ABAS's head snapped around at Liari's words, seeking the source of the noise. He could have sworn he checked the area before attacking the herd! How was it possible that a standard had avoided the detection of him: an evolved being?

As if in answer to his unspoken question, colored cubes emerged from thin air, reassembling themselves like giant building blocks. ABAS felt his heart sink as a face emerged from the multitude: blue skin emerging from the ether to form over an angular face with purple eyes. If he was being honest, most beings of a certain species tended to blend together in his eyes: their differences too slight to make fine distinctions unless he was familiar with them. However, this was a face that had been burned into his retinas since the moment of his awakening, the face that haunted his resting hours with mad cackles and displays of immense power.

ABAS swallowed, feeling the adrenaline beginning to rush through his veins. "Quite..pathetic yes. One wonders how such...creatures manage to survive on this planet...for so long." ABAS rasped, the words starting and stopping as he fought for control. He could almost hear a multitude of voices screaming for the kill, pinging around the inside of his head with insane ferocity. Both the conditioning he was subject to, and the kill-switch warming in his blood demanded he strike out at the Majin, but ABAS knew the moment he did would be the moment he most likely perished. He didn't want to die, not just yet! He had so much left to learn, so much left to grow! Self-preservation warred with duty, and for the moment, self-preservation won out.

ABAS clenched a fist, focusing on the pain rather than the clamor of his soul, "Not that it matters, but beauty and ugliness are immaterial to me. This body is efficient, and that's all that matters." ABAS said, gesturing towards the Majin's headtails. "A standard human or Sayian body has too many weak points. Hair, for example, seems too easily grabbable." He explained, gauging her reaction. It was a calculated risk to risk aggravating the Majin with his (totally justified) points, but necessary. The only route ABAS could see out of this was to simply bore the reputably excitable Majin until she left him alone. He knew that if he was around her for much longer, he would no longer be capable of holding himself back.

"Not all my meals, just when I require the rapid extraction of biomass Madame....." He trailed off in question. ABAS, of course, knew exactly who this Majin was, but he thought it best to at least play at being unaware. Anything to reduce Liari's suspicions of him. "I am called the Automated Bio-Adaptive Sentinel, but you can just call me ABAS. Standards seem to think that is better. Regardless "bug" isn't exactly right. While trace Arcosian genetics make me appear insectoid, that is the extent of their influence." ABAS said, gauging Liari's reaction. Speaking of, what happened to her bio-armor? She looks almost completely different than the reports. In fact, how is she even here? I thought she died in the battle? Did she somehow manage to escape? ABAS thought, his mind racing. He formed and discarded several scenarios, before eventually deciding that he simply needed more data.

"I would never turn down...additional biomass, but I cannot be your 'pet," ABAS said, feeling the last word bite as it left his mouth. This was bad, he could feel his control of his body waning. All it would take was one more push, and he would lose himself to the rage.

---

Power Level: 4,398
Larval Form [x5] Active!
Effective Power Level: 21,990

WC: 609
TWC: 982

"A fair point. Then again, I suppose you can call the ability to get people to put their lives on the line for them a strength." ABAS pointed out. In his (limited) experience, he found that the humans greatest strength was not their raw power, but their ingenuity and their charisma. After all, how many species could have created him: a perfect platform for genetic evolution beyond that of any single species? That wasn't even mentioning how ingenious (if aggravating) their controls over his actions were.

"I guess not. If it makes the individual feel better about themselves, then it can't hurt." ABAS mused thoughtfully. Poor Liari's attempted flirting seemed to make a loud whooshing sound as it flew over his head. Instead, ABAS was rather confused why Liari was tracing her body's outline. Was this some sort of hand motion to activate a technique? The bio-android cross-referenced the motion with Liari's known attacks, only to come up blank. Maybe whatever she did to either survive or revive herself after Athren may have given her more abilities, or something. ABAS thought, filing the memory away for later reference.

The act of categorization seemed to help with the burning demand for violence. Maybe whatever the Blacksite had done to him allowed for intel-gathering. Maybe it was just coincidence. Either way, ABAS felt himself begin to relax ever so slightly. Maybe this day didn't have to end in violence.

