CHAPTER 25

"I didn't expect you to become this powerful. I thought you were just arrogant. Turns out… you were hiding your true strength all along, like a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Toppo's expression finally began to shift.

Earlier, he'd faced Linze with complete composure, with the calm demeanor of someone fully in control. But now—that composure had been shaken.

The pressure radiating from Linze in this new form wasn't just raw power, it was heavy, primal, and laced with godlike rage.

This guy wasn't just strong.

He was dangerous.

"In that case… I suppose it's time I stop holding back as well."

Toppo clenched both fists tightly. The ground beneath him cracked from the sudden increase in tension.

At that instant, Linze noticed something striking Toppo's ki had completely vanished.

"Interesting… even with all this power I've awakened, I still can't sense his energy."

Linze narrowed his eyes.

He had read about this in the databanks of God Ki. Once a mortal touches the realm of the gods, their ki becomes undetectable to those who haven't reached that level. Toppo was now drawing on that divine energy.

"So he really can access the realm of the gods..."

This only made Linze more eager. A true test was at hand.

"Come then," Linze said, energy still crackling off his shoulders.

"Show me what power a candidate for God of Destruction truly wields!"

Boom!

Toppo's aura suddenly surged though still invisible to standard ki sensing, the pressure in the atmosphere shifted like a storm rolling in.

Then he charged.

His speed was startling a blur of red and black, moving like a guided missile.

Fwoosh!

But Linze was faster. In a blink, he vanished, appearing directly in Toppo's path.

BOOM!

Their fists collided in midair with enough force to create a shockwave that pulverized the ground beneath them. The landscape exploded downward like a sinkhole, and a monstrous wave of pressure burst out in all directions.

On the sidelines, Android 18's eyes widened.

Without hesitation, she formed an energy barrier around herself, bracing for the impact.

Bang!

Even with her shield up, the raw force of the shockwave launched her backward she tumbled through the air and finally stabilized dozens of feet away, skidding across the dust.

Behind Toppo, Tupper wasn't so lucky.

He didn't even have time to react before the blast hit him like a tsunami.

WHAM!

He slammed into the rocky terrain with a crunch but thanks to his rock-like physiology, he emerged groaning but uninjured.

At the epicenter of the clash, Linze and Toppo both reeled from the contact.

The recoil forced Linze to slide back over a dozen paces, his boots carving deep trenches in the shattered earth.

Toppo wasn't any better off—he was pushed back several meters, his heavy body dragging across the battlefield before he dug his heels in and came to a stop.

They stood across from one another, golden ki still flickering from Linze's frame, while Toppo's divine energy pulsed silently, ominously.

> "What power…" Toppo muttered, rolling his shoulder as he placed his right fist behind him.

"I may have underestimated him just a bit too much…"

This was no ordinary warrior. Linze's strength wasn't just explosive, it was adaptive. And that made him dangerous in a prolonged battle.

Although it seemed that both of them had been knocked back by that punch, Toppo clearly realized that the opponent's strength far surpassed his own. That one exchange told him everything he needed to know.

"This guy... he's ridiculously powerful. Trading blows head-on will only wear me down."

Toppo's brow furrowed. He shifted tactics immediately. Raising his right hand, his five fingers snapped into a claw-like shape and aimed directly at Linze.

A golden aura surged violently from his arm, condensing into five glowing energy bullets at the tips of his fingers—pure Hakai-enhanced ki.

"Justice Flash!" Toppo roared with divine authority, launching five high-density energy beams enhanced with his Justice Energy straight at Linze.

Linze didn't even flinch. He stared coldly at the beams flying toward him and curled his lips in disdain.

"Little tricks like these?"

Then Boom!, his aura burst outward in golden flames. The fiery divine ki roared like a volcano, instantly consuming the incoming Justice Flash beams.

"What?!" Toppo was shocked. Even beings like Frieza would have been forced to dodge those. But Linze... he didn't move an inch.

"Qi He Cannon!" Toppo barked, immediately switching to another energy barrage.

Golden-red energy condensed into a swirling orb between his palms. He thrust both hands forward, unleashing a compressed blast akin to Jiren's Shockwave Cannon from the Tournament of Power.

But Linze wasn't impressed.

He grinned slightly, then brought his hands together, forming the iconic cup shape with practiced ease. The air warped around his palms as condensed blue energy gathered.

"You want energy blasts?" Linze muttered. "Then witness this... Ten Times Kamehameha!"

A blood-red aura mixed into his Super Saiyan Blue form, clearly activating Kaio-ken. The energy sphere swelled between his hands.

"Haaaaa!!!" With a thunderous cry, the wave surged forward.

BOOM!!!

The two attacks collided in midair.

The resulting explosion tore a massive crater into the earth below. The entire battlefield trembled violently, sending shockwaves that could be felt miles away. Even the clouds above distorted from the sheer energy release.

Even Android 18, who had already raised a barrier earlier, was nearly thrown back again.

Toppo staggered backward from the shock. He braced himself, digging his boots into the ground, but still slid back over ten meters.

"That energy wave... it's absurd! How is he generating so much ki?" he thought, a drop of sweat trailing down his temple.

For the first time, doubt crept into Toppo's heart. This wasn't just someone strong, it was someone far beyond what even Pride Troopers could handle. Not even Dyspo, and perhaps not even Jiren, had this much raw destructive power.

"He's not some nameless fighter… This guy could rival the gods themselves!"

Toppo's thoughts raced. He had assumed Linze was just an overconfident upstart, but now—he wasn't even sure Linze wasn't a candidate for God of Destruction himself.

"Could he even be stronger than Belmod?"

At that moment

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Three-Year Sign-In Package. Would you like to receive it now?"

The system's familiar, synthetic voice rang out in Linze's consciousness, snapping him momentarily out of the battle.

"System?" Linze blinked. "I nearly forgot I had that thing. It's been dormant for two years after giving me the One-Year Sign-In Package..."

The timing was impeccable.

"Receive." He responded silently.

*"Ding! Successfully received the Three-Year Sign-In Package. Congratulations to the host for obtaining: 'Flash Time Skill – One Second Skip!'"

Linze's pupils shrank slightly. His breath caught.

"Flash Time? Just like Hit from Universe 6?" he whispered, stunned.

He clenched his fists, feeling time ripple subtly around him. His perception sharpened everything seemed just a little slower.

In the original Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament, Hit used Time-Skip (Tokitobashi) to defeat even Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta with ease. Not only did he stop time for a tenth of a second initially, but he also improved it mid-fight. Even Goku, using Kaio-ken x10 on top of Super Saiyan Blue, struggled to match Hit's evolving time manipulation.

And now… Linze had just gained a power similar in nature—perhaps even greater in potential.

"This isn't just a flashy move," he muttered. "This changes everything."

Toppo narrowed his eyes as Linze's aura began subtly shifting again.

"What's happening to him now?" Toppo muttered, taking a step back.

Linze smirked.

"From this point on… you won't even be able to touch me."

He had obtained what few mortals could even comprehend control over a slice of time.

This "Flash Time" would become his trump card, a final technique that could turn the tide of any battle, even against the gods themselves.

And now, with Toppo before him, it was time to test it.

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