"Brace yourself, Gohan! I'll reveal to you my true power!"

Cell's bold proclamation was followed by a second, massive rush of steam. The heat emitting from his body shot forth in all directions, followed by the tell-tale feeling of someone casting an aura of a god. To make matters worse, the spike in ki was truly overwhelming; it was nothing close to Lord Beerus, but Gohan hadn't reached that level either. He hadn't been expecting Cell to cast the aura of a god, but Gohan knew one thing for certain, however.

He needed to stop Cell now, before he transformed completely.

"Cell!" Gohan shouted, raising his hands above his head in the familiar stance of the Masenkō. "I won't give you the chance!" A yellow flash erupted from Gohan's position, the Masenkō engulfing Cell in moments. The ground - nay, the planet itself - trembled, but the ensuing explosion faded quickly to reveal Cell encased in barrier of crimson light, entirely unscathed. Gohan had been a second too late; the barrier was made of god ki, and Gohan could feel that Cell's signature had already shifted from mortal to divine. The only thing left was a physical metamorphosis.

Overhead, the sky, which had been bright and sunny, had become overcast. Thick clouds, so grey they were nearly black, blotted out the sun. A coincidence, perhaps; godly aura didn't have such an effect the way mortal ki to carelessly impacted an environment. A powerful shout ripped through Cell's throat, the steam issuing from his body filling up the barrier that he had protected himself with. The onlookers were left with nothing to do but watch as Cell transformed into something more. Piccolo had thought about using the Makankōsappō, but everyone was still safely inside Erasa's barrier; it wouldn't be impossible for the Makankōsappō to pierce it, but it would have to contend with Erasa's barrier as well as Cell's, and the Bio-Android would just use his cells to regenerate.

"Damn it!" Piccolo growled, his voice bleeding into a snarl. "Why didn't we consider the chance of him becoming a god?!"

"I don't think anyone would have given it that sort of thought," replied Erasa. "Up until several months ago, even you guys had little to no experience with the idea of a Hakaishin, right? It's almost as if a new problem just emerged out of nowhere..." She frowned, and realised that Cell may have banked on that. Whether he'd make a contract with someone, or achieved this new evolution all on his own, he'd been counting on the Dragon Team not considering he could have become a god, and used it to his advantage.

"We were played."

Light filled the barrier, muffled at first by the steam. The barrier cracked, splintering, then shattering into pieces. A rush of steam cleared the air, flowing out in all directions, and what it revealed was terrifying. The insectoid menace emitted an aura like a burning flame; gold, orange, and red mixed in with the sparkles commonly associated with a Saiyan's godly aura. The portions of Cell's body which had once been lime-hued had shifted, becoming a shining copper, and the thicker, darker parts of his exoskeleton now covered his legs entirely, his purple facial markings thickening, and his formerly pink eyes now a dangerous crimson. Any wound Cell may have had healed entirely, and his body was flawlessly ready for battle once again.

The Dragon Team was speechless. Any fragment of their mind which had doubted it before registered it without mistake now.

This was the ki of the gods. Cell had achieved the same heights as they.

Cell lifted off from the ground slowly, rising above the others and raising a hand. In response, Gohan took a stance, yet he was too late in realising Cell's true target.

"Geshem."

Cell brought his hand down sharply, and let loose a burst of needle shaped ki bullets. Each one of them pierced the spheres linking Erasa's barrier together, shattering it instantly.

"No—"

Words, objections, and thoughts all moved slower than Cell himself; in the instance it took for Erasa to react to her barrier's destruction, Cell had already descended, bringing ruin to everyone that had thought themselves protected. Gohan and Trunks found their heads colliding with the other, knocking them unconscious in moments. Erasa, though she tried to take advantage of her current transform state to fight back, found herself on the receiving end of a crushing blow to the stomach, followed by an elbow strike to the head. She, too, fell to the ground.

Yamcha and Tenshinhan were next to fall, the stances they took, though none left an opening, picked apart by Cell in a brutal display; their bodies crumpled. Videl tried to strike from Cell's blindspot, only to find the kick she'd been intending for his neck blocked easily by the flat of his arm. Cell raised a hand, releasing a crimson kikōha, swallowing Videl and sending her flying into the nearest tree, which did not kindly buffer her movement, though it screamed in protest as it found itself shattered.

Piccolo, the last, found the entire left side of his body ripped apart by his own Makankōsappō, released instantly from Cell's fingertips.

