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Lord Beerus leaned back, a smug grin crossing his face as he tapped a message into the multidimensional interface. "@Frieza, well done." The God of Destruction was genuinely pleased with the Emperor's performance.
Despite his initial suspicions that Frieza might jump ship, he realized the tyrant was far too cunning to gamble against Universe 7 when the stakes were literal erasure. Frieza had proven his worth by ruthlessly thinning out the competition, exactly as a cold-blooded frost demon should.
However, the peace was immediately shattered by the shrill notifications from Universe 6. Champa was practically screaming through the chat. "@Beerus! Beerus! Your people are absolutely despicable! Our Frost is a renowned philanthropist, a hero of the people! He was clearly manipulated and tricked by that snake Frieza!"
Beerus let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "A philanthropist? Would a 'great philanthropist' gleefully conspire to eliminate Gohan? Would a hero agree to backstab his own teammates for a better deal? Tell me, Champa, in what universe does that qualify as charity work?"
Champa stammered, his text trailing off. "Ah, well... that is..." The God of Universe 6 fell silent, his eyes glued to the broadcast. The footage didn't lie. Frost's actions on the screen were the polar opposite of the noble image he had cultivated.
Across Universe 6, a collective gasp of horror echoed from countless planets. The man they had worshipped as a savior, the noble warrior who ended wars, was being exposed as a fraud before the entire Wanjie Multiverse.
Vegeta crossed his arms, his golden aura flickering with disdain. "Hmph! Anyone who shares a face with Frieza is bound to be a bottom-feeder. You can't polish a turd, Champa."
Frieza's eyes narrowed as he chuckled softly. "Oh? Vegeta, do be careful with your generalizations. Though, I must admit, while this Frost shares my refined aesthetic, he is pathetically amateur. To think some commoner thinks he can be presumptuous in my presence." Frieza saw right through Frost's charade.
The philanthropist persona was a crutch for the weak, a way to manipulate the masses because Frost lacked the raw power to simply rule them. As a Galactic Emperor who ruled through fear and absolute Ki, Frieza found the need for such petty disguises insulting. If you have the strength to be a villain, why bother pretending to be a saint?
While the deities bickered, the scene in the video shifted to the center of the arena. Son Goku had finally locked eyes with his ultimate target: Jiren the Gray. Even before the Tournament of Power began, the Saiyan's blood had been boiling with anticipation. He needed to feel the weight of Jiren's power for himself.
Goku lunged forward in his base form, throwing a flurry of strikes, but Jiren didn't even shift his stance. The Pride Trooper blocked every high-speed blow with a single finger.
Not a bead of sweat, not a hint of effort. Goku's eyes sparked with excitement as he escalated. Golden light erupted as he surged through Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, and the lightning-shrouded Super Saiyan 3. He pushed even further, his hair turning a vibrant crimson as he accessed the divine pressure of a Super Saiyan God.
The shockwaves from their contact should have leveled mountains, yet Jiren remained an immovable wall. Even against the God form, Jiren used nothing more than a lone finger to parry the Saiyan's strikes. The gap was nonsensical; it was as if Goku's transformations were mere parlor tricks to the behemoth from Universe 11.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Akira watched with a tactical eye, noting how Goku finally stopped testing the waters. The Saiyan roared, his Ki exploding into a brilliant, sapphire blue. This was the pinnacleāSuper Saiyan Blue.
And then, to the horror of the spectators, he stacked the Kaio-ken x20 on top of it. The red-and-blue aura vibrated with enough intensity to distort the very fabric of the Void World.
It didn't matter. Jiren moved with the grace of a predator, effortlessly suppressing the peak of Saiyan evolution. In the stands, Krillin trembled, his voice cracking as he looked toward Tien Shinhan and the others. "It's okay... Goku is just warming up, right? He still has the Kaio-ken!"
Whis shook his head solemnly, his staff glowing. "I'm afraid he is already using it, Krillin. That is the tragedy. Even at twenty times his maximum divine power, the gap between them isn't just a distanceāit's an abyss."
The sight of a God-tier Saiyan being treated like a child stunned the myriad realms. Belmod, the God of Destruction for Universe 11, let out a boisterous laugh that echoed through the chat. "Hahahaha! Behold! That is the majesty of Jiren! Your flashy transformations and multiplier techniques are nothing but cheap fireworks before absolute strength!"
Across the dimensions, the observers were reeling. Duanmu Yan, the Armor Summoner, gripped his belt in disbelief. "This is absurd. I remember the earlier records mentioned the Kaio-ken multiplies power directly. To be twenty times stronger than a God and still get thrashed? Jiren is a monster."
Zhang Chulan leaned in, his face pale. "Goku is easily one of the strongest beings we've seen, but Jiren is treating him like a toy. No wonder he didn't move at the start of the tournament. Why would a mountain move for a breeze?"
Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the screen, his spiritual pressure reacting to the tension. "If Jiren had decided to end this at the opening bell, he could have swept the entire arena in seconds. I don't think everyone there combined could stop him."
Uzumaki Naruto nodded slowly, his eyes wide with awe. "And the scariest part? Look at Jiren's face. He hasn't even started trying yet."