Gohan saw the lightning bolt strike down to the earth. He'd seen and felt the pull of energy from the Titans, their sudden strange suicide that he quickly realised to be a sacrifice as all of their powers poured into Cell. The realisation had chilled him to the core. Every Titan that Cell had infused had grown, refined his power, and then returned it back stronger than ever.
The power of the Titan transformation had amplified the Ki of each person, which now fed back into Cell was transforming him into something more. Cell was undergoing a Titan transformation. The wind billowed, whipping so hard that Gohan had to shield his eyes, and chunks of the ground were being ripped from the earth and shredded in the air. The creature that began to rise from the ocean deep was disgustingly massive, its form still sparking with electricity as it flash formed slowly out of the waves. There was no instantaneous transformation as normal, Cell's power too great to evolve so quickly. Instead, it was forming piece by piece, its power rising and rising the whole time.
The chest crested the waterline first, barely more than a distorted mess of ribs and flesh, not of human physiology but the twisted conglomeration of Cell. The torso rose supported by thick mighty legs, ocean spray evaporated from the steam that poured off the limbs. The arms began to form next, shards of bones flashing into existence and connected by thin tendons that wrapped around them. Cell himself could be seen at the top of the chest, quickly being covered by bone and muscle as the head formed up and around him. Before he disappeared from view, Gohan saw the transformation in himself. He looked closer to his semi-perfect form, only his green had changed primarily to red, and his eyes had begun to glow yellow.
The skull that formed over the top reflected this, and as Cell disappeared behind the bones, he was fully subsumed into the Titan form. This was Cell's full potential, his maximum form, and Gohan could feel the power he held to back it up. He wasted no time, pulling his arms back and charging a Kamehameha in his hands. Cell's movement was slow at first, lurching as he struggled to control his new form, giving Gohan a solid target to aim for.
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
The blindingly bright blue beam that shot through the air had a shockwave behind it that split the sea in two. He hadn't held back, and as it hit Cell in the side of the chest it blasted away a large chunk of flesh and bone, detonating with such extreme power that even Gohan was near deafened by the explosion that followed. But as the shockwave ripped outwards, and the thunderclap of the explosion washed over Gohan's ears, Cell moved.
His speed was incredible for his size, racing towards Gohan and rearing back a fist to crush him. The explosion had barely fazed him, his body steaming and sparking as it rebuilt at an alarming rate, and letting Cell bring the full force of his might to bare. Gohan dodged it, leaping backwards with just enough speed to narrowly avoid the blow. He felt the aftershock however as it hit the ground, and even through the water he saw the impact. Countless tonnes of water were thrown into the air, and the mantle of the planet cracking as he struck the ground.
Gohan mentally swore, knowing that even one more of those hits could do permanent damage. Had Cell not pulled back after missing, he may very well have ripped the planet asunder, whether deliberately or not. In spite of the immense danger, such a realisation had Gohan pausing. Flying through the air, he studied Cell as he charged back towards Gohan.
This… this creature, it wasn't Cell. Not fully, not anymore. In his quest to gain more power, Cell had absorbed into him the powers of the Titan transformation, and with it the Titan impulses. He wasn't fighting like he was before, with the skills and abilities taken from the strongest beings, but rather as a monster, one with the singular focus of killing Gohan. Flesh rippled into existence over Cell's skull, and its maw opened with the same expression Gohan had seen on thousands of Titans.
Hunger.
Cell didn't just want to kill Gohan, he wanted to eat him. Gohan raced through the sky, avoiding by the slimmest margins as Cell swiped at him, and lunged with desperate bites. Even though he was over a hundred, or even hundreds of kilometres tall, Cell's Titan transformation had slowed down his reflexes. With his power boost, he was still faster, but Cell's Titan form was limited in new ways, both physically and mentally.
Gohan knew he would have to fight far more strategically than before, not just utilising his fighting instincts and aggression to help power him through. He began with a peppering of Ki blasts at specific joints, areas of weakness on a Titan that he theorised should transfer over. Cell's original body did not function exactly like a human, sharing some traits but not all, however his Titan form was very similar. Gohan's blasts revealed the same ligaments and tendons that he had seen before, but they were only revealed. His blasts barely scratched the surface of his skin, cutting away parts of the flesh but leaving the areas beneath unharmed. Though he took comfort in how long it took Cell to heal due to his immense size, Gohan's lack of progress was a painful sign of what was to come.
