A malevolent aura erupted skyward, shaking heaven and earth as everyone found themselves enveloped in a bone-chilling presence that seemed to freeze the very air around them.
As Cell's appearance transformed, his tremendous energy spread like a tsunami in all directions. Violent storms swept across the battlefield while invisible power pressed down like thousands of mountains collapsing in layers—boundless and overwhelming.
Goku and Vegeta felt their hearts skip a beat, instinctively holding their breath.
This power was vastly different from moments before, its growth rate astoundingly rapid. Initially possessing only the strength of Super Saiyan Grade 2, it steadily climbed beyond even ascended Super Saiyan levels. Finally, Cell's tail began to retract, the insect-like wing shells on his back turned pitch black, and his cranium elongated, revealing a cold, noble face that resembled Frieza while carrying the unmistakable arrogance of a Saiyan.
His aura stabilized at that point, having reached the full power of a Super Saiyan. Cell's presence was magnificent, radiating unparalleled confidence.
"What... what kind of transformation is this?" Vegeta's expression turned grim.
"The computer indicated that with the life essence of Androids 17 and 18, I would possess unrivaled strength. Now I can directly transform into this perfect state, just like your Super Saiyan transformation." Cell's lips curved into a slight smile. "Of course, I'm far stronger than you!"
Such confidence—uncomfortably absolute confidence.
However, even Vegeta had to admit that Cell's power at this moment was indeed terrifying.
"Is your goal to dominate Earth?" Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, not daring to be careless.
"No, Son Goku, don't think of me so superficially. My friend can handle things like dominating Earth in the future timeline. In fact, even the original goal created by the androids—revenge against you—is meaningless now. What I want to do is prove my strength, and more importantly, savor people's expressions when they despair. Haha, yes, exactly like your expression right now, Number 16."
The confident Cell smiled gracefully, displaying the demeanor of a victor as he spoke in a condescending tone.
Indeed, for fighters of their current level, destroying Earth would be as simple as firing a single energy wave. Cell had completely fused the cells of numerous Saiyans, inheriting their infinite pursuit of power. On the other hand, he had also inherited the coldness and arrogance of the Frieza race.
Vegeta couldn't tolerate Cell's arrogance any longer and exploded into action, transforming into a Super Saiyan with golden light blazing around him.
"Cell, enough talk!"
In a flash, he appeared before Cell at incredible speed, his thunderous fist driving into Cell's abdomen with force that exceeded Cell's expectations, sending his entire body flying backward.
BANG!
Halfway through Cell's flight, Vegeta teleported and appeared above him, unleashing countless energy blasts that fell like a torrential downpour, exploding with thunderous roars.
Cell cried out in pain as the energy bombardment engulfed him, crashing to the ground and raising a dust cloud a hundred meters high...
Vegeta, who had continuously used instant transmission and energy attacks, took several deep breaths. Instant transmission consumed considerable energy, and while Vegeta wasn't skilled in spiritual training, he didn't want to lose to Raditz and Kakarot, so he had also learned the teleportation technique.
Although the energy cost was significant, Cell had taken multiple solid hits, and Vegeta appeared to have the upper hand.
"HAH!" A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the pile of rubble, like a lightning strike, and an invisible shockwave spread outward, forcing Android 16 to retreat hundreds of meters.
The smoke and dust were blown away, revealing Cell standing on the barren ground, covered in dirt.
He was furious—to be injured by Vegeta's attack in his perfect form was unforgivable!
"Hmph, perfect body... that's all there is to it!" Vegeta sneered.
"Are you serious?!" Cell's rage ignited, and scorching flames erupted from his body like a volcanic explosion. In that moment, his aura completely overwhelmed Vegeta's.
Whoosh!
It wasn't teleportation, but it was as fast as teleportation!
"BOOM!" With the same type of punch, Cell struck Vegeta's abdomen, causing him to spit blood with a "puha," his entire body arching as his battle suit's chest plate shattered.
With just one blow, Vegeta felt his internal organs shift, his whole body going weak.
It turned out Cell hadn't used his full strength before, but now that he had unleashed his true power, Vegeta was shocked to realize that Perfect Cell truly surpassed him!
"Weren't you quite proud just now? Vegeta, you're nothing more than that." Cell followed up with a kick, whipping Vegeta to the ground with earth-shaking force, smashing a crater over a thousand meters in diameter.
"Incredible!"
Goku saw Vegeta's defeat and recognized Cell's true strength.
He leaped up and broke through again beyond his Super Saiyan form! His fierce and violent aura exploded skyward, the powerful energy matching Cell's intensity as the earth trembled. Android 16 was shocked: "Their power levels are nearly equal."
Vegeta, who had been knocked into the deep crater, slowly rose to his feet, his expression growing increasingly dark: "Kakarot, how did you improve again..."
This aura clearly reflected Kakarot's enhanced strength, and Vegeta could see that he had surpassed him once more.
Because their time in the Super Saiyan realm was still relatively short, neither had fully mastered it yet. Since reaching the level beyond Super Saiyan, both Goku and Vegeta's training progress had slowed considerably, and they couldn't consistently maintain their full power state.
Their strength had been roughly equal since the Galactic Tournament, where they could essentially fight to a draw. Vegeta had been quietly pleased about this for some time. After learning techniques on Yardrat, he had even mastered instant transmission, which closed the final gap.
Unexpectedly, Goku had broken through again.
As fellow prodigies, Goku's physical talent might not be stronger than Vegeta's, but in terms of comprehension, he was superior, allowing him to always reach higher levels one step ahead!
During the battle with the metal sea of Cooler's forces, as Goku and Vegeta's stamina approached their limits, Goku had broken through the bottleneck and achieved full power.
"As expected of Son Goku, you really excite me." Seeing Goku's transformation, Cell actually laughed. "Fighting like this is too boring, so let's hold a martial arts tournament!"
"Martial arts tournament?!"
"Yes, just like the World Martial Arts Tournament, except your opponents will only be me and my friend. You can fight me in one-on-one battles, a battle royale format. You can bring as many people as you want. If you lose, I will destroy Earth."
"Are you that confident?" Goku asked with a smile.
Cell displayed a Frieza-like grin: "Fighting with you will make me stronger. To say this, it's the instinct of you Saiyans. Hehehe, it will be very interesting. I'll inform you of the location ten days from now."
Ten days later, a martial arts tournament? Goku's enthusiasm ignited—he too felt the desire to compete with Cell.
"Alright! I'll be there, but for those ten days, you're not allowed to kill innocent people!"
"No problem, I don't need that humble life energy anymore, but..." Cell's gaze turned cold, "I'm afraid my friend is still working hard to evolve into a perfect body, and you've wasted far too much time on me!"
Goku and Vegeta were suddenly startled—indeed, there was another Cell!