Piccolo in Mortal Danger

"Seriously? I thought you'd finally decided to speak, but you only opened your mouth to tell me to run?" Android 17 remained as confident as ever, completely ignoring Android 16's good intentions. "You really underestimate people!"

With a sudden burst, he charged straight at Cell and threw a punch. But there was now a gap between their strength; he struck only the afterimage Cell had left behind—his real body had already appeared above him, knocking him to the ground with an elbow strike.

Android 18 was somewhat shocked at the sight, while Android 16's expression turned grave.

Piccolo hesitated no longer and rushed in to help. But Cell effortlessly blocked his attack with one hand, then caught his kick with the other.

Cell punched him in the chest—Piccolo had already spent too much stamina during his fierce battle with Android 17, leaving him no time to block. He was sent flying and only stopped after rolling across the ground several times.

Piccolo struggled to stand, but Cell had already slowly walked up behind him, looking down at him as he lay sprawled on the ground.

Seeing that Piccolo still refused to give up and tried to rise, Cell kicked him in the chest. Piccolo was immediately sent flying into the distance once more, crashing heavily to the ground. He rolled several times before collapsing facedown amid a cloud of dust.

Android 18 and Android 16 still did not move. Android 18 said, "So even people as strong as Android 17 and Piccolo can mess up sometimes."

"It's not like that. This time, their opponent, Cell, is far too strong." Android 16 watched Cell steadily close in on Piccolo, his expression grave. "Run if you can, Android 18. Android 17 won't listen to anyone's advice. If he is absorbed, no one will be able to stop Cell, and the world will meet its end."

"And what are you planning to do, Android 16?" Android 18 caught the meaning behind his words—he did not seem to intend to leave.

Android 16 fell silent for a moment and looked at Piccolo, who was still fighting with all his strength.

Piccolo was covered in wounds and gasped for breath. His entire body had reached its limit.

Watching Cell walk toward him, he raised his trembling hands and continuously gathered the power within his body. A white aura flared up again, scattering the dust around him as fragments of stone rose into the air. The beginnings of an energy blast formed before his chest.

Piccolo launched his desperate attack. "Die!"

"Damn!" Realizing that things were going badly, Android 17 scrambled up from the ground and ran to the side.

A dazzling golden light shot from Piccolo's hands like lightning, forming a powerful energy blast that surged straight toward Cell with the force to destroy heaven and earth.

Facing such a fierce attack, Cell remained exceptionally calm. He could not even be bothered to blink, as though the energy blast before him were nothing more than an insignificant insect. He continued walking directly toward Piccolo, allowing the blast to strike him.

By the time the energy blast reached Cell, it had expanded to a jaw-dropping size. In an instant, it swallowed Cell's figure, along with the section of island in front of Piccolo. Even Android 17, who had sensed the danger beforehand and dodged in time, was caught in the blast's aftermath and hurled away by the explosive aura in a miserable state.

In that earth-shattering explosion, neither hard mountain rock nor sturdy island terrain could withstand the immense power contained in the energy blast. They rapidly crumbled and shattered into dust.

For a time, dust filled the sky and blanketed the entire area. The once-calm sea erupted into towering waves, as though the end of the world had arrived.

Only after the dust gradually settled could everyone see what had happened. The portion of the island in front of Piccolo had vanished without a trace, replaced by nothing but a vast expanse of ocean. Chunks of blasted rock rained down into the sea.

"Piccolo got him!" Seeing Cell's figure disappear, Android 18 could not help cheering excitedly.

However, Android 16 mercilessly poured cold water on her excitement. "He didn't hit him. Not only did he miss, but his opponent is completely unharmed."

Piccolo's entire body shook uncontrollably. He could clearly sense that the extraordinarily powerful and malicious energy within Cell had not weakened in the slightest.

Sure enough, a dazzling golden flame suddenly rose up. Cell slowly emerged from beneath the churning sea and flew toward Piccolo.

The unbelievable sight left Android 17 and Android 18 staring in stunned disbelief. They simply could not accept that Cell had actually reappeared completely intact after such a powerful attack from Piccolo.

Tien Shinhan, who had already arrived at the battlefield and stood atop a mountain peak, was also shocked by the scene. "H-how can this be? The difference is far too great—it's practically like they're in different dimensions!"

Cell stopped a few steps away from Piccolo. He glanced at Piccolo, then at Android 17, who was still standing there in a daze.

Piccolo shouted at him, "Run, Android 17!"

Cell punched Piccolo in the face, sending him flying. He collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.

Cell walked over to Piccolo and lifted him up. Piccolo's head lolled to one side; his neck had clearly been broken by that last blow. "What a bother. It seems my strength might be a little too excessive? I should never have killed so many humans and absorbed such an excessive amount of life energy."

"Die!" Cell placed one hand against Piccolo's abdomen. In the next instant, an energy blast pierced straight through Piccolo's body. Half of Piccolo's abdomen vanished, and Tien Shinhan, Goku, and the others watching the battle wore expressions of grief and fury.

Watching Piccolo suffer that fatal blow, Android 17 had clearly forgotten that Piccolo was sacrificing himself to buy him time to escape. He remained rooted to the spot in a daze. "He... he really did it!"

Android 18 was equally stunned. She had not expected Piccolo to be dealt with so easily.

Cell held him up and glanced at Piccolo's head hanging to one side, seemingly deciding that there was no need for another strike. With a casual wave, he tossed Piccolo into the sea behind him. Water splashed up, and the green figure quickly sank beneath the surface.

At Kami's Lookout, Goku and the others found the sight impossible to accept.

Goku truly could no longer sense Piccolo's energy. Gohan immediately lost control and was about to rush down to avenge him, but Goku reacted quickly and held him tightly.

"Uncle Piccolo! Uncle Piccolo!" Gohan struggled and cried out in Goku's arms.

"Gohan, don't be impulsive. You can't beat him if you go down there now. All we can do now is wait. Wait patiently." Gohan stopped struggling in Goku's arms. Once Goku released him, he fell to his knees, forcing himself to endure the grief.

Goku kept looking back, wondering why Vegeta had not come out after so long. What he did not know was that after surpassing Super Saiyan once, Vegeta had stayed inside to continue training in order to become even stronger.

In the end, Gohan could not hold back any longer and charged out, but Goku was faster. He appeared in front of him and punched him back.

"You don't need to react like this yet. Piccolo isn't dead." Seeing this, Malvis told them that Piccolo was still alive. "But he won't last much longer."

"Really, Lord Malvis?" Goku carefully sensed for Piccolo's energy and soon caught that faint trace—it was tiny, but it truly existed.

In the lower world, after dealing with the troublesome Piccolo, Cell thoroughly brutalized Android 17 and stomped him viciously beneath his foot. Android 16 no longer remained silent either and prepared to make a move against Cell.