AF Son Goku charged toward Son Goku. In his universe, AF Son Goku had never received help from any gods—only from the Supreme Kai.
AF Son Goku's strength had grown each time he fought a powerful opponent. Put simply, only battles fought on the brink of death could unlock the potential Saiyans were born with.
The Son Goku of this universe still fell short of AF Son Goku in combat experience and technique. Clearly, AF Son Goku had already seen through all of Son Goku's moves.
AF Son Goku showed no sign of injury. Suddenly, sand and dust billowed around his feet. Son Goku's eyes widened. For the first time, he saw AF Son Goku unleash such astonishing speed while in the Super 3 State.
He appeared behind Son Goku in less than half a second. Son Goku immediately spun around and struck behind him.
But AF Son Goku caught his attacking arm, then slammed a fist into it. He followed up with a crouching kick that knocked Son Goku down.
Pain flared in Son Goku's left arm, leaving him wide open. AF Son Goku stepped in front of him, a golden energy blast gathering in his hand.
The blast sent Son Goku flying. He rolled across the ring dozens of times before quickly planting his left hand on the ground and stopping himself with his right foot.
But the next moment, AF Son Goku's fist appeared right in front of him. His speed was so overwhelming that Son Goku could barely keep up.
Forced to defend himself, Son Goku seized the opportunity to unleash a rapid flurry of punches, driving AF Son Goku to the edge of the ring.
By now, Son Goku was sweating. He struggled to block those heavy punches, and smoke was rising from his hands.
Suddenly, Son Goku used Instant Transmission to put some distance between himself and AF Son Goku. But somehow, AF Son Goku seemed to anticipate where he would appear. His fist was already waiting in front of Son Goku.
Son Goku looked stunned. A powerful punch struck him in the face, sending him flying before he crashed onto the ring.
Beerus stood up, staring at Son Goku in shock. "How did the other Son Goku sense Goku's location?"
Whis calmly explained, "The other Son Goku has almost perfect control over his ability to sense ki. He can clearly feel the flow of ki in the air and pinpoint Son Goku's location with great accuracy."
Supporting himself with both hands, Son Goku slowly got back to his feet. "You're incredible. It's hard to believe you're me from another timeline."
AF Son Goku only smiled without answering. Son Goku looked at him, still unable to find an opening, and wore a helpless expression.
Son Goku stood up and stared sternly at AF Son Goku. Suddenly, blue light blazed around him, and his ki began to rise.
Son Goku thought, I can only use Kaioken on top of the Super Saiyan Deep Blue Form.
But Son Goku knew that even with a higher multiplier, his chances of winning were slim.
Still, Son Goku thought, If I catch him off guard during the fight and land a powerful blow with Kaioken, maybe that'll work.
AF Son Goku could tell that Son Goku was trying to figure out how to beat him. But he felt no panic. He simply watched the other Son Goku intently, curious to see what he could do.
Son Goku's speed suddenly increased, and he appeared at AF Son Goku's left side.
AF Son Goku noticed his improved speed and began a fierce fight with him.
The two Son Gokus appeared all around the ring. Their continuous blows shattered it to pieces, and the barrier shuddered nonstop.
Suddenly, AF Son Goku spotted an opening and grabbed Son Goku's foot. But Son Goku only smiled.
AF Son Goku looked surprised. A moment later, red steam rose from Son Goku's body.
Son Goku roared, "Kaioken!"
His ki surged and seemed to reach ten times its usual level.
Before AF Son Goku could react, Son Goku broke free of his grip and kicked him hard, slamming him onto the ring.
Son Goku pressed his advantage and plunged toward AF Son Goku, striking at him on the ring. As Son Goku roared, his fist was just about to hit AF Son Goku in the face.
AF Son Goku closed his eyes and smiled. "As expected of another me!"
A flash of golden light surrounded AF Son Goku, and his power began to swell, far surpassing the Super Saiyan Third Stage.
Boom!!!
The immense aura blasted Son Goku away. He stared at AF Son Goku in shock.
Golden light flickered around AF Son Goku. With his black hair and pale blue fur, he had revealed his Perfect Super Saiyan 4 form.
Son Goku regarded the powerful AF Son Goku with a grave expression and clenched his fists. He could now feel the vast difference between their strength.
But Son Goku wouldn't give up. If another version of himself could reach such heights, then so could he. He just needed more time.
Fired up for battle, Son Goku fixed his gaze on the powerful AF Son Goku.
Suddenly, he spread his feet apart and held his hands at his waist. A powerful red aura appeared around him once more.
Son Goku's power kept rising. The red aura from Kaioken engulfed the entire ring and even the stands.
Beerus watched Son Goku's strength continue to rise and clenched his fist. "Son Goku, show him what you've got!"
Ye Ming said, "Kaioken on top of Deep Blue is certainly powerful, but it's a technique that injures the enemy by a thousand while costing the user eight hundred. One mistake could make his body explode."
