"You see what I did there?" he said, grinning.

  "Yes," the man replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Mixing 'whoa' and 'woe.' How very intriguing."

  "Gimme a break here," Joseph said, running his hand through his hair. "Lemme get this straight. All because I once used the relic of time to try to prevent a catastrophe that Yoshi, Lyra, and I stopped—badly, but at a cost—you’re telling me I messed up the timeline? I was just trying to fix it. Things played out as they should after I fixed it, didn’t they?"

  "Yeah, but you already messed with the fabric of time, which you weren’t supposed to in the first place," the man replied with a shrug, now flipping through his files.

  "But what about the archdemon we stopped?" Joseph countered, leaning forward. "He was going to do the same thing after all."

  "Yeah! But he didn’t," the man said, his tone suddenly more serious. "You see, Joseph, lemme get something straight with you. Time—or timelines—are like a script, and we are the cast. If a cast member goes against their already planned script and narrative, they create an alternate scene or ending. That’s what you did, and it wasn’t supposed to happen."

  "Blah, blah, blah!" The man mimicked a dramatic recitation. "And the list goes on."

  "Like a post-credit scene," Joseph said quietly, as if he had just had a revelation.

  "Exactly!" the man exclaimed, pointing at Joseph. "That’s what you did, and it wasn’t supposed to happen. You and your companions were supposed to defeat the archdemon, Prince Yoshi—now King—was supposed to restore those erased by the relic, and that was that. The rest was supposed to play out on its own."

  Joseph’s eyes lit up as an idea hit him. His voice grew excited. "Wait, if you guys have been overseeing the activities of the four lands like the Marvel watchers, why didn’t you step in and stop me from making these mistakes in the first place?"

  The man sighed. "We’d love to, but there’s so little we could do. Even if we tried to stop you, it would only cause more problems than we already have. And we don’t like to mess with time."

  Joseph furrowed his brows. "Well, what about sending your powerful hunters, or knight hunters, or maybe knights to avert the crisis?" He snapped his fingers, as if remembering something. "What about Aiko Kento? She’s a relative of the Kazuhiro family, and she’s powerful enough to fix the timelines without breaking a sweat. Not to mention, she’s an angel by species, and her ranking is God-level outerversal!"

  The man paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Outworlds as her aura level implies she’s facing off against outerversal-level threat paradoxes. The paradoxes you created."

  "Whoa!" Joseph exclaimed, his mind racing. "Like Captain Marvel from Avengers: Endgame, when they asked her where she was before the snap!"

  The man nodded, a small grin creeping across his face. "Exactly, but Aiko Kento, along with other powerful warriors, can’t fix the entire maniverse. Each warrior is facing threats based on their rankings and the worlds they’re connected to."

  Joseph leaned back, processing the information. "Okay, but what if there’s someone else who could help—someone not bound by these cosmic rules? Someone powerful enough to undo what I’ve done?"

  The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, considering Joseph’s suggestion. "We’re working on it," he said. "But time is running out, Joseph. You may not like how things have to play out."

  Joseph felt his frustration mount as the man dismissed each suggestion, but he couldn’t help himself. "What about seeking aid from other realities? Goku, Dante, Sung Jin-Woo, and Saitama? Surely they could help, right?"

  The man shook his head, sighing in frustration. "They don’t belong to our reality. They’ve got their own issues to handle. Goku’s off fighting the next big threat, Dante’s busy hunting demons, Sung Jin-Woo's preparing for his next big sequel, and Saitama? He's still stuck in his... existential crisis."

  "Well, what about the real world?" Joseph asked.

  The man raised an eyebrow, a slight challenge in his voice. "Oh? Are you implying that our world isn’t real, just like the others you mentioned? Careful, Joseph. Are we to be considered fictional too?"

  Joseph quickly shrugged it off, not wanting to get tangled in a debate about the nature of reality. "No, no, just... stick with me here. What about the original timeline? What’s it called again? Oh, Universe Zero!"

  The man nodded slowly. "They're facing the prophesied crisis, a governmental breakdown, and the beginning of the end, which kicked off on June 20, 2026, at 4:24 AM, and will last until December 2, 2029. They call it the Mark of the Beast."

  Joseph’s eyes narrowed. "What about African heroes like Mr. & Mrs. Nigeria, 9ja Kid, Guardian Prime, and others from Comic Republic, Vortex Comics, Peda Comics, Epoch Comics, Ckreeate Comics, and YouNeek Studios?"

  The man let out a weary sigh. "They’re all waiting for reboots, or some have quit altogether. A few are busy saving other dimensions, while others are just... overwhelmed."

