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He had to train. He had to become stronger!
The supreme power Son Gohan had displayed ignited a raging wildfire deep inside his heart.
If even a kid could reach that level of strength… then he, Uchiha Sasuke, could do it too!!!
In the Hidden Sound Village, Orochimaru's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
His eyes were wide open, burning with a greed deeper than the abyss itself.
He desperately wanted to know what kind of biological structure gave Cell and the Super Saiyans those nearly eternal life signs and battle cells.
For ninjas, battles that intense and energy-dense were nearly impossible to sustain. Yet the Saiyans had fought for so long, and Son Gohan barely looked injured at all.
Rinnegan? Sharingan?
In front of the perfect physique of a Super Saiyan, they were all worthless!
Orochimaru greedily licked his dry lips.
He had always regarded Uchiha Sasuke as the ideal vessel. But now, the appearance of Son Gohan had completely shaken that obsession.
This… this was the perfect body he had pursued his entire life.
But…
"Why weren't we born in the same world?" Orochimaru sighed with deep regret.
On the screen, Cell's body was now completely wrapped in a strange white glow.
The light was so blinding it was impossible to look at directly, radiating a destructive aura capable of annihilating everything.
A terrifying pressure erupted from Cell's swollen spherical body. His self-destruct sequence had entered its final countdown.
Gohan's face turned pale.
Desperate to make up for his terrible mistake, he raised his stance for one final attack.
Cell threw his head back and burst into vicious laughter.
"Save the fake righteousness! I advise you not to move right now. The moment I take even the slightest impact, I'll explode within milliseconds! All you'll accomplish is turning Earth into cosmic dust a minute earlier!"
"You're out of time! Even I can't stop this magnificent explosion anymore!"
Hearing that irreversible declaration, the fighting spirit drained from Gohan's body.
He stared blankly at the swelling monster before him.
Thud.
Gohan collapsed to his knees. Overwhelming regret and despair made his entire body tremble.
"Damn it!!!"
Cell's self-destruction seemed inevitable.
Even the countless powerful beings watching through the projection across the multiverse couldn't think of any way to stop this catastrophe.
Super God World
"Cell's data must be collected! And that Super Saiyan too. Every piece of information about them has the highest strategic value!"
"We can't collect it! All we can analyze is the video itself. Any data regarding life signs or energy levels is completely blocked by the platform. Our Eye of Insight can't obtain anything!"
The angels were shocked by the power of Cell and Gohan. Their strength surpassed even most high-ranking angels.
But they weren't afraid.
After all, they possessed their proud technological civilization.
As long as there was data, any powerful enemy could be stripped of its mystery. Every secret could be analyzed.
They firmly believed that data never lies. And once a civilization reached the level of kings, even fabricated data could be exposed instantly.
Yet in front of the Multiverse Projection Platform, their proud "Eye of Insight" had completely failed.
They couldn't obtain a single reading from Cell's self-destruction.
But the angels weren't discouraged.
It only proved one thing.
The technology behind this "Final Video Network" far surpassed their own civilization.
Ling Cage World
"Commander! The energy pressure coming from Cell is far stronger than before!"
"Don't say that… my whole body's going numb! Thank goodness those two monsters don't exist in our world. Otherwise the habitat protected by the Light and Shadow Society would be flattened instantly!"
"Cell's turning into a giant meatball… but that aura is absolutely terrifying!"
One Piece World
Kizaru, Akainu, Sengoku, and other high-ranking Marines stared at the floating screen with grim expressions.
"This Cell… he's the worst kind of villain," Sengoku said heavily. "He'd rather blow himself up and take everyone with him than bow his arrogant head."
"Terrifying… I can't even move under that pressure," Kizaru admitted, his voice unusually serious.
"If someone with such destructive power stood on the side of justice, that world would be incredibly fortunate."
Akainu clenched his fists.
"But unfortunately…"
Facing this level of evil, even his iron-like resolve felt the situation was unbelievably difficult.
Just when everyone believed the ultimate battle would end in a tragic mutual destruction—
A streak of light tore through space and suddenly appeared in front of the immobile, swollen Cell.
It was Son Goku.
He appeared like a ghost.
Facing Cell, who had already become a giant sphere of energy on the verge of exploding, Goku calmly extended his right hand and lightly touched Cell's massive body with his fingertip.
Bloodshot veins crawled across Cell's eyes like worms. His pupils shrank to pinpoints from overwhelming terror and confusion.
He understood.
In that instant, Cell realized Goku's decision.
A choice that was both selfish… and incredibly great.
Goku turned his head, his gaze passing over Cell and landing directly on his son.
That small child who had unleashed unimaginable power.
There was no blame in Goku's expression.
Only pride from the depths of his heart.
And endless fatherly love.
"You did very well, my son… Gohan."
His voice was calm, yet heavy with meaning.
"Dad…"
Gohan lifted his head. That voice seemed to pull his soul back.
He stared blankly at the towering figure who had always been impossible to surpass in his life.
"When you get home, apologize to your mom for me."
Goku's tone softened slightly.
"Tell her to forgive me… for all my selfish decisions."
In that instant, Gohan's body froze.
Those farewell words struck him like icy arrows.
His eyes widened as he finally understood the cruel plan his father was carrying out.
