"Don't underestimate me... The limits of us Universe 6 Namekians are far beyond this!!" Saonel gritted his teeth, suppressing his injuries as he erupted with Ki once more.
His overall strength had increased considerably compared to just moments ago.
Seeing this, Piccolo's lips curled into a faint smile of admiration.
"You're right. The limits of Namekians are far beyond this—not just those of your Universe 6." Piccolo smiled calmly as he drew upon an even deeper reservoir of power within his body.
A crimson-gold radiance spread from within him, while an immense Dragon God's might expanded invisibly, causing Saonel's fighting spirit to vanish instantly as both his body and soul submitted at that very moment.
"Y-you... You can transform even further?!?!!" Saonel questioned in utter horror.
"Of course. How could Namekians possibly have limits?!" With a loud roar, Piccolo's overwhelming Dragon God's might expanded, and majestic dragon roars echoed throughout the empty World of Void.
At that moment, the attention of all the Gods and Angels was drawn toward him.
Even Zeno was caught by surprise.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Piccolo transformed into Dragon God Second Stage, his body overflowing with dense Dragon God Power, while endless sacred Dragon God's might radiated from him, inviolable and majestic.
Witnessing Piccolo's successful transformation firsthand, Saonel stood completely dumbfounded. The overwhelming Dragon God's might emanating from Piccolo made him feel as though he were standing before the Dragon God himself. His body and soul surrendered completely, leaving him without the slightest thought of resisting.
"So... this is your true power... Unbelievable... To think that one day we Namekians could wield Lord Dragon God's power to such an extent..." Saonel forcibly suppressed the fear within his heart as he spoke with a trembling voice.
Dragon God Second Stage alone had already frightened him this badly. If he knew Piccolo still had Dragon God Third Stage in reserve, there was no telling how terrified he would become.
"As long as you continue training diligently, one day you'll reach this realm as well. But now, let me end this battle." As soon as he finished speaking, Piccolo burst forward, appearing before Saonel in an instant.
His speed was so fast that Saonel only saw a streak of golden light flash before his eyes before he had no time to react.
Bang!!!
Piccolo casually threw a punch that struck Saonel squarely in the abdomen.
The tyrannical Dragon God Power surged into Saonel's body, instantly inflicting devastating damage.
"Puaaah~~!!" Having suffered such a catastrophic blow, Saonel spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes rolled back, his consciousness vanished, Dragon God First Stage disappeared, and his body collapsed forward under its own weight.
A one-hit knockout without the slightest suspense.
"As fellow Namekians, even though you're from another universe, it's truly remarkable that you've reached this level. I look forward to meeting you again someday." Piccolo muttered to himself before gathering Ki in one hand and firing a Ki Blast, knocking the unconscious Saonel off the arena.
With Saonel's elimination, Universe 6 lost another of its major warriors. Champa gnashed his teeth in frustration as anger welled up inside him, but he quickly let it go.
This wasn't because Saonel was incompetent. It was simply because Universe 7's Piccolo was too powerful.
Fortunately, Hit was still on the arena.
He had made thorough preparations for this Tournament of Power. The others were powerful, but Hit was his true trump card.
...
On the arena.
After eliminating Saonel, Piccolo did not lower his guard. His cold gaze swept across the surroundings while powerful Dragon God Power surged around him, keeping him ready for battle at all times.
During the earlier battle, he had vaguely sensed a special power hidden within the surrounding space, silently observing the fight.
"Your companion has already been knocked off the arena. At this point, aren't you going to show yourself, Hit?" Piccolo said toward the surrounding space.
The moment Piccolo finished speaking, Hit appeared not far in front of him.
"I knew it was you." Seeing the newcomer, Piccolo became serious. Compared to Saonel, the Hit before him was clearly stronger and far more troublesome.
"You know who I am?" Hit asked in confusion that Piccolo recognized him.
Although he was the legendary assassin of Universe 6, his reputation was limited to Universe 6. Since when had his deeds become known in Universe 7?
"When Old Lin trained with me, he happened to mention you. I heard your Time-Skip can leap through time. I've wanted to experience it myself for a long time." Piccolo cracked his knuckles. Compared to Saonel, the powerful Hit was far more appealing as an opponent.
