Chapter 40: Power Limits & Cosmic Troubles Brewing (EXTENDED & UNLEASHED)
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[Scene 1: Morning Briefing – Power Restrictions]
Z-City Rooftop.
Boby sat in a lotus pose, radiating almost no energy—yet the clouds still parted nervously above him. Tsunade tied her hair up, popping her knuckles with a grin. Black Goku lounged nearby, juggling a mini black hole between his fingers like a fidget toy.
> Boby: "Okay, status check. Raviel's asleep, so I've locked myself to 0.000001% power. Just enough to flick ants, not end galaxies."
Black Goku: "And I get…?"
Boby: "Fifty percent. That means no planet-busting. If you sneeze the wrong way, I'm chaining your nose shut."
Tsunade: "Wait. So I'm the strongest one right now?"
She smirked, cracking her neck like a boss.
Black Goku: "I hate this timeline."
A pigeon landed on Boby's shoulder.
> Boby: "Achoo."
The pigeon disintegrated into fine stardust.
Tsunade: "...THAT was 0.000001%?!"
Boby: "...I think my sneeze counts as divine-level radiation. I should recalibrate."
Black Goku: "You need a patch update."
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[Scene 2: Hero Work – Comically Overqualified]
In Z-City Park.
A Tiger-class mole monster burst from the earth with a roar, scattering civilians.
> Black Goku (yawning): "Ugh. Weakling."
He flicked a pebble lazily.
Pebble: Pierced the mole, then the bedrock, the mantle… and then—
Cut to: Australian Outback. A new volcano erupts.
> Tsunade: "You just caused a volcanic event in another continent."
Black Goku: "Oops."
Boby: Snaps fingers. Cosmic chains emerge and reseal tectonic plates like a divine tailor mending Earth's pants.
> Boby: "Maybe… we stick to paperwork for now."
Tsunade: "Or knitting. Something less apocalyptic."
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[Scene 3: Fourth Wall Break – Author vs. Boby]
Suddenly, Boby turns and looks at the "screen."
> Boby: "Hey Author, how's the 14-wife narrative coming along? Juggling timelines yet? Hehehehehe."
Reality glitches. A cosmic keyboard appears.
Author (text shuddering): "YOU BASTARD. I WRITE WORLDS, NOT DATING SIMS. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE FICTIONAL!!"
Boby (grinning): "They will when they meet Chapter 44: 'System Wedding Royale'."
Author: "ONE MORE 4TH WALL BREAK AND I'LL ERASE YOUR CHARACTER FILE!"
Boby: "Oops. Time to switch scenes."
> Black Goku: "Who's he talking to?"
Tsunade: "Is it the guy who keeps making me blush every third paragraph?"
Boby: "Shhh. Cosmic Garou arrives in two days. Focus."
Black Goku: "What's a 'Garou'?"
Boby: "You'll find out when your face meets his fist."
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[Scene 4: Ominous Foreshadowing – Galactic Ripples]
As the trio slurps ramen at a street stall, the sky warps, rippling like a disturbed ocean of stars. Time freezes for everyone… except them.
> ??? (echoing from above): "Soon."
A galactic figure with scars that shimmer like nebulae looms briefly above the clouds.
Black Goku (eyes lighting up): "Yes. Finally—someone fun."
Tsunade (sipping sake from a teacup): "I'll restock the medical kits. For the planet."
> Boby (chopsticks hovering): "Garou's watching. He sensed the rift. And me."
He calmly slurps a noodle.
Boby: "This noodle just became a death omen."
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[Scene 5: Nightfall – Raviel's Cocoon Pulse]
Inside their hideout, Raviel's crystalline cocoon shimmered—its first crack glowed like a dying star. A low hum pulsed across dimensions.
> System Notification:
"UPGRADE INCOMING: Raviel's Awakening – ETA: 23 years."
> Boby (chest glowing): "...23 Y—?! Wait no, system typo?!"
Text glitches.
System Update: "Correction: 23 days, my love."
Boby: "Don't play with my emotions like that—I almost chain-suplexed the moon in panic."
> Behind him, the cocoon pulses again, whispering in ancient code:
Raviel (dream-voice): "I will wake... when the universe dares offend you again."
Boby (sweating): "So basically… 2 weeks of peace left. Maybe."
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[Bonus Scene: Hero Association Banter Stream]
Later, the team logs into the Hero Association's new streaming platform: "HeroTalk Live"
> Moderator Hero: "Today's guests: Boby, Black Goku, and Tsunade! Any advice for rookie heroes?"
Tsunade: "Stretch, hydrate, and don't fight dragons without backup."
Black Goku: "Cook first. Fight later. Also: bring snacks."
Boby: "Never underestimate pigeons. Or the Author."
The stream glitches.
Author (in chat): "I saw that."
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[Final Scene: Couch Talk – One Minute Before Midnight]
They gather on their couch—midnight ramen in hand. A calm before the storm.
> Tsunade: "Think we'll survive Garou?"
Black Goku: "If we don't, I better go out with a perfect bento box."
Boby (smiling): "We will. Because after that, Raviel wakes up. And nobody wants to disappoint a cosmic wife with bloodlust."
> Clock ticks.
System Alert: "2 Days Remaining – Cosmic Garou Event Begins Soon..."
TO BE CONTINUED