Watching Lazuli step into the glass chamber, Chiga pressed the activation button. The culture fluid slowly poured in, rising until it reached her chest. Just before drifting off, she suddenly removed her breathing mask and, as if compelled by emotion, blurted out,
"Chiga, while I'm asleep, you absolutely must not let yourself be swayed by that woman, Bulma!"
Chiga smiled reassuringly and replied,
"Don't worry, you're the only one I care about here."
"Mhm..."
Lazuli put the mask back on and surrendered to the deep sleep brought by the culture fluid.
With the wall of reinforced glass separating them, there would be no awkwardness when the siblings eventually woke up.
After finishing the preparations, Chiga closed the chamber and turned toward a secured safe. His eyes shimmered faintly with golden light as he summoned a massive device into his hand—the Eternal Energy Furnace.
This wasn't just any furnace. It was the very first Eternal Energy Furnace Dr. Gero had ever created, originally installed in Android 16.
Android 16's design was based on Dr. Gero's deceased son. With his son's body lost to time, Gero initially aimed to create a machine without human flaws—a pure android.
The advantage of a purely mechanical body was obvious: greater tolerance for high-output energy. This was why the large Eternal Energy Furnace could support Android 16's immense power. With it, 16 was able to battle Cell in his first form, even after Cell had consumed countless humans. If Android 17 hadn't recklessly sacrificed himself, perhaps 16 might have even destroyed Cell then and there.
But the flaw of being a machine was equally clear. Unlike human-based androids, a purely mechanical being had no potential to grow. Its combat power was set the day it was built. Android 16 had no ability to use Ki, relying only on raw strength and built-in weapons like his devastating Gatling gun.
While formidable, his limits had already been reached.
By contrast, an Eternal Energy Furnace combined with a human body had limitless potential. Android 17, for instance, had been able to spar with Super Saiyan 3 Goku after years of training. That kind of growth was impossible for a machine.
But Chiga wasn't bound by those limits.
With a single thought, his body let out a series of metallic clicks. He had entered Asura Path mode, and his form transformed into a hybrid of flesh and machinery.
Removing his upper garment, the mechanical panels on his back split open like a living organism, forming a hollow space large enough to house the Eternal Energy Furnace. Black lines extended outward like serpents, tightly coiling around the device and pulling it inside.
The moment the furnace fused with his body, Chiga's eyes burst with radiant golden light. The laboratory blazed with brilliance, as if drowned in a golden sea.
Click! Click! Click!
His internal mechanisms roared to life, and an overwhelming surge of energy erupted skyward.
Far away, Son Goku and Piccolo were sparring. Goku was charging a Kamehameha while Piccolo focused his Special Beam Cannon. Yet the instant this tremendous energy wave struck, both froze and turned toward its source.
Piccolo's antennae twitched, his face grave.
"What is this? Is it Ki? No… this is beyond outrageous!"
Goku's usual cheer gave way to rare seriousness.
"This Ki feels familiar. It must be that mysterious person we sensed before. His strength… it's terrifying. I wonder if this is truly his full power."
Piccolo scowled and clenched his fists.
"If he's an enemy, then we're in serious trouble..."
But Goku shook his head calmly. He was no longer as reckless as he'd once been.
"No. With power like his, if he considered us enemies, he wouldn't even waste time acknowledging us. Instead, he warned us about the Saiyans. That shows he isn't hostile."
Piccolo exhaled sharply.
"Let's hope you're right."
"Come on, let's continue training. Our real concern is still the two Saiyans."
"Tch, you don't need to tell me! Special Beam Cannon!"
"Oi, Piccolo! That's sneaky!"
"I am the Demon King. Sneaky is a compliment to me, you fool!"
"Haha, then take this! Solar Flare!"
"Argh! My eyes!"
Their voices faded as they resumed sparring, leaving the golden flare of power to die down in the distance.
Back in the laboratory, the light receded into Chiga's body. He clenched his fist, marveling at the raw force surging through him—strength that felt capable of shattering entire worlds.
The Asura Path had always been linked to his ocular power. The stronger his eyes became, the more formidable his mechanized body. Unlike Android 16, Chiga's mechanical enhancements could evolve alongside his human side.
Before this, his attacks were powerful, yet his physical strength hadn't measured up to the titans of later Dragon Ball. Against shinobi of the Naruto world or pirates of the seas, his power was already overwhelming. But in Dragon Ball, raw combat strength meant everything.
Now, with the Eternal Energy Furnace amplifying him, Chiga had transcended his previous limits. Even he could no longer estimate how strong his physical abilities had become.
Dr. Gero's laboratory housed a sophisticated computer capable of measuring combat power, far more accurate than Raditz's outdated scouter. After all, Android 16's internal systems had been able to calculate Cell's full strength.
When Chiga fed his energy into the system, the screen glitched, displaying nothing but three question marks before overheating with smoke.
Shaking his head, he abandoned the notion of measuring his strength with numbers. His eyes were already set elsewhere—on the so-called Gods of this world.
In Chiga's view, only the Gods of Destruction and their attendant Angels truly deserved the title of gods. Beings like the Kaioshin, with their fragile power, seemed almost laughable in comparison.
Letting out a small scoff, Chiga sat cross-legged in meditation. He would stand guard for Lazuli and her brother, Lapis, until they awoke.
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