"Aaaargh!"
Cell roared as he pushed his ki wave down toward Kale.
Then he saw something that made his blood run cold.
Whoosh!
His eyes went wide. The ki wave he'd just fired… vanished. Just like that.
The problem was, he was still up in the air screaming his lungs out.
He kept yelling, but the attack was gone.
It had disappeared out of thin air.
Cell's pupils tightened. His face stiffened, and for a moment he couldn't even speak.
Kale had been about to fire back and cancel it out, but when the wave vanished, she froze too.
"W-What… what happened?" Cell blurted. "Where did my attack go?!"
Before he could process it, Kale turned into a yellow-green streak and shot straight at him.
Boom!
She rocketed up and drove a fist into Cell's chest.
The impact punched a hole clean through him.
"Aaah—!"
Cell screamed again, agony ripping through him.
He couldn't believe the Legendary Super Saiyan had become this overwhelming.
Android 21, you liar.
You said if I absorbed her cells, I'd become the strongest in the universe.
But I can't even beat her!
"Hmph." Kale's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Damn you!" Cell snarled, rage and panic mixing together as he regenerated at full speed.
"Kale, don't mess around—finish him!" Gohan urged. "That guy will do anything!"
"Kill him now, Gohan-nii?" Kale blinked, then shook her head. "Not yet. He blew you apart. I'm making him suffer first."
"I'm not even angry anymore," Gohan said, wiping sweat.
"My anger isn't gone," Kale huffed, puffing out her cheeks.
Cell finally finished regenerating. The hole in his chest sealed up like it had never been there.
He hovered in the air, gulping down breath after breath, choking on humiliation.
"You animal!" Cell screamed, completely losing it. "You filthy animal!"
He cranked his ki up to the limit. His body swelled, muscles bulging larger than before, and the pressure of his power made the whole planet tremble.
Then he charged Kale and started throwing wild punches and kicks.
Kale dodged with ease.
Cell attacked for ages and still couldn't even graze her.
"That looks like…" Trunks's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that similar to my transformation? Cell can do it too?"
Vegeta side-eyed him.
This kid is going to be the death of me.
Without his father's guidance, was he really planning to fight with that form?
"Trunks," Vegeta said with a hard snort as he dropped down beside him. "What did you just say?"
"Ah—Dad…" Trunks hurried to explain. "I mean the form I learned in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The one beyond Super Saiyan. Cell's doing something really similar, and I didn't expect him to have it."
"You idiot. Look at it properly," Vegeta snapped, teeth bared. "That form has a fatal weakness."
"A fatal weakness?" Trunks blinked.
"Watch," Vegeta said, pointing toward the fight.
Cell kept swinging at Kale.
They crashed from the sky down toward the ground, but nothing changed. Cell still couldn't hit her.
He stopped, panting hard, fatigue dragging at him.
"I… I get it," Trunks said, realization hitting. "That form ruins your speed."
"Hmph. Exactly," Vegeta said. "All power, no speed."
"I understand now. Thanks, Dad—thanks for teaching me," Trunks said quickly.
Vegeta didn't answer. He just clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by the gratitude.
Trunks grinned anyway. "But still… Dad, you're warmer than the you from my future."
"Tch," Vegeta scoffed. "Quit talking nonsense."
On a distant ridge, Zeno-sama spoke up, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Looks like it's about to end."
"If Zeno-sama wants more entertainment, that's easy," Ken said with a grin.
"There's more?" Zeno-sama lit up instantly.
Ken chuckled. "How about we let the Guards do a little 'performance'?"
Both Guards looked straight at Ken.
The Right Guard in particular glared at him like he wanted to tear him in half.
This brat really is getting too comfortable.
"Let them perform?" Zeno-sama didn't quite understand what Ken meant.
"I've always heard the Guards are unbelievably strong—around level 70," Ken said, sounding impressed. "I've been training seriously too, so I'd like to spar with the Right Guard."
Zeno-sama looked at Ken, then at the Right Guard.
The Right Guard bowed.
A second of silence passed.
"Alright," Zeno-sama said cheerfully. "Once the Cell Games are over, you two spar."
The Right Guard's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Kid, you asked for it.
You actually dared to challenge me.
We'll see how smug you are in a minute.
"But Zeno-sama," Ken added quickly, "with my current strength, I'm not about to challenge both Guards at once."
He clearly didn't want the other Guard jumping in midway.
Zeno-sama turned to the Left Guard. "You're not allowed to join."
"Yes, Zeno-sama," the Left Guard replied, bowing.
"Great. It's settled," Ken said, stepping forward and grabbing Zeno-sama's hand in a handshake.
Zeno-sama stared at him.
Then he pulled his hand back.
This kid is way too friendly…
Amarella couldn't help asking, "How confident are you?"
"I'm level 70," Ken said with a smile. "He's level 71. How confident do you think I am?"
Amarella blinked, completely thrown.
You're a level lower, and you're still acting this relaxed?
I truly don't understand you.
"Whatever," Amarella sighed. "You level up too fast. Maybe you need a beating to fix that arrogant attitude."
Merus and Bier exchanged a look, both stunned.
"Merus-nii… how many levels is Ken above us now?" Bier asked helplessly.
"He's probably reached a level we can only look up at," Merus said quietly.
"But Merus-nii… aren't you worried at all?" Bier asked, genuinely confused. "People say you knew him back when he was still a mortal."
Merus didn't want to answer.
That question stabs.
Back then, Ken looked up at me.
Now, after only a few decades, I'm the one looking up at him.
"I admit he has more talent for training than I do," Merus said at last. "But when it comes to raising a God of Destruction and a Supreme Kai… I won't lose to him."