"There we are," Cell turned his back on the carnage he'd enacted, facing Gohan with a wide smile. "That handles the peanut gallery. What did you think of that display, Gohan?"

Cell's words didn't quite reach Gohan's ears. The Saiyan God's eyes were locked, his head turned, to witness the state of his family and friends. Erasa, Goten, Piccolo, Trunks, Videl, Tenshinhan, and Yamcha, each and every one of them crumpled to the ground. He'd never seen Erasa's barrier overcome by anything before, but Cell had casually destroyed it with a swipe of his hands, before bringing everyone to their proverbial knees. Emotions roiling in his body, Gohan forced out the words,

"How could you attack them like that?! This was our fight, Cell!"

"Too right you are, Gohan," replied Cell coolly. "This is our battle. And that is why I decided to handle the peanut gallery myself. You don't need to worry; I didn't kill a single one of them — though I had to be more forceful with Piccolo. After all, if I'm going to kill you, I'll need an audience. For now, they'll hang at the border of life and death, and will be the sole witnesses to your very demise."

Gohan eased up, the tension leaving his body. He was still furious, but the fact that his loved ones remained alive — and he could feel their ki, now that he focused his senses against the shock — made it far easier for Gohan to keep his stable. If Cell had truly killed them, Gohan may have exploded, yet such an action right now would be suicidal. That was the man's intuition, what he suspected by feeling out the gap between himself and Cell.

"That's it, Gohan," Cell grinned, barring his white teeth, which shone near alabaster. "That's the look in your eyes I wanted to see. The Super Saiyan God pitted against my godly perfection. That woman referred to this as 'Mikha'él, though I've yet to give it any sort of a name myself."

"You keep making aside remarks about some woman," inquired Gohan tersely. "Talking to yourself, or hoping I'll fish for answers?"

"There isn't a need to concern yourself with her," replied Cell. "None of you will make it out of this alive; she won't even have the time to give you a greeting." This thought seemed to delight him more. For whatever Cell had done on Earth, it could be argued was all part of his programming from Dr. Gero. But this...this was separate. This burning desire to bring his hands around Gohan's throat was entirely unrelated to Dr. Gero's mad lust for revenge against a young boy that had destroyed an entire army as an afterthought. This surging urge to restore his own sense of pride was unrelated to a woman who revived him on a whim.

This was Cell. No one else.

Contrasting sets of crimson eyes met.

The owners of these eyes blurred, raking into the sky. Gohan, predictably, lead Cell away from the fallen bodies of those he held dear. A battle between two gods would be catastrophic, and Cell's twisted mercy could easily go to waste if they fought right there. Cell humoured Gohan, a golden aura pursuing a crimson one as the two fled from island to island. Only Wehn Cell tired of their game did he renege on giving Gohan a chance to choose the terrain himself: rocketing downward, a pale fist crashed into the young Saiyan God's face. Gohan plummeted towards the nearest island, reeling along the scorched ground, his hair whipping from the pressure.

Instantly, it seemed, Cell had descended to meet Gohan, and their forms crossing destroyed and ruin terrain. Their bodies slammed into each other, arm meeting arm, as two deities clashed over the Earth once more. Cell dove under a kick from the Super Saiyan God-clad Son Gohan, responding with a straight hook which Gohan parried, blocking it with grit teeth. Breaking apart, Gohan retaliated, striking at Cell; the Bio-Android neatly dodged, practically leaping over the blow. Gohan struck air, ripping the ground apart from the pressure.

Debris shot into the sky, kicking up clouds of dust which obscured the ground beneath their feet. With a display of speed, Cell vanished, reappearing at multiple areas seemingly at once. Gohan, frantically tracking his ki, spun on his heel, barely managing to avoid an incoming punch. Cell did not relent, striking rapidly with a combination of punches and kicks. Gohan, backpedaling on the ground, wove around each and every blow; Cell's last blow only narrowly missed, leaving a bleeding line across Gohan's face.

Gohan swung his arm in an arc, releasing a powerful shockwave from his palm. Cell deflected it easily, cancelling it out with one of his own. Lunging forward, Cell aimed high, and Gohan weaved low, avoiding the strike barely. The two burst high into the air, arm striking knee, and kicks parrying kicks. Gohan and Cell did not reman aloft, descending back to the ground; Cell landed first, with Gohan landing neatly behind him. Silence filled the area, as a swift wind coursed past them. The dust blew away, revealing the utterly destroyed landscape beneath them. Gohan and Cell stood atop a circle of land, water sloshing toward the edges of the rock.