Then, Liari decided to grab his hand.

Almost on instinct, ABAS detached the entire lower half of his face to escape Liari's grasp. According to Blacksite doctrine, any attempt at physical contact with a being that could absorb him on a whim had to be treated as a physical assault. Unfortunately, this also meant that his drive to eliminate Liari began to well up once more, and this time there was no stopping it. Giving in fully to his conditioning, ABAS rapidly transformed his left arm into a large scythe-like blade of chitin, and swept it at Liari's waist even as he leapt backward out of melee range. If Liari was observant, she would notice that the transformation of his arm, and the rapid regeneration of his chin, looked eerily familiar.

"Normally, I would never pass up a free meal. Unfortunately, the 'Sentinel' part in my name is intended for extraplanetary threats to Earth. Threats like you. I can't disobey my creators." ABAS said. Unlike his speech earlier, he was beginning to sound a lot less human-like as his conditioning took more and more control over his consciousness. The inquisitive look in his eyes was beginning to vanish, only to be replaced by a machine-like stare. ABAS began to circle Liari at high speeds, trying his best to stay out of melee range.

Deep within his psyche, however, ABAS had already given up. He knew he had zero chance against this monster. All datums pointed to the fact that in but a few moments, he would be dead.

---

WC: 495
TWC: 1477

Current Power Level: 21,990

“I don’t have a choice, regardless of whether you saw me in a bee movie.” ABAS said simply, grimacing at the failed attack. The speed gap is too large. I need to make her underestimate me if I have any chance at landing a significant attack. The bio-android thought. He took a few seconds as he circled the majin to rapidly generate and discard plans until he came up with a passable tactic. The Blacksite would never approve of the failure rating on this. He thought to himself, finding the thought….funny? Darkly amusing? ABAS couldn’t quite pin down the emotion. He filed it away to analyze later. “I was designed to eventually kill you. Either you die, or I perish to my fail-safes. Thinking for myself simply isn’t an option.”

Of course, the vast majority of ABAS’s thoughts were consumed by the fight at hand. ABAS tuned out Liari’s mocking, focusing instead on her movements. True to his expectations, her eyes followed this level of speed without much issue. It was not like he had expected for her to have that much issue with his top speed, but that was never the point in the first place. He NEEDED Liari to move, to fight. This was perhaps his one and only chance to observe his donor in live combat, and he needed to acquire as much data as possible. After all, what was the point of having Majin genes if one didn’t know how to exploit them to their fullest? Slowly, a subtle red glow began to ignite in the bio-android’s right eye…..

Unfortunately, his logical plan had one major downside. A downside that was made manifest as Liari lengthened her leg to unnatural lengths, tripping him far faster than even his Cerelian-level perceptions could follow. Like some character out of a cartoon, ABAS was sent flying, bouncing and rolling over the rocky terrain. What was perhaps less comical was the horrifically broken ankle that pierced his outer chitin. “Not ideal.” ABAS muttered, slicing the foot off and letting it regrow to full functionality. It would have been more energy efficient to simply let it heal, but he didn’t have the time.

True to form, Liari strolled up a few seconds later, self-satisfaction and condensation practically dripping from her words. “Quite generous for a supervillain.” ABAS jabbed, the taunt coming off hollow due to the lack of emotion. ABAS made to slowly stand, his eyes on Liari all the time. Halfway through the motion however, a spear of chitin borne of the bio-android’s own flesh erupted from his knee, aiming to stab Liari in the chest before snapping off!

The bio-android then flared his ki as high as it would go and launched himself at Liari. ABAS unleashed a salvo of (painfully telegraphed) punches and kicks. He even tried to work in a few surprise tail stabs and chitin spurs like the one he had made previously. “A query. Are we calling each attempt a chance? Or merely each attempted strike?”

---

WC: 506
TWC: 1983

Current Power Level: 21,990

ABAS was beginning to lose himself.

The psychic shackles that bound his mind usually didn't intrude into his mind. After all, the bio-android didn't see much point in disobeying his creators when they held so much power over him. Without the appropriate set of circumstances, the shackles would never activate, allowing him some degree of autonomy.

