She was getting worried, something at her [Heart] told her to hurry, to make haste. It hadn’t been that bad before, not really. She had thought it was just the worry that Rena or Rossie would end with some aftereffects. But both had been okay.

  Beatrice had been weirdly distant. But she couldn’t bme her, while she didn’t retain most of her memories, the ohat she mao keep of the past months had been enough to know that she…had not been good.

  But even so, she had fiden sh up any wrong she did.

  The Shadons were fine, and they had grown in numbers.

  She had gotten back Reginald.

  Nyx while more cheeky, was also there with her.

  She had gotten a childhood friend back.

  Rena had accepted her marriage ring as Rossie did. Everything should be fine.

  “Eli-Eli?” A…. “Is something the matter? You are speeding up.”

  Something was wrong.

  “No… Or I don’t think so; I ’t feel the shadows from [Shadow Pact], but I know we are fighting them off.” Elizabeth answered as she tried to peek at the sight from her [Minions].

  “Anything?” Rossie asked, flying closer to her to make sure she didn’t fly into a tree (Again).

  “No… Something is making too muterference; I ’t get a clear viewpoint.” Elizabeth wasn’t too worried about that; she could respect the fact that her Minions didn’t immediately share the sight at her and.

  They probably didn’t want to be distracted… Or worry Elizabeth.

  She was w why Beatrice was fighting aloh what felt like fourteen minions instead of with most of the shadow armada. But the fact that those minions were being used to tain the [Shadow Tide] should be the answer…

  “I worry.” Elizabeth said in the end, “Beatrid Rena are fighting along with a detat.”

  And that was the worry, Elizabeth khat Beatrice would never risk Rena. She wasn’t so sure that she would risk herself…She shouldn’t.

  Beatrice had asked for a [Wish] from Elizabeth, that meant that the little girl wanted something, and she didn’t o do much, she was willing to fulfill any whim from her so long as she asked.

  But then why? Why was she so worried?

  Why was her [Instincts] screaming at her to rush faster?

  She wasn’t sure, but even so. “Let’s move, we o be there.” Elizabeth poured more mana into her flight spell, she did away with the oral parts of her spell (The wings) and poured all of it into the gravitational trol and wind boosters.

  She was burning as much mana as she was regeing, and even more, she was even burning the mana banks on her [Shift].

  “Beatrice will be fine, Eli-Eli,” Rossie whispered at her back, but even so, Elizabeth rushed. She couldn’t get the feeling out of her head that something would g if she was te.

  What they found ohey arrived was… weird.

  She found an army of what looked to be weird humanoid figures ing out from the [Shadow Tide]; it was closer to a tar-like substahan [Shadows]. Elizabeth’s shadow was closer to either a mist or a water surface.

  But this? These [Shadows]?

  These looked more like tar, like a sludge… And the things that came from it?

  “Eli-Eli…are those….” Rossie asked from the side as she covered her mouth with a hand.

  “Yes,” Elizabeth answered, her eyes turning sharp as she eled her Dragon Eyes. “They have been [Tainted].”

  To Elizabeth’s eyes, those human-shaped shadow creatures looked like a normal [Human]. They held a [Soul] and their mana was homogenous to each other, as if a siity had multiple bodies and souls tied together.

  Elizabeth could see a thread made out of [Shadows] joining them all together and ahat went back to the [Shadow Tide].

  “Now that…that is more iing,” Elizabeth said as she turo look at Beatrid the fourteen… people that stood with Beatrid Rena.

  “Oh? You got a ype of Minions?” Rossie asked as she looked the fourteen girls with Beatrid Rena.

  But to Elizabeth?

  “Those aren’t mine,” Elizabeth said as she tried to ect to those girls; unlike Beatrice, she didn’t feel a e to them.

  She khey were using Shadows, she could taste them. And she khey had some kind of e to the [Shadow Haven], but couldn’t find the e to link with them. She had too many eade within the [Shadow Haven] to be able to find a couple of particur [minions].

  But even so, it shouldn’t be this hard.

  “They aren’t?” Rossie asked.

