Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future

Chapter 345 345: Even If We Lose, We Have to Make It Count

The atmosphere across the entire viewing platform was blazing hot.

Full Metal Cell Max paid it no mind.

Its voice rang out once more.

"The drawing has ended."

"Considering that some contestants are not in peak condition, I will grant all participants thirty minutes to prepare."

As soon as the words fell, it snapped its fingers lightly.

Hum

A gentle dark-gold radiance spread out like ripples on water, sweeping across every person present.

The Gods of Destruction who had just been injured in battle against Vegeta's subordinates found their wounds healing at a visible rate.

The divine power they had expended surged back to its peak in an instant.

Even the Broly of this timeline, who had been gravely injured and whose aura had been extremely weak, was fully restored under the glow.

That single move made everyone's hearts tighten.

Healing every powerful fighter present, including Gods of Destruction, with a casual gesture.

This thing's strength was unfathomable.

"Oh ho ho ho... what thoughtful service."

Frieza flexed his body, feeling the abundant power coursing through him, and his smile grew more delighted.

Cooler gave a cold snort and said nothing, but the look he gave Full Metal Cell Max was icy.

That thing carried out the will of Big Gete Star's main core, and Big Gete Star had betrayed him.

That wound still had not faded.

Just then, Time Patrol Vegito flew forward.

His face was serious. "Hey. We're fusions, and we have a time limit. If a fight drags on too long and we defuse, how is that supposed to count?"

Beside him, Time Patrol Gohanks also cast over a questioning look.

It was something many people were wondering about.

"As for fusion warriors... naturally, I will make allowances."

Full Metal Cell Max answered without hesitation.

"After every round, all contestants will be given sufficient rest time."

"Enough for you to separate, and enough for you to prepare properly to fuse again for the next match."

"Of course, if you separate during the match itself, then unless you can fuse again within three minutes, it will be counted as a loss."

That answer satisfied Time Patrol Vegito greatly.

With a full half hour of preparation time, everyone now had a chance to discuss tactics and study their opponents.

Piccolo immediately went to find Gohan and Trunks.

"The opponents you drew seem to have fully embraced the path of evil..."

His expression was graver than ever.

"Their fighting styles will probably be extremely brutal. You absolutely cannot be careless."

Gohan nodded, his eyes fixed on the figure named Wild Beast.

"I can feel it. The Beast power inside him is even more violent than mine. I've only had this form for a few days myself."

Nearby, Earth's fighters had also gathered together.

"Yamcha... take care of yourself." Krillin patted Yamcha on the shoulder, his face full of sympathy.

Tien said in a deep voice, "Your opponent is Lord Champa. Judging from that body of his, if you can stall as much as possible in the match, maybe you can wear him out. Look for openings. Don't try to meet him head-on."

"I know..." Yamcha looked like he was about to cry. "But I feel like I wouldn't even be able to block one finger from him!"

Over on the Time Patrol side, however, a new problem appeared.

Once they had confirmed the match rules, Time Patrol Vegito and Time Patrol Gohanks flashed with light and separated at the same time.

They turned back into four people: Time Patrol Goku, Time Patrol Vegeta, Time Patrol Gohan, and Time Patrol Trunks.

"What's going on now?" Time Patrol Goku asked in confusion.

"Hmph." Time Patrol Vegeta folded his arms. "Looks like Moro's already been dealt with."

Before they fused, they had been fighting Moro after he merged into the Kaioshin Realm itself.

And now, in the blink of an eye, it had somehow turned into a tournament...

The memories of a fused warrior were not inherited by the individuals afterward, so Time Patrol Goku and Time Patrol Vegeta had no grasp at all on the current situation.

Time Patrol Vegeta looked displeased.

"Hey, what the hell is going on? Someone explain it to me. Now."

Quite a few of the Earth fighters were hearing about the fusion-memory issue for the first time.

The memories formed while wearing Potara fusion could not be shared back to the two individuals.

To them, everything they had just done as Vegito was like a deleted stretch of memory.

"Fusion is powerful, but if both consciousnesses were fully inherited afterward, it would carry a risk of mental collapse. Consider it a kind of safety mechanism." Vados explained casually.

"Then... did I sign up for the tournament or not?" The thing Time Patrol Goku cared about most was that.

