The two figures separated high in the sky and landed on separate rock pillars.
Wind swept between them.
Cell raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then looked at Son Goku across from him, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Son Goku, you really are something."
"No wonder Dr. Gero insisted that I kill you. His computer stored all your combat data—and now I can see that it was the right decision."
Son Goku chuckled when he heard that.
"Is that so? Then come at me if you've got what it takes."
As soon as the words left his mouth, they both moved.
Their figures collided on the ground, fists meeting head-on.
Boom!
The air exploded with a thunderous crack. The earth beneath them collapsed in a circle, cracks spreading wildly in every direction.
The shockwave swept chunks of rock into the air. Their fists blurred like a furious storm.
Son Goku slammed his right fist into Cell's chest. Cell took the hit without backing down, then drove an elbow into Son Goku's shoulder.
Before the dull crack of bone could even sound, Son Goku twisted aside and drove a knee into Cell's abdomen. As Cell doubled over, he smashed his forehead into Son Goku's nose.
Neither of them gave ground. They exchanged blows at point-blank range, every strike landing squarely on flesh.
Son Goku tilted his head to dodge a straight punch. The wind of the blow grazed his ear. He took the next hit to the chest without flinching, then counterattacked.
Cell's tail whipped around from the side and coiled around his ankle. Cell yanked hard as he drove a knee upward.
Son Goku pressed in close, twisted his waist, and stepped on Cell's knee to flip himself through the air. The moment he landed, he charged again.
Their attacks and defenses changed so quickly it was dazzling.
From afar, Krillin could only make out two blurred figures colliding furiously on the ground, shockwaves piling one on top of another.
The wasteland beneath them had already been utterly devastated. Every clash left more cracks in the earth.
The battle reached its peak, and both fighters powered up at once.
Their fists collided again, and neither pulled back.
Golden auras churned violently around them. The collision of their power brought everything to a standstill.
Son Goku gritted his teeth, the veins in his arms bulging.
The earth sank under the pressure of their auras. Cracks stretched from beneath their feet to hundreds of meters away, while the rocks suspended in the air were crushed to dust.
At the limit of their stalemate, they both pulled back and leaped away, sliding dozens of meters in opposite directions.
They put some distance between them.
Son Goku planted his feet and drew his hands back to his waist, palms facing each other.
Blue light gathered between his hands, growing brighter and brighter. The energy heated the air around him.
"Ka—me—ha—me—ha!!"
Cell moved almost in sync on the left, drawing his hands back to his waist as well. The same blue light gathered between his palms. A cold smile curled his lips. He could use this technique too.
Two blue beams burst from their palms at the same time and collided head-on at a point in the middle of the battlefield.
Hummm!
The energy waves locked in a stalemate.
The two Kamehamehas pressed against each other. Blinding white light burst from the point of contact as energy particles flew wildly in every direction.
Son Goku gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
He could feel the power on the other side pushing forward inch by inch—not enough, he needed more.
"Raaaah!!"
Son Goku roared again, pouring energy into his arms without holding anything back.
His golden aura flared. The energy beam of his Kamehameha suddenly swelled, its blue light swallowing Cell's blast and grinding it back toward him.
Cell's pupils contracted. He was too late to stop it.
The moment the balance broke, the two energies erupted in a violent explosion.
Rumble!!
A deafening boom shook the heavens!
The explosion lit up half the sky. A circular shockwave swept outward, leaving not a single patch of ground intact for miles around.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun. It lingered for a long time.
In the distance, Mr. Satan and the others were being carried through the air by Android 16. The reporter clutched his camera equipment tightly, his face deathly pale.
Mr. Satan looked down at the enormous smoking crater below, his legs trembling in the air.
"Th-those things are monsters—they're not even human!"
He clung to Android 16's thick arm, his voice shaking. If the big guy hadn't grabbed them and carried them into the air, they would have been reduced to nothing by now.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Son Goku stood on the edge of the crater, gasping for breath.
His golden aura had dimmed, and sweat ran down his forehead and cheeks.
That all-out burst had consumed too much of his strength.
Across from him, Cell's body was missing pieces here and there, and one of his arms was broken off.
Part of his left leg had been blown away, leaving nothing below the knee. His right arm was reduced to a stump.
The explosion had torn away half his face. The one remaining eye glared fixedly at Son Goku.
Cell was on the verge of death.
After catching his breath, Son Goku straightened up and looked at Cell's battered body. His voice was calm, and his manner sincere.
"Cell, give up. You're a worthy opponent, but you've lost. If you promise not to harm Earth, I'll let you go."
