Recap: As the battle against the evolved Time Eater continues, the Candy Men struggle to keep control of the battlefield while protecting Eve and preventing the creature from evolving even further. After the Time Eaters merge together into a massive second-stage entity, the Maxes are forced to rely on teamwork, strategy, and sacrifice rather than raw strength alone.
While Max 4 desperately attempts to break through the overwhelming creature's defenses, the other Maxes continuously create more of themselves from the Candy Cosmos, willingly transforming into energy to strengthen the candy staff and support their allies. However, the Time Eater's evolution continues to accelerate, becoming faster, smarter, and far more dangerous with every passing moment.
As the struggle intensifies, Genesis, Kail, Adam, Chrona, and Yu observe the battle from afar, leading to the long-awaited explanation of the Life Spirits. Genesis reveals that the Candy Men are manifestations of positive energy created by Eve herself, explaining why they instinctively exist to protect her.
Despite the growing danger, Yu remains calm and confident, reassuring the group that Eve will awaken soon while continuing to closely monitor the battlefield.
Setting: candy cosmos
Max 4 continues charging forward toward the giant Time Eater—
but as he closes the distance—
the Time Eater suddenly begins mumbling to itself.
Its distorted voice overlaps repeatedly—
glitching—
breaking—
evolving.
Time Eater (mumbling violently):
"Morreeee… energyyyy… evolveeee… devourrrrr…"
Suddenly—
DOZENS of massive tentacle arms launch toward Max 4 at beyond light speeds.
The attacks twist unnaturally through space—
bending direction midair—
trying to overwhelm him from every angle at once.
But before the attacks can reach him—
The other Maxes jump in.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The tentacles pierce through them one after another—
but instead of falling—
their bodies dissolve into glowing candy energy—
flowing directly into Max 4's candy cane staff.
The staff begins overflowing with energy.
Cracks of candy-colored light spread across it.
But something is wrong.
Max 4 (struggling while thinking):
"…I can't hold this energy much longer…"
The sheer amount of power begins slowing his movements.
His arms feel heavier.
His breathing becomes unstable.
Even running forward starts becoming difficult.
—
Max 1 suddenly speaks through telepathy.
Max 1 (with a worried tone):
"Heyyyy… you doing okay?"
"You don't look so hot…"
Max 4 forces himself to keep moving.
Max 4 (with a tired tone):
"Huh…?"
"I'm fine…"
"It's just… heavy…"
(He tightens his grip on the staff.)
"We need to end this FAST before I lose the energy…"
"…or we won't be able to take that thing down."
Max 2 joins the telepathic conversation.
Max 2 (with a serious tone of caution):
"Not only that…"
"That Time Eater is still evolving…"
"But the growth isn't as massive as when it was fighting Mother, Father, and the others…"
(Eyes narrowing.)
"So we still have a chance."
Max 5 suddenly looks uncomfortable while moving around.
Max 5 (complaining):
"Mannnnnnn…"
"These outfits are REALLY tight…"
"It's hard to move in…"
Max 4's eyes suddenly widen in realization.
Max 4 (with a surprised expression):
"WAITTTTT—YOU'RE RIGHT!!!"
"These outfits ARE uncomfortable…"
"And I think it's time for a CHANGEEEEEE!!!!!"
Suddenly—
Max 4 stops midair.
The energy around him begins surging violently.
Candy-colored aura erupts from his body like a storm.
HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
The entire battlefield shakes as his energy spikes higher and higher.
As the massive Time Eater launches thirty distorted energy blasts toward Max 4—
the attacks twist unnaturally through time and space—
warping the Candy Cosmos around them.
The blasts scream across the battlefield—
distorting reality itself as they close in on Max 4 from every direction.
But then—
Something changes.
The blasts suddenly begin slowing down.
Their distorted energy starts shifting—
melting—
softening—
until all thirty attacks transform into candy midair.
Lollipops.
Chocolate.
Cotton candy.
Gummy stars.
The Time Eater freezes.
Its massive mouth twitches violently in confusion.
Time Eater (glitching in shock):
"W̴H̵A̷T̸… I̷S̵… T̶H̴I̶I̷I̵S̷S̸S̶S̴S̵…?"
Suddenly—
SWOOOSH—
Max 4 swings his candy cane staff—
still overflowing with all the energy gathered from his fallen brothers.
Candy-colored energy explodes outward from the swing—
blowing away the transformed attacks instantly.
