The Seed of Corruption rotated on the white plate. Whirring noises pierced the silence which enveloped the guest room. Cold winds seeped through the gaps between the windows and permeated the atmosphere, cooling the warm sugary tea. Time marched, but Gantil was motionless, contemplating.
Her eyes darted from the Seed of Corruption to her sleeping daughter, then to Iris, who quietly smiled. After a few rounds of hesitation, Gantil clenched her fists. Her shoulders drooped as the oppressive pressure on them vanished.
"Lady Iris, I've made my choice," Gantil said. "I'm willing to pay the price right now."
Iris tilted her head and tapped gently on the Seed of Corruption. Her fingernails locked the seed in place. She grabbed it and reached forward. The ring on her finger glowed. Gantil leaned to Iris, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth. Her cherry lips, painted with herbal lipstick, quivered at the thought of consuming something so wicked, so sensual.
"I've heard your wish," Iris said. "From now and until the end of time, our desires connect us. May yours come true."
Iris grasped Gantil's chin and pulled her closer. Iris's warmth tickled Gantil’s cheeks. She tensed. Her eyes tightly shut, squeezing out tears of joy, excitement, and relief. Something pressed against her lips. The round purple candy slid into her mouth and kissed her tongue.
A burst of sour, sweet, bitter, and spice flavour flooded her throat. Touched by saliva, the candy melted into irresistible nectar. Gantil's eyes snapped open. She stared at Iris, who pressed her index finger on her lips and winked. Gantil didn't know what to do but kept sitting straight.
"Miss Gantil, it might feel like your body is on fire at first, but do not worry." Iris giggled. "The arousal will disappear in an hour. Moreover, you'll become like us, fairer, more charming."
Gantil dropped her head. Her face flushed. She shrank her shoulders as if trying to squeeze the heat out of her chest. Her eyes rapidly jumped from Iris, to the surrounding, to the windows, then the sleeping Mantil.
"In the meantime, allow me to help your daughter." Iris grabbed the magical vial and stood up. "We’ll be more intimate—"
The ceiling above Iris and Gantil cracked, then shattered. Countless splinters shot groundwards. A series of thin grey membranes emerged on the walls, sealing the room from the outside. Amidst the chaos, five feminine figures cloaked in black uniforms descended. One of them jumped towards the living room where Mantil was sleeping, the other two aimed their blades at Gantil, and the last two flung their knives at Iris.
"Don't even think about it!" Gantil kicked her chair and flipped the table. The plates and cups went flying.
Iris tossed the vial in the air and leaned to the side. The daggers whistled past her, grazing her black hair. Purple dots manifested at the cut and corroded more of her hair. She suppressed her pain and decisively disconnected the wound as she grabbed her black cane, then struck it at one of the assassins.
The assassin raised her other dagger and parried Iris's cane. As it clashed with the dagger, the cane shook and morphed into a slimy whip. Its tip lashed at the assassin, who tilted her body. She dislocated her waist and popped it back with her fine body control.
Two-Fold Wind Order? Her aura is much stronger than ordinary assassins. She must be a Master Tier Assassin! Iris raised her whip, but the whip grew sluggish. Purple dots rapidly corroded it. This again? I must not get hit by these weapons. Their poisons are too potent.
The other assassin shuffled close to Iris and swung down her dagger.
Iris stooped down and stomped her right foot. The impact crushed the wooden floor. A barrage of wooden fragments erupted, shooting in all directions. They passed through Iris's slimy body without any problem, but the attacking assassin had to block them and retreat.
During that instant, Iris created an electric spear and stabbed forwards. As it was forming, the spear, rushing with full speed, produced crackles in the air and splashed a rain of azure slime. It headed towards the attacking assassin, who backstepped while taking out a hidden knife in her back pocket.
A dull hymn reverberated. Blinding light flashed and engulfed the guest room. The power of purification descended. Iris’s Corruption Power halted. To combat against the Monster Girls, the Master Assassin had taken out a holy-type artefact to subdue them.
Iris's electric spear slowed. Countless prayers assaulted her mind, trying to reform her soul.
Because of the drop in speed, the assassin narrowly dodged the electric spear. It grazed her shoulder and electrocuted her. As she trembled, she threw out a hidden knife at Iris.
Gritting her teeth, Iris twisted her body. The ring on the assassin's finger glowed in pitch-black light, and Iris's movement froze; lethargy overwhelmed her strength. Her eyes widened. She could not do anything against the ambush with two powerful artefacts working in conjunction.
The knife pierced through her core, shattering it. Purple dots emerged on her body, devouring her. She collapsed on the ground and screamed, her voice hoarse, her eyes bloodshot. Her azure slime wiggled and formed a translucent puddle. Its activity slowly ceased.
The assassin sighed in relief as she deactivated the movement restriction, her body drenched in sweats. Her superior, the Master Assassin, also suspended the holy-type artefact and walked to her, checking her body.
To instantly kill a prominent member of the Court, the Two-Fold Wind Order bestowed the two assassins with two artefacts. They used the darkness-type to conceal the commotion and restrict Iris's movement, then the holy-type to suppress her power and disrupt her thought.
The two artefacts were powerful, but they were also energy intensive. Despite only using it for less than a minute, the two assassins felt their fatigue building up, but they couldn't rest yet. They had to help their friends.
