Dragon Ball: Ascension

"Master Kairos" Harjas said, bowing deeply before the throne, "the signal from one of our tribute collectors has disappeared."

On the ornate throne sat a figure that commanded absolute terror throughout the galaxy. Emperor Kairos's pale white skin seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, his tall frame draped in magnificent orange-red armor. Sharp, crystal-like horns protruded from his head, marking him as royalty among the Kaimo. At the moment, one of his hands had transformed into a writhing tentacle that pierced through the neck of a freshly delivered humanoid meal.

Dark green corrosive fluid flowed from the tentacle into the victim's body. Within seconds, the unfortunate creature withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving nothing but a dried husk of skin with a face frozen in eternal horror.

The tentacle morphed back into a hand as Kairos finished his daily meal. "Dead?" he said with complete indifference, savoring the taste. "Well, at least that saves us some food rations."

As ruler of the Kaimo Empire, Kairos cared little for the lower-ranking members of his species. Their deaths were inconsequential, perhaps even beneficial, as it meant fewer resources consumed. Still, something about this particular report nagged at him.

His pale tongue flicked across his lips as he leaned forward slightly. "Where exactly did this low-level fool meet his end? I'll grant you that even our weakest Kaimo are among the strongest beings in the universe. I'm curious to know what could have killed him."

Harjas glanced nervously at the dried remains on the floor, swallowing hard before answering. "Master Kairos, the deceased was named Wright. He served as a tribute collector and was stationed on a planet called Bargon to gather... provisions. His bio-signal vanished suddenly three weeks ago."

"Bargon..." Kairos mused, his crystalline horns catching the light. "Interesting. I wasn't aware that backwater world possessed anything capable of threatening our people. Send a small strike team to investigate. If the natives have grown bold enough to kill our collectors, destroy them along with their entire planet."

"Yes, Master Kairos. I'll dispatch a team immediately."

___

"Karlen! Your squad's up!" Ceror called out, leading six sweat-drenched warriors from the gravity chamber. His voice carried newfound strength and confidence as he addressed the seven fighters who were practicing combat techniques nearby.

"Everyone with me, it's our turn," Karlen responded, setting aside his training routine and gesturing for his six team members to follow.

Karlen ranked as the second strongest warrior on Bargon, surpassed only by Ceror himself. The thirteen elite fighters had split into two training groups, with Ceror and Karlen each leading six warriors through intensive gravity training sessions.

After dismissing his exhausted squad, Ceror approached Karnel, who sat in quiet meditation nearby. "Karnel, your gravity chamber is beyond incredible. In just a few days, all of our strength has increased dramatically. I've gained almost fifty percent more power than I had before."

Karnel opened his eyes, emerging from his contemplation of reaching the next level of his transformation. "High-tech training assistance will always be more effective than stumbling around blindly," he said with a slight smile.

"Absolutely true," Ceror agreed enthusiastically. "To gain this much strength through traditional methods would have taken me at least ten years. I can't believe we've achieved it in mere days. If we'd had this technology from the beginning..." He trailed off, imagining how different their history might have been.

"Once we've dealt with the Kaimo leadership," Karnel said casually, "you'll be able to acquire gravity chambers from other technologically advanced planets. The design isn't particularly complex, any decent engineering team could build one."

At the mention of their oppressors, Ceror's fists clenched involuntarily. A thousand years of subjugation, countless lives sacrificed as tribute, the accumulated rage of his entire species burned in his chest. "That's exactly right. Only by completely eradicating the Kaimo Empire can we Bargonians truly live in peace."

"I just hope their retaliation takes a while longer," Ceror murmured as he walked toward his waiting warriors. "Our people need every day we can get to grow stronger."

Three weeks passed in intensive training. The looming threat of Kaimo revenge seemed almost forgotten as Ceror and his thirteen elite warriors threw themselves into their grueling regimen. They alternated between gravity training sessions and adaptive combat exercises, returning to the city only when utterly exhausted.

During the daylight hours, Karnel sat in meditation, seeking the key to unlocking his next transformation level. After a week of fruitless contemplation, he decided that perhaps his raw power simply wasn't sufficient yet. In the evenings, when the Bargonians finished their training, he began using the gravity chamber himself.

A month after their intensive training began, the results were remarkable. Though Karnel only trained during the late night hours, his strength had increased notably? he could now handle 300 times normal gravity and had reached nearly 200 million battle power.

The Bargonian warriors had experienced even more dramatic growth. Their weakest member now possessed 4 million battle power, while Ceror had reached an impressive 5.8 million. Karlen followed close behind at 5 million.

___

"Report to Lord Thorne? we've reached the outer perimeter of Bargon and are ready to commence the attack."

The Kaimo commander studied the dark planet through the viewport of his battleship, his pale features twisted into a cruel smile. "Excellent timing. The planet appears to be in its night cycle. How thoughtful of them to be asleep for their final moments. When they wake up, it will be in the afterlife. Some might call me merciful for that."

"Merciful indeed, Lord Thorne," his subordinate replied with practiced sycophancy. "Everyone knows you're the most compassionate member of the entire Kaimo species."

Thorne's laugh was like ice cracking. "Prepare the assault teams. Let's give these primitives a proper Kaimo welcome."