Despairing Gap

Golden lightning tore through the sky.

"Bang—!"

Young Trunks slammed a fist into Ultimate Cell's cheek. A powerful shock wave burst outward, blasting the already shattered flagstones into the air and reducing them to dust.

Yet Ultimate Cell's head didn't even turn.

Young Trunks' eyes were bloodshot as he let out a beastlike roar. His fists rained down on Cell's chest, abdomen, and face like a storm. Bang, bang, bang, bang! The blows blended into a continuous barrage, golden flames and lightning flickering across Cell's body.

Ultimate Cell stood with his arms folded, looking down at the purple-haired boy in a frenzy with a mocking smile. He didn't dodge or defend himself. He couldn't even be bothered to put up a protective aura.

That was because attacks powerful enough to destroy a planet couldn't leave so much as a white mark on his green armor.

"Not bad," Ultimate Cell said, his mocking gaze fixed on Young Trunks as if he were watching a puppy yapping. "But you're still too weak."

The moment the words left his mouth—

Boom! A surge of dark purple energy erupted from within him.

He hadn't even moved. The shock of his aura alone hit Young Trunks like a planet slamming into him. His golden flames instantly went out, and he spat a huge mouthful of blood as he flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

"Trunks!"

Son Gohan flashed into the air and caught the gravely wounded Young Trunks with one arm. He quickly pulled a Senzu Bean from his waist and slipped it into Young Trunks' mouth, helping him swallow it.

"You bastard!"

A furious shout rang out from below. Vegeta's eyes were bloodshot, his golden aura blazing like fire. Seeing Young Trunks blasted away like a piece of trash ignited the Saiyan Prince's pride—and the protectiveness he'd kept buried in his heart.

After hurling countless Ki Blasts in rapid succession,

he brought his hands together in front of his chest. A blinding golden light burst between his palms. The surrounding air was instantly sucked away, forming a vast vacuum.

"Final Flash!!!"

A massive golden beam shot into the sky, warping the space along its path with its terrifying heat. It was Vegeta's strongest attack, unleashed with all his might. Together with the Ki Blasts that came before it, it slammed into Cell above.

Rumble—!

A violent explosion erupted over Kami's Palace. Thick black smoke billowed upward, blotting out the sky.

Vegeta gasped for breath, staring fixedly at the smoke overhead, his fists clenched tight.

Whoosh—

A breeze swept through, and the smoke cleared. Cell still hovered in place with his arms folded. Not a speck of dust had touched his green armor.

"Vegeta?" Ultimate Cell looked down at him mockingly. "I'm just as disappointed as you are."

Just then, Young Trunks—healed by the Senzu Bean—jerked his eyes open. He gasped for breath. His injuries had healed, but his emotional wounds burst wide open.

He clutched Son Gohan's right arm, tears and snot running down his face. His voice was so anguished it shattered the heart.

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

Adult Gohan looked down at the boy in his arms, who had completely broken down. It felt as though a giant hand were crushing his heart. He had resolved to change everything as Gohan, but this had still happened.

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

Far away, inside the Turtle Hermit House on Turtle Island,

Krillin and Tien Shinhan watched the scene on the screen, their teeth clenched. They pounded their fists against the wall, yet could do nothing but feel utterly helpless. That monster was an invincible god.

Adult Gohan gently wiped away Young Trunks' tears and set him down.

"Trunks." Adult Gohan's voice was strangely calm, so calm it sent a chill down the spine. "I'll make that bastard pay!"

He slowly turned around and lifted his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Ultimate Cell above.

"Don't get too cocky, Cell!"

Future Trunks roared, drew the sword from his back, and shot toward him in a streak of golden light.

"Let's go!" Goku didn't hesitate for a moment. He instantly unleashed the full extent of Super Saiyan Full Power and circled around from the opposite side. Piccolo and Kid Gohan followed close behind, gathering powerful energy for a Special Beam Cannon and a Masenko.

All four attacked Ultimate Cell at once from different directions.

"More trash is still just trash," Ultimate Cell sneered.

Whoosh! Ultimate Cell vanished into thin air.

Future Trunks' sword cut through empty space. Before he could react, a heavy blow struck his abdomen. He couldn't even cry out before crashing into the ground, smashing a deep crater into the thick flagstones of the Lookout Plaza.

Goku's fist followed right after, only for Ultimate Cell to stop it with a single finger.

"Too slow, Son Goku."

Thwack! Ultimate Cell backhanded Goku across the face. Goku flew like a cannonball into the palace buildings, collapsing a large section of stone pillars.

"Die!" Piccolo and Kid Gohan finally fired their Special Beam Cannon and Masenko, sending them straight at Ultimate Cell's face.

Ultimate Cell neither dodged nor flinched. He opened his mouth and swallowed both brilliant beams of energy whole, then let out a belch.

Smack! Ultimate Cell swept a leg through the air. An invisible shock wave sent Piccolo and Kid Gohan flying, and they crashed hard beside Goku.

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

Fortunately, Ultimate Cell hadn't killed them. He looked down at the groaning fighters and savored the thrill of overwhelming them. With a battle power of five trillion, he was a true god on this planet.

"What a boring fight." Ultimate Cell sighed and turned his gaze to Son Gohan. "Hey, Son Gohan over there. I've already knocked them all flat. Are you still not going to fight, or are you scared out of your—?"

Before Ultimate Cell could finish, the pressure around the palace suddenly became crushing.

Crack, crack, crack—

The flagstones beneath Son Gohan's feet began to split apart across a wide area. A suffocating pressure spread outward from him.

"Unforgivable."

Son Gohan hung his head, his bangs hiding his eyes. His low voice sounded as if it had risen from the depths of the underworld.

"You filthy beast... how dare you hurt Aunt Bulma..."

Son Gohan suddenly lifted his head. His black pupils vanished, replaced by a blank, emotionless white.

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

Rumble—!

A massive beam of dark green light burst from Adult Gohan and shot into the sky, piercing Earth's atmosphere and staining the heavens a terrifying shade of green.

His frenzied energy became rings of solid green ripples that surged outward like a landslide. The ruins of Lookout Plaza were instantly reduced to dust. Earth's gravity went completely haywire. Seawater surged inland, volcanoes erupted, and the whole world changed color.

The others hurriedly flew away from the palace.

"Gohan?!" Goku had just crawled out of the rubble. He struggled to steady himself in midair, barely able to keep his eyes open amid the terrifying storm of energy.

Vegeta was no different. His whole body trembled uncontrollably. He had felt this once before, but that terrifying bloodline pressure still made it hard for him to breathe.

Ultimate Cell hovered in midair. The mockery on his face slowly turned into an excited, savage grin. He licked his lips as though savoring the feast to come.

"Yes! That's it! Son Gohan! Release the wildness, destructive urges, and murderous intent buried deep inside you! Let me see... just how excited you can make me!"

Gohan's body rapidly grew amid the green light. His muscles swelled like boulders, his height rising past two meters. His black hair turned a dazzling grass green, each strand standing on end.

The Legendary Super Saiyan!

But this time, unlike the restraint he'd shown during their earlier spar, Gohan's extreme rage unleashed the pure, wild, destructive nature of the Legendary Super Saiyan. Green flames blazed fiercely around his body.

As he embraced his wildness, his battle power surged once more. He now stood on the same level as Cell.

"I'll make you regret ever being born into this world!!!"

Whoosh—

Gohan vanished from where he stood.

In the next instant, a thick green arm tore through the space in front of Cell.