"What?" Vegeta mechanically turned his head, his eyes filled with shock.
Bang!
Hit delivered an uppercut that struck Vegeta squarely on the chin. The immense force instantly sent Vegeta's body off balance.
Vegeta's body flipped through the air, hurtling toward the edge of the stage. The situation was extremely critical.
Hit pursued him immediately, intending to follow up with a kick to knock Vegeta completely out of the ring and end the match.
However, at this crucial moment.
Vegeta flickered and vanished from the spot, his speed incredibly fast.
In the next instant, Vegeta appeared behind Hit and delivered a kick from a tricky angle.
"Time-Skip!"
Hit remained unhurried, directly using his Time-Skip as his body seemed to shuttle through the gaps in time.
Bang!
Hit followed up with an elbow strike that accurately hit Vegeta's chest, producing a dull thud.
Vegeta's body flew backward and crashed onto the stage, sliding for several meters and leaving a long trail on the ground.
Flash!
Vegeta performed a kip-up and leaped to his feet with a clean, sharp motion. He used the back of his hand to wipe the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, the battle intent in his eyes growing even more intense.
Hit didn't continue his attack, instead watching the rising Vegeta with a smile.
"Not bad, Hit. You're much stronger than I imagined," Vegeta said with a radiant smile, showing no sign of frustration. "A match like this is much more interesting; it won't be as boring as the ones before."
"You're worthy of praise as well. You're much stronger than in the previous life," Hit replied with a slight smile, a hint of recognition in his tone.
The two wasted no more words and engaged in another fierce exchange on the stage. Their figures flickered rapidly across the ring, shadows of fists and kicks intertwining. Energy blasts occasionally exploded on the stage, letting out deafening roars.
Son Goku watched from below the stage, his eyes wide as he nodded in constant admiration.
"This Hit's movements are a bit strange," Piccolo remarked with a furrowed brow, his voice deep. "It feels as if he can teleport, always appearing in unexpected places."
"Yeah, it's like he vanishes into thin air. You can't see the trajectory of his movements at all," Son Gohan added, his face full of confusion.
"I have the same feeling," Son Goku nodded thoughtfully. "Just now, the voices of Vegeta and Hit were too low, so I couldn't hear what they were saying. Otherwise, we might have known."
After all, Son Goku hadn't met Hit in his previous life, so he didn't know much about Time-Skip.
"Piccolo, isn't your hearing exceptionally sharp? Didn't you hear their conversation?" Son Goku turned to Piccolo, his eyes full of expectation.
"I couldn't hear it very clearly... the sound of their fighting caused some interference. I only heard them mention something about time, but I don't know the specifics," Piccolo shook his head, feeling a bit helpless.
"Time?" Son Goku couldn't figure it out and scratched his head, then immediately went over to Bardock's side.
Bardock paused for a moment and turned to look at Son Goku, wondering why he had suddenly come over.
"Dad, can you figure it out? Hit's movements—how exactly does he do it?" Son Goku asked, his eyes full of curiosity.
"It's a bit like teleportation—vanishing in an instant and reappearing in another," Bardock mused for a moment before speaking slowly. "But can this kind of teleportation maintain such a fast rhythm?"
"Even if it is teleportation, I wouldn't be able to pull it off that quickly. His speed is truly amazing," Son Goku shook his head in awe.
Bardock remained silent.
"Piccolo said it's about time... does this have something to do with time?" Son Goku asked again, truly unable to understand the connection between time and Hit's movements.
"If it's about time, then it's possible Hit is controlling time, being able to make time stop briefly," Bardock's eyes lit up as he suddenly realized, speaking his guess aloud.
"Controlling time? Making time stop briefly?" Son Goku's eyes sparkled as he immediately caught on. "If you put it that way, it makes sense... no wonder his movements suddenly vanish! So that's how it is!"
"Vegeta has been predicting Hit's movements. Remarkable. As expected of a genius warrior among us Saiyans," Bardock offered a sincere word of praise as he watched Vegeta on the stage.
"Yeah, it really is remarkable. If it were me, I might not even be able to react," Son Goku nodded and then added, "I'll go check with Merus to see if it's time control. He should know."
"Merus?" Bardock paused, not knowing who Son Goku was talking about.
Son Goku had already flickered and vanished, appearing next to Merus in the next second with incredible speed.
"Mr. Goku," Merus greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Merus, can you see Hit's movements?" Son Goku asked urgently. "I heard it has to do with time. Is that true?"
