"Hey, Gohan..." Majin Buu stood atop a large boulder, sweat beading on his pink skin. "I think he's about to get serious."
Even possessing protective shields, immortality, and regeneration—abilities that had carried him through countless battles—Buu felt profound powerlessness facing Jiren. The gap was simply too vast.
"Yeah." Gohan's grin was strained, forced. "I can't stop shaking."
His Super Saiyan flames trembled along with his arms. Raw fear mixed with determination in equal measure.
They faced Jiren. Jiren faced them. The wounded Toppo limped away to join Dyspo, but no one pursued—every eye remained locked on the grey-skinned warrior who'd saved him.
Long silence stretched across the fractured battlefield.
Then, simultaneously, everyone's heads shook. A collective realization.
WHOOSH.
Jiren vanished.
No one saw him move. When he reappeared—instantaneous, impossible—he stood directly before Broly. His fist was already in motion, driving into the berserker's stomach like a battering ram. The force shattered Super Saiyan 4's legendary defense as if it were paper.
Broly was launched backward.
BOOM.
The sound of his body cratering into the ground was deafening, echoing across the entire World of Void.
Anilaza's ultimate energy attack—concentrated firepower from Universe Three's mightiest fusion—had failed to crack Super Saiyan 4's durability. But Jiren's single punch had accomplished what a cosmic-scale technique could not.
Then Vegeta.
Another punch—equally brutal, equally efficient. Super Saiyan Blue transformation was stripped away instantly, azure flames scattering like shattered glass. Vegeta collapsed, reverting to base form before he even hit the ground.
Jiren's body blazed with crimson energy. His eyes ignited with raging flames that seemed to burn reality itself. Twin bolts of lightning erupted before him, splitting the air, clearing his path forward like divine heralds.
Gohan and Buu exchanged a single glance—understanding passed between them without words.
They fled in opposite directions.
Jiren moved. Two steps. That's all it took to catch Gohan. His hand thrust forward, energy condensing instantly into a sphere of concentrated destruction.
Super Saiyan Gohan didn't even have time to raise his guard. The explosive force detonated at point-blank range, blasting him backward while simultaneously destroying a massive section of arena floor.
Gohan's position had been too close to the edge. After the explosion sent him spinning through the air, his trajectory carried him toward the void—elimination seemed inevitable—
A figure rocketed after him. Tapion's hands thrust forward, golden energy wave erupting to push Gohan back onto solid ground.
"Gohan!" Tapion shouted, his voice carrying absolute conviction. "You have to stay in this fight!"
The ancient warrior made no attempt to retreat or save himself. He understood—Mystic State wasn't enough anymore. Someone had to make sacrifices to ensure the stronger fighters survived.
Jiren was already there.
The punch transcended Tapion's ability to perceive. He didn't even consider dodging—the futility was too obvious. There was no evasion. No escape. Only inevitability.
CRACK.
Tapion flew backward, sailing over the edge. Golden light flashed as he materialized in Universe Seven's spectator section.
The first elimination.
But Gohan couldn't escape either. Jiren moved too fast—the instant after eliminating Tapion, he'd already closed distance again. Super Saiyan or not, it made no difference.
One punch.
BOOM.
The second elimination in as many seconds.
"GOHAN!" Buu's scream was raw anguish.
He immediately disassembled himself, splitting into multiple fragments that scattered across different arena sections. Unless Jiren destroyed every platform, Buu couldn't be eliminated—
But Jiren's attention had already shifted. His eyes tracked toward the other fan-shaped battlefield where Shazazero had risen again, divine power blazing around the God of Destruction's twin brother.
"Foolish." Jiren's expression never changed.
He leaped high, then plummeted toward Shazazero's position. His feet struck ground with apocalyptic force. The impact alone created shockwaves like layers of razors—cutting the floor, slicing through air, making skin crawl with phantom pain.
Shazazero's eyes hardened. He charged forward once more, refusing to yield. Jiren's eyes burned like twin suns as he engaged—
Only Shazazero—operating at God of Destruction level—could sustain combat against Jiren. But without the unique "Hakai" ability, without that divine technique that defined Gods of Destruction, his strength still fell short.
After dozens of brutal exchanges, they separated. Palms pressed against each other, Shazazero's feet scraped backward—messy, uncontrolled retreat. Jiren stood perfectly still, unmoved as a mountain, presence as overwhelming as ever.
