Levos had always believed that androids were the Dragon Ball world's version of a shortcut to power.
First elevate your genes, then train. Only then would your efforts pay off twice as much with half the work.
If only he had Saiyan cells, maybe he and Bulma would've gone all in and become synthetic Saiyans from the start.
That thought left a lingering trace of regret in his mind.
Still, once this string of crises was over, getting a few top-tier scientists to enhance him further wouldn't be too hard.
For now, though, his attention was fully locked on Tagoma.
He understood the guy.
Tagoma's current power wasn't some lucky break. It came from brutal, relentless suffering.
As Frieza's live-in punching bag, his "training" amounted to enduring inhuman torture every single day.
Crushed by morning, thrown in a healing pod by night. This cycle repeated countless times.
It wasn't just his strength that grew. His entire personality had been reshaped.
Honestly, it was a miracle the guy hadn't gone insane from being treated like a living sandbag.
So when he learned that androids could gain strength without enduring that kind of hell, it was no wonder he burned with resentment.
Tagoma's eyes gleamed with madness and hatred.
"You don't get a choice. We're both contestants in this tournament. If you don't want to be eliminated, you'll have to fight me!"
If Levos were truly a soldier in Frieza's army, elimination wouldn't matter. He wouldn't even need to be here.
But to track down Babidi, making it to the finals was one of the few ways forward.
Elimination wasn't an option.
Still, he had no interest in wasting time on this guy.
If it came down to a fight, Tagoma would be a serious hassle. Levos wasn't confident he could finish it quickly.
Casting a glance at him, Levos said coolly,
"Sorry, not interested."
And with that, he walked right past him.
That cold dismissal lit a fuse.
A punch came flying at his back. Wind screamed in his ears. Levos ducked just in time, then lashed out with a kick.
Tagoma blocked with his arm and countered with a vicious sweep at Levos's waist.
Levos braced with his knee.
BOOM!
The impact echoed like thunder.
A shockwave blasted out from their clash, gouging a deep crater into the earth.
Nearby Frieza soldiers were thrown off their feet by the force and scrambled away in fear.
This fight, from Levos's perspective, was a waste of precious time.
Frieza could return from Central Capital any minute now.
Once he was back in West City, stealing the Dragon Balls would become nearly impossible.
So this needed to end fast.
Unfortunately, Tagoma in this timeline was far stronger than expected.
The two locked in a power struggle, neither backing down.
Levos stopped Bulma and Android 16 with a look. He didn't want their help.
"How long did you train with Frieza?" he asked in a calm, flat tone.
Tagoma snorted.
"You don't deserve to know!"
Muscles tensed, he let out a deafening roar.
BOOOOM!
The air shook as arcs of electricity flickered around him.
Energy surged from his body, sweeping away the smoke and revealing a cleared-out battlefield.
He lunged, fist raised.
It came down like a meteor.
Levos narrowed his eyes and met it head-on.
CRACK!
Fist clashed against fist in a burst of light and sound.
Levos was sent flying, crashing through a wall of debris.
He righted himself mid-air and brushed off the dust.
"I can tell," he muttered coldly, "you went through hell to get this strong."
He looked up, gaze sharpening.
Tagoma grinned, baring his teeth.
"You think you deserve this power just by taking shortcuts? You're nothing compared to me!"
"I'll say it clearly.
I'm the greatest natural-born fighter in the entire army."
"In just six months, I raised my power level from 22,000 to over ten billion!"
"I owe it all to Lord Frieza and King Cold's training…"
As he spoke, Tagoma vanished in a flash.
Ten billion?
Levos didn't even bother calculating the numbers anymore.
If he remembered right, that kind of power could crush Dabura.
But…
He narrowed his eyes, instincts flaring.
CRACK!
Tagoma slammed into him again, sending him crashing through a skyscraper.
Levos coughed blood, arms limp at his sides.
Tagoma towered over him.
"Now you see the difference between us?"
He raised his fist and swung downward.
But a red flash shimmered across Levos's body.
At the last moment, he twisted aside and launched a kick straight into Tagoma's gut.
Caught off guard, Tagoma was flung back like a ragdoll.
"Damn it! You bastard!"
With a snarl, Tagoma charged again, this time gathering a dense, deadly orb of energy in his palm.
His ultimate technique his signature compressed destruction blast.
It screamed toward Levos like a star collapsing.
But Levos didn't dodge.
He didn't need to.
"…I've seen enough of your power.
I'm done wasting time."
"I'll end this. Right now."
A crimson aura erupted from his body, wrapping him in searing light.
HUMMMMMMM
"Kaioken, times five!" he roared.
The very air warped, distorting from the pressure. Waves of raw force rippled outward.
Levos's arm whipped forward and slapped the energy blast away.
Tagoma's face twisted in horror as his own attack came flying back at him.
He tried to block, arms raised.
But it was useless.
BOOM!
In a flash of white, he was sent crashing into the earth, drilling deep into the ground.
The explosion burst into the sky like a brilliant firework.
"…That's it?" Levos muttered, brows furrowed.
He glanced at the city, briefly worried about the damage, but the shockwaves quickly died down.
A massive crater was all that remained.
Levos let out a breath and released the Kaioken state.
Even at five times output, it hadn't taken a toll on him.
He'd recovered more energy than he spent.
Maybe…
He could keep Kaioken active longer next time?
That thought made him raise an eyebrow in interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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."
p@treon.com/_theon
Change @ to "a"