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Chapter 40: ..... 8 times?!?!?!?
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 13:00:03 +0000 UTC"Why is my life so damn weird," Elizabeth sighed as she took in fully the words of this weird not slimy Akira.
"You are way past the point where you could ask that, you should have asked that when you made it to the MPI and did that whole spectacle." Akira pointed out with a smug smile, "Now focus Elizabeth, you need to call upon the [Gem of Envy] and connect to it, we need the external interference to break the balance here, if that thing is like this. Then it will not be able to fully enclose it, so you will use that chance to escape."
"All the while making sure nothing in the Gem that should have something that wants to fight me, fights me." Elizabeth said with an annoyed tone, "You know, I didn't think it would be this one, the one to give me trouble. I was planning to use [Time] as a way to control whatever was left of Akira."
"In a way you are doing that though," Discounted Akira said with a shrug, "Now really, focus on this Elizabeth. We don't have all the time for this."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked confused, as far as she was aware, she was inside of the gem of Time, right now, time should be the less of her worries.
"You are inside of the [Gem of Time], what do you think Michael did to ensure no one would get away with his secrets?" Discount Akira asked, "What means of dealing with intruders would he use?"
"He got here at the end of his life, right?" Elizabeth asked, "Or well, roughly at that point, and he only came to update…So his defense should be something that he wouldn't mind dealing with, and something that wouldn't impede his work…"
"Yes, not that they paid much attention to Michael. No one cared about the senile old man who somehow got into the [Hero's Party]." Discount Akira said with a smirk, "If only they knew…"
"So I assume it would be something to do with Time, he…encased them in a time bubble?" Elizabeth asked.
"Ding dong," Discount Akira said nodding, "Now…Why would he set them up in a time dilation bubble that would give them more time to find out about his things? Why would he allow them to use this to their advantage?"
"He wouldn't. At best…he….Oh…” The color drained from Elizabeth's face as she caught on to the idea, "How long have I spent here?"
"Around half an hour?" Discount Akira said looking at his clock, "Or you mean real time?"
"...Why didn't you say that sooner?!?!?" Elizabeth roared, "How much time has gone through in the real world?!?!?"
"Around a week? Your friend started moving as soon as the bubble came into effect." Discount Akira said, snapping his fingers and showing a picture of a slowly moving Jenna, she had her eyes shining in Azure light.
"....I thought it slowed me down, why is Jenna moving in slow motion?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down and closed her eyes, she immediately started trying to feel her mana.
"Double-layered time bubble, your mind is slowed down, while the time for your body is accelerated. Don't ask me how it works. Time works weirdly." Akira said shrugging, again.
"What is the time ratio dilation?" Elizabeth asked.
"Around eight to nine times?" Discount Akira said while doing some mental math, "Give or take. I never worried too much about it, I am lowering the dilation as much as I am able, usually it would be a hundred times that. Most organic bodies would die before they could even take a step inside."
…What was horrifying… Michael made such a horrifying spell. And Elizabeth was stuck in the middle of it.
Still…A second for her was eight seconds of real time? That wasn't that bad…It made it…No wait a goddamned second…
"The second layer?" Elizabeth asked.
"...I have no control over that one, it activated itself and is mostly pointed at your friend." Discount Akira answered, "That one is working as intended, so your friend will…probably not manage to get close to you in time…Not that it will matter, since you will get out before she takes the next step."
"Tons of faith put on me there." Elizabeth said still with her eyes closed, "I can't feel Mana at all, how am I supposed to interface with the stupid thing?"
"I have seen what you are capable using Michael's eyes, he truly believed in your mastery over magic and spells. Which is why I allowed you to get in." Discount Akira said walking near Elizabeth and standing behind her, "And you are going at it wrong, you are trying to use Mana, this is not a mana problem. Do not limit yourself Elizabeth Starbright, you want to interface with [Envy] does that use Mana?"
"I guess so?" Elizabeth said confused, "All of my other gems use it, they have Sin Mana, it's on their name."
"Wrong," Discount Akira said shaking his head, "Michael made the same error during his time in Aetheria, just because something has it on its name doesn't mean it is right. We call it Mana because the ones who discovered it only know Mana. So they see a similar energy and immediately attribute it to the things they know."
