Kuruzama Estate – The Morning After the Battle
The smell of ozone still lingered in the air.
Broken trees and scorched soil surrounded the once-quiet mansion like scars that refused to fade.
Tojo woke up to a stiff neck and a half-broken couch under him. The taste of ash clung to his tongue.
"Where the hell—"
"Alive," Ozaru muttered, standing near the shattered window. "Barely."
His voice was calm, but his hands trembled slightly as he looked at his reflection in the cracked glass — eyes faintly glowing with traces of his Genesis power.
Grimm, the butler, was calmly arranging teacups on a silver tray as if nothing had happened.
"Good morning, young masters. Breakfast, though given the current 'end of the world' vibe, I recommend a lighter meal."
Tojo blinked. "Bro, how are you still polishing plates after a nuclear-level fight?"
Grimm shrugged. "Old habits, sir. And terror suppresses appetite."
Ken entered from the hallway, his boots echoing on the marble. His calm blue aura glowed faintly — restrained, yet commanding.
"Eat fast. The Council summoned us."
Tojo groaned. "Council? Like, 'intergalactic elders with sticks up their asses' council?"
Nina appeared behind Ken, arms crossed. "Exactly that. And if you open your mouth there, they'll remove your soul before breakfast."
Tojo raised a finger. "What about lunch?"
Ozaru smirked. "You won't make it that far."
---
while in Eclipsera Citadel – Headquarters of the Cosmic Defense Corps
The world bent around them as they stepped through the portal — gravity flipped, light stretched, and then everything snapped into place.
Before them loomed Eclipsera, the floating citadel of the CDC — a black spire suspended between clouds and cosmic storms.
Circular rings of energy revolved around it, each one crackling with restrained power.
Tojo's jaw dropped. "Holy hell. This is like if heaven had a Tesla sponsorship."
"Don't touch anything," Nina said flatly.
The interior was worse — towering halls lined with living circuitry, murals depicting the old Genesis Wars, and guards whose eyes glowed like dying suns. Every surface hummed with energy that made Tojo's skin crawl.
"This place gives me anxiety," Ozaru muttered.
Grimm whispered, "For good reason, sir. They vaporize intruders first and file paperwork later."
They were led through a corridor lined with hovering drones that scanned their every cell. When Tojo sneezed, one of them instantly locked onto him with a plasma barrel.
"Bless me?" he said awkwardly.
"Don't tempt it," Ken muttered without breaking stride.
---
They entered in the big black obsidian looking Hall
The chamber was vast — circular, with twelve thrones floating around a core of light.
Holographic projections shimmered; each seat represented one of the twelve Captains of the CDC.
At the center sat Commander Veyra — draped in crystalline armor, eyes like melted silver.
"Ken Kuruzama," she said, voice echoing like steel striking glass.
"You violated containment law, harbored unidentified wielders, and engaged a Council officer in combat. You will explain."
Ken's tone was steady. "Because these two," he gestured to Ozaru and Tojo, "are not wielders. They are the Stones themselves — Creation and Destruction reborn."
The chamber rippled with murmurs.
Veyra's eyes narrowed. "You speak of myths."
"Then watch them breathe," Ken said softly.
He nodded at Ozaru.
Ozaru hesitated, then exhaled — the Genesis symbol glowing faintly on his chest.
The same light pulsed through Tojo's arm. A deep hum shook the room.
And then — everything cracked.
---
while finding the resonance
Light tore through the chamber in spirals of red and white.
Tojo screamed as energy poured through his veins — veins glowing like molten rivers. Ozaru fell to one knee, clutching his chest.
"Ken!" Nina shouted, shielding her face as shockwaves burst outward.
Ken's voice stayed calm. "Let it pass through you. Don't resist."
But they couldn't. The chamber itself responded — machines melting, drones exploding midair, walls bending.
A Captain yelled, "Contain it! Now!"
A barrier rose — only to shatter instantly.
From the chaos, a vision unfolded.
A battlefield of stars.
Two godlike figures — one wreathed in fire, one in light — clashing across galaxies.
A single voice whispered through everyone's mind:
> "Destruction forgets. Creation forgives. Yet both remember." Maybe it was a warning
And then — silence.
Tojo collapsed, gasping for breath. His blood steamed. Ozaru's hand trembled, trails of smoke rising from his skin.
The floor beneath them was scorched black.
Veyra's eyes widened slightly — the first crack in her composure. "Impossible…"
---
the time to take judgement arrived
"They're not humans," one Captain shouted with arrogance. "They're anomalies! Terminate them before Nexarius senses the resonance!"
Ken stepped forward, his blue aura expanding like a storm. "You'll have to kill me first."
The chamber's temperature dropped instantly.
Veyra raised a hand. "Enough."
Her voice carried the kind of authority that could split planets.
She studied the two boys for a long time, then turned to Ken.
"You've always had a bad habit of breaking the universe to save it."
Ken didn't deny it.
Finally, she exhaled.
"Very well. They live. But they'll be placed under surveillance — and trained."
"To what end?" Nina asked.
"To understand what they are," Veyra replied.
"Assign them to Captain Alkhaz. He's back from the Frontier."
Ken froze. "…He's alive?"
Veyra's lips curved slightly. "You of all people should know he's hard to kill."
---
After the Hearing
The group exited into the corridor. Tojo limped slightly, still feeling phantom burns under his skin.
"Okay… so that wasn't terrifying at all."
Ozaru smirked. "You almost exploded, bro."
"Yeah, but stylishly," Tojo replied weakly.
Grimm walked behind them, muttering, "Do remind me to renegotiate my contract after this."
Ken said nothing — his mind elsewhere. He paused suddenly, sensing a presence.
From the far end of the hall, two heavy footsteps echoed.
> Clack. Clack.
A tall man emerged through the steam — silver-orange hair tied loosely, wearing half-burnt armor that shimmered like glass under sunlight.
A faint scar ran from his jaw to his neck, but his grin was alive and reckless.
> "Ken Kuruzama," he said. "Still dragging the universe's biggest headaches behind you, huh?"
Ken smiled faintly. "Still arriving late to the apocalypse, Alkhaz?"
The two clasped arms — no words, no pretense. Just a quiet moment of recognition between warriors who had seen too much.
Tojo whispered, "Who's this anime protagonist-looking guy?"
Grimm bowed politely. "Captain Alkhaz — also known as The Starbreaker. You'll want to avoid making eye contact, sir. Or jokes."
Tojo immediately made eye contact. "So… you like explosions?"
Alkhaz grinned wider. "Only the pretty ones."
Nina sighed. "Gods help us."
Alkhaz laughed — not the mocking kind, but the rare one that broke tension like sunlight through storm clouds.
"Relax, kid. I don't bite… unless you're slower than my tea brewing."
Tojo blinked. "Wait—what?"
Ken chuckled under his breath. "You'll find out soon."
For a moment, amid the smoke, exhaustion, and cosmic politics, there was something almost peaceful — like the calm heartbeat before destiny begins again.
The wind howled outside the citadel, carrying the faint scent of ash and ozone. Somewhere far below, Earth was still turning — unaware that two of its sons had just shaken the heavens.
Alkhaz turned toward the light-filled corridor. "Come on, rookies. Time to see if the universe thinks you're worth keeping."
Tojo exchanged a glance with Ozaru, both half-smiling despite the pain.
"Guess this is where it really starts," Ozaru said.
Tojo nodded. "Yeah. No more running."
And as they followed Alkhaz into the blinding light, the echoes of the Genesis Stones hummed softly — like distant gods waking from their sleep...