"Is this… me as a child?"
Elizabeth Bathory stared blankly at the Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza who had suddenly appeared beside Adam.
The outfit and overall vibe were different from the childhood memories in her head, but she was certain—this was her.
"Ehh?!"
"Black history just multiplied!"
Carmilla's brows twisted into knots the moment she saw Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza. She had no idea what the girl's abilities were, so it wasn't that she found her particularly threatening. She was simply looking at yet another piece of her own childhood black history, and her brain was already shuddering while her stomach cramped up so badly she almost wanted to drink some blood just to settle it.
"Where am I…?"
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza blinked around in confusion. She clearly remembered being at the Elizabeth get-together just moments ago.
It had been Elizabeth Day—all the Elizabeth Bathorys gathered in one place. Shockingly, even Carmilla had shown up. Everyone shared stories about their daily lives. The conversation had been flowing until Carmilla suddenly said something somber: they should cherish every moment with their Master, because one day the Master would have to part from them.
The other Elizabeths had lowered their heads sadly. They all understood, but none of them really wanted to accept it.
The most innocent of them all, Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza, didn't quite get why the Master would ever leave. She had just opened her mouth to ask—
—and then Adam had summoned her straight into the French Singularity.
After scanning her surroundings, her eyes landed on Adam and lit up with pure joy.
"Onii-chan~!"
She hopped over cheerfully and latched onto his leg, burying her face against it and rubbing happily from side to side.
Adam melted instantly. He reached down and gently ruffled her hair.
"Did you miss me, Eliza-chan?"
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza looked up with those big, sparkling eyes—pure and determined.
"Of course! I love Onii-chan the most!"
Adam's heart turned to mush all over again. He stroked her head tenderly.
"Mhm, Eliza-chan is the sweetest."
She leaned into his hand, savoring the warmth like she could never get enough.
While Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza basked in the headpats, Elizabeth Bathory finally snapped out of her daze at seeing another version of her childhood self. Still a little lost, she looked up at Adam.
"Wait, wait, wait, puppy!"
"Why is there suddenly another me?!"
"Is she a Servant you summoned?!"
"You summoned another childhood version of me!!!"
"And why doesn't she look anything like the childhood me I remember?!"
"Did I ever wear clothes like that?!"
Adam glanced down at Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza again. She really was quite different from a standard Elizabeth Bathory. He thought for a moment how best to explain.
"Well… it's a bit complicated…"
"You can just think of her as the childhood you after fusing with another existence, creating a new childhood you."
To Elizabeth Bathory, suddenly having another version of herself appear was shocking. But in Adam's Chaldea, this had become almost routine.
She stared at Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza, still a little confused but willing to accept the explanation. A soft sigh escaped her.
"I never imagined there'd be another childhood me besides the grown-up me that became Carmilla…"
Adam stayed quiet for a second.
"…Actually, there's more than that."
In his mind flashed the ever-growing collection of Elizabeth Bathorys in Chaldea—already pushing double digits.
Elizabeth Bathory blinked, not quite catching his meaning.
"What do you mean… more than that?"
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza: stare~
Elizabeth Bathory wanted to ask more, but she suddenly felt an odd gaze on her. She looked down.
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza was staring right at her.
"Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza tilted her head, then glanced at Adam before answering innocently.
"I remember the original Elizabeth called her Master 'agent' or 'manager' or something, right?"
"So why did you suddenly start calling him puppy?"
"...Eh?!!!"
Elizabeth Bathory froze.
To her, terms like "agent" or "manager" were extremely affectionate—reserved only for a Master she truly acknowledged.
Yet those exact nicknames had apparently become the standard way the Elizabeths in Adam's Chaldea referred to him.
The realization sent her mind spinning into chaos.
She remembered how she had badmouthed Adam earlier just to annoy Kiyohime, claiming he wasn't much of a Master.
Now it turned out the other versions of herself got along with him wonderfully—and had even earned each other's approval. The boomerang had come straight back and smacked her in the face.
It was a lot to process.
After finishing her question, Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza turned her gaze toward Carmilla.
Carmilla was clutching her stomach, looking utterly miserable as she stared back and forth between Elizabeth Bathory and Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza.
The first time Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza had met Carmilla back in Adam's Chaldea, the older woman had worn the exact same pained expression. After only a few words she had let out a small groan and rushed off to find stomach medicine.
