Levos looked over the four newly fused warriors and nodded, satisfied. He asked Buu to restore Chronoa and the Special Task Force to fighting shape and tend to their wounds. Then his gaze shifted back to the battlefield.
The fighting hadn't ended yet, but it had entered the clean-up phase. Every truly dangerous Darkling had already been removed. Only Goku and the others were still trading blows, using the chance to sharpen themselves rather than finish things quickly.
Levos watched in silence, ready to intervene if his side took a bad turn.
That was when Chronoa's voice drifted over.
"Strange. Why is there no movement inside the Time Rift? What is Mechikabura plotting?"
"You're sure he's still sealed in there?" Levos asked. A thread of doubt tugged at him too.
By rights, if the Darklings had broken free, Mechikabura shouldn't still be stuck.
Chronoa frowned. "How about this. I'll go in and confirm it."
"Isn't that too risky? If he's laid some trap for you…"
"Then you're coming with me."
"I refuse."
Time in the rift was almost at a standstill. Levos worried that, by the time they got out, ages would have passed outside and Zeno would have erased everything. Besides, Mechikabura's true power was unknown. Not worth the gamble.
"Don't worry," Chronoa said. "With the power of Time protecting us, we won't be affected. And he can't do anything while he's in there."
Levos hesitated. "Can't you just re-seal it?"
"If I don't know whether he's in there, what's the point of sealing?" she shot back. Then she folded her arms, lifted her little chin, and huffed, "Besides, the seal was broken because of you. You're responsible."
Levos grimaced. How did this land entirely on him?
Still, they would have to face Mechikabura sooner or later. The earlier he got a read on the enemy, the sooner he could plan.
He called out to Piccolo.
"I've got this," Piccolo said with an easy smile. "No problems here."
Levos inclined his head and turned to Chronoa. "Let's go."
At that, her frown finally loosened. Orange light welled from her body and wrapped around him. In the next instant, the two of them streaked into the black maw of the Time Rift.
The strange, sunless expanse was dim and deep. The glow around Chronoa lit a wide swath. Black mists rolled and boiled in the distance.
A wash of silver-gray light slid over Levos as his body shifted to Mechanical Form, sharpening his senses.
"There. Movement," he said. "Let's check it."
Chronoa pulled him along toward the disturbance. After flying who knew how long, a sickly green gleam flickered ahead.
Chronoa stiffened, suddenly grave. "No. That's a passage out of the Rift."
Levos focused. Several Darklings were stepping into a vortex of green light and vanishing one by one. Each carried twin blades, and each radiated a peculiar aura.
"Heh. Too late, Chronoa," a mocking voice drifted back. "The Dark Demon Realm's army will sweep through all timelines. When the time comes, you and those little resisters will be ground beneath Lord Mechikabura."
With those parting words, they slipped through the passage.
Chronoa's face changed. She ground her teeth. "Looks like Mechikabura has already escaped."
"What now?"
"Will you come with me to pursue them?" she asked, hopeful.
"No. I can't get away right now."
"I figured." She sighed. "Forget it. I'll take you back to Earth first."
Once more they became twin streaks of light and shot out of the Rift.
By the time they returned, the fighting had ended. Every invading Darkling had been brought down. The Earth warriors had intentionally left each one with a breath of life in them, as if waiting for Levos to absorb them.
Levos ignored the half-dead captives for the moment and looked up at the gash of darkness still hanging in the sky.
"Will the Zamasu from other timelines keep coming?"
"This incident was too sudden," Chronoa said at once. "That's the only reason they gathered so many at once. It won't happen again."
She lifted a slender hand and the black fissure slowly knit shut.
"If you want to know the reason behind the Zamasu incident," she added, coaxing, "join the organization I founded and I'll tell you."
"Not interested," Levos said, rubbing his chin. "And I have zero interest in your organization."
Chronoa's expression froze. "You're not curious? Not even a little? I am the Supreme Kai of Time, the only one across all timelines…"
"I know you've got a lot on your plate," Levos said, cutting her off. "Take care."
He turned and flew toward his friends.
"Hey, wait… wait."
Chronoa darted in front of him to block his path.
"You have divine ki now," she said earnestly. "I can teach you how to use it."
Levos fell quiet. If he wanted divine techniques, asking Whis or Merus would make more sense. Having a little loli as his teacher felt… odd.
"I appreciate it. But I'm not looking for a master."
Chronoa stared, nonplussed. Then something occurred to her and she blurted, "I infused your personal space with the Power of Time. I can teach you to control the flow of time in there. Slow it down. Speed it up. Either way."
Levos's eyes brightened. Adjusting the temporal flow of his pocket dimension would be extremely practical. He hadn't even begun testing its properties. If living people could enter it, and the time inside could be altered, it would be a Spirit and Time Room in all but name. And the Power of Time itself that was something only the Supreme Kai of Time wielded. It intrigued him.
"When this universe's crisis is over, I'll consider it," he said.
"You're impossible to recruit," Chronoa muttered, glaring. "Fine. Don't go back on your word."
"Of course," he said, rubbing his nose.
They returned to the others together.
"Oh, right. Trunks, you don't belong to this timeline," Chronoa said gravely. "I have to take you with me."
Everyone startled.
"Why take him?"
Levos was surprised too. "You know Trunks?"
"Of course," Chronoa said. "In one timeline, Trunks is one of the original members of the Time Patrol."
"That doesn't seem right. He still has people here," Levos objected.
"You hush," Chronoa huffed, then quickly softened for the others. "I'm short on hands to keep order across time. Don't worry. Once the crisis passes, Trunks will be allowed to return."
"Trunks, what do you say?"
"I…" Future Trunks hesitated, then nodded. "I'm willing to go with the Supreme Kai of Time."
"Everyone, don't worry about me. The whole Zamasu mess started because of me. I don't want any universe to suffer because of my existence ever again." His smile was pained.
The others hurried to reassure him.
"In the end, this was Zamasu's fault."
"Your starting point was to make the world better…"
Resolve steadied in Trunks's eyes. "Thank you, all of you. If I get the chance, I'll come back to visit."
"But… what about Mai?" the Trunks of this timeline asked.
"Yeah. And our universe isn't exactly safe," someone added.
"Supreme Kai of Time, could you take Mai along too?"
Chronoa thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right."
After everyone offered their blessings, it was time to part.
"Trunks…" Bulma's eyes were full of reluctance.
Future Trunks and Future Mai stood at Chronoa's side, waving goodbye.
"Mom, please stay well, and be happy…"
Light flared. The three of them vanished together.
Levos exhaled softly. Only then did he have a moment to look over the Darklings the Earth fighters had captured alive. When he spotted the Dark Kefla, he scratched his head.
"Dr. Hyde, could you draw a blood sample from this one for me…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
"Want to stay ahead of the game?Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"