While Velrath was on his trip on the Dimensional Gap, Guts was lying on the long sofa in the entertainment room alongside Blyton. They were both engrossed in the same manga, each clutching an identical copy of the latest volume.
Their eyes widened in shock at the big reveal of who the "chosen girl" turned out to be. In a burst of frustration, they both threw their manga and punched the air.
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!!" they shouted in unison, catching their books mid-air to check if their eyes hasn't deceived them.
"The most uninteresting and stupidest one of the seven bitches actually won??" Blyton's tail visibly quivered as he grumbled, expressing his irritation over the chosen girl. "We'd rather have a harem ending than this load of crap!"
Blyton tore his manga in half, burning it to a crisp with his fiery frustration.
"Let's storm the author's workplace and question if he hasn't lost his mind yet! Where is the justice for Hatsune?!!!" Guts leapt up from the sofa, flames practically spewing from his mouth in outrage.
Just then, a blonde guy entered the room quietly, glancing at the shouting Guts and Blyton with an amused expression. He scratched his chin, went over to a closet to grab a Jenga set, and settled himself on the floor in the middle of the four sofas after taking a huge bag of potato chip, right between the two ranting bunch
"Oh, it's Uncle Viktor!" Guts exclaimed, finally noticing the presence of his friend's dad.
"Quite rare to see you to come here alone, Viktor," Blyton loudly laughed, reaching for a piece of potato chip from the bag Viktor had just opened, with Guts grabbing one as well. "Where is your kid?"
The mood of the blonde man suddenly dropped when Blyton mentioned his daughter. Not even paying the Jenga tower toppling over in front of him, Viktor hugged his knees and started drawing circles on the floor. Blyton and Guts looked at each other, wryly smiling at the sulking vampire.
"My princess is in her rebellious stage now," he muttered. "She is always refusing and not even interested in playing games with her papa anymore. Maybe I am just fit to exist anymore? What is my purpose of my miserable life anymore? Maybe my baby girl hate me now?"
A hand lightly tapped Viktor on the back, and as he turned, he saw Guts smiling reassuringly at him, with Blyton pulling a goofy face in an attempt to cheer him up. Instead, Blyton's clownish expression only managed to annoy Viktor.
"She's at that age already, huh? Too bad she doesn't want her papa anymore," Blyton sighed dramatically, tearing a page from the manga Guts was holding to "wipe" his nonexistent tear.
"Don't make it worse, old bro," Guts deadpanned, unimpressed with Blyton's teasing.
"It's just a joke, little bro."
"Thanks for delivering the least funny thing I've heard today," Viktor groaned, visibly cringing.
"You're welcome mate! GIHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I'm not even surprised you're part of Taxidi's crew anymore," Viktor muttered.
Guts momentarily ignored Blyton and looked Viktor straight in the eye, placing both hands on Viktor's shoulders.
"I know Tessa well. She's in that rebellious phase, yeah, but trust me," Guts said sincerely, "she's only acting that way because she thinks it makes her look mature. She still loves you as her dad, so don't worry!"
"Guts…"
"You're the best dad she could ask for, so don't stress, Uncle."
"Do you really mean it?"
"When have I ever lied to you, Uncle? You are practically family to me. Don't let this get to you, or Tessa might actually get annoyed with you."
"Guts!!"
Viktor's face brightened, and he looked at Guts as if he were a savior. He fumbled in his dimensional pocket and pulled out an old picture of himself, his wife Demetria, and a seven year old Tessa riding on Guts' shoulders at the beach, with Douglas and Taxidi buried in the sand on the background.
"Maybe I am being too clingy. She probably just needs her own space… maybe I don't need to be such a worrywart," Viktor said, raising his fist with a refreshed smile, feeling a new sense of clarity as a parent.
"Thank you, kid! You're definitely the best person to be by my daughter's side."
"Thanks, I guess?" Guts replied, relieved to see Viktor back to his usual self, though a strange uneasiness crept over him under Viktor's intense gaze, which felt like he had made a serious decision.
"Now that she's not my little cutie pie anymore…" Viktor muttered, a serious air surrounding him as he took Guts' hand as if it were something precious.
Guts tilted his head in confusion but waited to see what Viktor had to say, while Blyton, munching on potato chips without permission, chuckled at the scene unfolding.
"What are you up to, Viktor?" Blyton asked, a grin plastered on his face as he subtly held up a camercorder to capture the moment.
Viktor, oblivious to Blyton, focused only on Guts. The young man felt his heart race as Viktor's intense gaze drilled into him, making him gulp nervously.
"After years of doubt, wondering if Tessa would ever truly let me go… I'm finally at peace. From now on, call me father."
"Excuse me but what the pardon?" Guts blinked
"You heard me right. You can now treat me as your father! I've finally accepted you as my daughter's significant other."
"Wait a goddamn minute—this wasn't part of the plan!"
"Take care of Tessa for me, alright? I know you're the best person for her," Viktor said, brimming with pride. "I trust you'll never hurt my daughter."
