Chapter 6

Hearing Vegeta's voice, Katakana halted the energy blast in his hand and turned to look in his direction.

At that moment, Vegeta was slowly flying over, dragging his heavily injured body.

"This guy... Vegeta really is stubborn!" Katakana muttered, shaking his head in exasperation.

He was exactly as portrayed in the original series—proud and relentless, even in defeat.

Meanwhile, Cell, who had been lying low, caught sight of Vegeta. A sinister grin crept across his face.

"Perfect... If I can't absorb Android 18, then Vegeta will do. Even if I can't achieve my perfect form, absorbing him will make me much stronger!"

"Solar Flare!"

Cell suddenly unleashed a brilliant burst of light, momentarily blinding everyone present.

The dazzling brightness forced Katakana, Trunks, and the others to shield their eyes, leaving them unable to act.

Cell seized the opportunity and darted toward Vegeta.

"Cell, I won't let you escape!" Vegeta shouted, though he was still disoriented from the flash.

"Escape? Heh... Don't worry, Vegeta—I'm not going anywhere," Cell sneered as his tail transformed into a massive set of jaws and lunged toward the defenseless Vegeta.

Due to his injuries from Katakana, Vegeta had no strength left to resist.

"Dad, run!" Trunks screamed in desperation, his sight slowly returning. But it was too late.

Cell's tail had already swallowed half of Vegeta's body, and Vegeta's legs flailed violently in an attempt to escape.

"Cell, you bastard! Let go of my father!"

Enraged, Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan, golden energy erupting around him. With a powerful stomp, he launched himself toward Cell.

Boom!

Trunks' fist collided with Cell's face, sending him flying backward and skidding across the ground.

But despite the force of Trunks' punch, Vegeta was not saved. By the time the attack landed, Vegeta had already been completely absorbed.

"It's over... Even Vegeta has been absorbed by Cell..." Krillin muttered in shock, frozen in place.

The proud Saiyan prince, who had been dominating Cell just moments ago, was now part of him.

"Not good... Cell's power has increased significantly," Android 16 said grimly.

Though Cell couldn't achieve his perfect form without absorbing Androids 17 and 18, absorbing Vegeta had still made him much stronger.

"Damn you, Cell!"

Trunks' anger reached its peak. His golden aura flared wildly as he launched another furious barrage of punches and kicks at Cell.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Cell staggered under the relentless assault, unable to fight back.

"This guy... actually absorbed Vegeta. But things are about to get interesting," Katakana said calmly, watching from above.

Katakana, now possessing the power of a Super Saiyan God, could see everything clearly despite the blinding Solar Flare. His Saiyan instincts told him not to intervene just yet.

Instead, he was curious to see how much stronger Cell would become.

"Heh... Brat, do you want to be absorbed too?" Cell suddenly roared as his energy spiked.

His body began to swell, his aura growing exponentially stronger.

"Get lost!"

Grabbing Trunks by the arm, Cell threw a powerful punch into his chest.

Boom!

The strike sent Trunks flying backward, crashing into the ground as he coughed up blood.

"Trunks injured in just one blow... It seems Cell's power has truly increased," Katakana observed calmly.

Though Cell's newfound strength was surprising, it was far from threatening. Katakana knew he could take him down with ease, even without transforming.

"Unbelievable... This energy—this must be Vegeta's power," Cell said, trembling with excitement as he felt his strength surge.

But just as Cell began to revel in his newfound power, his body started to expand uncontrollably.

"Damn it! What's happening? My body feels like it's about to explode!" Cell shouted, his excitement turning to panic.

"It must be Vegeta's overwhelming energy... My body can't absorb it all at once!"

Swollen and unsteady, Cell realized he was on the verge of self-destruction.

"No... I've come too far to end like this!"

Spotting Katakana hovering in the air, Cell snarled. "Tch! That arrogant Saiyan hasn't even tried to stop me..."

Without wasting another second, Cell turned and fled at full speed.

He knew that once he fully assimilated Vegeta's power, he would become far stronger. He just needed time.

"When I'm ready, I'll kill Katakana first... Then I'll absorb Android 18 and achieve perfection!" Cell vowed as he disappeared into the distance.