"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH" She couldn't help but ugh as the body of his former subordinate fell onto the ground.

  She had been scared, scared that he would punch her, scared that Jack would pull all his mana into her...Scared that he would fuel the magics of either the [Monk] or [Warlock]...

  But in the end, he hadn't doher, and instead, he had sent his mana to [The World] to fuel its advance!

  He had surrendered!

  Now she only o nurture her e to [The World] and Asd!

  While he just...Fell over as his body wasted away, the st dregs of his mana varely slowing the decay of his body. Truly... How low the might have fallen.

  Now she only o go and "That will be enough." Came the voice of the masked monk, slow and steady.

  Tch.

  "Do you think you have enough in you to stop me?" She asked in a cocky tone.

  He did have both the strength and mana to stop her, she was bluffing.

  Her [Identify] said as much after all.

  Status

  Name: Xuan Wu

  Title: The Monk

  Alias: The Monk

  Level: 90

  Health: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  Stamina: 100%

  Stress: 0%

  Strength: 300

  stitution: 300

  Agility: 300

  Dexterity: 200

  Intelligence: 73

  Wisdom: 73

  Charisma: 50

  Status Auto allocation active.

  Unique Skill: Ascetic Training

  Subset Skill:

  -Iron Will.

  -Calm Mind.

  -Tempered Body

  -Mind's Eye

  Overall he wasn't that bad of an enemy, granted she had no way of defeating him...And he robably among the top stro members of the current [Twelve].

  If she had someone like him in his time as General and leader of [The Twelve], she would have trolled the Magical Girls and probably had an easier time.

  No, the problem was that he wasn't making a move against her, her as a bed partner nor as an enemy. "So...You wao stay put like a good girl?" She asked the monk while the Warlock was busy trying to not bleed to death, using one hand to staunch the bleeding on his arm.

  "Yes, only for a few mihen I shall leave you to do your st rites." The Monk answered her back.

  Iing, so he wasn't an enemy?

  "What are you doing?" Asked The Warlock to his panion.

  That was a very good question from the huy, "Yeah, what are you doing indeed?" And she joined in the questioning.

  The Monk for his part only strode towards his panion and in a move so fast that she couldn't even perceive it, the bleeding stopped "I pushed your pressure points to staunch the bleeding," Spoke the Monk while fiddling with something near his ear "[Tinkerer] emergency transport for [The Warlock] and [Shadow Pact]."

  And before either the warlock or her could say anything both people disappeared, "Ah...I hadn't finished with them." Elizabeth said while gring at the monk.

  He didn't respond to her, "I assume you wao stay Jack." And instead only turo the body of Jack that was on the floor, his mana still dripping downwards the p. "Yeah, I promise."

  Was he speaking?

  She didn't see nor feel any mana emission from Jack or The Monk, was he bad in the head?

  So many points away from Wisdom and Intelligence may be the reason, but that brought the question about how he had mental skills if he didn't have the stats to create them...

  Was [Mother] meddling with him too?

  "han," The monk started speaking bringing back her attention to him, "Tell me, do you uand what Jad Catherine did?"

  She didn't, well she uood what Catherine did alright, "Catherine burned her mana trying to heal me when nothing was wrong with me." So she answered as such with a smile on her face.

  She wasted everything in an attempt to [Help her daughter] only to make her body more strong in the process, such a good gift for her truly.

  "And Jack...Is helping the world move forward to a new era." He willingly fed his mana to the [Core] of this p, helping it evolve...Helping her asd.

  "No." The Monk said, finality in his tohey didn't do that, at all."

  What was he speaking about?

  "Tell me, Ethan, do you know where is Catherihis man was getting annoying.

  Her name washan, it was...It was...What was her name?

  "...What did they do? Catherine is right..." She tried to point to where she had st seen Catherio share the vision with the Puppet she had left...

  Only to remember the twenty puppets she could summon were with her...What did she leave behind then?

