Inside Universe 11's observation room, the Pride Troopers quickly gathered around Jiren after his defeat. They surrounded him with concern written across their faces, along with another emotion that was harder to put into words.
Jiren's loss had hit them hard as well, but the change they had seen in him had fundamentally altered the way they viewed him.
Jiren had changed.
"Jiren, the fight is already over…"
Toppo bent down slightly, speaking to him with concern.
Dyspo immediately added, "You did more than enough, Jiren. Just get some rest now."
Hearing them, Jiren felt something stir inside him. Being surrounded by his companions like this made him truly understand, perhaps for the first time, what it felt like to have people standing beside him.
He had failed to defeat Gohan and Piccolo. In the end, he had also failed to defeat the person who eliminated him. His teammates had placed all their hopes on his shoulders, yet he had still failed to live up to their trust.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I couldn't…"
Toppo cut him off. "Whether we win or lose doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"
"That's enough, Jiren. You've already surpassed your old self. You don't need to worry about what comes next." A cool, commanding voice came from behind the group.
Two members of the Pride Troopers stepped aside, making room for Marcarita as the Angel walked forward from the back.
…
On the battlefield, Z Broly stood alone.
The region around him had once been a quiet basin surrounded by mountains, with a mighty river flowing past like a silver ribbon wrapping around the central plain. Seen from high above, it looked like a natural depression, sunk deep into the earth like the bottom of a giant bowl.
That was before a sudden catastrophe swept across the land.
Now, the basin was completely flooded by raging river water, transformed into an enormous lake stretching as far as the eye could see. Sunlight shimmered across the surface, reflecting the surrounding green mountains while a gentle wind sent ripples rolling across the water.
Z Broly stood atop one of the peaks bordering the lake. His posture was steady and his expression cold and unreadable as he stared into the distance. A breeze brushed across his face, stirring a few strands of hair over his forehead as his thoughts drifted back to the battle that had just ended.
It had hardly been a contest. Against the enemies inside this module, he had displayed overwhelming power and ruthless brutality, tearing through every opponent like an efficient killing machine.
A few of them had been wearing those ridiculous skintight uniforms, and Z Broly had made sure to show them just how vicious his fighting style could be.
Even now, he could still remember the terrified expressions on the faces of those tight-suit-wearing idiots from Universe 11.
"Tch. Trash."
He spat into the lake, his face filled with open disgust.
But if anyone looked closely, they would notice something else in his eyes: dissatisfaction.
That last battle hadn't come close to satisfying him. In truth, there was only one reason Z Broly had agreed to participate in the Tournament of Power as a fighter from Universe 6.
Super Broly.
That bastard had become a thorn in his side, and the memory of being mercilessly humiliated by him refused to leave his mind. During his time in Universe 6, Z Broly had undergone intense training.
He had not only learned Destruction from Champa, but had also gotten Universe 6's Supreme Kai to restore his Saiyan tail. Because of that, he had absolute confidence in his current strength.
He didn't just want to beat the hell out of his brother. He also wanted to crush every other bastard who had made him suffer in the past and wipe the smug looks off their faces. Son Goku and Vegeta were obvious examples.
But instead of finding his brother, Goku, or Vegeta right away, all he had encountered was a bunch of small fries from other universes. He had wiped them out without even needing to transform.
Z Broly turned his gaze toward the edge of the module. A strange barrier blocked his senses from reaching beyond it, which only made him even more certain that it was deliberately hiding something.
He quietly stared across the glittering lake until his eyes settled on the faint outline of a mountain peak near its center. Z Broly took a deep breath, and then his legs suddenly exploded with power.
Like an arrow released from a bow, he launched himself into the air, landing heavily on the peak jutting out below. Without stopping, Z Broly began leaping from one mountain peak to the next with incredible speed and agility, steadily closing in on the mysterious barrier.
Within seconds, he reached the edge of the module. He cautiously extended his right hand and touched the transparent barrier. The instant his fingertips made contact, a faint but unmistakable current ran through his body, leaving behind a strange tingling sensation.
Z Broly's eyes narrowed. So his guess had been right, there really was something hidden beyond this barrier. That realization immediately stirred his curiosity. Whatever was on the other side, he wanted to see it for himself.
A chilling grin slowly spread across Z Broly's face.
Then golden light began pouring from his body. His relaxed muscles tensed all at once, every line of his physique becoming sharply defined. He clenched his teeth as veins bulged across his forehead.
WHOOSH!
Blinding golden energy erupted outward like a surging tide, completely engulfing him. In the next instant, the brilliant gold shifted into pale green as Z Broly transformed into his Legendary Super Saiyan form.
But the green aura kept rising.
"RAAAAAAAAH!!!"
His roar shook the heavens. His already long, pale-green hair grew wildly, extending all the way down to his waist.
Legendary Super Saiyan 3.
Z Broly stared at the barrier in front of him. It had moved, only slightly, but he had clearly seen it tremble. Still, that was all; his current strength wasn't quite enough to shatter it outright.
Realizing this, Z Broly immediately pushed his aura even higher. Brilliant green light flooded around him, growing denser until it wrapped his body like a thick cocoon.
Then something changed. Purple lightning began flickering through the green aura.
Destruction Energy.
The barrier blocking his path started shaking violently beneath the pressure of his power, as though desperately trying to withstand the overwhelming energy crashing into it.
It couldn't.
Tiny cracks appeared across its surface, and then they began to spread.
Z Broly's eyes widened with excitement as he stared at the fractured barrier. Through one of the narrow gaps, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind: Super Broly.
The humiliation he had suffered at his hands came rushing back all at once, and Z Broly's grin turned vicious. Once he broke through this damn barrier, he could enter the other modules.
And then he could finally settle the score with Super Broly.
A dense mass of purple energy began swirling violently in the center of his palm. Z Broly drew upon the savage Destruction Energy buried deep inside his body. At first, the power surged chaotically, difficult to control, but little by little, it settled.
Streams of Destruction Energy flowed from every part of his body and gathered in his hand. Z Broly focused completely on controlling the unfamiliar and dangerous power, compressing it again and again. The purple sphere gradually grew smaller, but the energy radiating from it became far more terrifying.
At last, a concentrated ball of Destruction Energy took shape in his palm, blazing with dazzling purple light.
Z Broly's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and slammed the sphere directly into the cracked barrier.
BOOM!
The impact sounded like thunder exploding at point-blank range.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blast tore into the barrier, triggering a massive explosion that ripped the existing cracks wide open. The entire barrier began groaning under the tremendous pressure.
'Creak...'
'Creak...'
Countless new fractures spread across its surface like a spiderweb.
'CRACK!'
A sharp, crystalline sound rang out, like a massive sheet of glass being smashed against the ground.
The module barrier finally gave way, shattering completely into countless spatial fragments that scattered in every direction.
(End Of This Chapter)
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