c11: Violent Cell
"Tch… don't fool yourselves. That monster Cell isn't finished so easily. Feel his ki carefully does that look like something fading?"
Vegeta, still bruised but back on his feet thanks to the senzu bean, flew over with a scowl.
"Yes… Father's right. Cell can't be taken down so simply. Have you forgotten what kind of regenerative monster we're facing?" Trunks said grimly, his eyes locked on the massive smoke cloud where Cell had fallen.
Piccolo's expression hardened. "Exactly. His life force hasn't disappeared. For a creature with Saiyan and Namekian blood, damage of that level isn't enough. He'll rise again."
…
"Hey, Cell! How long do you plan on crawling around down there? If you won't come out, I'll drag you up myself!"
Lin Hao, floating above the battlefield, stared into the dust-filled crater and taunted.
A cold, arrogant voice echoed back: "You are indeed stronger than Vegeta… but defeating me is impossible!"
"Aaahhh!"
The dust exploded outward. Golden aura burst from Cell's body as he emerged, Semi-Perfect form flaring with energy. His eyes burned with fury his dream of perfection could not be delayed.
"Boom!"
Lin Hao didn't waste words. His aura surged scarlet, Kaio-ken wrapping around his body as he blitzed forward. In an instant, he appeared right in front of Cell and drove his fist mercilessly into his chest.
Crack!
Cell's torso caved inward from the impact, his body launched like broken debris.
"Ghhhuagh!"
He vomited purple blood, his face twisting in disbelief as he crashed through stone like discarded trash.
"No… impossible! How can your power rise so suddenly?! I am a perfect synthesis of the strongest warriors how can I, Cell, be outmatched by you?!"
Only Cell truly understood the terror of that strike. That one blow exceeded the upper limit of his own strength entirely. His pupils widened, and his body staggered backward uncontrollably as Lin Hao advanced step by step, calm and terrifying.
"Feel it clearly, Cell. That was still only my base strength… not even my Super Saiyan transformation."
"Boom!"
Before Cell could respond, Lin Hao's fist slammed into his jaw, sending him spiraling into the ground and carving a fresh crater.
"Damn you!" Cell roared from the pit, face contorting in rage. Even if this Saiyan had more power, he would not be humiliated. "Stronger or not, I'll destroy you! If I have to self-destruct, I'll drag you to hell with me!"
Golden flames erupted violently from Cell's body as he launched himself back into combat, fists swinging with feral intensity.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Their fists and feet collided in rapid succession, each clash detonating shockwaves that shredded the already broken landscape.
"Boom!"
The ground split apart as shockwaves expanded outward, cracks spider-webbing across the battlefield. The ruined wasteland groaned under the sheer force of their battle, unable to withstand the violent collision of their powers.
Cell's body flipped end over end under the force of the collision. Lin Hao followed instantly, seizing Cell by the neck and raining punch after punch.
"That's all you have? You'd better cough up everyone you swallowed!" Lin Hao barked.
Cell took blow after blow until his form was shredded; a single punch even collapsed part of his chest. A final ki blast from Lin Hao sent him hurtling into the jagged rocks.
"Ugh!"
Even Cell's monstrous physiology groaned under the onslaught lungs burning, regeneration working overtime. He coughed and gasped, every breath a struggle. Lin Hao closed in with cold efficiency, grabbed Cell again, and hammered the android's abdomen until the creature was half-broken, then tossed him aside like refuse.
"You treat me like this?!" Cell snarled.
Then, with a violent retch, he bent over and began to cough. Two limp shapes flew from his maw and tumbled across the ground.
They were Android 18 and Android 17.
Both lay covered in green bile and slime, knocked unconscious but otherwise intact dirty and disheveled, but breathing. As the two siblings hit the earth, Cell's perfected mask seemed to crack. His handsome, composed visage flickered and dissolved, reverting to a sickly, green, malformed visage; his frame shrank and went slack, as if the stolen components had been expelled.
"So you spat them out. Good you're useless now," Lin Hao said, stepping forward. He made a wide, theatrical gesture, palms cupped, and focused a fearsome torrent of energy between his hands.
"Kamehameha!!"
A silver-white beam coalesced and roared toward the fallen Cell. The green of his face drained further into panic.
"No!" Cell screamed, unwilling to submit. The beam struck true.
"Boom!"
The impact detonated like a mountain collapsing a mushroom cloud climbed into the sky, shockwaves rippling outward for kilometers. The Cell that had been hurled into the air disintegrated into dust and scattering particles, swallowed by the blast.
…
"Wow… unbelievable! Lin Hao took Cell down that easily?" Krillin said, disbelief and relief warring in his voice.
The group stared at Lin Hao in stunned relaxation. The monster who had terrified them a moment ago had been dealt with far more simply than anyone dared hope.
"And he didn't even transform into Super Saiyan," Piccolo observed, eyes narrow and calculating. "He used Kaiō-ken strength like Kakarot's and finished Cell off. How far has his base power climbed?"
Vegeta ground his teeth, watching Lin Hao with a sour, unwilling respect. "That bastard actually crushed Cell without going Super Saiyan just relying on that Kaiō-ken trick."
"Wait there are still three of them: 18, 17, and 16!" Trunks said, voice hardening as he looked toward the two motionless siblings and the hulking figure of Android 16.
Krillin's face went pale as he realized Lin Hao had indeed destroyed Cell but hadn't eliminated the androids.
"This isn't your problem anymore," Lin Hao said calmly. "I'll handle them. If they threaten the Earth, I'll deal with them. You should go check on Son Goku he needs you. Also, you must remove Cell's embryo in this timeline, or new Cells will keep appearing."
With that Lin Hao collected the disabled Android 16 and the two unconscious siblings, explained briefly the origin of Cell and how he was created, then vanished in a flash with his captives.
"Since Lin Hao says he'll handle the androids and the embryo, let's go see about Goku first!" Yamcha said, glancing where Lin Hao had disappeared.
"Fine."
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