Be My Brother-in-Law?

Cell raised his head with difficulty, staring at the scene before him. The anger and unwillingness in his heart nearly consumed him. "I... will never end like this..." he snarled under his breath, madness gleaming in his green pupils. The sight before her left Android 18 completely stunned. Her cold blue eyes widened slightly as she stared ahead in disbelief. It was as if a layer of frost had frozen the air itself, making even breathing difficult. Right before her stood another version of herself—same short blonde hair, same combat outfit, even the faint sneer at the corner of her mouth was identical.

"Th-this is impossible..." Android 18 instinctively took half a step back, her mechanical core heating slightly from the shock. "What's going on? There's another Android 18?!" Trunks cried out, unconsciously tightening his grip on his sword hilt. His violet pupils contracted sharply, while the pale purple hair over his forehead was whipped into disarray by the sudden surge of energy. Everyone present was plunged into extreme shock. Rare solemnity appeared on Piccolo's green face, while Krillin was so stunned that his mouth hung open, even forgetting to maintain the energy gathered in his hand.

A strange aura filled the air, as though a crack had appeared in time and space itself amid this bizarre repetition. Just as everyone stood uncertainly on edge, Cell's body suddenly underwent a violent change. Accompanied by nauseating squelching sounds, he first spat out Android 17, then the Android 18 from the future timeline. During this process, Cell's once fairly handsome face visibly twisted and distorted. Ugly markings surfaced across his skin, his tall frame rapidly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, he became a hunched, wretched figure barely half his former size.

"Die!" Tang Yangbing's voice was as cold as a blade as it suddenly exploded through the heavy air. His right leg shot out like lightning, carrying a shrill whistle as it tore through the air and struck Cell squarely in the chest. Cell did not even have time to react before he was kicked high into the sky like a rag doll. At the same time, terrifying energy began gathering in Tang Yangbing's palm. The energy sphere was initially only the size of a fist, but in an instant, it expanded into a massive ball of light several meters wide. Blinding arcs of electricity flowed across its surface, accompanied by a chilling hum.

Even the space around the energy sphere began to warp. Rubble on the ground was drawn up by its powerful gravitational field, floating into the air. "No!" Cell let out a desperate howl in midair, fear written across his already distorted face. His skin took on an eerie green hue from his overwhelming terror, and his limbs flailed uselessly as he tried to escape the fatal strike. But it was already too late. A cold gleam flashed through Tang Yangbing's eyes. The instant the final syllable fell, the ki blast containing destructive power tore through the sky and blasted toward Cell with unstoppable force.

The blinding radiance turned the entire sky as bright as day. The violent energy fluctuations forced even those watching from hundreds of meters away to raise their hands to shield their eyes. "Aah..." Amid Cell's final shriek of agony, the ki blast completely swallowed his figure. Dazzling white light exploded in the air, forming a massive energy vortex that swept everything around it inside. The shockwave from the explosion spread outward like a tsunami, while the gale it unleashed hurled dust from the ground dozens of meters into the sky. When the light gradually faded, the sky was empty. Only a few lingering embers of energy drifted down like fireflies.

"BOOM—!!!" A deafening explosion tore through the silence ten thousand meters above, as though heaven and earth themselves had trembled in that instant. A colossal energy shockwave spread visibly in every direction, and the scorching light was too blinding to look at. A mushroom cloud that covered the sky rose explosively through Earth's atmosphere, rolling flames and thick smoke intertwining as if the end of the world had arrived.

The air was thick with the stench of scorching heat, and even the distant clouds were torn apart by the force. At the center of that devastating explosion, not even a trace of Cell's grotesque form remained. He was instantly vaporized by the heat and impact, as though he had never existed at all. Only the fading aftershocks of energy proved that he had been strutting arrogantly through this sky mere moments ago. By now, he had likely already set off to report to the underworld, without even having time to let out a final scream. "Th-this is over? That Android who had us completely helpless just turned to ash?" Krillin stared wide-eyed at the sky in disbelief.

He unconsciously raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbing. Beside him, Piccolo frowned deeply, his green skin looking especially grave beneath the afterglow of the explosion. Trunks gripped his sword tightly, his purple hair whipping violently in the gale. His sharp gaze swept into the distance before finally settling in Android 18's direction. "No, this isn't over yet," he said in a low voice, his tone filled with unquestionable vigilance. "There are still those three—two Android 18s, one Android 17, and that silent Android 16." Just then, Tang Yangbing strode calmly toward Android 18.

His black combat uniform snapped in the wind, and a confident curve rested on his lips. Before everyone's astonished eyes, he naturally extended an arm and pulled Android 18's slender waist into his embrace. "She's my woman." Tang Yangbing's voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority. "Her business is my business. With me here, what the hell are you worried about?" Surprisingly, Android 18, who had always been cold as ice, did not refute him this time. She lowered her head slightly, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks as her long lashes trembled gently.

Her slender fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of Tang Yangbing's clothes. That tiny gesture already explained everything. Trunks opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only scratch his head and force out a helpless smile. "Uh, y-you're right." He lowered his sword slightly, and his tense shoulders relaxed as well. In this world where strength spoke louder than anything else, the words of the strong were the greatest assurance. Since this man, who could so easily eliminate Cell, had made his stance clear, what was there left to worry about? "I haven't agreed to that yet!" A crisp voice suddenly rang out, breaking the brief silence.

The other Android 18 stood with her arms crossed, several traces of displeasure on her cold, beautiful face. Her blonde hair gleamed beneath the afterglow of the setting sun. Her sharp gaze moved back and forth between Tang Yangbing and Android 18 as faint energy waves began to gather around her. Tang Yangbing merely chuckled and pulled the Android 18 in his arms even closer, the confidence in his eyes undiminished. A new storm seemed to be quietly brewing over this land that had just endured catastrophe... Android 17 shook his head forcefully, as if trying to completely dispel the chaos in his mind. He rubbed his throbbing temples, and his vision gradually cleared.

When Tang Yangbing's words reached his ears, his eyes suddenly widened, and an inexplicable fury surged up within him. "What kind of joke is this?!" Android 17 growled through gritted teeth, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. Why did this guy who had appeared out of nowhere suddenly become his brother-in-law for no reason at all? He instinctively turned to look at Android 18 beside him, only to see his sister standing quietly in place, with not the slightest hint of resistance in her icy blue eyes. "You want to be my brother-in-law?"