The Rematch: Super Perfect Cell!

The two figures separated in the high altitude, each landing on a stone pillar.

A gust of wind whipped between them.

Super Perfect Cell reached up to wipe a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth, then looked at Son Goku across from him, his eyes burning with excitement.

"Son Goku, you really are extraordinary."

"No wonder Dr. Gero was so insistent that I kill you; his computer stored all of your combat data—now it seems that was the right decision."

After hearing this, Son Goku let out a chuckle.

"Is that so? Then put your money where your mouth is and come at me."

No sooner had the words left his lips than they both moved simultaneously.

The two figures collided on the ground, fists smashing directly into one another.

BOOM—!

A sonic boom exploded outward, the earth beneath their feet collapsing around them as the epicenter, with cracks spreading wildly in every direction.

Debris was swept into the air by the shockwaves, and their punches were a blur, as relentless as a storm.

Son Goku slammed his right fist into Super Perfect Cell's chest; Super Perfect Cell took the hit without retreating, countering with an elbow strike to Son Goku's shoulder.

Before the dull thud of bone could even fade, Son Goku leaned to the side and drove a knee into Super Perfect Cell's abdomen. The moment Super Perfect Cell doubled over, he slammed his forehead hard into Son Goku's nose.

Neither of them retreated; they traded blows frantically at point-blank range, every strike landing heavily on flesh.

Dodging a straight punch by tilting his head, Son Goku let the wind of the strike graze his ear, taking the hit on his chest to absorb a backhand blow, standing his ground, and striking back.

Super Perfect Cell's tail whipped in from the side to wrap around his ankle; he yanked hard while driving a knee upward.

Son Goku engaged in close-quarters grappling, twisting his waist to step on his opponent's knee for leverage, flipping himself over and charging back in the moment he touched the ground.

The transition between offense and defense was so fast it was dizzying.

In the distance, Krillin could only see two blurred figures colliding frantically on the ground, shockwave after shockwave rippling out.

The wasteland beneath them had been reduced to a mangled mess, each impact adding more fissures to the earth.

The battle reached a fever pitch, and both of them exerted their strength at once.

Their fists locked together again, and neither would pull back.

A golden aura churned violently around their bodies, the clash of their two forces causing the very space around them to reach a stalemate.

Son Goku gritted his teeth, the sound audible, while the veins on his arms bulged.

The ground continued to sink under the pressure of their auras, cracks extending hundreds of meters from their feet as gravel was ground into powder in mid-air by the sheer energy.

Pushed to the limit, both men exerted a final burst of power and backflipped away, sliding dozens of meters back.

They opened up the distance.

Son Goku planted his feet in a firm stance, pulling his hands to his waist with his palms facing each other.

A blue light gathered between his palms, growing brighter and brighter as the surrounding air was heated by the energy.

"Ka... me... ha... me... HA!!"

Super Perfect Cell, on the left, performed the move in near-perfect synchronization, pulling his hands to his waist and gathering the same blue light in his palms. A cold sneer hung on his lips; he knew this technique, too.

Two blue beams of light erupted from their palms simultaneously, colliding head-on at a point in the center of the field.

HUM—!

The energy waves locked in a stalemate.

The two Kamehamehas pressed against each other, a blinding white light emitting from the point of contact as energy particles sprayed wildly in every direction.

Son Goku gritted his teeth, veins pulsing on his forehead.

He could feel the power from the other side pushing forward, inch by inch—it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.

"HAAAAA—!!"

Son Goku roared again, pouring every ounce of energy in his body into his arms without a second thought.

His golden aura surged, and the beam of his Kamehameha expanded suddenly, the blue light swallowing Super Perfect Cell's energy wave and grinding it back toward him.

Super Perfect Cell's pupils constricted; it was too late to pull back.

The two energies erupted in a massive explosion the moment the balance shifted.

KABOOM—!!!

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar!

The light of the explosion illuminated half the horizon, and a ring-shaped shockwave swept outward, leaving not a single patch of ground intact for miles in every direction.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun and refusing to dissipate.

In the distance.

Mr. Satan and his group were being carried through the air by Android 16. The reporter hugged his camera equipment tightly, his face deathly pale.

Mr. Satan looked down at the massive, smoking crater beneath them, his legs trembling in the air.

"This, this is a monster—he's not human at all!"

He gripped Android 16's thick arm tightly, his voice trembling; if this giant hadn't yanked them into the air just now, there wouldn't even be scraps left of them.

The thick smoke slowly dissipated.

Son Goku stood at the edge of the deep crater, gasping for air.

His golden aura had dimmed, and sweat streamed down his face from his forehead.

That full-power outburst had consumed too much of his stamina.

On the other side.

Cell's body was missing pieces here and there.

His left leg had been blown off, disappearing from the knee down, and only half of his right arm remained.

Half of his face had been sheared away by the explosion, and on the remaining half, that single eye stared fixedly at Son Goku.

Cell was nearing a near-death state.

