"Levos?" Kibito called out hesitantly.
The figure before him emanated a piercing, icy aura—like a blade unsheathed, radiating sharp killing intent.
Levos spoke calmly, "Don't worry, Mister Kibito. My body underwent some changes. Consider this form a new transformation."
Hearing this, Kibito let out a breath of relief, then remembered the chaos of the battle just moments ago.
"What exactly happened with Cooler's self-destruction just now?" he couldn't help but ask.
Levos answered plainly, "I suspect he realized he couldn't defeat me one-on-one. To prevent me from growing stronger, he chose to blow himself up."
"Luckily, he didn't intend to destroy the planet outright. The explosion was more like self-termination. That's why I was able to absorb most of his remains in the final moment... barely pushing myself into a new stage."
"No wonder he didn't go all out against us. He didn't want you to evolve further," Kibito muttered thoughtfully, then asked curiously, "So how strong are you now?"
Levos frowned slightly. "Hard to say. I can't control this form proficiently yet."
As he spoke, the metallic silver armor-like sheen covering his body faded, and he returned to his Perfect Cell Max form.
Kibito was stunned. "What do we do about that?"
"No need to worry," Levos explained. "While this form isn't perfected yet, if I can absorb one or two more mechanical Coolers, I should be able to stabilize the evolution path and switch forms freely."
Hearing this, Kibito couldn't help but click his tongue. "That's a crazy way to grow stronger. But if you can fully evolve, your power will definitely become terrifying."
"Mister Kibito, let's go."
Levos placed a hand on Kibito's shoulder naturally.
The next instant, the two reappeared high above the original battlefield.
"He shouldn't have gotten far in such a short time," Levos murmured.
In a flash, he moved to hover above a serene blue lake. The water shimmered, clear and cool, rippling gently under the breeze.
Levos looked down and raised his right hand toward the lakebed.
Boom.
A ki blast plunged into the center of the lake, instantly boiling the water and causing the entire surface to surge wildly.
Levos narrowed his eyes.
A figure suddenly burst out of the muddy lakebed in a panic, fleeing without hesitation.
With a gust like a storm, Levos' body blurred and intercepted the fleeing figure within a blink.
"Damn human!" Fusion Zamasu's pupils trembled violently as he slashed at Levos with energy blades from both hands.
Levos didn't dodge. He calmly raised his hands and caught the energy blades mid-air.
Fusion Zamasu's face twisted in shock. "Impossible! You've gotten even stronger?!"
Expressionless, Levos slammed his knee into Zamasu's jaw.
Crack.
Fusion Zamasu's neck snapped, his body stiffening instantly.
Before Zamasu could react, Levos' tail expanded and swallowed him whole with a wet pop.
Gurgle—gurgle—
The eerie sounds echoed from within Levos' tail.
Fusion Zamasu struggled desperately, but no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't break free.
Eventually, his movements grew sluggish, then completely ceased—as if giving up.
Unfortunately, Levos still couldn't fully absorb him. Zamasu's body simply cycled between destruction and regeneration.
Levos had grown used to this sensation by now. Other than the way his tail looked overly bulky in his normal form, it wasn't a big issue.
"We should leave this place," Levos said to Kibito.
He worried that the commotion would draw the attention of the three Dark Beings.
"Right," Kibito nodded.
The two quickly teleported into a forest.
"Let's keep searching for other enemies using the crystal ball."
"No problem." Kibito placed the ball on the ground and began scanning.
Meanwhile, Levos sat quietly, focusing on the changes in his body.
The mechanical evolution route still needed refinement.
He also needed time to familiarize himself with that new form.
In just the brief moment he had transformed, Levos could already sense drastic changes in his physiology.
Each of his cells felt like a metallic part, intricately assembled like a precise machine.
Power had indeed surged.
His physical functions—muscle fibers, skin, bones—had all been greatly reinforced.
Levos estimated that the mechanical form increased his base strength by a hundredfold.
But there were drawbacks.
For one, his tail lost its absorption function in that state and became merely a combat tool.
Worse, he couldn't use Kaio-ken in mechanical form.
Right now, his best Kaio-ken multiplier reached 150 times. If he pushed his body beyond its limits, he could even unleash between 250 to 300 times.
Still, the mechanical transformation brought a whole new level of technological support.
He had only begun to explore a fraction of it.
First, his vision and hearing were no longer bound to his eyes and ears. Battlefield data could be directly transmitted to his brain.
He could now locate enemies not just by sensing ki, but through power level scanning and infrared detection, like a scouter.
Second, he gained new battle instincts.
His body seemed able to react without orders from the brain an automatic defense mechanism.
This fascinated Levos.
With enough training simulations, perhaps he could refine this instinct to reach the threshold of Ultra Instinct.
After all, Cell Max was made from the cells of many Earth martial artists. It was possible that, by walking this path, he might truly attain that mysterious state.
It was only a theory for now. He hadn't had a chance to test it.
In short, the new form had many strengths, but also many flaws.
It wasn't yet complete.
Levos decided to keep absorbing mechanical-type enemies to evolve further.
He didn't have a choice. Time was of the essence. For now, absorption was the only way.
Once the current crisis passed, he could finally focus on proper cultivation to grow stronger.
Theoretically, Cell Max had many transformation stages yet to be unlocked. The potential for growth was endless.
Perhaps once fully evolved, even his training would become far more efficient.
Just then, Kibito's voice pulled Levos from his thoughts.
"Levos, I found a new target."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
"Want to stay ahead of the game?Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"