18 shuddered at Cado's words, swallowing hard.
She was completely intimidated, truly believing this man was a real demon.
"Hmph, he's just bluffing. 18, don't listen to his nonsense."
"This guy does have some special skills..." 17 said confidently.
"But his attacks aren't strong enough to hurt us. As long as we hold out until he exhausts his energy, we can easily defeat him."
It was as if he had completely seen through Cado's tactics.
"Whew."
18 exhaled deeply, calming herself down, a cruel smile returning to her face.
"You're right, 17. Our energy is limitless."
"Once he burns himself out, it'll be his death sentence!"
18 spoke with conviction, fully trusting 17's words.
At that moment, both of them assumed battle stances.
"Heh heh… Confidence is good."
"Well then, allow me to properly beat you down." Cado sneered coldly.
He didn't expect these two androids to be so optimistic — at death's door and still deluding themselves.
Whoosh!
Cado made his move again.
In just 0.1 seconds, the newly risen 17 and 18 were sent crashing to the ground in agony once more.
And still, nobody — not even Trunks watching from afar — could see how Cado was attacking.
From Trunks' perspective, Cado hadn't even moved an inch.
"How's that, 18? Didn't I say it? This guy can't hurt us!"
17 grunted as he climbed to his feet, speaking with difficulty.
"Looks like he really is just bluffing!"
18 growled through gritted teeth as she stood back up.
Though Cado's attacks didn't cause them serious injuries, the sheer pain in their bodies was unbearable.
Clap clap clap.
"Not bad. Let's keep going." Cado said, clapping his hands encouragingly.
Hearing that, both androids' faces changed drastically.
They hastily raised their arms into defensive positions.
But it was already too late.
Before their guards were even up, Cado had launched another hundred strikes, sending them sprawling to the ground again.
"Are you two alright? Maybe you should rest a bit?"
Cado asked nonchalantly, watching them struggle in their pathetic state.
Trembling, they got back on their feet, eyes burning with fury.
"18, did you hear that? He's talking about resting!"
"That means his stamina is almost gone! We just need to hold on a little longer!"
17 said through gritted teeth.
"Once he runs out of strength, we'll make him pay back everything — tenfold!"
18 barely managed a nod, even though she was reaching her limits.
Cado couldn't help but feel speechless.
His base power level was 70 million — using a x10 Kaio-ken would boost it to 700 million. At this pace, he could beat them for a month straight without feeling tired.
"Alright then, let's continue." Cado said casually, not bothering to explain.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
And so it went, for half an hour.
17 and 18 repeatedly crashed to the ground, stood back up, and crashed again — over and over.
Until finally, after another round of Cado's blows, the two androids couldn't stand up anymore.
⸻
Meanwhile, Trunks' side—
"What is that guy doing? Why doesn't he just finish off the androids?"
Someone from the crowd voiced the question everyone was thinking.
The androids had been beaten down so many times...
Why not just kill them already?
"I think... I know why..." Trunks said, his voice low and heavy.
Everyone turned to him, waiting to hear his explanation.
"I've witnessed Mr. Cado's true power firsthand."
"With his strength, he could instantly obliterate the androids."
"But he's choosing not to, because he wants them to die in even greater agony."
"He's avenging all of us — the living." Trunks explained, clenching his fists.
He didn't know exactly how Cado was attacking,
but seeing the androids' miserable state filled him with a profound satisfaction.
He thought of all the people who had died because of the androids.
He thought of his father he had never met.
And he thought of his mentor — Gohan.
"You can rest peacefully now." Trunks prayed silently, closing his eyes.
Moved by Trunks' expression, everyone else remembered their own lost loved ones, and tears welled up in their eyes.
For the first time, it felt like this endless nightmare was finally ending.
"You two really can't take a beating, huh?"
"How about getting up and trying again?"
"I'm this close to running out of stamina... it'd be a real shame to give up now!" Cado mocked them mercilessly.
The two androids were now utterly battered.
They thought Cado's attacks couldn't truly harm them...
But the slow, grinding torture was worse than death itself.
"I'm not giving up! Let's fight fair and square!" 17 shouted in agony.
This guy's powers were too bizarre — he felt like he was about to be tortured to death.
"You sure about that?" Cado asked, almost bored.
He was planning to slowly torment them for several more days.
"Hmph, what's wrong? Scared?" 17 sneered.
If Cado dared to fight him head-on, he was sure he could win — and once he killed Cado, he'd reclaim his domination of the world.
"Heh, looks like you still don't get it."
"Fine then — I'll grant you your wish."
Cado said with a contemptuous smile, not even taking 17 seriously.
"The one who doesn't understand the situation is you!" 17 snapped back.
He leapt up from the ground, full of renewed energy.
At the same time, he glanced at Trunks not far away, a malicious grin creeping across his face.
"Trunks, once I kill this bastard, I'm going to make you suffer ten times the pain!" 17 thought viciously.
In his mind, all of today's humiliation was Trunks' fault — if not for him bringing this monster here, none of this would've happened.
"You can attack first. I'm afraid if I move first, you won't even have the chance."
Cado said coolly — his tone arrogant beyond belief.
"You'll regret this!" 17 roared in rage.
He lunged forward, aiming a powerful punch straight at Cado's face.
Boom!
A strong shockwave exploded from their feet.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the earth.
But...
The scene 17 had imagined didn't happen.
Instead, Cado stood there, surrounded by a faint red aura, expressionless, staring at him like he was nothing.