Time Patrol Pan answered, "Well... Vegito signed up..."

As for whether the two of them as individuals counted as registered now, she did not know either.

The moment he heard that, Time Patrol Vegeta's face darkened.

"So the one who signed up is Vegito, and that means I have to fuse with Kakarot just to get on stage?"

"That's right."

"No way. I want to fight in my own body, fair and square!" Time Patrol Vegeta flatly refused.

Time Patrol Goku's thoughts were pretty much the same.

Using fusion in a real emergency was one thing. Sometimes that could not be helped.

But doing the same thing for a tournament? For him, that took all the fun out of it.

"I'm not fusing. I want to compete as myself."

"That's enough! Both of you!"

The Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa, flew over and cut them off before they could try to register as individuals.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn!" Her face was serious. "Haven't you realized it yet? The sudden appearance of Emperor Vegeta and his men is itself highly abnormal."

Her tone was full of concern.

"Why did they appear out of nowhere? Who exactly sent them here? We know none of that."

"But I strongly suspect Towa or Mechikabura is behind this."

Chronoa's expression was as grave as could be.

"In a situation like this, we must be ready in our strongest form at all times. Otherwise, any accident on the field could lead to consequences we can't reverse!"

Time Patrol Goku and Time Patrol Vegeta looked at one another, and each saw the same seriousness reflected in the other's eyes.

If the Demon Realm was truly involved, then everything changed.

"...What a pain." In the end, Time Patrol Vegeta relented.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it your way, Lady Chronoa."

"Yeah, okay. I'll listen too." Time Patrol Goku agreed helplessly.

Only after convincing the two of them did Chronoa finally let out a breath.

None of that conversation escaped Levos.

He simply watched in silence, without interfering.

The Demon Realm, huh?

If nothing unexpected happened, he would have to fight them sooner or later.

At that moment, Aeos quietly approached him.

Her face still wore its usual coldness.

"This tournament has given me quite an interesting inspiration."

"There are too many chaotic timelines."

Her voice was light, as though she were talking about something trivial.

"Countless timelines keep sprouting like tangled vines. All they do is give birth to more threats like Emperor Vegeta."

"So I've been thinking... in the near future, I should hold a tournament as well."

"One on an even greater scale. The ultimate martial arts tournament, gathering the strongest warriors from every timeline and every dimension."

Levos said nothing. He simply listened.

"And then..." Aeos's tone turned cold.

"I would erase every extra timeline that loses. Every surplus timeline with no value left to justify its existence."

"Only the strongest one. The most perfect one. That is all that should remain."

So she meant to preserve only this timeline?

A chill ran through Levos.

That was even worse than Zeno erasing universes.

"I won't support you."

His answer was immediate.

Aeos had clearly expected it, and showed no surprise.

"I know." She smiled. "But you won't be able to stop me either. In my eyes, this is the most efficient way to maintain order across time."

"It's because I value you that I'm telling you this plan in advance. Think it over carefully."

Levos looked into her eyes, his own expression grave.

Aeos's plan made one thing crystal clear to him.

Whether it was Zeno or the Supreme Kais of Time...

Both possessed the power to wipe out entire timelines with ease.

If the fate of he and his companions had to depend on the mercy or rules of either side, then eventually they would all become nothing but pieces on a game board, moved about at another's whim.

So even if Aeos truly intended to preserve this timeline, Levos felt no safety at all.

There was only one answer

Create a universe that belonged entirely to himself, with rules established by his own hand.

Only then would there be real security.

He sank part of his awareness into his body.

In the deepest part of his personal space, the Universe Seed already swollen with enormous energy was still greedily devouring the energy of the planet beneath it.

The glow coming from it had grown dozens of times stronger than before, and the finer roots around it were visibly lengthening.

Inside the seed, points of starlight were being born and extinguished in endless succession.

The embryonic form of an entirely new universe was slowly evolving.

No matter who won or lost this tournament, none of it truly mattered to him.

If he wanted to absorb more energy, then naturally the fights needed to be as intense and as prolonged as possible.

One-sided stomps were the least valuable kind of match.

"After all, the villains have all received absurd, mythic-level buffs."

"There's no reason not to give my companions a little boost too."

On the viewing platform, Earth's fighters had instinctively gathered together, the pressure in the air almost unbearable.