"Oh no…" King Kai muttered the words, barely able to hear himself over the cacophony of battle happening around him. Piercing through the vale of Roh's magical barrier was not a simple thing, taking great effort on his part alongside his truly countless years of magical experience.
A relatively minor Kai he may have been, his magical knowledge was beyond most who had ever existed. However, when he managed to see through the shroud to see what was happening on the planet, he had dearly hoped he'd made some kind of mistake. He had seen Cell during his time spent watching the planet that had so often dominated his attention, and of course seen him up close when Goku had brought him straight to him. But what he was seeing now was something else entirely.
Through it all though, there was a silver lining. He had found Gohan, seen him down on the planet, still fighting Cell. Had they been fighting each other for the entire seven years since he had disappeared? It seemed impossible, yet it seemed everyone from planet Earth continued to surprise him at every opportunity. He briefly considered that time had been different on the planet, but one look at how the boy had grown into a man had him dismissing that assumption.
"What are you doing?"
King Kai's eyes widened as they suddenly returned to the world of the Supreme Kai. During the fighting, one of the foes fighting the Z warriors had managed to gain enough breathing room to notice King Kai and his strange mystic actions. The question was more rhetorical, as the humanoid quickly came to the correct conclusion as King Kai suddenly flinched and shrunk in on himself.
"The Kai!" He roared, turning to face towards the Supreme Kai. "He's trying to break your barrier!"
Okay well it wasn't exactly the right conclusion, but it was close enough that all of them suddenly turned their focus towards him.
"You…" Roh sneered, a trickle of blood running from his nose and down past his lips. "You can't do that! STOP HIM!"
The order was followed without hesitation, and a sudden swarm of fighters began to descend on King Kai. He let out a scream of fear before they were intercepted, the Z fighters throwing themselves one and all against them. The spinning disc of Krillins Kienzan sliced down the front of one's chest, leaving an agonizing scar but not killing them as they lurched out of the way just in time.
Piccolo's Makenkosapo hit one of them in the back, drilling through his chest and dropping him from the sky with a cry of pain. He wasn't dead, hitting the ground and clutching the hole in his chest as one of his companions flew to his side. 17 and 18 intercepted another pair, fighting in complete unison the cyborg duo took apart their enemies with precision, never giving an inch nor leaving themselves open as each sibling swooped in to protect the other.
Tien's Kikoho slammed another, the triangular blast sending the creature slamming into a square hole in the ground. Yamcha showed the most struggle, his spirit ball only able to slow his opponent as they dove from side to side avoiding the ball of Ki that soared continually after them.
The Z fighters were outnumbered however, and the rest came flying towards King Kai with Ki blasts unleashed down upon him. Goku reached him first, intercepting them and batting each one away. They screamed their frustration, one of them rearing back and forming a large blast in his hands, powering it up over his head. Yet as he prepared to hurl it, his hands were suddenly grabbed from behind.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Vegeta's cocksure voice had him squealing in brief fright before he was suddenly kicked directly in the spine. Gasping for air, he was quickly grabbed by the legs and spun, twirled through the air before being launched into one of his comrades.
"You are all forgetting your place!" He shouted, hands sparking with power. "Bow before the PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!" He thrust out his arms, hands open and facing towards the crowd of remaining foes as power ballooned in his palms. "FINAL FLASH!"
The blast that followed was tremendous, obliterating large swathes of the Supreme Kai's world and sending them all scattering for cover. From behind Goku's indomitable form, King Kai was shielded from the shockwave that rippled past them.
"King Kai," Goku quickly panted, "what did you find?"
"I-I found him. Gohan's alive." King Kai saw the exact moment Goku changed. Seven years of doubt, worry, and guilt, all suddenly dropping from his face for one brief sweet moment as total relief washed over him. He was one step closer to his son, he was within reach, but he just needed a little more time. "But there's a problem."
The relief faded, and Goku's face was instantly tense again. "What is it?"
"It's Cell. He's alive down there too, he and Gohan are fighting. I don't know what the hell happened, but Cell is so much stronger now, I don't know if he can win."
King Kai hated saying such things. He wanted to be kind, to give Goku hope, but he also knew he needed to hear it. Goku knew it too, and as much as it pained him, he swallowed it down and accepted it. "What can we do to help?"
