"Yes." Merus nodded and told the truth.
"So this old guy is the God of Destruction I'm supposed to measure up to? I've seen him before…" Kale's eyes lit up. She blinked a few times, excitement and curiosity mixing together.
"Yes. That's him," Merus confirmed with a small nod.
"He doesn't look like much," Kale said, thinking it over.
"He's already mastered destruction energy," Bier added from the side.
Jiren stayed silent. For some reason, he suddenly felt like both sides were weak. Really weak.
"He's passed out. Go down and help him," Merus suggested, giving Kale a light pat on the shoulder.
"Alright. I'll stomp that monster!" Kale's interest spiked. She dropped from the sky and appeared near Cell in a flash.
Cell was just about to finish Vegeta off when he noticed Kale standing not far away.
"Where'd this little girl come from?" Cell sneered at her. "Shouldn't you be going home to your mom?"
"The uncle named Vegeta has a fight promised with me," Kale said seriously. "So you can't kill him."
"Oh? You've got a fight promised with him?" Cell paused, surprised as he sized her up.
Before the fight started, there wasn't much power leaking off her at all. Cell couldn't read anything meaningful from her.
"I'll challenge you," Kale said, grinning.
"Hmph." Cell gave a cold laugh. "Then show me what you've got."
Boom!
Kale didn't hesitate. Yellow-green light erupted around her.
Legendary Super Saiyan—activate!
The moment Cell sensed her terrifying aura and the vast surge of power, his expression shifted. He never expected a little girl to carry energy on this scale.
"Come on, monster!" Kale beckoned him forward.
"That's some serious power… it's already above my numbers," Cell said, quickly regaining his composure. He even smiled like it didn't bother him.
What puzzled him, though, was her transformation color. It was strange.
"Are you a Saiyan?" Cell asked, genuinely curious.
"You don't need to know." Kale snorted. "If you won't come to me, then I'll come to you!"
"Fine. Bring it!" Cell scoffed.
They walked toward each other.
In the next instant, Kale drove a heavy punch straight at Cell.
Cell tilted slightly and let the fist slip past.
Then Cell counterattacked.
Bang!
A brutal punch slammed into Kale's cheek.
Kale took it head-on, barely reacting, then surged forward and swung again, chaining into a flurry of strikes.
Cell dodged everything with ease.
After a few exchanges, Cell snapped out a kick and nailed Kale again.
Kale rolled across the ground, flipped a few times, and crashed down hard.
Bier: "…"
Merus: "…"
"Merus-nii… why does it feel like Kale's about to lose?" Bier asked, worried.
"She won't." Merus lifted his staff and analyzed carefully. "In raw power, Kale is already above that monster named Cell."
"But she's way slower than him," Bier said, spotting the weakness immediately.
"I noticed that drawback the moment she transformed." Merus smiled. "Do you think I spent all these years changing nothing?"
As he spoke, Kale sprang up from the ground and appeared in front of Cell at blazing speed.
It was so fast Cell froze, shaking in spite of himself.
What was that?
I just saw her flicker and she was in front of me.
I didn't even have time to react.
How is that possible?
Smack!
While Cell was still stunned, Kale slapped her small hand forward, planted it on his face, and drove his head straight into the ground.
Boom!
The back of Cell's skull smashed into the earth.
Kale kept her hand on his face and dragged him across the ground, grinding his head into the dirt.
Cell screamed again and again, like his skull was being sanded flat.
"You bastard! Get off me!" Cell roared, furious. He lifted his right hand, a sphere of energy forming instantly.
He fired it point-blank into Kale.
Boom!
The blast detonated on her body.
Kale only shuddered slightly, like nothing happened.
If anything, she pressed down harder.
Cell wailed again, fighting to break free.
Thud!
After grinding him for a moment, Kale hammered a heavy punch into his stomach.
Cell's limbs jerked upward.
Snap!
Kale grabbed his wrist and swung him around, slamming him left, right, forward, back.
Cell howled in pain.
A minute later—
Boom!
Kale smashed Cell into the ground again.
Cell spat blood, his whole body feeling ruined.
Even so, he struggled back to his feet.
"Little brat! You dare disrespect me, Cell? I'll make you regret it!" He was so angry his face twisted.
Good thing Vegeta is knocked out. If he saw me getting beaten up by a kid like this, who knows how hard he'd laugh.
But who is this girl, anyway?
There's nothing on her.
Thud!
Before Cell could finish the thought, Kale punched him right in the nose.
Cell crashed to the ground again, and for a moment he honestly didn't even want to get back up.
Lying here feels fine.
He clenched his teeth, sprang up, and leapt back to create distance.
Huff… huff… huff…
Cell gulped air, staring at Kale with full caution.
"You… who are you?" he asked, fists clenched tight.