Then—
The candy aura surrounding Max 4 slowly begins to fade.
And as it disappears—
his new outfit is revealed.
Gone is the stiff prince attire.
Instead—
Max 4 now wears a soft unicorn pajama set identical to Eve's—
comfortable—
loose—
warm.
Max 4 steps forward confidently.
Max 4 (confident):
"Ahhhhhhh…"
"That feels WAYYYYYYY better than that prince outfit."
Max 1 smiles immediately.
Max 1 (grinning):
"Honestlyyyyyyy…"
"I was feeling the SAME way."
(He raises his candy cane staff.)
"COME ON EVERYONEEEEE—LET'S LET LOOSEEEEE!!!!"
All nineteen Maxes shout together in perfect sync.
19 Maxes:
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
BOOOOOOM—
All twenty Maxes erupt with candy-colored aura at the same time—
their spiritual energy surging into the sky of the Candy Cosmos like giant beams of light.
The entire realm begins glowing brighter.
Then—
One by one—
the Maxes walk out from their exploding auras.
All wearing matching unicorn pajamas—
just like Eve's.
Comfortable.
Relaxed.
And smiling fearlessly as they face the evolved Time Eater once again.
Back to Genesis and the others—
Genesis watches the Maxes with sparkling eyes as all twenty of them stand proudly in their matching unicorn pajamas.
Genesis (excited):
"OHHHHHH WOWWWWWWW—THEY'RE WEARING THE SAME TYPE OF CLOTHES WE HAVEEEEEE!!!"
"THAT'S SO COOLLLLLL!!!"
Kail slowly places her hand over her face in disbelief.
Kail (sighing):
"I wish I was as carefree as you, Genesis…"
Genesis flashes a huge smile.
Genesis (cheerfully):
"It's easyyyyy~~~"
"You just gotta stop letting the negatives outweigh the positives."
(He tilts his head slightly.)
"But you're as tense as they come, Kail…"
"So I can see why it's hard for you."
Suddenly—
FWOOSH—
Genesis vanishes.
Then reappears directly behind Kail.
Before she can react—
he starts gently massaging her shoulders.
Kail instantly stiffens.
Kail (blushing and flustered):
"Y-YOU'RE SO CAREFREE BECAUSE YOU'RE AN IDIOTTTTT!!!"
Genesis bursts out laughing while continuing the massage.
Meanwhile—
Kail tries to stay annoyed—
but slowly starts melting from relaxation.
Chrona floats nearby, finishing her chocolate while staring at the battlefield.
Chrona (confused):
"What's the difference though…?"
"Their power didn't increase THAT much."
Adam watches the battlefield carefully.
Adam (calm but confused):
"That Time Eater still overwhelmingly surpasses them in raw power."
Yu simply smiles softly.
Yu:
"Think of it as a mental boost."
Chrona and Adam both slowly turn toward him—
their heads tilting at the exact same angle.
Chrona & Adam (simultaneously):
"…Mental boost?"
Meanwhile—
Kail is practically melting from Genesis' shoulder massage.
Kail (relaxing):
"Ohhhhhhhh…"
"That feels soooo goooddddd…"
Genesis' expression softens slightly as he watches the battlefield.
Genesis (calmly):
"The battle's gonna end with this next move anyway."
Adam looks toward him curiously.
Adam:
"And what makes you say that, Father?"
Genesis places a finger on his chin while thinking.
Genesis (thinking):
"Hmmm…"
"Two reasons."
(He points toward the battlefield.)
"First—the Maxes are comfortable now."
"The pajamas make them mentally relaxed…"
"…which makes them move better and think more clearly."
(He smiles slightly.)
"And second…"
Genesis' eyes shift toward Yu.
Genesis:
"Yu still hasn't stepped in."
"Simple."
Chrona's eyes widen slightly.
Chrona (surprised):
"Wow…"
"Dad, your fighting instincts are REALLY sharp…"
"…even if your head is full of air half the time."
A brief silence.
Then—
Genesis and Kail burst out laughing together.
Back to the battlefield—
Max 4 tightens his grip on the candy cane staff as overflowing candy energy surges around his body.
A confident smile spreads across his face.
Max 4 (with a confident smile):
"YOU'RE DONEEEEE!!!"
The fused Time Eater lets out a distorted screech as hundreds of massive tentacle arms begin charging up again—
warping space around them as distorted energy gathers violently in their palms.
