Marcarita still didn't manage to get her beloved remote control. Even when she turned on the TV, Vados had already switched the channel to the evening news.
Helpless, she could only kill time by watching the broadcast.
Kaito found her sulky expression rather amusing. Sitting on one end of the sofa, he decided to keep her company and watch along.
Honestly, watching what was happening on Earth from time to time wasn't bad. Back when he was still on Earth, Kaito had the habit of watching the news as well.
Marcarita sat cross-legged on the sofa, resting her chin in one hand, looking utterly lifeless.
Suddenly, a piece of news caught Kaito's attention.
It reported that a large number of residents had mysteriously disappeared recently, accompanied by images of clothing scattered all over the ground.
Kaito raised a brow and turned toward the upper floor, shouting,
"Eighteen, have you been in touch with Seventeen lately?"
Vados and Eighteen were chatting about something in the upstairs room. Hearing Kaito's voice, Eighteen came down to the living room and said,
"Yeah, I talked to him just yesterday. He was getting all lovey-dovey with his little girlfriend. We barely spoke before he hung up. What's wrong? Did Seventeen get into trouble again?"
Kaito shook his head.
"He didn't cause trouble this time. Trouble is coming for him."
"Huh? With his power, is there really anything on Earth that can threaten him?"
"There is—but nothing too serious. Just a pest."
Golden light gleamed in Kaito's eyes as the golden dragon tattoo on his chest shone brilliantly.
Marcarita looked at him in surprise—she could see a faint image of a golden dragon emerging behind him.
...
In another city, Seventeen had bought himself a small villa. Money was no longer a problem for him. With his abilities, he could've made a fortune even just delivering food.
Still, he was quite the pure-hearted type. Even after his first love ended badly—his girlfriend Marron turned out to be a player—it hadn't made him a womanizer.
By chance, he met a college girl named Luna. Her name was plain, her personality gentle. She studied biology and dreamed of becoming a zoologist. Whether she was the same girl he married in another timeline, he didn't know.
Their relationship was going smoothly, and Seventeen had already decided to marry her once she graduated.
The villa he bought was close to her university. After classes, Luna would go straight there instead of returning to the dorm, living together with him.
Today was Luna's birthday. Early in the morning, Seventeen had ridden his motorcycle to the university gate, planning to give her a surprise.
As he was fixing his hair in the rearview mirror, sudden screams erupted from inside the campus. A flood of panicked students rushed toward the gate.
The crowd surged like a tidal wave, but Seventeen stood firm—ordinary human strength couldn't budge him an inch.
He frowned and grabbed a bespectacled male student by the collar.
"What's going on in there? Why are you all running?"
The man's face was pale with terror. Trembling, he stammered,
"T-there's a monster inside! It's all green—and it's eating people with its tail!"
"A monster?"
Seventeen froze for a second. Activating the scanner in his eyes, he immediately saw a number that made his heart jolt—and that number was still rising.
So there was a monster inside—and one no human could handle!
His gaze swept over the fleeing crowd, but Luna was nowhere to be found.
"Damn it! Luna's still in there!"
He threw the student aside, stomped once—and the ground caved in beneath his foot. Using the recoil, Seventeen shot forward like a cannonball straight into the campus.
The escaping students froze in place, staring at the cracked ground beneath them. The same thought flashed through their minds:
"Was that… a superhero?"
...
Inside one of the teaching buildings, the hallway floor was covered in scattered clothing—all youthful styles, clearly belonging to students.
At the end of the corridor stood a tall green creature holding a plump man in a suit.
The monster's green skin was dotted with black spots. A thick, needle-like tail extended from its back. It was none other than the ultimate bio-android who had crossed from another timeline—Cell.
The man he held was the head of the university's biology department, dragged out of the women's restroom moments ago.
Utterly terrified, the man had already wet his pants. He flailed helplessly, pleading for his life.
But Cell looked positively delighted. When the man's voice grew hoarse from screaming, the tail behind Cell suddenly shot forward, piercing deep into the man's waist.
A sickening gurgle echoed through the hall as the man's body shriveled rapidly until it completely vanished—leaving only an oversized suit hanging from Cell's tail.
Clicking his tongue, Cell muttered to himself,
"Big guy, but his life energy's even weaker than a schoolgirl's. Pathetic."
So far, he had absorbed the populations of four entire cities. The energy within him had built up to a terrifying level.
Now, his power already surpassed either Seventeen or Eighteen alone. Once he absorbed everyone in this city, he could easily overpower the two of them combined.
Then, he would finally reach the perfect form he had always dreamed of.
Thinking of this, Cell opened his mouth and let out a strange, twisted laugh.
Suddenly, a sound came from a nearby classroom.
Cell paused, then smiled cruelly and slowly turned toward it.
...
The university classroom was spacious. Under the large lecture desk, three girls were hiding.
In the middle was a short-haired girl in plain clothes—Luna, Seventeen's girlfriend. The other two were her friends.
The sound earlier had come from the girl to Luna's left. Cell's horrifying laughter had made her tremble so hard that her phone slipped out of her pocket and hit the floor—alerting him.
They could already hear his footsteps approaching, slow and heavy, each one like a death knell.
Unable to hold it in any longer, the girl who'd dropped her phone let out a scream and bolted out from under the podium. She hadn't even taken two steps before Cell's hand clamped around her.
Once again came that dreadful sucking sound as her life drained away. Cell flicked the discarded school uniform off his tail, grinning wickedly as he advanced toward the podium.
At that moment, the classroom wall exploded with a thunderous crash, and a furious voice rang out—
"Stop right there, you damn monster!"