Upon reviving once again, Cell finally broke through his limitations and successfully evolved into his Perfect Form. His appearance underwent a tremendous transformation.
First, the needle-like tail used to absorb the essence of living beings had completely disappeared, making him appear far more humanoid than in his previous forms.
Next, his once-hideous face had transformed as if through some kind of miraculous cosmetic change—it was now strikingly handsome.
His aura, too, had exploded in strength, now nearly approaching Lazuli's current level.
This time, Eriri didn't immediately reduce Cell to his core again. Instead, she let him unleash his power freely, watching him as he roared and flared with newfound energy.
"Hahahahaha! Finally! I've done it—I've finally reached this stage!!!"
Cell was ecstatic beyond measure. Although there were external factors involved, the fact remained—he had truly achieved his Perfect Form.
Empowered by his transformation, his inner arrogance swelled. And since Eriri hadn't instantly reduced him to a floating core like before, Cell foolishly began to believe he now possessed the strength to resist her.
Determined, he immediately raised his right hand, gathering ki in his palm to fire an energy wave at Eriri. But as the radiant sphere of energy formed in his hand, he realized—to his horror—that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't release it.
The bizarre discovery struck him like a bucket of cold water. His arrogance froze instantly, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Uh... how about we call it even?" Cell said with a forced smile.
Eriri didn't reply. She merely smiled faintly.
A second later, Perfect Cell once again met the same fate—his body disintegrated silently, leaving only a slightly dimmed core floating in midair.
This time, Krillin and the others didn't even flinch. They had become numb to it all, even as they watched Cell's form dissolve once more before their eyes.
As they silently stared at his core, waiting for him to revive again, a familiar energy signature rapidly approached.
"This ki... it's Goku!!!"
Sensing the incoming presence, Krillin's face immediately brightened with joy.
"Dad's finally recovered!"
Gohan's expression lit up with happiness.
Piccolo and the others also smiled in relief, glad to sense Goku's return—only Vegeta remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the direction of the approaching ki.
But moments later, their expressions collectively shifted. They had just remembered that Androids Sixteen and Seventeen, who were still nearby, both wanted to kill Goku. The last thing they wanted was for him to walk into danger.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. And knowing Goku, even if they had warned him ahead of time, he would've come charging over anyway.
To Goku, being hunted by strong opponents wasn't something to fear—it was something exciting.
As flesh once again began to form around Cell's core, signaling his next resurrection, Goku finally arrived, landing beside Krillin and the others.
Before he could even ask what was going on, his eyes widened at the sight before him—a golden, lightning-wreathed Cell appeared for just an instant before vanishing again.
"Krillin, what was that? That guy was insanely strong!"
Goku stared at the spot where Cell had disappeared, astonished. It was his first time seeing Cell, and he had no idea who—or what—he was.
Even though Cell had only appeared for a split second, Goku had clearly sensed the immense power radiating from him.
"That guy's name is Cell..."
Krillin quickly explained everything that had happened while Goku was unconscious—summarizing the key events, and especially warning him not to interrupt Eriri's ongoing "experiment."
"I see... as expected of Eriri—she's incredible. I'd really like to fight her sometime."
Goku's eyes gleamed with burning excitement as he looked toward Eriri ahead.
Goku had already felt the urge to challenge Eriri the very first time they met, but that impulse was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the androids. Now, hearing Krillin's brief explanation of Eriri's power only made his fighting spirit burn even hotter. Even though he knew full well he stood no chance of winning against her, he still felt eager and exhilarated at the thought.
"Are you out of your mind, Goku?! You'll die for sure if you fight her!"
Krillin, terrified, covered Goku's mouth with both hands, afraid that his words might draw Eriri's attention.
Piccolo and the others could only stare speechlessly, while Vegeta looked at Goku with disdain, utterly unimpressed by his foolishness.
Of course, Eriri had already noticed Goku's arrival and could feel his burning gaze on her. But she didn't care in the slightest—her focus remained entirely on her experiment.
Androids Sixteen and Seventeen had also sensed Goku's ki long before he arrived, but they made no move to confront him. They would wait until Eriri's experiment was over before seeking him out.
Thanks to Krillin's interference, Goku finally quieted down.
A few minutes later, Cell revived for the fifth time. His core dimmed even more than before.
Once again, he appeared in his lightning-wreathed form—but now his strength had already surpassed Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 level from the original timeline.
However, observing the gradual changes in his core, Eriri could tell that Cell's regenerative potential was nearly exhausted. At this rate, his core would likely shatter completely after only a few more revivals.
Still, she had no intention of stopping. After all, this was the very purpose of her experiment.
Ignoring Cell's pleading eyes, Eriri once again erased his body without hesitation, leaving only the now severely dimmed orb floating in midair.
Sixth revival. Seventh revival. Eighth. Ninth...
Each time Cell returned, his power increased dramatically. Yet it made no difference—he remained utterly helpless before Eriri, his expression growing ever more desperate.
Krillin and the others could sense his rapidly growing ki, and their fear only deepened. They couldn't even begin to imagine how powerful Cell had become.
With every revival, his strength reached terrifying new heights—but his core had now lost all light and was covered in fine cracks.