The innocent little dragon girl tilted her head worriedly.
"Grown-up me? Why do you look sick again? Do you need medicine?"
Carmilla didn't seem to hear her. She just kept rubbing her aching stomach and muttering to herself.
"It's fine… it's fine… it's just another black history…"
"Only one extra… no big deal… just erase them all…"
"If I erase every last one, I won't have to see them anymore…"
She sounded like she was chanting a mantra, completely lost in her own world.
She kept hypnotizing herself: it's just one more black history, just one more, just one more.
It's okay. Their Master said he wouldn't interfere in the fight.
Even though he had summoned another new Elizabeth, this one looked even smaller than the usual Elizabeth and probably wasn't that strong. She still had a chance to win. If she could just wipe out both these black histories, her own would cease to exist.
After repeating the mantra long enough, Carmilla finally managed to psych herself up.
"It's just one extra black history. So what? I'll erase them all and the problem's solved."
She turned her glare on Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza and Elizabeth Bathory and shouted.
"Hey! You two me's! How long are you going to keep chatting over there?!!"
"I'm going to excise every last part of me that shouldn't exist!"
Elizabeth Bathory still had a mountain of questions for Adam, but Carmilla's taunting forced her to focus on the fight first.
"Shut up already, you're so annoying!"
"I'm the one who's going to excise your future that shouldn't exist!"
Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza looked confused. Why was Carmilla picking a fight with her and Elizabeth Bathory?
Adam quietly explained the situation.
"In short, this Carmilla isn't the one from our Chaldea. She's our enemy right now."
"So… she's a bad guy?"
The innocent little dragon looked at Carmilla, then back at Adam.
"That's right, Eliza-chan."
Adam stood up and pointed dramatically at Carmilla, voice full of energy.
"Go on, Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza!"
"Use your Noble Phantasm to pollute— I mean, attack Carmilla!"
"Got it, Onii-chan~" Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza nodded cheerfully and began charging her Noble Phantasm.
Elizabeth Bathory was about to charge in herself when she suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of light behind her. She turned around and saw:
More figures appearing beside Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza.
Elizabeth the End.
Elizabeth Bathory (5-star).
Elizabeth Bathory (Cinderella).
Elizabeth Bathory (Brave).
Elizabeth Bathory (Halloween).
Mecha Eli-chan.
Mecha Eli-chan Mk. II.
Elizabeth Bathory (Lancer).
And even…
Carmilla herself was among them!
Counting Nine-Tattoo Dragon Eliza, there were a full ten Elizabeths!
"That's me! That one's me too! This is still me!"
"Wait—why are there so many of me?!!"
Elizabeth Bathory's finger kept pointing from one to the next until she realized there were simply too many to count.
"What the heck is going on?!!"
She was starting to wonder if she had sung so much that her brain had finally given out.
Carmilla's reaction was even more extreme. Her eyes bulged, her mouth hung open, and she stood frozen in place, staring at the double-digit army of Elizabeth Bathorys.
In her eyes, every single Elizabeth represented another piece of her black history.
Just one Elizabeth already dealt massive mental damage.
Now there were ten of them right in front of her.
Ten!
How was black history even supposed to multiply?!
No, wait—
She even spotted herself among the lineup!
"My eyes!!!"
"Aaaahhh!!!"
Carmilla clamped both hands over her eyes in agony. It felt like ten needles were stabbing into her retinas at once. A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.
After howling in pain for what felt like forever, she suddenly fell deathly silent.
The sheer torment had triggered her body's emergency shutdown, forcing her mind into a protective calm.
She stared blankly at the eleven Elizabeth Bathorys ahead of her.
On the surface she looked composed, but it was only a defense mechanism. Deep down, Carmilla's spirit had already died.
"What kind of hellscape is this…?"
She stayed frozen for several long seconds, then muttered to herself in sudden realization.
"Ah… I get it now. I'm in hell."
Her brain had completely overloaded. It simply could not withstand the impact of so many pieces of her own black history at once.
One Elizabeth's black history made her head hurt so badly she wanted to erase it.
Two Elizabeths made her stomach ache with nausea.
Ten Elizabeths made her feel like her entire being was breaking apart, body convulsing uncontrollably.
***
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