There’s something funny about Central Spire, you know. As an [Adventurer] with old Team Fanghook, that motley crew of Malia and Thalia and Borguk and Miss M and myself, we went all over Mystix. We set sail on the high seas, climbed treacherous mountains, journeyed through labyrinthine urban environments. But I never went anywhere near this Central Spire location.

It seems like it must hold some sort of great symbolic resonance to the U.S. if they chose it as their primary base of operations. But without knowing its history or even what the region looks like, I can say hardly anything about it. I simply have no prediction about what to expect.

What I can expect, though, is a lot of battling.

One final time to check my stats before the fight begins. One final time to evaluate my strategies for defeating Joe Biden. I hear he has gone by the alias Brandon before, although I do not know of the significance of that either. If I meet any Brandons, I will treat them with the utomost care and attention, as if they were Bidens of their own.

First, my stat table. I am currently level 9, at the A-Rank:

Strength

352

Speed

29

Agility

38

Wisdom

235

Defense

84

Charm

157

Viscosity

3

Deftness

78

Charisma

64

Manners

27

Power

231

Sturdiness

105

Most of these stats are still far below where they were when I was a dual-classed [Demigod]. Many may despise my decision to remove that class in a pivotal moment before the battle. But know that I could never allow myself to be tempted by whatever evils overcame me to become Amaranth all those years ago, especially not if I was starting out exactly where my old self left off. A pure [Adventurer] I will be.

I’m fully healed at 50,000/50,000 LP, or at least I will be as soon as I level up immediately before the fighting begins. That is no worry for me.

And as for my Destiny Cards, I have already drawn as many as I can to help give me the options I need. All 15 slots are filled up:

Inventory Slot: Rank 4. Store an item here to retrieve for future use. Current item: Bow and arrow.

Inventory Slot: Rank 4. Store an item here to retrieve for future use. Current item: Bow and arrow.

Inventory Slot: Rank 4. Store an item here to retrieve for future use. Current item: Grenades (x40)

Inventory Slot: Rank 4. Store an item here to retrieve for future use. Current item: M202 FLASH Rocket Launcher

Kaio Blast S: Rank 6. Triples combat stats for 3 minutes. Cost: 1500 LP.

Counterspell: Rank 5. Counter target magic. Scry 1. Cost: 188 LP.

Counterspell: Rank 5. Counter target magic. Scry 1. Cost: 188 LP.

Ultra Reverse: Rank 6. Reverse the entropy of target. Cost: 800 LP.

Willpower Boost: Rank 4. Enhance the willpower of yourself and everyone around you for 120 seconds. Cost: 1770 LP.

Major Heal: Rank 4. Gain 3,000 LP. Cost: 0 LP.

Major Heal: Rank 4. Gain 3,000 LP. Cost: 0 LP.

Energy Sword: Rank 2. Summon a temporary lightning sword that lasts for five minutes. Cost: 160 LP.

Geowarp: Rank 7. Change the matter type of any matter within a 10-foot radius. Cost: 300 LP.

Time Acceleration. Rank 4. Speeds up time x5 for what feels to you like 5 minutes. Cost: 800 LP.

Cancel: Rank 2. Stop the effects of an ongoing Destiny Card skill you have activated. Cost: 39 LP.

It’s a balanced use of offense, defense, and versatile cards that can be used in many different situations.

My inventory is stocked up with many items that can be used in battle in great ways, including both of my bow and arrow sets that can be dual-wielded anytime (I was not particularly keen on the balloon sword/AK-47 combination from the Santa Barbara fight earlier).

And some of these cards are quite interesting to me because I have hardly gotten the time to use them to their fullest extent. I am particularly interested in [Ultra Reverse] as a powerful tool in tight combat situations. Although my intelligence level is admittedly not at the height needed to truly do incredible feats with it.

And of course there’s the standards like [Kaio Blast] in its most powerful form yet, or [Energy Sword] which always packs a punch. A few [Counterspells] will always be useful in a fight against fellow system users. People simply don’t prepare enough [Counterspells] of their own so they can counter the counters. It’s sad, really.

I have enough Destiny Points to level up a good five or ten times, so I will definitely be drawing more cards as the battle rages on, even at risk to my Life Points. I can’t face Biden with a half-empty hand, now can I?

With all this in mind, I ready myself for the battle. Central Spire is just coming into view, that gigantic pillar shooting into the sky. That means we must be getting closer and closer each—

A gigantic explosion rocks Central Spire and knocks the pillar to the ground. The ground below shakes even more violently than Rare’s stomping kaiju. A giant force field around the area flickers, then disappears.

What the fuck is going on over there?