  “I don’t think so… Heed my call, dwellers of the dark…” Elizabeth started the t… but she didn’t get a rea from the fourteen girls. She got a ping from Beatrid the [Shadohe [Shadow Tide].

  But that was about it.

  Nothing came back to her, it…should not be possible. She had…offered freedom to any minion that came forth asking for it… had these asked for freedom to her [Dragon Self]? But then… why or how had they achieved those forms?

  They didn’t look like deformed little girls like Beato who barely measured above 50 cm.

  These looked like normal little girls, perhaps between o twelve years old? And no like how she was used to a [Minion]. No, instead it was more like seeing normal girls wielding shadows…wearing valkyre-like armor…

  Yes, it was as if she was seeing what Mother would usually scout as Magical Girls, most of the first geion had been scouted between o twelve year old, and these girls looked to be just right around that age.

  Elizabeth noticed one of those hover closer to Beatrid speak to her, after that Beatrice seemed to say something to her and dive towards the horde of [Zombie-like] tainted. After her thirteen of those followed suit and the st ohe ohat seemed to notice Elizabeth flew toward Rena to hover around her.

  “...did they ignore us?” Rossie said fused at that.

  “...I think so?” Elizabeth wasn’t sure if she was feeling fused, insulted, or straight-up baffled at the situation, “They seem to be fighting with Beatrid Rena, so maybe they are local Magical Girls?”

  “They look like Minions, they match Beatrice too.” Rossie said from her side.

  “That they do…” Elizabeth said, she…was half sure they were [Minions], but they didn’t felt like [Her Minions], she didn’t think anyone else under her [Shadow Haven] could summon [Minions], not a single one of her Royal Mages had ever dohat.

  If anythirice (The oh the most authority) had never increased the ranks, at best she managed everything. So who were these little girls?

  And why was she feeling wronged by the fact that not a single one of them seemed to aowledge her?

  Usually, people, be they women or men, young or old, cute ly, at least sneaked a peek at her once or twice when she was around.

  But these girls?

  They barely ever registered Elizabeth! If anything it felt like they stared more at Rossie than her! Grahat was the normal rea, Rossie was not only cute, but also hot.

  But she wasn’t going to share! No sir! Rossie was only for Elizabeth, the World may bask in her presence, but that was as much as Elizabeth was willing to share!

  “So…should we?” Rossie asked as the fight devolved on the ground.

  “May as well…” Elizabeth sighed, they hadn’t been sighted by [Shadow Pact]. He was too busy screaming at Beatrice.

  Maybe that was why Beatrice hadn’t reacted to them?

  She khey were here right?

  Beatrice had gotten the rea from Beatrice when she ted before… And she was sure that Beatrice had noticed how she had almost overriden her orders to the shadow armada… Surely she wasn’t angry about that right?

  The Shadow Armada was hers to begin with, even if Elizabeth didn’t use it much… a it there for Beatria she liked doing it! So it was fine!

  “Should we start with [Shadow Pact]? o after his minions?” Rossie asked from the side as a Magical Circle materialized above her hand, it was one of the bolt variation, but this one seemed to be focused on untrolled growth.

  Elizabeth could only shudder at what a wounded with that spell would make.

  “Let’s go with the Taihere, we go after him when we se a little the area. Besides we ’t let cute girls be harmed because of us.” Elizabeth said as she started pulling in from the vast amounts of mana that had pooled within her [Core].

  “...are you leering at irls Elizabeth?” Rossie asked in a frosty tone.

  “Of course not. They may be cute, but you are hot. You will always be my favorite.” Elizabeth turo find a Rossie smirking at her…

  Had…she been baited into plimenting Rossie?

  “I promise o let you go.” Either way, Elizabeth tinued flirting with Rossie. It was important to always fort your slightly psychopath Girlfriend.

  “Okay, do your thing.” Rossie smiled cutely as she moved to the side.

