I go back to Mystix and take care to say hi to The Goddess again. She is extremely confused by this entire endeavor.

Then I warp back in time and pick Francis up from his time in North Spire. He’s fully recovered now, and looking just as handsome as ever.

“Your family is nuts,” he says. “An entire clan of Eryks running around acting all snooty and mysterious. It’s hilarious.”

“I’m snooty...? Whyever would you suggest such a callous thing as this...”

He pats me on the back. “Don’t worry, dude. Your dads are way crazier than you. You’re the most normal Solbourne ever born.”

“Actually, Vince was an extremely normal man. I wish you could have met him.”

“Hey, maybe I can go back in time and save him in some convoluted plan that involves him faking his death and me not being allowed to interact with past versions of you and--”

“We are done with the time travel plans,” I say. “Only one more jump and I’m finished with all of this for good. My head hurts too much to continue it all.”

He giggles. “I’m kinda glad you left me in the dark about a lot of this. It’s making me excited for what’s about to come next!”

“Then I shall show you imminently.”

We both hop aboard Yoshu, my trusty sky raptor steed, leaving its children behind to find for themselves, and soar through the air just as I prepare another Destiny Card combo.

We jump right back into the present--

Our present--

Just before the battle of Central Spire began.

Clan Solbourne is still here. The village is deserted, but it’s merely a ruse. The family inhabits secret tunnels, blocked-off forests, and in mountain crevices. Only when all threats are deemed safe do they emerge into public view, and even then they carry themselves lightly.

That is, until Francis and I show up.

The whole of Clan Solbourne emerges from their various hiding places. Thirty or more members of my family, all of them B-Rank or A-Rank Heroes, and all of them riding sky raptors.

I meet my four children, who are now elderly warriors, as aged as the last time I saw Borguk. They have great-grandchildren of their own to deal with. But they still have the fire of a warrior’s spirit within them. They have stocked themselves up in the Destiny Cards I asked them about, and they will follow my orders to the end.

Together, we will all ride into battle just as the Systemless Squad Army is at its most precarious position. We will save the day for sure.

“Onward,” I announce to Clan Solbourne. “Let us go to Central Spire!”

All of the sky raptors take off together. We fly as one unit, away from North Spire and to the moment they have been training for for over a century.

Francis, holding my waist from behind, leans forward and kisses my neck. “I can’t even comprehend what’s going on anymore, but it’s so cool I don’t really care.”

“All you need to know, my love, is that Biden is doomed. He always has been, from the moment he captured me on Earth. But more permanently, he was doomed from the moment he set foot in Central Spire, the biggest trap ever designed. His arrival is enough to seal his fate.”

I ready my holographic [Drop] card to use when we arrive. But I also prepare a holographic [Fireball] card. Not for combat, but for style.

Soon, we reach Central Spire and the battle is already underway.

I mark the beginning of Clan Solbourne’s attack with a powerful signal--I launch the holographic [Fireball] card into the sky, sending a bright blinding streak of light into the air. The others follow suit with various other holographic skills.

The whole sky turns pink. Our flag is borne by the sun itself.

A few of my progeny split off and go blow up a fucking mountain for some reason. I guess because it startles everyone and distracts the U.S. military long enough to swoop in and fell as many of them as possible.

It’s a near-rout. They didn’t prepare well enough for the Systemless Squad in the first place; they didn’t prepare AT ALL for Clan Solbourne. All along, they have been walking into their own destruction, and they were too weak, too ignorant to have even attempted to do something about it.

We soar towards the arena of Central Spire, where Joe Biden is fighting against all the Systemless Squad’s most fearsome warriors. We circle around above the battle, and they haven’t noticed us yet.

Francis and I blip out of reality, traveling back to the past. Now, my chronology has reached its limit.

Biden’s [Finishing Blow] spell will go off imminently and destroy all my allies. Or Julie will pull off her Armageddon Power attack and destroy the connective tissue of the multiverse. Both of these are intensely dire outcomes.

And yet I’ve never been more confident about anything in my entire life.

Clan Solbourne swoops down to the battle, Destiny Cards ready, chanting traditional songs.

“FACE THE WRATH OF NORTH SPIRE, JOE!” I scream.