Golden Cell

This energy was no longer the same violent outpouring as before. It was an overwhelming force of incredibly high density and a higher order. The purple lightning that had originally coiled around him instantly turned an eye-searing dark red. Under the pull of this power, the surrounding space developed visible black cracks, as if it were glass.

"This is me at my full strength—the new form that surpasses perfection!"

Cell floated in midair, slowly spreading his arms. The light around him grew brighter and brighter, and his original green carapace peeled away inch by inch, transforming into an energy cloak. In its place emerged a dazzling, pure gold.

The blinding golden light swallowed the entire sky in an instant.

"I crossed countless timelines and devoured countless counterparts who called themselves invincible. But none of them were as powerful as me. Unable to bear the loneliness, I could only train by myself. I never expected to discover a new path of evolution."

"For a while, I was at a loss, and the world seemed even more dull and meaningless."

The golden light gradually faded.

A monster whose carapace was entirely pure gold, and whose terrifying aura seemed to come from another dimension, appeared before everyone's eyes.

Golden Cell!

He looked down at Son Gohan, his contemptuous smirk undisguised. "Son Gohan, the game ends here."

"Now that you've seen me in this form, you can die with no regrets."

Despair.

Just more damn despair.

The faint hope that had risen when Son Gohan's power kept climbing during the battle, even suppressing Ultimate Cell for a time, was instantly crushed by Golden Cell's unreasonable aura.

Everyone who had been watching the battlefield.

Thud!

Piccolo's knees slammed into the shattered ground. He dug his hands into the cracks in the earth. He didn't even have the strength to raise his head. That unmatched pressure drove him to the depths of despair.

Vegeta clenched his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Facing an enemy like this, he couldn't even bring himself to think about transforming into a Super Saiyan. All he could do was fix the golden figure in the sky with a gaze filled with something close to hatred.

Goku braced himself on one hand and gasped for breath. His eyes, usually so full of fighting spirit, now held a deep sense of helplessness.

"This energy... it's beyond anything I can imagine..." Goku's voice was hoarse. Even getting the words out was painfully difficult.

Beep beep beep—!

"Energy units exceed the 'trillion' calculation model... Rebuilding calculation model."

Android 16's cold voice echoed in everyone's ears, like a death sentence for the entire planet.

"Unit conversion complete. Switching to 'quintillion' calculations."

"Golden Cell's battle power... 5 quintillion."

Five quintillion!

At the announcement, the entire battlefield fell silent once more.

At the Turtle Hermit House on the other side, the Z Fighters, who had been clenching their fists at Son Gohan's powerful counterattack, fell apart all over again.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Bulma cried.

Krillin's legs gave way, and he slumped onto the wooden floor, staring blankly at the golden monster on the screen.

"Quintillions... How could this happen..." Yamcha let out a bitter laugh, covering his face with both hands. "We were already desperate enough, and that still wasn't the full extent of that monster's power? Damn it..."

Tien clenched his fists so tightly that his fingertips dug into his flesh and blood ran freely, yet he couldn't feel a thing.

"T-Tien..." Chiaotzu murmured as he looked at him.

The enormous gap in their power left them unable to see even the slightest hope of victory.

Only Master Roshi put his sunglasses back on. He said nothing in the side room, quietly tinkering with something in his hands.

The battlefield.

Golden Cell took great pleasure in the despairing expressions of the ants below. He turned and looked at Son Gohan again, hoping to see the same fear and anguish on the young man's face.

But he was disappointed.

Son Gohan hovered in place, not a trace of fear in his wild eyes.

Golden Cell couldn't help asking, "Son Gohan, why aren't you afraid?"

At that, the corners of Son Gohan's mouth slowly curved into a cold smile. He was laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Golden Cell frowned. This unexpected reaction, beyond his control, displeased him.

Then, something happened that no one could believe.

The tangible green aura around Son Gohan rapidly receded. His bulging muscles, brimming with explosive power, gradually shrank, and the wild grass-green hair quickly lost its glow, turning back to ordinary black.

He had actually chosen to end his Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, returning to his base form!

"Gohan!" Young Trunks, who had just woken up, shouted in alarm when he saw this.