Cell glanced behind him, extending an arm as he grinned pompously.

Gohan mutually eyed Cell as best he could, his face firmly set in an opposite expression.

"That's exactly what I wanted to see, Gohan," Cell's voice was shaking with excitement, their last exchange of blows still pumping the blood through his veins. "Your Super Saiyan God sets you apart from the rest of them — it alters how you fight, and makes you so much harder to put down. Don't make this easy: I want your death to be one I've earned."

"This isn't for your entertainment," replied Gohan sharply. "Your new form is strong, but I will kill you. We've worked too hard to build our planet back up for me to let you destroy everything again."

"Tenacious!" grinned the Bio-Android. "Then let's see how well you can keep up!"

Cell attacked first, bringing his hand down as if it were a sword. Gohan pivoted, stepping back almost instantly, dodging on sheer instinct. The ethereal aura of the Super Saiyan God then began to flare, Gohan leapt over Cell, moving his arms as if casting a net. Tendrils of ki extended, indeed creating a net-like formation of energy over Cell.

"Did you expect to bind me with this, Gohan?" Cell prepared to use his own ki to utterly destroy the ropes—

"Not permanently, no," replied Gohan, planting his hand along the edges of the net. Spheres of ki began to erupt along the outside length of the net, moving in a domino-like formation, all leading towards a single target: Cell. The instant the orbs reached the Bio-Android, the result was a tremendously large explosion, reaching high into the sky with crimson flames. A smile crossed Gohan's face, knowledge at the fact that his blow - multiple point-blank explosions - had struck home.

Gohan's smile faded soon, when Cell's hand swiped its way through the plume of fire and smoke.

"Haraviel."

The ground seemed to erupt with ki, golden flames rushing towards Gohan as they rent the land apart. Barely, Gohan avoided a blow that would have saw him cleaved in two; he saw the ki continue to travel well into the horizon, easily slicing the open ocean apart as it moved. It didn't take him long to recognise that it was one of Freeza's techniques, magnified by the strength of a god. Flipping back with a single hand, Gohan released a kikōha from the tips of his fingers: the kikōha was condensed, resembling nothing but a small particle, yet it moved, exploding once it was within range of Cell.

His kikōha didn't connect. The explosion rocked the ground, yet Gohan hadn't felt the blast hit home.

Soon, it became very clear why. He felt Cell's presence vanish, and reappear instantly behind him before his blast had exploded; the Bio-Android's fist rammed into Gohan's jaw. With Instantaneous Movement, Cell reappeared behind Gohan again, swinging a leg into the Saiyan God's back. The blow rocketed him high into the sky, and any attempt to right himself was suppressed by the air pressure. Cell teleported once again high above Gohan, clasping both hands together. With a powerful side sledgehammer, Cell bashed Gohan into the nearest rocky formation.

Their island battlefield splintered, cracking under the force of Gohan's collision. He had no time to rest, however; Cell was making ample use of the Instantaneous Movement he'd acquired from Gokū. The copper-coloured Bio-Android materialised before Gohan, who was floating among water and debris, discharging a point-blank kikōha. The blast exploded in a burst of golden-fire, displacing the ocean and everything around it. Gohan was left floating in a sphere of depleted sea, the water rushing in from all sides.

Cell watched the man's apparent lifeless form with a measure of extreme disappointment.

"Is this the most it takes to kill you, Gohan?" Cell gritted his teeth with enough force to crack the back molars - easily regenerated - and clenched his fists in frustration. "I won't be satisfied if you die this way. Not until I've made you suffer until my heart's content! That's the only reason I took her offer."

The Universe, Eastern Galaxies, Outer Rim, Frozen Moon, Ten Months Ago

Where...am I?

Sound was muted. He could feel the sensation of floating, yet he wasn't floating under his own ki. No, something was encompassing his whole being, a gel-like liquid which kept him suspended. His thoughts, which had previous been focused intently on Hell - where imperfection reigned supreme, everything was incomplete, and he had been deprived of the power to do a single thing - were hazy now, but beginning to regain their clarity. The sensation of being inside this substance reminded him of Dr. Gero's lab, where he was born.

Could it be...was all of that but a dream?

