Levos smiled and nodded. "Mm. I will."
The older he got, the harder it was to watch family reunions without something twisting in his chest. Bulma and her parents had been separated by life and death for more than a decade scenes like this could pry open a time-traveler's loneliness in an instant. Besides, plenty of Bulma's friends had returned and hadn't even had the chance to see her yet. Put them all in one room and there would be tears, laughter too much feeling.
He wasn't built for that kind of crowd right now.
And there was work too much of it that only he could do. If he wasted this window, Zeno's erasure would sweep away everything he'd fought to salvage.
Prodded by Champa, Vados gathered the eager Earthlings and whisked them off. In the temple's hush, only Levos, Frieza's party, Dabura, Mr. Popo, Piccolo, Goku, and a few others remained.
Levos glanced at Frieza. "What are your plans, Lord Frieza?"
Arms folded, voice icy, Frieza sneered, "Imagine me, the emperor of the cosmos, negotiating with a backwater planet at the edge of the universe. What a disgrace."
Levos chuckled lightly. "And yet I personally watched Your Lordship save Earth more than once doing your utmost to keep it from harm…"
"Hnh!" Frieza's eye twitched; he snapped, furious, "Protect Earth? Don't be absurd. I destroyed Earth with my own hands!"
Levos said nothing just smiled.
"You're mocking me?!" Frieza's face darkened.
"No mockery. Only facts so you'll know I mean you no harm."
Cooler stepped forward, meeting Levos's eyes. "With the Saiyan Empire rising, the sensible course is to set past grudges aside."
Listening, Goku tilted his head, curious. "Levos, why not team up with the Saiyan Empire?"
Levos gave Goku a surprised look. Trust him to hit the core of it.
Cooler's gaze went glacial. "You intend to ally with the Saiyan Empire?"
"Sure!" Goku scratched his hair. "Earth's got a bunch of Saiyans now wouldn't that fit better?"
Levos had considered quietly testing the waters with the Saiyan Empire. Goku had just dragged that thought into the open.
"Heh." Cooler's smile was thin and cold. "This 'Empire' is a hundred times more brutal than King Vegeta's reign. They're demons to the last man. They sack worlds, enslave populations, and leave planets as sterile husks. Everything dies animals, people, plants. It takes centuries millennia to recover, if at all."
Goku fell silent; he hadn't imagined they were that vile.
Frieza's expression soured. "After all these years, those Saiyan apes still don't grasp the value of a living world only how to smash it."
Levos stayed calm. "That's your side of it. We may be partners now, but… Goku's caution is sound. Before we declare war on the Saiyan Empire, I'm going to investigate. I hope you understand."
"We'll see," Cooler said, sure of himself. "Once you witness their methods, you'll sign the pact."
For now, everything pivoted on Zeno. Frieza's clan, Moro, the Saiyan Empire Levos wouldn't strike at any of them prematurely. Stall, stabilize, survive.
Piccolo seemed to catch his drift. "Frieza war or no war, we're allies. Let us scout the Empire first. You'll have our answer soon."
Levos nodded. "That's the situation. Here's to a smooth partnership."
"Let's hope," Cooler snorted, offering nothing more.
"Then we'll take our leave."
Frieza clearly had no desire to linger on Earth. He turned to go with King Cold, Berryblue, and a few mechanized Cooler copies.
"Wait, Lord Frieza," Levos said mildly. "Leave the troops you brought to Earth."
"Why?" Frieza frowned.
Earlier while Vados was sealing Fusion Zamasu and before the return to Earth Frieza's men had nearly brawled with the Earth side. Levos had stepped in then. Afterward Frieza proposed ceding the starfields around Earth to grease a cooperation deal.
"If you hand me territory with no personnel," Levos said, eyes narrowing, "who exactly is supposed to govern it?"
Frieza blinked. "You intend to recruit all of them?"
Levos nodded, cool and unbothered.
"Fine. They're useless rabble anyway," Frieza said with a cruel little smile. "Saves me the trouble of purging them myself."
"Ahem Kikono as well. And Captain Ginyu," Levos added.
Frieza's face went flat with displeasure. After a beat of silence, he inclined his head. "Berryblue has attended me for decades. I'll be taking her. You won't object."
Levos arched a brow. "I won't."
Not wishing to spend another second here, Frieza departed with King Cold, Berryblue, and several mechanical Cooler doppelgangers.
Cooler's Armored Squadron the trio of Salza, Neiz, and Doore remained, as did Ginyu and Kikono. The looks they gave Levos were pure fear.
A heartbeat later they dropped to one knee in unison, heads bowed. "Lord Levos."
"On your feet," Levos said, pleasantly. "I'm rebuilding a Special Forces unit. Ginyu, you're acting vice-captain. Members: Salza, Neiz, Doore."
"Yes, sir!" the four barked as one.
As for the captain Levos had someone in mind, and the thought tugged the corner of his mouth up. On the subject of over-the-top poses, this squad would be elite across all twelve universes.
Piccolo eyed that odd smile, baffled. He frowned. "Levos, keeping Ginyu this close isn't that too dangerous?"
"I'd say he's safest where I can see him," Levos replied.
After watching Ginyu's technique in action multiple times, Levos had mapped the limits: range-bound, eye-contact required, and the incantation had to be spoken. Anyone forewarned could guard against it; with enough of a power gap, you could simply dodge the beam by reflex.
In short, Ginyu swapping with him again was a practical impossibility.
Levos scanned the plaza and spotted a blue, feline creature lying unconscious.
He shifted into his Cell form. The tail opened and swallowed the little body whole.
And with that
Save for the Fusion Zamasu sealed by an angel, every Dark variant that invaded this timeline had been erased.
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