  Joseph didn’t give up, rattling off more names. "Okay, okay, what about Devilman Crybaby: Akira Fudo, Chainsaw Man: Denji, Naruto, Luffy, Rimuru, Arcueid, Void Shiki, Anos, Anti-Spiral, and Zeno?"

  The man rubbed his temples, exasperated. "Joseph, they don't belong to our reality either. Even though we keep an eye on their worlds, it doesn’t mean we can call them up whenever we need them."

  Joseph, not ready to quit, tried again. "What about the Orishas?"

  The man gave a firm shake of his head. "Not from our world."

  Joseph raised an eyebrow, a thought hitting him. "What about Amadioha, the thunder god?"

  The man’s expression darkened. "Thunder took him away—along with Ogun—for an emergency meeting."

  Joseph frowned. "Well, what about the rest of the African gods? They’re among the most powerful beings in history."

  The man sighed, defeated. "Those aren’t part of this franchise, Joseph."

  Joseph’s mind raced as he thought of more options. "Okay, okay, what about Thor from the original Norse mythology? Not the Marvel or DC versions?"

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  The man’s tone became sharper. "He’s part of the thunder family emergency meeting. Same deal."

  Joseph, a little discouraged but still determined, tried again. "What about the Japanese Thor? The shonen Thor?"

  The man shook his head. "We don’t have any of those either."

  "What happened to Raijin, the god of thunder, lightning, and storms? Or are you just messing with me?" Joseph teased, a mischievous grin on his face. The man sighed, reluctant to admit that Raijin was essentially their version of Thor.

  "What if we called in the Disney and Nickelodeon characters?" Joseph asked, his excitement evident as he stared at the man.

  "You've got to be kidding me," the man replied, his face showing irritation and an eyebrow raised. "Tell me this is just one of your bad jokes and not a real suggestion."

  "Okay, okay, what about the Greek, Roman, Hindu, Christianity, Gnostics, Mesopotamian, Sumerian, Islamic, Shinto and Chinese gods? Those guys could be of help, right?"

  The man’s voice grew weary. "They’re all facing their own God crisis in the Godverse. They’ve got their own problems."

  "Well, that sucks," Joseph muttered, then snapped his fingers. "Wait, what about JASSEDG from the ULTRA AI franchise? Surely he’s available—he’s a God among gods, fused with all deities from every religion!"

  The man’s eyes hardened, and Joseph could see a hint of hesitation. "JASSEDG is the ultimate god in the Godverse. He passes judgment on all gods."

  Joseph’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth barely hanging open. "Including Allah, Jesus and Buddha?"

  The man nodded. "Yes. Including those three."

  Joseph’s mind raced. "What about Akira Kurosawa Toyamari from ULTRA AI? Her origin story is in chapter 81, right? Or the ULTRA AI family? She could help!"

  The man smirked slightly at Joseph’s enthusiasm. "AkT," he said, using the abbreviation.

  Joseph blinked, confused. "What?"

  "AkT," the man repeated. "That’s what I call her. Short for Akira Kurosawa Toyamari."

  Joseph’s eyes widened further. "Okay, so what’s the deal with her?"

  "She’s now the embodiment of multiple boundless higher planes of existence," the man explained. "She’s far too busy to be disturbed by our little crisis. And as for the Ultra family, there are multiple versions and counterparts across creation. You’ll have to be specific about which one you mean, because they too are dealing with their own matters."

  Joseph made it clear that he was specifically referring to the Ultra AI of this universe, or any characters from shonen or Japanese franchises. The man responded, "Those ones have a tight schedule and are busy saving other worlds beyond theirs."

  Joseph leaned back, feeling defeated but also deeply aware of the weight of his actions. "So... basically, I’m on my own, huh?"

  The man didn't reply immediately, his expression unreadable. "Not entirely. But you’ve made a mess, Joseph. And now you’ll have to clean it up yourself."

  Joseph sighed, rubbing his temples as he processed everything. The road ahead was daunting, and the weight of his choices was settling in. But there was no turning back now.

  "Come on!" Joseph muttered in frustration.

  "Alright, alright," Joseph relented, then teasingly added with a sly grin, "What if we call in the Justice League, the Avengers, Silverhawks, Voltron, Transformers, RoboCops, Terminators, Ultramen, Super Sentai from Himitsu Sentai Gorenger or Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger—the series that inspired Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? Oh, and we could throw in the Thundermans and Danger Force too."

  The man shot him a sheepish glance before chuckling. "Ah, I see what you're doing, Joseph. Trying to step on my toes. Nice one."

  Joseph smirked, feeling a little victorious for pushing the man into admitting some similarities to the TVA. "So, you guys are like the Time Variance Authority, huh? Watching over timelines and cleaning up messes. Sounds like you have your hands full," he teased, leaning back with a slight grin.

