Merus turned to Ken. "Who do you want to end him? Goku… or Jiren?"
"Let me," Jiren said immediately, eager. "I want to show Zeno-sama what I can do."
"Not yet," Ken said, shaking his head. "Cell still has value. Killing him now would be a waste."
Cell's eyes snapped back to Kale.
"I'll start with the Legendary Super Saiyan," he snarled. He extended a hand, and an invisible force surged toward Kale.
Kale flinched and raised an arm to block on instinct.
At that exact moment, Gohan stepped in front of her.
Smack!
The invisible energy wrapped around Gohan instead.
"Oh? Gohan," Cell said, amused. "Why are you messing up the order of death again?"
"Gohan-nii!" Kale's pupils shrank.
"Fine," Cell said coldly. "If you want to die first, I'll grant your wish."
He flicked his hand upward.
Gohan's body shot into the sky, completely out of control.
"That's… Frieza's move!" Krillin's face changed.
"Gohan!" Goku's eyes widened, his Super Saiyan God aura flaring as he moved to help—
Smack!
Piccolo grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"Piccolo, what are you doing? Gohan's in danger!" Goku said sharply.
"No," Piccolo said, shaking his head hard. "You forgot—Gohan can regenerate. Frieza used that on him before, and he recovered. I'm telling you, he'll be fine!"
"And what if he isn't?" Goku snapped. "I'm not gambling with Gohan's life!"
Piccolo clenched his teeth. "You're the one who pushed Gohan into this fight! And look—Merus already 'disappeared' once and came back. If I'm reading this right, he's trying to trigger Kale's hidden power."
"I can see that," Goku said, scratching his head. "But what does that have to do with Gohan?"
"Just wait," Piccolo said, body trembling. "Do you think I want Gohan to die?"
"Gohan-nii!" Kale shouted, then turned on Cell. "Cell, stop it! Your opponent is me!"
"Tch. Childish," Cell sneered, closing his fingers into a tight fist.
"Dad!" Gohan shouted from the sky.
Boom!
Under Cell's control, Gohan's body exploded into a cloud of blood mist and scattered debris.
Kale went rigid, staring up at the blood haze, her face turning deathly pale.
Cell laughed quietly. "Heh. Next is you. I'll send you all to the Other World, one by one."
Kale's body started shaking even harder.
Crackle… crackle… crackle…
Dark clouds rolled in at once, swallowing the sky. Yellow-green lightning brewed inside them, twisting and snapping like living things.
Merus froze, then his expression turned complicated—his mouth twitching between disbelief and helpless laughter.
"This is…" Merus muttered, at a loss.
Do I really matter less to her than Gohan?
"What is that?" Bier said, brightening. "Kale finally broke her limit!"
Cell blinked and looked up. "What's going on?"
The clouds thickened into a heavy ceiling, yellow-green lightning flashing again and again.
Crackle… crackle…
The lightning jumped, threatening to drop at any moment.
"Aaaargh!" Kale roared.
A yellow-green pillar of light shot straight upward, punching through the atmosphere and reaching into space.
Lightning crashed down from the clouds and struck Kale's body, snapping and popping across her skin.
Her hair spiked high, and her yellow-green aura grew denser, wilder.
The lightning wrapped around her, amplifying her presence until it felt like the air itself was trembling.
"I won't forgive you," Kale said coldly, stepping toward Cell.
Cell's eyes went wide. The sheer pressure made him freeze. "W-What… what is this transformation?"
"Huh… Kale transformed?" Zeno-sama said curiously. "But it doesn't look like a big change. It's kind of like Gohan's, just a different color."
Merus didn't argue.
Zeno-sama wasn't wrong about the look, but Kale's strength had skyrocketed.
"You killed Gohan-nii," Kale said, murder in her eyes as she closed the distance. "I will never forgive you."
"Wait!" Gine couldn't hold it in anymore. She turned to Bardock, voice shaking. "What about Gohan? What happened to him?"
Bardock's expression darkened. He shook his head slowly.
"Say something!" Gine snapped, desperate. "What happened?"