Time Eater (glitching crazily):
"I̴̛͇'̵̹͠M̵͕͒ ̸̱͝G̶̻̐O̵͚͝Ḯ̸͚N̶̬̎G̵͍͂ ̴̮̓T̷̗̒O̷͍̾ ̶̫̉E̴͔͌Ä̶͔́T̷͔̈́ ̶̖̚Y̸̞͗O̵̻͠U̷͍͝ ̸͍͒Ȃ̶̞L̴̪̈́L̶̛͖L̵͚̄L̵͕͘—"
But before the creature can even finish speaking—
FWOOSH—
Max 4 vanishes instantly.
The Time Eater's distorted eyes widen.
Then—
Max 4 suddenly appears directly BEHIND the giant creature—
completing his objective.
Chrona and Adam both react at the exact same time.
Chrona & Adam (in unison):
"So fast…"
Max 4 raises the glowing candy cane staff high into the air.
Max 4 (yelling):
"NOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!"
Max 1's face lights up with excitement.
Max 1 (with a huge smile):
"THIS IS GONNA BE FUNNNNNNNNN—LET'S DO THISSSSSSS!!!!!"
BOOOOOOOOM—
All nineteen Maxes unleash their candy aura at once.
The entire Candy Cosmos begins shaking violently as massive amounts of candy-colored spiritual energy explode into the sky.
Then—
their auras begin merging together.
Fusing.
Condensing.
Growing larger and larger.
Cotton candy clouds swirl.
Chocolate rivers spiral upward.
Gummy energy compresses together violently.
Until finally—
A gigantic candy bear forms before the fused Time Eater—
equal in size to the monstrous creature itself.
Its body radiates overwhelming candy aura—
while its glowing gummy claws flex with immense power.
All nineteen Maxes shout together in perfect synchronization.
19 Maxes (in unison):
"SPIRITUAL CANDY COSMOS TECHNIQUEEEEEEE—"
"GIAAAAANT GUMMY BEARRRRRRR!!!!!"
The massive Time Eater immediately shifts its attention away from Max 4—
locking all of its focus onto the gigantic Gummy Bear standing before it.
Its hundred distorted hands begin gathering energy at the same time—
twisting space violently around them.
Dark purple cracks spread through the Candy Cosmos as the energy compresses together into one gigantic sphere of distorted time and space energy.
Reality itself begins bending around the attack.
The gigantic Gummy Bear suddenly points at the Time Eater confidently.
Gummy Bear (with a confident expression):
"OHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHH—YOU'RE GOING DOWNNNNNNN!!!!"
Kail watches the battle closely while practically drooling.
Kail (excited):
"…This should be interesting."
Genesis' eyes sparkle with excitement.
Genesis (hyped):
"THAT'S A BIGGGGGGG GUMMY BEARRRRRRRRR!!!!"
The fused Time Eater's massive mouth stretches unnaturally wide as distorted energy pours out from between its teeth.
Time Eater (glitching crazily):
"D̷I̸S̸T̸O̷R̷T̴E̷D̴ ̷T̶I̵M̷E̶ ̷A̶N̴D̴ ̸S̷P̷A̵C̵E̵ ̶T̷E̴C̷H̴N̵I̵Q̸U̷E̴—"
"B̸R̵E̶A̷K̸I̴N̶G̶ ̷S̶H̷O̶O̵O̴O̵T̶TTTTTTT!!!!!"
Chrona slowly blinks while floating in the air lazily.
Chrona (surprised but tired):
"Greattttt…"
"Now it can use techniques…"
Adam continues watching calmly.
Adam (with a calm expression):
"…I wonder how the Maxes plan on handling this."
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
The Time Eater fires the gigantic distorted blast directly at the Gummy Bear.
The attack tears through the Candy Cosmos like a collapsing galaxy—
warping everything in its path.
But strangely—
The giant Gummy Bear doesn't dodge.
Doesn't block.
Doesn't move at all.
It simply stands there—
smiling confidently—
and takes the full force of the attack head-on.
The distorted blast completely engulfs the Gummy Bear—
triggering a massive explosion that covers a huge portion of the Candy Cosmos.
Shockwaves ripple across the realm.
Candy clouds are blown apart.
The entire battlefield disappears behind smoke, distortion, and exploding candy energy.
End of Chapter 16— Mental Boost