Cell's Sudden Demise

In space, the golden Destructo Disc tore through the vacuum with a piercing shriek, hurtling straight toward Son Gohan's face.

At the very last split second.

A large hand covered in red fur shot out at an angle that defied the laws of physics, catching the high-speed Destructo Disc and crushing it into nothingness with a harsh, grating hiss.

The savage grin on Golden Cell's face froze instantly. He was clearly at the end of his rope—where did this wild monkey find the strength!

No one offered him an explanation.

BOOM!

The crimson aura on Son Gohan's body, which had already flickered out, suddenly surged again in the vacuum like a fire doused in gasoline, and his circular green energy barrier expanded once more.

A thick tail covered in wild red fur, which had appeared out of nowhere, hung behind him, lashing through the void like a steel whip.

At the same time, Son Gohan reached into his belt with his left hand, pulled out a round Senzu Bean, and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing. It was a habit he had maintained every day since his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

CRACK!

As the Senzu Bean hit his stomach, the charred, bloody hole in his chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On Earth.

Beep, beep, beep!

Android 16's emotionless voice rang out once more: "Son Gohan's energy peak has recovered! Stabilized once again at 8 quadrillion!"

Just half a minute ago.

On Earth, at the edge of a desolate, uninhabited desert.

Son Goku gathered the final Dragon Ball. With all seven Dragon Balls assembled, they emitted a resonant, pulsing light.

"Come forth, Shenron!" Goku roared at the sky.

The sky was instantly swallowed by dark clouds, and golden lightning tore through the firmament. A massive green Shenron spiraled up from the Dragon Balls, his gargantuan body obscuring half the sky.

"State your wish," Shenron's majestic voice rolled out like thunder.

"Shenron! Hurry and grow Gohan's tail back! Please, make it quick!" Goku pointed urgently at the sky.

Shenron's red, slit-like pupils flashed briefly.

"This wish is simple. It has already been granted."

In space.

Son Gohan hovered in the void, feeling the vast, boundless power within him, showing no signs of leaking away. The realm of Super Saiyan 4 had finally reached true perfection the moment his tail was restored.

He twisted his neck, his joints popping with a teeth-aching crack. His golden, slit-like pupils locked firmly onto the Golden Cell opposite him.

"I've disappointed you, Cell," Son Gohan's lips curled into a wild, arrogant arc. "You won't be eating monkey brains today, but perhaps some grilled green bug is on the menu."

Cell looked at Son Gohan, whose aura was once again crushing his own, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible! You were clearly on the verge of death! What is going on here!"

"Care to guess?" Son Gohan sneered. "This is the end, Cell. I told you long ago, you are nothing more than a stepping stone on my path of growth, a tool for me to increase my strength."

This statement struck a raw nerve for Cell.

As the ultimate perfect lifeform who had traversed multiple dimensions and devoured countless counterparts, he possessed his own pride.

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!"

Cell completely snapped, his features twisting into a mask of rage. He knew he had missed his only chance to kill Son Gohan. Now that his opponent's aura had returned to its peak, he stood no chance in a fight.

If he couldn't win, he would destroy everything!

"You forced my hand!"

Cell spun around, abandoning Son Gohan, and quickly brought his hands together at his waist. He locked his sights on the direction of Earth.

"Son Gohan! You want to protect them, don't you! I'll take them with me and blast everything on Earth into cosmic dust!"

Cell's entire body began to swell, and a blinding blue light gathered frantically in his palms. It was his strongest strike, fueled by draining every cell in his body and even overdrawing his life force.

"Go to hell! KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!!!"

A blue beam of light, thick enough to swallow the entire Earth, shot forth with the power to annihilate everything in its path!

Son Gohan's eyes darkened.

"The only one dying today is you!"

He flashed in front of the attack, quickly bringing his hands together in front of him, mirroring the same stance.

Within his violent red aura, circles of pure energy continuously converged into his palms, igniting with a blinding blue-green light. The extreme compression of the Massive Meteor combined with the terrifying explosive power of the Kamehameha. This was a super-finisher born from the union of both.

"Massive—Kamehameha!"

BOOM!

"HAAAAAA!" With a roar, a massive beam of intertwined gold and green light erupted from Son Gohan's hands.

Two world-ending levels of energy collided violently in the vacuum of space outside Earth.

The entire expanse of space twisted intensely at that very moment.