"Congratulations, little bro! The final wall to Tessa's hand has crumbled!" Blyton added with a loud laugh.
"You're not helping me here, old bro!" Guts shouted, feeling overwhelmed by the unexpected approval. 'God help me—'
'Can't help you, brat. Also, you're getting way too overdramatic about this. I know you've had a hidden crush on Tessa for a long time now,'
Velrath chimed in unexpectedly, casually toying with the black haired loli in munching on a cassava cake with the most deadpan face imaginable.
Guts was startled by the sudden voice in his head, but funnily grimaced, realizing it was his annoying father.
'That was not literal! Don't respond to any prayers I make old man!!' Guts retorted.
'Hehehehe, you're forgetting that the god you your calling in is your very own father,' Velrath teased.
'I hate you!'
'And that hate only empowers my love for you, brat! HAHAHAHA! Good luck, adios, ciao, love you 3000!'
"Tsk, boring—no fight?" Blyton grumbled, tossing aside his camera as he sat on the floor. "Forget this marriage interview. Let's just play Jenga."
Grateful for the chance to escape Viktor's passionate declaration, Guts followed and plopped down with a sigh. The two decided to join Viktor in a round of Jenga, though Blyton suddenly remembered something. His irises briefly shifted to resemble a compass, the cardinal directions visible in his eyes, before he snapped his fingers and his eyes returned to normal.
"Who did you curse now?" Viktor asked, pulling the first block from the tower.
"No one," Blyton replied, giving Guts a wink—though he forgot to wink with the other eye, making it clear to Viktor.
"Damn, wrong eye again," he muttered, facepalming.
Guts looked puzzled at first, but after a moment of thought, he clapped his hands in realization, grinning as he understood who Blyton must have targeted. Whoever it was, Guts could already imagine the oopsie daisy he would feel from Blyton's little prank.
============================
Meanwhile, location: Tokyo, Japan, Earth 0220
A slim, middle-aged man slurped from his cup of ramen, spinning around in his chair as he brainstormed ideas for his new romcom manga, the uproar caused by the ending of his last series still bursted down on Facedit.
"Mhm, I purposely made the other girls cunning and gave them hateful backstories to make readers root for Akane, the main heroine I wanted to win, but she was always dead last in the polls for best girl," he muttered, slurping the noodles with a smirk. "Still, it was hilarious watching people lose it when Hatsune, the girl I pushed hard in the last arc, lost to Akane. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"
As he laugh over his ramen, a sudden, bone-chilling cold shot through his body, intensifying in his lower half. He glanced around, uneasy, but brushed it off, tossing his empty cup into the trash.
"Guess I need to hit the bathroom," he mumbled, heading over. Humming to himself as he relieved his bladder, he sighed in contentment. "Much better."
After giving a satisfied shake, he looked down—then froze. His eyes widened in horror as he patted around his private area, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"It's... it's gone!" he stammered, his hands frantically searching.
"MY BALLS ARE GONE!!!"
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"I know the cassava cake you're eating is strangely popular with dragons, but it's still funny to see it happening," Foxan remarked, staring at Ophis as she devoured the mountain of cassava cake like a vacuum, munching away like a squirrel without hesitation.
"I don't know why, but is it really that common for old farts like this to use the bodies of young girls or boys?"
"We have Iveraj, Boss," Velrath pointed out.
"Fair, but is having the body of a kid while being hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years old really that great?!" Velrath continued to rant while Foxan listened from the side. However, their attention shifted as the cocoon began to shrink.
"Looks like it's done," Velrath said as the cocoon opened.
============================
"So, where the hell am I? GUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Taxidi laughed, reveling in his amusement. The beings surrounding him—towering, mechanical giants—stood silently, their confusion palpable. The stranger before them showed no fear, despite the overwhelming odds.
"Melvazoa," one of the mechanoids addressed,
"What is it, my brother?" Melvazoa replied.
"Is my head playing tricks on me, or is a walking crackhead dancing in front of us?"
"So what do we do with this skeleton?"
The seven-meter-tall mechanoids exchanged wary glances before deciding to act. Raising their massive hands, they charged their energy and slammed them down toward Taxidi with earth-shaking force.
TIME STOP
The world froze. Everything turned a golden hue as the giants' fists stopped mere inches from Taxidi's face and back. The battlefield became eerily silent, except for Taxidi's voice.
"These guys are really strong~~ maybe even stronger than Great Red-chan," Taxidi mused. He casually touched Melvazoa's massive fist, examining it as though inspecting an art piece.
"Looks like I'll be taking some trophies today. AYAYAYAYAYA! Come out, my baby!"
Grinning wildly, Taxidi clenched his hand in the air before him. The space shattered like glass, revealing a cutlass sword with glowing runes etched along its blade.
"I would have loved to have fun with you all for a while," he said, spinning the sword playfully.
"But you see, unlike Great Red-chan..." His grin twisted into a wicked smile as he raised the glowing blade. "You have no sense of humor. AYAYAYAYAYAYA!"