Once Iris stepped into the new inner world, she commanded her fiery maiden clone to sprint towards the lone Monster Girl. She understood that her presence would bring unknown factors into the test. If she didn't prepare herself against the worst outcome, tragedy might happen again; she could not allow herself to be the cause of any more sadness.
"Artium, Serinda, go with my clone," Iris said, smiling wryly. "Our presence brings danger to her; she needs our help. I'm too exhausted to keep up, but she can't wait anymore."
"But you're defenceless, Sister Iris." Artium grabbed Iris's hand. "Though you're a Slime Girl, you aren't invincible. We don't know what enemies we’ll be facing. It reeks of darkness and disease; there must be some strange magic users. You might be in grave danger."
"Artium, would I ask you to go ahead first if I'm not confident in myself?"
"But confidence can become—"
"Artium!" Serinda leant forwards and kissed Artium, pressing her lips onto Artium's flowery, soft lips. "Don't get too flustered. Sister Iris knows what she's doing. Don't forget that she's the special one."
Artium blinked and touched her lips before shaking her head, admitting defeat. She glanced at Iris, her eyes peering into Iris's heart, trying to detect any hint of anxiety. As she found nothing, she reluctantly separated and went ahead with Serinda, leaving Iris behind.
Once silence and stagnation returned, Iris heaved a sigh and raised her hand. The short tease before coming to the new inner world had given her just enough time to recover a little of her Corruption Power, but she didn't intend to use it up right now. Her mind willed, and the flickering Faith inside her soul produced a stream of foreign energy. It flowed inside her body and gathered at her fingertips.
Since the failed ascension, Iris had gained more intuition about magic. She instinctively manipulated her magic to form a spark, commanding it like an intrinsic part of her consciousness. The curtain of darkness lifted as light pierced through the unknown, shining upon the obscure environment.
Unlike the vast greenery of the previous floor, the new world was enclosed by sturdy, grey walls of unknown material. Its toughness and thickness oppressed the atmosphere, forming an invisible weight which crushed enthusiasm and hope. The walls branched into countless twisting paths, creating an endless maze of blackness, of despair, and of death.
Iris waved her hands and created a few more dots of light. They floated towards the countless branches and illuminated the darkness. On the walls, broken chains lightly swayed, producing cranking noises whenever they moved. Their noises echoed inside the endless passages, vibrating the iron bars, shivering the broken, metallic traps. Aside from the inanimate sounds, faint whispers seeped throughout the air, sounding like they originated from just around the corners.
Fortunately, Iris could see in the dark with her sensitive perception. Though her mind conjured strange scenarios to scare herself, she forcefully suppressed her fear by reminding herself that she had become a Monster Girl, a Slime Girl, not a weak, defenceless maiden. There were also Artium and Serinda who would save her.
"This looks like a torture chamber, a haunted torture chamber," Iris mumbled. Her hands conjured a ball of flickering light. It hovered around her, providing light to her comfort. "I'm a Monster Girl, a being of corruption and wicked desires. I'm not afraid of mere ghosts and spectres!"
Her voice echoed onwards, repeating endlessly until it disappeared into the background noises. Iris nodded and smiled before turning to the direction Artium and Serinda went. She could still hear their footsteps, but she could tell that their distance was increasing. She had to start moving unless she could endure staying alone in the dark, scary place.
Iris took a deep breath and started running, but a crackling noise resounded behind her before she could sprint away. Her membrane shivered as she glanced backwards. A pale, white silhouette grabbed the corner of a wall and leant forwards, making its way towards Iris. She instantly sent her ball of light at it, revealing its identity.
In the dimly lit corridor, a brittle skeleton stumbled its way across the room. Though it looked aged and fragile, its footstep was firm, steady, emotionless. It held a large metallic shield in one hand and a broadsword in another. Exposed by the light, the dim lights in its eye sockets gleamed blood red as it sprinted towards Iris.
Once Iris saw it, her fear plunged away. She raised her hand and whispered in the language of her past life. Her voice changed from charming to holy as an invisible aura interposed into her silhouette, giving her a pair of faint wings on her back. Her blue slime body turned golden for an instant as holy light congregated at her finger and shot forwards.
The ray of light brightened the corridor and purified the stale air. For an instant, the foul smell vanished, replaced by a soothing fragrance of security. The skeleton mechanically steadied its shield, bracing for the impact. It pushed forwards at the same pace, unafraid of the danger.
Like piercing through paper, the holy light passed through the shield and shattered the skeleton's skull, extinguishing the dim lights in its eye socket. The rest of the skeleton collapsed onto the floor and turned to dust.
Iris didn't bother looking at the remnants of the skeleton. She turned around, then rushed towards Artium and Serinda. She only wanted to see the general power of the enemies inhabiting the floor. Now that she understood the difficulty of the test, her fear vanished.
"I make the correct decision doing this alone." Iris chuckled. "If they know about this, they would, without doubt, tease me to no end. How could a Transformation Phase Monster Girl fear a mere skeleton? I'm the worst."
If not for her unusually resilient body, Iris would not dare to confront the ghosts alone. It was an irrational fear retained from her past life, when she was still a weak, unknowing lady. So what if ghosts are real? Gods and Goddesses are real too! I'm no longer an ordinary human now!
