The Desperate Gap

Golden lightning tore through the sky.

"Bang!"

Young Trunks slammed a fist hard into Ultimate Cell's cheek. A violent shockwave surged outward, shattering the already broken stone floor and pulverizing it into a cloud of dust.

However, Ultimate Cell's head did not even tilt.

Young Trunks' eyes were bloodshot, a beastly roar tearing from his throat as his fists rained down like a torrential storm upon Cell's chest, abdomen, and face. Bang, bang, bang, bang! The dense sound of impacts merged into one, while golden flames and lightning flickered into afterimages across Cell's body.

Ultimate Cell stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the frenzied purple-haired boy with a mocking smirk. He did not dodge, did not defend, and did not even bother to manifest a protective energy barrier.

Because those attacks, capable of easily destroying a planet, could not even leave a white mark on his green armor.

"Good spirit." Ultimate Cell's playful gaze was like that of someone watching a puppy throw a tantrum. "But still too weak."

No sooner had he spoken.

Boom! A purple-black shockwave erupted from within him.

He hadn't even thrown a punch; it was merely the vibration of his energy. Young Trunks felt as if he had been struck by a planet. His golden aura instantly extinguished, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

"Trunks!"

Son Gohan flashed, appearing in mid-air instantly to catch the heavily injured, unconscious Young Trunks with his right arm. He quickly pulled a Senzu Bean from his waist, shoved it into Young Trunks' mouth, and helped him swallow it.

"You bastard!"

A roar erupted from below. Vegeta's eyes were bloodshot, his golden aura burning like a raging fire. Seeing Young Trunks swatted away like trash, the Saiyan Prince's pride and the protective instinct hidden deep in his heart exploded.

After rapidly firing countless energy blasts, he slammed his hands together in front of his chest, an eye-searing golden light erupting between his palms. The surrounding air was instantly sucked dry, forming a massive vacuum zone.

"Final Flash!!!"

A thick pillar of golden light shot into the sky, the very space along its path warping and twisting from the terrifying heat. This was Vegeta's strongest attack, unleashed with everything he had, and it slammed into the hovering Cell along with the preceding energy blasts.

Rumble—!

A violent explosion detonated above Kami's Palace, thick black smoke billowing upward to shroud the sky.

Vegeta panted heavily, his eyes locked on the smoke in the sky, his fists clenched tight.

Whoosh—

A breeze blew past, and the smoke dissipated. Ultimate Cell remained suspended in place with his arms crossed, not even a speck of dust clinging to his green armor.

"Vegeta?" Ultimate Cell looked down at Vegeta, mocking him. "Like you, I am very disappointed."

At that moment, Young Trunks, having consumed the Senzu Bean, snapped his eyes open. He gasped for air; though his physical wounds had healed, the mental trauma had completely broken him.

He gripped Son Gohan's right arm tightly, tears and snot streaming down his face, his voice shrill and heartbreaking.

"Brother Gohan... Mother... Mother, she...!" Young Trunks trembled violently, like a wounded cub. "That bastard... he killed everyone! Our world... there's nothing left!"

Son Gohan looked down at the broken boy in his arms, his heart feeling as if it were being crushed by a giant hand. He had been determined to change everything as Son Gohan, yet this had still happened.

"This isn't the kind of change I wanted!"

Far away at the Turtle Hermit House on Turtle Island.

Watching the scene through the screen, Krillin and Tien Shinhan gritted their teeth so hard they ached, slamming their fists against the wall in a fit of profound helplessness. That monster was simply an invincible god.

Adult Gohan gently wiped the tears from Young Trunks' face and set him on the ground.

"Trunks." Adult Gohan's voice was unnervingly calm, calm enough to make one's skin crawl. "I will make that guy pay the price!"

He turned slowly, lifted his head, and locked his sharp gaze onto Ultimate Cell above.

"Don't get too cocky, Cell!"

Future Trunks roared, drew the longsword from his back, and charged upward as a streak of golden light.

"Go!" Son Goku did not hesitate for a second, instantly erupting to the limit of his full-power Super Saiyan state to flank from the other side. Piccolo and Son Gohan followed closely behind, their hands gathering high-intensity Special Beam Cannons and Masenko.

