"Alright," Ken said with a faint smile, calling out toward the battlefield. "Goku—wipe them out."
"Huh? Oh—yeah. Got it," Goku said, snapping back to reality.
A fiery aura surged around him.
In a heartbeat, he transformed into Super Saiyan God.
He vanished—and reappeared in front of one mini-Cell.
One punch.
The mini-Cell detonated into a mist of blood and was gone.
Goku flicked his hand at another one without even closing distance. It exploded midair.
The remaining mini-Cells raged… and panicked at the same time.
Cell stared, jaw slack.
"Y-You… what is that form?" Cell stammered.
"This is Super Saiyan God," Goku said calmly.
"So that's Super Saiyan God…" Cell's face tightened. "It's stronger than I expected. What are you waiting for? All of you—jump him!"
The swarm screamed and piled onto Goku.
It didn't matter.
Goku tore through them with effortless punches and kicks, popping them one after another like balloons.
Gohan and Kale exchanged a look and finally breathed again.
"Mr. Satan… why did that guy's hair turn red?" the commentator asked, baffled.
"He's obviously carrying hair dye," Mr. Satan declared.
"Hey. You three…" a voice suddenly said.
Mr. Satan, the commentator, and the cameraman all jolted.
Android 16's head was talking.
"Help me," Android 16 said quietly. "Get me over to those two kids."
"What are you planning?" Mr. Satan asked, wary.
"I need to tell them something," Android 16 said, smiling.
Mr. Satan hesitated, then finally nodded. "Fine. I'll try."
He scooped up the head and ran toward the battlefield, but fear stopped him from getting too close. He halted about fifty meters from Gohan.
"Sorry," Mr. Satan said, shivering. "I thought the Omni-King would be my biggest backup, but he has zero intention of helping. Totally unreliable… and I treated him like royalty for ages."
"Just throw me," Android 16 snapped. "I don't have time for this. My power's almost out."
"Can you use my phone battery?" Mr. Satan asked.
Android 16 didn't respond.
Mr. Satan decided not to think too hard and hurled the head with all his strength.
Cell watched his "children" get erased with humiliating ease, shock and fury twisting his face.
"Very good, Goku," Cell hissed through clenched teeth.
"Nice! Future Supreme Kai—great job!" Zeno-sama cheered, hopping up again.
"Cell, you're done," Goku said, his Super Saiyan God aura burning as he stared him down from afar.
Vegeta trembled again, injured in a completely different way.
Kakarot's Super Saiyan God form didn't seem to have a weakness.
Meanwhile, Vegeta's Golden Great Ape needed two things: a "moon" and a tail.
He'd barely overcome the first limitation—only to get ruined by the second.
It was tragedy. Pure tragedy.
Vegeta felt personally attacked by existence itself.
"You've completely enraged me, Goku," Cell growled. "Do you even understand who you're facing? I'm the strongest in the entire universe! Even if you're a god, you're nothing in front of me!"
Right as he finished, Android 16's head rolled in from the side and stopped by Cell's foot.
Cell blinked and looked down.
"Android 16…" Gohan whispered, eyes wide.
Kale pressed close to Gohan, tense.
"Gohan," Android 16 said gently, "when you're angry, let your spirit move freely. I understand. You don't have to hold it in anymore."
"You're just a head and you're still lecturing?" Cell scoffed.
"Protect the nature and animals I love," Android 16 said with a soft smile.
Gohan froze.
"Wait—my dad's Super Saiyan God now," Gohan said quickly. "You don't need to push me into—he can handle—"
Crunch.
Cell stomped down.
Android 16's head shattered into scrap.
"Nosy trash," Cell spat. He turned away from Gohan and looked at Goku. "Goku, see that? That outdated robot is your example. Next is you."
Goku shook with rage. "Y-You bastard… you're evil!"
And then—
Gohan screamed.
Not a shout.
A howl that tore straight out of his chest.
"YOU DIDN'T LET ME FINISH!" Gohan roared, pain and fury twisting his voice as power erupted from him in violent waves.
Lightning snapped around his body.