No. That was impossible. Every memory etched into his skull was too vivid. Those day spent in the past, seeking out the keys to attaining his completed form. The battles he'd fought, against those warriors long-dead in his timeline - and his death at the hands of Son Gohan. The violent, golden-tressed monster was the most vibrant memory he had: facing off against the boy he'd initially written off as worthless, only to reveal himself to be the strongest and most terrifying of that motley crew.

If it was all real...then where am I?

The Bio-Android known as Cell was pondering these thoughts when something new caught his attention.

"You are with me," a female voice, muffled, filled Cell's hearing. Perhaps what confused him the most, however, was his inability to sense her ki. He'd thought he'd been alone, however, now Cell realised someone had been here the entire time. He opened his eyes, his optics filling with light. As the initial blindness died down, he realised he was unable to truly see - the liquid which encased him was thick enough to muffle light along with sound, and he could only make out hazy shapes. The woman who spoke to him was barely visible, and he could discern nothing specific.

Cell tried to speak, but he had no air in his lungs. He had no need for breath - perks of the cells of Freeza and Cold, two of the five individuals who made up his cellular structure - but this also meant he could not communicate in the traditional way. No matter. Telepathy would do.

What do you mean? Where is 'with you'? Who are you?

"I am what many of the lower races would prostrate themselves in front of," replied the woman airily. "My followers refer to me as "Lady", and you can do the same. While you are in my care, however, you can consider me your parent. You are the latest sibling in the long line of those I consider my children."

Your...children? I had a parent, many years ago, but he was a fool who got himself killed. I show no loyalty to anyone, 'my Lady', Cell's mental tone was derisive. If he couldn't sense her ki, she must be something so insignificant he could squash. Perhaps it was time to destroy this machine and do just that.

"I would advise against such an action," said the woman. "I pulled you out of Hell myself, and gave you your body again. It has been a very long time since it had hosted its own soul - my medicines, superior to the little concoctions that Freeza's army would use - will speed up your recovery, aided even further by your regeneration."

Her blurred form seemed to raise its arms in a celebratory gesture. "My dear Cell, I have brought you back better than you have ever been."

...Better than ever? How would you know when I was at my best?

"You'll have ample time to show me. The legendary power concocted by that mortal scientist."

And what makes you think I will work for you?

"Because I can make you strong enough to defeat Son Gohan."

That was it. The woman had said the words Cell had been eager to hear. He saw her place a hand on the glass of his stasis tank - a pale, thin hand. Slowly, Cell nodded.

"That's what I wanted to hear. From this moment out, I am your mother, and you are my newest son. Tomorrow, your training begins."

"I was supposed to have been the perfect fighter!" snarled Cell. "Unmatched in speed, power, and intellect! The epitome of Dr. Gero's design! But you, a child, bested me! No, you humiliated me! I won't be content simply killing you, Gohan!" Cell's aura, ever-like a golden flame, began to flare violently. "Not until I've broken every bone in your body and shattered every chance at hope you've had! Only then, when you have nothing left, will I send you to meet your father."

A flash of gold.

A crack like thunder.

Cell's eyes were filled with flames not his own; Gohan had rushed towards him out of the water, the sea unable to engulf him in its entirety, taking advantage of Cell's slip into his reverie. His intention had been a powerful right straight, cloaked in god ki. The Bio-Android responded by parrying easily, grabbing Gohan by the wrist and keeping him firmly in place.

"Good. You do have more fight in you."

Ki pooled around Cell's hand, and it was thrust right into Gohan's stomach. Cell's speed left Gohan unable to react, and the sphere, being rammed into his torso, triggered like a bomb. The result was a powerful explosion of ki, the sphere enlarging and inundating him in a violent conflagration of ki. The flames ebbed away, leaving a smoking Gohan hanging limply from Cell's grasp. It seemed it was over: whatever fight Gohan had left in him appeared to have vanished. Cell slackened his grip, raising his dominant hand towards the slowly descending Gohan; the tip of his finger began to glow pink.

Gohan took in breath sharply, suddenly shifting from lifeless to full of vibrancy again. He placed two fingers to his face on each side:

"Taiyōken!"

Light burst from Gohan, the Saiyan God emitting a blinding glow. Cell was taken aback, not expecting the Taiyōken from Gohan. He squinted through the light, unable to see a single thing. Cell felt it, however, when Gohan's knee crashed into his gut, followed up by a powerful strike from Gohan's heel. The concussive force sent Cell hurtling towards the nearest island chain, crashing into the ground and splitting one of the islands. Gohan pursued, making a landing on the same island his kick had flung Cell to, steadying his breathing.

