"Fine" Jiren growled from within the Ape's tail "If you're going to continue to raise your Ki, that's fine... but its only fitting that I do to"
Jiren didn't need to try to escape the beast's tail; in fact, he had been placed exactly where he needed to be. The creature's tail- however strong- gained a majority of its strength from being anchored to the ground, its power backed up by the Ape's considerable weight. But without that anchor, the appendage was more of a liability than a blessing, sitting beyond the reach of both the creature's arms and legs. It was one long, yellow hands from which Jiren could launch his counter strike.
Focusing his Ki, Jiren saw through the initial disorientation the Great Ape's grapple had brought on, his vision switching from double to single through force of will alone. As the beast threw him from side to side, Jiren reached out over the barriers of its tail and took two large handfuls of flesh and fury between his fingers. They locked in place following yet another surge of power.
Ben had transformed into everything he had come to hate. Stolen Power. Unearned Strength. The uncontrollable. Strength so disgustingly misplaced it would sooner destroy its allies that its foes. In the name of victory, its had sacrificed its sense of self. It's sentience and soul in exchange for strength... the very proposition was blasphemous. He had to focus... soon it would all be no more. No more animals. Only the gray.
Summoning his strength yet again, Jiren shot upwards light a warning shot, the beast's tail and his arms still intertwined. The capture was mutual. Without the Ape's weight to back it up, any attempt to swing its tale would simply send the Saiyan swinging like a fob watch, flailing helplessly for as long as its tail held out.
"You disappoint me, Saiyan. I expected more... but your lack of foresight is just pitiful"
Jiren felt Schala's power surge, filling her form with dark energies. His Ki sense had brought him precious seconds. Something was coming, and it was big. Preoccupied by the struggle with the beast's tail, Jiren could strike her as she prepared her onslaught; he and the Great Ape were in a grappling deadlock. From what he could gather, it still had much of its stamina remaining. Finding his way around the inevitable was going to be a challenge to say the least. It would have been almost impossible... had Jiren not been blessed with those precious seconds as Schala charged her strike.
"What good is your strength..." Jiren snarled "When you have already been defeated?" His face barely moved as he began his taunt. "As we speak, Marian was her tiny fingers wrapped around the Arrow... I am certain of it. The dominos are already falling. You can't stack them back up in time! It's already too late!"
Sensing the coming strike was reaching his climax, Jiren became a meteor of Ki, flying in a raping circle to entwine himself deeper into the Ape's tail, its weight now hanging from his shoulder like a hunters prize. He watched the tentacles creep in, their blackness eating into his aura and engulfing it in darkness like ants on fruit. On all angles, the web of darkness began to close. He couldn't flinch. He had to time things perfectly.
Moving at such speeds moments seemed to last for hours, Jiren prepared his counter. He entered a rapid spin, just as he had done during his fight at the mansion, only this time, he had a massive roaring mace lugging behind him. His sudden spin brought the Golden Great Ape spiraling in a vortex around him, striking each tentacle before they could reach his person. He felt the shock of each strike resonate through them both. The girl possessed powers he had underestimated greatly. On the planes of pure power, she could easily rival a Super Saiyan 3 in her final strike along; yet her strength was limited by her youth. She lacked the tact of many older fighters. She lacked the precision. The accuracy. She had struck him at a time in which he was he was dragging around a large, yellow meat shield, and it would be Ben who would have to face up to the consequence of her mistake.
As the final explosion came, there was no crucible in which to focus the flames, the tendrils having been caught in his Ape mace. As the surge of excess heat rushed past him, Jiren let them dance over his Ki shield. For now, he could ease of his offensive. One foe was exhausted. The other had just endured a family-sized portion of a Daybreak.
Jiren smiled.
"Your power is Impressive, Schala. You should be proud. Perhaps that strike could have killed us both... but you forget your surroundings. I doubt the Ape will take to kindly to your attack... I doubt he can distinguish friend from foe anymore..."