"Then, if not Mana, what is?" Elizabeth asked annoyed, "I am burning time here. Literally."
"He never got around to finding it out, but it was not mana; it is purified more than simple mana. It is fueled by the desires and beliefs of the one who wields it. Akira truly believed that anything that he coveted should be his, his mana became tainted by that belief. It was his desire for what others had that made him desire the women other people had." Discount Akira said summoning pictures of very beautiful women, from all ages, from what looked like teenager to adult women on their prime, "He coveted the most beautiful women he could lay his eyes in, he didn't lusted just women, he mostly ignored those that were single and only took a liking to steal those that were married or promised to others, he wasn't greedy. He was just jealous."
"And so, he became the wielder of [Envy] instead of [Greed]." Elizabeth reasoned, "But that does not answer my question."
"He held such a strong belief that his Mana shifted, and turned into something else. Something that Michael never understood till he was in this world where Mana is more studied." Discount Akira said, bringing another new book, "This was the last entry he made before turning himself in to you."
The book was a simple one, more of a journal if anything.
"Of Prana and the way our beliefs could shift how our [Gods] are…" Elizabeth said as she read, she knew of this, it was why Papa and Mother didn't partake in the Prana, it got offered to them... "...Prana? Is that it?"
"Do you know of it?" Discount Akira asked surprised, "I should have expected as much, but yes. According to Michael's study, Sin Mana is closer to Prana than anything."
"...But Prana is something that only believers create and it is offered to their Gods." Elizabeth pointed out, "Saying that Sin Mana is in reality Sin Prana…"
Elizabeth couldn't see it, he had used Sin Mana, she had used Prana…They felt different, they were anathema to each other. Prana felt warmth and pure, it was…it was like feeling each thought and belief that the ones that had made it had in her. Her Prana was made out of Rossie and Rena's love and care.
Of the belief and loyalty of her Shadow Dragons, of the pure belief that Elizabeth would protect and give them a second chance…
OF the belief from the Thunder Birds that she was right.
Of the understanding of the Fire Salamanders that she would heal and nurture them.
Of the knowledge from Mordred that she was a Goddess.
Her Sin Mana?
Gluttony felt like an overwhelming hunger that wanted to consume all in sight.
Pride was the belief that she was superior and everyone else was wrong, weak and pitiful.
Envy… Envy made her feel as if everything that other people had was destined to be hers, that it was right.
Greed was similar, only it made her feel that everything in the world was hers already.
Wrath was as if everyone in her sight had wronged her and deserved a beating.
Sloth so far felt as if everything was pointless, and she deserved to sleep, which, honestly, is her favorite so far.
Lust…Well, she hadn't felt fully that one yet, but could imagine how it would feel, and it was the reason she was saving that one for her eighteenth birthday. She already had a couple plans about how to take in that one after all.
But that was besides the point!
Envy…Envy…She wanted to feel Envy…
But….how does one become jealous? She… didn't really ever felt jealous. All her life she had everything she needed handed to her, and even now, when her parents were gone. She needed nothing, anything that she could desire was already within her grasp. She had a loving couple of girlfriends, her minions to help her with her work. Jenna for help.
She had money thanks to her parents' arrangement, and even if she didn't, Rossie wasn't poor.
She didn't need anything that wasn't there. If anything, Elizabeth could probably give out instead, and she may even end up doing so, one could only have so much before it became a hassle. There was no reason to be envious of anyone else.
"Think, Elizabeth," Discount Akira said, "And if that doesn't work, feel. Michael had no problem feeling the multiple Sin signatures, and even attuned himself to the one you needed to ensure you would do the deed."
He did?
Motherfucker… Elizabeth knew she had been played.
But no, that just aligned her more to Wrath, she didn't need Wrath, she needed Envy.
…What was Rossie and Rena even doing right now? They were probably practicing, she could…not feel them. Why couldn't she feel them? Opening her eyes Elizabeth's eyes focused on the rings on her hands, the pink one that was for Rossie, the red one that was for Rena. Both were still there, but they didn't give signals.
"Did you block the mana transmissions?" Elizabeth asked narrowing her eyes.
