Lyra had come to discuss something with Yoshi, but when she didn’t find him in his room, she decided to search elsewhere. Passing by Joseph’s room, her attention was drawn to the partially opened door. She noticed the shadows of two figures moving in unison—motions unmistakably intimate. Curiosity piqued, she moved closer, her suspicion growing.

Inside, Yoshi and Joseph were caught in the heat of the moment, unaware of Lyra's approach. When they finally noticed her standing at the doorway, their eyes widened in shock. They hastily broke apart, each scrambling to grab a nearby sheet to cover themselves.

“Lyra!” Joseph exclaimed, his voice trembling. “Yoshi came onto me!”

“What?” Yoshi blurted, his gaze snapping toward Joseph, a mix of betrayal and disbelief on his face. “It’s not what you think, Lyra!” he added, turning to her, desperation in his tone.

Lyra raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting between disbelief and disappointment as her eyes flickered between them. “How long has this been going on?” she asked, her tone sharp.

The room was silent for a moment as Joseph and Yoshi exchanged nervous glances, both seemingly unsure of how to respond.

Lyra let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Oh, for the love of Heylel! You’ve got to be kidding me. I always suspected something, but seeing this...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “This is even worse than I imagined.”

She crossed her arms, her voice cold and commanding. “Yoshi, get dressed. I need a word with you.” Her piercing gaze then shifted to Joseph. “And you—get out!”

Joseph hesitated, then replied calmly, “Lyra, this is my room.”

Her sharp intake of breath betrayed her frustration, but she said nothing further. With a dismissive shake of her head, she turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving them both behind.

As Yoshi hurried to put on his clothes, Joseph bombarded him with nervous questions. “Do you think she’s mad? Is she going to punish us? Do you think she’ll—”

“Joseph,” Yoshi interrupted, pulling on his shirt, “we’ll talk about it later.”

Joseph leaned in for a kiss, which Yoshi returned briefly before rushing out to meet Lyra.

Lyra was waiting for him on the balcony, her gaze fixed on the horizon. When Yoshi arrived, she turned to him, her expression unreadable.

“We need to discuss our next move,” she began, her tone businesslike. “Our journey will take us to the city of Tsu, which once held the Relic of Will. You know what it’s capable of, and we must proceed with caution. If the relic is still there—or worse, in someone’s possession—we cannot afford another disaster like what happened in Tottori.”

Yoshi nodded, the weight of her words sinking in.

Her expression softened for a moment but quickly turned stern. “And one more thing, Yoshi,” she said, her voice edged with authority. “Keep your head in the game. Your... romantic entanglements with Joseph cannot become a distraction. He’s still developing control over his abilities, and we need him focused. Both of you need to be focused.”

Yoshi opened his mouth to respond, but Lyra cut him off with a raised hand.

“If I see either of you slipping,” she warned, her gaze sharp as steel, “I will handle it myself. And trust me, you won’t like how.”

Her fierce intensity sent a shiver down Yoshi’s spine. Wide-eyed, he nodded in agreement.

“Good,” she said curtly, before turning and walking away, leaving Yoshi alone on the balcony, deep in thought.

The next day, Yoshi and his companions prepared to depart the city of Takamatsu. The city lady, along with a few council members, warriors, and Shigeno Fujinaka, bid them a heartfelt farewell, expressing hopes to see them again.

The group embarked on their twenty-four-day journey to the city of Tsu. Along the way, during their rest periods, Yoshi and Lyra continued to help Joseph hone his abilities and learn to control them. Yoshi focused on breaking the seals on Joseph’s forehead, often sparring with him to push his limits, while Lyra concentrated on testing his resolve in combat, ensuring his readiness for future challenges.

Whenever Yoshi worked on breaking a seal, he occasionally tapped into his inner potential, awakening the dark side of his former self. This manifested as an ominous aura boost that amplified his abilities. Lyra noticed this one day but refrained from commenting, observing instead.

However, Yoshi managed to control his true form, channeling its power strategically without succumbing to its overwhelming side effects. This allowed him to effortlessly break half of Joseph’s forehead seals, something that had previously left him weakened.

