I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

The return to Zaanam was…lackluster. The portal back was the most exciting part of the travel, mainly because Elizabeth almost didn’t make it back. Why?

 

Well… The portal Elizabeth opened back to Zaanam in her spire had puffed out of existence a few seconds after she made it.

 

“You are finally running out of fuel?” Jenna smirked at her from the side, only to earn a glare from both Rossie and Rena.

 

“Should I refuel? I am sure we can find a few towns to terrorize…perhaps some sheep to steal? What do [Dragons] even do? Do I need to kidnap a fair maiden?” Elizabeth answered back as the portal started to come into focus. They had needed to teleport back to the cave for Elizabeth to try and re-open the portal Alice had oppened.

 

It was easier to open one of those back than the one Elizabeth had used to come here, there was something in the way they had both moved into the [Shadow Haven].

 

Elizabeth had just teleported in using her connection to the site. In contrast, Alice had actually opened a pathway from Zaanam.

 

Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure why that mattered, but it did. And it made reopening the portal Alice made easier than reopening the way she had used to come in here. It wasn’t impossible to go about the same way she had come of course…

 

But…Looking at Jenna….

 

“Please don’t, I am still technically a [Hero]. Besides while you may be able to deal with most normal A-Tier [Heroes]. The [Nine] will be harder to deal with, can’t imagine what [The Beast Master] would do…he always wanted a [Dragon] for his entourage, and now that your Father isn’t around…” Jenna said shaking her head.

 

“...Do we need to kill that one?” Rossie said darkly from the back.

 

“It seems like we do. Eli, can we kill him?” Rena also asked at the side.

 

Right, they needed to deal with that.

 

“So, how are you girls feeling?” Elizabeth asked, turning to look back at her girlfriend and…her other girlfriend. God, this was going to get hard to deal with later.

 

“I feel okay.” Rossie was the first to answer. With a flick of her hand, she summoned her blue screen and made it spin in front of Elizabeth.

 

 

“Everything is in place like I remembered, nothing changed much besides a small increase in my level, but that was part of the course after everything I guess.” Rossie said with a sweet smile. “Well, there is this too.”

 

Rossie summoned a new screen, a black one. That one, that was different, Elizabeth hadn’t seen one of those since her job change… Why was Rossie using one? Was it because of her [Skill]?

 

“I actually have one of those, too…” Rena said at the side, raising her hand. She flicked one of her hands and summoned a similar one.

 

 

“My previous status screen remains the same, too, but this one showed after you rescued me,” Rena said with a sweet tone in her voice. The girl was cute, yes. Did Elizabeth have time to dwell on what was on those two screens? Of course she had, this was something important!

 

Would she? Of course not.

 

“Wait, what are you speaking off? My [Echo] connected to the [System] hasn’t said anything about alternate status screens. And my [Echo] that is ruling an alternate Zaanam said that all the status screens are the same, no matter if you are at the top or the bottom.” Jenna chimed at the side.

 

This wasn’t the place to look about that, not without confirming Jenna’s stance on all of this. Elizabeth was curious about that. The more Jenna spoke, the more the girl seemed like someone with an interesting skill set. She seemed to be able to peek at other realities and look into alternate futures…or pasts.

 

“Don’t mind that Jenna, trust me. If I have learned something, sometimes it's better if you don’t think about this kind of stuff, it either resolves itself or you deal with it when needed.” Elizabeth said with a shrug as she started channeling her Shadows into the now-closed rift that Alice had made to get into…

 

“Ugghh….” Elizabeth groaned as she thought about it.

 

“What? One of those things you didn’t want to deal with hit you up?” Jenna smirked as Elizabeth groaned at the line of thought she cut.

 

“...I will allow Rossie to haunt you Jenna, I’m not joking about this. You don’t want my hot pink girlfriend to haunt you, more brave men have wished death from such a thing.” Elizabeth said in a serious tone.

 

“Good thing I’m a woman and not a man then.” Jenna said confidently as Rossie’s eyes shone in a pink-gold-blueish(?) color.

 

“Rossie don’t. Jenna is a friend, even like this, we don’t maim friends.” Elizabeth said as she sighed and turned to her hands and the mana that was flowing from her hands into the shadows…And then into the earth below her feet.

 

Into the….planet…

 

Into her….domain…

 

Into what wasn’t the Lost City of [Aquila]...

