She wasn't sure how long it had taken for her to refocus and take notice of her situation, but when she did, the first thing she noticed was that the [THINGS] that had provided the necessary mana for her [Heart] to beat again had started to reform.

 

It was slow, and it seemed to not be working quite well, but they were taking form once again, the blonde one seemed to be the one forming faster, since the pink one was struggling to even start the process.

 

"What the hell?" Said aloud Elizabeth as the blonde one formed a mockery of a hand and took the remains of the pink one and slapped them into herself.

 

It then started to accelerate the regeneration faster and faster, Elizabeth wasn't sure what to think about that, but before she could even think about it the blonde [Thing] had been reformed once more.

 

"Oh, did our [KING] change uniforms again? It looks nice, but I like this one more, it lets my skin breathe easier." Said the [THING] as she looked at Elizabeth.

 

This while not looking that much as herself as before, it still resembled her more than she was comfortable with, only this time her hair had strokes of pink, her chest was uneven, one side was her normal size while the other was closer to Rossie's cup size.

 

Her arms were uneven and it looked more like a chimera born from both [Things], "Hmm...Oh neat, I can use two different sizes our [KING] will be pleased to be able to try two different textures in one body!" The [Thing] said as she walked toward the closed door and tried to walk past it.

 

*thunk*

 

She did the whole gesture of opening the door, but since Elizabeth had locked it, it remained closed, the [THING] then acted as if she had opened the door and walked straight at the closed door. It was like looking at a mosquito flying at a crystal window and wondering why it couldn't move past it.

 

This [THING] just tried to smile, tried to open the door, failed at it, acted as if she had opened and walked straight into it. It was...odd.

 

Elizabeth tried to feel her [Shadows] while the [THING] was working with the door, she was able to perceive her own [Shadow] just fine, and she also got the feeling that something was [Gnawing] at it, trying to infiltrate into [Her] and being fought back by her [Shadows]. She also noticed how that [Something] had managed to worm itself into her [Self], as evidence for her [Shadows] mending and [Stitching] part of her [Self] while fighting the influence away.

 

"Excuse me, I think the door is broken, do you have [PERMISSION] to carry a phone? Our [KING] hasn't let me carry one yet." The [Thing] asked at her, Elizabeth still felt...weird speaking to this strange simulacrum of herself.

 

She wasn't weirded out by having another [Self] parading around, it wasn't the first time, she had dealt with Alice and would need to deal with whatever had happened to her newest [Doppelganger] that skill was either working wrong or a new [being] had used it. Maybe with some luck, one of her [Shadow Dragons] had gained self-awareness?

 

She hoped it was that, and not another person hijacking her [Doppelgangers], that chant had sound...dangerous.

 

"Hello? Do you have access to a phone? Or did our [KING] also not grant you phone perms yet? By your clothing, I thought you would have phone perm..." The [Thing] said while looking at her.

 

Her clothing? Hadn't she turned her clothes into mana?

 

...Oh, she had turned her clothes into mana...Then what was she dressed in right now?

 

Turning her awareness to herself she found that...She was dressed in one of the attires [Alice] had used, it was the black plaid skirt with a black tank top and a leather jacket that showed her shoulders. As for her legs, they had white stockings and platform heels.

 

She summoned her phone from her [Inventory] and took a quick selfie of herself and found that...her eyes were azure blue and her hair was blonde, she let out a sigh of relief at that.

 

"So, you do have a [PHONE], quick, call our [KING] and get him to fix this door!" The blonde [THING] said to her, always making sure that she was one meter away from her, it looked as if she wanted to grab it but was scared to touch her.

 

"Don't you want it?" Elizabeth said leaving the phone in her open palm.

 

"I mean, it’s yours...wouldn't want to risk touching you, our [KING] doesn't want us having fun with other people unless he is looking. We don't want to end like...[RENA]." The blonde [THING] said as she shuddered.

 

"What happened to Rena?" Elizabeth asked while frowning.

 

"Don't say her name!" The [Thing] shrieked, "Quick, call our [KING] so he can save us!"

 

The thing tried to open the door again, but as always it only tried to open the door without removing the lock and then walked straight at the closed door. As if that would make a point.

