Solar Flare Strikes Again

"Android 18, you should feel honored. Once you are absorbed by me, a flawless, invincible superman will be born into this world!"

"He is the ultimate warrior that Dr. Gero has pursued and researched for so many years."

Having absorbed countless people and seen his power skyrocket, Cell was now exceptionally arrogant, completely disregarding Lazuli.

If Lazuli were willing to let him absorb her, that would be best; otherwise, it would merely be a waste of time to force the absorption.

The chattering Cell failed to notice that with every word he spoke, the chill in Lazuli's eyes grew more intense.

Flawless? An invincible ultimate warrior?

Ha!

That was nothing but a joke.

Cell's words filled Lazuli with disdain.

Though they were both created by combining the cells of various martial arts masters, Mo Yuan only needed to cultivate on his own to attain terrifying power.

And Cell?

Lazuli could clearly sense the mottled aura on Cell, as well as the resentment of countless people.

Clearly, Cell had only reached his current level of strength by absorbing the life energy of countless humans.

Something that relied on external forces to grow stronger was, at a glance, a defective product.

Moreover, Cell's strength wasn't even that impressive.

She truly didn't know where he got the confidence to think he could absorb her and Lapis.

In the end, Lazuli reached a conclusion.

Cell was a brain-dead, defective product!

Cell wasn't entirely brainless, however.

While he used words to distract Lazuli, his tail was secretly gathering energy, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"It seems you are unwilling?"

Seeing that Lazuli remained completely unmoved, a flicker of coldness flashed in Cell's eyes.

Lazuli wore an indifferent expression, staring coldly at Cell without saying a word.

She didn't believe a single punctuation mark of what Cell had said.

"Heh! Since you aren't willing, I won't force you..."

As he spoke, Cell turned around, as if he were about to leave.

However.

The moment Cell turned, the needle-like tail behind him moved.

Like a viper emerging from its hole, it lunged toward Lazuli with lightning speed.

Lazuli acted as if she hadn't reacted at all, making no move to dodge.

"Hehehe~ Merge with me!"

Thinking victory was within his grasp, Cell laughed maniacally.

However.

Facing Cell's sure-fire strike, Lazuli only felt bored; she even felt like yawning.

Too slow.

Cell's surprise attack was, to Lazuli, simply too slow.

Just as Cell's tail was about to strike Lazuli, she moved.

The girl's fair, slender hand pulled out from her embrace.

With a movement that appeared slow, she precisely grabbed Cell's lightning-fast tail.

"What!!"

With his tail firmly gripped by a massive force, Cell was instantly shocked, his smug face replaced by panic.

Lazuli pinched Cell's tail, examining the needle-like tip. "Is this the trinket you use to absorb the life energy of humans?"

"What are you doing?"

Lazuli ignored Cell.

She channeled the energy within her body to gather in her hand, and a pure white aura enveloped her palm.

Then, using her hand as a medium, it spread across Cell's tail.

Burning!

A violent burning sensation surged from his tail.

"Ah!!"

The excruciating pain caused by the searing heat made Cell shriek instantly.

Cell tried to scramble away as if his backside were on fire, but his tail remained firmly gripped in Lazuli's hand.

Held fast by that terrifying strength, Cell found it impossible to pull his tail free.

Just as the agony began to spread from his tail throughout his entire body, Cell made a split-second decision; without a moment's hesitation, he severed his own tail.

Drip.

Purple blood dripped from the stump of Cell's tail onto the ground.

Cell's eyes were wide with rage, unable to believe what had just transpired.

According to the data provided by Dr. Gero.

His current strength should have been superior to both Android 17 and Android 18.

Yet, he was currently powerless to fight back against Android 18's assault.

This was impossible!

What Cell did not know was that this timeline had already undergone massive changes due to the arrival of both him and Trunks.

Even before they had undergone any training, the strength of Lazuli and Lapis already surpassed that of the Android 17 and Android 18 from the future timeline.

Not to mention the fact that they had trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

With their current strength, unless Cell transformed into his perfect form, it was impossible for him to defeat the two of them. (Of course, it was primarily due to Lapis's strength.)

Cell had lost all will to fight and only wanted to escape quickly to continue absorbing humans, intending to return and absorb Lazuli once his strength was sufficient.

However, whether he could escape was entirely up to Lazuli.

Although Cell was weak right now.

He could absorb humans to rapidly increase his power.

If left unchecked, he would inevitably pose a threat to them.

Furthermore, this ugly creature had the audacity to dream of absorbing her and her brother.

He must not be allowed to leave.

Having made up her mind, Lazuli launched the first attack.

She unleashed high-speed movement instantly.

Lazuli's figure appeared behind Cell.

Her long, slender, alluring legs transformed into lethal weapons.

She struck Cell squarely on his massive head.

Given the vast gap in their strength, Cell couldn't react at all.

With his head struck by Lazuli, Cell felt his brain turn to mush, and he briefly lost consciousness.

His entire body was sent flying at extreme speed, as if he had been hit by a speeding truck.

Lazuli pressed her advantage, flying rapidly to keep up with the recoiling Cell.

Next, Cell experienced what it felt like to be a soccer ball.

Except, he was the ball.

Lazuli acted as if she had found a new toy, having the time of her life in the air.

Although this toy was a bit... ugly, it felt quite good to kick.

Cell was forced into a passive defense, unable to mount any kind of countermeasure.

No, I can't let this continue, or I'll be killed.

Cell saw the situation clearly; he knew that once Lazuli grew tired of playing, she would certainly kill him.

A desperate will to survive cleared his mind.

He began to search for any opportunity to escape.

After playing for a while, Lazuli grew bored.

She decided to finish Cell off.

Lazuli kicked Cell toward the ground while simultaneously gathering her terrifying energy in her hands.

Now!

Cell seized the split-second opening in Lazuli's movement, spreading his hands on either side of his head.

"Solar Flare!!"

A blinding light erupted from Cell's body.

Struck by the intense glare, even with the superhuman physical constitution granted by her modifications, Lazuli's eyes remained highly vulnerable.

Lazuli's vision suddenly turned completely white, followed by a sharp stinging sensation in her eyes, forcing her to shut them tight.

Seizing this opportunity, Cell instantly suppressed his energy signature.

He then fled into the forest, using the cover of the trees to make a swift getaway.