His hair spiked higher, sharper.
His eyes burned with pure rage.
Vegeta stared, stunned. Trunks went rigid.
Piccolo's face lit up with astonished joy.
"Gohan-nii… you look so cool…" Kale breathed, starry-eyed.
"Gohan…" Goku whispered, shocked.
"Oh! The future second God of Destruction transformed!" Zeno-sama said, thrilled.
Ken watched quietly. Everything was unfolding exactly as he expected.
"Gohan's crackling with electricity," Gine murmured to Bardock.
"He broke past his limit," Bardock said, nodding proudly. "That kid's incredible. My descendant, alright."
"Excuse me?" Gine huffed. "Not ours?"
Bardock fell silent.
Jiren stared at Gohan's new form, then quickly shook his head, disappointed.
The increase was huge, but in the full picture, Gohan still wasn't that far above Kale.
Merus stayed quiet, eyes narrowing.
Even Gohan had taken a step forward.
Kale, meanwhile, hadn't grown much at all in this fight.
I need a way to push her higher.
And for that… Cell needs to be a little more dangerous.
Merus made his decision. He walked up to Zeno-sama and whispered a few words.
Zeno-sama nodded eagerly. "Mm-hm. We'll do it your way in a bit."
"Thank you, Zeno-sama," Merus said respectfully.
Cell stared, confused.
Gohan glared at him, face tight with rage. "Why wouldn't you let me finish?"
Cell's brain short-circuited.
Because I didn't let you finish talking… you got a new transformation?
What even is this?
It feels like something none of them ever had before.
"I've had enough," Gohan snarled, rage breaking through every word. "I'm not letting you walk away."
He stepped forward.
For a moment, Cell actually flinched—his body shaking under the pressure.
Then he forced himself to snap out of it.
I absorbed Legendary Super Saiyan cells. Why would I be afraid of Gohan?
"This is interesting," Cell said, forcing a grin. "You should be thanking me. I'm the reason you look like this."
Gohan didn't answer.
He punched.
Cell raised a hand and caught the blow.
"Hah. That's it?" Cell sneered. "I thought you'd be something special now."
Gohan hit him again—harder.
His fist slammed into Cell's abdomen.
Cell's grin froze. A strangled howl burst from him.
Gohan followed with a rising punch that caught Cell under the jaw and drove him straight down.
Cell hit the ground hard, sitting there in shock, his expression twisting with disbelief.
"Impossible…" Jiren muttered from far away.
He could tell Gohan's level was barely around 2.
Cell was level 5.
So how was a level 2 kid knocking him down like that?
Vegeta shook, staring.
This brat…
He's not a Legendary Super Saiyan, but his energy density is getting close to Kale's.
Damn it.
Vegeta refused to accept it.
"That's incredible!" the commentator shouted. "The camera got shattered by the shockwaves! We can only do audio now—but that kid just knocked Cell to the ground!"
Cell rose slowly, face darkening.
"Alright," Cell said coldly. "Time to stop playing. You really don't understand how far above you I am."
"Then show me," Gohan growled.
"You'll regret it," Cell said, and his aura exploded.
The air itself turned violent, windstorms ripping across the battlefield.
Yellow-green light flooded over Cell's body as his presence swelled again.
The moment Gohan felt it, his face tightened.
This… is way worse than I thought.
His mouth twitched.
"Now you're scared," Cell said, baring his teeth. "You thought I was harmless?"
He lunged.
One punch smashed into Gohan.
Gohan tried to block with crossed arms—but the gap was brutal.
Cell's strike shattered his guard like it wasn't there, and Gohan crashed backward onto the ground.
"Gohan-nii!" Kale cried, throwing herself over him and glaring up at Cell.
"Legendary Super Saiyan," Cell said flatly, waving a hand. "You can die too."
A heavy, invisible force slammed down over both Kale and Gohan.
They were blasted backward again, tumbling across the ground.
"Get ready," Cell laughed, rushing in. "I'll send you both off together so you won't be lonely in the Other World! First, Goku's son!"
His speed spiked—he was going to finish Gohan in one strike.