"It seems Mr. Goku already knows," Merus nodded with a smile. "Your father is right. Hit can control time, stopping it for about 0.1 seconds. It's this brief 0.1 seconds that gives him a massive advantage."
"Eh? You heard my conversation with my dad?" Son Goku was stunned, looking at Merus in surprise. They hadn't been close to each other at all.
"Yes," Merus nodded calmly.
"You could hear it from that far away? Your ears are even sharper than Piccolo's. That's truly impressive!" Son Goku remarked in awe, glancing back at Piccolo.
Piccolo seemed to sense something and looked over as well.
"Well..." Merus felt a bit awkward and scratched his head.
I am a true god... what could I possibly not hear?
It's just that such things aren't easy to say out loud.
"As expected of Merus," Son Goku gave Merus a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration. "It seems I still need to train hard, otherwise the gap will keep getting wider."
"Mr. Goku is already very strong, and you must have improved even more over these past few days, right? I can feel that your aura is even deeper than before," Merus asked with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Hehe, you noticed," Son Goku nodded without denying it, a proud smile on his face.
Whis also glanced at Son Goku from the side, a trace of a smile on his lips.
A brief silence followed.
"Mr. Goku should have already grasped Ultra Instinct Sign, right?" Whis suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of testing.
"Eh? Ultra Instinct Sign?" Son Goku was stunned, a look of confusion on his face. This was the first time he had heard the name.
"When Mr. Goku uses Ultra Instinct in his Super Saiyan 5 state, does his hair color turn black?" Whis asked with a smile, a look of realization in his eyes.
"You saw that?" Son Goku was amazed, his face full of surprise. "I thought no one knew."
"Ho ho ho... I happened to see it by accident. Mr. Goku's progress is truly lightning fast," Whis laughed, his tone carrying a hint of praise.
"That's exactly right. I was wondering about it myself..." Son Goku nodded in reply. "In Super Saiyan 5, the hair should turn silver-white. But when I used Ultra Instinct, the hair color turned black instead... however, my strength increased tremendously, clearly stronger than becoming a Super Saiyan God on top of Super Saiyan 5. I just don't know why that happened."
"But speaking of which, how did you know your hair color turned black?" Whis asked with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Ah... after I transformed, there happened to be a mirror outside my house. I saw it by accident," Son Goku scratched his head and grinned, showing two rows of white teeth.
"Mr. Goku is truly remarkable, grasping the prototype of Ultra Instinct so quickly," Merus remarked in awe, his eyes full of admiration.
"But I always feel like something is off..." Son Goku scratched his head, a look of confusion on his face. "Compared to Merus's Ultra Instinct, there's still a big gap. It feels like it's not complete enough."
"That's called Ultra Instinct Sign; it's not true Ultra Instinct yet," Whis explained patiently, his eyes serious. "If you can grasp true Ultra Instinct and use it on top of Super Saiyan 5, you would have the strength of a Super Saiyan 7. At that point, your power would undergo a qualitative leap."
"Super Saiyan 7... I don't even dare to imagine how strong that would be," Son Goku smacked his lips, a look of surprise on his face. He then asked curiously, "So what should we call it for now? It can't just be without a name."
"Super Saiyan 6.5," Whis thought for a moment and replied.
Son Goku: "..."
"Mr. Whis... are you always this casual with naming things?" A drop of cold sweat appeared on Son Goku's forehead, and he couldn't help but wipe it away. The name was just too strange.
"Super Saiyan 6.5 is named after your son Son Goten's Super Saiyan 5.5. It's quite reasonable," Whis laughed, finding nothing wrong with the name.
Son Goku silently wiped his sweat and looked in Son Goten's direction.
Son Goten seemed to sense his father's gaze and looked over as well, a look of confusion on his face.
After a pause.
"What about the naming of Super Saiyan Blue? Was that also you being casual?" Son Goku asked again, quite curious about the name.
"That wasn't me," Whis shook his head, immediately distancing himself from it.
It seems the naming of Super Saiyan Blue was done by the me from another timeline.
The me from another timeline has nothing to do with me; they shouldn't be confused.
"Besides, isn't the naming convention for Super Saiyan Blue very direct? The color is blue, so it's called Blue. It's so easy to remember," Whis said to Son Goku with a smile, a hint of pride in his tone.
"It is indeed very direct and vivid. You know exactly what it looks like at a glance," Son Goku nodded seriously. His peripheral vision suddenly caught the six Super Dragon Balls floating in the sky, radiating brilliant light. He couldn't help but ask again, "Whis, are you sure the Super Dragon Balls won't produce any negative energy?"