Now though, he could feel prying fingers wrenching his personality out, smoothing over his consciousness with a veneer of cold logic. In the beginning, ABAS could fight it: preserve some aspects of himself alongside the cold calculus of a machine. Now though, he had repeatedly failed to terminate his destined foe making the drive to kill Liari nearly overpowering. ABAS wasn't sure what concerned him more in the moment: Liari, or the death of his mind. Either way, I need to focus on the plan. The only way out of either danger is to find an opening.

Despite their conflict, both halves of mind reeled at Liari's words. ABAS's eyes widened in shock. Was the Majin actually....excited that he was purpose-built to end her? He had imagined this meeting over and over in his head. He had expected Liari to show anger, arrogance, disbelief that the "puny" Earthlings would ever challenge her. But this? This....joy over the prospect of someone who could eventually match her? ABAS simply didn't understand. COULD not understand.

"....Affirmative. As long as we both live, I will seek you out time after time." ABAS clicked, the words distorting with his high speed movements. "This is the will of my creators, and therefore my will." ABAS paused, his psyche rejoining for a moment out of sheer curiosity. "Though...you were not expected to be happy about that...." He said, his voice sounding a little more "human-like" for a moment.

ABAS frowned internally as his best assault, honed by months of practice....did absolutely nothing. Sure, a large chunk of it could be chalked up to the Majin's innate regen, but most of his attacks barely seemed to bother Liari. It was like he was hitting a wall rather than a person, all the while knowing that the wall could teleport away easily if it chose! Worst of all, Liari had apparently decided that five hits meant five FREE hits, denying ABAS the chance to copy her movements. Still, while the lack of opportunity to observe Liari was....unfortunate, that didn't mean he was totally out of options. No, he still had a plan. It just needed a few more touches until he could maneuver Liari into the correct position. It's possible her regeneration works like the ABAS projects'. If she doesn't have access to a large chunk of her biomass....

To that end, ABAS retreated a few paces, gaining a foot or two of ground. He then once more morphed his arm into a length blade, repeating his earlier maneuver of trying to cut Liari in half at the waist! This time however, he was focusing all of his perceptions on Liari's body instead of focusing his ki into the attack. If Liari tried the same splitting maneuver as last time, he would kick off the ground at full speed, and try to tackle her upper half before it could combine with the rest of her, and retreat a fair distance besides! If this was successful, he would simply rain blows down on the upper half, doing his level best to pound it into the dirt!

Whether the plan worked or not, ABAS was still strangely curious of Liari's intentions. "I am grateful for your patience, but why give me any chances at all? Wouldn't it be better for you to snuff out my 'threat' immediately?"

---

WC: 612
TWC: 2595

Current Power Level: 21,990

"For warriors that claim to live for battle, I agree that it is quite strange than only a handful ever tried to stop you. While such survival instinct is admirable, it doesn't clear them of responsibility." ABAS rasped. He threw an arm wide as if to gesture at the world. "That is why I was born. To pick up the slack, to give Earth a defender that will never retreat, never falter due to morals or cowardice. The perfect guard dog." He paused, "Though if I'm being honest, both the perspective of those fighters, and your own equally fail to make sense. What is the point in fighting for fighting's sake? Are you just fighting and killing just for amusement?" ABAS questioned. He didn't know why this kept bothering him. Its not like Liari's answer mattered all that much: he would still try his best to kill her if she killed for the noblest of reasons. And yet something kept....bothering him about the situation. It was like an ITCH he couldn't scratch, a puzzle he couldn't solve. Was he merely curious about his enemy's motivations? Or did Liari's desires....make him question about his own?

Surprisingly, despite ABAS's rare showing of confusion, the plan went off without a hitch. His arm blade once again tasted nothing but air, but it was never intended to. He relished the look of slight surprise on Liari's face as he did his level best to beat the Majin into paste. His ki roiled uncontrollably as he launched punch after punch at the Majin, nearly breaking his fists on Liari's diamond-like skin. The mere aftershocks of his strikes cracked and cratered the ground, but Liari looked no worse for wear! Still, the feeling of actually getting the best of Liari surged through ABAS's very soul. It was an odd feeling of...completion. Like if a hammer could feel satisfied securing a nail. ABAS had never felt like this before. Was this what Liari meant? The simple joy of doing exactly what you were built to do?

