Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1698 Cell Absorbed Millions
How much improvement can be achieved by assimilating a weak person?
He even suspected that the gods might have ulterior motives, trying to influence or even dominate his will through assimilation.

Piccolo immediately objected sharply: "Piccolo, don't fall for it! This old guy is definitely up to no good! He wants to use this opportunity to regain control of us, or dilute our power! If you assimilate him, will you still be yourself?"

His suspicions were reasonable, after all, they and the gods had been irreconcilable enemies.

The god shook his head, a complex and compassionate smile on his face: "Piccolo, you're wrong. Piccolo and I were originally one. Our separation was a necessary step to become the gods of Earth. Now, facing the crisis of Earth's survival, returning to our origin is the only option. This isn't about one devouring the other, but about incomplete pieces of the puzzle being put back together. Piccolo, don't you feel it? Our separation has left our powers incomplete, especially... our potential is severely limited."

Bick fell into deep thought.

The deity's words touched a vague feeling within him.

Indeed, since assimilating with the Namekian warriors, he felt that his power growth seemed to have hit an invisible ceiling, and no matter how hard he trained, he could not break through it.

Could this really be related to the separation from the gods?
Piccolo still tried to dissuade him, but Piccolo raised his hand to stop him.

He looked at the deity, his sharp eyes seeming to pierce through the deity's soul: "I accept assimilation. But don't expect me to become the kind of 'Guardian Deity' you hope for. I am still me, Piccolo. If you try to interfere with my will after we merge, I will not hesitate to suppress you."

The deity nodded calmly: "We are one, so what is there to interfere with? After you return, you will naturally understand everything."

After saying that, the god extended his hand to Piccolo.

After a moment's hesitation, Bickley firmly extended his hand.

The moment their palms touched, a dazzling yet gentle white light burst forth, completely enveloping them.

Piccolo subconsciously took a few steps back, squinted his eyes, his heart filled with vigilance and a hint of barely perceptible... curiosity.

He kept his eyes fixed on the ball of light, ready to deal with any unforeseen events at any moment.

He anticipated that Piccolo's aura would increase, but the increase should be limited, since the basic combat power of a god was really not worth mentioning.

However, what happened next completely overturned his understanding.

The light didn't last long, quickly receding to reveal a figure—still Piccolo's appearance, but with a subtle change in demeanor, his eyes becoming more profound, as if containing endless years and wisdom.

Immediately afterwards, an unimaginable surge of power erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for thousands of years, sweeping wildly outwards from Piccolo as the center!

"boom--!!!"

The invisible air currents transformed into a tangible shockwave, causing the valley to tremble violently, rocks to crumble, and the ground to crack.

Piccolo was forced to retreat repeatedly by this sudden and terrifying force, and had to unleash his own energy to resist it. His face was filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

"This...how is this possible?!"

Piccolo gasped in shock, feeling the immense energy that far surpassed his own, even making his soul tremble.

"Just assimilating with that old man... how could it lead to such a drastic change?!"

This power far exceeds the increase Piccolo experienced after assimilating with the Namekian warriors on Namek!
That was a qualitative change, a leap in the level of life!

Piccolo, at the center of the light, slowly opened his eyes.

He felt the surging, vast power within him, like a galaxy, every cell cheering as if breaking free from some innate shackles.

It turns out that the gods represent not only weak divine power, but also the complete key to the Namekians' wisdom, potential, and divine nature!

Their separation left Piccolo with power but limited potential, and the immortal with a realm but no foundation to realize it. This reunification is not a simple addition of power, but the completion of incomplete laws, a redrawing of the blueprint of life!

He clenched his fist lightly, and the space around him seemed to distort.

An unprecedented sense of confidence filled my heart.

He raised his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the atmosphere, seeing the distant King Kai, and even sensing the aura of a powerful being from the deeper reaches of the universe.

"This power..."

Bick's voice was deep and powerful, with a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

"It's not just that I've surpassed Super Saiyan... I can even sense that Goku, even if it's him, I'm absolutely confident I can defeat him now! Cell? No matter what kind of monster you are, your end is nigh!"

Piccolo, standing to the side, stared blankly at the transformed Piccolo, and for the first time, a strong sense of regret welled up in his heart.

He realized that he might have missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly reach the pinnacle.

Damn it, why does every good thing always fall on Piccolo's head?

Piccolo was indignant.

"Shalu..."

Piccolo inherited Kami's perception and saw Cell's location.

Without saying a word, he confidently went to find Cell, while Piccolo naturally followed Piccolo.

The two found Sharu in the Eastern Capital.

The Eastern Capital, the place where Nappa and Vegeta once invaded, was wiped out, and all its residents were killed.

Western Capital is where Bulma's Capsule Corporation is located, but Bulma is not here now.

The southern region of the Southern Capital is made up of a scattered group of small islands, the largest of which is Nanto. The famous World Martial Arts Tournament in Dragon Ball is held on a small island near Nanto.

The northern capital is the least populated place due to its cold climate.

Cell has absorbed most of the humans that can be found in the West and South, and is now heading to the East.

In four days, because the absorption efficiency could only absorb a few hundred thousand humans, but he kept hiding from Sun Wukong and the others, so he absorbed the people of the two main cities, a total of several million people, and they were high-quality humans.

In this timeline, everyone practices martial arts, and martial artists are highly sought after, leading to even more people becoming martial artists. For Cell, absorbing the life essence of these martial artists is equivalent to absorbing the life essence of hundreds or even tens of thousands of people.

Even if the original Cell might have had an absorption limit, this Cell had already died once, nearly died and then recovered, and its potential and power had been enhanced. So even though it absorbed millions of people, it didn't feel like it had reached its limit.

After Cell and Piccolo appeared, Cell set his sights on the two of them.

"By absorbing the life essence of the two of you, I will be able to absorb Number 17 and Number 18."

Cell's biggest obstacle is Gohan and Goku; their fighting power is too strong, and Cell cannot get past them if he wants to become Perfect Cell.

(End of this chapter)