As Joseph trained, he allowed Yoshi to use telepathy to guide him, enhancing their coordination. Through this, Joseph fully understood the purpose of each seal on his forehead. The first vertical seal governed his strength, the middle one his speed, and the third his ability to fly. If all three seals were completely broken, Joseph would achieve an unfathomable state of invincibility, unlocking limitless potential.

For now, only half of each seal was broken, granting him access to a fraction of his strength, speed, and flight. Yet, even at half power, his abilities were remarkable. Using thought communication, Joseph coordinated with Yoshi to switch between seals and abilities. He would leap into the air with super strength, switch to flight to ascend into space, then descend back into Earth’s atmosphere. During his descent, Joseph would switch to super speed, allowing him to run on clouds. By vibrating his molecules and manipulating their density, he solidified the clouds beneath his feet, creating a partial state between liquid and solid, while the clouds remained suspended in the sky.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

During sparring sessions with Lyra, Joseph pushed his abilities to the limit, switching between powers to match her skill and speed. Despite his efforts, he struggled to keep up with her in her base form. Frustrated but determined, Joseph asked Yoshi to break all three seals halfway, granting him a significant boost in power. With his enhanced strength, speed, and flight, he finally managed to hold his own against Lyra, meeting her blows and countering her moves with newfound precision and resolve.

Each session brought Joseph closer to mastering his abilities, though the team knew there was still a long road ahead. Lyra, ever vigilant, continued to monitor Joseph’s progress while keeping a watchful eye on Yoshi’s dark aura, a potential threat she silently vowed to address if necessary.

During an intense training session, Joseph astonished Lyra with his progress. He had been attempting to break through her Infinite Corridor, a challenge she had set to test his abilities. After several failed attempts, Joseph finally cracked the pattern. With a calm yet determined expression, he walked through the corridor, not emerging from the other end, but standing directly before Lyra, his presence a testament to his growth.

"Intriguing," Lyra murmured, a trace of amazement in her voice. "You've truly grown, even with only half of your abilities restored. Not to mention the maniacal laughter you display whenever the seals are partially broken."

Joseph’s gaze was focused as he responded. "I wouldn’t have come this far without you and Yoshi. The madness... it’s almost intoxicating, overwhelming at times. But I realize now, even in my current state, there’s still something deep within me—an infinite potential. It's as if I could take on the world, if I wanted to." He stared at his left palm with an intensity that matched his words.

Lyra watched him carefully, noting the strange energy emanating from him. "That power... it could consume you if you're not careful."

Joseph met her gaze, a thought clearly weighing on him. "Do you ever wonder if being overpowered is frustrating?" he asked, his voice tinged with something unfamiliar. "When you have infinite power, the possibilities seem endless—but does that even mean anything anymore? I wonder if, when you’ve seen and experienced everything, it all becomes meaningless. You’re no longer challenged by anything, because you already know how it ends."

Lyra raised an eyebrow, intrigued but uncertain. "What are you getting at?"

Joseph’s words took on a deeper, more cryptic tone. "Being a hyperversal or outerversal being—transcending existence and non-existence itself—doesn't make one truly boundless. They still exist within the fabric of dimensionalities. But being boundless... ineffable... that’s something else entirely. It’s a state beyond all comprehension, beyond all known and unknown realities, dimensions—anything anyone could fathom. That is true power."

Lyra was silent for a moment, trying to process his cryptic musings. "What are you implying, Joseph?"

Joseph’s eyes softened, his usual confidence replaced by vulnerability. "I don’t want to be the bad guy, Lyra. I don’t want to be the one who ends the world after all we’ve been through," he confessed, his voice trembling. Tears welled in his eyes, a rare and raw display of emotion.

Without warning, Joseph embraced Lyra, catching her off guard. She froze for a moment, feeling the weight of his sincerity. "Please, help me become a better person," he pleaded, his voice shaky, breaking under the weight of his internal conflict.