Vegeta's roar nearly burst from his throat.
"Kakarot! You idiot!! Back then, you wanted to spare Frieza. You wanted to spare me too. Are you going to spare King Piccolo as well?"
"Are you trying to raise a horse, you idiot?! This is a fight to the death! One day, he might destroy the Earth with a single blast. How can you just let him go?!"
Son Goku winced at the shouting. He fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"Looks like there's no other way, Cell. You don't have a chance."
When he heard that, a wicked grin spread across the half of Cell's face that remained.
"Is that so? You forgot—I still have this."
The end of his tail opened slightly, and a vivid green bean rolled out.
It was the Senzu Bean Son Goku had given him earlier. He had kept it without eating it.
Cell caught the bean with the stump of his remaining arm and slowly lifted it to his mouth.
The whole process was slow. Son Goku stood just a few steps away, not moving or trying to stop him, his expression calm.
In the distance, Vegeta was so furious his face turned green. Krillin covered his eyes, while Future Trunks stood with his mouth open, unable to speak.
They watched helplessly as Cell chewed up the Senzu Bean and swallowed it.
The Senzu Bean's energy took effect inside him.
His ruined body healed at a visible speed. His left leg grew back, and his right arm extended, segment by segment, to its full length.
But that wasn't all.
A golden aura erupted, and lightning crackled around him.
The Saiyan near-death power boost was triggered for the second time, sending his combat power soaring far beyond its previous level.
The talents of the different beings whose cells he carried fused together, greatly increasing his power.
The traits of all their cells blended within him, pushing his strength to a whole new level.
He had become Super Perfect Cell.
Son Goku appeared beside Piccolo and reached into his pouch for a Senzu Bean, then popped it into his mouth.
His strength restored, Son Goku's golden aura blazed again.
But the increase in Son Goku's battle power after his recovery was nowhere near as great as Cell's.
The second round began!
Cell struck first. He was nearly twice as fast as before. Son Goku raised an arm to block, but the force of the punch was far greater than he had expected.
Pain shot through his arm. The force pierced his guard and slammed into his chest. Son Goku grunted as his feet slid back several steps. Before he could steady himself, Cell vanished from where he stood and reappeared behind him.
A straight kick landed in his lower back, sending Son Goku flying into the air.
Cell flickered again, appearing above him. He clasped his hands together and brought them down with a brutal blow, golden flames trailing behind.
Boom!!
Son Goku cried out in pain as he slammed into the ground like a cannonball.
Before he could recover, Cell hovered in the air and raised both hands. Countless golden Ki Blasts poured from his palms, raining down on the bottom of the crater.
Explosions merged into a single, endless roar. Flames piled on top of one another, and the earth trembled under the relentless bombardment.
The smoke cleared.
Son Goku lay at the bottom of the crater, his golden aura completely extinguished. His hair had returned to black, his normal state.
Between the overexertion and the continuous heavy blows, his mind and body had reached their limits.
Cell slowly descended, looking down at the Z Fighters below with arrogant contempt.
"Who's next? Or should I just destroy the Earth?"
Just then, a voice came from afar.
"Is that so? You're pretty full of yourself. How about I give it a try?"
Son Gohan landed beside Son Goku, with Lazuli close behind him. Her golden hair shifted gently in the wind, and her delicate, flawless face held a cool expression.
Son Gohan crouched and took a Senzu Bean from his Internal Space, then popped it into Son Goku's mouth.
Son Goku chewed it, and his strength quickly returned, but his expression was apologetic.
"Sorry, Gohan. I made a mistake."
Son Gohan said nothing, his face cold. He grabbed Son Goku by the shoulder and used Instant Transmission to take him to where the Z Fighters were gathered.
Cell saw that his new opponent was a boy barely in his teens and couldn't help laughing.
"Are you all out of fighters? You're sending a kid in to die?"
Piccolo folded his arms and stepped forward. He was confident he could handle Super Perfect Cell.
But Son Gohan raised a hand to stop him.
"Uncle Piccolo, let me handle this."
Piccolo raised an eyebrow, then quietly stepped back into place.
Krillin's gaze shifted from Cell to Lazuli.
His eyes went wide. Her short golden hair, smooth fair skin, exquisite features, and that cool, mature air—
S-she's so beautiful!
Lazuli seemed to sense something. She turned her head slightly and glanced at Krillin.
Krillin's face flushed bright red, and he quickly looked away.
Lazuli turned her gaze away and folded her arms, cool and elegant as she waited to watch the show.
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