section of the arena had collapsed—tons of rock and crystal simply erased, falling away into the infinite darkness below.
Only Broly stood at the edge of the newly formed precipice, red fur rippling in the displaced air.
Kunshi materialized in Universe Eleven's spectator section, unconscious and defeated.