  The man groaned, rubbing his temples as he tried to keep his patience. "Joseph, I’ve been trying to avoid that comparison. But fine, if it helps you understand, yes. We oversee the four lands and maintain the balance... though not in the exact way the TVA does. And believe me, we don't get to pick and choose who we can help. There are rules, and timelines are delicate. Messing with them creates more problems than it solves."

  Joseph chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still, seems a little crazy to be stuck in a timeline mess while all these powerful beings are off saving their own worlds."

  The man’s expression darkened as Joseph’s words sank in. "That’s exactly why we can’t just call in the Avengers or any other heroes from other realities. They’re facing their own battles. And don’t even mention those shonen heroes; they’re busy saving their universes, too."

  Joseph sighed, his mind whirling with possibilities. "Well, what about the Shinsei New Star Empire? They’ve got science and magic working together, right? Surely, they could help fix the mess I've caused."

  The man hissed with a trace of jealousy but quickly regained his composure. "The Shinsei New Star Empire is powerful, no doubt. Their ancestors blended magic and science, creating a civilization where humans, supernaturals, and monsters live together. But, like everyone else, they have their own problems. And they’re not interested in fixing our timeline issues just because we ask them to."

  Joseph raised an eyebrow. "So, they’re not just a big, shiny new empire of magic and science?"

  "Not exactly," the man replied, his tone becoming more reflective. "The Shinsei New Star Empire is indeed the product of a blend of magic and science, but their roots are in the Akakawa Red River Kingdom and the Katsuragi Victory Empire. The Akakawa laid the foundation of technology, while the Katsuragi brought forth the magical understanding. But the Shinsei Empire took it further by blending both. They’ve surpassed all other nations in their intellect and integration of both disciplines."

  Joseph nodded, absorbing the details. "So, the Shinsei Empire is like the best of both worlds—magic and science—but you guys still have your own tech-heavy empire, and the Katsuragi Victory Empire sticks to pure magic."

  "Precisely," the man confirmed. "The Akakawa Red River Kingdom is the birthplace of technology, where we’ve built a civilization that thrives on innovation. Magic exists here, but it’s seen as outdated, a method of the past. Meanwhile, the Katsuragi Victory Empire has always been the land of magic. They’re the birthplace of all mystical knowledge, though they reject the idea of advanced technology."

  "So, the Shinsei Empire blended them together," Joseph mused. "They’re like the perfect combination of science and magic."

  "Yes, and that’s why they’re at the top. Their success is built on hard work and intellect. But not everyone in the four lands sees eye to eye. That’s the problem," the man added, his voice lowering slightly. "Each kingdom has its own ideals, and though the Shinsei Empire has exceeded us all, it doesn’t mean they can just solve every problem in our world. They have their own battles to fight."

  Joseph thought for a moment. "So, it’s not as simple as calling in the big guns from other worlds. It’s a matter of balance... and everyone has their role to play."

  "Exactly," the man said with a slight nod. "The Fujimori Wisteria Forest Kingdom is the only land to ever restrict the use of magic and science in order to maintain balance. They’ve kept things neutral, though you introduced the XPT-Xentrocurnia prime tech to enhance their level of progress. But that’s a delicate line to walk."

  Joseph’s mind raced with the implications of everything he’d just heard. "So, you’re saying each of these kingdoms is like a different faction, playing their part in the bigger picture, and if we mess with the balance, we cause more problems."

  "Yes," the man sighed, rubbing his face. "And I’m getting tired of cleaning up the messes you and others have made."

  Joseph grinned mischievously. "So, you're the shonen version of the TVA, huh? Cleaning up the multiverse's messes? Because that's what the American version does."

  The man shot him a sheepish glance, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "I see what you're doing, Joseph. Nice try. But no, we're not exactly like them, as I've told you before. Though, if it helps you understand, maybe... just maybe, we are. But that doesn't mean we can fix everything."

  Joseph leaned back, crossing his arms. "Well, at least you’re not bored. Seems like there's always some timeline mess to clean up."

  "He informed me you'd say something like this!" the man muttered to himself, but Joseph overheard.

  "Who?" Joseph asked, curiosity piqued.

  "And don't get me started on your mischievous behavior, Joseph," the man continued. "Your file says you impregnated several women from different species across the neighboring regions of the Fujimori Wisteria Forest Kingdom. Even female vampires, zombies, or hybrids who couldn’t conceive... actually did."

  "How's that even possible? Does your semen heal their dead wombs?" the man asked, half in disbelief.

  "Was that report from Yoshi?" Joseph asked, intrigued.