"I'll do it."
Jiren thought for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.
"I want to defeat them one by one, build up my momentum, and then challenge Zeru."
His eyes locked onto Zeru in the distance.
The pressure that man gave him was simply too overwhelming.
Without warming up, without building his fighting spirit, Jiren did not have the courage to face him.
"What?! You… Jiren, are you that lacking in confidence?!"
Toppo's expression changed drastically when he heard that.
"No. It's not a lack of confidence."
Jiren shook his head.
"It's simply a fact."
"When I look into that man's eyes, the pressure I feel is something even Gods of Destruction and Angels cannot give me."
"You may be the next God of Destruction, and your power is close to that level, but in the end, you still haven't surpassed the Gods of Destruction."
Just how strong was Jiren?
Most people had no clear understanding.
But Toppo knew.
Jiren had unquestionably surpassed the level of a God of Destruction.
Even if he hadn't quite reached the realm of the Angels, among those who did not use Destruction Energy, he was practically invincible beneath them.
And yet…
A being like that felt no desire whatsoever to fight Zeru.
Just how terrifying was Zeru?
"This man seems interested."
Toppo glanced toward Zeru.
At that moment, Zeru was bouncing lightly in place, as if doing ordinary warm-up exercises before a match.
"Zeru, the big showdown is about to begin. Are you getting ready too?"
Nearby, Son Goku looked over at Zeru, who was stretching just like him, and asked excitedly.
"Yes."
Zeru nodded.
His eyes swept over Hit, Toppo, and Jiren.
He had heard Jiren's words earlier.
So Zeru decided he would first clear out the remaining fighters from Universe 11 and the other universes, then let Jiren handle Hit and the rest.
Still, Zeru felt that the true protagonist of the final battle shouldn't be him.
It should be Goku.
And that meant Ultra Instinct would inevitably appear.
Of course, at Zeru's current level, teaching Goku Ultra Instinct would be incredibly easy.
But there was no need.
This was a realm Goku could awaken on his own.
That said, if the system gave him a reward mission to teach it, Zeru certainly wouldn't mind.
Soon, the battle resumed.
In less than a minute, Zeru swept through the remaining fighters from Universe 11 and the other universes.
When the dust settled, only a handful of familiar faces remained on the arena.
From Universe 11: Jiren and Toppo.
From Universe 6: Hit.
From Universe 7: Zeru, Son Goku, Vegeta, and the still-hidden Frieza.
Only seven fighters remained.
"You're Hit, correct?"
Jiren looked at Hit and spoke calmly.
"What do you want?"
Hit crossed his arms and stared back without fear.
Rather than intimidation, his eyes burned with a strong desire to fight.
"Come."
Jiren raised his hand.
"Let me see how powerful the so-called number one assassin of Universe 6 truly is."
"Hit, I hope you won't disappoint me."
"If you can't last long against me, your title will be a joke."
"Heh."
Hit's expression remained as cold as ever.
"I know you're strong."
"But don't underestimate me."
"I've killed so many people that I stopped counting long ago."
"So I suggest you prepare yourself."
His tone was neither arrogant nor humble.
He was simply stating a fact.
Although killing techniques were forbidden in this tournament, his improved Time-Skip was more than enough to challenge Jiren.
"Oh?"
Jiren smiled faintly.
"You seem very confident."
"Then begin."
"Show me how strong you really are."
Hit said nothing more.
A sharp light flashed in his eyes.
In the next instant, he vanished.
To Goku and the others, it looked as though Hit had disappeared into thin air.
His presence could no longer be sensed.
For a moment, the vast center of the arena appeared to contain only Jiren, standing alone as if facing empty space.
Anyone else might have panicked.
Jiren did not.
He remained utterly calm.
He stood still, his eyes fixed forward, not even blinking.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted at his side.
Hit reappeared in front of him, his fist driving straight toward Jiren's face.
Jiren's expression didn't change.
His composure remained absolute.
It was obvious that he had complete confidence in his own strength.
Boom!
Jiren struck.
Their fists collided.
Then Jiren stepped forward and unleashed another punch.
This time, his fist smashed directly into Hit's face.
Crack!
A sharp snapping sound echoed.
Hit's cheekbone fractured instantly.
"Hmph!"
Hit grunted in pain and was blasted backward.
But Hit was no ordinary fighter.
He quickly regained his balance.
His expression shifted from disbelief, to shock, to stunned realization.
Jiren…
Was this powerful?
Whoosh!
Jiren moved again.
He appeared before Hit in an instant and drove another punch into his face.
Blood sprayed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Face.
Chest.
Abdomen.
Back.
In only a few seconds, Hit completely lost the ability to resist.
He was reduced to a helpless ragdoll as Jiren mercilessly overwhelmed him.
"Too… terrifying…"
Watching this scene, Goku involuntarily sucked in a cold breath.
He had a feeling that if he were facing Jiren right now, he would be suffering exactly the same fate.
"Zeru…"
Vegeta slowly walked over, his forehead drenched in sweat, his face full of shock.
He glanced at Zeru and asked cautiously,
"Can… can you really defeat this guy?"
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