"I see..." Hit withdrew his hands from his pockets and assumed a battle stance.
Piccolo likewise took up his fighting stance, ready to strike.
The overwhelming Dragon God's might surrounding Piccolo was completely restrained as his eyes carefully observed Hit without attacking recklessly.
Hit also observed Piccolo, completely concealing his own aura, making it impossible to discern the depth of his strength.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the two seemed to reach a silent understanding and attacked simultaneously.
Piccolo charged and fired a compressed Sphere of Destruction, while Hit responded with an Invisible Ki Blast.
The two devastating energy blasts collided, releasing endless lightning as a cataclysmic explosion erupted.
Seizing the opportunity, Piccolo charged forward at full speed, transforming into a streak of golden light that pierced through the flames of the explosion before arriving in front of Hit and throwing a full-powered punch.
Swoosh~~!!!
The unstoppable blow appeared certain to hit, yet strangely passed straight through Hit's body.
"Hm? So this is... Time-Skip?!" Piccolo frowned.
Hit had hidden his true body within the Time-Skip Dimension while leaving an afterimage in the real world, creating a false visual illusion.
At that moment, Hit's real body had silently moved behind Piccolo, his strange and razor-sharp fist striking toward Piccolo's side.
Thanks to his keen Dragon God perception, Piccolo sensed the immense threat from behind and instantly turned around, throwing a heavy punch.
Bang!!!!
The space before Piccolo shattered apart as Hit's true body appeared, his fist colliding directly with Piccolo's.
His attack having been neutralized, a trace of surprise flashed deep within Hit's eyes. His hidden strike from within the Time-Skip Dimension had been countered so easily by Piccolo.
"It seems your Time-Skip Dimension is useless against me!" Piccolo smiled confidently. Just as he was about to seize the initiative, Hit acted before him.
Time-Skip activated.
Leaping forward by one second, countless precise strikes landed on all of Piccolo's vital points.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
Dozens—over a hundred—precise strikes landed on Piccolo within a single second.
One second later, Hit calmly turned away, no longer paying attention to Piccolo.
At that moment, Piccolo's eyes rolled back as sinister purple light radiated from multiple parts of his body, and he collapsed forward as though all strength had left him.
"So what if you know my abilities? I'm no longer the man I used to be. My Time-Skip can now leap forward by an entire second. Against me, you have no chance of winning." Hit's cold words declared Piccolo's defeat.
After defeating Piccolo, Hit had no intention of lingering. Warriors from the other universes still remained on the arena, and he had to ensure Universe 6 survived until the very end. That was his mission.
As for not eliminating Piccolo immediately, he had his own plans.
However, just as Hit took his first step to leave, Piccolo—who had endured over a hundred vital-point strikes—suddenly stood back up.
"Hm?!" Noticing the unexpected change, Hit turned around again, surprise written across his face.
Piccolo, who had just endured more than a hundred precise strikes, was smiling as he looked at Hit. That smile clearly told Hit that injuries of this level meant nothing to him.
"I see. So your Time-Skip can now leap forward by one full second? It really is troublesome—but it's not impossible to deal with!" After speaking, Piccolo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, clenched both fists, and unleashed his Dragon God Power, forcing the strange energy lingering within his body out while completely healing the injuries he had just sustained.
Empowered by Dragon God Power, Piccolo's physique had become unimaginably resilient. Although Hit's hundreds of precise strikes had injured him, they amounted to nothing more than superficial wounds.
Hearing this, Hit's expression became somewhat more serious. He did not believe Piccolo was joking.
After all, Lin Chuan had once taught him a painful lesson. His proud Time-Skip had been effortlessly countered by Lin Chuan.
"If you're so confident you can overcome my Time-Skip, then prove it to me." Hit attacked once more. Activating Time-Skip again, he rushed toward Piccolo, intending to repeat the same tactic.
However, this attack did not go as smoothly as before. Piccolo predicted his movement in advance and directly seized both of Hit's arms.
"What?!" With both arms restrained, Hit's pupils contracted as shock flashed across his eyes.
His movements had been completely seen through.
"Your attacks hurt just now. Now it's my turn!!" Piccolo roared as Dragon God Power erupted. With a violent swing of both arms, he hurled Hit away with overwhelming force.
