Threw Away a Sure Win

The Cell Games arena, built in imitation of the World Martial Arts Tournament, had long since become a massive crater.

The battle here had become completely one-sided. Super Perfect Cell, who possessed tremendous power, was as fragile as an infant before Gogeta.

Cell's face was pale, and his body was covered in gruesome wounds. His powerful regenerative ability was constantly at work, but it still could not keep up with Gogeta's attack speed.

"Go on, heal yourself again!" Gogeta's eyes brimmed with confidence.

He drew his hands back to his waist, white ki flames gathering in his palms before rapidly expanding into a dazzling sun.

"Kamehameha!"

A thick pillar of pure white light roared forth. Even the air along its path was scorched and warped, carrying enough destructive power to destroy several planets.

"Ah..."

The deafening explosion drowned out Cell's scream. Violent energy ran wild, stirring up countless waves of air and forming an enormous vortex.

"That should have finished off Cell, right?" Krillin happily pumped his fist.

The blinding white light faded, revealing Cell's miserable figure. Everything below his waist had evaporated, and his battered upper body had also lost an entire arm.

Green bodily fluid dripped onto the ground, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of burning flesh.

"Wow, he survived even that. His regeneration is almost like immortality." Gogeta crossed his arms and lazily floated in midair.

"Damn you! I'll kill you! I'm the strongest warrior in the universe! No one can defeat me!"

Cell roared hysterically, extending his only remaining arm. Light flickered continuously at his fingertips as dense beams shot toward Gogeta.

"What move should I use next?" Gogeta neither dodged nor defended, resting his head on one hand as he thought as if no one else were there.

"Gogeta, stop playing around and destroy Cell already!" Piccolo shouted anxiously, wishing he could step in himself.

"Dad, Uncle Vegeta, watch the fusion time!" Son Gohan also called out from afar.

Gogeta had been taking Cell's attacks head-on and recklessly wasting energy, which would inevitably shorten their fusion time.

"I've decided. I'll finish you with this!"

Golden ki erupted around Gogeta, and fine arcs of electricity crackled through the air. Every strand of his golden hair stood on end, while his already powerful aura surged dozens of times higher.

He pressed his hands together, golden ki flowing down his arms and gathering in his palms. A golden sphere was continuously compressed there, and the overflowing energy tore even the void apart.

"N-No... Don't kill me!"

Terror filled Cell's eyes. A chill ran from his head to his feet, and for the first time, he was truly afraid. The energy within that sphere was enough to reduce him to cosmic dust.

"Come on!"

Supreme Kai and Kibito flushed red with excitement. Hope was right before their eyes.

"Big Bang Atta—"

Before Gogeta could finish, light flashed around him, and he split into two people.

"What's going on, Kakarot? It hasn't been thirty minutes yet!" Vegeta turned and demanded.

"We probably used too much energy, and turning into Super Saiyans afterward shortened the fusion time too."

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have played around. I would've finished him off right away." Son Goku scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

"You idiot!" Vegeta cursed.

"Hey, hey, Vegeta, you should take half the blame too, shouldn't you?" Son Goku refused to back down, and the two began arguing right in front of Cell.

"Damn it, we were so close!"

"Ha ha ha! Hahahahaha!" Cell burst into uncontrollable laughter at the sight.

He had thought he was doomed for certain. Now, not only would he survive, but he could personally take revenge and erase his humiliation.

"I won't give you another chance. Saiyans really are troublesome. I'll kill you all as quickly as possible!"

"Cell, don't think you've already won. In your current condition, I can take care of you alone!" Vegeta gritted his teeth, filled with endless regret.

"That's right. You don't have much energy left either, do you?" Son Goku tried to pressure him psychologically.

"Is that so?"

Cell's lower body regenerated at a visible rate, and his severed arm grew back as well. He was completely restored, and even his aura had not changed in the slightest.

"How is that possible?" Son Goku and Vegeta could not believe it.

"What a shame!" Yamcha slammed his fist into the ground.

"There's no choice. Let's attack together." Determination shone from all three of Tien Shinhan's eyes.

"Those two idiots!" Piccolo was nearly furious to death. He finally understood how they had managed to throw away the win.

"Can't they fuse again?" Chiaotzu asked quietly.

Before Son Gohan could answer, Piccolo spoke based on his own observation. "Judging by how anxious Goku and Vegeta look, they probably can't fuse again."

"Big Brother Gohan, you know the Fusion Dance too, right? Then let's fuse." Trunks walked over calmly, his gaze firm.

He wanted to recreate Gogeta's overwhelming power. Among the Saiyans present, aside from himself, only Son Gohan remained.

"That's right! You two hurry up and fuse. We'll buy you time." Krillin excitedly slapped his bald head.

Son Gohan helplessly shook his head. "Unfortunately, the height difference between Trunks and me is too great. We can't perform the Fusion Dance."

He was only eight years old now, and he did not even reach Trunks's shoulders.

"I see." Trunks clenched his fists. Was he really unable to return to the future?

The hopeful looks everyone had just cast over immediately dimmed again.

"I can do it! I'm about the same height as Gohan." Krillin stomped his foot, delighted beyond measure.

But aside from him, no one could feel happy.

"Uncle Krillin..." Son Gohan wanted to tell him the truth, but he was afraid of hurting his pride.

"Don't say it. I understand. I'm too weak. Even if I fused with Gohan, it wouldn't increase our fighting power by much." Krillin looked dejected.

"What about the Spirit Bomb?" Piccolo suddenly remembered the ultimate technique King Kai had taught them.

"Cell won't give us the time." Son Gohan rejected the suggestion, because the Spirit Bomb took too long to charge.

"Big Bang Attack!"

Vegeta made his move. A massive explosion erupted, forming a mushroom cloud, but without Gogeta's power, this attack could not hurt Cell at all.

"Destructo Disc!"

Son Goku used a Destructo Disc stronger than Krillin's, hoping to injure Cell.

Son Gohan stared intently at the three fighting in midair. Cell's aura had indeed dropped considerably, but the energy he had left was still beyond what they could handle.

"What about the Evil Containment Wave? Like when we dealt with Slug." Yamcha thought of what had happened on Namek.

"If I know it, Cell knows it too," Piccolo said flatly.

At the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Old Kami had borrowed a human body to use the Evil Containment Wave on Piccolo.

But Piccolo had blocked it with the Evil Containment Wave Reversal, and Old Kami had been sealed away instead.

"Is there really no way?" Krillin suddenly thought of Android 18. He had thought he would be able to avenge her.