"No? But if you are planing on use those it's pointless, the body you have here is more of a projection, not quite to what you folk call Soulscape, and more of a mindscape really." Discount Akira said, "While your body may look real, it's only a construct. So nothing you are wearing is actually real."
…So these weren't even the real rings? Elizabeth was relieved for a second, only to think about that again, if this wasn't her real body…What would happen to her real body? The rings didn't share something as complex as her vital signs, more of a warning signal if the body was at risk.
If she weren't at risk, she wouldn't share anything. And Elizabeth wasn't really at risk just yet. Not her body anyway, her mind may be, her Soul…she had faith in that one being okay. But her mind…would her mind survive? If the time dilation increased would she survive?
How long would she survive? A month? A year? She knew her body was sturdier than before, she was closer to an entity that could survive on Mana…And her minions, her minions would probably ensure that she was taken care of.
They would…probably ensure that Rossie and Rena were okay, and even if they didn't. She knew the Valkyrie Order would make sure that Rossie was taken care of, Elizabeth knew that Rossie would stay by her side…
And since Rena was with her, Rossie wouldn't do something as stupid as grounding her Soul to help Elizabeth, Rena would stop her. And if not Rena the Valkyrie Order would.
Perhaps with time Rena and Rossie would learn to depend on each other…and maybe get a new person to help them? Perhaps? Someone that could help them move on…
Move on? From what?
Move on from her of course, she couldn't expect them to remain tied to her, their bodies may have changed to some degree thanks to Elizabeth, but even so they were human at the core. They couldn't retain something like these kind of feelings with nothing to show for.
The Minions would understand too, they would give them space…
And so, Elizabeth was sure that whoever Rossie and Rena decided to live with would love them as much as Elizabeth…They could make their life with them, perhaps Alice and Chloe would help by then, and send Beatrice's Soul to Rossie so she could become a real Mother to Beatrice?
And the little maid would get a pair of parents…
That….
Loved…
No.
No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No. No.No.
That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.
"Getting the hang of it I see…"
Shut it.
No, Rossie was hers. Rena was hers… She wouldn't let anyone else have them, the mere idea of someone enjoying Rossie or Rena…It was hers, it was a divine mandate, no one could get them, no one else was worthy of them.
It was rightfully hers, Akira? He may have had them first, but he didn't deserve them. He ruined Rossie's Soul, he broke Rena's. He didn't deserve them, so whoever came after wouldn't deserve them either.
Only Elizabeth could make them right, only Elizabeth could heal them, only Elizabeth could love them like they deserved, only Elizabeth was worthy.
Anyone else who even dreamed of having Rossie or Rena would burn. Elizabeth would make it so, this space? This prison of time?
This that wanted to separate Elizabeth from what was rightfully hers? She would break them.
Prana? Sin Mana? Mana?
All was meaningless before her, you could take away her self, her Soul, her body and only leave her mind.
But what is the mind but the self? What is the self but who we are? And what is that Elizabeth is?
She is Elizabeth Starbright.
She is [The Shadow Weaver of Terra Nexus].
She is [The Shadow Empress of Terra Nexus].
She is [The Debauchery Dragon].
And more importantly, "I am who I am." Elizabeth proclaimed as she felt her body [Shift], instead of a mere projection of her mind, she pulled, she pulled herself together, her mind called her Soul, her Soul called her body and her body was pulled in.
How?
Simple, she already had the key in her hand all this time, "Come forth, [Envy]." Elizabeth called and closed her clawed hand.
Her body had changed from the mere projection into [The Dragon Empress], but that wasn't the important thing, what mattered was that Elizabeth opened her hand and where nothing had been before, now was a small amount of dust.
One that Elizabeth blew against a wall, the dust formed into a door and as it opened, Elizabeth could already see it.
"...I was never into monster girls, but I can already see the plus…" A muscular man with no shirt walked into the room, "It will be interesting to have a girl with handles already built in, I'll let you be my next toy. Rejoice bitch, you will be this Suzuki Akira's new girl!"
"....God…Did I really speak like that?" Discount Akira asked facepalming himself.
"Yes, you did." Elizabeth answered eyeing the absolute shitstain of the cosmos that had walked into the room.
Well. This ought to be easy, Elizabeth had no need to mug him anymore, but…she may just as well do it anyway. Just in case.