  "I have no idea," The monk said with mirth in his voice. "What I know is that Catherine is right there, with Jack."

  The monk ointing downwards, not to where she had left Catherine...Not to where Jack's body was wasting away, aging decades in seds.

  Not to where Jack's mana was going...But upwards, to the sky...

  Where a single blue s was shining.

  Notice:System initialization in progress...

  10%....20%...40%... Mana infussioed....Installing API....

  30%....50%.... Mana framework detected...

  10%...20%...

  When had that shown up...?

  She had started the process wheivated [Proliferation], she felt her [Taint] spread over the world once more, first to call in all her mana back, then when she spread it towards [The Core]. Towards [Mother].

  But...But...That wasn't part of her pn.

  "So tell me Ethan, where do you think Catherine and Jack are right now?" The monk said, no one was around them, only the body of Ja the floor, more skeleton than anything at this point.

  She couldn't even reize it and she had seen it...

  Could...No...That wasn't possible, Catheried [Gods], she spoke at length about them whenever she could, Jack while he didn't despise them as much, he was a sucker for his [Family] he would trust them above all.

  They...They couldn't...They wouldn't!

  "Motherf...." Was all she could say before a blue s popped in front of her.

  Notice, System message sent by Sub-Administrator [Mainframe]:Test, test...Is this on?She could hear it...Or not hear it, but she could [Feel it], the tone of voice of Ja that blue s, the bastard...

  He used his [Seed] as a ticket to sneak ohe absolute bastard probably sacrificed his mana and brought himself a spot at the table of the gods!

  By the name he had gotten, he robably responsible for the [Stability] or at the very least had a spot that would be hard to remove, at least he wasn't an [Administrator], but a sub Administrator, still important...

  But when she asded to the top spot they wouldn't be able to stop her!

  [Hello World], or well. Greetings humanity my name is ■■■■...ht, you 't hear my name anymore...Well, I was a human like you, a [Hero] you could say.

  By y I sacrificed everything to take a spot here, to make sure everything that was important to me was safe, my name as Human is no longer important, nor is my name as [Hero] you may refer to me as [Framework].

  For that is my current Job, I sacrificed my body, my essence, my blood... In a nutshell.

  [I'm the bohat held together the world.]

  [My heart is umps mana in the world.]

  [My veins are where the mana courses around the world.]

  [My flesh is what keeps the world sturdy.]

  [My body is what will defend this world from the worst of the incursions upon it.]

  The madman...He...He turned his body into the framework upon which [The System] was built!

  He was bound to this world, no wonder he was a sub-administrator, his body was tightly bound to this world now!

  He would never asd to a higher pce so long as this world system didn't let him go...And why would it?

  Unless someone rose above the system itself he would be a sve to the system, a sve to this world...A sve to the humans that would use [The Gift] of this new age.

  She had worried for nothing!

  "YES!" So she celebrated, for a sed she had been worried, gra would be bad if she was a mere [User], but she would rise above them.

  "Gd you liked his sacrifice." The monk said at her side.

  When did he get there?!?

  "Kyah!" She didn't scream, no sir, she didn't make some embarrassing girly sounds.

  And that was it.

  I only wao introduce myself, in the couple of days you will get a few new messages from me, the other sub-administrators, and the system itself.

  There will be some shuffle amoahumans, both powered and mages.

  Some civilians may find themselves in this too, but enjoy the ges.

  And remember.

  [Always strive to be better.]

  Sub Administrator of [The World], [Framework].

  PD: If you find a better name do pray tell me...As in Pray to me and tell me, I will be listening.

  "Pushover!" She screamed, "Yod name should be Pushover!"

  That would be a good name for what ■■■■ had bee...Damnation his name really was being sored already, wonder how would that left her, since he was his daughter.

  Huh?

  "Now if Elizabeth's Father is there...Where is her Mother?" The monk asked him.

  He brought a hand to his and toyed with his beard, it was rexing. It wasn't as rexing as a girl squishing her chest...Why had that thought e to him?