On Earth, everyone looked up in terror. The sky, which had been plunged into darkness by the appearance of Shenron, was now completely illuminated by a blinding light, half-blue and half-golden-green.

"Go to hell, Cell!!!"

Son Gohan let out a roar that shattered the void, his thick arms thrusting forward with all his might.

An absolute crushing victory of 8 quadrillion against 6.5 quadrillion!

The blue-green beam of light instantly tore through Cell's Kamehameha, overwhelming it with unstoppable force and swallowing Golden Cell whole.

"No!!! I am absolutely perfect...!!!"

Cell's scream was cut short amidst the crushing energy.

Under the Massive Kamehameha, even Cell's cell nuclei were completely vaporized in an instant, leaving not a single atom behind.

The energy storm raged and expanded through the cosmos, shaking the stars. Several distant asteroids were pulverized by the shockwaves, and a layer of Earth's atmosphere was stripped away, triggering spectacular auroras across the globe.

The light gradually faded.

Space returned to a deathly silence.

Son Gohan hovered in the void like an ancient god of war. He maintained his Super Saiyan 4 form, his gaze sweeping across the empty expanse of space before him.

He was completely gone.

Not even a trace of his ki remained.

Son Gohan's taut nerves finally relaxed. He looked down at the wild red tail behind him and let out a long, heavy sigh.

I won, but that was way too close.

Son Gohan reflected inwardly. When it came down to it, he had been too reckless. If Goku hadn't stepped up at the critical moment and summoned Shenron to make a wish, he would have lost his life here today.

He must never be this reckless again. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; villains die from talking too much, and heroes die from showing off. The ancients did not deceive me.

Earth.

Everything was deathly silent.

Everyone looked up, watching the spectacular energy fireworks in the sky slowly fade away.

Beep, beep, beep.

Android 16's eyes flickered, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the silence: "Cell's energy signature has completely vanished. Son Gohan has won."

There was a second of silence.

Then, the world erupted!

"He won! He really won!" Young Trunks collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down his face. He laughed and cried at the same time, clenching his fists tightly as he shouted at the sky, "Mom... everyone... that monster is dead! Brother Gohan avenged you all!"

Future Trunks' eyes were also red-rimmed. Although that hatred belonged to another timeline, he felt it just as deeply.

Vegeta let out a cold snort and turned his head away, but the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. "Hmph, that brat got lucky. But, Super Saiyan 4... hmph, one day I will reach that realm as well!"

Piccolo let out a long breath, his green face finally returning to its natural shade. He looked up at the high sky, his eyes filled with relief.

Goku, carrying the Dragon Balls, used Instant Transmission to return to Young Gohan's side. He collapsed into a pile of rubble, grinning like a fool. "That was amazing! Gohan, that kid is ridiculously strong! I'm already tempted to jump back in and spar with him again!"

Young Gohan couldn't help but laugh at that.

The Turtle Hermit House was also filled with jubilation.

Krillin was so excited he hugged Yamcha and jumped for joy. "We survived! We survived! Long live Gohan!"

Tien Shinhan loosened his white-knuckled grip and let out a long sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his lips. Chiaotzu clapped his hands happily beside him.

Bulma wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and broke into a smile. "Thank goodness, you really scared the life out of me."

Master Roshi also set down his bottles and jars, a sharp glint flashing behind his sunglasses.

Just as everyone was celebrating, two sneaky figures poked their heads out from a corner of the ruins of Kami's Palace.

"Hey, hey, Yajirobe, is that monster really dead?" Korin leaned on his wooden staff, his whiskers trembling as he looked around cautiously.

"Duh! There's not a shred of ki left." Yajirobe emerged from behind the rubble with a katana in his hand, dusting himself off. "I told you, with Goku and Gohan around, Earth would be fine. Hiding down here was the smartest move; otherwise, we would've been turned into mincemeat by the shockwaves of that fight."

Ever since Korin Tower had been leveled by Cell's aura, this cat and human had decisively fled, finding the deepest crevice to hide in, and only now dared to show their faces.

However, while everyone else was immersed in the joy of surviving the catastrophe...

High above the original site of Kami's Palace.

A dark figure stood silently.

Popo's round, expressionless eyes watched Son Gohan in space. He did not cheer like the others, nor did he show any emotional fluctuation.

Popo simply watched, his gaze as deep as a dry well, lost in thought.