A flash of white light, and the group appeared on a wide terrace.
Bulma's home.
By now, Universe 7's representatives had gathered in full.
"Seventeen? Why are you here?"
Vegeta's eyes landed at once on the tall, lean youth standing beside Eighteen. The boy's face was cold, gaze tilted toward the sky as if lost in thought.
Android 17 only spared Vegeta a glance and said nothing.
"You "
Being ignored sent a spark of anger through Vegeta.
But the person who stepped from the crowd next shocked him even more. "Frieza?!"
Among them stood the least human-looking figure of all, arms folded, eyes glittering with wicked amusement.
"Relax, Vegeta. I brought them," Goku said with an easy grin.
"You brought Frieza?"
Vegeta was floored.
If there was a single culprit behind shattered worlds, it was Frieza. Because of this tyrant, the number of Saiyans in Universe 7 had dwindled to what a single hand could count.
"Well now, Vegeta. Long time no see," Frieza purred, halo shining over his head.
"You "
Vegeta's temper blew. Blue light roared up around him as he vaulted into Super Saiyan Blue, ready to strike.
"How rude to your former boss. Let me refresh your manners."
Frieza's aura changed. It wasn't like his past first, second, or third forms. The air warped around him.
Boom.
Bulma's terrace trembled beneath the pressure, a thick cloud of smoke rolling off the railings.
In the next instant, Frieza's whole body was wrapped in gold.
Golden Frieza.
His strongest state at present, the same form that had fought Goku's Super Saiyan Blue to a standstill.
"Enough."
A cool, imperious voice cut through the tension as Beerus appeared between them. Purple destruction energy gathered at his fingertip, a suffocating threat pouring over both fighters. One wrong move and the blast would fly.
Faced with Beerus, both men halted. Vegeta let the blue drain from his aura. Even the mighty Frieza dismissed his golden gleam. He might have toyed with a God of Destruction's energy before, but he was not about to test Beerus.
Seeing them stand down, Beerus turned away to join Whis.
"Everyone's here. We should depart "
He stopped, eyes narrowing at the man beside Whis.
Vincent Fox felt stronger. Much stronger.
"Whis, what did you put this one through? His power has jumped," Beerus asked.
Goku edged over, eyes bright with curiosity fixed on Vincent.
Whis tapped his chin, then smiled. "Ten kilometers a day. One hundred push-ups. And "
He outlined Vincent's regimen. Several mouths twitched at once.
You call that training?
Even the weakest here, Krillin, could breeze through that without getting winded.
Goku believed it without blinking. He leaned in, grinning. "So Whis was telling the truth, huh?"
Vincent nodded.
"Whoa, your training is really something special," Goku said, delighted.
Before he could ask more, Beerus cut in. "Time is up. We go now. If we keep the Omni-King waiting "
A chill ran up his spine. He chose not to finish the sentence. One sour mood from that sovereign and Universe 7 might be erased.
Whis nodded. The Tournament of Power was about to begin. He had everyone stand together and lifted his staff.
They vanished.
In the next breath, they stood in a place without horizon.
The Null Realm.
They were on a vast floating disc. Not far away, other universes' teams arrived on similar platforms.
"Oh? That feels familiar. Are those… Saiyans?"
Goku pointed toward Universe 6 and asked Vegeta.
"How should I know? Ask them yourself."
Vegeta snorted and looked away.
"Master!"
Cabba from Universe 6 hurried over the moment he spotted them.
Vegeta gave his underperforming student a cold snort and ignored him.
"Ah, Cabba. Your teammates are women?"
Goku pointed at Caulifla and the timid Kale.
Being pointed at made Kale duck behind Caulifla's shoulder, too shy to meet Goku's eyes.
"Yeah. We're all Saiyans," Cabba said, nodding as he flared into Super Saiyan to prove it.
"So there really are female Saiyans. Rare. Nice to meet you "
Smack.
Caulifla slapped aside Goku's offered hand, refusing the handshake.
Goku didn't mind. If anything, he found it amusing.
"Son Goku."
A low voice sounded at his back. Goku's smile faded.
A familiar pressure.
He turned to a smooth, bald head.
Jiren of Universe 11.
Goku's eyes widened. He stared, trying to figure out when Jiren had appeared behind him without stirring the air.
Suddenly, a change.
Chunks of stone wrapped in the purple sheen of destruction energy came whistling down from above, arcing toward the two of them.
"Careful!"
Goku shouted. If those hit, they would be hurt even before the first bell.
He sprang high, keeping one eye on Jiren to see how he would handle the ambush. Dodge like Goku, or take it head on?
The deadly stones slammed down. Jiren neither moved nor raised a guard, standing there as if nothing existed.
Boom.
The stones blasted the platform, throwing up heavy smoke. Not one touched Jiren.
"Unreal..."
Suspended in midair, Goku felt a chill.
He could not tell if Jiren had turned the stones aside with some unseen technique, or if he had known from the start they posed no threat.
Terrifying, either way.
Vincent had been watching too. His eyes narrowed.
Right now, he could hold even with Goku in Kaio-ken. But Jiren was not someone Goku could handle in his current state.
Vincent swept his gaze across the fighters from every universe. Names and strengths slotted into place in his mind one after another.
At last, he closed his eyes.
Aside from Jiren of Universe 11, the others were manageable.
Movement rippled through the crowd as everyone pressed toward the center.
Floating above them stood the referee for the entire event.
The Grand Priest.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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