Levos had always been deeply intrigued by the Demon Realm.
After all, every cell in his body screamed out for him to absorb Dabura and Majin Buu. That primal urge to evolve especially on the magical side made the Demon Realm a natural target. It was also one of the reasons he had spared Dabura's life in the first place.
Now that the enemy was personally inviting him into the Demon Realm, it would certainly save him a lot of trouble.
However, a new problem had emerged.
His own genetic instincts were constantly pressuring him to absorb others and evolve. That monstrous hunger within it never stopped whispering.
Fortunately, Levos still retained his rational mind.
Compared to endlessly absorbing others to grow stronger, he valued his ability to resist that hunger far more.
But lately, things were getting worse. Whenever he looked at Bulma or Android 16, a dark impulse would creep into his thoughts an urge to devour them.
The mere appearance of such a thought would rapidly spiral, spreading like wildfire through his mind. He had to muster all his willpower just to suppress it.
That deeply unsettled him.
If he couldn't maintain control... if even this was too much for him... then no matter how powerful he became with Cell Max's body, in the end, he'd just be a monster completely, irredeemably.
And that... was the one thing Levos never wanted to become.
It was clear now: in the pursuit of power, he would also have to constantly examine himself scrutinize every action, every thought.
He even found himself thinking, If only I had someone who could keep me in check... someone strong enough to fight me if needed.
Ideally, that person would be someone his body instinctively wanted to devour someone who could constantly test his will and help him temper his self-control.
But among all his current companions, no one fit the bill.
They were still far too weak compared to him.
Majin Buu, perhaps, had potential. With his unique growth ability through absorption, he could theoretically keep up. But mentally, Buu was still immature. Who would be supervising whom was a big question.
Levos pondered for a long while but still couldn't come up with a suitable candidate.
With no immediate solution, he decided to set that issue aside for now.
Instead, he turned his attention to something else.
He sought out Dr. Hedo and introduced Android 16.
"So you're telling me Android 16 is an AI-based combat unit modeled after your father's older brother?" Hedo raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
"That's right," 16 responded, also studying Hedo with a critical eye. "But don't expect me to treat you like my nephew."
Hedo scowled. "You've got a horrible personality! Way worse than my Gamma androids."
"Oh?" 16's expression shifted with curiosity. "Now I really want to see what your so-called Gamma models are like."
Hedo slumped slightly, looking dejected. "Well, that's not going to happen... they're gone."
But Levos stepped in, calm as ever.
"Dr. Hedo, it may not be completely hopeless."
"What do you mean?" A glint of hope flickered in Hedo's eyes.
"This will just be an experiment. If it fails... don't blame me."
As he spoke, Levos's body began to expand his frame growing larger and taller by the second.
He pressed one hand firmly to his temple, the other clenched and slammed into his gut.
BOOM!
The deafening impact drew everyone's attention.
Veins bulged on Levos's forehead. He looked like he was struggling against something deep within himself.
Then WHAM! he struck his own abdomen again.
The entire temple trembled.
Thankfully, he had carefully restrained the force, allowing his own body to absorb most of the shock.
"What's going on?!"
"Levos, what are you doing?!"
"Levos, are you alright?!"
He couldn't respond. Internally, he felt his body squirming, shifting.
Yes... this was the feeling.
Back when he had forcibly expelled Bulma someone he had once absorbed it took countless attempts to get this sensation right. But now, that same biological mechanism was at play.
And right now, he was fighting against his own instincts.
His body resisted resisted the act of de-evolution. The cells within him seemed to have developed their own will, their own consciousness.
His fingers dug into his temple. If his willpower could just overpower the biological urge...
Then he could release the targets that hadn't been fully assimilated.
A moment later, his throat convulsed, his cheeks bulging as if something large were crawling up his esophagus.
URGH
SPLAT! SPLAT!
Two heads landed heavily on the ground, slick with digestive fluid.
Everyone froze.
Beerus spat out his soda mid-sip.
"HEY! Do you HAVE to do this crap while I'm eating?!" he shouted, eyes bulging with rage.
Levos ignored him, eyes fixed on the floor, filled with joy. "Sorry, Lord Beerus... but this had to be done."
Meanwhile, Dr. Hedo was completely stunned. Then a radiant grin spread across his face.
"Quick! Android 16, give me a hand! If I can bring them back, you'll get to meet my perfect Gamma androids!"
16 nodded and carefully cradled the two sticky heads.
Hedo tossed out a capsule.
Before the smoke even cleared, he had already leapt in and started rummaging.
Soon, he was pulling out a pile of spare parts and tools.
As he assembled them, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Levos... thank you. Really. These two... they're like family to me."
"Their loss hit me harder than I ever let on."
Levos's expression sharpened with conviction. "You don't have to thank me. I did it because it's what I wanted to do. If they're our comrades then we never abandon them."
With that, Levos returned to his normal size.
Leaving Hedo to his work, he turned and approached Kibito and Supreme Kai.
The crystal orb still floated before them, displaying a serene landscape of the Sacred World of the Kais completely void of any signs of life.
Seeing their confusion, Levos offered a suggestion.
"Supreme Kai, maybe start looking around the region filled with stone pillars?"
"You mean those ancient ruins?" Shin asked.
"Exactly. I fought one of the Mechanical Coolers there. And during the fight, Cooler mentioned detecting the android's signal in that same area."
Kibito nodded solemnly. "That's valuable intel. Far better than searching aimlessly."
Shin agreed. "Excellent. That drastically narrows our search radius."
A few moments later, all three of their expressions darkened as they stared into the crystal orb.
"That location has seven Mechanical Cooler clones already gathered," Kibito said, sweat forming on his brow. "And four more are en route."
"And..."
Even Levos's expression changed.
Android 17... had been captured by Cooler.
"What should we do, Levos?" Shin asked anxiously. "Should we assemble everyone right away?"
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