Flash!
A burst of blinding white light.
Goku and Cell vanished from the battlefield instantly.
Moments later—
High above the sky, a massive ring of light exploded into existence, brighter than the sun and more violent than a stellar eruption.
Cell's self-destruction.
Even from such a distance, the light was strong enough to burn the retinas of anyone watching.
For dozens of seconds, time seemed to stretch endlessly.
The explosive wave finally surged outward with terrifying heat, sweeping across Earth's ruined battlefield.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Krillin screamed in agony as the scorching air blasted across his bare skin, burning deep into his bones.
Was Cell dead?
Looking around, none of the survivors showed even a hint of joy.
Yes, Cell was gone.
But the price was Goku's life.
This wasn't victory.
It was simply the tragic end of a disaster.
Gohan lowered his head, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to pour out.
Guilt gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.
His mercy… his arrogance…
Had killed the father he admired most.
BOOM!!!
Suddenly—
Without warning, a violent windstorm erupted across the battlefield.
"What's happening?!"
Vegeta spun around, shock flashing in his eyes.
This strange storm seemed to whisper something horrifying.
The destined blood battle…
was not over.
Within the swirling dust, faint blue arcs of electricity crackled.
Crack! Crack!
BZZT! BZZT!
"Haah!!!"
A low, arrogant roar rang out.
An invisible shockwave exploded outward, instantly blowing away all the smoke and dust.
Cell stood there.
Reborn from the flames.
A cold, wicked smile spread across his face.
He wasn't dead.
Before anyone could even process that impossible truth—
A beam of light shot from Cell's fingertip at incredible speed.
Pierce!
The beam punched straight through Future Trunks' chest.
Trunks didn't even have time to scream. His eyes widened in disbelief as the sudden attack struck him before he could activate any defense.
Thud.
The young warrior collapsed to the ground.
Bright red blood quickly spread across the ruined earth.
Life and death hung by a thread.
Vegeta's sanity snapped instantly.
His eyes locked onto his son lying in a pool of blood.
It felt like tens of thousands of tons of explosives detonated inside his heart.
"TRUNKS!!!"
"CELL—YOU BASTARD!!!"
BOOM!
Vegeta roared like a feral beast.
His terrifying ki didn't just rise.
It exploded out of his body, shaking the entire ground.
Bleach World – Soul Society
"What kind of joke is this?! He didn't die?!"
Shunsui Kyōraku stared in absolute shock.
That self-destruction should have been powerful enough to erase an entire region from existence.
What kind of rule allowed Cell to survive completely unharmed?
"That regeneration ability… it's even more terrifying than the Hollow race's Hierro and regeneration combined."
Byakuya Kuchiki's expression darkened.
Even his usually calm eyes showed deep caution.
Facing an immortal monster like this, he couldn't imagine any way to defeat it.
Super God World
"This… this defies logic!"
Angel Yan abruptly stood up, breathing rapidly.
The shock of this scene far surpassed everything shown before.
How could he survive that explosion?!
She realized with horror that her body was trembling slightly.
Even an angel's body could never survive that level of energy.
Just what kind of existence was this creature called Cell?
One Punch Man World
Genos' internal data flow nearly crashed.
He had already witnessed Cell's strength and the strange powers surrounding Saitama.
But this scene still shattered the limits of his understanding.
"That explosion proved Cell's incredible combat power."
"Sensei, it looks like Cell has been eliminated."
Genos sighed in relief, glad such a disaster hadn't happened in their world.
But Saitama's expression remained serious.
His eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
"No…"
His low voice echoed through the room, full of absolute certainty.
"That guy wouldn't die so easily."
"What?!"
Genos felt shock ripple through his mind.
Even his teacher denied the outcome of the explosion?
Why?!
On the screen, Cell sneered, looking playfully at the shocked Vegeta and Gohan.
"You seem very surprised."
He tilted his head, his tone full of contempt for life.
"Fine. I'll satisfy your curiosity and explain why I'm still alive."
"This little mistake turned out to be a tremendous gift."
Cell slowly raised a finger and pointed at his forehead.
"My core. A tiny clump of life hidden deep in my brain. As long as this single weak point isn't destroyed, my body can regenerate endlessly and revive again and again."
"Of course, when I self-destructed earlier, even I didn't know this secret. I thought I was finished."
As he spoke, a terrifying energy surge began rising again.
The ground trembled.
Rocks cracked apart.
Cell's ki had returned to one hundred percent.
No…
It felt even stronger than before.
"But I was lucky. My brain core survived the explosion completely intact. Honestly, even I'm shocked by my own regeneration ability. Pure luck."
Cell raised his head, his eyes burning with excitement.
"But what excites me even more is this…"
"Even though I expelled Android 18, I've evolved back into my Perfect Form!"
"And this time, my power has reached…"
His voice rose sharply, filled with ridicule.
"A level far beyond you, you little brat!!!"
Cell burst into thunderous laughter.
"Come to think of it, I should thank you! This huge leap across life and death happened because my body also contains a special type of cell."
"The kind that causes explosive power growth when recovering from near death…"
"Saiyan blood!!"
BOOM!
Before his words even finished, Cell vanished instantly.
The next moment—
He appeared behind Krillin.
"Bang!"
"....."