Power and Despair

Cell curled his lips into a contemptuous smile, not taking his opponent seriously at all.

He casually extended a hand, palm outward, and directly blocked the howling energy wave with his bare hand.

With a deafening boom, the energy wave exploded against his palm, shattered light scattering like fine rain, yet it failed to damage even a single scale on Cell's body.

"Don't get in my way." Cell snorted coldly and casually waved his hand.

The next second, a towering blast of air carrying irresistible pressure swept out violently and struck Trunks head-on.

"Pfft!" Trunks's eyes widened as he felt as though a massive hammer had smashed through his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.

He smashed through several enormous boulders in succession, gouging out a deep crater every time he hit the ground. In the end, he was hurled hard into a distant mountainside, where falling rubble buried him beneath a cloud of dust.

Cell licked his lips, savoring the surging power within him, and sighed in satisfaction. "What wonderful energy... Super Saiyan, your suffering is the most beautiful melody."

As for Vegeta, he had completely lost the ability to resist. All he could do was let those tendrils suck away the last remnants of his energy like ravenous leeches.

"Trunks!" Krillin cried out, his voice trembling.

Rubble rolled beneath their feet, dust swirled through the air, and the entire battlefield reeked of smoke and gunpowder.

The distant mountains slowly crumbled, massive rocks raining down with thunderous crashes.

Android 18 stood off to the side without saying a word, her arms tightly crossed over her chest, her expression icy.

Her gaze was fixed on Cell's tail stinger, which twisted like a snake as it remained deeply embedded in Vegeta's back.

She could clearly sense the surging aura in the air—the energy was devouring Vegeta's life like a beast.

She understood that if Cell truly absorbed Vegeta, there would be no one left capable of stopping him.

She bit her lip, her fingers turning white from how tightly she clenched them.

"Hahaha... What powerful energy!" Cell threw back his head and laughed, his laughter echoing through the ruins.

Dense golden arcs of electricity crackled over his body. His muscles swelled and trembled inch by inch, as though some monster within him were about to break free.

His tail rose high, the barbs of its stinger clamped tightly onto Vegeta's spine. Strands of blue light were being drawn out and funneled into Cell's body through his tail.

Vegeta's face grew paler and paler, like a sheet of paper drained of all its ink.

His eyes were hollow, veins bulged across his skin, and sweat streamed down his face, hissing as it struck the scorched ground.

His aura visibly weakened. The presence that had once roared like thunder was now reduced to a faint flicker, like a candle that could go out at any moment.

He trembled slightly, his fists clenched tight, yet he no longer had the strength even to raise his hands.

"I won't accept this... I haven't defeated Kakarot yet... I haven't become the strongest Saiyan..." Vegeta gritted out, his voice so hoarse it sounded as though it had been ground from his throat.

His lips had split open, thin trails of blood seeping out and dripping onto the battle suit over his chest.

He tried desperately to struggle, but his body refused to obey. His limbs hung limp like discarded puppets.

Chen Hao stood nearby, watching it all coldly.

With both hands in his pockets and his eyelids half lowered, his gaze fell on Cell like a blade.

The wind whipped up the hem of his clothes and stirred the dust, but he did not move.

Chen Hao knew very well that no one present was his match, Cell included.

Vegeta did need to suffer a little.

That guy was arrogant and conceited, always believing he could stand at the very top and never thinking much of anyone else.

Besides, if Cell absorbed Vegeta, he would become even stronger—then, only by defeating him personally could Chen Hao make everyone truly submit and understand the rules of this world: who the true strongest was.

Chen Hao's gaze was as cold as steel, devoid of any pity.

"Mr. Chen Hao, please save my father!" Trunks struggled out from the pile of rocks and shouted anxiously at Chen Hao. His face was covered in blood and dust, his forehead split open, blood running down his face.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly pierced his flesh. His eyes were red as he used all his strength to hold back his tears.

Chen Hao shook his head, his voice as calm as if he were talking about someone else. "It's too late."

The moment he finished speaking, Cell suddenly flicked his tail stinger and flung Vegeta high into the air.

Vegeta's body traced an extremely twisted arc through the sky, his limbs spread wide like a bird with broken wings.

The tail stinger was still hooked inside him, dragging trails of blue light and bloody mist behind it.

Cell roared toward the sky, his tail swelling as blood vessels crawled across the surface of his skin.

Vegeta's body violently deformed in midair: first, his arms exploded into fragments, then his torso, and finally his head. Every inch of flesh was torn into particles of light, shrieking as the gale swept them away, before all of it was absorbed cleanly by Cell's tail stinger!

Then a tremendous roar erupted, and a shockwave spread madly outward from Cell. Rocks, dust, and broken wood were all blown away, while several deep trenches were carved into the ground.

The earth jolted violently, cracks racing out from beneath Cell's feet like a spiderweb. Rubble shot into the air and rained back down, throwing up a sky full of dust.

The distant cliffs swayed under the blast, huge boulders tumbling down with deafening force.

All the earth beneath Cell's feet was blown away, leaving behind a massive ring-shaped crater. Thick smoke and dust surged into the sky, darkening the daylight.

Cell's body expanded violently, his muscles bulging as though every fiber were stretching, tearing, and reforming. Thick veins writhed beneath his dark green skin.

His frame rapidly grew larger, his shoulder blades spreading as his spine cracked loudly, making him seem to shoot up by an entire head.

The color of his skin rapidly deepened, becoming the dark green of a swamp.

Two bulges rose from his head, followed by sharp horns breaking through the skin, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

He suddenly opened his eyes. Crimson light burst from the depths of his pupils like two blazing fires of blood, sweeping across the earth and warping even the air.

"Is this... Vegeta's power?" Cell slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking one by one.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though savoring a fine, fragrant wine.

The energy within him churned and roared. With every breath, the ground trembled.

A blissful smile appeared on Cell's lips, his face almost obsessed. "Magnificent! This power... it's utterly intoxicating!"