So you probably need an explanation as to why it's taken so long to update this story. Truth be told, I've been having some rough time here in real life; I left my old job because of health issues, and I've been focusing on job hunting in order to get a new one. I... haven't had much luck with that, and so, I spent more and more time looking and kinda forgot about my "weekly" plans at the start of the year.

I guess life do be like that sometimes.

But anyway, I finally found some time to write here, and the chapter is gonna be short, but luckily I already figured out what the next story arc for this story is gonna be: And don't worry, I totally plan to extend this story way beyond the original length I had planned.

This is based on manga, after all! Those always take forever to end! XD

So anyway, I decided to take some time to update this story. Sorry again for leaving you hanging for so long.

...

Back at the present day, at the Loud House, Stella tapped her arm while the sisters stared at him, some in shock, some in confusion.

"So, that's how Lincoln first met you?" Lola asked. "As a subordinate to another Antagonist?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Stella shrugged. "Not the most pleasant of introductions, but then again, meeting Former Antagonists is never pleasant."

Then, the ice queen turned to her brother. "And how did you manage to convince her to change sides? Or at the very least to stop being an active Antagonist?"

"Truth be told, I wasn't even the one who did it," Lincoln turned to Stella. "Stella herself came to that conclusion as the battle raged on..."

...

Moments after the villain had made his introduction, Stella stood by his side, scanning the environment as she looked at all the people running around... and saw a notable lack of grown women.

"Master, there doesn't seem to be many grown women at the mall today," Stella remarked bluntly. "There appear to be a few dozen at best, the rest are underage ranging from children, to teenagers."

"Doesn't matter, my Cliche can affect anybody I can get my hands on," the man said as he cracked his knuckles. "Now come on, let's find some people to absorb."

The man promptly dashed forward, leaving behind a line of light before it dissipated. Stella looked confused before she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to see her fellow companion looking at her, right before gesturing her to come with her to somewhere else.

And taking one more look at her boss cackling madly as he chased aftet the fleeing civilians, she decided her time was better spent with someone else.

So she followed the seer to a nearby corner, and once there, she snapped:

"What is the master doing?! Does he really think that he'll get away with using his Cliche on underage girls?! And for what, a cheap power boost?"

"That is precisely his master plan."

Stella flinched and turned around to see her fellow coworker approaching her, hands pocketed and with a devious smile on her face.

"Sam..."

"Let's just say that our dear "master" is being too ambitious for his own good, just like always," the blonde rocker, Sam, smirked. "I decided to take a little peek at his future, and his plan here is to absorb as many virgins, male and female, as he can so he has enough power to ascend the heriarchy."

Stella's eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was, honestly," Sam sighed. "But it's true, he'll take over and absorb as many virgins here as he can to obtain enough power to convince the Index System to let him turn into an Overlord."

"That's insane!" Stella clenched her fists. "Even if he gets strong enough, the Heads of the system aren't going to listen to him! We need to tell him this entire plan is doomed to fail!"

"You say that like he'll even listen," Sam sighed. "I'm afraid to say this, but our "master" isn't gonna stop this bonkers plan of his. He'll go through with it until either someone stops him, or he sacrifices all the people in this mall."

With those words spoken, Sam pocketed her hands and began to walk away, with Stella looking at her with worry.

"So, I'd say it's about time you put a stop to him, don't you think?"

Stella flinched as Sam turned to look at her, flashing a tiny smile as she did.

"W-What am I supposed to do?! I'm just a minion!"

"Perhaps you are now," Sam smirked. "But who's to say you'll stay a minion by the end of this little excursion?"

With that said, Sam bid farewell and left Stella alone. The demonic minion then looked around as she tried to figure out what to do... then saw a peculiar pair running away, which gave her an idea.

...

Meanwhile, Lincoln and Cristina ran together to behind a wall, stopping to catch their breath as Lincoln took a brief look back at the running people and cackling Antagonist.

"Okay, I think we're safe here," Lincoln sighed. "Once we stop hearing the screams, we should reunite with Luna and-"

"I'm not sure if she'll be of help."

The duo turned around and saw Stella emerge from a black flame, prompting them to hug each other while Lincoln glared at the newcomer.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you," Stella stated. "If anything, I'm here to help you."

"Yeah, sure," Lincoln furrowed his brow. "We saw you alongside that Antagonist; you're in cahoots with him!"

Stella folded her arms. "I'm his Minion, yes, but his actual plan is something I simply cannot condone. He needs to be stopped before everyone gets hurt, and if your sister is what I think she is, then she might prove a hindrance."

Lincoln only grew more hostile. "What are you implying?"

