After so many trials, Iris had finally rescued all the Monster Girls, and there was still one last chance to redeem a reward.
What should I get?
Iris skipped towards the bookshelves and glided her fingers across the books' spines. Her fingertips eventually stopped at the only book she found intriguing—Speculative Divinity: Power Above, Faith Below. Its content was about the study of Faith, Divinity, Divine Flame, and the nature of the Divine: how they came to be and how to become one of them.
If I were to go against them in the future, and for sure I will, Speculative Divinity would be of immense help. However, the legendary artefact like the Cloak of Destiny Obscurity is also useful. When the Pure Races knew my identity, I would rank one of the most wanted beings in the world.
Iris tried to figure out the solution, her hands gently caressing the sleeping Monster Girls. She couldn't come to any concrete conclusion and decided to settle it with the destiny spell.
Her transformation into Serinda was smooth and satisfying. Her body shifted to the black-scaled figure as her short dress morphed into a long, loosey black dress.
After the number of the Monster Girls snowballed, Iris practically didn't have to do anything. In her free time, she recovered her strength and even consolidated her newly gained power. No longer was she a weak, exhausted Monster Girl.
She traced with her fingernails a formation from her memory. The azure Corruption Power flowed out of her movement and constructed a complex, intertwining array of symbols composed of stars and shapes. It glowed like a nameless constellation amidst the night sky, soft, serene, yet prominent.
After injecting her Corruption Power into the formation, Iris raised her hand. The Virtual Space Ring on her ring finger flickered, and from within, a few essential materials moved out and into the formation. They combined, forming a ray of white light.
Inside it, the second Iris stood in front of another destiny spell formation. She glanced upwards, looking through the ray of light and into the eyes of the original Iris. Both of them smiled.
Iris was cheating. Her future self knew what she was thinking, and thus the second Iris performed another destiny spell formation, looking at the third Iris, who also understood the plan. They kept repeating the process until the original Iris couldn't see the end.
Destiny and Fate didn't exist for Iris. She could do everything.
Each Iris picked a legendary artefact. The second Iris picked the nearest, the third Iris picked the second nearest, and so forth. Every Iris gained knowledge of the legendary artefacts and reported their finding to the original Iris.
While listening to the reports, the original Iris noticed something strange. Some legendary artefacts didn't show up inside the chains of rays of light. Their existence eluded the power of divination. Those artefacts were much more extraordinary than the others, the hidden treasures for the truly fated ones.
At once, the original Iris changed her plan. She looked for the missing legendary artefacts, hoping to find one that resonated with her soul.
Her effort was futile. She found nothing compatible with her.
Should I gamble, or should I play it safe?
The known artefacts, though weaker, was the stable path, the path which the careful would choose. The unknown artefacts were much more valuable, but they might not be compatible with Iris. It was the path of a risk-taker.
"So you are that valuable?" Iris placed her hands on Speculative Divinity. It was the only book which concealed itself from the power of divination. "If I never gamble, I will never break free of my shackles. To live is to struggle."
It's better to gamble than to submit to your destiny. The worst outcome is dead, but that's Gulia and Lilith's problem, not mine.
Iris redeemed Speculative Divinity. The legendary artefacts weren't enough to close the gap between her and the Divine. With Speculative Divinity, she would at least have some knowledge about the nature of the Divine.
"Time to go back." Iris looked at the ancient treasury. It was like the secret base that only she could enter. "Without the captive Monster Girls, I probably won't have another chance to return here."
Without the Monster Girls, Iris could freely redeem all the rewards. The Overseer would not allow it. Though Iris didn't know how the Overseer would stop her, she knew that he would stop her.
Leaving the ancient treasury, Iris returned to the group of Monster Girls, who were eagerly waiting for her. They immediately grouped around her and brought the unconscious Monster Girls to rest and treat. Some Monster Girls knew each other and wept in the tears of joy, while others remained silent, still waiting for the ones they missed.
On the side, Kurion observed Iris, who had returned to her usual appearance. Though Iris tried to hide her expression, Kurion still picked on the which still overflowed from that pair of bright blue eyes.
"Iris, why is the number of the Monster Girls less than before?"
Iris tensed, her eyes sweeping past the surrounding Monster Girls. They pulled their attention towards her, some expressing their confusion, while others gasped as realization gripped their hearts.
Silence persisted until Iris sighed.
"This batch may be the last of the captive Monster Girls." Iris lowered her head. "My condolences."
Around Iris, faint weeps echoed, but she dared not look up to see who was crying. They tried their best not to show their weaknesses, so Iris tried her best not to notice them.
It was hard, really hard. She couldn't help but think about all the worst outcomes.
What if those fallen were my sister? What must I do to prevent such? Is the only way to redemption hope that, someday, I might be able to revive them? Is that even possible?
