However, after Dr. Gero pressed the button, Lazuli's body showed no response whatsoever. The energy gathering in her palm only grew stronger.
"How is this possible?!"
Dr. Gero stared in disbelief at Lazuli's mocking expression, then quickly looked down at the remote in his hand, pressing the buttons repeatedly in desperation.
No matter how many times he pressed them, Lazuli's body remained unchanged.
"Why? This shouldn't be happening!"
Despair filled Dr. Gero's face as he stumbled backward two steps. But he had no time left to think—Lazuli had already fired the energy blast in her hand.
The beam tore through the air like a blinding flash and struck him directly, blasting his mechanical body into countless pieces that scattered across the floor.
"Hah... that old man is finally dead!"
Lazuli exhaled softly, a genuine smile of relief spreading across her beautiful face.
However, the immense energy blast didn't just annihilate Dr. Gero—it also created a massive shockwave, one that immediately drew the attention of the Z Fighters still searching nearby.
"Not good! Don't tell me the androids have already been activated!"
High above, not far from the lab, Trunks frowned as he looked down in the direction of the explosion.
Standing beside him, Vegeta's lips curled into an eager grin.
"Perfect. Now I can finally see just how powerful these androids you've been warning us about really are!"
Driven by fierce battle lust, Vegeta shot off in the direction of the explosion.
Trunks sighed helplessly and quickly followed after him.
Meanwhile, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha—all stationed in different areas—also sensed the disturbance and began flying toward the mountains.
As for Gohan, he had already taken his heart-stricken father, Goku, back to Kame House for treatment, while Bulma had returned to West City in her aircraft with Yajirobe.
Within seconds, the six remaining fighters landed before the lab's massive steel gate.
...
Inside the lab, having dealt with Dr. Gero, Lazuli didn't continue her playful dress-up session with Eriri and Arifureta. She could already sense several powerful auras approaching the facility.
Judging by Dr. Gero's earlier words, she knew these must be Son Goku's allies.
But there was no hint of worry on her face. Even before her newfound power, she had never feared Son Goku and his friends. Now that her strength had increased tenfold, she was confident that no one on Earth could rival her—except perhaps Eriri and Arifureta.
Still, before facing them, she decided to release her brother first.
Walking up to Android 17's stasis pod, she pressed the release button without hesitation.
Moments later, the pod hissed open, and the sleeping Android 17 slowly opened his eyes, meeting Lazuli's gaze.
"Long time no see, Eighteen. That outfit suits you—much better than before."
His tone was calm as he stepped out of the chamber.
"Where's Dr. Gero? Did he tell you to wake me up?"
"There. That pile of junk is Dr. Gero."
Lazuli gestured casually toward the scattered mechanical debris that had once been their creator.
"What happened?"
17 looked at the fragments in confusion—but a moment later, his gaze shifted to Eriri, who sat elegantly on her throne not far away.
Though modified into an android, his human emotions weren't completely gone, and it was only natural that his eyes would be drawn to such overwhelming beauty.
Noticing her brother's wandering gaze, Lazuli quickly summarized the events that had taken place, making the situation clear to him.
Upon understanding everything, 17 ignored Dr. Gero's remains and walked straight toward Eriri and Arifureta, who had returned to their seats on the throne.
"Thank you very much for helping my sister and me."
Eriri merely responded with a soft "Mm" before losing interest—after all, he wasn't a cute girl, and therefore not worth her attention.
Arifureta's attitude was no different. Even though Android 17 was undeniably handsome, he failed to spark even the slightest interest in her.
Seeing this, 17 didn't press the matter. He simply gave Eriri and Arifureta a polite nod before turning away.
Instead of returning to his sister's side, he walked over to Dr. Gero's shattered remains and examined the debris closely.
Lazuli, meanwhile, remained standing near 17's pod, her gaze shifting toward another stasis chamber lying horizontally on the floor not far away.
On its metal surface was a bold engraving: the number "16." It was the last unopened pod in the entire facility.
Lazuli knew nothing about the existence of Android 16. By her nature, she wouldn't normally bother with a stranger she knew nothing about.
However, remembering what Eriri had said earlier—and wanting to make the "show" more entertaining for her—she decided to add a new actor to the stage.
So she walked straight over to Android 16's pod and prepared to release him.
At that exact moment, a deafening explosion thundered through the base. The lab's one-meter-thick steel door was blasted open from the outside, crashing onto the ground with a heavy clang that shook the entire mountain.
The sudden commotion instantly drew everyone's attention. Eriri casually rotated her throne to face the entrance.
Lazuli also turned toward the now-smoking doorway—but not before pressing the button to open Android 16's chamber.
"Looks like the main event is about to start," Arifureta said excitedly, hugging Eriri's arm as she stared at the dust-filled doorway.
"Hehe~ I wonder how things will unfold with Lazuli now wielding ten times her original power," Eriri replied with a mischievous smile. "One thing's certain—Cell's future is about to get a lot more miserable."
Even though Eriri could easily glimpse the altered future with a single thought, she chose not to. After all, watching events play out in real time was far more entertaining.