 

"I will be late to my scheduled [PLEASURE] record session!" The [Thing] said.

 

"Just...open the lock," Elizabeth said walking to the door, removing the lock and opening the door.

 

Then when the [THING] wanted to walk out of the door, she closed it and locked it again. "Now, what happened to Rena?" Asked Elizabeth once more.

 

"...How did you?" The blonde [THING] said as it tried to open the door yet again, without moving the lock. It failed and walked into the door face first again. Like a broken...program...

 

Oh...She had managed to get herself into Akira's Soulscape and the asshole saw all the females around him as brain-dead NPC's...

 

"...Are you some kind of [Genius] like our [KING]?" Elizabeth could almost see the adoration in the eyes of the [THING], "...are you our [KING] in disguise? Is this a new [PLAY]?"

 

"...I'm not...Why would you think I'm [Him]?" Elizabeth almost called him for what he was and refrained just enough to refer to Akira as a [him]. "And if that will get you to answer me about Rena I don't care what you think."

 

In the end, the blonde [Thing] seemed to think for half a second, she knew it was thinking because her eyes almost rolled inwardly and she almost could hear the gears in the [thing]'s head turn. "I mean, you look smart, no [FEMALE] could be that smart, we barely know how to move and speak. As [FEMALE] we only need to know how to dress nice, say yes, and open our legs."

 

*crack*

 

"And you seem powerful, if you truly were a [FEMALE] you wouldn't exude that much power. A [FEMALE] only needs enough strength to withstand our [KING]'s [SEED]." The [Thing] spat more ridiculous things out of its mouth, and Elizabeth was fighting with all her strength to not break open that door and run towards the [Core] of this place. She needed information.

 

"Rena...Information...[NOW]." Elizabeth took a deep breath and said each word as calmly and measured as she could.

 

"Kya...See, no [FEMALE] would have that much domineering energy, it made me [COME]." The [Thing] said with a blush on her face, it was just so...[WRONG]. "So...[Rena], it seems she was the first [Childhood friend] of our [KING]."

 

...Well, that was more cliche than she expected.

 

"You see, our [KING] was a mortal man before, he was better than his peers, but his body wasn't up to his talents, it was flabby and weak, and it was only his [MIND] that managed to keep, and even that wasn't understood by those around him. For they thought he was [SLOW], they couldn't understand his [GREATNESS]. Only [Rena] was with him, she was a petite and ugly thing, her front and her back was of a cutting board." The blonde [THING] said as a projection of a black-haired girl with glasses manifested in the wall behind them.

 

On it was the image of the current Akira and the girl at his side.

 

"It wasn't till the [GREATNESS] of our [KING] managed to get him summoned to another world, for his first [WISH] he got himself a body [WORTHY] of a [KING]. He molded it to be [PERFECT]." The image moved to a picture of Akira, the black-haired girl with glasses, a brown-haired outgoing girl, and another boy with no redeeming qualities.

 

"He needed minions, of course, so he got another three to work under him. First among them was [Rena], followed by two who got new identities under the guidance of our [KING]. They were renamed for their respective missions. First was the brown-haired girl whose identity got repainted as a pink-haired healer, she used to be the hypocrite type who pretended to care for everyone but never dated our [KING] even though he declared his interest! Can you believe it?!? Someone not wanting our [KING]'s [LOVE]?!?" The blonde [thing] spat into the picture of the girl who would morph into the current Rossie...Or a projection close enough to that at least. "Then was the one who would shepherd those that worked under our [KING], he got the [Role] of a support [Mage]."

 

And the last boy in the picture morphed into an image of Michael Shepherd, "Since a front liner's job could only be done by our [KING] he got delegated to buffs and support, the glory at the frontlines would be only for our [KING]!"

 

The images moved to them speaking with a king in another world, then fighting against monsters and aberrations, to Akira weaving his mana thread into the hearts of civilians and slaving them to him.

 

"It was after many years of duress that our [KING] started bestowing his [SEED] upon the unworthy, and then...The first [BETRAYAL] occurred." The blonde [thing] spoke as the images moved to the other three [Heroes] fighting against Akira.