  “Heed my call, dwellers of the dark….” The t, as always, came with the now standard and expected part. Elizbeth wasn’t even surprised at this point; it had bee a staple of her, really. “...raise from the shadows and help se the taihat have risen once more on this world…help se it as their existence is a bahat ot be permitted to exist untrolled.”

  …wait what?

  The Tainted?

  It wasn’t a rough feeling?

  HOW?!?!?

  Elizabeth didn’t have enough time to worry about it as behind her, she felt a ripple spread through space as a shadow was cast upon the sky, blossoming behind her as if they were wings made out of shadows. From there Elizabeth felt her shadows stretd start spreading branches made out of shadows.

  One by one in each of those branches sprouted a shadow spear, Elizabeth almost didn’t have time to see them as they rained down upon the Shadow Ghouls on the ground, some of those tried to dodge with sluggish movements.

  And not many succeeded, the Valkyrie-like Little girls made sure to stop ahat attempted to dodge, either by taking the oportunity to cut out their heads, or by shoving them into the path of another shadow spear.

  These little girls acted quite viciously.

  Elizabeth had almost wao retort to this spectacle.

  “So you have arrived…Elizabeth Starbright…No, what is your st name? Your true st name.” [Shadow Pact] said from as he sank into the [Shadow Tide] and surfaced atop the inky wave. “Who are you? Who are your parents?”

  That…was an iing question.

  “That is not your business, [Shadow Pact].” Elizabeth answered as she turned her attention to the ground, more and more Shadow-like Ghouls tinued bloosoming from there. “You were my [Hero]...seeing you like this is… you are pathetic.”

  Elizabeth hated it, she hated the fact that she was seeing this side of [Shadow Pact].

  “...I am not [Shadow Paor I am Maximilian Windsor.” [Shadow Pact] spat as he s her, “I am [The Shadow Tide]. [Shadow Pact] wasn't able to help his sister, [Shadow Paeeded to be saved. Maximilian Windsor wasn't strong enough to keep his sister safe... Wasn't strong enough to evehe memory of his sister...No."

  The [Shadow Tide] bubbled strohe more he spoke as if reag to his feelings. Elizabeth felt something try to encroach upon her [Shadow Haven], but the feeling dissipated as some kind of spatial distortion appeared oer part of her Soul.

  "No. I am [The Shadow Tide], I will harvest the souls of those ungrateful bastards that didn't help my sister. The souls of those whot her... I will bring back what is mine." His eyes shone in a crazed red light as he turo look at her, "And you, Elizabeth Starbright, daughter of one of my former peers...will be the best sacrifice to the cause, the daughter of someone who should have defehe weak."

  With those words, the world seemed to take a darker tone, as if some kind of cloud was c the sky; Elizabeth turo look upward and found a dark cloud c the sky. No, not a cloud... "Shadows...? How...?" Elizabeth's eyes couldn't uand what was happening. How was that even possible? How had he mao turn something that gave shadows into...shadow?

  That was not how it worked. No, he shouldn't be able to do that, Elizabeth couldn't, why would he able to? She couldn't even do that inside her [Shadow Haven]!

  Or could she....She had ried had she? But no, that wasn't the point here. The problem was that he had a shado them, and if the [Shadow Tide] could create these Ghoul-like entities...

  Oh...

  "PREPARE FOR ATTACK!" Elizabeth screamed as she pooled her mana and started building a spell to protect.

  "Too te." Maximilian said as he smirked, and without waiting, he stated, no..he ted, "Desd upon those that think themselves worthy, and sink them into d????????????e???????????s????????????????????????p??????????????a?????????????i?????????????r??????????????."

  As his words carried Elizabeth felt the encroag feeling of something "[Void] + [Amp] + [Barrier] + [Affix] + [Lightning] + [Holy] + [Merge] = [World Separating Barrier]! " The barrier blossomed from her back's shadowy wings. It turned into a sphere made out of shadows that tried to cover both Elizabeth & Rossie, but also a tendril exteowards Beatrice's side.

  Elizabeth wao also shield all her minions, but with so little time she had barely enough time to try and protect herself and those near her. She would hope her minions did their best to survive, but didn't had the freedom to react or act at the moment. Elizabeth could only hope that the tendril she exteowards Beatrice would be enough, but as of this moment she had more things to worry about.