"I… I don't know," Bardock said, voice low. "I can't sense his ki."
"He's dead," Ken said with a quiet sigh. "Cell's attack damaged his cells too badly. He can't regenerate from it anymore."
Bardock's face shifted in shock.
"W-What?" Gine's eyes dulled, her voice breaking. "Gohan… is dead?"
Piccolo's hearing caught every word. He went cold all over, like he'd been struck by lightning.
No.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Wasn't Gohan acting?
How could he die?
Regret hit Piccolo so hard it made him dizzy.
Goku tried to go save him—and I stopped him.
My arm… my arm is useless.
"Ah!" Piccolo raised his free hand and sliced off the arm he'd used to restrain Goku, severing it cleanly.
Goku stared. "…"
"Goku… I killed Gohan," Piccolo said, voice hollow.
"What are you talking about?" Goku demanded. "Piccolo, what are you doing?"
"I'm not hiding it anymore," Piccolo choked out. "They said Gohan is dead… his cells can't regenerate…!"
Goku's eyes widened, disbelief crashing over his face. "Gohan… Gohan is dead?"
Bardock trembled violently. "Damn you… Cell!" he snarled. "You filthy monster! You killed my grandson!"
Red light erupted around Bardock.
His hair spiked up, and he roared as crimson god power surged outward.
In a flash, his hair grew rapidly, spilling down past his waist.
Red lightning crackled around him, snapping and flashing.
Bardock's power climbed again—his level jumping from 49 to 50.
He didn't gain a brand-new form.
It was more like he pushed Super Saiyan God Three into full power.
Zeno-sama leaned forward, intrigued. "Oh?"
Merus's expression twisted.
Bardock's level just went from 49 to 50?
Still… he's still the weakest God of Destruction here.
Cell glanced over, confused.
He couldn't sense god power at all. Bardock just looked strange to him, so he didn't bother.
I have Legendary Super Saiyan cells now. What do I have to fear?
Goku's body started trembling too.
Vegeta's stomach sank.
What's Kakarot about to do?
Goku shook for a few seconds, then Bardock's god power caught his attention, and he looked over.
That single glance cooled Goku's burning anger for a moment.
Then—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The blood mist in the sky began pulling together. Gohan's cells gathered rapidly, snapping back into place.
Pop!
In an instant, Gohan's body fully regenerated.
Ken calmly pointed his staff.
Gohan's clothes restored themselves, fresh and intact.
Piccolo blinked.
Then it hit him.
So Gohan wasn't dead.
Another setup.
This time it felt so real I almost believed it.
"Gohan?" Goku stared up, then slowly exhaled as the fire in his chest began to settle.
He took a deep breath, then let it out.
"That scared me," Goku said with a strained smile at Piccolo. "Piccolo… I thought Gohan really got killed."
Piccolo didn't know what to say.
Ken was the one who tricked me.
And I cut off my own arm.
"Hah…" Piccolo hurriedly regenerated the severed limb.
"After that little stunt," Goku said with a bitter laugh, "I can't even stay angry anymore."
Piccolo stayed silent.
"Ken told me something," Goku continued, breathing steadily. "He said if I can control my emotions properly, I might be able to grasp the entry point to Ultra Instinct."
He inhaled again, slow and deep.
In the next moment, a starlike, dazzling aura flashed around him—
—and then vanished as quickly as it appeared.
It was brief, like a spark in the dark, but every god present saw it clearly.
"Huh?" Zeno-sama blinked, instantly locking onto Goku.
"Angel power?" Bier gasped, stunned.
Merus looked completely thrown.
Why would Goku suddenly release Angel power?
For that split second, Merus could clearly feel it—strong.
And in that moment, Goku's level jumped to 15.
Didn't he mess up his training?
Merus couldn't stay calm.
"Unbelievable… another mortal cultivated Angel power?" Bier said, staring at Goku in shock.
Merus didn't answer.
Zeno-sama studied Goku with growing interest.
This guy is interesting.
"What was that just now?" Yamcha asked, confused.
"No idea," Krillin admitted. "But it felt like Goku's strength climbed again."
