Now that I am the first dual-classed individual to have ever existed, in all likelihood, it is time to use the Sorting Scepters to further enhance my powers.

I am an A-Rank [Adventurer] and now an A-Rank [Demigod] as well. But that will not remain that way for long.

“Here we go,” says Rare, handing Julie and me our own devices. Just as the name implies, they are indeed scepters with a shiny blue ball on top that grants magical powers. The ball radiates with magical energy, and just touching it is enough to heal Life Points to a minor degree. Some say the tiny white swirls in its design can sometimes be seen in the shape of clouds, and that one can predict future events based on those strange dancing shapes.

Julie’s scepter looks much stranger than mine, though. It looks like it was designed in some factory on Earth and lacks any of the fine touch or detail, just a slab of metal with some buttons on it and a circle whose white swooshes flow around in an ever-looping circle.

“Oh, sorry,” Rare says, “That’s one of the reverse engineered scepters the Americans brought here with them. Don’t bother with one of those. They’re generally shoddy.”

Julie looks at the scepter with incredulity. Examines the markings on its base. “Produced by the... Quinlan Circle. Who or what is that?”

Rare shakes their head. “I have no idea. Our spies were unable to divulge even a single hint of information.”

“I think I heard the name before,” I say, “but only in the context of these scepters. I cannot provide any clues.”

“Well, they are no longer of value to us,” says Rare. “We have the real items that do not malfunction or accidentally assign glitched hybrid classes. The pure Sorting Scepters forged from ancient designs eons ago.”

“I am excited to make my dramatic move,” I say. “But Julie, you go first.”

Before she does, though, she picks up not only one of the real Mystix Sorting Scepters in place of the American one, but takes a second one as well.

She holds both up in the air and activates them at the same time.

The whole scene goes white--

My vision is blanked-out for a solid minute.

Static rings through my ears, briefly, before the ambience of the magical item cache returns.

I have borne witness to only a few classings in my life, and none of them have produced such exciting spectacles as this. I wish more people were here to have seen it happen.

Soon, though, my vision fully returns, and Julie is there, floating, eyes glowing and smoky trails of energy rise up from her fully visible aura.

“I did it,” she says. “I'm dual-classed now.”

Rare shakes their head in disbelief.

My jaw drops. “You can simply... Do that. I had no idea it was that easy.”

“No, not easy,” Julie says. “It was very painful. But I’m a big girl.”

“For me, all it took was for my power to be sealed for a hundred years and my memories heavily altered. If there was pain involved, it was purely emotional.”

“That counts.”

“Yes, Eryk,” Rare says. “You are dual-classed for the same reason as her. You are extremely powerful, and you have endured hardship the likes of which most mortals cannot even dream about.”

“I see. But... This revelation is frankly incredible, I must say. The whole time, the Destiny Deck System has allowed for adding two classes at once. Trading cards between system users or embarking on permanent irrevocable system marriage were thought to be the only ways for multiple Destiny Deck card rosters to mix together. But now, we see that it’s been possible all along... But no one ever thought to try it because the Sorting Scepters were so isolated from one another.”

“Perhaps it was done intentionally,” Rare says. “To prevent something like the Fury Twins from ever happening again, but with just one being instead of two.”

“Sorry,” Julie says.

“No, I am the one to be sorry,” I say. “For I proved those protectors precisely right. Even with just a single class, I was able to create the Slayers and impose terror on society. If I had had another...”

I look at the Sorting Scepter in my hand. Study it deeply and beg The Goddess for guidance. In spirit, I mean.

“Are you thinking of re-classing away from [Adventurer]?” Julie asks. “I chose to unlock my [Demigod] class and then used [Warrior] for my second one. I think it’ll be useful in the battle.”

“I don’t know yet.”

“There’s just one thing,” she adds. “Do either of you know what the Armageddon Power is?”

“Do you mean the [Armageddon Power]? A Destiny Card?”

She shakes her head. “No, I mean Armageddon Power, an icon on my HUD. Apparently it is some sort of special ability I have. It says, ‘Use this to destroy the universe at the cost of your life.’ Nothing more. No requirements or levels or anything like that.”

“...”

“...”

Rare and I are both clearly struggling to come up with any answer. In the end, all I can come up with is, “Please do not use that ability.”

“I won’t,” she says.

And that is that. We do not have to think about it anymore, because there is never a reason to even consider its usage under any circumstances.

It is at this moment that I realize that Julie and I are definitely two beings on the track to collide in a messy way, in the future. She was a Fury Twin, and I was Amaranth. We are both devoid of the memories of our villainous pasts, both North Spirans, and now both [Demigods].

This cannot stand.

I take this Sorting Scepter and use its power to make the ultimate move. Something I have been considering for a very long time now...

Woosh!

The menus pop up before me, asking me the class I want to change to, and lists the options, including the several male-restricted classes. But I already have two. It is quite confused about what exactly I want to accomplish here.

But I select not to change a class, but to erase one, instead.

Yes, it turns out a Sorting Scepter can erase classes. No one ever does it except the phenomenally desperate who cannot keep up the pace of Destiny Point gains, but it is not an impossibility by any measure. It is simply phenomenally difficult for how coveted and treasured Sorting Scepters normally are. But, of course, this is war, and we have a whole cache of them now.

What I do instead is...

Erase the [Demigod] class.

Goodbye.

The woosh disappears.

Everything is back to normal, except now my aura is so much weaker. I know this because of the surprised expression on Julie’s normally difficult-to-parse face.

“It is done,” I say. “The multiverse is too small for two [Demigods]. It is better this way, to keep ourselves on a different path.”

“But... Your stats,” she says.

“Indeed. I think they have fallen considerably.”

And indeed they have.

Strength

255

Speed

22

Agility

36

Wisdom

100

Defense

77

Charm

156

Viscosity

7

Deftness

70

Charisma

35

Manners

13

Power

199

Sturdiness

100

All the gains I had from unlocking my [Demigod] class are gone, and furthermore, there are now extra stat drops due to the influence of my latent [Demigod] class no longer existing.

“I am purely an [Adventurer] now,” I say. “The final remainder of my terrible past as Amaranth has finally disappeared. I am Eryk Solbourne, A-Rank [Adventurer], and I will gain ultimate power the fair way.”

I can tell that neither of these two North Spirans are particularly impressed with this move, especially when the final battle draws so close. But I cannot allow myself to carry on my own legacy as leader of the Slayers and defeat Joe Biden like that. It would just make me a conqueror, not a liberator.

From now on, my stats will be much lower and more specialized. But my Destiny Card Deck will never change, always half my cards from the [Demigod] phase of my life.

“Now, let us train one final time before the battle begins,” I say. “And I know a special way to go about it.”

Julie nods. “I think I know what you mean. And I’ll join you.”

Rare smiles. “I’m glad you’re both happy. Then I will be off on a mission of my own.”

“What mission?” I ask.

“The Goddess herself assigned a task to me that only I will be able to accomplish with speed and mastery. I never thought I’d see the day when I am listening to orders by her, and yet that is how life has developed.”

“Goddesspeed,” I say.

They salute me and leave Julie and I to our own devices. And to all these items around us.

It will be a glorious final training session.