Stella glanced at the duo, and sighed:

"Look, I'm just gonna be blunt here: is she a virgin?"

Lincoln and Cristina blinked twice. "What?"

"My master's Cliche is Virgin Sacrifice," Stella explained. "It's a variation of Human Sacrifice, which allows him to "sacrifice" people in order to get a power boost."

Cristina gasped. "And what happens to those he sacrifices?!"

Stella took a deep breath and looked elsewhere with shame. "They don't live to tell the tale."

Cristina gasped again, this time prompting Lincoln to pet her in order to comfort her.

"But, it does have one glaring weakness."

The duo turned back to Stella, who snapped her fingers and explained:

"Virgin Sacrifice, as its name implies, is only limited to virgins; if he were to try to absorb someone who is no longer a virgin, then that would cause a chain reaction that would cause all the virgins he's sacrificed to revolt against him and destroy him!"

"That's one hell of a weakness for a Cliche that sounds so terrifying," Lincoln remarked. "But wait, isn't there another way to beat it?!"

Stella shook her head. "Not that I know of. The only way to beat Virgin Sacrifice is to not be a virgin. If you are one, then you'll simply be a sitting duck for him to use you as a power up. But if you're not, he'll be destroyed from within. Which is why I need to know if your sister's a virgin or not."

"I wouldn't know," Lincoln shrugged. "I mean, that question's a little bit too personal to be confirmed like that."

Cristina hummed and put a hand on her cheek. "I think she's not. I remember her telling me once that she lost her virginity to a girl once. If that applies, then she could fight the man without problem."

"Wait, what?!" Lincoln gasped. "When did she tell you that?!"

Cristina winked with a cheeky smile. "Luna and I share a connection, Linky: that means sharing a few things between each other."

"So she's not a virgin, then she might stand a chance against my master," Stella raised an eyebrow. "But who took her virginity...?"

...

Speaking of Luna, the superhero floated around while looking at the people running away in a panic, with the Antagonist chasing after some of them.

"Geez, I take a little break and all hell breaks loose," she groaned.

"You can say that again."

Luna flinched at the familiar voice and looked back to see a certain seer staring at her from the ground, waving her hand with a cocky smile plastered across her face.

"Sam..."

...

Meanwhile, at the Index System, the newly-appointed Head of Termination, Lisa, stared at her reflection in a mirror as she donned her new work outfit: a black vest over a red long-sleeved undershirt, black pants and shoes, and

"I have to say, sister," Lily remarked. "The Grim Reaper-esque suit really does... well, suit you well."

"Lily, I know you're trying to cheer me up, but you're doing the exact opposite right now," Lisa sighed as she faced her genius baby sister. "I still can't believe that this is happening; I never would've seen myself becoming anything other than the Head of Development. And now, rather than worrying about my potential termination, I now have to be the terminator itself."

"Look at the bright side, sister; Sue has been taken out of the picture, and with her gone, Shrinivas has lost a powerful ally," Lily pointed out. "Now, while we're at it, we can regroup and consider our next move against her."

"I wish to say I agree, dear sister, I really do," Lisa sighed. "But a part of me feels like this could all be part of her plan..."

And then, somebody knocked on the door to the room, which prompted the duo to turn around to look at the visitor: a certain blonde seer from the Badlands, who walked in shortly afterwards with a pair of glowing eyes.

"Sam, the Oracle of the Badlands, correct?" Lisa asked.

"Why yes, and I take it you're the new Head of Termination?" Sam asked in return. "I gotta say, when I heard

"Whos is this girl?" Lily whispered to her older sister. "What is she even doing here? Only those approved by the system itself can enter this place without trouble."

Lisa took a deep breath. "She's... the Head of Branching Timelines."

Lily blinked twice. "The Head of what now?"

"Pretty good question, but sadly we don't have time to talk about that," Sam replied. "I came here for one reason alone: I want to offer you my services and support in order to help you with your little scuffle with Mrs. Shrinivas."

Lily's eyes widened. "How do you-"

"No time for that; my offer here is a limited time one," Sam smirked. "And if you don't accept it, then I guess I'll just have to offer my services elsewhere. Perhaps to the same woman who you're trying to beat-"

"WAIT!"

The seer flinched as she saw Lisa extend a hand forward, a serious expression on her face.

"Are you sure about this, Lisa?" Lily whispered.

"We need all the advantages we can get, and she might be able to help us," Lisa replied before turning back to Sam. "We can discuss the terms later. For now, tell me, how exactly are you gonna provide us with help?"

Sam chuckled deviously and pocketed her hands, and after taking a deep breath, she raised an eyebrow and posed a question:

"Have you heard about a little group called... Ynovation?"