Along the way, Iris found a couple of shattered skeletons scattered around the hall. Though the fiery maiden clone went ahead first, she didn't encounter any enemies or traps. Her speed was too fast for the enemies to react. Only Artium and Serinda had to deal with them.
There was a muffled sound of battle ahead. They were near.
Not long after, Iris quickly caught up with Serinda and Artium. The two Monster Girls were fighting a group of enemies. Unlike the lone skeleton, this group had superb cooperation and division of tasks. They had a defender guarding the spectral mage while the archers and rogues aimed to distract the Monster Girls.
"Sister Iris?" Serinda noticed Iris. She smirked and whispered a spell. Darkness around her quivered and imploded into a sinkhole, which generated a gush of wind, pushing away the enemies. "Let me create an opening for you, Sister!"
Iris didn't waste any time and snapped her fingers. She aimed her fingertips at the spectral mage behind the defender. A glowing raindrop-shaped crystal manifested and flew forwards like a bullet. The holy power imbued in it seared the creatures of darkness, forcing them to retreat.
Beside Serinda, Artium blew a wisp of pink, illusionary breath around her. It permeated everywhere and stagnated movements, numbing the minds. The defender failed to move, struck on the ground. It could only watch as the crystal ruptured in front of the mage.
The crystal shattered into a glare, which engulfed the mage, annihilating its body, leaving only its charred cloak. The nearby enemies failed to retreat in time and suffered various injuries. With the collapse of the formation, the three Monster Girls quickly overwhelmed their enemies.
"Artium, Serinda, why did you slow down? I told you to catch up with my clone," Iris said, feeling mixed. "That Monster Girl needs our help, the faster, the better. You shouldn't delay yourself to let me catch up."
"Sister Iris, you said that, but you want us to wait for you, right?" Artium said, grinning devilishly. "Did you know that you look stiff when you step into this world? I didn't know you're scared of ghosts; you're truly cute and lovable."
"Who said that!" Iris glared at Artium, her face turning red. "How can I fear these puny skeletons? I can easily destroy them with a flick of my wrist. If you're going to tease me, find something more believable."
Iris glanced at Artium and Serinda. They were still smiling. She wanted to defend herself, but the shame in her heart prevented her from lying. She knew her flushes were exposing her, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Why are you still looking at me like that? I'm not—"
Iris abruptly stopped and turned in the direction where her fiery maiden clone went. The metallic screeches rapidly got louder, more intense, more dangerous. With her shared senses, she could experience two scenes at once and knew both situations.
The battle over there had reached its climax. The Monster Girl came to the losing end, suppressed by the enemies.
"We need to go," Iris said, her voice icy. "We have to go, or it will be too late, too late to regret."
Iris rushed away from Artium and Serinda, who recovered from their shock and quickly went after Iris. They had to remain close to her, not because they wanted to tease her, but because they had to take care of her. Despite her mature, confident appearance, she was surprisingly reckless and fragile.
"Serin, you go ahead," Artium said. "This environment enhances your ability; you should go help the clone. My ability is better at soothing hearts and calming emotions. I'll stay with Sister Iris."
Serinda nodded and executed a spell. The darkness around her solidified and coated her body, turning into pitch-black armour, which concealed her skin, revealing only her eyes and lower snake body. Her speed rose, pushing her past Iris, pressing her towards the darkness ahead, towards the fiery maiden clone.
Despite how Iris tried, her exhausted body and soul couldn't maintain the peak speed. She inevitably slowed down, obstructed by the skeletons and the traps. If not for Artium sticking with her, she would have fallen behind. She hated to admit it, but she must rely on Artium to get to the battlefield the fastest.
"Sister Iris, you shouldn't overexert yourself," Artium said. She grasped Iris's hand and caressed it, messaging it softly, lovingly. "The weight on your heart, let us, your family, help you carry it. If you try to do everything yourself, you'll reach your limit and break in the end. Once that happens, Serin and I will be very sad."
Iris bit her lips, trying to refuse, but no words left her mouth. She lost the strength to make excuses, for reality was drowning upon her. She was at her limit, unable to force through the difficulty like she used to. Her reckless behaviour had put her into mortal danger multiple times.
If not for Vilia, if not for Shadow Heart Fragment, if not for the Lord, I would have already died. Behind my success, countless hands are pushing me forwards. I must not forget; I must not get ahead of myself.
I'm still weak; I have to rely on others. Only when I'm strong can I protect them by myself. Only when I'm strong and wise can I choose my path. Only then, only then, will I be able to get Vilia back.
She had to change her way, or people around her would have to suffer because of her foolishness.
"I understand, Artium. I'm really reckless," Iris said. "During this period, I'm defenceless and weak. I'll be in your care for now; please take good care of me."
As Iris made up her mind, her body faintly glowed, softly shining in holy light. The illusionary pair of wings on her back grew slightly more solid, yet not enough for anyone to detect. The Faith in her heart quivered, singing in the joy of acceptance.
"I'm a Monster Girl, a being of corruption and wicked desires. I'm not afraid of mere ghosts and spectres!"
cue ghostbuster theme