"I'm the future God of Destruction, Kale," she said, chin lifted.
"W-what? God of Destruction? Again with 'God of Destruction'?" Cell blurted, then glanced toward the unconscious Vegeta.
I remember Vegeta said he was "God of Destruction Vegeta."
Now this girl says she's a God of Destruction too.
So what is a God of Destruction supposed to be?
"What even is a God of Destruction?" Cell asked, the question giving him a headache.
"Simple." Kale answered without fuss. "A God of Destruction is the strongest god in the universe."
"A god? The strongest god?" Cell blinked, then burst out laughing. "That's hilarious. Absolutely hilarious!"
"What are you laughing at?" Kale asked with a faint smile.
"I'm laughing because you don't know your place!" Cell sneered. "The strongest in the universe is me, Cell—not some 'God of Destruction'!"
"Is that so?" Kale stayed calm. "Someone at your level can't beat me. I'll end this quickly."
"You're going to end this?" Cell spat. "Those words belong to me!" He watched Kale start to move, then shouted, "One last question! What's your name? Are you a Saiyan?"
"I am." Kale nodded seriously. "My name is Kale. You've broken Galactic Law—come with me to the Galactic Patrol Prison quietly, or you'll suffer for it!"
As she spoke, she casually pulled out a pair of handcuffs and tossed them toward Cell.
Clack.
They landed by his feet.
Cell looked down and froze for a beat.
Is she serious?
She thinks a pair of handcuffs means anything to me?
He scoffed, picked them up, and examined them with amused interest.
Then his smile slowly stiffened.
He could feel it clearly—these cuffs were insanely tough. Even with his strength, he couldn't bend them.
What are these made of?
"Such a weird material…" Cell muttered, a chill running through him.
Good thing I didn't do anything stupid like put them on.
If I had, I might not have been able to take them off.
And just as that thought formed—
Click.
The cuffs moved on their own and snapped shut around both of his wrists.
Cell: "????"
He stared, completely confused.
I didn't move.
How did they move by themselves?
What is this?
Merus also looked down, surprised.
"Someone controlled the cuffs from a distance," Bier said immediately, seeing through it.
"Yeah. That was Ken." Merus nodded, reacting just as fast.
Jiren still didn't speak, but the moment he heard Ken's name, his expression shifted slightly.
That angel named Ken was terrifying.
Just then, Merus's staff trembled softly—a call coming through.
"Merus, since you're here, come sit with me," Ken said with a smile.
"Ah… sure." Merus nodded into the crystal orb. "I won't be shy. I'll come over after Kale wraps things up here."
"Merus, you should let go and let Kale handle it herself," Ken suggested. "Whether she wants to kill him or do something else—that's her choice."
"You're not wrong." Merus agreed. He called down a quick instruction to Kale, then left with Bier and Jiren right away.
A few blinks later, Merus and Bier landed beside Ken.
A stranger had shown up, and Emily immediately adjusted her clothes.
"Emily, I thought you were about to breastfeed in front of everyone," Bulma whispered.
"What are you saying, Bulma?" Emily rolled her eyes. "Do I look like that kind of woman?"
"Then what was that in front of Ken?" Bulma wiped sweat off her forehead.
"Ken isn't an outsider," Emily said matter-of-factly.
Bulma was stunned.
Since when is Ken "not an outsider"?
Ken: "…"
Ken glanced at Emily.
Emily… you're not okay.
"I didn't mean it like that," Emily hurried to add. "I mean, we've known each other since kindergarten, so it's not like I need to be super careful around him."
Bulma didn't say another word.
Ken also let it drop and stood to greet Merus.
"Oh? Isn't this Bier?" Ken put on an exaggerated look of surprise. "How are you here too?"
Bier: "…"
"Hmph. You only noticed me now?" Bier puffed her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
"Sit, sit." Ken waved them in warmly. He raised his right hand, a streak of light splitting off into the air.
He pointed upward.
Pop!
A floating menu appeared in the sky, covered in pictures of food.
"Pick whatever you like," Ken said with a smile.
"You actually have all this?" Bier stared, eyes wide, scanning dish after dish like she'd discovered a new world.
"Ken, you're being too kind." Merus looked a little embarrassed. "Back when you visited the Galactic Patrol Headquarters, I didn't even have anything decent to offer you."
"It's fine—don't feel bad." Ken patted Merus's shoulder. "Earth's food is on a completely different level from Galactic Patrol Headquarters. Several levels, actually."
Merus: "…"
Why does that sound like there's something else behind it?
And why are you suddenly talking about levels?
Are you trying to bait me into asking what level I am?
"You're right," Merus said with an awkward chuckle.
"Earth's food has levels?" Bier turned to Ken, curious. "That's a thing?"
"Of course." Ken nodded.
"Did you just make that system up?" Bier asked.