"My opponent is God of Destruction Champa..." Yamcha's face was ghostly pale, and he was still complaining. "How am I supposed to fight that? Am I just supposed to go up there and die?"

Krillin gave a bitter laugh. His own situation was not much better.

He had not drawn a God of Destruction, but information on his opponent had already been identified.

Lagss one of Hearts' companions.

Tien's opponent was also a God of Destruction: Liquiir of Universe 8, whose strength ranked around the middle among the Gods of Destruction.

Chi-Chi and Videl, looking at their own matchups against Kamin and Oren, both of whom were also Hearts' allies, could see no real hope of victory either.

Earth had the largest number of entrants, but also the widest spread in power.

That meant once they got matched with non-Earth fighters, most of them would have almost no chance.

Even though they had all obtained Saiyan bloodlines, the gap between them and the top tiers remained a chasm.

Even the strongest among them did not have easy matchups.

Goku versus Kakarot.

Gohan versus Wild Beast.

Trunks versus Crown Prince.

At first glance, they looked like mirror matches. But everyone had heard from Bardock that those opponents were true butchers, killers who had clawed their way out of seas of blood and mountains of corpses.

Meanwhile, the fighters here had barely had any time to adapt to their newly gained powers.

"This is bad." Piccolo knitted his brows. "Every one of them has a massive amount of combat experience."

"In a tournament like this..." Bejita bit her lip, her face full of frustration. "There's no place for me to shine at all."

She was arrogant, yes, but not stupid.

Forget the Gods of Destruction. She could not beat any of the Saiyans under Emperor Vegeta, either.

If she got casually eliminated in round one, then what was the point of entering at all?

Into that oppressive silence, Levos stepped forward.

He swept a glance over everyone's faces.

"If the gap is large, then find a way to make it smaller."

His words stunned them.

How?

Levos's mouth curved slightly.

"I'll help create that opportunity."

Before anyone had even processed what he meant, he spread his arms.

"Everyone, come closer."

Quite a few people instantly understood what was coming.

"Levos, you're planning to channel your energy into us?"

Piccolo saw through it at once.

"You can do something like that?" Krillin was first confused, then thrilled. "That's great! If I can get some of Levos's energy too, maybe I can become as strong as he is!"

"You're thinking too highly of me, Krillin." Levos laughed helplessly. "At best, I can raise your energy level by a tier or so. Something like the level of Super Saiyan God."

"You mean we can transform into Super Saiyan God without doing the ritual?"

"More or less. Though the exact result will vary from person to person."

The moment everyone heard Levos could do that, they obediently crowded around him. Even Frieza had silently drifted into position at some point.

"Now that everyone's here, I'm starting."

Boom !

An indescribably terrifying energy erupted from Levos without warning.

It was not ki.

It was not divine power.

It was an even purer, more primordial torrent of life-force energy.

Like a star river breaking through a dam, it instantly engulfed the entire Earth team.

Across the rest of the viewing platform, every eye was drawn to the sudden upheaval.

"What is he doing?!" Cooler's pupils shrank.

"This energy... so vast... so refined..." Frieza was inwardly shaken, though a smile of genuine delight spread across his face.

On the other side, the ten Gods of Destruction all changed expression at once.

"He's dividing his own power among those mortals?!" Quitela cried out.

"Has he lost his mind?! A power infusion on that scale would make those mortals explode instantly!" Heles stared in disbelief.

Champa inwardly cursed Levos for being underhanded. Worse, something this good had happened and Champa had not even been invited.

Inside the spaceship, Vegeta who had been lounging on his throne slowly sat up straight, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

Full Metal Cell Max watched all of it in silence.

"How interesting... Is he actually attempting to forcefully narrow the gap in strength this way?"

Vados sighed. "He really does love doing reckless things."

At the very center of the energy flood, Earth's warriors felt as if they had been submerged in a warm ocean.

Every single cell in their bodies cried out in joy.

Every fiber of them came alive.

Parched earth met with rain.

Withered trees burst into life again.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH !"

Yamcha was the first to feel his power shoot upward at a speed he would never have dared dream of.

Super Saiyan. Super Saiyan 2. Super Saiyan 3...

Bottlenecks shattered one after another like paper.

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