As Joseph hurtled toward the demi gorgon, the XPT within him roared to life, its energy pulsing through his body. Noticing this sudden surge, the demi gorgon smirked and teleported out of harm's way using the relic of space. Joseph halted mid-flight, scanning the area for his opponent, but before he could react, the demi gorgon reappeared.
Launching a barrage of swift and precise attacks, the demi gorgon kept Joseph on the defensive, vanishing and striking from unpredictable angles. Each hit was fierce, forcing Joseph to rely on his agility and quick reflexes.
Realizing he couldn’t keep up with the demi gorgon’s relentless teleportation attacks, Joseph turned to the XPT within him for assistance. The device began to process the patterns of the demi gorgon’s movements, providing Joseph with predictive data. Armed with this insight, Joseph shifted his strategy.
As the demi gorgon teleported in for another strike, Joseph anticipated his move and countered with a sharp, calculated attack. The sudden accuracy caught the cocky demi gorgon off guard, forcing him to block and retreat. Joseph seized the moment, lunging toward the relic of space in the demi gorgon’s grasp. Their hands clashed over the relic, triggering its power.
Before either could react, the relic teleported them both to a random location, their figures disappearing in a flash of light.
***
Back at the chamber, their sudden absence caused the portal created by the demi gorgon to destabilize. The swirling gateway sputtered and collapsed, grotesquely severing several of the monsters and supernatural beings mid-emergence. The battlefield fell eerily silent as the remaining creatures, now cut off from reinforcements, looked at the group with hesitation.
Yoshi, Lyra, and Emi stood amidst the aftermath, exchanging wary glances as they prepared for the next move.
"Joseph..." Lyra muttered, her grip tightening on her staff. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"
***
Joseph clashed fiercely with the Demi-Gorgon, a being capable of mimicking the abilities of any opponent it engaged. Their battle was intense, a whirlwind of blows and powers exchanged as they teleported across various regions of the Fujimori Wisteria Forest Kingdom. Eventually, they appeared in Hakodate City, where the relic slipped from the Demi-Gorgon's grip amidst the chaos.
As the fight raged on, unexpected help arrived in the form of Himari Ishibashi. With her newly enhanced sword, she intervened, driving the Demi-Gorgon back before it could land a critical blow on Joseph. Moments later, Chiyori Momoka joined the fray, both warriors surprised by Joseph’s unannounced presence.
Himari and Chiyori had been defending Hakodate from monstrous invaders when they sensed an unusual presence—a radiant light within the city. Leaving the frontlines to other warriors, they investigated and stumbled upon the ongoing clash.
Himari’s aura and rank had grown immensely since her sword was upgraded by Joseph, even surpassing Chiyori’s by a significant margin. Reunited, the trio regrouped and turned their attention to the Demi-Gorgon, their eyes drawn to the relic of space resting in the center of the battlefield.
Joseph quickly explained the relic’s importance, emphasizing that they must prevent the Demi-Gorgon from reclaiming it. The battle resumed with renewed ferocity. The Demi-Gorgon, wielding its shapeshifting abilities and powerful magic, held its own against the trio. Amid the chaos, it managed to seize the relic once more.
As the Demi-Gorgon prepared to escape, Himari acted swiftly, boosting Joseph into the air with remarkable precision. He collided with the Demi-Gorgon, disrupting its escape and accidentally triggering the relic's power. In an instant, the two vanished, teleported to an unknown location.
As Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon materialized in their unintended destination, the relic of space once again slipped from their grip, skidding across the floor of their new surroundings—a luxurious bathroom. They had teleported into the home of an unsuspecting woman, who was mid-bath when they appeared.
Startled by the intrusion, the woman—an elegant milf with a commanding presence—let out a piercing scream. Both Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon froze in place, momentarily halting their battle to awkwardly avert their gazes. While the woman hurriedly reached for a towel, they scanned the room for the relic of space, which had fallen beneath the sink.
Incensed by the scene, she grabbed a nearby brush and chased them from her apartment, her towel barely staying in place. Before slamming the door behind her, she spotted the relic and, assuming it was junk, tossed it outside into the street. With a loud thud, the door shut behind her as she yelled, "PERVERTS!"
Outside, Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon resumed their fight, scrambling for the relic amidst the chaos. Before long, they accidentally activated its power again, vanishing and reappearing in yet another unfamiliar location—a dimly lit local clinic.
In the waiting room, a native doctor was in the middle of a strange consultation with a vampire woman, who was visibly distressed. She explained to the doctor her impossible predicament: she was pregnant, something that had never occurred in vampire history. Recalling her last encounter, she suspected one of her recent clients to be responsible.
The doctor, equally baffled, was already treating other undead patients—including zombies in the waiting room—who presented similarly inexplicable pregnancies. As the vampire began to describe the man she believed had impregnated her, Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon burst into the room mid-battle, scattering medical equipment and startling everyone.