Son Goku caught his breath and stood upright. He looked at the battered Cell, his tone calm and his attitude seemingly sincere.

"Cell, give it up. You're a decent opponent, but you've already lost. As long as you promise not to harm the Earth, I can let you go."

Vegeta's roar practically exploded from his throat.

"Kakarot—you idiot!! You wanted to let Frieza go back then, you wanted to let me go, are you going to let Piccolo go too?"

"Are you running a shelter or something, you fool! This is a fight to the death; who knows when a single blast might destroy the Earth entirely? Why are you letting anyone go!!"

Son Goku's ears stung from the shouting. He remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"It seems there's no other way. Cell, you've run out of chances."

After hearing this, an evil smile spread across the half of Cell's face that remained.

"Is that so? You forgot—I still have this."

The tip of his tail opened slightly, and an emerald green bean rolled out.

It was the one Son Goku had given him earlier; he had kept it and hadn't eaten it.

Cell used his remaining half-arm to catch the Senzu Bean and slowly raised it to his mouth.

The entire process was slow. Son Goku stood a few steps away, not moving or interfering the whole time, his expression calm.

In the distance, Vegeta was so angry his face turned green, Krillin covered his eyes, and Future Trunks stood with his mouth agape, unable to speak.

They watched helplessly as Cell chewed the Senzu Bean and swallowed.

The energy of the Senzu Bean took effect within his body.

His mangled body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye—his left leg grew back, and his right arm extended, segment by segment, to its full length.

It wasn't just recovery.

A golden aura erupted, and lightning crackled around his body.

The Saiyan near-death power-up had been triggered for a second time, and his combat power surged far beyond its original level.

The talents of various individuals merged, leading to a massive increase in combat power.

The cellular characteristics of everyone blended within him, pushing his strength to a brand-new height.

He had reached the level of Super Perfect Cell.

Son Goku flashed to Piccolo's side, reached into his pouch, grabbed a Senzu Bean, and stuffed it into his mouth.

His stamina was replenished, and his golden aura reignited.

The gain in combat power for Son Goku after his recovery was nowhere near as great as Cell's.

The second round began!!

Cell made the first move, his speed nearly double what it had been before. Son Goku raised his hands to block, but the force of that punch against his arms far exceeded his expectations.

A sharp pain shot through his arms, and the force bypassed his block to slam directly into his chest. Son Goku let out a muffled groan, his feet sliding back several paces. Before he could steady himself, Cell vanished from where he stood and appeared behind him the next instant.

A front kick landed squarely on his lower back. Son Goku was sent flying into the air.

Cell's figure flickered again, appearing above him. He clasped his hands together and smashed down, wrapped in golden flames.

BOOM—!!

Son Goku let out a pained cry as he was driven into the ground like a cannonball.

Before he could recover, Cell hovered in mid-air, hands raised, and countless golden energy blasts poured from his palms, raining down into the crater like a torrential storm.

The explosions merged into one, firelight layering over firelight, and the earth shook continuously under the bombardment.

The thick smoke cleared.

Son Goku lay at the bottom of the crater, his golden aura completely extinguished, having reverted to his black-haired base state.

Between the excessive consumption and the continuous heavy blows, his spirit and stamina had reached their limit.

Cell slowly descended, looking down at the Z Fighters below, his tone arrogant and disdainful.

"Who's next? If no one steps up, I'll just destroy the Earth right now."

Just then, a voice echoed from the distance.

"Is that so? You're quite arrogant. How about I give it a try?"

Son Gohan landed beside Son Goku, with Lazuli following closely behind. Her golden hair swayed slightly in the wind, and her exquisite, flawless face remained cold and indifferent.

Son Gohan crouched down, retrieved a Senzu Bean from his Internal Space, and tucked it into Son Goku's mouth.

Son Goku chewed, his stamina rapidly recovering, though his expression remained apologetic.

"Sorry, Gohan. I miscalculated."

Son Gohan didn't speak, his face cold. He grabbed Son Goku's shoulder and activated Instant Transmission, transporting him to the location where the Z Fighters were gathered.

Super Perfect Cell saw that the newcomer was a boy of barely ten years old and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Are you all out of options? Sending a child in here to die?"

Piccolo crossed his arms and took a step forward; he was still confident in his ability to handle Super Perfect Cell.

However, Son Gohan raised a hand, signaling Piccolo to stand down.

"Uncle Piccolo, let me handle this."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow and silently retreated to his original position.

Krillin shifted his gaze from Super Perfect Cell and landed it on Lazuli.

His eyes went wide instantly. Her short golden hair, fair and smooth skin, and stunning, refined features, paired with that cold, regal aura—

She—she was just too beautiful—?!

Lazuli seemed to sense something; she tilted her head slightly and swept a glance at Krillin.

Krillin's face turned beet red, and he hurriedly looked away.

Lazuli withdrew her gaze, crossed her arms, and stood with cold, elegant pride, waiting to watch the show.