Lyra could feel the depth of his pain, a raw vulnerability that contrasted with the façade of strength he usually presented. As Yoshi observed from a distance, Lyra returned the embrace, her heart heavy with understanding. "I will help you," she promised softly. "I won’t give up on you, Joseph. Even if it means bringing you back to your senses... with force, if necessary."

After a long moment, Joseph pulled away, wiping his eyes and sniffing. His expression was still strained, but there was a flicker of gratitude in his gaze. "Thank you, Lyra," he said quietly, before turning and walking away.

Lyra stood there for a moment, lost in thought. She had sensed Joseph’s struggles long before this confession, but now the weight of his inner turmoil was even clearer. Despite his chaotic demeanor, there was a part of him that was always hurting, always fighting something deep inside. As she gazed at the horizon, her mind wandered to what had brought up this sudden vulnerability in Joseph. What was he truly battling within himself?

The next day, as the group approached the border of the city of Tsu, an unusual aura surrounded the area. The atmosphere felt tense yet strangely subdued, as if something was wrong but not immediately visible. A subtle unease hung in the air, and the group exchanged wary glances, knowing that something was amiss.

Lyra’s instincts were on edge. "Stay alert," she warned, her voice low. "Something’s not right here."

From a safe distance, Lyra summoned an invisible magic spying orb, which she sent floating high into the sky. The orb silently hovered over the city of Tsu, granting them a bird’s-eye view of the devastation below. What it revealed was nothing short of horrifying. The lifeless corpses of archdemons, demon lords, demigods, demigoddesses, and countless other demons and monsters littered the streets. The remains ranged from grotesque beasts to towering monstrosities, all brutally slaughtered.

At the center of the carnage sat two radiant deities—a god and a goddess, one of many divine couples from the heavenly realm. They lounged on thrones crafted by the city’s citizens, their angelic forces standing in perfect formation nearby. Principalities, Archangels, and lower-ranking Angels (Guardians) surrounded them, their divine presence exuding authority and power. The relic of will, the apparent prize for this massacre, rested within their grasp.

Despite the brutality surrounding them and the blood soaking their pristine, holy white attire, the god and goddess appeared unfazed. They shared a passionate kiss, unbothered by the remains of their enemies clinging to their mouths and clothing. Their fervor burned with divine intensity, even as the stench of death filled the air.

Lyra and her companions watched the unsettling display, their expressions growing grim. However, the spying orb did not go unnoticed. An Archangel effortlessly detected and destroyed it with a flash of light.

Before the orb's destruction, Lyra and the group had seen enough to leave them with troubling questions. The sight of two deities and their angelic forces dominating the city sent chills through them.

"This doesn’t make sense," Joseph muttered, his tone a mix of confusion and frustration. "Not after what we experienced firsthand in the city of Saga. Why would they even be here? What do they need the relic of will for? I thought when they said they’d ‘keep an eye,’ it was metaphorical—not... this."

"We need to approach cautiously and find out why they’re here," Yoshi said calmly, his voice steady despite the tension.

Joseph turned to him, incredulous. "How are you so calm about this, Yoshi? You and Lyra are more powerful than those two jerks over there!"

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "I have my limits, Joseph. Even I can’t ignore the hierarchy when it comes to gods."

Joseph scoffed, crossing his arms. "You could even the odds if you went full Archdemon mode with that trident of yours."

Lyra stared at him, momentarily taken aback by his enthusiasm. Yoshi stepped in before the conversation escalated.

"Even if Lyra and I unleashed our full power, it could end catastrophically," Yoshi said, his tone firm but measured. "We’re not here to start a war, Joseph. We’re here to prevent one. Have you already forgotten what we told you about the hierarchy of ranks?"

Joseph frowned, recalling their lessons. "Yeah, yeah... All gods, no matter their rank, get their divine blessings from either the God Emperor or the God Supreme."

"And?" Yoshi prompted.

Joseph sighed. "And even the God Emperor’s power is ultimately enhanced by the God Supreme."

"Exactly," Yoshi said. "So while we may be strong, taking them head-on is reckless. We need to be smart about this."