Main Body, what are you doing?

Iris lay on the fluffy bed with her head planted into the pillow. She couldn't feel its softness; There was only the stiffness of her body. It was not the physical strain but the tension of the soul: a damning premonition.

Since the day she went to her old house, the premonition had grown stronger. It clouded her other thoughts. Even when Reta and Pallorn were teasing her, she would sometimes let them do whatever they wanted as she was deep in her thoughts.

Only when a spark of pleasure shocked her mind did she regain her clarity and scold them.

"Sister Iris, what is on your mind?" Reta said, resting her head on Iris's back. "Is your feeling acting up again? Do I need to calm it down for you? But you haven't been in the mood lately; it's not so satisfying when you didn't have the mind to enjoy it."

"Reta, I'm worried." Iris gripped the blanket beneath her. "It's been almost two weeks, but Main Body still hasn’t returned. I'm afraid something bad will happen to her, and you all will be sad. I don't want you to be sad."

"Worry about yourself, Sister Iris. When your main body comes back, we're going to punish her dearly." Reta giggled. "We'll make sure that you won't be able to leave us ever again. So, enjoy this moment of peace."

Iris shivered. She knew Reta was just teasing her to calm her down. Deep down, everyone was feeling the same, though they all believed that Iris was doing fine and would return sooner or later. They understood that Iris was special and that she had a plan.

However, they didn't know Iris herself wasn’t confident in it.

Main Body, your plan is a gamble, but I'm starting to think that you've miscalculated. Is it possible that they haven't foreseen this outcome?

Can these beings whose lifespan exceeded our preconception be restricted by our common sense?

Aside from the singular path laid by Gulia and Lilith, Iris could not see any other path. If she did not gamble, she would never break away from the arrangements. She would become a useful tool, thrown around by the invisible and the enigmatic. Once they had exhausted her value, she would become a lost pawn without any support.

Not just her, but her family, everyone whom she knew, would surely fall in a single sweep of the almighty.

Trust Gulia and Lilith? Trust the Lord? Trust that these godly existences will protect my family? Because?

"Why is it so suffocating?" Iris felt like something had gone wrong, but she could not find the mistakes. "Why can't I do anything?"

"What are you saying, Sister Iris?" Reta got up, smiling. "You can rely on us, trust us, and be with us. Is this not enough to keep you going?"

Iris blinked. Her eyes flashed.

"Yeah, you're correct. I let my thought wander for a bit."

If my plan fails, I'll just prepare more. Even if I die, my other bodies will live on. As long as we succeed, everything will be fine.

Even if the price is Main Body, so what?

As Iris rose from her bed, a faint tremor shook over the mansion. The bedroom trembled as the glassware and the wooden floor produced haunting, fragile noises. After the quake, an illusionary glare of holy light bloomed atop the sky and sent a message throughout the Labyrinth of Love.

"Undrila, Lord of the Labyrinth of Love, please come out and discuss with me the truth of the world," a solemn voice resounded.

After the voice trailed off, a muffled sound of waves hitting the shore surfaced everywhere as the scent of the ocean permeated the Main City Layer, flooding out of the Labyrinth of Love.

Despite not seeing anything, Iris knew that a strong being had invaded the Labyrinth of Love and that Undrila had gone to fight them.

"Reta, it's time to decide. We can't stay here anymore." Iris grasped Reta's hands, caressing them. "Will you help me convince everyone to leave this place?"

"But, Sister Iris, your main body still hasn't returned. We can't leave if you aren't with us. The Broken Empire is nothing without you." Reta stared into Iris's determined eyes. "There are still other Condensation Phase Monster Girls. Though they have gone out, they will return once they notice the commotion."

"Would this strong enemy attack if the situation isn't optimal?" Iris frowned. She hated that she still couldn't influence the outcome. "My prediction is that there won't be any support for a while. This place isn't safe anymore. Not to mention the Crusade, the Subterranean Creatures are also invading us from below!"

And that below place was the Puppeteer Legacy Ground. Without any Condensation Phase Monster Girl to hold the line, the Labyrinth would lose the Legacy Ground sooner or later.

Main Body, we are going to take an even riskier path. I hope you understand why I did this.

Reta couldn't argue with Iris, especially when Iris's expression was so fragile that she looked like she was about to cry. After staying silent for a moment, Reta kissed Iris's cheeks and left the room. Her rapid footsteps faded into the background before long.

Alone, Iris looked around the bedroom. Though the tremor was intense, the mansion's design was impeccable and magical. The wall decorations and the furniture remained in the same place without any damage. Even the fragile glass chandler above Iris didn't fall. It was as if the tremor didn't happen at all.

"Amplia, your mansion is indeed worthy of your status," Iris murmured. "As expected of the Broken Empire, the unholy ground of us Monster Girls, the once-grand Divine Empire."

Before the event known as the Divinefall, the Divine Empire was the holy ground of the Pure Races. They stood at the forefront of the war between the Demons, the Corrupted Races, and the Pure Races. It was unknown to the world what happened, but the Divinefall had turned the Divine Empire into the Broken Empire of today.

"Internal conflicts, conspiracies, whatever it was," Iris said, "the Divine and the Foreign Existences must have a hand in it. If I don't gain independence, I will end up like the grand Divine Empire, turned into the Broken Empire, unable to stop it."