"The power of your evolved form is more than I initially bargained for," said Gohan, as Cell was pulling himself back to his feet. Water sloughed off his form, splashing to the ground. "I was hesitant to bring this out, but I'm going to have to pull out all the stops to kill you, Cell."

"Oh?" Cell's eyes widened, intrigued. "You're talking as if you still have some hidden power. This isn't the Cell Games anymore. I'm not here for the sake of a challenge, I'm here to grind you to dust."

"Yes, but I know you won't be satisfied unless you've beaten me without a shadow of a doubt that I was doing my best, will you?" Gohan's words were deliberate, and they played on Cell's pride. The pride of the Saiyans he inherited from his father and Vegeta's cells, but also the arrogance of Freeza, who could not allow the question of his superiority to ever exist. Cell was fighting against three dangerous emotions, all roiling in his very genes, fighting against the common sense of Piccolo and Cold, which told him to simply end it now. "Don't think I was holding back for the sake of the fight. I still wasn't entirely sure I could pull this off again. But I've managed to wake it back up completely."

Quicker than Cell's mouth could form the question, Gohan's eyes flashed a deep blue. Gohan took a stance, clenching both fists at his sides. An updraft kicked up from his feet, rushed high above him, kicking up rocks. Gohan's aura began to flicker and flare, funneling upwards in a large pillar of crimson flame. The Saiyan let out a mighty yell, a vein beginning to throb in his forehead; Gohan reached into the depths of his body, drawing from a vast well of ki. A deep, blue glow began to emanate from Gohan, immersing his entire body in light.

Despite this display of ki, the planet remained untouched, the ground beneath Gohan's feet undisturbed.

The blue encasement of ki surrounding Gohan cracked, and began to peel away, scattering to the wind. Gohan's hair now stood fully rigid, having become a dark blue, and his eyes, formerly soft and red, were sharp and cyan. The aura was no longer an ethereal flame; it now resembled a raging blue inferno, with a soft golden glow at the very edges of the flame.

Cell gazed at Gohan's blue-clad appearance, completely speechless.

Gohan's true power had now been revealed.

A/N: Hey there, everyone! Sorry for taking two months, but here it is: the 100th chapter. I need you all to give me a moment, because that is a lot to take in and I think it bears repeating. This is the 100th chapter of the Erased Chronicles. I started writing this fanfic seven years ago, and if I'm being honest, I expected to quit around chapter 20. I did not expect to make it this many chapters in, or for this story to become as important to me as it has. But here I am, at the 100th chapter of the Erased Chronicles, and I've still got so much more planned for this series. To every single one of my readers who have been here since the earlier chapters, if any of you are still here: thank you, it means the world to me for my story to have been consumed so long by people who stuck with my very, very shite uploading schedule. You all are the real MVPs. But to my regular, consistent readers who hopped on later: you all are amazing as well. And to my new readers, who hopped on way later and binged everything: I have no idea how you sat through so much of my content at once, I'm the one writing it and I can't do that. Finally, even though he's no longer my writing partner on any projects, Demod20, who is currently preoccupied with life issues, was a big help getting this far. He would often proofread this story for me in the middle of the night, sometimes near 3 AM his time, just to make sure these chapters were presentable. We weren't able to part on the best terms, but all of that help meant a lot going forward. Firegod00, who actively proofread on this story as well: thank you for getting bullied by me as I try to make sure I know how to spell and understand the basic functions of a full stop.

I know I just did a thank you on the 91st chapter, but its taken so long for me to get this chapter up (and it isn't as long as a 100th chapter should be that I actually feel like I am stealing from you all), so I feel it was warranted again. This is the 100th chapter, and I hope I an keep this fanfic going and do everything justice! Now, let's get into my usual ramblings! With Cell's new form, I'm attempting a sort of "Hebrew" theme naming. "Mikha'él" may be the most obvious. It is a theophoric name, referencing one of the archangels, and means "Who is like God?". I chose the name for Cell's new form, which does indeed use god ki. "Geshem." is the Hebrew word for "Rain", and I think that adequately describes the technique Cell used to shatter Erasa's barrier so easily. "Haraviel" is another theophoric name, meaning "Sword of God".

The biggest event, perhaps, was the introduction of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. I'll leave the statement at that, for now, but I hope that excited you all! I will try to get a new chapter up soon, but I have to update The Heart of Adventurers and Tale of the Sky Maiden as well! See you all in the next exciting installment of the Erased Chronicles!