The Battle of Cell

Cell saw the scene before him and curled his lips. "Oh? You still want a beam clash? Interesting."

He raised his palm to meet it, and a purple-black energy sphere instantly gathered between his fingers. Black lightning coiled within it, the surrounding space warped by its power like a small black hole slowly opening.

The two of them thrust out their palms almost simultaneously. Golden and purple-black beams collided in midair, erupting in an explosion.

The world fell silent for an instant.

Then the blast tore through their eardrums. A shockwave rolled outward from the point of impact, peeling up the ground layer by layer and uprooting and shredding dead trees like toys. The air was scorched hot, carrying a burnt stench.

The crowd retreated. Some raised their arms against the heatwave, while others barely kept their footing on the cracked ground. Trunks's face had gone pale, his purple bangs whipped into disarray by the hot wind, his pupils trembling. "Th-This is their true strength?" He thought of every battle he had fought in the future. Compared to this, they had been nothing but playfighting.

Piccolo clenched his fists, veins bulging on the backs of his hands. "We can't let them keep fighting like this. At this rate, this entire wasteland will be wiped out."

Just then, a red figure silently appeared between them. The tall man in a red robe stood between the two pillars of energy, unmoved even as shattered stones flew everywhere.

"That's enough."

Chen Hao's voice was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly. He looked up and swept his gaze over Cell and Son Goku. "Keep this up, and you'll both be severely injured. Neither of you will win."

Cell and Son Goku withdrew their hands at the same time. The beams faded, the energy spheres dispersed, and fragments of golden and purple light slowly drifted down like the finale of a fireworks display.

Chen Hao turned to the panting Son Goku. His tone was calm, but his gaze sharp. "You're very strong. But you're still not his match."

Son Goku clenched his fists. His golden hair still fluttered faintly as sweat slid from his temple to his chin. He said nothing and lowered his eyes. Just now, he had pushed every muscle in his body to the limit, yet Cell's breathing had not even faltered.

Piccolo asked in a low voice, "Then can you defeat him?"

Chen Hao withdrew his gaze and looked at Piccolo. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, so faintly that it was like answering a question whose answer he had known all along. "Of course."

The moment those two words fell, the surroundings went silent. Cell was the first to laugh, his laughter sharp and brief, its trailing note carrying the rasp of scales scraping together. He did not waste words. In the next second, he appeared before Chen Hao—the ground had not even registered his movement—his scaled right fist blasting straight at Chen Hao's face, energy wrapping around it and sending out a buzzing current. The air was squeezed into a white tunnel as the punch shot forward.

Chen Hao's eyes turned cold. He did not retreat. He slowly raised his left hand, spread his five fingers, and caught Cell's fist exactly.

Bang. A shockwave exploded from the center of his fingers. The earth split like torn cloth, cracks racing wildly outward. The ground within ten meters sank half a foot in an instant, and rocks were blasted into the air, obscuring most of the sky. In the distance, Krillin and Piccolo could only shield their faces with their hands, the falling grit stinging their skin like needles.

A flicker of surprise crossed Cell's face, and his smile froze. His fist was locked tight, unable to pull back. Every muscle in his body tensed until it turned pale, even his scales lifting. He kicked hard with his rear leg, bursting a ring of white mist behind him—but Chen Hao's hand did not move in the slightest, not one of his fingers trembling.

Chen Hao tilted his head and smiled. "Not bad strength. Still a little short."

Cell's pupils contracted sharply. A burning-hot ki blast instantly formed in his other hand, spinning violently in his palm, its heat warping the surrounding air. Without hesitation, he slammed it toward Chen Hao's chest.