  "Eli-Eli!" Such as Rossie suddenly hugging her from the side and flooding her with mana, "Don't let anything touch you! That mana is wrong."

  Rossie didn't cast or anything, but the mana that she flooded her with felt different from the usual o had a tinge of Divine, even if Elizabeth herself didn't knew from where Rossie got such mana, it felt... familiar. Almost like how she felt when they returo her house, the same feeling of nostalgia.

  *drip* *crash* *crack*

  She was not able to bask in the feeling of nostalgia as the first raindrop fell into her barrier, it nded way faster than it should be able to, and more importantly. "HNNGGG!" It was heavy; Elizabeth felt her mana circuit struggle to tain the load she was eling with her spells, and to be ho, if it wasn't for the Divine Mana that Rossie was feeding her tinuously to Heal her, she wasn't sure if she would be able to divert it.

  "DEFENSIVE MEASURES! PREPARE THE DISPOSAL SHIELDS!" Oher hand, the Valkyries on the ground moved on synch pilling themselves near Beatrice, "BRAPACT! START THE MOBILE PHALANX DEFENSE!"

  They seemed to summon small buckler shields that they threw into the raindrops as soon as they got close enough. One or two summohe shields while the other four seemed focused on trag the raindrops. Then they gave dires to the other two Valkyries, who focused on throwing the bucklers. They were coordinated and quick. Elizabeth ehat method. Why was she even fag the brunt of the rain if that tion?

  "THE RAIN IS STOPPING HEADT!" The little girls screamed at the back.

  Was it ending? Really?

  Elizabeth would thank anyone who made this so short; she had felt as if it had been only a few seds.

  "How does it feel? The despair? The unfairness? True Darkness." Of course, [Shadow Pact] gloated; why was he even gloating? Wasn't he a former [Hero]? Heroes don't gloat!

  "WE ALL ARE OKAY HEAD VALKYRIE!" Another little girl screamed at the back, "MASTER IS SAFE ALSO!"

  Master?

  They were indeed someone's else followers! Why had they stood near Beatrice then though?

  "Prepare yourself, Elizabeth Starbright, for this is just the beginning." [Shadow Pact] said as Elizabeth felt something w???????????r??????????????????o??????????n???????????????????????????g???????????????????????

  "HEAL!" Followed by a frantic spell from Rossie at her side.

  "What?" Elizabeth said as she looked down on herself; from her chest, a familiar sight, something she hadn't seen in quite some time, something she had been way more familiar with than she wished. "...you motherf-"

  A spear made out of inky-bck tar substance had sprouted from her chest; it had red veins pulsating, threatening to corrupt her mana circuits. Elizabeth wasn't quite sure how this had e to be, how had he went through her defenses? Hadn't she blocked the attack?

  No, wait... was this the reasotle girls below had been using disposable shields?

  "UPDATE! SEDARY TARGET IS BEING CORRUPTED!" Sedary Target? Who was the sedary target? "DO WE ACT?"

  Elizabeth was fused, she turo look at the valkyries on the ground and found those that seemed to have the most ornated armor staring at Beatrice while kneeling on the ground, the rest had divided in two halves, oh their arms and shields pointing to [The Shadow Tide], and the others... pointing at Elizabeth.

  "Yes, start the termeasures." Beatrice spoke, and the two valkyries reacted instantly, "I'm sorry for this, Mistress..."

  What?

  The hing she noticed was Rossie screaming and a small Valkyrie telep in front of her, her sword shining in golden light and ing down toward her. Had... had Beatrice betrayed her? Impossible.

  Beatrice would never betray her... She was... she was...what was Beatrice to Elizabeth?

  "Damnit." Elizabeth could not think clearly with this stupid spike trying to corrupt her. Her Body reventing the spread of the corruption, and her skills made sure she remained herself, but even so, it was hard to think at the moment. She... may be over her head on this one, even thought her Stats should be higher than those of [The Shadow Tide].