If us Monster Girls are the children of Lilith, then the Broken Empire is the eldest sister, the favourite child. As long as the Corrupted Races did not fall, the Broken Empire will stand, and my family will remain safe. As long as I'm useful to Lilith and Gulia, they will remain safe.

Iris took a deep breath and exited the bedroom. She strolled past multiple maids, who bowed and smiled at her. Everyone in the mansion knew Iris had a close relationship with Amplicia and based their manners around that fact. It was good for Iris to gather information, so she wasn't against it.

In the living room, all the sisters had already gathered. Because of the tremor, everyone tensed and had the same thoughts. They dropped everything they were doing and came to the living room.

They lacked the information and knew that they had to rely on Iris on this occasion. After all, Iris was the one who took them here.

As soon as Iris entered the room, Varda got up from the sofa, tensing her snake tail. She avoided Iris's gaze, pursing her lips.

"I won't leave," Varda said. "You're doing this again, aren't you? You're trying to do everything yourself, lying to us that you are well while attempting something dangerous. I won't leave until your main body returns."

Staring at Varda, Iris walked towards her and stood so close their bodies touched. Because of their comparable height, Iris's lips were merely a breathing distance away from Varda's. Iris didn't say anything, but her cold membrane chilled Varda, making her tremble, breathing roughly. Still, Varda sealed her mouth, clutching her hands.

"I'm bribing you, Varda," Iris whispered, sliding her hands on Varda's sensitive abdomen. "I'll let you sleep with me for one night, one night where we are together, all night. Is that enough? You'll get to do whatever you want, and I'll get to do whatever I want."

Varda shivered as her face turned red, burning in the anticipation of a restlessly long night. Her eyes caressed Iris's cursive figure, rubbing against the bouncy, smooth hips, all the way to the pair of bashful breasts. If she accepted the open bribe, she would have the best night of her life, something she had always yearned for since the day she fell.

"Sister Iris, you are evil," Varda said. "But I can't accept it. Your attempt at persuasion tells me that what you're doing is more dangerous than ever, so much so that you're willing to do anything to divert my attention."

Though the bribe was tempting, Varda wouldn't want only herself to enjoy it.

While Varda was breaking down, Lenmia, leaning on a wall, sighed and knocked her fingers on it. The muffled sound she produced was not too loud nor too quiet, for everyone heard it and turned to her. Even if she didn't do much these days, she was still the Eldest Sister.

"Iris, how are you going to convince us to accept your request?" Lenmia said. "You're trying to get us to abandon your main body and escape to the Broken Empire. Do you think that if you were me, you'll accept it?"

The other sisters nodded, looking at Iris. They didn't want Iris to do anything reckless, but they also didn't want to dismiss their loveliest sister as well. What she had to say, they would listen.

Knowing that her sisters were waiting, Iris smiled and backstepped away from the blushing Varda. She stood in the middle of the room, with her sisters surrounding her from all sides, judging her every movement.

"You're right, Sisters. I have nothing to convince you to accept my proposal. I've done many bad things and lied to you many times. I won't expect you to believe me after all of those." Iris giggled, eyeing Pallorn, who smiled back. "However, I still need you all to go to the Broken Empire, so I'll have to use the evilest and most familiar tactic."

Iris raised her hand and pointed at herself, blushing.

"I'm using my body and soul to trade for this one chance," Iris said. "You all must go to the Broken Empire. I won't accept any other options."

"What if we don't want to go?" Dulcie, sitting beside Tardi on the sofa, said. "Your body and mind are precious, but you can't buy all of us with just that, especially when the request goes against our principles."

“You will inevitably accept it," Iris said. "For even if you don't, I'll still go. I'll be there alone. It'll be hard to adjust, or maybe I'll never adjust, but I'll continue to stay there. Every three days, I'll wait at teleportation formation for you all. Only when you all come through will I finally relax."

"Such a wicked plan." Reta giggled. "I like it. I'm on board with Sister Iris!"

Pallorn looked at Iris and lowered her head, feeling the presence of Faith that connected her with Iris. In the end, she nodded and agreed with Iris's suggestion. After all, she was the Fallen Angel of her goddess; blind trust was a given.

Tardi trusted her sister and agreed with Iris.

The other remained silent, looking at Iris. They knew Iris was serious, but her threat was cute, too cute. She was clearly begging them to go with her, but they didn't want to abandon Iris's original body, not when the possibility of separation was high.

"How about this?" Iris raised her right hand, showing one finger. "After the situation stabilised, we'll return here. If one week had passed, and everyone reached the Transformation Phase, we'll also return here."

Lenmia finally nodded, sealing the matter. Everyone else knew Iris had won and so conceded on their stances.

"Then we should go there now. The battles are getting more intense as time passed," Lenmia said. "The faster we get to the Broken Empire, the more time and resource we'll have to prepare ourselves for our eventual return. The stronger we become, the more chance we can save Iris."

Everyone laughed. They hadn't even gone to the Broken Empire, but they were planning to return already. Though it was embarrassing, Iris still felt warm inside.

To be a part of this, I am fortunate. My family is truly precious.

Which is why I must do everything to keep them safe. Everything.