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Jiren remained silent as Toppo's words echoed in the air, his gaze fixed on the screen with an unreadable, stony expression. Even the legendary performances of Son Goku and Vegeta failed to flicker a shadow of doubt across his eyes. To Jiren, it mattered little if Goku reached the heights of Ultra Instinct; the result would remain the same.
Beside him, a purple, feline warrior who bore a striking resemblance to Lord Beerus spoke up. This was Dyspo, the legendary "Sonic Warrior" and the third-ranking powerhouse of the Pride Troopers. He watched the footage with a restless, expectant energy. With Jiren effectively stalling both Goku and Vegeta, the battlefield was wide open.
"Jiren is a wall they cannot climb, that goes without saying," Dyspo muttered, his ears twitching. "But I wonder which of the others the Captain and I can pluck from Universe 7."
Universe 7 still had Gohan, Frieza, and Android 17 in play. Dyspo weighed his options, confident that his sheer velocity could overwhelm any of them. As the Pride Troopers' vanguard, he felt the weight of Universe 11's survival on his shoulders. Even a one-for-one trade—his own elimination to take down a heavy hitter like Gohan—would be a tactical victory.
"We will see soon enough," Toppo replied, his voice heavy with anticipation. He was eager to see his own contribution. Up until now, the fighters of Universe 7 had been eliminated by other universes, but now the two titan realms were clashing head-on.
Toppo, as Captain, felt it was his duty to personally purge the remaining challengers. In his mind, the path to victory was clear: Jiren would crush the two Saiyans, while he and Dyspo dismantled the rest. Whether reality would follow his script, however, remained to be seen.
Back in the heat of the recorded battle, Son Goku and Vegeta were desperate. Despite their coordinated assault, Jiren was an immovable fortress. Yet, the Saiyans did not waver. Their Ki flared with a renewed, violent intensity. Goku pushed his limits to the absolute brink, stacking Kaio-ken x20 atop his Super Saiyan Blue form, his body screaming under the pressure of the crimson-and-blue aura.
Vegeta, however, was undergoing a different metamorphosis.
"The power swelling within Vegeta... it's transcending the boundaries of Super Saiyan Blue!" Akira noted, his transmigrator's intuition sensing the shift in the air. The observers of Universe 7 watched in awe as the Prince of Saiyans channeled his pride. Vegeta thought of Bulma's smile, the faces of Trunks and Bulla, and the promise he made to his disciple, Cabba. To protect his world, he had to shatter his shell.
"Haaaah!"
With a roar that shook the World of Void, Vegeta's aura exploded. His teal hair deepened into a rich, royal navy, and his aura turned a crystalline dark blue, shimmering with starlight. He had reached a new realm—Super Saiyan Blue Evolution. With their full power unleashed, the two Saiyans charged Jiren once more, their combined Ki creating a shockwave felt across dimensions.
Simultaneously, Dyspo engaged Frieza. Dyspo's superluminal speed made him a blur that defied the naked eye, but Frieza, ever the tactical predator, began to read the rhythm of the sonic strikes. However, Dyspo revealed his "Super Maximum Light Speed Mode," increasing his velocity a thousandfold. Even the Golden Emperor found himself unable to track the movements, forced to rely on his immense durability to tank the barrage of blows.
Seeing the Emperor struggle, Gohan rushed to assist, but speed alone was not enough to pin the rabbit down. Acting on a shared tactical instinct, Gohan and Frieza devised a grim strategy. Gohan engaged Dyspo in close quarters while Frieza used his Ki to weave a "Cage of Light"—a lethal net of energy beams that restricted the battlefield.
With his movement space compressed, Dyspo's greatest advantage vanished. Gohan began to overwhelm him, but just as he moved for the finishing blow, the energy net flickered and died. Frieza dropped to one knee, panting heavily.
"Tch... it seems this Great King has reached the limits of his stamina," Frieza spat, his face twisted in a grimace. Maintaining the cage had drained his reserves.
With the restrictions gone, Dyspo prepared to vanish into the shadows of speed once more. But Gohan was faster. In a desperate gambit, Gohan lunged forward, locking Dyspo in a vice-like full-nelson.
"Frieza! Now!" Gohan screamed.
Frieza didn't hesitate. A cruel smirk played on his lips as he fired a massive blast that caught both warriors, sending Gohan and Dyspo spiraling off the arena floor. A double elimination. Universe 11 was down to their final two: Toppo and Jiren. Universe 7 held the numbers with Goku, Vegeta, Android 17, and Frieza.
In Universe 7's West City, within the comfort of Bulma's home, Android 17 (Lapis) watched his future self with genuine surprise. "I actually lasted that long?" he mused, looking at his hands.
Android 18 (Lazulí) crossed her arms beside him. "Only because I saved you from that Universe 3 fusion earlier," she reminded him bluntly. Lapis didn't argue; he knew she was right. He wondered if his tactical survival could truly carry him to the end.
Meanwhile, at the Pride Troopers' Headquarters, Dyspo was fuming. "Eliminated just like that?" he barked, feeling the sting of the trade. Even though he had taken Gohan with him, the "Sonic Warrior" felt he had much more to give. The climax of the Tournament of Power was drawing near, and the pressure was suffocating.