 

They ultimately failed as magic markings prevented them from harming Akira, "It was only the forethought of our [KING] that allowed him to barely survive. Since he knew their betrayal was going to happen, but it still hurt him deeply, especially since one of them managed to overcome the safeguard our [KING] had placed."

 

That is, Rena managed to fight past the slave-type magic that Akira had cast on them, and the image moved to Rena decapitating Akira...Only for the whole image started rewinding and stopping just at the moment they had been summoned...

 

"And so, our [KING] started his second coming." The blonde [THING] said as the image showed Akira summoning his [Hero Sword] and starting to attack the other [Heroes], Michael and Rossie were the first to fall to the surprise attack, Rena barely managed to summon her sword, but she didn't have the [Skills] to wield it and while her instincts were good, she fell to Akira's sword in the end.

 

Akira however was felled afterward from the wounds Rena gave her and the efforts of the royal knights in the summoning chamber.

 

"And with that, our [KING] understood the truth of the universe, that he alone was the only true [KING], for if not, why could he return to the world of the living?" And the image rewound once more, only this time it didn't take as much time, "And on the third attempt, he played it safe."

 

The image started moving forward, only...Akira this time seemed more friendly, it made her sick as she could clearly see how he was worming his [Mana] into the other three heroes, first in Rena whose [Heart] was chained more and more with each passing day. Then Rossie and Michael, they had chains too, not as deeply ingrained, but chains nonetheless.

 

"He trained his [GIFT] as much as possible, and tightly [EMBRACED] those that would [SIN] if not for his [CARE]." The image showed how he started to influence their decisions, their [MIND], Rena and Rossie started to expose more and more flesh, and their bodies started to slowly change as Rossie diverted her [Healing] to stimulating growth.

 

They moved from petite and modest B and C cups to ridiculously big D and E cups. And then there was Michael whose magic started to move from elemental manipulation to restrainment magic and debuff magic (Mostly paralyzing).

 

"They bloomed their true talents and so our [KING]'s [SEED] started to bless the world. He took the Princess as a consort and even ruled the world...At least till the [Demon Queen] struck him down." And so, the image of a 20-year-old Akira with a rejuvenated Rena and Rossie who seemed to be in the 15-17 age range in their bed was shown. A few seconds after it started playing one of the doors was open and in it, an old man looking Michael started speaking.

 

Only for his face to be struck by one of Akira's swords, and a few seconds after one of the walls was struck down, a blonde woman walked into the room. She seemed angry, and Elizabeth couldn't believe her eyes as the identity of the woman was made obvious.

 

"It was maybe the fifth or the eight? We can't be sure since our [KING] stopped taking into account the times he had turned time back to make sure he could spread his [SEED] far and wide, but it was the first time he gazed upon the figure of the [Demon Queen]." The blonde [thing] spoke, " It was the first time our [KING] took the royal decision that he would bestow his [SEED] upon those that weren't worthy too."

 

"You? That [Bitch] didn't learn anything from the last one, did she? Why did she send another [Dick] for [Brains]?" The new woman spoke, Elizabeth was surprised because the image had sound. So far no one had spoken on it. "Either way, [Die]."

 

And then the image shattered and she [Felt] her mana become unstable, she barely managed to regain control of it, but not before she felt the urge to cough blood.

 

"The [Demon Queen] then killed our [KING], so the next iteration our [KING] started planning, but the [Demon Queen] started going after our [KING]." The image showed once more Akira at the prime with Rena and Rossie, and some other girls in their bed. And Michael rushing to the tower only to die to Akira's sword and then her mother breaking the tower and killing Akira.

 

"It was at some point that our [KING] started to try and bestow his [BLESSING] upon the [Demon Queen], but she always refused it." The blonde [Thing] said as the images of Akira trying to fight Mother started to show up. "Worse, our [KING] found out that this one wasn't even the true form of the [Demon Queen], she was but a simulacrum created from [Vestiges] of her [Mana] made to make her machinations keep working."

 

Akira never managed to survive more than five moves, and Mother always used a different move set, no matter what Akira did, even those times when he fought exactly the same way.