Goku's face changed instantly. He moved—but someone else moved first.
Merus appeared in front of Gohan in a blink, raising his staff and catching Cell's punch cleanly on the shaft.
Cell's fist stopped dead against the staff.
Another fool stepping in?
"You're trying to mess up the order of death?" Cell snarled, glaring at Merus.
"Kale," Merus said, glancing back with a gentle smile, "let me handle this one."
The moment Merus sensed Cell's power spike, he'd almost been delighted.
If I "disappear" in front of Kale here, there's a chance she'll awaken—just like Ken and Broly's setup.
A chance she'll become Legendary Super Saiyan Two.
"Merus-nii?" Kale blinked, scratching her head, totally lost.
"To be honest," Merus said, his expression turning grave, "Cell's strength has gone past what we can control…"
In that moment, Merus felt like an actor playing the most important role of his life.
Kale's eyes widened.
Is it really that bad?
Cell is already that dangerous?
Kale was still young, and she believed him—because Merus almost never lied to her.
"So this time," Merus said softly, "I'm the one stepping in."
His staff flashed and reshaped into a long baton.
"Idiot," Cell spat, still not taking him seriously, and swung again.
Merus raised the baton and blocked.
The impact blasted Merus backward, boots sliding ten meters across the ground.
"Merus-nii…!" Kale gasped, shocked.
Even Merus-nii couldn't stop him?
He got pushed back that far with one punch?
"Bit of a problem," Merus said, lifting his hand and theatrically blowing on it like he'd just been burned.
"Merus's acting is unreal," Ken said, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Right? Merus-nii is amazing," Bier agreed, nodding along.
The fight continued.
After several exchanges, Merus cracked the baton across Cell's face, warping his features with the hit.
Cell snarled, baring teeth. A streak of light flashed from his hand.
Merus dodged and, in the same motion, pulled a handgun from his waist.
He fired.
Cell smirked and slapped the energy shot aside. "You think that toy works on me?"
The moment his hand touched it—the shot detonated.
The explosion left Cell smoking and furious, face smeared with ash.
The damage wasn't much.
The humiliation was enormous.
"That was awesome, Merus-nii!" Kale cheered.
"Incredible…" Gohan breathed, stunned.
Cell's eyes narrowed. "What are you?"
Worse—Cell couldn't sense Merus's ki at all.
And somehow, this opponent was still giving him trouble.
"What… are you to Ken?" Cell demanded, teeth clenched.
"Ken's my best friend," Merus said with a bright smile. He lifted a hand, and a set of handcuffs appeared. "Cell, you've committed enough crimes. You've violated Galactic law. Come with me to the Galactic Prison."
"Oh?" Cell's smile returned. "So you're Galactic Patrol too."
"That's right," Merus said, nodding.
"Cell! You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Kale yelled. "Merus-nii is a god from Universe 7! Just surrender already!"
"A god?" Cell looked Merus up and down, eyes strange. "You're a god of the universe?"
"Something like that," Merus said, not bothering to explain.
Then—
Ken appeared beside Kale in a flicker.
"Huh? Ken?" Kale blinked.
"Ken-san?" Gohan rubbed his eyes, stunned.
"Kale," Ken said with a sigh, "you know Merus and I are Angels."
Kale nodded hard.
"But you might not know this," Ken continued, voice turning serious. "Angels aren't allowed to participate in battle."
Kale froze, confused.
"What happens if an Angel fights?" Gohan asked, curious despite everything.
"They disappear," Ken said.
"Disappear?" Kale's eyes went wide. "That can't be right! Merus-nii arrested tons of bad guys before! He fought all the time!"
"What Ken-san means," Gohan said quickly, "is Angels can't fight using Angel power, right?"
Ken nodded. "Exactly. The moment an Angel uses Angel power to fight, they disappear."
Kale's expression cracked.
"So… don't let Merus use Angel power," Ken said, gently patting her shoulder. "Let him keep fighting as Galactic Patrol."
With that, Ken turned and walked away.
If she doesn't want me to bring Videl into this, then fine—I won't.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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