"They won't. Mr. Goku can rest easy. Super Dragon Balls are different from regular Dragon Balls; that kind of situation won't happen," Whis reaffirmed, his tone very firm.
"If the Super Dragon Balls were to produce negative energy... what kind of massive monster would appear? Just thinking about it is terrifying," Son Goku's mouth twitched, and his expression grew more serious. The shadow of his previous life still lingered in his mind.
"Oh my, oh my. Mr. Goku must have been scared by the negative energy of his previous life," Whis laughed, seeing through Son Goku's worry.
"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have come to this world. Having experienced so much, I really don't want to encounter a similar situation again," Son Goku admitted with a nod, his tone carrying a hint of sentiment.
The battle on the stage continued, its intensity showing no sign of weakening.
Vegeta and Hit had already been fighting for ten minutes. Both of them had consumed a significant amount of stamina, but their battle intent hadn't diminished in the slightest.
For a time, their figures constantly shifted in the air as they traded blows. Various techniques were used one after another, creating a spectacular scene as shockwaves spread out in layers like waves.
Vegeta was amazed, inwardly marveling that Hit truly counted as a formidable opponent to be able to fight him for so long.
Bang!
The two traded another punch. The moment their fists collided, a dull thud echoed out.
Vegeta landed a punch on Hit's cheek, sending Hit's head snapping to the side.
Hit's fist also showed no mercy, striking Vegeta squarely in the chest, causing Vegeta to let out a muffled groan.
Blood seeped from the corners of both their mouths, but neither of them cared; their eyes remained filled with the thirst for battle.
"Not bad, Hit. Being able to take so many of my moves, you truly have the capital to be proud." Vegeta's face surged with intense battle intent as he wiped the blood from his lip.
"You're not simple either. You're much stronger than the you I met in the previous life." Hit chuckled, also wiping away the blood. He lowered his voice and asked, "How long has it been since you were reincarnated? Judging by your strength, it shouldn't have been a short time."
"Over ten years now," Vegeta answered, a hint of pride in his eyes. He then asked in return, "And you?"
"Three months," Hit replied flatly.
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta felt an instant sting in his heart, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.
He's already become this strong after only three months of reincarnation?
I've been reincarnated for over ten years; this gap is way too large.
"Ten years, and only this level of skill?" Hit snorted, a contemptuous smile appearing on his face as he deliberately provoked Vegeta.
"Don't look down on people!" Vegeta bared his teeth and spoke with some annoyance. "The point in time you were reincarnated was later than mine, wasn't it? Your starting point was higher than mine, so what's there to be proud of?"
"A few years passed after the tournament with your universe ended; I was reincarnated during the Tournament of Power," Hit answered truthfully, hiding nothing.
"Tournament of Power? What's that?" Vegeta was stunned, a look of confusion appearing on his face.
"You'll find out in the future. If I tell you now, I'm afraid it might have an impact. It wouldn't be good if history were changed," Hit didn't intend to go into detail; after all, it was better to be cautious with such things.
Vegeta nodded, feeling that what Hit said made sense.
If he learned about the Tournament of Power now, his actions might change, thereby affecting the course of history.
"In short, I'll give you a warning: the matter of the Tournament of Power is very important!" Hit's expression grew a bit more serious, and his tone became solemn. "Without the Tournament of Power, I'm afraid many universes would disappear instantly. By then, everything would be too late."
"Universes will disappear? Why? How could a perfectly fine universe just disappear?" Vegeta was dazed, his face shifting through various emotions, his heart filled with shock and confusion.
"That's all I can say. You'll have to figure out the rest for yourself." Hit had no intention of continuing; he felt that saying too much wasn't good.
Vegeta: "..."
Talking in half-sentences!
This guy is too shameless, leaving people hanging.
"If universes are going to disappear... then there's only one reason... are you saying... Lord Zeno is behind it?" Vegeta reacted extremely fast, immediately thinking of the most likely person. He hurriedly lowered his voice and asked, a hint of tension in his eyes.
Hit was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized. He hadn't expected Vegeta to guess it so quickly.
However, Hit soon felt relieved.
After all, at the end of this tournament, Lord Zeno would appear—at least that's how it was in the previous life. He didn't know if this life would be any different.
Hit: "..."
Hit remained silent. He knew he couldn't continue talking; if he did, he felt all his secrets would be pried out by Vegeta.
This Vegeta had become much smarter than in the previous life; he couldn't afford to be careless.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Lord Zeno will appear in a moment. Perhaps we'll know the answer then," Vegeta mused, his eyes carrying a hint of expectation and tension.
