Swift as Lightning, Ruthless as Thunder

This strike was swift as lightning and fierce as thunder, as if it would utterly shatter any enemy standing in its way.

At the very instant the razor-sharp force of the palm was about to tear Cell's body apart, his figure vanished into the air like a ghost.

A cool, unhurried smile hung on Cell's lips. With an exquisite sidestep, he made Son Goku's sure-hit blow miss, the gale it generated ripping a hundred-meter-long gash through the clouds below.

"Bang, bang, bang—" "Boom, boom, boom—" Deafening explosions erupted across the heavens as two streaks of light darted through the clouds faster than the eye could follow.

Son Goku's golden aura and Cell's dark green energy intertwined in the sky, forming dazzling ribbons of light. Every collision sent brilliant sparks flying.

Son Goku threw a fierce straight punch through the air, and Cell immediately blocked it with his elbow. The resulting shockwave scattered every cloud within several miles.

Cell followed with a swift knee strike aimed straight at his opponent's abdomen. Son Goku met it with a knee of his own, and the instant those two terrifying forces collided, even the air twisted out of shape.

Their figures streaked across the azure sky in countless afterimages, sometimes crashing together like meteors, sometimes crossing like bolts of lightning.

Every clash of limbs came with earthshaking thunder, while violent ripples of energy spread continuously outward. Even rocks far below on the ground trembled faintly from the aftershocks.

In the spectator stands, Tang Yangbing's pupils reflected two clear figures. Android 18's mechanical eyes kept adjusting their focus, while Vegeta stood with his arms folded, a faint, cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

Beside them, Piccolo clenched his fists tightly, fine beads of sweat forming on his green forehead. He could barely make out a few vague black shadows rapidly darting through the sky.

"Damn it!" Piccolo gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms. "Not even Kami's sacrifice was enough to bridge a gap like this?

These Saiyans..." His murmur was interrupted by Yamcha's startled cry. "I can't see them at all! I can only hear them!" Yamcha frantically turned his head, trying to trace the battle's path, but all he could see were flashes of energy bursting intermittently in the sky and shattered rocks sent flying in every direction by the aftershocks.

In that split second, Son Goku unleashed a lightning-fast spinning kick at Cell's face. As Cell leaned back to evade it, he gathered a dangerous purple energy sphere in his right hand.

As the two brushed past each other, the airflow they stirred pressed the entire forest canopy below flat.

Krillin's voice trembled, sweat sliding down from his temples and glinting faintly in the sunlight.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

In the distance, Cell stood like an insurmountable mountain. His green carapace reflected a cold gleam beneath the sun, and the terrifying aura radiating from him seemed to freeze the very air.

"Yeah..." Krillin's voice was hoarse with despair. "How are we supposed to fight an opponent like that?" He swallowed with difficulty, his Adam's apple bobbing.

His gaze involuntarily turned toward the two fighting in the sky—Son Goku's golden aura still shone in the sunlight, but it was no longer as blazing as before.

Every collision with Cell erupted with deafening thunder, and shockwaves spread outward almost tangibly, sweeping up dust that filled the sky.

"Good thing Goku and Tang Yangbing are here..." Krillin's shoulders sagged weakly. "Otherwise, we wouldn't even have the right to risk our lives." Just then, Tang Yangbing floated in midair as violent winds tossed the loose strands of hair over his forehead.

Suddenly, his brow lifted slightly, and the familiar system notification sounded in his mind. "Ding. A new check-in mission is now being issued: beat Cell continuously for three minutes. Complete the new check-in mission!" A faint smile curved Tang Yangbing's lips as golden aura flowed around him.

"Three minutes?" he chuckled inwardly. You think that little of me? He knew perfectly well that although his battle power of over 120 billion was not yet enough to completely suppress this Super Cell, he was not worried in the slightest.

The power hidden within him was like a sleeping dragon, waiting only for the right moment to awaken.

He had originally planned to use his battle with Cell to seek his final breakthrough, but now that he had a new mission, he did not mind changing his strategy.

Second by second, the situation on the battlefield began to shift subtly.

Son Goku's figure carved a golden trail through the air as he fiercely collided with Cell's green form.

Every exchange burst with blinding light, while energy shockwaves spread like ripples, forcing the onlookers in the distance to stagger back again and again.

"Ha!" Son Goku shouted, gathering a dazzling energy sphere in both hands before forcefully thrusting it toward Cell.

Cell merely smiled disdainfully and casually swatted the energy sphere away. The flash from its explosion illuminated the entire battlefield.

Gradually, Son Goku's breathing became labored, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The golden aura around him began to flicker faintly, bright one moment and dim the next—a sign that his stamina was beginning to run dry.

"This is bad!" Krillin suddenly cried out, unable to hide the panic in his voice. "Goku is starting to show signs of exhaustion too!" Trunks suddenly tightened his grip on his sword, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Piccolo frowned deeply, his green skin looking especially grim beneath the sunlight.

Everyone could clearly sense that Son Goku's aura was weakening at a visible rate, while the suffocating pressure Cell gave off had not diminished in the slightest.

"Goku's energy is dropping..." Tien Shinhan's three eyes widened at once, his voice low and anxious. "But Cell's aura hasn't changed at all. It looks like Cell still hasn't used his full strength!" At that moment, despair washed over everyone's hearts like an icy tide.

Trunks unconsciously took half a step back. The tip of his sword trembled faintly, reflecting the increasingly strained golden figure in the sky.

The sky had been torn into chaos, and the currents across the battlefield roared like enraged beasts.

Son Goku and Cell's figures crossed in the air, each collision unleashing a deafening sonic boom as shockwaves spread in every direction like a tsunami.

The spectators held their breath, their hearts nearly pounding out of their chests.

They clenched their fists, their nails digging deep into their palms, yet they could not feel even the slightest pain.

"Tang Yangbing... can he really do it?" Krillin's voice trembled, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Piccolo pressed his lips together tightly, his green fingers turning white from excessive force.

They all looked toward that mysterious figure at the same time, hope and despair intertwined in their eyes.

Son Goku's figure looked especially tragic beneath the fading light of the setting sun.

His golden aura flickered on and off like a candle guttering in the wind.

Sweat ran down his resolute cheeks, instantly evaporating in the air.

His once effortless offense gradually slowed, every movement seeming like a struggle through a swamp.

"Boom!" Cell's heavy punch tore through the air, carrying destructive force as it shot straight toward Son Goku's face.

Son Goku barely raised both arms to block, but the impact sent him staggering back again and again.

Ripples spread through the waves of energy beneath his feet, as though he were standing on a shattered mirror.

"What's wrong, Son Goku?" Cell sneered, cruel light flashing in his scarlet eyes. "Is this the so-called strongest warrior on Earth?" Another long half hour passed, and Son Goku's breathing grew heavy and ragged.

The golden aura around him flickered violently, as if it might go out at any moment.

His muscles trembled faintly under the excessive strain, and even maintaining basic flight had become exceptionally difficult.

The deadlock that had once been evenly matched was completely broken.

Cell's assault came like a raging storm, every blow carrying devastating force.

Son Goku was forced entirely onto the defensive, struggling to dodge and block amid the barrage of fists.

"Bang!" A heavy kick slammed viciously into Son Goku's back. He let out a muffled groan, a thin trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

That blow seemed to flip some kind of switch, and Cell's assault became even more frenzied.

Suddenly, Cell's figure twisted strangely in Son Goku's field of vision, then vanished, like a reflection in water shattered by a tossed stone.

Son Goku's pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he tried to turn around, but his exhausted body could no longer keep up with the speed of his thoughts.