 

"Is...The [Demon Queen] retaining her memories?" Asked Elizabeth when she noticed that her mother had started to look more annoyed in each iteration.

 

"I knew you were a [Man] in disguise!" The blonde [THING] said, "No [FEMALE] would have noticed, we aren't smart like that after all. But yes, somehow the [Demon Queen] managed to retain her [Memories] across time. Our [KING] never managed to find out how she did it. But after some time, the [Demon Queen] stopped fighting our [KING] and started moving her Castle."

 

The image starts to show Akira arriving at an empty plot of land where only a crater remained, "Our [KING] of course wasn't stopped by this." The Akira in the image then killed Michael, cut one of Rena's arms, beheaded Rossie, and then restarted the loop. "Instead, he started planning. He amassed as much power and troops waiting for the [Demon Queen] to attack..."

 

The image moved to a truly gigantic army leaded by Rena in bikini armor, Rossie with a pair of piercings with clothing as chest protection, and a skirt that barely covered the important bits.

 

And...Actually, Michael wasn't in the picture, there was a bald decrepit mage in the background with blue eyebrows... "How much time has passed in this iteration?" Asked Elizabeth.

 

"Around five hundred years?" The blonde [Thing] says. "Give or take, the time in that world was weird since it got isolated. That is what our [KING] always says."

 

"Wait what? But she said that she only spent like forty years in that world!" Elizabeth pointed out, that the timeline had always been the most important thing her mother had pointed out of her travels, and how much she had worked to make it as linear as possible.

 

"Oh, you know when she left?" Asked the blonde [Thing]. "As you said, our [KING] found that the [Demon Queen] ran away at some point, not forty years though, more like ten years after our [KING] got summoned?"

 

The blonde [Thing] rewound the images, "You see, when only ten years had passed, no matter how fast our [KING] moved, he didn't have enough hold over the kingdom to attack the [Demon Queen]. So, she used that to her advantage, waited for our [KING] to rewound time, and then ran away when he was at his weakest... Our [KING] suspects that either the [Demon Queen] abused the time loop too, or that she had left before it started and only her simulacrum stayed behind."

 

...Her mother either used the time loop Akira was perpetuating to make her studies in [Origin] swap more viable and then ran away. Or she wasn't even on that planet when Akira arrived. She hoped it was the second, because if it was the first...She would be angry at her, it meant that she already knew Akira and didn't warn her about him.

 

No why were they even listening to this!?!?

 

She was supposed to be searching for the [Core] of this place to further her plans!

 

"And when our [KING] found that, he destroyed all remains of the [Demon Queen], further loops were then more calmed, at least till he found the gift the [Demon Queen] left." The image focused on the place where all the castles her mother had left behind. And how the ground seemed to die.

 

Each further loop only made the effect more obvious, "Our [KING] was running out of time. So, after trying [ONE] whole [LOOP] he found that this world was beyond salvation. So, he made the [HARDEST] choice in his long life." The image moved to Akira standing in the middle of the summoning circle, his figure still as young as always at the prime of his life.

 

Both Rena and Rossie were still somewhat younger than him, and as always poor Michael was an old man, were they accelerating his aging? Or was this asshole really waiting till he was old?

 

"He started a [Ritual] to separate his [REGAL SELF] from the [CHAINS] that tied him to this single plane of existence, so he could bring his [SEED] further away." The blonde [Thing] said as Michael started casting a spell that seemed to focus on the [Soul], and at the same time, Rossie started to cast one of the most advanced and complex [Healing] spells she had ever seen.

 

Michael's spell seemed to link their four souls in one direction, so they would nourish Akira's Soul and at the same time create a cocoon to protect it. Then Rossie's spell started to make sure Akira's life force would be full all the time, linking them all together.

 

"Truly a marvel of magic the one our [KING] designed...for his loyal servants to make. The spell allowed our [KING] to [CLAIM] his reward for all the centuries of [WORK] he did in that time-locked world, so while weeping for those that would no longer feel the [BLESSING] of our [KING] he departed to new worlds." The image then turned to the body of Michael crumbling into dust, Rossie's body was bleeding from everywhere as her body started failing.

