Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1697 Piccolo and the God

After all, Cell didn't dare show his face in front of them.

Cell's absorption of energy continuously enhances his fighting power, allowing him to reach a level comparable to or even surpassing that of a Super Saiyan in his normal state.

……

The vastness and profundity of the universe can only be truly understood after experiencing it firsthand, bringing a sense of awe and... loss.

For Piccolo and Piccolo, two Namekians born from the split between the original God and the Demon King, the trip to Namek was nothing short of a complete reshaping of their worldview.

They once thought that Earth was the center of the struggle, and that Sun Wukong's silhouette was the goal they needed to strive to catch up with.

However, Frieza's terrifying power and the many more powerful beings lurking in the depths of the universe, like a cold cosmic storm, shattered their once-held belief in the "Earth stage."

After returning to Earth, both of them devoted themselves to arduous training, trying to transform what they had seen and heard into their own power.

Piccolo was calm and focused, trying to integrate and internalize the power he had gained from assimilation on Namek; Piccolo, on the other hand, was more radical, driven by a sense of humiliation and resentment, attempting to break through his limits in a more extreme way.

However, the barriers of reality are incredibly strong.

Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta seem to have been born with a higher starting line; their strength grows as rapidly as the expansion of the universe, leaving others far behind.

Piccolo and Piccolo's arduous training, though terrifying among Earth's martial artists, has left them helplessly discovering that they seem to be increasingly "out of touch with the times."

An invisible sense of anxiety spread in their hearts, though they expressed it in different ways.

On this day, they were cultivating in a deserted valley, and the sound of their qi blasts booming echoed through the valley.

Piccolo had just finished a high-intensity burst of energy, his forehead was covered in sweat, but his eyes were full of resentment.

Bick sat cross-legged on a giant rock, attempting to connect more deeply with his own energy through meditation.

Just then, a faint yet strangely familiar aura approached from afar.

The two looked over alertly at the same time, and saw a deity dressed in the traditional attire of an Earth god, slowly descending into the valley in his flying vehicle.

His face was filled with worry and urgency, which seemed out of place in this training ground filled with a sense of power.

"Hmph, what's this old geezer doing here?"

Piccolo crossed his arms, his tone filled with undisguised contempt and impatience.

He once viewed the gods as obstacles that had to be eliminated in order to realize his ambition of ruling the earth, but now, the title of earth's overlord sounds like child's play to him.

The god didn't pay attention to Piccolo's attitude; his gaze was mainly on the more composed Piccolo, and he spoke in a heavy voice: "Piccolo, Piccolo... Earth is facing an unprecedented crisis."

Piccolo scoffed, interrupting, "Crisis? Which fool has jumped out again? What does the survival of the Earth have to do with us?"

His ambitions have long since soared to the stars and the sea.

His new goal is to become the "Emperor of the Universe," as the "small pond" of Earth can no longer contain his ambition.

Although Naru's will had some influence on him, making him no longer as purely evil as he was at the beginning, what still guided his actions was his deep-rooted pride and desire for conquest.

Ignoring Piccolo's taunts, the deity continued, "There is a monster named Cell that is silently absorbing humans all over the world. Its actions are extremely secretive, and I can sense that its life energy increases with each person it absorbs. I fear... if this continues, not only will humanity face extinction, but the entire Earth may be destroyed as a result."

Piccolo opened his eyes, his deep green pupils staring at the god: "Cell? What kind of monster makes even you so uneasy?"

He knew that the power of immortals was limited, but the fact that they could be so alarmed meant that the other party was no ordinary person.

“It’s special,” the deity said solemnly.

"Its aura is extremely complex, seemingly a fusion of the traits of many powerful beings... Moreover, I have a bad feeling that its goal is not simply to absorb ordinary people. Its very existence seems to be for some kind of terrifying evolution."

Piccolo waved his hand impatiently: "Enough! Old man, all you're saying is trying to get us to become the guardians of Earth? Don't waste your energy. The demons... or rather, us, don't need to waste our energy on this planet anymore. The universe is vast and boundless; there are plenty of stronger opponents and planets more suitable for our development."

He turned to Bick.

"Piccolo, let's go. Staying here will only cause us to fall further behind Goku and Vegeta. The real battlefield is in the depths of space!"

Bick remained silent for a moment.

Piccolo's words make sense. Escaping the conflicts on Earth and heading to the unknown universe might allow them to avoid their current troubles and find new opportunities.

But deep down, a sense of responsibility stemming from Piccolo as a whole, and the Namekian instinct to protect the weak, was subtly at work.

More importantly, a sense of warrior's dignity was reminding him.

Piccolo,

Bick spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful.

"If we choose to flee because of a monster we haven't even seen yet, how are we any different from those cowards we despise? This is no longer about ruling or protecting the Earth; it's about our own beliefs. Running away solves nothing; it only proves our weakness. Whether we leave Earth in the future or not, at least for now, we cannot back down in the face of an unknown threat."

Piccolo snorted coldly, but couldn't find the words to refute him.

Bick's words struck a chord with someone in his proud heart.

The god looked at Piccolo, a hint of relief and determination flashing in his eyes.

Piccolo or Piccolo at this moment would probably be unable to deal with Cell, who even they find terrifying.

The two "second-generation demons" embarked on different ideological paths due to their different experiences and assimilation, which prompted the immortals to make a decision.

“Bick,”

The deity's voice became unusually solemn.

"Your current strength may not be enough. Cell's growth rate is beyond imagination. Its current normal strength is probably comparable to or even surpasses that of a Super Saiyan. Moreover, it is extremely cunning and dares not show itself to you easily. It has been secretly accumulating power."

Bick frowned slightly: "So what suggestions do you have?"

"assimilation."

The deity uttered those two words, his gaze fixed intently on Bick.

"You and I, become one again."

"assimilation?"

Bick's gaze sharpened.

He certainly knew about assimilation; his assimilation with the Namekian warriors on Namek had greatly increased his strength.

But to assimilate with the gods?

The power of the gods is far too weak compared to his current strength.

(End of this chapter)