It's impressive you managed to withstand two of my attacks in succession."
"But now... let's see if you can keep going."
Jiren narrowed his eyes at Linze, speaking in a calm, low voice.
Linze had indeed taken two of Jiren's direct hits without collapsing. He only slid back several dozen feet before regaining balance. Among all the fighters Jiren had faced, this man before him was a rare exception.
But almost the instant his words faded, Jiren's energy surged again.
Fwoosh
A crimson afterimage was all that remained where Jiren once stood. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right in front of Linze.
With no flair or hesitation, his fist drove forward pure power compressed into a single devastating strike.
This time, Jiren wasn't holding back. Even before his punch connected, the atmosphere around them warped and cracked from the pressure.
"It looks like Jiren's done holding back with this one!"
"Linze may be strong, but there's no way he can block this kind of power..."
Toppo's eyes narrowed sharply as he watched the clash unfold.
Still, Linze's performance had shaken everyone. Even if he lost now, his ability to go head-to-head with Jiren someone who had overwhelmed Hit, Goku, and Vegeta was astonishing.
No fighter had ever matched Jiren in a direct exchange for so long.
But just as everyone thought the match was over Jiren's punch passed straight through Linze's body.
"What?! An afterimage?!"
Jiren's expression briefly faltered with visible shock.
He hadn't seen any motion. No movement. No shift in ki.
Something was off...
Just as his fist was about to land, Linze's energy signature had completely vanished.
"I'll return that strike to you, Jiren."
Linze's voice echoed from behind him.
The instant it sounded, a thunderous blow slammed into the back of Jiren's neck.
Bang!
Jiren was launched into the air, his body spinning violently before crashing to the ground.
BOOM!
The impact carved a massive crater into the arena. Jiren's body stood upright at the pit's center, unmoving but clearly unscathed.
Linze's attack, while powerful, hadn't dealt lasting damage…
"No... this can't be real."
"Did someone just land a hit on Jiren?"
"Was that an illusion?!"
"There's no way... Jiren actually got hit!"
The other members of the Pride Troopers, including Toppo, stared in disbelief.
It was beyond anything they'd seen.
Their strongest warrior who once overwhelmed Goku in Ultra Instinct's early stages had just been hit, and he hadn't even reacted in time.
"Was he that fast...? So fast he didn't even leave a trace of ki?"
Toppo clenched his fists. Something about Linze was different.
Meanwhile, Dyspo's face was twisted in frustration and disbelief.
"And I had just bragged about being the fastest sonic warrior in Universe 11…"
His pride stung.
Linze and Jiren were operating on a level he couldn't even comprehend.
Their speed wasn't just overwhelming, it was transcendent.
"It wasn't just speed," Toppo muttered.
"No matter how fast someone moves, they shouldn't be able to suppress their ki so completely in that instant."
"He must have some kind of technique that masks his presence entirely… even from someone like Jiren."
Toppo said in a low tone:
"It's one thing if I couldn't react but even Jiren didn't see it coming. That's what's truly surprising!"
As the members of the Pride Troopers remained in utter shock, the brief trace of surprise on Jiren's face had already faded.
He slowly floated back into the air, his gaze fixed steadily on Linze, who hovered at eye level with him.
Then Jiren spoke in a calm, composed voice:
"I admit, I underestimated you. If I'm not mistaken, what you just used... was a short-range time-skip ability, correct?"
"Your speed alone doesn't explain how even I failed to perceive your movement."
"In that moment... you completely vanished."
"As expected from Jiren," Linze replied, his tone steady.
He wasn't surprised. After all, Jiren's combat awareness far surpassed that of ordinary mortals.
For someone of Jiren's level to figure out the nature of his technique, it was only natural.
Linze then answered directly:
"You're right. I used my flashing power just now. I skipped ahead in time by a few fractions of a second."
"There's no point in hiding that. It worked against you once but it might not work a second time."
"So whether I tell you or not, the result may be the same."
"Back in the Tournament of Power, Hit's time-skip technique couldn't do anything to you the second time."
"But unlike Hit back then, I've long surpassed his level. So my second flash should be far more effective."
"You're awfully confident to reveal your own technique like that!"
Jiren narrowed his eyes slightly. He clearly didn't expect Linze to openly admit that he could manipulate time.
Now that he understood the mechanics behind it, he could prepare to intercept or counter it within that narrow window.
"It doesn't matter," Linze replied with a casual shrug.
"All I want is to fight you at full intensity. Maybe by laying my cards on the table, I'll push myself even harder unlock my potential faster and break through my limits."
"You want to use me... as your stepping stone to surpass your own boundaries?"
"You're optimistic. But you might find yourself crushed long before you reach your so-called limit."
Jiren's voice was calm, but firm. He wasn't rattled by Linze's revelation.
Even if he hadn't known about the flashing technique, he had no intention of letting it catch him off guard again.
---
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