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Inside Frieza's spaceship in Universe 7, the atmosphere was heavy with the scent of vintage wine and cold ambition. "I never thought I'd team up with this Android," Frieza mused, swirling a glass of crimson wine as he watched the broadcast of himself and Android 17 working in tandem.
A thin, dangerous smile played on his lips. Compared to his previous forced cooperation with Gohan, Frieza found this partnership strangely acceptable. After all, the history of the Androids was intertwined with his own humiliations; in a previous timeline, he had been sliced to ribbons by Future Trunks almost immediately upon arriving on Earth.
Seeing 17—the man who had once utterly dominated that same Trunks—felt like a proxy revenge. He felt a rare, slight fondness for the artificial human. However, his expression soured instantly as the image of Toppo from Universe 11 flickered across the screen.
How dare that brute treat the Emperor of the Universe with such indignity! God of Destruction? To Frieza, Toppo was nothing more than a despicable hypocrite. He and 17 had to crush him.
While Frieza hoped for a tactical miracle, the audience across the Wanjie Multiverse remained skeptical. Toppo's Hakai-infused power was simply too overwhelming. "In a two-on-one situation, Son Goku and Vegeta might still have a glimmer of hope," Zhang Chulan commented, his voice echoing through the multiversal chat.
"But Frieza and Android 17? I see no hope at all." The logic was sound: Vegeta had already transcended his limits with a new transformation, and Goku was a man who breathed miracles.
Together, they might stand a chance against Jiren. But Frieza and 17 had yet to show a new peak of power. It was difficult to imagine them overcoming a candidate for a God of Destruction.
Just as the viewers resigned themselves to the defeat of Universe 7's secondary pair, chaos erupted on the battlefield. Even with their combined Ki and tactical coordination, Frieza and 17 were struggling to leave a scratch on Toppo.
But as Toppo prepared to eliminate them, a stray volley of energy blasts grazed his shoulder. Toppo turned to see the frantic, high-speed collision of Goku and Vegeta against Jiren nearby. The sheer pressure of their three-way battle was leaking out, warping the surrounding space.
The two separate fights suddenly merged into a chaotic six-way scramble. Jiren and Toppo shared a silent nod of tactical understanding. As Vegeta charged Jiren with a roar, Toppo intercepted him, forcibly shifting their duel to a separate sub-battlefield.
Toppo had successfully split the forces. It was now Toppo versus Vegeta in a pure one-on-one, while Jiren took on the triple threat of Goku, Frieza, and 17.
On the surface, it looked like Jiren was under more pressure, but the reality was different. Frieza and 17, while formidable, did not possess the raw destructive output of Super Saiyan Blue Evolved Vegeta.
Jiren actually looked more relaxed fighting the three of them than he did against the dual Saiyan assault. Meanwhile, Toppo was perfectly suited to handle Vegeta. He no longer saw Frieza and 17 as worthy targets; his current power deserved a rival of Vegeta's caliber.
This was a duel between two perennial second-placers, both burdened by the weight of their worlds. Toppo fought to protect the survival of Universe 11, while Vegeta fought for his universe, his family, and a solemn promise made to his student, Cabba.
As their fists collided, Vegeta felt the staggering change in Toppo's Ki. This wasn't the man he had sparred with before. This was a vessel of pure Destruction.
Toppo's Hakai energy effortlessly dismantled Vegeta's Big Bang attacks. "A guy who constantly preaches justice would turn to destruction?" Vegeta spat, struggling against the purple aura. "The change is too great."
"Justice that cannot protect our universe is a useless sentiment," Toppo replied coldly, his voice devoid of his former passion. He had completely abandoned the pride of a Pride Trooper. With a massive swing, he sent Vegeta tumbling backward. "What Saiyan promise? Don't make me laugh! You carry unnecessary burdens, and that is why you cannot win.
I must survive no matter what, so I have thrown away everything unnecessary—including my own soul." Toppo raised both hands, condensing a massive sphere of Hakai energy that turned the air to static. If this hit, Vegeta would be erased. "Universe 7, perish!" Toppo roared, hurling the sphere.
Staring down the orb of annihilation, memories flashed through Vegeta's mind. "Thrown away unnecessary things? Don't joke around!" he roared, his golden and blue aura exploding with such intensity that the entire Null Realm seemed to tremble.
"Bulma... Trunks... Bulla... the promise I made to Cabba... the pride of the Saiyans... that is my everything! I am different from you! I will never throw them away!" With a surge of raw, unadulterated power, Vegeta didn't dodge. He punched through the Hakai energy, shattering the "indestructible" sphere with his bare fist and catching Toppo with a blow that sent the giant reeling.
Akira, watching from his vantage point with the tactical mind of a transmigrator, realized Vegeta was doing the impossible. Vegeta pressed the advantage, raining down a barrage of strikes that bypassed Toppo's defenses. Toppo, the God of Destruction candidate, was being thoroughly beaten.
He tried to condense more destructive energy, but Vegeta's punches were literally breaking the laws of destruction. "You loser who can't even protect his own pride!" Vegeta yelled, dodging a desperate swipe and counter-attacking with a knee to the gut. "I will never lose to someone who discards himself!"
The scene was breathtaking. Across the myriad worlds, viewers who had long watched Goku take the spotlight were on their feet. This was Vegeta's moment. "Cool! Vegeta is simply too cool! This is what a real man looks like!" Duanmu Yan shouted.
Daigo sighed in admiration, noting the ideological clash: "Toppo improved his strength by throwing away what mattered, while Vegeta erupted specifically to protect those things.
Two completely opposite paths." Kurosaki Ichigo nodded, "Even though Vegeta has changed and become a family man, his core pride hasn't shifted an inch." Kakashi, observing with his keen eye, disagreed slightly: "Actually, it has changed.
Vegeta's old pride was selfish. His current pride is selfless—it's built on his family, his student, and his home." In that moment, the Prince of all Saiyans stood as the undisputed peak of the battlefield.