Meanwhile, having once again sensed Cell's ki, Vegeta, Trunks, and the others were already heading toward his location.
Cell hadn't managed to escape very far, so within seconds, Trunks and the rest landed beside the massive crater his body had created.
When they saw Cell lying at the bottom—his body broken, barely clinging to life—their expressions changed immediately.
But their attention quickly shifted elsewhere. Soon, they spotted Lazuli, along with Seventeen and Sixteen, standing nearby.
The moment they saw them, everyone tensed, quickly taking defensive stances as their expressions grew wary.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Seventeen said casually as he flew closer to Trunks and the others. "We're only interested in Son Goku. What, he's not with you?"
He had already sensed their ki long before they arrived, so their sudden appearance didn't surprise him in the slightest.
"Kakarot... Kakarot again!!!"
Hearing Seventeen's indifferent tone and seeing how he completely ignored everyone else, focusing only on Goku, Vegeta's rage surged once more. The veins on his forehead bulged as anger boiled up inside him.
He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and teach Seventeen a painful lesson—to make him understand just how terrifying Vegeta truly was.
Unfortunately, the memory of Lazuli's overwhelming power earlier was still fresh in his mind. The sheer force she had displayed made even Vegeta hesitant. Though she had mentioned that Seventeen wasn't as strong as she was, that didn't mean he would be easy to defeat.
Vegeta hadn't yet undergone any further training to enhance his power, so he wasn't confident he could win. That uncertainty was the only thing keeping him from charging forward.
"What do you want with Goku?"
Krillin didn't answer Seventeen's question directly, instead fixing him with a cautious glare.
"Nothing much. Just his life, that's all."
"You bastard!!!"
Seventeen's casual tone made Krillin's blood boil. His fear of the androids lessened, replaced by pure anger.
Standing beside him, Gohan and Piccolo's expressions also darkened, their eyes filled with hostility toward Seventeen.
"Since Goku's not here," Seventeen continued, "I can't be bothered with you. For now, I'll just deal with the guy who dared to ambush me."
He turned his gaze away from Krillin and the others, fixing it on Cell, who lay at the bottom of the crater. Raising his right hand, he prepared to finish him off.
But by this point, Cell's body had already begun regenerating. Thanks to his incredible healing ability, he had returned to his original state. His ki, too, had increased significantly—likely due to the Saiyan genes within him—but he was still far from reaching his second form.
Before he could even process what was happening, Seventeen's powerful energy blast shot toward him.
Without hesitation, Cell raised his right hand and swatted the blast away, deflecting it into the distance.
"Oh? You blocked that easily? Looks like you're stronger than I thought," Seventeen remarked, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
He had assumed the creature who had dared to ambush him wasn't very strong, but this changed things. It seemed he had underestimated his opponent.
Dropping his relaxed demeanor, Seventeen's expression turned serious.
Cell's eyes flickered as he watched the android hovering before him.
He still didn't fully understand why his power had suddenly increased, but he knew it had happened after surviving near death. That realization sparked a new idea in his mind.
With a mocking smile, he looked up and said, "Heh... I don't know how Eighteen became so powerful, but you, Seventeen, are still nothing to me."
After finishing his taunt, Cell instinctively glanced toward Lazuli in the distance. To his surprise, he noticed two unfamiliar girls standing beside her.
He couldn't sense even the slightest trace of ki from them, which left him momentarily stunned.
Anyone capable of appearing there without being noticed—and standing so casually beside Eighteen—was clearly no ordinary person.
For now, however, Cell's primary focus was executing his current plan, so he didn't waste time dwelling on the two unfamiliar girls.
He withdrew his gaze from Lazuli and her companions, turning his mocking eyes back toward Seventeen as he floated up from the crater.
If he could truly grow stronger after surviving near death, then there was only one thing he needed to do—fight everyone present as much as possible.
As long as he wasn't instantly killed, his regeneration would ensure he kept evolving. He was confident he could reach his Second Form in a very short time.
Once that happened, the situation would completely reverse.
As for running away? Not a chance.
...
The two girls standing beside Lazuli were, of course, Eriri and Arifureta.
After teleporting Lazuli here, Eriri had brought Arifureta along shortly afterward. Their arrival coincided precisely with Seventeen's conversation with Krillin.
Since Seventeen's ensuing battle with Cell had drawn everyone's full attention, Krillin and the others never even noticed Eriri and Arifureta's presence.
Eriri had no intention of stepping closer. She simply stood at a distance, watching events unfold. She could clearly feel Cell's gaze upon her, but she paid it no mind.
Lazuli, on the other hand, had decided to leave Cell to her brother. Eriri's arrival assured her that even if Seventeen couldn't handle it, there was no danger.
From her knowledge of Cell, she was confident he couldn't win against her brother in his current state—especially with Sixteen standing nearby. And even if Cell somehow managed to escape, she herself was here as insurance.
In other words, Cell was doomed.
...
Seventeen stared coldly at Cell. The creature's mocking tone and arrogant eyes completely extinguished any lingering amusement he had felt earlier.
Without another word, Seventeen charged forward.
Cell met him head-on, and their fists collided with a deafening explosion. A wave of destructive energy rippled outward, flattening the terrain below.
Their movements were blindingly fast—so fast that anyone weaker watching wouldn't even be able to see their limbs move.
