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At this moment, the attention of countless viewers across the Heavens and Myriad Worlds was locked onto the broadcast with 120% intensity. The roster for Universe 7 was complete, and across the vast multiverse, the other seven competing teams were finalizing their own preparations.
The atmosphere was suffocating; the start of the Tournament of Power was imminent. This wasn't just a martial arts festival—it was a struggle for existence where eight universes would enter, and seven would be erased from reality.
For the casual observers in other dimensions, this was the ultimate spectacle—an exhilarating, high-stakes melee. But for the participants, the mood was grim. Even the Gods of Destruction, usually arrogant and detached, felt a cold sweat. Lord Beerus and his peers knew that only one universe would walk away. To lose meant absolute non-existence. Every deity harbored the same desperate hope: to be the last one standing.
However, the video's title hung over the other gods like an omen. The mention of Universe 7 suggested they were the protagonists of this tragedy, which left the other Gods of Destruction feeling deeply anxious. If Universe 7 was destined for glory, did that mean their own worlds were already doomed to turn to dust?
The only one who remained unshaken was Vermoud, the God of Destruction from Universe 11.
"So what if Son Goku can tap into the state of Ultra Instinct?" Vermoud scoffed, his clown-like features twisting into a confident smirk. "He will never be a match for Jiren!"
Jiren the Gray was the pride of the Pride Troopers and the source of Universe 11's absolute certainty. To Vermoud, Jiren wasn't just a fighter; he was an insurmountable wall. As long as Jiren stood on that arena, Universe 11 could not lose.
As the viewers watched with bated breath, the video transitioned. The final hours of preparation vanished, and the time for the gathering arrived. Led by the Angel Whis and accompanied by Beerus and the Supreme Kai, the ten warriors of Universe 7 departed for the World of Void.
This was a realm beyond the twelve universes—a place without time, space, or light, existing in a state of eternal chaos. The Grand Priest had constructed a massive ring here, forged from Kachi Katchin steel to withstand the impact of eighty God-tier combatants.
Aside from the Angels and the competing teams, only the ruling deities were permitted to attend. It was a haunting thought: if the gods kept the secret, the billions of inhabitants in the losing universes would be erased without ever knowing they were in danger. Perhaps, in a twisted way, that was a mercy.
The gods of the four exempt universes—Universes 1, 12, 5, and 8—were already seated. Since their average Mortal Level was high enough to be spared from erasure, they watched with a relaxed, almost scholarly interest. They had no skin in the game, and their casual demeanor stood in sharp contrast to the eight universes that arrived shortly after.
When Son Goku and his team stepped onto the void-suspended arena, their Ki immediately flared in response to the overwhelming pressure of the surrounding powerhouses. Goku's eyes scanned the crowd, eventually landing on the warriors of Universe 11. He had traded blows with Toppo before and knew the leader of the Pride Troopers was a monster in his own right, but his gaze drifted to the man standing silently behind him.
The man was bald, with gray skin and large, bottomless black eyes. He looked like a standard alien, yet he radiated an aura of absolute stillness. He was cold, indifferent, and moved with a heavy, localized pressure that seemed to warp the air around him. Remembering Toppo's warning—that there existed a man even a God of Destruction couldn't defeat—Goku realized he was looking at the pinnacle of mortal strength.
"Hahahaha!" Vermoud's voice boomed in the multiversal chat. "Look at him! That's Jiren! I'm truly sorry to the rest of you, but this tournament is already over. Universe 11 has already won."
Vermoud's confidence was backed by fact. Jiren was arguably the strongest mortal in all twelve universes. While the exempt universes had higher average levels, that didn't mean their peak fighters could match Jiren's singular, overwhelming power. Universe 7 might have heavy hitters like Goku and Vegeta, but in Vermoud's eyes, they were just children playing at being gods.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Vermoud!" Beerus snapped back. "Did you miss the title? Our Son Goku is reaching a level even you haven't mastered!"
"Ultra Instinct is a myth until proven otherwise," Vermoud countered. "And even a myth will break against Jiren's fist!"
"Hmph! Don't forget Hit is in our lineup," Champa chimed in, representing Universe 6. "He's the greatest assassin in history. His Time-Skip will have your 'invincible' Jiren falling off the ring before he can blink!"
"Our goddesses from Universe 2 will prevail through the power of love!" Helles added, joined by the other gods who began desperately boasting about their champions. It was a frantic display of bravado, each deity trying to mask their underlying terror by inflating the prestige of their own warriors.
In the viewing audience, the mood turned somber.
"The Tournament of Power is finally beginning," Fleet Admiral Sengoku remarked, his voice heavy with the gravity of the situation. "The fate of billions rests on a single match."
"I heard the narrator say the tournament only lasts forty-eight minutes," Duanmu Yan added. "Forty-eight minutes to decide which seven universes get blinked out of existence... it's terrifying."
The viewers fell silent. Less than an hour. In the span of a short lunch break, entire civilizations, histories, and star systems would cease to exist. This was more than a battle; it was the most critical, high-pressure forty-eight minutes in the history of the Dragon Ball multiverse. The countdown had ended. The era of survival had begun.