 

Into what wasn’t the Capital of the Saintsworths…

 

Into…The remains of Terra Invicta…

 

Into what didn’t have any right to be stuck in her Soul.

 

Elizabeth channeled her mana Into…The World…Into Her World.

 

“...I will ignore it, you know what? I have been ignoring most of my problems so far, I can ignore this one too!” After nodding and making up her mind, Elizabeth said, “Bimbo powers activate!”

 

All the while Elizabeth was channeling her mana into her shadows and pulling open the door that had been closed, “Yes. We can work with that, I just need to indulge in some of my hobbies, not think about the FRICKING ELEPHANT IN THE SOULSCAPE! And I will be happy, yes sir. No reason to deal with…this.”

 

“...Does that even work?” Jenna said in a low voice to Rossie, who was still glaring daggers at the blue-haired woman.

 

“...For most people it wouldn’t, but Elizabeth is a genius, she will make it work.” Rossie answered while shaping all kinds of [Soul] spells and sending them from angles that Elizabeth had no right of seeing.

 

“Elizabeth knows what’s best, she dealt with a problem no human would be able to solve easily enough. If she doesn’t want to deal with whatever problem she has, then it shouldn’t be that much of an issue.” Rena added her part, she also ignored how Rossie and Jenna were playfully messing around.

 

One sending spells that would either cripple or turn someone mad, and the other dodging, tanking, and sometimes dismantling.

 

Elizabeth was happy that her girlfriend was having fun and getting to know her childhood friend.

 

“Okay girls, the portal seems to be about to open. Prepare to…don’t know, where did Alice open this portal?” Elizabeth asked turning to Jenna.

 

“You don’t know?” Jenna asked as she fixed her blouse as one of the top buttons had been undone showing part of her cleavage. “She took us to a lake in the outsides of Germania, and don’t think I forgot. You need to explain what the deal was with Elizabeth and Alice. They weren’t humans but they also weren’t summons.”

 

She hadn’t explained that yet?

 

“ Well, Alice and Chloe were my [Shifts], as you probably surmised by now. “ Elizabeth said as the portal opened and sure enough, they did see a Lake on the other side, “Alice was my [Shadow Empres] Shift, what I was going to use in my career as a [Villain] as advised by Papa.”

 

Jenna seemed to want to complain about something, at least till she mentioned how it had been her Father the one that suggested that path. That was interesting, at least to Elizabeth.

 

“While Chloe, or as you knew her, Elzbeth, was the identity I used as Magical Girl, or perhaps how I was known as [Elemental Weaver].” Elizabeth finished checking the surroundings around the Lake and made a motion with her hand for Rossie and Rena to walk through the portal.

 

She…didn’t want them to be stuck in her Soulscape more time if possible, and she couldn’t make Jenna walk first to ensure it was safe. So she settled for the best.

 

“I know that at least one of them had a [Soul]. Would you care to elaborate on that part too? I have been noticing that most of those…[Shadow Dragons] have one too, did you break parts of your…’ Girlfriends’ souls to make them?” Jenna said in a low tone after Rossie and Rena left.

 

As if to make sure both girls wouldn’t hear them.

 

That didn’t matter for Elizabeth was filled with RAGE at the mere idea of that.

 

“Of course not. I would never do that to them, to flay their Soul? To make [minions]?” Elizabeth said slowly, word for word, trying not to lash out at Jenna. “I gave plenty of chances to Rossie and Rena to leave my side, and made sure our relationship was of equals even when they wanted to be Dominated by me. I want what is best for them.”

 

Elizabeth felt easier keeping the [Portal] open the more she spoke.

 

“I will give you this one chance and only this one,” Elizabeth spoke as she felt the mana around resonate with her. “And this is only because you were a good friend for me while growing up. You didn’t play with me because they made you. But because you wanted. I like to think that you were one of my best friends while growing up.”

 

Elizabeth could taste the flavor of the thousand of [Echoes] standing behind Jenna, every one staring back at her with their arms in hands.

 

“Don’t be mistaken, Jenna Lewis. Your armada may number in the thousands…” Elizabeth said as the mana coursing through her body started changing her clothes. Instead of her normal clothes, her [Magical Girl] regalia manifested. One similar to the one she wore while controlled by her half-dragon self, yet this one didn’t have the same feeling.

