"You've done enough…" Kibito spoke weakly. "Next… will be my last time using Instant Transmission…"
Levos gave a slight nod, his expression unusually calm.
Still not enough.
His mechanical evolution hadn't yet reached the ideal state.
Part of the issue stemmed from expelling the two Gamma Androids earlier, but more crucially there simply wasn't enough energy.
To fully complete any evolutionary path, he needed to absorb targets at or near his own power level.
Swallowing Mecha Cooler had caused a massive leap in his mechanical progression, far beyond what the Gamma Androids had accomplished.
Almost there…
Just one more. One more Mecha Cooler clone, and he'd fully master the mechanical transformation.
Levos was looking forward to it.
The first time he transformed, he clearly sensed the evolution was incomplete. His mechanical form only gave him a hundredfold power boost in base state.
But now his instincts told him that if he absorbed just one more Mecha Cooler replica, a qualitative transformation would follow.
He was well aware that if he didn't seize this rare opportunity now, it would be much harder next time to find another isolated Cooler clone.
In fact, the others might already be en route to retrieve this one.
"Kibito, if you want to return to the Lookout for healing "
"Don't talk nonsense," Kibito interrupted firmly. "Every opportunity is precious right now. Once we deal with this one, we can fly back!"
Hearing this, Levos took a deep breath, his eyes gradually steeling with resolve.
In the next moment, he lightly placed his hand on Kibito's shoulder.
Shwoop
Just as the scenery began to shift around them through Instant Transmission, a sharp sonic boom rang out behind him!
Levos whirled around
A beam of dark purple energy pierced through Kibito's back and burst out from his abdomen.
"So, you're relying on this guy for that ghost-like teleportation ability, huh?" Mecha Cooler smirked coldly, lips curled into a sinister arc.
Levos gently caught Kibito's falling body with one hand.
His silver-white eyes gleamed, as if hiding something ancient and profound.
Cooler's pupils contracted.
The next thing he saw the entire world spun around.
He saw his shattered body, fragments tumbling through the air…
He saw reinforcements more Mecha Cooler clones rushing toward him from afar…
Only then did he realize his head had been severed from his body.
And yet…
He hadn't even seen the attack that destroyed him.
A shadow loomed overhead.
His shining metallic remains were swallowed by a growing darkness…
"Complete."
Levos stared at his silver-glowing hand and muttered softly, though no joy appeared on his face.
He quickly inspected his new body from head to toe.
Silver-white skin. The wings on his back had completely disappeared. His tail now resembled the typical structure of a Frieza Clan member.
No time for further inspection he flicked a finger, forming a protective energy shield around Kibito.
"Well then… let's see what this form can really do."
With that, he launched himself forward straight at the wave of incoming Mecha Coolers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fists howled. Air exploded.
Deafening blasts echoed through the sky!
Amid the stunned expressions of the Mecha Coolers, Levos weaved through them like a silver fish in water agile, untraceable, unstoppable.
"This form increases my power roughly two hundred times…"
"My tail's absorption ability seems to have returned. So that's one of the perks of perfected evolution?"
As he fought, Levos continued calibrating to the new mechanics of his body.
"As expected… I still can't use the Kaio-Ken."
The Kaio-Ken could fine-tune muscle tension, joint flexibility, and skeletal alignment optimizing the user's body for maximum output.
But that didn't apply to a mechanical body.
Still, his sensory awareness had improved.
His body seemed capable of acting on its own, without waiting for his brain to issue commands. His offense, defense, and evasion had all undergone a qualitative leap.
His control over power had grown more precise, more fluid.
"I wonder… has that weak spot on my head finally disappeared?"
It was a serious issue.
But Levos had no intention of testing it out just yet.
Within mere seconds, hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind.
He noticed something else.
His mental state was incredibly calm even amidst this life-or-death battle, he had time to think, to analyze.
Even stranger, his emotions were completely stable. No anger. No panic. No fear.
Even under the combined assault of the Mecha Coolers, he remained cool, composed, calculating.
Could it be… that through mechanical evolution alone, he had tapped into the realm of Ultra Instinct?
"No. It only looks similar. I haven't trained nearly enough."
That realm was far beyond his current self.
This transformation was closer to Super Saiyan 2 just with a suite of bonus combat features.
And… no energy drain whatsoever.
"These Coolers don't stand a chance against me."
Levos felt absolutely confident in his assessment.
As the battle dragged on, the Mecha Coolers' faces grew colder, their strikes more ferocious.
But Levos danced through their attacks effortlessly dismantling their onslaughts as if this were merely training.
He was treating them like practice dummies.
"Levos! I'm growing more and more interested in your body!" one of the Mecha Coolers suddenly shouted.
"If I could take it for myself… the entire universe would soon grovel at my feet!"
Another clone hurled a punch at Levos as he spoke.
Levos sidestepped easily, casting a glance at him.
"I'm interested in your body too," he replied lightly.
Then
He swept his leg sideways, kicking another clone hard in the ribs.
In the same motion, he spun and delivered a sharp elbow to a second one.
His tail flicked out like a whip, curling around a third attacker mid-charge, then tightened.
Snap!
The Mecha Cooler was instantly crushed into three parts by the tail's constriction!
Next moment Levos vanished.
Then reappeared beside the falling body, his fist casually piercing its chest in one smooth motion.
Slice!
His silver tail split open down the center scooping up that Cooler's corpse along with the three parts of another clone in a single gulp.
The remaining Mecha Coolers froze.
Their expressions twisted with fear.
"You know, I was actually looking forward to watching you evolve after absorbing him…"
A cold voice rang out from afar.
Levos's eyes narrowed.
The speaker had someone in his grasp tight fingers clamped around the neck of a teenage boy.
That boy…
It was Android 17!
His arms dislocated. His body covered in wounds. Barely conscious on the verge of death.
Held tightly in the enemy's grip, his life now hung by a thread.
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