  The st hours were mostly a blur in his memory, he didn't even remember why he had created a shadow co behind him, nor what was gestating i.

  He had been too happy with the defeat of his old subordinate and his wife, everything had gone quite well after he took possession of...What did he take possession of?

  Notice, Ining message from system sub administrator [Oddysey]:Hello world!

  Your favorite Goddess Oddysey is here!

  He didn't need more to know who that was, how had that woman end up there?!?

  She didn't even have anything to offer! She wasn't blessed by this world nor had anything important to her name!

  The best she had done was snuto his subordinate's pants like a hooker a id!

  Granted she was quite the looker and was well rounded all around the important bits, but as a woman that was to be expected of her.

  Now as Hubby I also sacrificed a thing here and there to get myself this spot, unlike him I wasn't a [Hero].

  I was a [Magical Girl], quite the important o that...Not that you will remember my name ;p

  Was that the same woman?

  She used to brood all over the pd gre to everyone, what had happeo her while he had been in the [Core] tainting everyone and everything?

  ht, Eli-Eli momma loves you!And she is using almost divine powers to send a message to her daughter...Who...No wait, he ossessing that said daughter...

  But his body was male....

  Didn't he fail at shaping her?

  Why was his body male then?

  Ah...

  He noticed!

  HAT DO I DO?!??

  Huh?

  Oh nasty, yeah that will work.

  ...If his attempt to ge Elizabeth ged, then he should be in a female body, but his was male...

  Did...

  Notice:System sub-administrator [Oddysey] has initiated a 10-sed thought kernel rollback.

  Please brace yourself, notiothing important will be lost and these are only avaible in a limited amount, [The system] will guarantee your freedom of thought.

  If an administrator abuses this power they will be punished.

  System thought rollba 5...4...3...2....1

  She didn't o think hard about it to know who that was, she sounded exactly like her former subordinate's wife.

  That was indeed like something she would say, trying to pretend that she was still a teenager girl instead of the old monster she was, still, that wasn't something that was b her, instead what bothered her more was the stuffy feeling in her face, something was stuck to her lips as if she had ate some cake and the batter stu her lips.

  She raised her hand to her fad felt...A beard?

  Also, was her arm this thick before?

  A look into her hands and she saw thick muscle arms, the ones she had enjoyed seeing and toying with the idea of them around her neck, only...These moved with her thoughts.

  And in her face was...A beard...Her old beard. "What the heck?" She said, but instead of the sweet tone of her normal voice, it was a raspy old man's voice.

  "Any problems Ethan?" Asked the Monk to her side...To his side?

  "How do I look?" She asked to the masqued man.

  "Exactly as the records stated, around 1,9 meters tall, gray hair, scruffy beard...Also nasty eyes." Finished answering the Monk.

  That description indeed was one she would use to describe her former self as Ethan O'ell, but...She washan...She was supposed to be Elizabeth, she...He...

  As I was saying...

  Hello world!

  Odyssey here!

  Now unlike Hubby, I don't have a grand pn nor strange mission...I will not bore you with what [Odyssey] the Goddess of [■■■] will do.

  You will probably not see me that mud I work in the background but here it is my [Divih]

  [I shall guard the iy of The System]

  [No one shall surpass their authority]

  [The System will be fair to all]

  [Ahat tries to game the system shall perish]

  And finally but not less important.

  [The Soul shall be sacred, none shall tamper with it without permission from the owner, none shall dispce it without sent...The body, soul, and the mind shall be a bastion. This I guarantee under my Divine Decree.]

  And like that the blue s disappeared, she...He...Stood there just looking at her...HIS body.

  What had happened?

  "This is my cue to act then." Said the monk, he stood in front of...Him, pg his hand above HIS chest.

  She was about to say something like 'Don't get handsy', but her brain couldn't parse it out, her mind was ing to odds with her body. "[Astral Punch.]" He said and then only pushed at her softly.