The four of them launched a fierce assault on Ultimate Cell from four different directions simultaneously.

"No matter how much trash you pile up, it's still trash." Ultimate Cell sneered.

Swish! Ultimate Cell's figure vanished into thin air.

Future Trunks swung his sword at empty space, and before he could react, he took a heavy blow to the abdomen. He couldn't even let out a scream before he was slammed into the ground, creating a deep crater in the thick stone of the palace.

Son Goku's fist followed, but Ultimate Cell blocked it with a single finger, looking utterly indifferent.

"Too slow, Son Goku."

Bang! Ultimate Cell backhanded Goku across the face. Goku was sent flying like a cannonball into the palace complex, collapsing a large row of stone pillars.

"Die!" Piccolo and Son Gohan's Special Beam Cannon and Masenko finally fired, heading straight for Ultimate Cell's face.

Ultimate Cell didn't dodge or parry; he opened his mouth and swallowed the two dazzling beams of energy whole, then let out a burp.

Smack! Ultimate Cell whipped his leg through the air, and the invisible shockwave sent Piccolo and Son Gohan flying, crashing heavily beside Goku.

In less than three seconds, the Earth's top warriors had been crushed like paper before Ultimate Cell.

Fortunately, Ultimate Cell did not go for the kill. He looked down at the groaning group on the ground, savoring the pleasure of the slaughter. With a battle power of five trillion, he was like a true god on this planet.

"What a boring fight." Ultimate Cell sighed, his gaze falling upon Son Gohan. "Hey, you over there, Son Gohan. They've all been taken down by me; do you still not intend to make a move, or is it that you brat are already scared...?"

Before Ultimate Cell could finish his sentence, the air pressure at the Lookout suddenly became incredibly heavy.

Crack, crack, crack—!

The stone slabs of the Lookout beneath Son Gohan's feet began to crack extensively. A suffocating sense of oppression spread wildly outward, centered on him.

"Unforgivable."

Son Gohan kept his head lowered, his bangs obscuring his eyes. His low voice sounded as if it were emerging from the depths of the nine hells.

"You beast... how dare you do that to Aunt Bulma..."

Son Gohan suddenly raised his head. His originally black pupils vanished instantly, replaced by a void of emotionless, ghastly white.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Boom—!

A thick, dark green pillar of light erupted from Adult Gohan's body, piercing through Earth's atmosphere in an instant and dyeing the entire sky a chilling, sickly green.

The violent energy transformed into rings of tangible green ripples, expanding outward with the force of a landslide. The ruins of the Lookout Plaza were instantly pulverized under the impact of these ripples. The gravity of the entire planet fell into complete chaos; seawater surged backward, volcanoes erupted, and the heavens changed color.

Everyone hurriedly flew away from the vicinity of the Lookout.

"Gohan?!" Goku, who had just crawled out of the ruins, struggled to steady himself in the air, barely able to open his eyes amidst the terrifying energy storm.

Vegeta was the same, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. Although he had felt it once before, this terrifying bloodline suppression still made it difficult for him to even breathe.

Ultimate Cell hovered in mid-air, the playful expression on his face gradually shifting into an excited, sinister grin. He licked his lips as if savoring an impending feast.

"Yes! That's it! Son Gohan! Unleash all of your deepest savagery, desire for destruction, and killing intent! Let me see... just how much you can excite me!"

Son Gohan's body expanded rapidly within the green light. His muscles bulged like rock, his height shot up to over two meters, and his originally black hair turned a dazzling grass-green, standing straight up.

The Legendary Super Saiyan!

But this time, it was completely different from the restraint shown during their sparring match earlier. Extreme rage had caused Son Gohan to fully unleash the pure savagery and destructive desire of the Legendary Super Saiyan. The green aura on his body burned fiercely.

Embracing this savagery, his combat power soared once more, now reaching the same level as Cell's current state.

"I will make you regret appearing in this world!!!"

Swish—!

Son Gohan's figure vanished from where he stood.

The next instant, a green arm as thick as a pillar tore directly through the space in front of Cell.