Less than three minutes remained.
The pillar—the tournament's timer—stood alone in the void, nearly submerged. No intact battlefield remained. Finely broken stones floated suspended through space, serving as impromptu platforms. Explosions and roars echoed constantly across the fragments.
Frieza charged at Jiren—only to be sent flying by a devastating sweep kick. Broly rushed in next—crushed by a single punch. Then Vegeta and Goku together—the result was exactly the same.
Jiren remained overwhelmingly strong. Though every combatant was injured and exhausted, the grey warrior maintained absolute advantage.
In the vast nothingness, Jiren's tremendous momentum steadily suppressed all opposition.
"This won't work," Goku muttered, wiping blood from his mouth after being launched backward by another powerful strike. "We can't beat him like this."
"Hey, Saiyan." Frieza landed nearby, his golden form covered in bruises and cuts. "We have numerical advantage. Why not simply run out the clock? We'd win by default."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Goku's expression was grave. "Jiren's trying his absolute hardest to eliminate us. He won't let us stall."
As if to prove the point, Jiren exploded forward in the next instant. Air waves rippled outward with buzzing intensity.
Frieza and Goku braced themselves, meeting Jiren's charge together—
Veins suddenly bulged across Jiren's body. His strength surged explosively. His knee drove upward into Frieza's abdomen with devastating force.
CRACK.
The impact made Frieza's body arch violently. Saliva sprayed from his mouth. Energy ripples erupted behind him. His entire midsection went numb.
Seeing the opening, Goku rushed to intercept—firing a ki blast at point-blank range.
Through smoke and dust, Jiren's form burst forward. His fist shot out like lightning—unstoppable, unavoidable.
Goku gritted his teeth and twisted sideways. The punch still grazed his shoulder, spinning him around. Meanwhile, Frieza tried to escape—only to have Jiren seize his tail.
The grey warrior's eyes blazed. His fist rose from below in a devastating uppercut.
Tremendous power surged from ground to sky, striking Frieza's skull. The tyrant's consciousness wavered, vision blurring.
Immediately after, Jiren pivoted toward Goku. The Saiyan had barely avoided the previous attack, body still off-balance. Jiren's leg whipped around in a brutal strike that caught Goku's abdomen perfectly.
Goku had been right. Universe Seven wasn't in a hurry—but Universe Eleven was desperate. They wanted final victory, absolute triumph. Jiren would never allow time-wasting.
And truthfully, delaying against Jiren was impossible.
The erupting warrior struck with such force that both Frieza and Goku were launched off the arena. Simultaneously, he destroyed all surrounding debris—eliminating potential footholds.
Broly and Vegeta arrived a step too late, unable to save either fighter.
"SON GOKU!"
Just when everyone thought hope had died, a shout rang out from a falling figure. Frieza's voice.
Following his roar, a shockwave erupted from his hands—aimed at Goku.
At the last moment, Frieza smiled.
Goku's eyes widened slightly. The shockwave caught him, carrying his body back toward the arena. He landed and stabilized quickly, finding solid ground.
"Frieza... you actually..." No one had expected that warrior to sacrifice himself for another.
Golden light flashed. Frieza materialized in Universe Seven's spectator section, eliminated—but with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"The ending won't change," Jiren said coldly, already launching his next assault.
Broly and Vegeta met him head-on, resisting with everything they had against the ferocious onslaught.
Faster. Stronger. The intensity climbed impossibly higher. Dazzling techniques flew through the void.
They were being suppressed by Jiren's overwhelming offensive, making their final desperate stand even as they were pushed toward the arena's edge.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Vegeta roared, hands thrust forward. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"
Jiren's palm opened, blocking the explosive sphere. He charged through billowing smoke and dust with unparalleled violence—surpassing even Broly's berserker fury. When he attacked, neither opponent could stop his momentum.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two devastating blows. Broly and Vegeta both doubled over, feet skidding backward uncontrollably. The void yawned behind them.
Watching this thrilling scene—Frieza's Qigong wave still warming his chest—Goku's mind suddenly went blank. For one impossible second, his consciousness sank into profound depth. White light began glowing around his body, completely involuntary.
His entire presence transformed instantly.
White flames replaced azure. His hair shifted from black to brilliant silver. Even his eyebrows gleamed metallic white.
Mastered Ultra Instinct.
"HE'S DONE IT!" Raditz leaped to his feet, voice cracking with emotion.
Following Raditz's cry, Jiren's ki spheres had already launched—twin orbs of energy rushing toward Vegeta and Broly, prepared to blast them off the stage.
Then Goku moved.
But not to attack. He launched himself off the arena, diving into empty space.
The action shocked everyone. What was he doing?! Had he given up?!
No.
Goku was diving toward Vegeta and Broly—chasing Jiren's energy spheres. He grabbed both warriors, pulling them against his chest. Then—impossibly—he stepped on Jiren's ki blast.
His foot made contact with pure destructive energy. The white radiance of Mastered Ultra Instinct seemed to isolate him from external harm. Stepping on the energy sphere had no negative effect whatsoever.
More incredibly—he used it as a platform, pushing off with explosive force. All three bodies rocketed back toward the arena.
Jiren's energy sphere finally detonated after Goku's foot left its surface, blooming like fireworks against the void.
What kind of technique was that?!
Every spectator sat dumbfounded, unable to process what they'd witnessed.
"Goku..." Vegeta stared at his rival's transformation, pupils trembling with recognition and awe.
"Thanks to Frieza," Goku said quietly, silver hair gleaming. "He gave me his remaining energy before falling. I felt something in that energy... his will, his determination." His eyes blazed white-silver. "WE CANNOT LOSE!"
WHOOSH.
The words were barely spoken before Goku's form vanished. Jiren raised his guard reflexively—
Blood sprayed from his mouth. He hadn't even seen the strike.
Gritting his teeth, Jiren continued attacking. But Goku pressed forward, pushing Jiren backward step by inexorable step. Thousands of light-speed strikes scattered with a wave of Goku's hand, dispersing Jiren's flames and sending him flying several meters back.
"I CANNOT LOSE!" Jiren roared, blood streaming from his mouth. He charged forward again despite his injuries.
Their fists crossed—striking each other's faces simultaneously. Both warriors flew backward from the mutual impact. After stabilizing against the platform, they rushed forward again.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Fierce roars shook the arena. They hammered into each other continuously, creating infinite echoes. Jiren's face had become savage, his body covered in wounds—but his willpower still burned like an inferno.
After fighting for so long, constantly breaking through their limits, both warriors were exhausted. Yet even if they had to force out the last particle of strength from their very bones, they would fight to the absolute end.
With determination to win, their lights collided—scattering endless stars across the void.
From both sides of the stands, gods and mortals alike roared encouragement.
The light faded like an ebbing tide.
Goku knelt on one knee, steam rising from his body. He couldn't maintain the transformation anymore—couldn't even move, muscles locked from overexertion.
Jiren had collapsed completely. His body was covered in blood and wounds, breathing labored but present—proof he still lived.
Smoke cleared slowly, revealing the tragic scene. For a long moment, no one could speak.
"What's happened to Goku?" Beerus's voice was hushed.
"His body hasn't achieved true divine state permanently," Whis explained gently. "Using Mastered Ultra Instinct caused his physical form to collapse from the strain. He may not be able to move again."
The angel's gaze shifted to Jiren. "However... Jiren's injuries are even more severe. The fact that he's still breathing proves his extraordinary nature."
At that moment, the pillar sank its final increment and stopped rotating.
Time was up.