The Master Assassin turned around. Gantil was still fighting against two assassins; after all, she was a Master Tier Pirate and did not get suppressed like Iris. This battle would go on for a while. There was no need to intervene right now.
Because of the faint mist surrounding the guest room, the Master Assassin couldn't see the situation of the other room clearly. There was only a feminine silhouette in the other room, near the bed on which Mantil slept.
Something's wrong. How could there be mist in the sealed room?
The Master Assassin activated her heightened eyesight. Her gaze penetrated the mist. The motionless silhouette was her other underling. She knelt on the floor, her eyes filled with shock, her hands grasping her throat. From the clean-cut wound, blood poured out.
An extreme danger tingled the Master Assassin. She tensed her arms and jumped backwards. A figure dressed in maid uniform appeared and stabbed with her dagger. With her reflex, the Master Assassin raised her dagger and redirected the blow. It grazed her skin, but there was no poison.
"You traitor!" The Master Assassin recognised Secain's technique. "The Head will come for you!"
Secain silently jabbed with her left hand. A hidden blade slid out from under her wrist. The Master Assassin shifted her legs and kicked up, knocking Secain's left arm.
The subordinate assassin nervously gripped her dagger and charged towards Secain. She had never fought a traitor before, but she knew that someone who could become a traitor was powerful. If not, they would never escape from the Two-Fold Wind Order in the first place.
She could not use the ring, for it would also affect her superior, and she would be at her limit if she forcefully activated it. That way, if Secain didn't die, she would be the one to die.
As the subordinate assassin closed in, Secain abruptly drew back her dagger and her arm. The Master Assassin's boots scraped Secain's arm, drawing blood. Secain pushed her legs against the floor and leaped back.
The subordinate assassin missed her target. She forcefully stopped her momentum but failed to prevent herself from crashing into the Master Assassin. The Master Assassin retreated. It was ill-advised to group together when fighting a lone opponent. Friendly fire would benefit the enemy.
As the Master Assassin fell back, she kept her eyes on Secain. The premonition of danger persisted. Her body tensed as she signalled to her subordinate to use the darkness-type artefact.
Behind her, a slender hand emerged from the mist. Iris held the poison-coated dagger and stabbed the Master Assassin. The blade penetrated the tight black outfit, cutting open a clean wound.
Pain shocked her. She spun around and flung her dagger at Iris. Iris twisted her dagger and pulled it out, parrying the strike, widening the wound.
Blood splashed, boiling, then turned purple. The exotic poison seeped into the Master Assassin. Purple dots crawled around her body, searing her organs. She collapsed on the ground and screeched, her eyes dimming. Her skin shrivelled in seconds.
Panic, the subordinate assassin activated her darkness-type artefact and retreated from Iris, but Secain intercepted her. After forcefully using the artefact for the second time, she lost most of her Pure Power. Secain quickly overwhelmed her defence and stabbed her heart.
Iris gradually regained her movement. She looked at the corpses of the Master Assassin and her subordinate. A puddle of blood underneath them exuded a metallic stench.
I murdered them. Iris took a deep breath. Today, I've taken two human lives.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time Iris killed someone she regarded as human. In the Puppeteer Legacy Ground, she fought machines and monsters, but here, she fought two humans.
If I didn't kill him, they would kill me. Iris shook her head and turned her attention to Gantil. This Master Pirate could still hold on for a long while.
"There is no need for your interference, Lady Iris," Secain said. "I'll accomplish it for you."
Iris nodded.
Since using the Card of Destiny, Iris had been preparing. When she arrived, she covered the surrounding with her slime vapours. It was in line with her mysterious character and served as a method of detection. Then, she mimicked Artium's power of illusion and Serinda's power of concealment. She also swapped out the Seed of Corruption with a flavourful candy to let Gantil keep her battle power.
Finally, with the tap earlier, she hinted at Secain to protect Mantil.
Though she didn't account for the two powerful artefacts, her plan still worked. She who had experienced the Ascension and had Faith inside her did not fear the holy-type artefact. The darkness-type artefact restricted her, but the assassins failed to notice her illusionary substitution.
As for the source of danger, her first guess was Gantil's malicious intention, but she ruled it out after Gantil's actions and expressions. Then she thought about the moles, but the meeting location was only recently selected.
The last option was the Two-Fold Wind Order. They poisoned Mantil to lure out a prominent member of the Court. They only needed to monitor Mantil.
What is their objective? Why did they want to assassinate an influential member of the Court? Do they not fear our retaliation?
Iris picked up the two artefacts. Without an energy source, the two artefacts automatically deactivated themselves. Iris spent her Corruption Power to activate the concealment power of the artefact.
When the darkness-type artefact halted its concealment, the Monster Girls outside sensed the abnormality. They kicked the door open and rushed in.
Though the room was a mess, Iris remained relatively intact. Her black and white suit was still neat, with a few tears here and there. Her cane was still in her hand, her bonnet on her head. Beside her were two corpses wrapped in black assassin uniforms. Blood oozed out of them, forming a disgusting puddle of crimson and purple.
"You're late," she said.
Good way for her to establish her street cred with the underlings.
Now for her to have an oyakodon with Gantil and Mantil.