"It looks like the experiment's about to end," Eriri said calmly. "Still, given his potential, Cell's growth has been quite impressive."
She could clearly feel that Cell's current power far exceeded Super Saiyan 3 Goku's from the original story—and was now only a step away from the level of Super Saiyan God.
"His power just now must've reached Level 8, Stage 8, right?" Arifureta asked, her tone filled with amazement. Though her own strength was at Level 8, Stage 9, even she found the energy Cell released earlier to be formidable.
"Yes," Eriri nodded. "Roughly Level 8, Stage 7. One more revival, and he might reach Stage 9."
"Wow, that's incredible!" Arifureta exclaimed. For them—members of the chat group—even with their check-in system and accumulated points, advancing by a single stage at Level 8 took a considerable amount of time. Yet Cell managed to leap two stages in a single resurrection.
Standing on Eriri's other side, Lazuli was equally stunned by Cell's terrifying growth. She never would have imagined that the weak creature she had crushed so effortlessly barely an hour ago would now reach a level that even she had to look up to.
"Well, that's as far as he'll go," Eriri said casually. "With his potential, reaching beyond Level 8, Stage 9 is impossible."
As her words faded, Cell's fifteenth resurrection took place before everyone's eyes—and this time, his body underwent yet another astonishing transformation.
The green skin patterned with black spots had turned into a radiant gold. The dark spots remained but now shimmered with a metallic sheen of deep gold.
Having inherited Frieza's cells, Cell completed his final evolution—becoming Golden Cell!
His strength had now reached the peak of Level 8, surpassing the Super Saiyan God (Red) form, though still slightly below the Super Saiyan Blue level.
Were it not for Eriri's presence, Cell might have grown immeasurably arrogant, perhaps even bold enough to challenge Beerus, the God of Destruction. But unfortunately for him, his opponent was the only Level 9 being across all realms—the supreme existence of the multiverse.
Thus, his fate was sealed in tragedy.
As despair filled his lifeless eyes, Eriri once again obliterated him. This time, however, his core did not remain. Instead, it disintegrated along with his body, vanishing completely into nothingness.
...
Meanwhile, at the very moment Golden Cell's immense ki erupted, Whis—far away on Beerus' planet—instantly sensed the surge of power.
Although the energy vanished a second later, Whis had already locked onto the coordinates where it originated.
"It seems someone rather interesting has appeared in this universe. Lord Beerus might find them... quite entertaining," Whis said with a calm smile.
With that, he drifted toward the area where Beerus was sleeping, intending to wake him and investigate the source of that brief yet formidable energy.
Before long, Whis arrived at the building beneath a massive tree in the center of Beerus' planet. Inside, the God of Destruction—dressed in pajamas and resembling a purple Cornish Rex cat—was sleeping soundly on a circular bed draped in red sheets. Around the bed floated countless hourglasses, gently rotating in the air.
Watching Beerus' open-mouthed, peaceful slumber, Whis tapped his tail lightly with the staff in his hand.
"It's time to wake up, Lord Beerus."
It had been more than twenty years since Beerus last awoke. Normally, if he wasn't waking naturally but was disturbed mid-slumber, his infamous temper would erupt.
And indeed, without even opening his eyes, Beerus instantly lashed out at Whis.
In an instant, the surrounding hourglasses shattered under the shockwaves of his attack, and the nearby buildings began to crumble.
But Whis, being Beerus' teacher and on an entirely different level of power, handled the assault effortlessly, deflecting every strike without so much as a frown.
Then, finding an opening, Whis delivered a light chop to the back of Beerus' neck. The God of Destruction instantly went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Whis then tapped the ground once with his staff, and in a blink, the destroyed surroundings reverted to normal—as if time itself had rewound.
Moments later, Beerus stirred, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion as he sat up.
"Huh? What's going on, Whis? Why was I lying on the floor? And why does my neck hurt a little?"
"Oh-ho-ho, just your imagination, Lord Beerus," Whis said, chuckling softly as he covered his mouth with one hand.
"Hmm, fine then."
Beerus yawned, stretching his arms lazily before walking back toward his bed, clearly intent on returning to sleep.
But before he could lie down, Whis spoke again.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Beerus."
"What is it now, Whis? Is something wrong?" Beerus turned toward him, looking mildly curious.
"Just a short while ago, I sensed an extremely interesting energy signature coming from a remote region of the Northern Galaxy."
Upon hearing this, Beerus' interest was immediately piqued.
For Whis to specifically mention it, the ki must have been extraordinary—enough to remind Beerus of a prophetic dream he'd once had.
"Oh? An interesting energy, you say... Could it be the one from my dream? The Super Saiyan God destined to become my rival?"
"It's quite possible~," Whis replied with a teasing smile.
As the strongest being in Universe 7 aside from Whis himself, Beerus had long yearned for a worthy opponent. Ever since foreseeing the existence of the Super Saiyan God, he had eagerly awaited the day that being would appear.
Now, hearing that it might finally be real, his excitement flared to life.
Without hesitation, he changed out of his pajamas and into his formal God of Destruction attire, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation as he faced Whis.
"Well then, what are we waiting for, Whis? Take me there immediately!"
—
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