The ruins of Cooler's shattered empire floated in silence. Pieces of starships drifted among asteroid fields, and the eerie glow of residual conceptual energy still pulsed faintly through space.
Inside a small ship cloaked in stealth tech, Turles, Lord Slug, and Caelix stood by the hangar bay, facing Xicor and Rigor.
Turles: "You two sure you don't want to stick around and finish what we started?"
Rigor (arms crossed): "Nah. We've done enough wrecking for now. It's time we actually learned something."
Xicor (grinning like a doofus):"Also I hear King Kai's got pudding, and I can't pass up that kind of divine dessert."
Caelix chuckled, his cloak now embedded with celestial runes since absorbing the Concept Kami shard.
Caelix: "We're heading out. There's something calling me out there. Something... ancient. If I can figure out what it is before it figures out me, maybe we'll stand a chance in what's coming."
Slug (grunting): "Tch. Sentimental fools. Don't get yourself killed in heaven."
Turles punched Rigor's arm lightly.
Turles: "Don't go soft on me, kid. Next time we meet, I want a real fight."
They exchanged nods, and the group split.
After being fast-tracked by King Yemma (thanks to their "Hero of the Spiral War" title), Xicor and Rigor were granted access to King Kai's planet.
Cue instant comedy chaos.
Xicor (bouncing on the tiny planet):"This is it?! A tiny marble with a bug car and a bad radio connection?! WHERE ARE THE TRAINING CHAMBERS?!"
King Kai: "Don't judge a planet by its size, ya cosmic gremlin. You're about to get your butts kicked by philosophy, comedy, and gravity training on crack."
Bubbles ran circles around Rigor, who wasn't amused.Gregory, armed with a mini hammer, bonked Xicor every time he cracked a meme during training.
Despite the silliness, King Kai's training pushed them to their limits.
Rigor began mastering Spirit Control, learning to manipulate ki without wasting energy.
Xicor unlocked his comedic chi, blending unpredictability and power through laughter, creating a technique he called "Ha-Ki-Do" – a style that made his enemies underestimate him until it was too late.
Cue the inevitable training montage with '80s synth music and Xicor screaming lines like:
"IS THIS… A KAIOKEN BURGER?! I'M GONNA EAT THROUGH DIMENSIONS!"
Meanwhile, in deep space, Caelix, Turles, and Slug arrived at a forgotten planet cloaked in shadows—Nocturos, a realm said to predate even the Supreme Kais. Here, Caelix's connection to the Kami of Concepts began to burn.
He saw visions: timelines bleeding into each other, universes colliding, and a strange tower at the edge of existence with the words etched into it—
"The Pantheon is stirring."
Caelix (whispering): "They're waking up. The Kami of War… of Time… of Ruin…"
Turles stepped forward.
Turles: "Whatever this place is, it's been buried for a reason. We wake it up, we better be ready."
Slug (looking at the twisted constellations above): "Let the gods come. I've been itching to punch one in the throat."
The team prepared to explore deeper into Nocturos, unaware that they were being watched by an ancient being with eyes like collapsing galaxies...
Back in Other World, as Xicor finally mastered Kaioken x100 Memestrike (yes, he named it that), a burst of dimensional static erupted across King Kai's antenna.
King Kai (panicked): "This… this isn't supposed to happen! This signal—it's coming from beyond the Conceptual Barrier!"
Suddenly, a rift tore open above the planet, revealing a face cloaked in golden armor and writhing stardust.
???: "Heirs of Spiral Flame… I see you. Your fire will burn brighter than the gods… or extinguish the cosmos."
Then it vanished.
Xicor dropped his pudding.
Xicor: "...Did the universe just insult me?"
Rigor (serious for once): "That wasn't just a threat. That was a declaration of war."
End of Chapter 10
Next Time: Chapter 11 – The Kami of War Ascends
Caelix awakens a sealed memory from the First Spiral War.
The Kami of War sends avatars to test the heroes.
Xicor and Rigor are summoned to the Grand Kai's realm for urgent training.
Turles and Slug? They awaken dormant powers hidden in their bloodline.