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Amid the chaos, the vampire caught a glimpse of Joseph’s face, her eyes widening in recognition. As the pair vanished once more with the relic, she turned to the doctor, exclaiming, “That’s him! He’s the one responsible!”
During their relentless battle for the relic of space, Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon found themselves teleported to the Fujimori Wisteria Forest Kingdom, materializing abruptly inside the castle where Yoshito was holding a meeting with the high council. Their sudden appearance caused a stir among the council members, who gasped in shock as the two combatants clashed in the middle of the chamber.
Joseph managed to briefly disengage from the fight, bowing apologetically to Yoshito and Xiao Xiao. "Sorry for the intrusion," he said hurriedly, ducking an attack from the Demi-Gorgon. "And Xiao Xiao, I must say, the development of the kingdom is truly remarkable."
Before anyone could respond, the fight resumed, forcing Joseph and the Demi-Gorgon toward the ginormous glass window at the far end of the room. Just as it seemed they would crash through it, they vanished in another flash of light, leaving the high council murmuring in confusion and speculation.
The battle continued as the two adversaries teleported through almost every nook and cranny of the kingdom, their presence leaving a trail of astonished onlookers. Eventually, they landed inside an apartment, where Yukio was quietly breastfeeding her infant daughter.
Joseph, mid-struggle with the Demi-Gorgon, suddenly noticed his surroundings. "Hi, Yukio!" he greeted cheerfully, momentarily distracted by the sight of her. Yukio, startled by his unexpected arrival, instinctively shielded her child but quickly realized there was no immediate threat.
As Joseph fended off another attack from the Demi-Gorgon, his gaze fell on Yukio's child. Curiosity piqued, he asked, "Is she your child?" Yukio blushed faintly, caught off guard by the question and the situation. Just as she was about to reveal the truth—that the child was theirs—Joseph was forced to teleport away with the Demi-Gorgon.
"Bye, Yukio!" he called out with a quick smile, vanishing once again into the chaos of their battle. Yukio sat in stunned silence, her heart racing as she processed the fleeting encounter.
***
As Joseph and the demi gorgon emerged in a desolate, harsh landscape, the relic of space glimmered faintly on the ground, a short distance away. Both their gazes locked on it before turning back to each other with fierce determination. Without hesitation, they charged in, their battle erupting with raw power and precision as each fought to claim the relic.
The chaotic battle sent shockwaves across the already fragile landscape, causing the ground to split and the air to tremble. In a bid to gain an advantage, the demi gorgon used his shape-shifting abilities, assuming Joseph’s form to match his strength and abilities. But despite the mimicry, he lacked knowledge of Joseph’s XPT, which pulsed with energy and granted Joseph a decisive edge.
In a critical moment, Joseph exploited his opponent’s unfamiliarity with the XPT, unleashing a powerful energy blast that overwhelmed the demi gorgon. Seizing the opportunity, Joseph ripped the crystal embedded in the demi gorgon’s chest, shattering it with a crushing blow. The demi gorgon’s form withered, his body rapidly disintegrating into ash.
As his final moments approached, the demi gorgon gave a faint smile. “You are a true warrior... greater than I ever imagined,” he said before vanishing entirely.
Joseph, exhausted, felt his XPT power down and go into recharging mode. With the relic of space now in his possession, he teleported back to the original location.
Upon his return, Joseph found Yoshi, Lyra, and Emi waiting, having successfully vanquished the remaining monsters. He handed the pulsating relic of space to Emi, offering a sheepish apology.
Emi took the relic with a smile. “So, are we good?” Joseph asked, his voice tinged with nervous hope.
“Yes, Joseph. We’re good—only because you managed to bring back the relic,” she replied, her smile soft yet teasing.
Joseph’s eyes widened. “Fair enough,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head with a grin.
When asked about the demi gorgon’s fate, Joseph simply replied, “Oh, he won’t be bothering your town anymore,” with a confident smirk.
The group returned to Obihiro, presenting the relic to the town’s mistress. Her gratitude was boundless.
“Words alone cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me and my people,” she said, bowing deeply. “Just as you promised, so you delivered. For that, we are truly grateful, Prince Yoshi.”
In return, she offered the warriors small but meaningful tokens of appreciation. Yoshi and his comrades accepted them with humility, grateful for her kindness, before setting out on their next journey to Yamaguchi-ken, rumored to house the Treasure of Dimension.
Back in Obihiro, the relic of space was secured in its safe haven under tight guard. However, as the night deepened, a swirling portal silently opened within the chamber. Two shadowy hands emerged, snatching the relic before vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
The guards remained oblivious, their watch unbroken, unaware that the relic of space was now missing, its absence foretelling an ominous turn of events.