"I, I don't know. I can't get through the barrier, it's still too strong."
"Can you show me his Ki? I can instant transmission there!"
He shook his head, having already thought to try it but knowing it was beyond his ability to do. "It takes all of my concentration just to be able to peer through, I couldn't do anything other than talk. Do you want to talk to him?"
Goku leaned forwards, almost desperate to do so, before he hesitated. "I-… I can't. I can't distract him." And he couldn't help him either. Goku knew and believed in Gohan and his abilities, he didn't need a pep talk or reassurance now, what he needed was some genuine help. "I need you to find someone. Whoever is strongest on the planet aside from Cell or Gohan, find them please."
"Alright." King Kai muttered, beginning to work his way through the planet's population. "I hope you have a plan though."
Paradis Island was in turmoil. With the Titan horde having committed a mass suicide, everyone's attention followed to where the energy went, and a sight that was impossible to miss. A Titan form of Cell, the monster that may kill them all was wading through the water, attempting to devour Gohan with a mindless determination. He was soaring as fast as he could, flying around and blasting Cell at every available opportunity, but it seemed to do little.
Stood at the edge of the water, the Eldian army watched helplessly. The Marley navy had come around likewise, travelling around the island to get closer to Cell in the hopes that they could do anything at all against him. The mood was grim, but they would do their best.
In unison, every Ki capable soldier of Paradis unleashed their blasts upon Cell, and every ship of the Marley fleet opened fire with cannon fire. Neither the artillery nor the Ki blasts did anything beyond create a light show as Cell continued to snap after Gohan. At the speeds they were fighting at, they were fortunate that Gohan had managed to keep Cell in relatively one spot, else they wouldn't have hit anything at all. Mikasa stood with the others, gazing helplessly as they failed to do anything to the creature. It seemed that this fight was now well and truly beyond them in every capacity.
'Hello?'
Mikasa whirled on her feet, looking around for whoever it was that had spoken. It hadn't been any kind of voice she had recognised, sounding so strange and yet it had to have been someone right next to her given how clear it had been.
"Hello?"
She looked around in confusion, scanning the faces of her comrades but none were paying attention to her, instead all of them glued to the battle before them.
'Hello? Can you hear me?'
She spun around again, the slight creep of fear running up her spine as she realised the voice was coming from inside of her own head. Her hands slapped over her ears, unable to understand what was happening to her.
"I… I can hear you."
'My name is King Kai, please don't panic. You don't have to speak out loud, just think and I can hear you.'
King Kai. The name rang a familiar bell in her memory, and she quickly remembered why. Gohan's past, his stories from his world, he had told them about King Kai. Questions instantly ran through her mind, but she pushed them back. She didn't exactly understand how telepathy worked, nor did she have the time to ask everything she wanted to know. So instead, she simply forced the words clearly in her mind.
'You're King Kai! Are you here to save Gohan? Please, he's in trouble, he needs help.'
'You know about me? Never mind, listen, we can't get to you right now, but if Gohan needs help, I know a way you can do it. You know how to use Ki right? Next to Gohan and Cell you looked to be the strongest.'
She nodded briefly, before realising that of course he couldn't see her nodding, switching back to a more proper mental response. 'Yes, I can use Ki, what do you want me to do? Cell's too strong, we can't do anything to him.'
'Well, not like that. But I have a way that can help. Now normally this would take a lot of training and more skill than you probably have, but I don't see a lot of options here. I'll guide you through how it's done.'
The instructions that followed were hard to comprehend, but Mikasa listened as best as she could. Nervously, she took a step backwards and began with the first step.
She raised her hands into the air.
"Is she doing it?" Goku may have been leaning over King Kai's shoulder, but he was too distracted by the fight to try and see down to the world as King Kai was doing.
King Kai made a grunt of not quite affirmation, but begrudgingly close enough. "She can use Ki, but this is a rush job Goku. I have to guide her every step of the way or it won't work."
Goku nodded in understanding, turning back to fully face the battle. "I'll keep them away."
One of the beast creatures slammed into the ground before him, Vegeta following soon after as he drove his knee into the poor things' spine. He screamed in pain, bending as Vegeta viciously snapped the bones.
"You know Kakarot for as much fun as this is, I'm more than a little outnumbered here. If you're quite done on the phone, then stop dawdling and do something."