Following up immediately, Piccolo transformed into a golden dragon soaring through the sky, rapidly catching up to Hit and launching a relentless barrage of attacks, taking complete control of the battle.
Boom!!!!!!
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the battlefield.
The battle between Piccolo and Hit had fully begun.
Dragon God Power was even more terrifying than anyone had imagined. Every attack carried enough force to tear space apart. Faced with Piccolo's storm-like offensive, Hit could no longer retreat into the Time-Skip Dimension and was forced to confront him head-on.
But Hit was, after all, an assassin, while Piccolo was a supreme warrior whose offense and defense had both reached the highest level.
In a direct confrontation, whether in physical ability or combat skill, Hit lagged far behind Piccolo. Even his greatest trump card, Time-Skip, had been countered the moment they clashed. As a result, Hit was completely pushed onto the defensive, struggling just to withstand Piccolo's relentless assault.
Yet it was precisely because of this long-lost pressure that Hit began to grow once more.
From being completely overwhelmed at the start, to gradually finding opportunities to counterattack, and eventually fighting Piccolo on nearly equal footing.
Piccolo also sensed Hit's improvement, causing his expression to become more serious.
"Just as Old Lin said before, Universe 6's Hit not only possesses a Time-Skip capable of leaping through time, but also possesses exceptional talent. He can rapidly grow stronger during battle. I have to finish him in one decisive burst." Piccolo thought to himself as Dragon God Power surged once again, dramatically increasing his strength before he unleashed a fully charged kick.
Hit crossed both arms in front of himself to block Piccolo's devastating kick head-on.
Bang!!!!!
Although Hit successfully blocked the strike, the overwhelming force caused him to lose control of his body entirely, forcing him to slide hundreds of meters across the ground before finally stopping.
"I can't continue fighting him head-on. It seems I'll have to use that power." Piccolo's overwhelming strength made Hit realize that he stood absolutely no chance in a frontal battle.
The impact from that last strike made both of his arms feel as though they were about to break.
This trump card had originally been reserved for dealing with Lin Chuan, but if he continued holding back now, he would lose.
"Haaaaaaah!!!!" Piccolo roared as Dragon God Power erupted violently, transforming into countless golden lightning whips that lashed the surrounding space while tearing apart the arena beneath his feet.
The overwhelming pressure generated by the violent energy rushed straight toward Hit, causing his expression to darken under the immense pressure.
Judging solely from the aftershock, even if he retreated into the Time-Skip Dimension, this attack would still blast him out.
The atmosphere of the World of Void trembled violently. Veins bulged across Piccolo's forehead as the muscles throughout his body expanded and contracted repeatedly. His power reached its peak, and his ultimate technique was finally completed.
"Super Explosive Demon Wave!!!" Piccolo roared as he thrust both hands forward.
A golden lightning cannon capable of destroying heaven and earth surged forth like a raging dragon, carrying apocalyptic might as it charged directly toward Hit.
Facing the berserk energy cannon capable of annihilating everything, Hit's gaze remained unwavering as he neither dodged nor retreated.
Boom~~!!!!!
The Super Explosive Demon Wave struck Hit head-on, triggering a massive explosion that engulfed the entire battlefield.
Scorching flames soared into the sky while dense smoke spread across everything.
Its terrifying destructive power caused the eliminated fighters from every universe in the spectator stands to gasp in horror.
Had they been struck by that attack instead, they would likely have been obliterated without leaving a single trace behind.
...
Universe 6's spectator area.
All of Universe 6's eliminated fighters were drenched in cold sweat, their hearts filled with worry for Hit.
He was the last remaining warrior of their universe.
If Hit lost, it would be Lord Champa's turn to enter the arena.
"Don't worry. An attack of this level isn't enough to defeat Hit. And now, it seems he's finally decided to use the power this God bestowed upon him. Piccolo is about to suffer." Champa smiled calmly as he spoke with complete confidence.
Champa's words caused Caulifla, Kale, Cabba, Botamo, Magetta, Dr. Rota, Saonel, and the others to pause for a moment before suddenly realizing the truth.
The power Champa had given Hit...
Could only be God of Destruction Power!!
"You all guessed correctly. Hit is indeed the God of Destruction candidate of Universe 6. Now, he's about to unleash the power of Destruction." Angel Vados confirmed.