Just then, a clear, powerful announcement suddenly rang out. Like a bolt of lightning tearing across the sky, it instantly captured everyone's attention.
"W-Wait… Did I hear that right? Jiren of Universe 11 has really been eliminated?"
Super Perfect Cell stared around in shock, his mouth hanging open. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard.
Beside him, Caulifla nodded firmly. "That's right! It's Jiren from Universe 11!" Her face was trembling slightly from the shock as well.
The announcement continued to echo in Trunks' ears as he carefully observed everyone's reactions around him. It seemed he really hadn't misheard.
Since Jiren had already been eliminated, they could completely rule out one of the possibilities they'd previously considered about what had happened in that battle: Toppo coming to Jiren's aid.
After all, Toppo and Jiren were both members of Universe 11, and Toppo was also the leader of the Pride Troopers. Given his personality and position, there was absolutely no way he would attack Jiren.
Trunks stood quietly where he was, slowly raising his head toward the vast sky as a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
At the same time, Hit, who had remained silent until now, grew increasingly serious. He turned toward Trunks and spoke quietly.
"Trunks, with this, we can basically confirm that Toppo wasn't responsible."
Trunks nodded in agreement.
Hit continued, "What about Broly? Is there really no chance that he caused all of this?"
Trunks shook his head again, answering with complete certainty. "No. It definitely wasn't Broly. I'm very familiar with his aura. If he had made a move, I would've sensed it immediately."
"So… who could it be?" Hit's expression became even more solemn.
Whoosh...!
Trunks suddenly summoned the White Hole again. He then stepped inside, intending to return to the Plateau Module once more. There was no point sitting here guessing back and forth; it would be better to investigate the truth himself.
A strange flash of light appeared, and the White Hole opened at the location where the Plateau Module had been moments ago.
Trunks extended one leg, preparing to step out of the White Hole. That single movement nearly got him eliminated.
The moment he put his leg forward, he felt something terribly wrong, it was as if he had stepped into empty space.
He immediately pulled his leg back.
The sight before him was horrifying.
Trunks looked down and saw nothing beneath his feet but an endless void. When he had come here earlier to rescue Gohan, the area had still been surrounded by towering mountains. Now, the entire Plateau Module had completely vanished, as though it had never existed in the first place.
Normally, no matter how intense a battle was, the most it could do was shatter the ground into countless fragments floating through the air. But what lay before him was completely different.
Everything in this area had been erased. There was nothing beneath Trunks' feet, only a terrifying emptiness.
If not for the strange passage inside the White Hole supporting him, stepping out with both legs just now would have sent him falling straight into the bottomless abyss, eliminating him from the Tournament of Power.
After all, the Tournament of Power had strict restrictions on flight. Only those who naturally possessed wings or belonged to races capable of flying like birds were allowed to take to the air. Everyone else was prohibited from flying, and even techniques like Flight were restricted.
Trunks' sharp eyes swept across the surroundings like a scanner. He carefully examined every corner, refusing to overlook even the smallest detail in his attempt to find some trace left behind by whoever had caused this.
Several seconds passed. After more than ten seconds, Trunks finally shook his head helplessly and gave up searching.
There really was nothing left. This entire area had been completely washed away by an overwhelming amount of Destruction Energy. Every trace and clue connected to what had happened had been erased completely, as though it had never existed.
Just then, an extremely faint sound came from somewhere nearby.
"Swish, swish, swish...!"
The sound was so quiet that if Trunks hadn't completely calmed himself and focused all his senses on perceiving his surroundings, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Trunks' heart tightened. His attention instantly locked onto the direction from which the sound had come.
After a brief assessment, Trunks realized that the strange sound was actually coming from behind him. How had he managed to search the area in front of him and on both sides while completely overlooking his own back?
Trunks quickly moved both hands. Under his control, the White Hole, which had remained completely still, slowly began to rotate.
At that moment, an object shimmering with a strange light suddenly appeared in his field of vision, immediately drawing all of his attention.
It was a huge, vortex-like gateway, remarkably similar in appearance to the White Hole he controlled. There was one major difference, however: the vortex gateway was tightly closed, like a sleeping beast with its eyes shut.
Even more noticeable was the line of text clearly displayed across the gateway:
"Entered the Advancement Passage."
Trunks' heart sank when he saw it. The person who had unleashed that terrifying Destruction Energy had already successfully advanced.
After ambushing Gohan and Piccolo, the only person left in the Plateau Module had been Jiren. And Jiren had also been eliminated by that mysterious fighter, who had then turned the entire area into nothingness before advancing.
There was no denying it, the guy was incredibly difficult to figure out.
At this point, Trunks had essentially lost every possible clue. There was nothing more he could do here. He had already accomplished what he came for: rescuing Gohan and Piccolo before they suffered the same fate as Jiren.
As for the truth behind everything that had happened, it seemed they would have to wait until they advanced before they could uncover it.
Still, this trip hadn't been completely pointless. Judging from what the mysterious fighter had left behind, the fact that he had been able to completely destroy the entire Plateau Module proved that his mastery of Destruction Energy had reached an extraordinary level.
Trunks took a deep breath before resolutely stepping back into the White Hole. A burst of intense light flashed, space twisted violently, and his silhouette instantly disappeared into the void.
A moment later, Trunks successfully passed through the White Hole and returned to the familiar Space Prison inside the Snowfield Module.
The instant he stepped out of the White Hole, the previously quiet prison erupted into chaos. Everyone immediately rushed toward him and surrounded him.
Hit, standing at the front of the group, could no longer contain his impatience and was the first to speak. "Well? Trunks, did you see that guy?" He stared intently at Trunks.
Super Perfect Cell also hurriedly asked, "Yeah, boss. What happened?"
But in the next moment, when everyone's eyes focused on Trunks, they noticed something strange. His usually resolute expression was completely calm, almost unnaturally so, like a perfectly still pool of water.
The unusual reaction made everyone's hearts sink. A bad feeling began to spread, along with a growing sense of disappointment. For a moment, nobody dared to break the silence.
Finally, Trunks slowly shook his head. The movement was heavy and deliberate, every slight motion seeming to tug at everyone's nerves.
His lips parted, and he quietly uttered two words:
"No."
The simple answer struck the group like thunder. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them, instantly extinguishing the hope that had just begun to burn in their hearts.
The entire room fell deathly silent. Only a faint breeze drifted through the area, bringing with it a slight chill.
But then Trunks suddenly frowned, a hint of doubt and contemplation flashing through his deep eyes.
After a brief pause, he thoughtfully continued, "However… after investigating this time, I think we've overlooked something important."
......
Inside Universe 11's Observation Room.
Jiren was seriously injured, with Angel Marcarita by his side.
Jiren slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with shock. He looked toward Marcarita and asked:
"W-What… what exactly happened?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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