Golden Cell sneered. "Heh. So I scared you senseless after all. What a pitiful loser."

"Pitiful?"

Son Gohan rolled his shoulders, and his joints cracked sharply. He raised his head, a dangerous glint flashing in his black eyes.

"You're the pitiful one. If I didn't have an arrogant idiot like you to train against, who knows how long I'd have had to train before I could cross that threshold?"

Golden Cell's expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it as a compliment." Son Gohan met Cell's gaze, his tone tinged with amusement. "I knew from the start that with my current battle power, even turning into a Super Saiyan 3 wouldn't be enough to reliably defeat someone like you."

"And sure enough, your strength far exceeds my current limits. But to bear the ultimate, wild power beyond Super Saiyan 3, I need a base battle power of at least one hundred billion."

"Super Saiyan 3? Beyond Super Saiyan 3!"

Vegeta abruptly lifted his head and stared at the sky, afraid to miss a single word.

"I pushed myself to the limit in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, driving myself to the brink of death over and over. Even so, my base battle power only reached forty billion." Son Gohan clenched his right fist. "But that still wasn't nearly enough to contain that power."

A wild grin spread across Son Gohan's face.

"It was your step-by-step beatdown just now that pushed my base limit all the way to one hundred billion."

"You think you're the hunter?" Son Gohan jabbed a finger at Golden Cell. "You're nothing but a self-important, stupid bug!"

Golden Cell's face darkened completely. This ultimate perfect life-form, who had crossed the multiverse, had actually been treated as a tool to help someone grow stronger!

"Quit running your mouth!" Golden Cell laughed in fury. "Beyond Super Saiyan 3? I've never even heard of it!"

"Don't think you can fool me, kid! If you've got what it takes, transform and show me!"

"Is that so?"

Son Gohan lowered his center of gravity, sweeping his right arm across his chest.

"Then I'll show you the true power of the Saiyans!"

"Come forth!!!"

With Son Gohan's roar, which shook the clouds, the atmosphere around the entire planet was instantly swept clear.

Roar—!

A primal ape's roar, ancient and utterly savage, exploded deep in everyone's souls.

A gigantic golden Great Ape, as vast as a mountain range, suddenly appeared behind Son Gohan. Its eyes blazed red as it pounded its chest, radiating a ferocious aura that made even heaven and earth tremble.

"Now... merge!!!"

Son Gohan gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead. He forcibly guided that vast, primal power and drove it madly into his own body.

Crack, crack, crack!

Son Gohan's body made a bone-chilling series of sounds as his bones reshaped themselves.

Boom!

A blinding red light erupted from Son Gohan's body, instantly shattering the golden aura Golden Cell had released.

Within the red light, Son Gohan's form underwent a complete transformation.

His body swelled again, becoming as powerfully built as a Legendary Super Saiyan, and solid energy even formed a left arm.

Wild crimson fur covered his broad chest and arms. His wild black hair fell over his shoulders like a waterfall. A striking red shadow appeared around his eyes, and his golden, slit-pupiled eyes blazed with a wildness that seemed ready to defy heaven and earth.

Super Saiyan 4!

A base battle power of one hundred billion, multiplied by Super Saiyan 4's absurd forty-thousand-fold increase!

A scorching red aura, like flowing lava, slowly swirled around him.

Beep beep beep!

Android 16's mechanical eyes flashed wildly again. Even his voice stuttered in disbelief.

"Son Gohan's battle power... 4 quintillion!"

Although it was slightly lower than Golden Cell's five quintillion, it was enough for Son Gohan to stand as Golden Cell's equal in aura, completely tearing apart that despairing pressure.

In the distance, Goku stared at the red figure in the sky, like an ancient god of war. His blood surged wildly through his veins.

The arrogance vanished from Golden Cell's face at last. As he looked at the Super Saiyan 4 before him and felt an aura on the same level as his own, irrepressible excitement erupted in his crimson eyes.

"I underestimated you, Son Gohan!" Golden Cell laughed wildly as his golden aura surged. "But I'll be the last one standing!"

Son Gohan rolled his neck slightly, his golden eyes fixed coldly on Cell.

"Enough talk."

Whoosh!

The two figures vanished from the air at the same time.