"Yeah," Tien added. "That light… it looked kind of like Ken's when he flies."
Vegeta trembled again.
And yet no matter how much he shook, nothing changed for him.
Damn you, Kakarot.
You always do this to me.
Did you just get another transformation again?
Cell glanced toward Goku, saw the flash of that starlike glow, and snorted. "Weird."
Then he looked back up at Gohan.
What shook Cell wasn't Goku's light.
It was Gohan coming back from blood mist like nothing happened.
"H-How?" Cell stared up at the sky, shocked. "I blew him! How did he recover?"
Kale's eyes lit up when she saw Gohan restored. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and smiled through the wetness.
Merus suddenly had a bad feeling. "Wait… if Gohan recovered now, does that mean Kale's hard-won Legendary Super Saiyan Two transformation will vanish too?"
"Relax," Ken said, patting Merus's shoulder. "Once you break through, you learn the method. It won't just disappear."
"Is that true… Broly?" Merus asked, still unsure.
"It's true for me," Broly said with a serious nod. "But I don't know about Kale. Our aura colors aren't the same."
Merus took that like a knife to the ribs.
Don't say that.
You're making me nervous.
Cell looked between Gohan, Kale, Bardock, and Goku.
Something felt wrong.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but the discomfort crawled deeper.
"You blew Gohan-nii apart," Kale said, rage burning in her voice. "I won't forgive you! He recovered, but do you understand what you did to him?"
Cell didn't get a chance to answer.
Kale sprang up and drove a brutal uppercut into Cell's jaw.
Cell's body popped upward, flipped awkwardly, and nearly dropped to one knee.
"Gohan-nii hit you like that," Kale said coldly. "So I'm hitting you like that."
Gohan didn't know what to say.
He descended slowly, landing near Kale.
"Gohan-nii, step back," Kale told him without turning around. "Don't get hurt again."
Gohan stayed silent.
"You used to protect me," Kale said, clenching her fists. "Now I'll protect you. From today on, I won't let anyone bully you again."
She walked toward Cell.
Cell staggered upright, wiped his mouth, and saw fresh blood on his fingers.
His eyes bulged with disbelief.
No.
That's impossible.
How can this be happening?
I absorbed her cells!
So why is her power so far above mine?
One punch and I look like a complete coward!
Cell roared and kicked at her in rage.
Kale raised an arm and blocked it.
Cell froze.
She… she blocked my kick with her arm?
"Hah!" Kale snapped, then drove a kick into Cell's head.
Cell slammed onto the ground and slid across the dirt before finally stopping.
He groaned, dragging himself up.
Kale marched forward again, eyes cold.
"You never should've blown Gohan-nii apart," she said.
Cell's fear spiked. He stammered, "B-But… your Gohan is alive. He recovered…"
"I don't care!" Kale shouted, kicking him again and flipping him back onto the ground.
Cell's mind cracked.
Of course.
Trying to reason with a woman is pointless.
And she's this young and already like this.
Cell crawled up again, shaking harder than before.
I can't believe a mortal like this exists.
My power isn't even close to hers.
Then Cell's eyes narrowed.
Something occurred to him.
"Heh… heh heh…" Cell grinned and shot upward into the sky.
He gathered a massive amount of energy in his hands, yellow-green light blazing around him.
"Kamehameha!"
Kale looked up calmly.
"That bastard—he's going to destroy the planet!" Yamcha shouted.
"Coward!" Krillin snarled. "He can't beat Kale, so he's pulling this?"
"Try me," Cell laughed wildly. "Kale, take my full-power Kamehameha! If you dodge, the planet turns to dust!"
He didn't hesitate.
He fired the Kamehameha straight down.
"Zeno-sama," Ken said suddenly, turning his head, "let me see your erasure."
Zeno-sama stared.
"Can you erase his Kamehameha?" Ken asked.
The Right Guard immediately glared at Ken.
This brat is starting again, isn't he?
Zeno-sama thought seriously for a moment, then nodded and waved his small hand.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the massive Kamehameha vanished.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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