 

 

“But mine numbers in the Billions,” Elizabeth said and with the snap of her fingers each and every [Echo] that stood behind Jenna was surrounded by hundreds of Shadow Dragons. Would they be able to defeat whatever [Heroic Spirits] and [Heroic Guardians] Jenna had used to make them? Probably not. But she didn’t need to. “And while I may not be able to defeat them, I can sure as hell devour them. How much will I grow after feasting in the Heroic Spirits of a thousand realities?”

 

Elizabeth felt her stomach hunger, she was sure that her mana was flaring…Would she die at the hands of Jenna? Probably.

 

Would that stop her?

 

No.

 

You can’t kill a True Dragon by merely crushing their body.

 

Elizabeth knew this. She knew that as long as she wasn’t defeated in spirit, as long as her Origin stood, she would not die, not here, not within her Domain, not while they stood in Her World.

 

So she stood there, looking down on this Human who insulted her. Who dared to claim she would hurt her loved ones?

 

“Merlin? Morgana? “ Jenna said not turning her eyes away from Elizabeth.

 

“She speaks the truth…in all accords.” The [Echo] of the old man said as he didn’t stop casting more and more magical circles to try and deal with the shadows that hounded him.

 

Elizabeth’s Shadow Dragons weren’t attacking of course, and the old man didn’t seem to be able to affect them unless her Dragons left her Shadows.

 

“Our contract has finished Jenna Lewis, release me.” The witch said at the side, the same she had summoned before, Morgana La Fey, “The Inheritor speaks the truth, for why would she need to use the fragments of those that serve her if she has billions upon billions of willing souls to do her bidding? Stop wasting all of our times.”

 

…Well that was a little more information than she had wanted to give, but…Elizabeth did imply that her Armada was bigger…dang it.

 

“Fine, sorry about that. I…just want to make sure you don’t tarnish…” Jenna started saying as the image of all the [Echoes] behind her disappeared, all leaving to their own realities. Leaving only the image of the [Juggernaut] at the back. “...I wanted to make sure you weren’t tarnishing the memory of [The American Crusader].”

 

Oh…

 

“I won’t, besides Papa would probably flay the [Soul] of a Villain if it meant that he could protect us better,” Elizabeth said as her own transformation was reversed and all her Shadow Dragons once more sank into her…Shadows. “Papa didn’t care about anyone else but his Family, and I intend to follow his example.”

 

Elizabeth had plenty to worry about at the moment to even start caring about more things. She had her [Shadow Dragons]: Rossie, Rena, Aura, Beatrice….Ah.

 

“WAIT A GODDAMNED SECOND!” Elizabeth screamed as she turned to look back at Aquila in the distance.

 

“Elizabeth? Is the portal supposed to…flicker like that?” Jenna said bringing attention towards the portal.

 

“Ughh….I WILL COME BACK TO DEAL WITH YOU LATER REGINALD! YOU BETTER HAVE A GODDAMNED GOOD EXPLANATION FOR ME!” Elizabeth screamed at the city in the distance as she took Jenna’s hand and pulled her towards the Portal. Elizabeth was half sure that she could leave without having to use it, but Jenna shouldn’t be able to.

 

She shouldn’t be able…

 

She probably wasn’t able to…

 

Even if her [Skill] seemed to allow her to peek into other realities..And summon things from there…

 

She probably could do it…She totally could do it, Elizabeth had no proof nor evidence, but she also had no doubts about it.

 

What they found when they landed on the other side of the portal was two girls fully dressed in their combat forms.

 

Their new alternate forms…

 

“Elizabeth? Why are you holding hands with the target of your WRATH?” Asked the Night Temptress that Elizabeth wished nothing more than to throw into a bed and chain her so she could enjoy all night exploring her body.

 

“Elizabeth? Should we…calm down?” Of course, at the side was the meek and cute four-handed blessing to this world that was her second girlfriend. The World Breaking Ashura was quite interesting. She held the name of a creature that should only rage and seek blood and destruction, but to Elizabeth, that was no fierce lioness but a cute kitty that needed all the pats possible.

 

Who could even fear those muscle arms that had summoned four different katanas, each with a red handle, but each with a different type of blade.

 

“You know how it is, we had a little….difference in opinion, but we talked it out. Normal friends stuff.” Elizabeth said with a smile (totally not drooling at the spectacle she got from both her girlfriends' highly explicit looks).