  She didn't evehe impact, her body was standing tall and proud as if nothing had happened, it was the body she had nurtured all her life after all, the body of [The Stygian Bane].

  The body she tried to recreate when she invaded Elizabeth...And the body she couldn't really call her own anymore.

  "You will need more than that." She...Ethan's body said, eveo wrong.

  It wasn't her, not really. "I don't o do more, you are already dead." The Monk said while pressing once more the earpiece "[Tieleport for one."

  And like that he vanished away, leaving her aloh her thoughts.

  She looked down at her...At his body, wrinkles over her body and shadowy veins c with power...True [Power].

  "..." She raised one of her...of Ethan's hands and toucher her...Touched his chest, rock hard, everything she desired in a man.

  But she felt no arousal, she walked towards one of the stores, and an unbroken gss panel would do as a mirror, there the gre of Ethan's body looked back at her.

  Muscles over muscles in that body, ethereal energy exuding from his body, she only o think about it and the body raised a hand, and hundreds over hundreds of shadow puppets rose from the ground.

  Each armed with hideous demonic ons, the lost souls of a city he raised to the ground. On this body, no one could stop her.

  Not even those that cimed to be [Gods].

  A...

  "[Shadow Doppelganger]." Her...Ethan's voice said, a raspy tohe voice of an old man who smoked too many cigars in his life.

  She turhan's body bad saw...Two things, one was the shadow doppelgahat she had summoned, a vivid representation of [The Stygian Bane] in all his glory...

  The other was a Shadow co, that one...She hadn't summorying to walk towards it she fell to the ground, a look down found her legs had started to crack apart.

  Ethan's legs that is, "Oh...Hahahahahahah" ahan's ugh started to sound in the empty street.

  She now uood what they had done, "Nasty fuckers." Ethan's voice said.

  "The motherfuckers...[Odyssey] stripped my body of Elizabeth's soul didn't she..." They separated the inal soul of this body from her...That was why she couldn't remember things that Elizabeth knew.

  "She the ahead and turned herself into a Goddess to guarahat I couldn't tamper with her [Soul] without permission..." That made sense if she turned into a goddess and had access to [The System]'s Rules...She would be able to do it, but the energy...

  "And then [Framewave the energy needed while making sure the [System] was sturdy enough so no tampering could happen uhey had more Mana than him...And even then... His [skill] means that no ge would work twice." He started ughing harder and harder.

  "So my [Body] no longer has the [Soul] that should...No [Tampering] happen to a body under divine decree....So this is the price I pay?" His legs no longer existed, his torso was starting to evaporate uhe watch of his puppets and his doppelganger.

  "Here is the part where I curse the world I guess..." She tried to raise Ethan's hand, to muster his mana...To try and [Taint] the world once more.

  "...Heh...I 't..." But didn't do it, the system was initializing already, she wouldn't be able to make a perma ge, not without help from [The World]...And sihe Wish] of [Mother] was about to be fulfilled...

  She doubted that [Mother] would help her again.

  "[Heed my words]" But she would try her best!

  [Framework] did say to [Strive] forward didn't he?

  "[This may be the st day of The Stygian Bane...]" She fuhan's Mana into her [Doppelganger]. "[But so long there are Shadows in this world...I will return...I SHALL WALK UNTO THIS EARTH AS WHATEVER I WISH TO BE!]" And with that decration...

  One by ohe shadow puppets turned into motes of darkhat rose to the sky, souls upon souls of thousands joining the circle of transmigration to live again.

  Some flew towards the doppelganger, others orbited around the deg body of Ethan...

  Some went towards their loved oheir sons and daughters...Those that survived the tragedy...

  None flew towards Ethan, not even those who hated him.

  Ethan just smiled while he closed his eyes, she smiled within the body of Ethan.

  For the st thing she saw before her sciousness was lost was a single blue s.

  [System initialization finished.]

  [Wele to The System]