Boom—!
A mighty fist slammed squarely into Ultimate Cell's cheek. This time, Cell couldn't maintain his haughty, superior air. A visible shock wave erupted from the point of impact, and Cell shot dozens of kilometers away like a meteor.
On the other side of the planet, at Turtle Hermit House.
The roar of the waves had been completely drowned out by the rumbling coming from the screen.
"It's... it's over..." Krillin collapsed onto the wooden floor, staring blankly at the screen, where Goku and Vegeta lay motionless, their fates unknown. If even Goku had been taken out in one move like a bug, what was the point of fighting?
"This isn't a fight. It's a one-sided slaughter..." Yamcha muttered, clutching his hair.
Tien Shinhan was drenched in cold sweat. His three eyes remained fixed on the screen, and he barely dared to breathe. As a martial artist, he could understand the level of the fighters on screen. And because he understood it, he knew just how vast the gap was—a gap so enormous that it nearly snuffed out even the ability to feel despair.
"Shut up, all of you!"
A booming shout rang through the crowded living room.
Master Roshi brought the wooden staff in his hand down hard on the floor. The boards gave a dull crack. His usually hunched back was now ramrod straight, and at some point, he had taken off his sunglasses and tossed them aside.
"You brats lose your nerve the moment you run into a little trouble?" Master Roshi pointed at the screen, unprecedented sternness shining in his cloudy eyes. "Look carefully! The fight isn't over yet! Someone is still risking his life for Earth. What gives us the right to sit here and talk like we've already lost?"
The others fell silent, startled by his rebuke. Almost unconsciously, they looked where Master Roshi was pointing.
On screen, the one-armed young man was wreathed in vivid green energy, as tangible as fire. He looked like an ancient beast driven to the brink of fury.
"Gohan..." Krillin murmured.
Master Roshi watched Son Gohan face Ultimate Cell on the screen, his withered fingers tightening into a fist. He had lived for more than three hundred years and weathered every kind of storm, but the monster on that screen was truly beyond anything he'd ever dared imagine, even in his nightmares.
The old man's mind raced. He knew that if he went out there, his old bones would be good for nothing but getting him killed. But that didn't mean he was useless.
Evil Containment Wave.
The technique his teacher, Mutaito, had passed down was a forbidden art—the only one capable of overcoming an absolute difference in strength. If he used every last bit of his life force to perform it... could he seal a monster of that level?
Master Roshi didn't know. But if Gohan failed too, he would have no choice but to try.
"Come on, Gohan..." Master Roshi gritted his teeth.
High above the wilderness.
Ultimate Cell steadied himself in midair and rolled his neck, producing a series of cracks. He wiped the trace of purple blood from the corner of his mouth. Rather than anger, his eyes burned with excitement.
"Hahahaha! Nicely done, Son Gohan!" Ultimate Cell roared with laughter. "Come on, come on, come on! Use every last bit of your power and give me the time of my life!"
Just as he wished, the massive figure vanished and reappeared right in front of him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Without wasting a word, Son Gohan went at Ultimate Cell with fists and feet, engaging him in the purest, bloodiest kind of hand-to-hand combat. In his Legendary Super Saiyan Form, he unleashed the unreasonable power and wildness within him to the fullest. One punch followed another, every strike shattering the air.
The surrounding mountains and rivers were shaken apart like tofu by the shock waves of their clash.
At first, Ultimate Cell laughed as he effortlessly blocked Gohan's punches. But soon he realized that the furious young man's power was rising at a visible rate!
Boom!
Son Gohan took a heavy knee to the stomach, then clamped his right hand around Ultimate Cell's ankle like an iron vise. He powered through his waist and hurled Cell high into the air as if he were swinging a sack.
Ultimate Cell lost his balance and shot straight upward.
"Die!"
Blinding green light surged from Son Gohan's body. Countless green Ki Blasts erupted from him, raining upward like a meteor shower and slamming into Ultimate Cell.
Every blast held enough destructive power to obliterate a planet with ease.
Vast Omega!
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
The relentless barrage swallowed Ultimate Cell in midair. The dazzling green light was so bright that Goku and the others in the distance couldn't keep their eyes open.
The explosions continued for a full ten seconds.
The instant the final Ki Blast struck Ultimate Cell, Son Gohan's figure vanished from midair.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He flashed several times in quick succession.
He reappeared behind the clouds of smoke, directly behind Ultimate Cell, who had yet to steady himself.
Soot still streaked Cell's face. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Son Gohan gave him no time to react. He leaned forward and charged straight at Ultimate Cell.
A dazzling green light burst from his chest.
Boom—!
A massive wave of energy erupted at point-blank range and slammed into Ultimate Cell. Even Son Gohan was hurled back a hundred meters by the terrible recoil, while the force, like a landslide, sent Ultimate Cell shooting straight up to an altitude of ten thousand meters.
Son Gohan didn't stop. He looked up and held one hand out in front of him.
The heavens darkened; the sun and moon lost their light.
Wave after wave of energy gathered and compressed in his palm.
A green sphere, no bigger than an egg yet brimming with the might of the heavens, took shape, gleaming like a flawless emerald.
Massive Meteor!
"Haaaah!!!"
Adult Gohan roared and hurled it with his right hand.
The green meteor surged after Cell in the upper sky, carrying an unmatched, terrifying power.
Rumble—! Rumble—! Rumble—!
As the energy sphere flew toward Ultimate Cell, it grew at a frenzied, geometric rate.
Boom—!
The moment it hit Ultimate Cell, the blinding light robbed everyone of their sight. A visible ripple of green energy burst outward from tens of thousands of meters above the ground, instantly illuminating half the planet.
For a moment, nearly the entire Earth shone as bright as day.
The storm subsided.
The sea of green light gradually faded.
Son Gohan hovered in midair, fists clenched as he stared sharply at the sky.
In the distance, Goku, Android 16, and the others also looked up, gazing fixedly at the heavens.
"D-Did he... did he get him?" Vegeta clutched his broken ribs, his voice trembling.
Several charred fragments of purple carapace fell from the clouds.
Then a badly mangled figure slowly descended from the smoke.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Ultimate Cell was still alive!
But his condition was horrific. Nearly the entire left half of his body had been blown away by the combination attack. His left arm and half his head were gone, and his wounds were charred black as purple blood dripped from them.
But he hadn't died. Not only that, the remaining half of his face wore a smile so chilling it made their blood run cold.
"That was... incredible destructive power," Ultimate Cell rasped, his ruined vocal cords producing a hoarse, breathy sound.
As everyone watched, the flesh around Ultimate Cell's wounds suddenly began to writhe frantically.
"Piccolo, that's your ability!" Goku cried out.
Squish!
With a nauseating tearing sound, a new left arm, half a perfectly restored torso, and even the missing half of his head grew back in less than two seconds, swelling into existence like a balloon!
Green armor covered him once more, its purple markings gleaming with an eerie sheen.
Perfectly restored. His power hadn't dropped by even the slightest amount.
This was the ultimate monster, evolved by combining the genes of the strongest warriors from countless universes and devouring who knew how many counterparts.
Piccolo's pupils contracted. "I can't do anything like that..."
Cell flexed his newly regrown body, producing a series of sharp cracks. He looked down at Son Gohan, the grin on his face growing wider and wider until he revealed a row of gleaming white teeth.
"It's been a long time since I've felt like this. This is great, Son Gohan."
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