Bier's shoulders slumped. "But Merus-nii… Kale's transformation didn't have anything to do with your 'disappearance.' When you told me your plan, I was honestly excited… but it didn't work."
Merus's face darkened.
Could you be any more direct?
"Honestly," Bier added, "it was Gohan's 'death' that triggered Kale's transformation."
Merus's face got even darker.
"And one more thing, Merus-nii…" Bier frowned, still confused.
Merus wiped sweat. "Please stop talking."
"Just one last question," Bier insisted.
Merus sighed and listened.
"Back when Broly became Legendary Super Saiyan Two, people said his level hit 54," Bier said, thinking it through. "But Kale is already Legendary Super Saiyan Two now, and her level looks like… 7."
Merus froze.
That one landed hard.
…That's not right.
I completely overlooked that.
Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan Two was level 54.
Kale is level 7.
That comparison is brutal.
"It's simple," Merus said after a moment. "Broly's base was already absurdly strong, so when he transformed, everything surged with it. I'm doing the opposite here—give Kale the transformation first, then polish her fundamentals. When she transforms again later, her level will jump massively."
"Oh, I get it now," Bier said, nodding.
As they spoke, Jiren walked over and stopped beside Merus.
"Need something, Jiren?" Merus asked.
"After this, can I challenge Goku?" Jiren asked.
Merus glanced at Goku in the distance and shook his head. "No. Challenging him right now feels like bullying."
"We're both future Supreme Kais," Jiren said in his deep voice. "A simple sparring match is fine."
Jiren had looked down on Goku at first.
But during the Cell Games, Zeno-sama kept praising Goku again and again.
That praise left a bad taste in Jiren's mouth.
He hadn't even wanted to challenge Goku before.
Now he couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Just a light spar," Jiren pressed. "Should I ask Zeno-sama myself?"
Merus hesitated.
After three seconds of silence, he finally nodded.
Jiren's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and knelt before Zeno-sama.
"You're Merus's future God of Destruction?" Zeno-sama asked.
"Zeno-sama, I'm a future Supreme Kai," Jiren answered.
"Same as that man, Goku," Zeno-sama said, nodding.
"Zeno-sama, once the match ends, I'd like to spar with Goku," Jiren said.
Ken heard every word and didn't stop him.
Jiren challenging Goku was fine.
It would show Goku what kind of opponent the future held.
Maybe it would push him back into training seriously.
But then Ken noticed Bardock looking eager too.
Bardock knew Jiren was powerful—at least level 30.
A level 30 fighter wants to challenge my son?
Have you no shame?
"Zeno-sama," Bardock said, stepping forward and bowing. "I'm Goku's father. Let me take his place."
Jiren's mouth twitched.
A God of Destruction wants to challenge me. Is that supposed to be reasonable?
"Enough," Zeno-sama said, shaking his head like he couldn't watch this anymore. He pointed down at the battlefield. "One at a time. Watch the match first!"
"Yes!"
Jiren and Bardock both nodded and let out long breaths.
Together, they looked back toward Kale and Cell.
"I won't lose to some little girl!" Cell snarled, face twisting, as he threw a heavy punch at Kale.
Kale hopped lightly and dodged.
Boom!
Cell's fist slammed into the ground, leaving a bottomless-looking crater.
Kale soared up and kicked him in the head.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out. Cracks spiderwebbed across Cell's skull, and his mind went white from the impact.
He screamed, staggering, looking like he might collapse.
Then his stomach lurched.
"Guh—!"
Cell opened his mouth and vomited up Android 21.
Krillin's eyes widened in shock and joy. "It's Android 21! He spit her out!"
"Nice, Krillin," Yamcha said, delighted. "Your springtime is here!"
Cell's body shuddered violently.
In an instant, he reverted—dropping back into his second form.
Goku and the others all froze for a beat.
Cell hovered there, panting hard, terror still lingering in his eyes.
"So that's the form after he absorbed Android 17?" Trunks asked.
"Yeah," Krillin said, nodding.
Cell snapped back to his senses and glared at Kale.
"Now you're finished," Kale said with a cold snort. "You hurt Gohan-nii. This is what you deserve."
"Aaaargh!" Cell screamed, voice warping into something frantic. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! Nnngh—ahh—!"
His body swelled rapidly.
In seconds, he ballooned up like an overinflated sphere.
"What's happening?" the commentator shouted into the mic. "Cell's body is changing—he's inflating like a balloon!"
Kale frowned, not understanding what he was doing.
"What—what is he planning?" Yamcha's face changed.
"This is bad," Goku muttered, brows tightening.
Cell's smile turned bright and vicious. "Heh… heh heh…" He looked almost delighted. "You should surrender! In one minute, I'm going to explode. All of you… and the entire Earth… will die with me!"
"Hmph. That's your final move?" Kale scoffed.
"You're too young to understand," Cell said smugly. "Do you know what this means? In one minute, I blow up and everyone here dies!" He laughed through clenched teeth. "And no one can stop this swelling!"
"I'll end you before you can," Kale said, readying to attack.
Cell threw his hands up, laughing loudly. "Don't attack! If I take a hit, I'll explode immediately, and you'll die with me!"
Kale's expression tightened.
She believed she'd survive the blast.
But what about Gohan-nii?
If Cell detonated at point-blank range… Gohan might actually die.
Cell laughed harder. "Hahaha! Thirty seconds!"
His body swelled even more.
"What do we do?" Krillin asked grimly.
"We have to think of something," Yamcha growled.
"There's no good option," Piccolo said, shaking his head. "Unless the gods over there intervene."
"Will Ken and the others step in?" Krillin asked, glancing toward the ridge.
Zeno-sama stared down at Cell, face blank. "He's going to explode?"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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