"You arrogant little mortals!" Roh reappeared with his henchmen in tow. He was injured and showing it, but he and his companions were still more than capable of fighting, and certainly willing. "I have told you a thousand times, I am the Supreme Kai of this universe. Do as I command you and stop interfering!"
Goku strode forwards, past Vegeta as his aura pulsed and the ground cracked.
"What is this?" Roh spat, snarling with gritted and broken teeth. "Another challenge? I've seen all you Saiyans have to offer, and as strong as you may be, you're quite simply too outnumbered. Now stop all of this pointless defiance… AND REMEMBER YOUR PLACE!"
The Ki blast he launched was powerful. Not some impulsively thrown attack, but charged, controlled, a reminder that Roh was not the Supreme Kai of this universe without skill of his own.
The explosion shrouded Goku from view, throwing up huge plumes of dust and dirt as it detonated. But none of them moved. The former Trio of Danger had all learned to respect Goku's power, and even Roh wasn't so arrogant anymore as to believe that the fight had just been ended. And so they waited, with bated breath to see what Goku would do.
The rumbling of the planet was the response. The rising feeling in the air as each and every one of them felt his power up, to the point that Bergamo was openly lurching back away from it.
"It keeps getting higher!" He exclaimed. Everyone could feel it, but none could truly believe it, as Goku's power just kept rising and rising. "How is he doing this, what is he!?"
Goku's scream echoed out from the cloud, until it was blown away by the force of his aura. "Kaio Ken…!"
The strength inside him seemed to multiply endlessly, rising without limit.
"His strength, it's doubled- no tripled- quadrupled- it's… more than ten time's higher!"
The red aura of his Kaio Ken burned underneath the golden Super Saiyan light, a brilliant red of anger and power.
"TIMES TWENTY!" Goku's roar rippled across the entire planet and through the realm. The roar of one of the greatest fighters to have ever existed. The roar of a father, who would do anything, who would overcome any obstacle, to get his son back.
His movement was too fast for any to see, his fist ploughing straight into the gut of the Supreme Kai. His gurgling shout of pain was cut off as he was summarily kicked around the planet itself, circling back to meet another of Goku's fists. The Saiyan roared, his power unleashed in a wild fury, a fury he directed on any who would stand in his way.
"You want us to what?" Admiral Beitel couldn't make any sense of the orders he had received. Artillery coordinates for fire support, directions to move and engage the massive Titan, these were all things he could understand, but this?
"We don't have time to keep repeating ourselves!" General Calvi's tone was rushed, sounding as desperate as he had been when the new rumbling had begun. "This may be our only chance to help, now do it. Broadcast these words worldwide and put your hands in the air!"
Admiral Beitel hesitated, the radio in his hand remaining silent as he didn't reply. It wasn't a desire to disagree, but sheer disbelief that froze him. His hand shook, and he relented, turning to the officers by his side.
"Get on the radio, spread the word. Every country, every person we can reach, then have them pass on the message. We need a worldwide transmission and spread the order to the crew." The officer began to carry out his orders, and with a sigh the Admiral turned back to the radio. "Sir, are you sure about this?"
"Listen, I don't understand this Eldian magic any more than you, but if they say this will work, then we try it."
"And this Gohan sir, do you trust him that much?"
The line was silent for a moment, Calvi thinking through his words before he finally answered. "I do. Admiral I can't explain it, but that kid died and now he's back alive. He's alive, and the first thing he did was kill every Titan he could. Not here, worldwide. Everyone who is out there is alive thanks to him, and I think they know it. If anyone can beat this creature, it's him."
"Understood." He clicked off the radio, walking out of the bridge to look across the waves at Paradis Island. Offshore a massive Titan was fighting the last hope for survival they had, but on land, something wholly other was going on.
A crowd of people, all with their hands held up in the air. And high in the sky, the glistening white ball of power that had begun to build with all the energy the world had to offer. The word would spread. Even now, he could see the sailors from the rest of his ships raising their hands to the sky. Across the world, the survivors would hear the message, and would put their hands to the sky to give their energy to Gohan. In Paradis Island, all those who could do so would willingly surrender everything they could for Gohan. From the underground city to the new lands that had been prepared for refugees.
From the people who had only known him by legend, to those who called him friend, and to the one who had come to see him as her second son. Everyone would give all they could in the hope to support Gohan. And so would he.