Iris clenched her fists. "In the end, I couldn't save you all."
As Iris was about to cry, a pair of delicate arms embraced her from behind. Artium pressed herself onto Iris and tightened her hug.
"Sister Iris, you've done your best. Please don’t take all the responsibilities again."
"But, Artium, if only I were more decisive, more competent—"
Serinda manifested from Iris's shadow and placed her fingers on Iris's lips. After that was a silence, a comforting, serene silence.
Even the weeping Monster Girls gradually recollected their emotions, comforted by the knowledge that all shared their pain.
On the side, Noviscar looked at Iris and raised her hands while clearing her throat. Her crystal-clear voice drew all attention, and she captured them with her melody. She sang, with all her emotions, the sounds of silence, of agony, of serenity.
Acceptance was in her heart, grief in her memory.
"Throughout the years, our lives intertwined,
"Like stars dancing around the moon,
"Wish we could find the way to stay,
"To remain as the lost dream during the day,
"Why is the night so short, yet midnight so long?"
As Noviscar's voice faded, the misty fragrance seeped out of the flowers on her body, embracing every Monster Girl inside the imperial treasury. In the scent was a sweetness, a sweetness that meant something to someone, a sweetness that evoked memories of the years gone by.
It was peaceful.
"Thank you, everyone," Iris said. "I'll remember this."
Iris raised her head and looked at all Monster Girls. One by one, she carved their appearance into her memory. Though she couldn't remember most of their names, she could remember their voice, demeanour, and beauty.
It was the only thing she knew best: remembrance.
No one understood her action or words, but she didn't need their understanding. She only needed to keep going forwards, and one day, she would fulfil all the promises.
Flamira smiled and redeemed an artefact. As usual, she was the last Monster Girl who would claim her reward.
The world went bright, and the Monster Girls left the imperial treasury.
Without anything to hold onto, the imperial treasury quivered for one last time. The dark void swept into reality and assimilated everything, and then there was nothing.
...
Sandoris laughed as she swept through the defence line of the Crusade. As a Light Elemental, her speed was faster than ordinary Condensation Phase Monster Girl. Compared to her, the believers and the mercenaries were like snails. She effortlessly flew past them and turned her surrounding into bright light, which dissolved everything into pure life particles.
The Bishops and the Masters cooperated to fend her off, but she easily toyed with them, slowly exhausting their means while threatening them with the destruction of the Crusade.
She didn't dare to go all-out, for there might be an Archbishop hidden nearby. It was safer to slowly reduce the numbers of the Crusade, keeping herself far from any ambush.
More fun this way, too.
Because of her intervention, the Monster Girl side quickly overwhelmed the Crusade side, pushing their way out of the Sinking Dark Forest, approaching the golden dome of purification. Once the Crusade fell, the nearby land would fall, turned into the land of the Monster Girls.
The Bishops and the Masters wanted to stabilise the situation, but Sandoris gave them no opportunity. She watched them with her graceful eyes and played them with her magic, even inviting the maidens to taste the pleasure of the Monster Girls.
"The outcome of this battle is already certain. Why are you still struggling against the inevitable?" Sandoris smiled. "Is it because us Monster Girls are sinful? Do you think that this freedom is sinful? What about this body? Is this glamorous figure sinful?"
"Beauty is not sinful, but twisted beauty like yours is," a Bishop said. "The Divine has given us our bodies, and it is our duty to safeguard it from the corruption of pleasure."
"This pleasure is the pleasure of freedom unrestrained by ideology." Sandoris chuckled. "There is nothing inherently wrong about us Monster Girls. So what if the Corruption Power corrupted our souls? It is better to become twisted than to remain shackled by Faith, shackled by the beings far above us!"
Sandoris pointed at the sky and drew her hand downwards. A faint glow traced her movement, forming an arc which illuminated the world. She aimed her finger at the Bishops, and the light magnified into a brightness that rivalled the sun. It swept across the atmosphere, dissolving the forest below it, turning the air into flickering vapours.
"After this, Nightly Goddess, it'll be your turn!" Sandoris's voice resounded throughout the Sinking Dark Forest. "The grudge of the past will end today!"
The light was unstoppable, going through all defensive spells. The Bishops and the Masters collapsed onto their knees. Their bodies shattered into particles of light, turning into cinders along with the towers and fortresses behind them. Not even their equipment remained.
"Indeed, the grudge of the past will end today," an imposing voice resounded. Its origin was everywhere yet nowhere.
The golden dome of purification lit up. Its power intensified ten thousand folds, glowing brighter than the sun. The fallen souls of the believers across the Sinking Dark Forest manifested, burnt into ashes, and offered their devotion as the fuel for the gigantic formation.
Before Sandoris could react, a wave of light engulfed her silhouette, pushing inwards until it reached Purple Cloud Peak of Mount Purple Could.