"Yes, that's right," Hit nodded. "So pray hard... pray that the Tournament of Power is held successfully, otherwise everything is over."
"In other words, if there's no Tournament of Power, Lord Zeno will erase both of our universes, right?" Vegeta asked again. He had to confirm this.
"As far as I know, it's not just our two universes. It seems only four universes will be left, and the other eight will all be erased. That's all Lord Zeno's intention," Hit answered truthfully. Since things had reached this point, he decided to reveal a bit more to Vegeta, hoping to get him to take it seriously.
Moreover, the convening of the Tournament of Power was closely linked to Son Goku.
If Son Goku wasn't up to the task, there probably wouldn't be a Tournament of Power to speak of.
Hit knew that in the previous life, Zeno felt there were too many universes and they were too troublesome to manage. So, he decided to erase the eight universes with lower mortal levels, leaving only Universe 1, Universe 5, Universe 8, and Universe 12.
It was only because Son Goku happened to pester Zeno about holding some kind of multiversal martial arts tournament that Zeno changed his mind. He decided to give those eight universes a chance by holding the Tournament of Power, where the losing universes would be erased on the spot.
In the end, Universe 6 lost and was personally erased by Lord Zeno.
As for what happened afterward, Hit knew nothing.
Because after the universe was erased, Hit woke up to find he had been reincarnated.
Judging by the situation at the time, Son Goku was far from being Jiren's match. It seemed likely that Universe 11 was the one that remained, and the other seven universes were all erased.
Hit's thoughts wandered for a moment. Having lived another life, he naturally didn't want the tragedy of the previous life to repeat; he wanted to change everything.
"This matter is even more terrifying than you imagine! Take care of yourself, Vegeta!" Hit laughed self-deprecatingly, his tone carrying a sense of helplessness.
Vegeta fell silent, his face becoming exceptionally solemn. He knew what Hit said was true; Lord Zeno indeed had such power and was capable of doing such a thing.
"So, who did you lose to in the end? Was it that Jiren Kakarot mentioned?" Vegeta asked.
"Correct, it was him. His strength is unfathomable; neither I nor Son Goku were his match." Hit nodded, his eyes growing more serious as he thought of Jiren.
"Jiren... I've remembered him. I'll have to meet him if I get the chance." Vegeta's voice was low as he clenched his fists. Suddenly, his lips curled into a slight arc, as if he were full of anticipation for this powerful opponent.
Seeing this expression on Vegeta, Hit was momentarily stunned, not understanding why he would react this way.
"Since you've seen Jiren, how much of a gap do you think there is between the current me and you compared to him?" Vegeta asked again. He wanted to know the distance between himself and the top-tier powerhouses.
"How much of a gap?" Hit furrowed his brow and said in a deep voice, "At least for now, compared to him, the strength of the two of us is completely insufficient. We need to work harder on our training, otherwise it will only end in a miserable defeat."
"Then... I'll show you my true strength! I'll let you see that these ten years haven't been spent in vain." Vegeta's smile grew more radiant, his eyes full of confidence.
"You... what did you say? Your true strength?" Hit was aghast, his pupils shrinking as he looked at Vegeta in disbelief. He hadn't expected Vegeta to be hiding his strength.
"Do you think Super Saiyan Blue Evolved is my true strength? Then you're dead wrong; that's just the tip of the iceberg." Vegeta gave a triumphant smile, his tone carrying a hint of showing off.
Hit's face was filled with utter shock, and he cursed inwardly.
Saiyans are too shameless. We've fought this far, and he's still hiding his strength!
This is too much.
"Let's go down. We'll settle this on the stage." After saying this, Vegeta immediately descended from the air, slowly landing on the stage. When his feet touched the ground, the stage vibrated slightly.
Hit followed him down, appearing directly across from Vegeta, his eyes full of vigilance and curiosity.
Hit wanted to see just how strong Vegeta's true strength was.
The two had been taking their time in the sky earlier, chatting while fighting. This was seen by the many spectators, but everyone watched with great interest and no one criticized them too much. After all, such a spectacular duel wasn't common.
Chatting a bit during a match wasn't considered excessive.
At this moment, Vegeta's lips curled upward as his smile grew more radiant, his eyes full of confidence as if victory was already in his grasp.
Hit, on the other hand, looked solemn, his muscles tensed and ready for battle at any moment.
"It seems Vegeta plans to show his true strength. I'm really looking forward to it." Son Goku suddenly became interested, his eyes wide. "I happen to want to know, now that Vegeta has gone to another parallel world, just how high has his strength reached? It must be incredible."
To be continued…
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