CRACK!
The battle ignited in an instant. Number 16 lunged toward Son Goku first. Goku, caught off-guard by the immediate assault and still in his base form, was clearly outmatched. He threw his hands up in a hurried block, but the sheer force of the impact sent him rocketing backward… Pain flared through his forearms. This one's on a completely different level than the last models!
"HAA!"
Goku's roar split the air, a golden aura exploding around him as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. The shockwave of energy blasted away the surrounding debris, rocks, and twisted metal. In a blur of motion, he vanished, reappearing behind Number 16 to deliver a crushing punch.
Yet Number 16 seemed to anticipate it. He dropped low, letting the fist whistle over his head, and countered with a vicious leg sweep aimed to shatter Goku's knees.
A grunt of derision escaped Goku. Did this machine think such a telegraphed move would land? He sprang lightly upward, and as Number 16's sweeping leg passed beneath him, Goku's right foot shot down like a piledriver—a crushing Heavy Weight Drop. A direct hit would shear the android's leg clean off.
But Number 16's combat protocols were frighteningly acute. With no time to retract his limb, he committed forward, driving his head like a battering ram into Goku's midsection. Goku, airborne and committed to his downward strike, couldn't evade. The brutal headbutt connected with his ribs, blasting him away like a cannon shot.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
He didn't stop until he'd cratered through dozens of concrete walls. Deep in the complex, support structures groaned. Sparks showered from severed conduits, thick dust choked the air, and the ceiling rained debris. The entire foundation was giving way.
A moment later, the ground itself buckled and collapsed inward.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Three figures shot skyward from the wreckage, hovering in the smoky air. A fourth, golden form followed, coming to a stop opposite them.
Goku glanced down at the vast sinkhole, the leveled buildings, and the town now flooded by seawater from the colossal waves their clash had generated. A faint frown touched his lips, but he pushed concern aside. The island had been nearly deserted before this fight.
"Target: Eliminate."
Number 16 shot forward again. Their figures became streaks of light, colliding in mid-air. Each impact sent visible shockwaves rippling outward, pulverizing distant cliffs and churning the ocean into a frenzy.
A hundred exchanges passed in seconds. Goku, still holding back, found himself slightly slower. A sudden, piston-like fist from Number 16 caught his guard and sent him plummeting into the sea with a cataclysmic splash.
Submerged in the cool depths, Goku's mind raced. Number 16's power was beyond his peak Super Saiyan strength. The androids created from his and the others' cells had grown exponentially stronger. If Number 16 is this formidable, what about Cell? And that other bio-engineered being, "Noku," created by Dr. Loke? A ripple of urgency washed over him. Underestimating this timeline could be fatal.
Time to end this. I need to find Cell and Noku early, before they can reach completion.
Goku was no reckless warmonger, nor was he stubborn to a fault. Efficiency had its place.
"YAAAH!~"
A new, far more violent energy erupted from the depths. Bolts of lightning crackled within his raging golden aura. Super Saiyan 2.
KA-BOOM!
Goku erupted from the ocean like a missile. In the same instant, he vanished—Instant Transmission—and reappeared behind the hovering Number 16. His foot connected with the android's face in a devastating kick. Number 16 spun uncontrollably before hammering into the water, sending up a geyser.
"T-that power…!" No. 18 breathed out, her usual cool demeanor shattered. "Was he holding back that much? The data was completely wrong!"
"Playing with small fry is a waste of time," Goku's voice rang out, cold and focused. His aura surged, scattering the clouds and making the planet itself tremble. "Let's finish this."
WHOOSH!
A battered Number 16 rejoined No. 17 and 18. All three wore expressions of severe apprehension. "We cannot defeat him individually," No. 18 stated, her voice tight. "We attack together. Now!"
Number 16 and 17 gave grim nods.
"Together? A logical calculation," Goku said, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. "But pointless."
He vanished. A fraction of a second later, he materialized beside No. 17. A simple, straight punch exploded against the android's jaw, sending him careening into the horizon. In the same motion, Goku blurred, effortlessly slipping between the simultaneous strikes of Number 16 and No. 18. His fist, sheathed in lightning, buried itself in Number 16's abdomen.
CRUNCH.
The android doubled over, artificial blood and hydraulic fluid spraying from his mouth. They were stronger than their original counterparts, perhaps a match for a Super Saiyan at its peak. But against the raw, unleashed power of a Super Saiyan 2? They were hopelessly outclassed.
"The other two might be spared," Goku stated, his voice devoid of mercy. He seized Number 16's head. "But you. Your killing intent was direct. For that, there is a price."
His hand clenched.
SQUELCH.
The reinforced skull crumpled. A final, point-blank Ki Blast followed, vaporizing Number 16 utterly, leaving not even a scrap of metal behind.
"Now," Goku said, turning his golden gaze on No. 18. A fierce grin played on his lips. "Your turn."
For the first time, true fear flashed in No. 18's eyes. The gap was an abyss. Resistance was impossible.
Goku flashed before her, his fist pulling back, energy coalescing… Was he about to crush this beautiful flower?