 

–

 

 

“Yes, it's a totally normal discussion between functioning members of society.” Jenna added her piece, too: “Besides, Elizabeth may be one thing, but neither of you can actually hurt me. So please, let’s use our words.”

 

…..Jenna? Please don’t increase the number of reasons that Rossie and Rena have to hate you? Pretty please?

 

“Right…I will-” Rossie spoke as her body turned from her excessively smoking hot body into…her only hot body, “-only listen because Elizabeth seems to want to keep you around. But even if you are one of the [Twelve], [Nine], [Four] or [One]. If you think Elizabeth is the only one that can defeat you, you have something else coming for you. There are plenty of ways I can get a woman in four begging for me to stop.”

 

Elizabeth wasn’t sure if she should feel embarrassed, aroused, angry, or confused. But she decided that she would be happy that her girlfriend would stand up for her.

 

“...” Rena on the other hand, only returned to normal and looked up and down Jenna before scoffing. “Borrowed power is meaningless.”

 

So cool….

 

“Okay, that is enough.” Elizabeth said, taking out her cell phone and looking at the date: “We have been….a month? Two? “

 

“You have been away from school for three months. You are lucky that I am still a [Hero], so you are registered as if you were taking an internship under me.” Jenna said bringing out paperwork about said internship. “I think I can get Rena to be signed under the [Tinkerer] and Rossaline under [The Sniper]. But that will come later.”

 

What? Why?

 

“First year was theory and some practice. Second was mostly practical with theory and combat evaluation. Third year is full of work with supervision, you will need to come to school at the end of the year for evaluation. But what matters most is what the [Hero] or [Magical Girl] you worked under says about you.” Jenna said throwing a badge at Elizabeth, it held the symbol of a shield similar to the one her Father used, only instead of what her Father used, this one held a book. “Congratulations you got an internship under [The Juggernaut].”

 

“Why the [Tinker]?” Rena asked looking at Jenna, “Wouldn’t you be better suited for me? Or [The Traveler]? Even [The Beast Master] would make more sense.”

 

“I am not a weapon or fight-oriented [Hero]. I fight using [Incarnation], I summon a [Heroic Spirit] or a [Minion] as Elizabeth would say, then manifest their powers. Elizabeth does something similar, she channels her power through her [minions]. So we are similar.” Jenna answered the main question from Rena, “I don’t have any favor owed by [The Beast Master], and while I would send you to [The Traveler], I haven’t seen him after the [Advent].”

 

“And [The Sniper]?” Rossie asked, “I don’t mind learning from her. She seems like the type of woman a girl could learn plenty.”

 

“....She is a [Magic Girl],” Jenna answered, not turning to look at Rossie. She was also the only other one I knew personally and thought would agree to do me the favour.”

 

“So we are to spend time in Goddess, know where while you spend time with Elizabeth? Alone?” Rossie asked, narrowing her eyes at Jenna.It seemed that Rossie was jealous of Jenna. Why?

 

“I would love nothing more for you girls to spend time away from each other, but no. You don’t need to actually spend time with [The Tinkerer] or [The Sniper]. Amelia for one will either turn you into an assistant or throw you away…If you manage to get to where she is, that is fine.” Jenna sighed then turning to Rossie added, “ As for Lily….well, she may want to teach you things. But I’d rather the psychopath girlfriend of my childhood friend to not turn more dangerous than she is. If you want to spend time with Lily be my guest though.”

 

Rossie glared at Jenna while Rena seemed relieved.

 

“So…we will be having a slumber party every night for the eight months until we need to return to the MPI?” Elizabeth asked with stars in her eyes. “I never had a chance to have one of those!”

 

“...god help me no.” Jenna said first.

 

“...Goddess help me I hope not.” Rossie added on her side.

 

“...If you want to.” Rena was the only one that seemed open to the idea.

 

Weird, she understood why Jenna wouldn’t want of course. She had threatened her a few minutes ago and quite literally pointed a few billion shadow dragons at the girl. But why was Rossie against it?

 

Weren’t slumber parties those things where you slept with other girls, ended drunk, half-naked, and awoke the desire for carnal relationships? Why would her lovely embodiment of lust not want that?

Perhaps Elizabeth had wired her wrong when she used Shift before. Elizabeth would need to double-check that later, when they were sleeping.