Vegeta, of course, knew all about Kaioken. He had once been defeated by that very technique.
But Vegeta also knew that Son Goku had already brought out almost every card he had, and there was still a huge gap between him and AF Son Goku.
Back on the ring, AF Son Goku said calmly, "Kaioken, huh? The other me really is incredible."
He admired Son Goku, who had combined Deep Blue with Kaioken.
By now, the veins on Son Goku's forehead bulged and his muscles swelled. His power was still rising.
Son Goku roared and raised Kaioken to thirty times its normal level. His strength now far exceeded that of the ordinary Deep Blue Form.
After completing his transformation, Son Goku didn't waste any time. He immediately charged at AF Son Goku at incredible speed.
AF Son Goku rolled his neck and shook out his arms before immediately engaging Son Goku in close combat.
They fought nonstop across the ring. Every clash sent out a massive burst of lightning, and everyone in the stands was stunned by their powerful auras.
Watching Son Goku hold his own against AF Son Goku, Vegeta smiled. He knew that Goku was giving it everything he had.
Beneath that savage power, Vegeta could feel Son Goku's fighting spirit. He feared nothing.
Champa of Universe 6 was equally shocked to see AF Son Goku and the Son Goku of Universe 7 fighting on even terms. He hadn't expected Universe 7's Son Goku to be so powerful.
Vados said, "They're both Son Goku, after all. We can't deny the strength and potential of Universe 7's Son Goku. He's combined Kaioken with his Deep Blue Form, which shows how hard he must have trained to reach this level."
"Universe 7's Son Goku is younger than the Son Goku of our universe. If he had more time to train, I'm afraid he'd achieve just as much as our Son Goku."
"But for now, Universe 7's Son Goku seems to have given everything he has, while our Son Goku clearly hasn't shown his true power yet."
Champa watched the two Son Gokus fight on the ring without saying a word.
Suddenly, the two Son Gokus faced each other in midair above the ring. Son Goku's aura flared once more, blue and red energy bursting outward. AF Son Goku roared in response.
As if by mutual agreement, they vanished from where they stood and appeared at the center of the ring, fist against fist.
The light from their collision swept across the entire ring, blinding even the spectators in the stands. Then the shockwave passed.
Everyone opened their eyes and looked toward the center of the ring, holding their breath as they waited for the result.
The two Son Gokus still held their fists against each other. But the next moment, Son Goku suddenly fell to his knees.
Beerus broke into a cold sweat at the sight. Vegeta planted both hands on the railing, clearly on edge.
Just before Son Goku's fist met AF Son Goku's, his power had suddenly surged several times higher. Clearly, he had just increased the Kaioken multiplier again.
That had been Son Goku's strategy: to suddenly raise his power while clashing with AF Son Goku.
Everyone from Universe 7 and Universe 6 noticed something strange about Son Goku. But from the stands, it looked as though Universe 7's Son Goku had lost.
Champa waved both arms. "Goku, you're incredible! Victory! Victory!"
Hit smiled. He knew just how powerful AF Son Goku was. Even now, the strength AF Son Goku had shown was only the tip of the iceberg.
In Universe 6, Caulifla and Kale had also become cheerleaders!
Back on the ring!
AF Son Goku looked at his fist. The wound there had been caused by the other Son Goku, and blood was trickling from it.
AF Son Goku spoke to his counterpart. "Your strength may not match mine yet, but I believe that one day you'll stand beside me, or even surpass me."
Son Goku heard AF Son Goku's words, but his consciousness was gradually fading.
Just as Son Goku was about to drift off to "sleep," Vegeta braced himself against the railing and said, "Kakarot, are you really going to lose like this? Think of everything you've fought for. Wasn't it all so you could become stronger...?"
Everyone from Universe 7, including Beerus, was clearly stunned by Vegeta's shout. After all, Vegeta was usually proud and quiet.
Ye Ming shouted, "Don't forget what you want to protect in your heart! What are you trying to become stronger for?"
Son Gohan shouted too...
Son Goku seemed to hear the voices of his family and friends. Deep in his heart, memories surfaced of training with them...
One night, Son Goku had spoken with Ye Ming and asked him about Ultra Instinct. Whis had taught him before, but he still had no idea where to start, so he had hurried over to ask Ye Ming.
Ye Ming told him, "First, you have to calm your mind. It's different from the way you've fought before, where you rely on sensing ki. It lets every part of your body react automatically, attacking and defending through reflexes without needing your brain to direct it."
Son Goku had spent a long time asking Ye Ming questions that night. Although the system had given Ye Ming Ultra Instinct, the moment he used it, he understood how it worked and how to master it.
Ye Ming had told Son Goku everything without holding back. How long it would take Son Goku to master it, though, depended on his own opportunities.
The scene shifted. Son Goku was now utterly exhausted. Using Kaioken at forty-five times his normal level had drained all his strength.
But his body was beginning to enter a strange state...
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