Nevertheless, he still had to be vigilant. ABAS's glowing right eye continued to shine down on his foe, probing for weaknesses. As expected, Liari's physical ability is simply astounding. Durability, speed, strength, she simply has no weaknesses. And she doesn't even have to exert that much ki to do so! ABAS thought, eyes shining as he did his best to memorize the patterns of Liari's ki flow. While he did so, Liari revealed her own reasons for her excitement. "I appreciate the compliments. Rest assured, I was built the strongest cells of any fighter who has visited Earth in the last twenty five years. No normal being can hope to match my potential. While I am little match for you now, that will change." ABAS said honestly. It wasn't a matter of arrogance or conceit: merely a fact. Kami, the damage he sustained from this fight alone would probably catapult him far above his current power. ABAS could only imagine what would happen if he managed to get his hands on a sufficiently powerful source of ki. Power was but his birthright.

Sadly, the bio-android's focus and analysis once again got the better of him. He was so focused on their discussion and Liari's ki flow that he had disregarded her discarded lower half. ABAS's vision swam as Liari's boot slammed into the base of his skull, sending him flying into a nearby rock formation. The sheer force of the blow shattered the rocks into powder, causing the entire thing to collapse on top of him!

There was a few seconds of silence, and then a MASSIVE explosion of lime-green ki as ABAS powered up. Small pieces of slate and stone whirled around him at insane speeds, slicing into anything that stood in their path. ABAS himself glared at Liari, scrapes and cuts rapidly healing with the surge of renewed ki. "I am not a match for you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop either. I will make you see me as a threat one way or another! Let us play." He said challengingly, attempting to focus his energy to a point. Four ki spheres materialized between his fingers, shining in reds in reds and blues. Liari would notice that, while ABAS's power output was impressive for his power level, it was unsteady. Instead of the steady rise that SHOULD accompany this kind of technique, ABAS's ki was all over the place. The spheres grew to the size of a soccer ball, then shrank to the size of a golf ball. If this kept up, it was doubtful whether ABAS would even get the technique off.

But then, ABAS stopped.

Liari's movements were...odd. They were exaggerated, almost laughably slow. Was she....trying to teach him? ABAS was in sheer disbelief. Who IS Liari? She not only relishes in meeting her born assassin, but is actually trying to teach me! ABAS thought. Well, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. And while he couldn't copy Liari's technique (yet), the flow of her ki (via his Cerelian right eye) was definitively something he could learn from. A long moment passed as ABAS stared across the plain at Liari, before letting out an excited hiss. "So it's like that! It's so simple!" He said, rare excitement leaking into his voice.

In an heartbeat, ABAS's aura shrank to a third of it's former size. And yet, not only did ABAS not fall in power, he actually grew MUCH stronger in an instant! ABAS had not grown at all in raw ki reserves, but his strength was night and day compared to before!

"EVOLVED BIO-BOMBER!" With a shout, ABAS threw his hands forward. Four ki spheres combined into one, growing into a crackling ki sphere the size of a small building! The Evolved Bio-Bomber raced forward, smashing headlong into Liari's attack. For the moment, they seemed even. ABAS threw his entire might into the energy sphere, feeling the Kamehameha start to give....

---

WC: 1028
TWC: 3623

Current Power Level: 21,990

Liari fought for the joy of the fight.

ABAS didn't know why he had expected something different. Something....grander. It meshed perfectly with what he was beginning to gather of the Majin's personality. To Liari, fighting was both the grandest game in existence, and an all-consuming drive. Honestly, we probably aren't that different on a psychological level. Not that I would let that stop me from smashing her into jelly at the first opportunity of course. ABAS thought, eyeing his giggling foe. She is driven to fight and enjoy herself in much the way I am to improve myself and kill her. It is just that her drive is born of her own desires, whereas mine was given to me.

