"Boss, is your enhancement complete?"
Looking at the naked Loren, 2B slowly approached and gently touched his arm with a finger.
She could barely press into his muscles—even with her own vibranium-reinforced strength. They felt like tempered steel.
"I think so!" Loren nodded, then turned to Alice. "Restore the power system immediately."
With a hum, the previously dim laboratory flared back to life, floodlights bathing the room in harsh white light—and fully exposing Loren's transformed body to the two women.
Both of them widened their eyes.
"Boss… does this potion also have an aphrodisiac effect? How is that even possible? It's incredibly potent!" 2B blurted, her gaze flickering away... only to snap back almost immediately.
Before her stood a man with thick, corded muscles and a fierce, almost feral expression—intimidating, yes, but undeniably impressive. In that state, even a single punch from him probably felt earth-shattering.
"Hey, hey, hey—what are you staring at? Focus on my muscles!" Loren said, exasperated. Why did this girl always fixate on the weirdest details?
"I was focusing on your muscles, Boss," 2B replied with a sly grin. "Specifically… your chicken!"
"..."
"Okay, okay, enough joking," she relented, covering her mouth as she laughed, eyes gleaming with admiration—and something hotter. "Seriously though… you're amazing! You're so much stronger than before."
"That's strange," A2 interjected, tilting her head. "Boss, you seem… shorter. Weren't you 188 centimeters before?"
"Yeah!" 2B chimed in. "Your body looks denser, more muscular—but definitely a bit shorter!"
Loren wasn't surprised. He'd engineered the Perfect Hulk Serum himself, after all. No one understood its effects better than he did.
The serum didn't just enhance—it refined. Like a blacksmith hammering raw iron into steel, it purged impurities from the body through intense cellular restructuring. The process felt like being crushed and reassembled from the inside out.
The result? A slight decrease in height—but an exponential increase in density, strength, and presence.
He'd stood at 188 cm after his original Super Soldier Serum. Now, he was 186 cm—but every centimeter radiated overwhelming power.
For context: the Hulk's baseline strength was around 30 tons, spiking to 70–100+ tons when enraged—and theoretically limitless if his rage never cooled.
Loren's perfected serum granted him three times the Hulk's base strength right out of the gate: over 90 tons at rest, and well beyond 100 tons when enraged. Sustained fury? His potential had no ceiling.
That's why the air around him now crackled with oppressive energy—why even 2B and A2, elite androids in their own right, felt the instinctive urge to step back.
He clenched his fist. The sound that followed wasn't just knuckles popping—it was the air itself compressing, threatening to rupture.
"Being a little shorter doesn't matter," Loren said confidently, flexing his new form. "As long as you're strong enough."
Upon hearing this, 2B immediately drew the Miao sword floating behind him.
"Boss, strength isn't something you can just talk about—you have to test it. Let me run a combat power evaluation right now!"
"I think 2B's right," A2 added. "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Come on—let's fight!"
Just then, Sister A2 raised her hand and waved it. The Primal Adamantium Blade materialized instantly, its edge gleaming with a cold light that sent chills down one's spine.
"…" Loren sighed.
"Are you sure you want to fight me?"
"Certainly!"
"Then I won't hold back."
The moment Loren spoke, he vanished from his spot in a flash—and reappeared directly in front of 2B.
"Such speed?!"
Shocked by Loren's movement, 2B instinctively leapt backward.
But it was already too late. Loren had already launched his next move.
"Black Tiger Claws Out the Heart!"
"Boss, you!!!"
\\\\\\
Two hours later, the combat capability test concluded—with Loren emerging victorious.
At that level of power, defeating 2B and A2 was almost trivial.
Even if Tifa joined them next time, he wouldn't flinch—and would still subdue them without breaking a sweat.
Back in the laboratory, after besting the two women, Loren approached a glass display case housing a sleek, pure-black battle suit.
This suit was nothing like the Bat Armor he'd crafted before. The earlier Batsuit had been bristling with mechanical components, exuding raw power.
In contrast, the suit before him resembled ordinary cloth—elegant, understated, and devoid of any bat emblems.
Because it wasn't a Batsuit at all.
It was a nanosuit of Loren's own design, forged from nano-vibranium.
Capable of reshaping itself at will, the moment it was worn, it could morph into anything its user desired. Want a formal suit? A thought would do it. Facing combat? Instantly transform into full tactical armor.
It was far faster and more seamless than the Saints of Saint Seiya summoning their Cloths.
More importantly, its defensive strength and combat efficiency were in no way inferior to his previous Batsuits.
Though, with his current power level, even the suit had become optional—its only unique advantage now was granting flight.
"Alright—time to suit up."
Loren opened the case, extended a finger, and pressed it against the nanosuit.
Instantly, the fabric liquefied into a stream of black quicksand, surging up his body and solidifying into a perfectly fitted black ensemble. To an outside observer, it looked like nothing more than stylish, high-end clothing—completely unremarkable.
But 2B and A2 were already accustomed to such spectacle; they didn't bat an eye.
In fact, 2B smirked and said with playful mischief, "Boss, from now on, you won't even need to take off your clothes. You can just make your crotch disappear."
"....." Loren.
Tifa rolled her eyes at 2B in exasperation—just as the lab door swung open.
"Boss," she announced, steppi
ng inside, "General Ross is here—the one trying to capture the Hulk. And he's brought a lot of vibranium with him."
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