As their fists and kicks clashed repeatedly, the two fighters flickered across the sky—one moment Seventeen appearing behind Cell, the next Cell striking from above.
Below, Trunks and the others made no move to intervene. They simply watched in tense silence, eyes locked on the fierce battle above.
Vegeta clenched his fists tightly, frustration burning in his eyes. He realized, to his irritation, that both combatants outmatched his current strength.
The intense close-quarters battle continued for over ten minutes. Then, a violent explosion shook the sky. Both fighters were forced backward, halting several meters apart as they hovered midair, facing each other.
Both were injured to varying degrees—but judging from the outcome, Cell appeared to have the upper hand.
Cell wiped a trail of blood from his lip, a smirk curving his mouth.
"Seventeen, looks like you're not as impressive as I thought. You couldn't even make me break a sweat."
Seventeen didn't respond, his face grim and silent.
From their brief but fierce exchange, he now understood—he wasn't Cell's match. He had underestimated him far too much.
Defeating him alone was impossible.
Turning his head slightly, he looked toward Sixteen. Though he didn't know the full extent of Sixteen's power, his rank alone suggested he wasn't weak.
"Sixteen, let's take him down together. Let's end this ugly freak once and for all!"
At Seventeen's call, Sixteen smiled faintly. Without hesitation, he soared upward to join him, hovering at his side, ready to fight.
Because Cell had previously ambushed and tried to absorb Seventeen, Sixteen didn't hesitate to join forces this time. He too believed that a being who endangered his companions needed to be eliminated.
Seeing Sixteen appear beside Seventeen, Cell's grin widened. This was exactly what he wanted.
After all, Seventeen alone wasn't enough to push him to the brink of death.
"Even with Sixteen on your side, it won't make a difference. You're still no match for me."
Cell looked at them mockingly, then gestured casually toward Trunks and the others watching below.
"Why not call in a few more teammates? I don't mind at all~"
"Hmph! The two of us are more than enough to deal with you!"
With a sharp snort, Seventeen exchanged a glance with Sixteen. In the next moment, both launched themselves at Cell from different directions.
...
"Eriri, do you think Seventeen and Sixteen can finish off Cell?"
Lazuli asked curiously as she held half a watermelon in her hands.
She sat beside Eriri and Arifureta, each of them with a perfectly cut seedless watermelon half in their left hand, and a spoon in their right, savoring bright red bites of the sweet fruit.
"With Sixteen's power, defeating Cell in his current state shouldn't be difficult. If they're careful, they might even be able to kill him completely."
Eriri spoke casually, clearly confident in Sixteen's strength.
She knew Cell's current power level very well. His Saiyan 'sit-up' ability—recovering stronger after near death—had given him a significant boost, but he was still far weaker than the version from the original story who had escaped and absorbed countless humans.
Right now, his strength was only slightly above Seventeen's—not enough to completely overwhelm him.
Sixteen, however, was roughly on par with the original enhanced Cell from the story. Against this current version, victory should be easy.
With Seventeen's assistance, pushing Cell to a near-death state would be no problem at all. As long as they didn't give him time to regenerate, they could end him right here.
"I see. Then I guess there's no need for me to step in."
Lazuli laughed cheerfully, scooping another spoonful of watermelon as she turned her eyes to the ongoing battle in the sky.
Eriri only smiled faintly in response, saying nothing.
She knew all about Cell's regeneration plan. In fact, she was curious to see just how many 'sit-ups' he could manage—how much stronger he could grow, and where his true limits lay.
Of course, if she wanted, she could instantly learn the answer. But where was the fun in that? Watching it unfold firsthand was far more entertaining.
Still, she had no intention of interfering for now. If Sixteen and Seventeen failed to finish Cell, then—and only then—she might personally step in.
...
Just as Eriri predicted, with Seventeen's coordinated support, Sixteen spread his arms wide and unleashed his signature technique—Hell Flash.
The powerful twin energy cannons struck Cell directly, detonating with immense force. Everything below Cell's head was blown apart into chunks of flesh, and even half of his brain was obliterated. His scattered remains fell back into the massive crater carved out by the attack.
Seeing this, Seventeen finally exhaled in relief. Sixteen's expression remained calm and unchanged.
Meanwhile, Krillin and the others watching from below were overwhelmed by mixed emotions—relief that Cell had been defeated, but also awe and dread at the androids' overwhelming power.
After all, their ultimate goal was still to kill Son Goku.
At this rate, even if Goku fully recovered, he would stand no chance against them.
Far away, Lazuli was overjoyed at seeing her brother and Sixteen destroy Cell. Even Arifureta assumed Cell was dead.
Though she had watched Dragon Ball before, her memory of the details was hazy. Some things she had even forgotten—details that Eriri often had to fill in.
And one of those forgotten details was that as long as Cell's core remained intact, he couldn't truly die. When Eriri had explained Cell's background to Lazuli earlier, she hadn't mentioned that fact either.
So, like everyone else, neither of them paid any attention to the remains in the crater. After all, what could possibly survive after losing half a brain?
Even Piccolo didn't believe anyone could survive that—and since Cell shared his DNA, he shouldn't have that ability either.
Only Eriri continued to watch the remains with mild curiosity.
Inside what was left of Cell's head, a small, round sphere just a few centimeters in diameter began to flicker faintly with light.
—
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