Admiral Bietel stood at the edge of his ship, alongside his fellow sailors, and raised his hands to the sky as the battle continued in the distance.
"This is bad." Eren muttered the words as he watched the battle. "The power is building, but Gohan won't get a chance to use it if he can't get any breathing room from Cell." Through the power of the paths, he and Ymir could see the entirety of the planet as they fought. Cell was much stronger than Gohan now, and though he held the advantage of a clear mind and manoeuvrability, it would only give him a chance, not allow him to win.
He whirled on Ymir, staring down at her almost pleadingly. "Isn't there something you can do? You're connected to our world, to Cell just the same as you were to the rest of us. You can do something."
She turned away from him, hiding her face in shame as she felt herself retreating in on herself. Ymir liked Gohan, truly she did, it was the whole reason she had given him a rebirth to fight back. But her…? What could she do? She was nothing, just a pawn, a slave.
Eren refused to accept her silence, kneeling down and gripping her by the shoulders. She had to listen to him, she had to. "Ymir listen! I know you can do something. Right here, right now. Gohan is fighting for his life, for the lives of everyone, to give them a chance for real freedom. You know what Cell is, you've known creatures like him your entire life, I know you have. He's the one who would enslave you, he's doing it now! He wants to take your power for his own, to claim your legacy! But we're born free, all of us. But there are those like Cell, like the one's who enslaved you, those who want to take everything away from everyone. But you know what freedom is, you've seen it. It's too important to let slip away, and you know it's worth fighting for! It doesn't matter how hard it is, or how much it hurts! Do not hesitate! Do not back down! Fight! Fight for Gohan! Fight for your people! Fight for yourself Ymir! Just FIGHT!"
Ymir turned back to him, her eyes open as the entire realm pulsed with power.
Cell's blows were wild, swinging as manic as he was. The Titan instincts were scratching at his mind, rending it with a crazed fervour to kill and devour. Gohan had tried to dodge, to get some kind of room, but there wasn't any relenting in his assault. He tried to fly high, but Cell was so tall he blocked him off at any angle.
Another fist blackened the sky above him as Cell brought it down towards him. Gohan froze, knowing that if he dodged then Cell was going to hit the planet, cracking the mantle and killing countless people, if not dooming the planet for good itself.
It would hurt. Hurt so badly he might feel like he was dying. But he would have to block it. Hands raised to guard, he prepared for the blow to hit him.
But it didn't.
The fist came falling straight for him, only to lurch to a halt as something stopped it. Gohan couldn't see it at first, see the bulging of flesh as Cell's arm twisted and jerked. His arm pulled back, unwilling and fighting it as it shook violently. The ripping that sounded was horrific, a thunderclap of shredding meat as Cell's arm suddenly ripped in two.
It wasn't just his arm, and Cell roared in pain as his entire body seemed to rip apart slowly. It was as if he was being bisected, as ripping itself out from his back came another form. Not of Cell, but another Titan. The Titan. The Titan Ymir. Even in Titan form, he recognised her, saw the familiar god as she birthed herself from Cell's body and reared back one fist.
It struck him in the head with incredible force. A shockwave that knocked Gohan back and away from the two giants.
Ymir followed it up with another blow. Then another, each blow staggering Cell backwards. As the fourth punch came in, Cell caught it, fist grabbing Ymir's as he threw another punch into her face. The difference in the two became quickly apparent. Not in strength, but experience. Ymir had Titan experience a plenty, but she had fought humans, ants beneath her feet. Cell was a fighter of equals, a combination of the greatest fighters and most powerful beings in one.
Cell took the blows with experience, instinctively rolling to absorb the hits. But Ymir couldn't, and with each fist that struck her face she struggled to recover.
But Gohan didn't understand how she was even standing in the first place. Her strength, the power in this world, it would never in a million years reached the heights of Cell without his teachings. But his senses told him true. It wasn't Ymir's strength that she fought with, it was Cell's. In taking Ymir's power, Cell had linked himself to her. But if he could do it to her, she could do it to him.
She would lose though, of that Gohan was sure.
He didn't know the extent of her powers, but he knew Cell. He knew the unfathomable feats of power that the creature was capable of. He needed something that he could use to help. He needed more power. He needed… A tingle creeped at the back of his mind, a calling of power that he needed. Turning back to Paradis Island, he saw it.
High in the sky, was a spirit bomb.