 

And finally, Rena, Rena's was visible breaking apart as muscles burst and she screamed in agony, all the while Akira was in one piece as if nothing.

 

"And so, our [KING] leaped across worlds and arrived in a new world!" The blonde [Thing] turned as the image morphed to...a new world where Akira was born.

 

The image scrolled forward from Akira's early age to when he turned five "But not all was well, for something stuck to our [KING], he found...[Rena], but unlike before his powers were weakened from the travel, and this one was...Different." There it was a red-haired tomboy girl happy and full of life.

 

But in her [Dragon Eyes] she could see the thread joining her to Akira, and how it had managed to interwind her to him, and how her soul was barely stuck together. It was about to collapse and it was only her [Instincts] that had guided her to him and allowed her to latch into that [THING] and survive.

 

"But no matter what our [KING] did, he could not release it, for his [BLESSING] was stuck to that girl. He searched long for his other companions but found none, and thought they hadn't survived. So, he allowed [RENA] to serve him...or that was his plan." The image then fast-forwarded again, this time to the MPI. "Till our [KING] found his other companions, the [Healer] and [Sage] were in the school of fake [Heroes]. And one more, a girl that resembled the [Demon Queen]."

 

And there she saw herself, speaking with Rossie, and she could see Akira's frown, and the image moved to how he continued to manipulate other girls "Our [KING] then started stockpiling power and giving freely his [BLESSING] so this world would know his greatness, it was just a matter of time till he found a way to harvest power in this world after all."

 

...Oh right, so that was why he wasn't concerned "How many [loops] have he done?" Asked Elizabeth.

 

She hoped that none, because if he had managed to keep that skill...This would be a problem. "None yet, even if he knows that time is for the [Weak] he still needs to check everything, abusing his [POWER] is a good way to be [WEAK]. And our [KING] isn't [WEAK]." The blonde thing answered.

 

That was good, it meant that either Akira didn't have that power yet, or that he didn't want to use it, maybe it had a number limit on this world? It was the power of another world after all.

 

She wasn't sure how much power he could keep, Mother always said that not all powers worked the same in multiple dimensions, especially those that were on the higher end of the spectrum. And Time Looping was on that far end.

 

"So...Now as for my new question..." Elizabeth said as she turned to the locked door and then to the blonde mockery of herself. "Do you know where your king is? And where his most precious thing would be?"

 

"He is in his [THRONE ROOM] of course." Answered the blonde [Thing], "As for his most precious thing? That would be in his pants wouldn't it?"

 

...Of course, he would see the [thing] he used to think as the most important thing... "Well, while you have been useful I really need to get moving so... For my last question, do you have a [Soul]?" Elizabeth asked as her [Dragon Eyes] bore into the blonde [thing].

 

She examined it with detail to see any evidence of a [Soul] within the thing, "Of course no. Souls are for [Humans] and I'm an [NPC] a [FEMALE] one at that!" It smiled at the blonde [Thing] as it answered.

 

Elizabeth didn't find any evidence of a [Soul] like she had with her [Minions], so the next action was easy enough. "[Shadow Scythe]" And with one swift motion she decapitates the [thing].

 

At least she could feel better after knowing those [things] didn't have souls, she would have nightmares about what she had done with the simulacrum of Rossie...

 

But for now, she had more important things to do, "Clean and don't leave any remaining, we don't want them to make a new body...Again." She ordered into her shadows from where blobs formed and little maws started eating the remains of the [Thing].

 

She hadn't finished the bodies the first time since she only used as much as needed to kickstart her [Dragon Heart], but she wouldn't leave a single drop now, she couldn't afford Akira noticing she was here.

 

Now? Now she would find the [Core] and move to the next part of her plan, she now knew the background of Akira, and it didn't make it harder for her to move along her plan. If anything, knowing he had been a rapist murderer for literal centuries only made it easier.

 

The only thing that changed was that she now was painfully aware of why he was acting like he did, not only did he have [Power], but he was under the impression that he could return to the past...

 

And that meant that he didn't fear [Death]. She may just need to kill him in [Soul] and not only in the body...