Meanwhile, 17 crouched beside Dr. Gero's broken pieces, holding what remained of his head in one hand as he glanced coolly toward the entrance.
The hiss of the opening chamber echoed through the lab as Android 16 awoke. The giant sat up slowly within his pod—his massive 2.5-meter frame towering even while seated, easily a full head taller than the 1.6-meter Lazuli beside him.
When he finally stepped out, his sheer size made her look almost delicate in comparison.
Android 16 looked around the lab with calm, expressionless eyes before fixing his gaze on the now-shattered doorway. He didn't say a word to Lazuli.
As the smoke cleared, the outside scene came into view—Vegeta and the other five stood in formation before the gate, forming a line with only slight gaps between them.
Because of Eriri's overwhelming presence, every gaze—including even Vegeta's battle-hungry one—was inevitably drawn to her first.
Her very existence was dazzling.
Of course, apart from Vegeta and Trunks, the others—Krillin, Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha—had already met Eriri and Arifureta before. Their eyes widened in surprise at seeing the pair again.
Eriri and Arifureta, however, didn't bother greeting them. The two sat leisurely on the throne, watching the scene with amused expressions—as though they were the audience to a grand performance.
The group didn't let their eyes linger on Eriri for long, as their true targets were inside the lab.
The facility wasn't large; even from the entrance, everything inside could be seen clearly. It didn't take long for them to spot Androids 16, 17, and Lazuli standing together.
"So, it's them, huh? This time we've got it right?" Vegeta asked with a smirk.
"Yes. It's definitely them," Trunks confirmed grimly. "But why are there three others I don't recognize—aside from 17 and 18?"
His expression grew tense, especially when his gaze fell on Eriri, Arifureta, and the towering Android 16.
"Two of them shouldn't be androids—the ones sitting on the throne. We saw them a little over an hour ago. As for the big one, I'm not sure if he's human or not."
Piccolo's expression hardened. Although Eriri hadn't shown any hostility toward them before, her presence alongside the androids now made the situation uncertain.
He knew very well how powerful Eriri truly was. If she was working with the androids, they'd be in serious trouble—perhaps even completely annihilated.
"Trunks, are those two—the dark-haired guy and the big one—the androids you mentioned?"
Suppressing his growing unease, Krillin glanced at Trunks curiously.
Because Lazuli's outfit had changed and no longer bore the Red Ribbon 'RR' insignia, Krillin instinctively excluded her from suspicion.
"No. The big one—I've never seen him before. The black-haired guy is 17, and the blonde woman is 18. Don't be fooled by their looks—they're unbelievably strong!"
The grim memories of his ruined future resurfaced in Trunks' mind, and his tone grew heavy with conviction.
"Hmph! I'll be the judge of that! We'll see just how strong they really are once I'm done with them!"
Without hesitation, Vegeta raised his hand and fired an energy blast straight into the lab.
"Stop! Don't!"
Piccolo's voice roared in panic. The situation was still unclear—he couldn't afford to provoke Eriri into siding against them.
But his warning came too late. Vegeta's attack was far too sudden, leaving no time for anyone to react. The energy wave crashed into the facility before Piccolo could even finish shouting.
A massive explosion erupted, shaking the mountain to its core. The others quickly took to the air to avoid the collapsing terrain.
A cloud of dust and smoke engulfed the area, obscuring everything within.
Yet, in the next instant, that dense smoke vanished unnaturally—cleared away as if by some unseen force. Floating above the ruined mountainside were four figures: Eriri and Arifureta still seated on their throne, completely unharmed, with Lazuli hovering beside them. It was clear she had instinctively shielded them from the blast.
"Looks like the battlefield just got bigger," Vegeta said, smirking arrogantly. "So, what's it gonna be? Do you want to come at me one at a time—or should I finish all of you at once?"
His cocky tone radiated pure confidence.
Before anyone could respond, Trunks flew in front of him, spreading his arms wide.
"Vegeta, please! We should fall back! There's no way we can win right now—not only are 17 and 18 here, but there's another android with an unknown power level! We need to wait until Goku recovers before we have a chance!"
"Trunks is right," Piccolo added sternly. "Vegeta, we need to be cautious!"
But Vegeta only sneered in contempt.
"Hmph! You fools—who do you think I am? I'm the Prince of all Saiyans! These androids are nothing but scrap metal. I don't need Kakarot's help to destroy them!"
He clenched his fists, his aura flaring violently around him.
"And another thing—I hate Kakarot even more than I hate these machines! Once I've crushed them, he's next! Now get out of my way!"
Ignoring all reason, Vegeta's temper boiled over. Blue veins bulged on his forehead as he glared down at Trunks.
But Trunks stood firm, refusing to move.
"No! This is insane! You can't take them all alone! I won't just stand by and watch you die!"
Vegeta's patience snapped. Without hesitation, he swung his arm and struck Trunks across the face, sending him flying into a distant mountainside with a thunderous crash.
Seeing this, Krillin and the others fell silent. None of them dared say another word.
They knew Vegeta too well—once he made up his mind, nothing could stop him.
All they could do now was pray that the androids weren't strong enough to kill him... and that Eriri wouldn't interfere in the coming battle.
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