And that was the crux of the matter. ABAS hadn't been interested in Liari's motivations out of idle curiosity, As immoral and casualty-causing as her goal was, it was something she pursued for herself. WANTED for herself. The reason she was able to shrug off the slaughter of so many sentients with but a shrug was because it was all, in the end, in pursuit of her self-determined goals. Ergo, I was drawn to her. Because, after all

I don't have that

It was a realization that struck ABAS with almost physical force, so much so that the logic-self receded back into the depths of his soul for a moment. Sure, he had idle WANTS. Satisfying his curiosity. Growing his control of his strength and ki. Even his drive to absorb sentients could be considered a want. But in the end, all of that meant nothing if he didn't have some tangible GOAL to push toward. What was his purpose in existing outside of bowing to the Blacksite out of necessity? Could his life truly have so little purpose? What was he missing?

ABAS was silent for a long moment, the sides of his mind warring as he struggled to respond to Liari's question. "I understand on a logical level. But fighting for the joy of combat....does not make sense to me. Isn't fighting a means to an end? Not the end itself?" ABAS asked, his voice alternating between machinelike and human. "I must of course kill you to protect Earth. Such is my purpose. But I must ask, why bother to kill and destroy Earthlings? It seems illogical to stoke hatred among those who could never stop you in the first place?"

The torrent of unfamiliar feelings was so intense that ABAS almost felt relief at Liari's brazen challenge. So she had guessed at his true nature. ABAS considered it for a moment, before mentally shrugging. Ultimately, it didn't matter that Liari knew. If she had any ability to take him over, she would do it in their final fight regardless. The only edge he lost with her knowing was the element of surprise. Annoying, perhaps, but not critical.

"And the day that I surpass you, will be the day of your doom." ABAS pronounced, folding his arms over his chest.

Surprisingly, that little bit of grandstanding was actually not immediately disproven. The Evolved Bio-Bomber was nothing like before. His revelations about ki control had boosted it's power absurdly above what any prior test had allowed him to do. That, combined with how much Liari must have been holding back, allowed ABAS to succeed.

ABAS clicked his beak as the smoke cleared, revealing a heavily-damaged Liari. "I must thank you Liari, even though you are my enemy." ABAS said, clenching his fist as his crackling green aura snapped into existence around him. What was previously an insubstantial, flickering think roared into existence around him. It was nothing compared to Liari's own might of course, but neither was it weak for those on his tier of power. "I would never have grown this much if you hadn't shown me. To think, controlling my ki was this simple the whole time." He said wonderingly. What could he do now, if he survived this. This control over ki. The Zenkai that he could already feel in his cells. With enough time to train, perhaps fighting at Liari's tier wasn't that far off after all.

ABAS watched as Liari casually regenerated her injuries, cheering him on of all things. He shook his head, "I don't know whether to feel gratified that you are acknowledging my efforts at killing you, or to be insulted that you merely consider them fun. Rest assured, I am not out of power yet. Far from it in fact." ABAS finished, trusting, for the moment, in his gut-instinct. Liari wants a challenge. She won't alpha-strike me while I can still provide entertainment. Which means the plan might work after all. All that's required now is...

ABAS's aura roared forth this more, ripping at the air with talons of energy. The air began to smell of ozone as he adopted the same stance as before, generating another set of four ki orbs. This time, however, he didn't immediately throw them foward, instead extending his hands to his far left and right. Lines of greens and blues raced across his skin, concentrating at his hands where they poured into the orbs. They slowly grew larger, and larger, until they rapidly began to surpass the level of his previous attack. All the while, ABAS stood in the midst of his own glory, thinking hard. With my new abilities, I could surpass this. I can push the Bio-Bomber even further with a little realignment of the ki flow. Probably double the power output at the very least. I wonder what I'll be capable of with flight and proper ki-sensing capabilities...

---

WC: 936
TWC: 4559

Current Power Level: 21,990
Current Ki: 43,980/43,980
Charging [OT2]Evolved Bio-Bomber: 66% -> 132%