"More or less the same!" Karnel chuckled lightly, not bothering to elaborate further. In his opinion, Supreme Kais and King Kais were just t
"More or less the same!" Karnel chuckled lightly, not bothering to elaborate further. In his opinion, Supreme Kais and King Kais were just the difference between CEOs and middle management, neither had much relevance to his life.
Son Gohan's curiosity got the better of him. "Wait, I thought King Kais were supposed to manage the universe? How could one become as evil as that creature we just saw?"
Karnel shook his head with a sardonic smile. "Most King Kais are indeed filled with positive energy and good intentions. But there are always a few rotten apples in every bunch. Some harbor darkness in their hearts, and over time, that darkness festers. Years of suppressed resentment and twisted ideologies can corrupt even divine beings, leading them down a path of destruction."
"I see..." Master Roshi said with visible relief. "That evil King Kai has been destroyed by you, correct?"
Karnel nodded decisively. "That demonized King Kai has been obliterated in the Demon Realm. You won't need to worry about his return, ever."
Seeing the genuine smiles and relief on their faces, Karnel felt a sudden pang of homesickness. Thoughts of Bulma and his friends waiting for him in his original timeline made his chest tighten with longing. He didn't want to spend another moment in this devastated world.
"The biggest threat has been eliminated, so I can return to my own timeline with peace of mind," Karnel announced, his tone becoming more serious. "As for how long it will take to resurrect Goku and the others... I can't make any promises. Finding the Super Dragon Balls won't be simple, and who knows what obstacles I'll face along the way. There's even a chance I might fail completely. I just hope you're mentally prepared for that possibility."
The mention of Son Goku's potential resurrection sobered everyone. Seeing Karnel speak so cautiously about something they'd been pinning their hopes on, Son Gohan and Master Roshi felt their optimism temper with realism.
Master Roshi bowed deeply toward Karnel. "We're already grateful that you're willing to try. If you succeed, wonderful. If not... well, we'll accept that it was simply their fate."
Karnel waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but I'd rather you hope for the best while preparing for disappointment. The higher your expectations climb, the more devastating the fall."
"Karnel!" Trunks suddenly called out, his voice filled with youthful eagerness. "Can I come with you? I'd really love to see what the world was like before the androids destroyed everything... and maybe meet my father, Vegeta!"
Karnel's expression became both amused and sympathetic. "Even if I wanted to take you, kid, it wouldn't work out the way you're imagining. My timeline is different from yours. Vegeta might still be your father biologically, but I am not sure that Bulma will be your mother there."
Trunks blinked in confusion. "Different? How different could it be? And if Bulma isn't my mother, then who—" He paused mid-sentence as his gaze drifted toward Mai, and his enthusiasm visibly deflated. The thought of leaving her behind clearly hadn't occurred to him until now.
'Ah, young love,' Karnel thought with internal amusement. Seeing Trunks's sudden reluctance, he added, "Besides, it's impossible right now anyway. The time machine I used as bait was teleported to my timeline, and this is the only one left here. We'll discuss it again after I return and locate that other machine."
"That's right, Trunks," Son Gohan chimed in supportively. "You wouldn't want to leave Bulma here all alone, would you? This conversation can wait."
"I was just curious," Trunks muttered, his earlier excitement completely gone. "I'm not really ready to leave anyway." Despite this world's tragic state, it was still his home.
Karnel nodded understanding and reached into the air to retrieve the capsule containing the time machine from his dimensional storage. But as his hand entered the pocket space, his fingers brushed against something else, the ring he'd taken from the fallen King Kai's hand. His movement froze.
"The ring..." he whispered, pulling out the seemingly simple band of metal. "This is the ring that can open time channels."
Karnel held the Ring of Time and Space up to examine it more closely. After concentrating for several long moments, he felt a familiar energy signature emanating from within, one that made his pulse quicken.
He extended his other palm, allowing a silver wisp of temporal power to manifest. "Incredible. This ring contains the power of time as well, and not just one fragment. No wonder it can create time channels and allow travel between different timelines."
His enhanced senses detected exactly three distinct powers of time contained within the ring's crystalline structure.
Karnel's eyes blazed with excitement as he gazed at the ring. The power of time that bore his soul's imprint suddenly surged forward, entering the ring like a predator stalking its prey. He guided his temporal energy to gently coax and seduce the wild powers trapped within.
Slowly, methodically, one of the untamed temporal forces began to respond, following his energy signature out of the ring and into his body.
'Success!' His eyes flickered with triumph as the wild power of time was instantly absorbed into his God's Heart and contained. The foreign energy thrashed against its new prison like a caged animal, but it couldn't escape.
"Settle down in there," Karnel murmured with satisfaction. "I'll find you two companions soon enough."
Without hesitation, he repeated the process, capturing the remaining two powers of time with the same methodical precision.
Feeling four distinct powers of time now contained within his God's Heart, Karnel could barely contain his euphoria. He had already demonstrated he could easily defeat that demonized King Kai with just one power of time. With four at his disposal, his potential was beyond imagination.
"Once I return home, I'll need to focus on refining and fusing these three new powers with my original one," he decided internally, already planning his next steps.