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A sonic boom tore through the air like space itself had split open.
Cell vanished.
In less than a blink, he reappeared right in front of Goku, who hadn't even steadied himself yet.
His fist drove forward with apocalyptic force and slammed straight into Goku's stomach.
"—Gahhh!!"
Goku never saw it coming. The blow crushed into his abdomen, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing up a spray of spit laced with stomach acid. It felt like his organs were screaming.
Cell didn't hesitate. His left hand shot up, fingers rigid like a blade, packed with overwhelming ki, and came chopping down toward Goku's skull.
With Cell's strength, that strike should've split a normal man's head like a melon.
But whether it was the absurd toughness of a Super Saiyan body or Goku breaking past his limits yet again, the chop landed—
And his head stayed intact.
His body, however, went flying like a cannonball, plummeting toward the massive rock formations below.
And yet, on his face—
A strange smile bloomed.
Wild. Excited.
Boom!
Goku crashed into the giant boulders at terrifying speed. The rocks exploded into hundreds of jagged fragments, burying him deep beneath the rubble.
Cell's eyes flashed with killing intent. He gave his opponent no chance to breathe. His body blurred into a streak that ripped through the air, surging forward at several times the speed of sound. A crushing, finishing charge aimed straight at Goku's position.
The next instant, the earth trembled as if a colossal beast had stomped down.
The roar shattered the air.
But from within the rubble—
Goku stood.
The shattered stones around him were blasted outward as if repelled by invisible force, erupting in every direction. Razor-sharp debris flew like a deadly barrage straight at the charging Cell, forming a sudden wall of destruction in his path.
An opening.
In that split second, Goku seized it.
Gone.
He vanished like a mirage, leaving behind a piercing sonic crack. When he reappeared, he was already high in the sky.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
The roar tore from his throat.
And then—
It rained.
Not one blast. Not ten.
Hundreds. Thousands.
Blazing ki bullets poured down like a storm of fire, weaving together into a suffocating net of death that swallowed Cell whole.
The counterattack came out of nowhere.
Even Cell was caught off guard. The blasts were impossibly fast. By the time he registered the danger, the energy bolts were already right in front of him.
No room to dodge.
He threw up his arms and unleashed a ki barrier in desperation, forced onto the defensive.
But this wasn't a handful of energy waves.
It was a relentless flood—each blast strong enough to level mountains.
Cell endured it midair, battered by the roaring torrent. His body shook under the impacts as Goku's furious retaliation drove him backward, hit after hit slamming into him like blows to the heart of every viewer watching.
Even through the live feed, the shock in Cell's eyes was obvious.
He hadn't expected this.
Not from a Saiyan whose stamina was nearly burned out.
Any ordinary opponent would've been reduced to dust under that kind of assault.
But standing there was no ordinary being.
It was Cell—the ultimate lifeform, forged from the cells of countless warriors.
His gaze sharpened.
After taking hundreds of blasts head-on, he reached his limit.
"RAAAAH!"
A violent roar split the sky.
A sinister purple light exploded outward from his body, expanding in all directions to form a perfectly spherical energy shield—absolute defense.
Every ki blast that struck it vanished like a pebble tossed into the ocean.
Not even a ripple.
Zero damage.
Outside the video, Krillin and the other Z Fighters were completely petrified.
"This can't be real… That thing's a walking nightmare!"
In their understanding, no one should've survived Goku's barrage.
But Cell wasn't just alive.
He'd casually erected a near-invincible barrier.
Where was the justice in that?
...
The World of One Piece
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared at the screen, brows drawn tight as he studied the purple barrier around Cell.
"That technique… It shares similarities with certain applications of our Armament Haki."
Across the room, the legendary "Hero of the Marines," Monkey D. Garp, tapped a finger lazily against the heavy desk.
"Heh. You're not wrong."
No one in the room understood Armament Haki better than Garp. When he spoke, it carried weight.
"You all know Armament can coat your limbs to strengthen attacks," Garp went on. "It can also harden into an unbreakable defense. If you cover your entire body—and push it even further, projecting it outward—you can create something almost identical to that shield."
The officers exchanged looks.
"Defense… that can turn into offense?" someone muttered.
Garp grinned wide, teeth flashing.
"That's why Haki's true potential outclasses those weird Devil Fruits of yours. And yet you lot are obsessed with powers that come with nasty side effects. Short-sighted fools!"
"Sengoku! Enough!" Sengoku rubbed his temples. "What does that have to do with Cell?"
Garp blinked. "Huh? Nothing at all."
He burst into laughter.
"I just wanted to remind you idiots that Haki's superior!"
The room fell silent.
...
The World of One Punch Man
S-Class hero Genos stared at the monster on screen.
"Sensei… that Cell is absurdly powerful."
Beside him, Saitama watched quietly.
For the first time—
A thought surfaced.
Maybe… as he was now, he couldn't beat them.
It surprised him. But when he examined the feeling, it wasn't fear. It was instinct. A warning from his body.
He was nearly invincible in his own world.
But he wasn't at the peak. Not yet.
Goku and Cell were standing in the realm he longed to reach.
Even so, their level was far beyond his current self. His body had already concluded it: at this stage, victory wasn't guaranteed.
And strangely—
That didn't depress him.
If anything, it stirred something deep inside.
He'd grown bored in a world without rivals. The emptiness of being unbeatable gnawed at him.
"If I ever got the chance…" Saitama murmured softly, staring at his fist, "I'd love to fight them for real."
Even if it cost him his life.
He just wanted a battle worth everything.
...
The World of A Certain Scientific Railgun
"Big Sis! Could your Railgun break that shield?!"
Shirai Kuroko clung to Misaka Mikoto, eyes wide.
Misaka twitched, prying the overly affectionate girl off her with practiced ease.
"Kuroko… Forget me. Even if every Level 5 in Academy City joined forces, we probably wouldn't last a single round against either of them."
She exhaled quietly.
"Break it? I'm not even sure I could gather enough power to fire a Railgun in front of that monster."
A heavy sense of helplessness weighed on her. Every time this mysterious uploader released a new video, her confidence took another hit.
The message felt clear:
Is that all you've got?
Kuroko's worldview cracked.
To her, her "Onee-sama" had always been the strongest in the world.
But now—
Misaka reached out and gently patted her head.
"I'm not the strongest yet. But I'll work harder. I'll become the strongest in your eyes one day."
Kuroko's eyes filled with tears.
"Onee-sama—!"
"Don't you dare jump on me! And wipe your nose first!"
...
Back to the battlefield.
Cell hovered above, looking down at Goku with a hunter's cold smile.
"That was impressive, Son Goku. Forcing me to activate my barrier—I didn't expect that."
Goku panted heavily as he descended to the ground. His golden aura still flickered, but far dimmer than before.
Cell was breathing hard too, though far more steadily.
After such a brutal exchange, both were nearing their limits.
"Cell's ki is dropping," Piccolo observed grimly. "But Goku's drained even more."
Cell smirked.
"You've burned through most of your energy, haven't you, Son Goku?"
His tone dripped with mockery.
"If you'd like to eat a Senzu Bean, go ahead. Eat as many as you want. Then we can have another spectacular fight."
To any warrior who prized pride above life, that was pure humiliation.
Goku, however, remained calm.
He steadied his breathing and met Cell's gaze.
In the stands, Krillin and the others were on edge.
At that moment, Trunks—the son of Vegeta from another timeline—suddenly turned to Krillin, urgency written across his face.
"....."