The terrifying aftershocks spread out.
"Any technique requires activation time, whether it's changing the future or whatever." Goku said calmly. "Don't rely too much on the special nature of an ability."
The aftershocks at the edge of the sky hadn't yet dissipated. Cell had already used Instant Transmission to return. The smug smile that was previously on the corner of his mouth had completely vanished, replaced by a trickle of blood. But he hadn't suffered any substantial damage.
The disgusting, turbid substance that originally covered the upper half of his face gradually receded, revealing a gaze no longer filled with contempt.
"As expected of you, Goku. To break the ability of The Almighty so simply." In the original work, that good-for-nothing Danzo, holding ten 'revival coins', could still be killed.
Although Cell couldn't possibly be that useless, it also showed that any technique has its weaknesses. Whether it's Izanagi or its supreme enhanced version, The Almighty.
The most direct flaw is that even if you can rewrite reality, you still need at least a certain startup time to activate it, right?
In the original work, Ichigo, Aizen, and others weren't strong enough to seize this gap. They only barely managed to grasp the opportunity by using Kyoka Suigetsu's ability to amplify this weakness.
But Goku was on a completely different level from the previous two. He could grasp it.
"That makes sense, Goku. When dealing with a combat expert like you, I should use simpler, more direct methods." The corner of Cell's mouth curled up slightly again as he also assumed a fighting stance.
The next instant, Cell's body shot forward like a ghost, suddenly rotating. A flying kick swept through the air, slashing down like a high-speed spinning top. It was Kyo's 77th Style: Dokuratsu!
On the Planet King of Fighters, even though several years had passed, Yagami Iori, who hadn't completely gotten over the death of his 'bro', had a drastic change in expression.
'Th-this monster! So he even has that guy Kyo's cells!'
Goku raised his arm to block. However, just as he blocked this move, Cell's subsequent ultra-high-speed attacks, mixed with flames, came at him like a storm of combo attacks.
The speed surpassed light and shadow, making it difficult to capture. At least, people from the Planet King of Fighters couldn't capture it.
But Chizuru Kagura and Iori Yagami, from the same Three Sacred Treasures Families, could vaguely guess what moves he was using based on the frequency of Cell's movements. 114th Style: Arawa + 128th Style: Kuzushi + 125th Style: Nanase!
At the Kusanagi Residence, Kusanagi Saisyu sat next to his wife holding their child, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Sweat drops fell one after another onto the tatami mat at his feet, 'He was using them better than him, and his deceased son... no! Completely surpassing anyone in the Kusanagi Family's past.'
It was really just as Cell had said before. Many abilities are quite excellent… it's just that the users are too useless to bring out the power they should have.
Violent flames, like a volcanic eruption, continuously shot out with Cell's punches.
"Goku is being suppressed!" Krillin on the periphery exclaimed.
"Don't underestimate Goku," Piccolo said in a low voice.
Sure enough, just as everyone thought Goku was being pushed into a corner, Goku twisted his wrist, using his elbow to clamp down on Cell's flaming fists. He took a side step and pushed him behind his back in a reverse motion.
The expressions of many martial artists on the Planet King of Fighters changed drastically. That was... Yagami Iori's Reverse Peel!
"D-did he absorb cells too?" Sakazaki Yuri, standing next to Shiranui Mai, asked in astonishment, her small mouth agape.
"How could that be? He probably learned it from watching the King of Fighters Tournament a few years ago," Shiranui Mai shook her head, then sighed softly. "What terrifying talent."
Kagura Chizuru, holding her daughter who had already fallen asleep, said softly, "He's not as proficient as Iori, but to dare use someone else's move based on memory in such a life-and-death situation... Son Goku really has nerves of steel."
…
On the scene, Goku, now behind Cell, launched continuous attacks.
Being only a hair's breadth away from Super Saiyan 2, each punch was powerful enough to sink a continent. The relentless strikes continuously landed on Cell's spine. Everyone could see the clear expression of pain on Cell's face.
The next instant, Cell was seen gritting his teeth tightly. He crossed his hands, then suddenly raised his right hand, pointing his index finger towards the sky.
"That move is!?" The faces of Sakazaki Ryo, Terry Bogard, and others changed drastically. That posture, they would never forget it! If it weren't for Goku bringing the Senzu Beans back then, they would have died to this move!
Everything Return to Nothingness!
A pure power with no special properties gathered at the tip of his index finger, distorting and compressing the entire planet. The whole Earth was within its attack range.
"Kaio-ken!" At the final moment before the ultimate divine power could reduce all life on the planet's surface to nothingness, a layer of red light waves surged over the golden Ki flames covering Goku.
Seeing this, Cell also raised his Ki to a new height.
Both charged towards each other at extreme speed, simultaneously throwing a punch.
The ultimate divine pressure reigned over the earth. The moment it touched the ground, it was forced back by Goku. But even so, it still took away a vast number of lives on Earth.
"Haah..." Using the Kaio-ken on top of the Super Saiyan form also took a significant toll on Goku. His breathing had noticeably become heavier, and the orange martial arts gi on the surface had split open, revealing the blue undershirt inside.
"...The energy of so many people on Earth disappeared in an instant." Krillin gritted his teeth, not finishing his sentence clearly, but everyone knew what he meant.
"It's already good enough. If Cell had really managed to fully unleash that move, no one would have survived. We can just use the Dragon Balls to revive them afterward," Piccolo said solemnly.
Since the Dragon Balls were exposed, people in the group were constantly 'making wishes', but Goku and the others always pretended not to see.
After all, the Earth's Dragon Balls could only be used once a year. If one person made a wish today, another tomorrow, wouldn't it be chaos?
Just then, an ear-splitting crash caused a violent earthquake and spewing magma.
Looking up ahead, they saw two beams of light crisscrossing high in Earth's atmosphere, moving rapidly.
Martial artists from planets with only intermediate combat power, like the Planet Ninja, could no longer see clearly. Even the top-tier experts from the Planet Shinigami could only barely capture the positions of the two during the instant they paused upon clashing fists.
Deafening roars continuously sounded. Looking down from space, each one was accompanied by a tremor of this star system. The ground also continuously sank amidst the rumbling.
"One wish probably won't be enough. We'll likely have to wish for the Earth to be restored afterward. I'm counting on you, Lott." Krillin turned to Lott, his lips dry.
Before Lott could answer, Krillin heard Piccolo utter three words through gritted teeth: "It's no use."
Krillin and countless others in the group looked up. At the top of the distant mountain range, ordinary people or those with slightly weaker strength couldn't see it at all, they saw, accompanied by an ear-splitting noise, a huge fissure spreading downwards from the center of the mountain range, completely splitting it in two.
Cell was standing right in the center of that huge fissure. Seeing this, everyone knew who had been knocked down.
Cell pointed the index finger of his left hand to his forehead.
"That bastard!" Piccolo's face hardened, as he already knew what technique Cell was going to use.
"Special Beam Cannon!" A blood-red vertical laser, surrounded by light golden spiral rings, shot straight down.