"More or less." Ken smiled. "By my rating, Earth is a top-tier Level 10. Galactic Patrol Headquarters is Level 2—eight levels lower than this."
Merus smiled and didn't respond.
Because honestly, if food really had a ranking, Earth would be near the top. Galactic Patrol food was nowhere close.
Some of their recipes were even brought over by Tights.
"How's my sister doing over at the Galactic Patrol?" Bulma asked.
"She's doing well," Merus said with a polite smile. "Tights has already gotten used to life there."
"Imagine choosing to write novels instead of inheriting the world's greatest fortune." Bulma grumbled, then turned and greeted Jiren politely. "Hello. Don't be shy—eat whatever you want."
Jiren nodded slightly and thanked her.
But his eyes drifted back to Cell's projection.
Cell was struggling with the cuffs, trying to force them apart.
In Cell's mind, they were tough, sure—but if he pushed hard enough, he could break free.
As for how the cuffs ended up on him, Merus and Bier had it right—Ken had controlled them remotely.
"This tiny thing thinks it can lock my hands?" Cell snarled. Veins bulged on his forehead as anger flashed across his face.
"I thought you were going to surrender," Kale said with a grin.
"AAAAAAH!"
Cell roared and threw his arms outward with all his strength.
"AAAH—!"
A scream like a slaughtered pig ripped out of him.
He stared in disbelief. The cuffs were perfectly fine, but the metal had bitten deep into his wrists—down to the bone.
It hurt. It hurt so badly he couldn't think.
He'd been torn in half before, but even that hadn't hurt like this.
It felt like the cuffs were coated in salt—something that turned contact into endless agony.
And the most shocking part was this: he couldn't break them.
How?
"AAAAAAH!"
Gritting through the pain, Cell forced himself to a decision and tore both of his wrists off.
Clack.
The cuffs dropped and hit the ground.
Beside them lay Cell's severed hands.
Huff… huff… huff…
Cell sucked in air, a wave of bleakness washing over him.
"Your hands are gone," Kale said with a smile. "Looks like you've lost. Shame I can't cuff you again… maybe I should put ankle cuffs on you instead."
Cell trembled with rage.
Kale ignored him. She pinched her chin and muttered to herself, "I forgot to bring ankle cuffs this time. I wonder if Merus-nii has any?"
Cell ground his teeth and regenerated his hands.
Kale: "…"
"You can regenerate?" Kale blinked.
"Of course." Cell bared his teeth. "That's one of my basic skills! Little girl, you've completely pissed me off. I won't forgive you."
"Really?" Kale smiled. "Then come on."
"Before we decide this, I've got a few questions," Cell said through clenched teeth.
"Ask," Kale said, nodding.
"First—what are those cuffs made of? Why are they that strong?" Cell demanded.
"Cosmic essence alloy," Kale answered simply. "A special metal mixed with cosmic essence. Only a real God of Destruction can destroy those cuffs. You can't."
"Cosmic essence alloy?" Cell frowned. He'd never heard that term.
"Of course, I can't destroy them either," Kale added.
Cell: "…"
"Second—are you really a Saiyan? Why have I never heard of a Saiyan like you?" he asked.
"I am a Saiyan." Kale smiled proudly. "And I'm the Legendary Super Saiyan!"
"Y-you…" Cell's eyes widened in shock.
So this little girl really is the Legendary Super Saiyan?
The one Android 21 has been searching for this whole time?
So it was her.
"A Legendary Super Saiyan is born in our universe only once every thousand years." Kale chuckled. "That one is me."
Cell: "…"
So the Legendary Super Saiyan really exists.
Cell's mind raced. He tried to extend his tail—he wanted to absorb Kale's cells.
But to his horror, his tail wouldn't stretch at all.
I'm already in a complete body… is that why my tail can't absorb other cells anymore?
Damn it.
So Android 21 was telling the truth…
What now?
I have to find a way to absorb her cells. That's the only way I can become a true perfect form.
"You got any more questions?" Kale asked coolly. "If not, put the cuffs on and come with me to the Galactic Patrol Prison."
"What's this 'Galactic Patrol Prison' you keep talking about?" Cell asked, latching onto it.
"Criminals who break Galactic Law get locked up there," Kale explained. "Uh… it's in Universe 7… but whatever."
Cell: "????"
What is she even saying? I don't understand any of this.
What's "Universe 7"?
"Fine. I'll go with you," Cell said, a sly glint in his eyes as he made the decision.
He stepped forward, picked up the cuffs, and willingly cuffed himself.
Sure, they were unbreakable.
But if I really have to, I'll just cut my wrists off again.
For now, I'll stay close to this girl. When the timing's right, I'll find a way to absorb her cells.
Then I'll become a true perfect form.
Until then, I'll play along.
"That's better," Cell thought.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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