Chapter 3
"Cell, huh?"
Linze glanced at the green, grotesque creature standing before him, and the corners of his lips curled slightly upward.
Cell's second form was indeed unsightly bulky and disproportionate, with bloated lips and a bizarre posture.
Especially those thick, slug-like lips, they were downright revolting.
"So I've landed in the Cell Saga timeline," Linze muttered, surveying the battlefield. "At this point in the story, I'm basically unbeatable."
He glanced briefly toward Vegeta and Future Trunks hovering nearby. Both of them were still within the bounds of the first-stage Super Saiyan transformation.
They likely hadn't yet achieved the full-power or Ascended Super Saiyan states though Vegeta had emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with enhanced strength.
Even so, compared to Linze's own strength and system-backed progression, the threat level here was manageable.
"Fighting someone like Android 18… really? You clearly don't know how to treat a lady."
Linze turned his gaze toward Android 18, standing slightly behind him. Her expression was filled with disbelief and fascination.
With her elegant features, cool blonde hair, and those piercing blue eyes, she truly was one of the most iconic beauties in Dragon Ball.
Her aura was calm, but Linze could sense both wariness and curiosity radiating from her.
"You… who are you?"
Cell finally voiced the question that had frozen everyone in place.
"Me?" Linze tilted his head with a smirk. "Just a passerby. But I couldn't stand by and watch a monster like you manhandle a beautiful woman. So I figured I'd give you a little lesson."
The words were casual, but there was an undertone of authority that silenced the scene.
Up in the sky, Vegeta and Trunks had stopped clashing. Both now stared intently at Linze.
Trunks looked surprised, even hopeful.
Someone, anyone—intervening to stop Cell from reaching his Perfect Form was a blessing.
But Vegeta's expression twisted into something much darker.
His brow furrowed, his fists clenched, and his eyes narrowed.
That grim scowl on his face was enough to sour the air.
"That guy…"
"That guy's a Saiyan?!"
Vegeta growled, his voice laced with barely-contained rage.
His eyes darted to the distinct, brown monkey tail swaying behind Linze's waist undeniable proof of Saiyan lineage.
"A Saiyan?" Trunks echoed, puzzled.
He couldn't believe it. The man didn't look like a typical Saiyan. His aura, while explosive, was strange—wild, untamed, and far denser than any he'd felt before.
And that red-tinted hair…
It wasn't just unusual, it was completely alien.
"That's impossible…" Vegeta muttered, shaking his head slowly. "The only full-blooded Saiyans left are me, Kakarot, and possibly Tarble…"
"There shouldn't be a fourth. And I've never seen a Saiyan with red hair."
He clenched his fists tighter, the veins on his arms bulging. Even in all the ancient records of Planet Vegeta, there was no record of a Saiyan like this.
…
On the ground below, Cell's expression darkened further.
Just moments ago, he had been one step away from perfection.
Now, a stranger had appeared and thrown everything into disarray interrupting the moment he had worked toward for so long.
This infuriating obstacle… dared to interfere?
"I don't know who you are," Cell growled, "but to interrupt me now, you'll pay dearly!"
"You dare lecture me while standing in the way of my evolution? I'll absorb you and make your strength part of me!"
Cell roared in fury and attempted to retract his tail from Linze's grasp, intending to reposition and strike again.
But his body jerked awkwardly, his tail didn't budge.
He looked down, horrified.
It was still clenched in Linze's hand tight, unmoving.
"What…?"
No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't break free.
"You're not quite there yet, Cell," Linze said coldly, his crimson aura flaring around him like an inferno. "Try again in your next life."
Linze smirked slightly, then moved in a flash. His fist slammed into Cell's abdomen, sending the bio-android hurtling upward. Without giving him a chance to recover, Linze yanked him back down with immense force.
BOOM!
Cell's body crashed into the ground like a meteorite, creating a massive crater beneath Linze's feet. The entire island trembled, and jagged cracks webbed across the shattered terrain.
"Urgh...!"
A mouthful of thick purple blood burst from Cell's lips, spattering the ground.
"W-what…?! He's that strong?!"
Android 18, who stood slightly behind Linze, blinked rapidly as she stared at his broad back. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
How could someone toss Cell around like a ragdoll?
That wasn't just strength, it was domination.
And he had saved her, protected her from absorption and was now fighting for her.
Powerful. Coolheaded. Handsome. She had never seen anyone like him.
"Get lost. I'm not fully accustomed to killing yet," Linze muttered.
With a casual flick, he drove his foot into Cell's side, sending him crashing into a nearby cliffside.
RUMBLE!!
Dust and debris exploded as Cell's limp body embedded into the rocks.
Too reckless... too arrogant.
"D-damn it... that bastard actually has power that might even surpass mine…"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fists clenched so tightly the bones creaked.
His pride was howling in protest.
He didn't despise all Saiyans but he hated those stronger than him.
Just like that infuriating Kakarot...
Their strength was a direct insult to his pride—the pride of the Prince of all Saiyans.
FWOOSH!
In a sudden burst of light, Vegeta vanished and reappeared in front of Linze.
"Father!"
Trunks hurried after him, landing beside his father in a panic. He could feel it—an overwhelming, suffocating power radiating from Linze.
More than his own… more than Vegeta… even more than Cell.
And it was calm. Controlled. Unshakable.
If his father angered this guy, the consequences could be devastating.
"Hey, you," Vegeta snapped, his voice low and cold. "You're a Saiyan too, aren't you?"
"…That's your tone when you want answers, Vegeta?"
Linze turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the proud warrior.
He actually admired Vegeta as a character.
But standing here in reality, face-to-face with him and hearing that trademark arrogance it grated on him.
"Cheh. The only pure-blooded Saiyans left are me, Kakarot, and Tarble. So who the hell are you?"
Vegeta ignored the warning in Linze's voice, stepping closer, his scowl deepening.
Linze's eye twitched. His patience was thinning.
"What an unpleasant tone."
"I don't want to fight you but don't test me, Vegeta."
Linze's voice dropped, no longer friendly.
Vegeta may have been proud, but Linze was something else entirely.
A Saiyan far beyond Super Saiyan, empowered by the Sign-In System, enhanced beyond even Cell's comprehension.
In this world, right now—he stood at the pinnacle.
A mere few words from an angry prince wouldn't shake him.
And if Vegeta kept pushing, Linze wouldn't hesitate to show him exactly what kind of Saiyan he was dealing with.
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