Levos stepped forward and plucked the Potara from the fused Cell Junior's ears.
A flash of light.
The two Juniors split apart.
"Chii?"
Third and Fourth chirped in confusion, eyes wide.
Levos offered no explanation and began issuing orders.
"Seventh with Eighth. Ninth with Tenth. Eleventh with Twelfth. You pairs assimilate."
The named Juniors obeyed at once.
Three fused Cell Juniors with terrifying auras appeared.
Then Levos had them assimilate by pairs again.
Boom.
Two impossibly vast power signatures tore into the sky.
Each of them stood at a hundred times an ordinary Cell Junior.
Everyone stared, stunned.
"Are those really Levos' kids? That ki is unreal," Trankon whispered, pupils trembling.
Frieza's complexion soured further as he watched. "Mr. Levos, those two brats might already surpass you…"
Levos cut him a sidelong look; the Emperor sounded just a bit too eager to sow doubt.
Of course he didn't trust the Juniors completely.
But for the moment, they had no training, only instinctive fighting patterns etched into their genes. No advanced techniques. No Mechanical Form. No Kaioken.
Their base combat power was monstrous, but their effective battle strength lagged behind.
That was precisely why Levos hadn't rushed off to pick a fight with Rose Broly with a Junior swarm at his back.
Even if their tier matched his and even if a fused Junior's base dwarfed his by a factor of a hundred he refused to treat them as true top-class fighters.
"They have no treacherous intent," he realized, feeling the tight psychic link humming between them. The two ultra-fused Juniors, for their part, pressed close like loyal cubs and awaited his command.
He exhaled, tension easing.
The next move was simple: give the pair the Potara, fuse them into a Super Cell Junior with a base power two thousand times his own… then assimilate that being himself.
That would rocket his overall power through a qualitative leap.
And because the Juniors were newborns little life experience, little ego the merge wouldn't warp his personality at all.
Perfect, on paper.
Which was exactly why Levos grew even calmer. No ripples of emotion disturbed the surface of his mind.
"Assimilation scales to the stronger party. Even if the multiplier doesn't stack when I merge with the Super Junior, I'll at least inherit its entire combat power."
"My base is nothing next to his."
"So… time to do that."
"Even if I regress to Perfect Cell Max, it won't hurt the bigger plan."
A faint glint entered his eyes.
He lifted his right hand and pressed two fingers to his temple. His left palm flattened over his abdomen. He shut his eyes and listened to every cell.
Veins jumped along his brow and neck. Muscle swelled under his ribs and across his chest. Bones crackled like ice.
His upper body ballooned neck and jaw stretching taut.
Levos bent double, face twisted with pain.
Hrrgh
Something was forcing its way out of his throat.
He managed the process with meticulous care, easing it out bit by bit.
"What is he doing?"
"That… is ?"
"What is that?"
Many could only gape. Only Trankon, Truhan, Frieza, Piccolo, and Buu wore looks that said they understood.
Splutch
With a wash of pale-purple fluid, a lithe figure slid from Levos' mouth and touched down lightly on the tiles.
"Who is she?"
"Don't tell me that's…"
Speculation sparked across the terrace. Trankon and the others couldn't hide their relief.
A pair of brilliant orange earrings hung from the newcomer's ears.
Supreme Kai Shin, the Elder Kai, and Kibito understood at once.
"She's the fusion of Bulma and Android 18," Shin said, eyes bright with realization.
The Elder Kai's gaze hardened. "So that's why Levos spiked in strength he evolved by absorbing their fusion."
He paused, then added, "If I'm not mistaken, expelling her will cause regression his power will drop."
"Mr. Levos really does think of others first, and his planning is thorough," Shin murmured after a beat, admiration in his voice. "Forcing the body to regress like that must take iron will. And if he delayed, their fusion would eventually vanish anyway…"
"I only hope the end result is what he intends," the Elder Kai said, frowning.
"If it's Mr. Levos," Shin began confidently, "then surely "
"Supreme Kai!"
Levos' expression snapped. The world pitched in his skull, but he still cut Shin off at once. "Please stop talking."
"Ah?" Shin blinked. "Forgive me, Mr. Levos. Did I… distract you?"
Levos' face went a shade darker.
Everyone knows you're the Dragon Ball universe's patron saint of jinxes, the strongest causality cannon in existence.
In the Goku Black arc, a few of your 'sure things' flipped the battle upside-down more than once. You even 'jinxed' Zeno into face-planting.
Unless you're Zeno-level, you do not resist this man's mouth.
The realization should have hit him sooner. For all he knew, Champa and Vados had already paid a price for Shin's optimism.
If he was going to merge with a Super Junior, every unstable variable had to go.
First priority: at least until Zamasu was neutralized, no more jinxing from the Supreme Kai.
He couldn't say that aloud, so he steered instead.
"Forgive me, Lord Supreme Kai," Levos said gravely. "But I need you to assume the worst at all times."
"What do you mean?" Shin asked, honestly confused.
"The truth is, right now we have no chance. We're as good as beaten. Even Lord Champa said this universe is fated for destruction." Levos' voice was iron.
Shin stared. "That can't be. Lady Vados looks so calm "
"No," Levos said, darker still. "She's at her limit."
"And if Rose Broly sees no path to victory, he'll self-destruct and take the entire divine realm with him."
"But Lord Champa is a Destroyer he stands at the apex surely "
Levos' patience snapped.
He vanished and reappeared with a tap that left Shin unconscious before the Kai could finish the sentence.
"Kibito," Levos said, voice suddenly and absolutely serious, "the Supreme Kai is our last hope. In spirit form he cannot suffer another shock, or he'll be erased for good. Please take him to King Kai's planet now."
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