Even the deities in the stands felt shock ripple through their ranks at this display of terrifying power.
"Everyone's losing to him," Beerus muttered, frustration coloring every word. "He's just a mortal—why is he this absurdly strong?"
The God of Destruction's pride wouldn't allow him to admit it aloud, but Jiren's performance exceeded even Goku's Ultra Instinct.
"That's because I've achieved godhood," Raditz said quietly. "Otherwise I'd beat him in one round." He paused, fingers brushing the Potara earring. "Besides, it's too early for conclusions. Grand Zeno did approve Potara fusion, didn't he?"
"You're thinking—"
"It's the only option left." Raditz's grip tightened on the earring. "I want to see if he's truly invincible."
The moment would come soon. He just needed to wait for the perfect opportunity.
Broly had recovered somewhat during Shazazero's assault. Now he joined forces with the wounded Toppo and Dyspo, creating enough chaos to buy precious time. Goku still retained some strength. They just needed Vegeta to recover—
In the chaos, Tapion's final act played out.
Before his elimination, he'd positioned himself near Vegeta. His hand pressed against the fallen Saiyan's shoulder, gentle light enveloping the prince.
"You again," Vegeta managed, slightly surprised despite everything.
"I'll give you everything I have left." Tapion's voice carried finality. "This is the last thing I can do."
Holy healing energy poured into Vegeta's battered body, filling the enormous void left by his earlier expenditure. But Super Saiyan Blue's energy requirements were like a bottomless abyss—
"Hah... hah..." Tapion gasped, strain evident in every breath. "My stamina... can't keep up. I can only restore you to normal levels."
Vegeta had unleashed Final Flash repeatedly, broken through his limits multiple times, then suffered Jiren's devastating counter-attack. Simply returning to baseline condition was miraculous.
"Ah... I've hit my limit..." Tapion collapsed as the transmission abruptly ceased.
"It's enough for Blue." Vegeta clenched his fists and rose to his feet, azure aura already flickering to life around him.
At that moment, Jiren's battle with Shazazero reached its conclusion. Under relentless pressure, the Universe One warrior had been defeated again. God of Destruction level? Irrelevant. Jiren drove him face-first into the shattered ground.
"Goodbye." Jiren lifted Shazazero with one hand while condensing a ki sphere with the other—
A shockwave screamed from behind, sharp whistling that split the sky. Jiren turned instantly, palm thrusting outward.
BOOM!
His ki blast collided with the incoming shockwave mid-air. The detonation created a whirlwind that shredded atmosphere itself. What remained of the arena floor broke apart again—fracturing into isolated islands floating in the void.
Jiren's eyes found Vegeta, hands positioned in the classic Kamehameha stance. Surprise flickered across his face for half a second.
"You..." His gaze shifted, noticing the figure behind Vegeta. Understanding dawned.
Jiren released Shazazero and moved.
Vegeta braced for impact, every muscle tensed—but couldn't track Jiren's approach. A gust of wind and smoke passed by him in an instant. When it cleared, Jiren had already bypassed the prince entirely.
Another solid impact. Tapion was launched off the arena, eliminated before Vegeta could even process what had happened.
The shockwave from Jiren's strike caught Vegeta as collateral damage, sending him tumbling backward.
"Recovery is meaningless." Jiren's voice carried absolute certainty.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Goku roared, azure light blazing as he charged forward. His fist carried every ounce of Full Power Blue behind it.
Jiren didn't even turn his head. His arm rose slightly—just enough to intercept. The collision of their strikes shook the entire void, visible shockwaves rippling outward.
"Goku, WATCH OUT!" Vegeta's warning came too late.
When Jiren attacked, nothing seemed capable of stopping him.
Light and shadow blurred. In less than a heartbeat, Goku's face and body were covered in fresh wounds—slashes and impacts appearing faster than healing could compensate. He fell backward, stumbling, desperately trying to maintain guard.
Casserale and Frieza watched from their own battlefield—only to see twin ki spheres flying toward them. Not attacks. Warnings from Jiren. Stay out of this.
The battered Shazazero vomited blood, barely supporting his upper body with trembling arms. Sweat poured down his fur-covered face.
Nothing could stop Jiren. In this tournament, against these opponents, he stood alone at the pinnacle.
He was invincible.