Kurion and Noviscar followed Nupian's gaze. Three Monster Girls reflected in their eyes. Though Flamira and her friends had changed their appearances, their manners and auras remained the same. They could not conceal themselves before the Condensation Phase Monster Girls.

"Lady Nupian, what did you see in them?" Kurion said while glancing at Noviscar. "Should we invite them to your banquet?"

"I see nothingness. I see no future. I see no past. I see something that shouldn't exist. I see disaster. I see . . . loneliness."

Kurion and Noviscar backstepped and tightened their fists. Their Corruption Power flowed to their palms, condensing into colourful sparks. Once Nupian made any move against Flamira and her friends, Kurion and Noviscar would detonate their spells and take the three Monster Girls away.

"Aren't they just Transformation Phase Monster Girls? Has one of them caught your eyes?" Kurion tensed.

"They are all interesting. Unfortunately, we aren't meant to be. Two of them have their hearts taken by the last, but the last has no heart. Her soul is empty yet full of loneliness."

"What do you mean? Who doesn't have a heart?"

"Not just heart, but also Destiny. She is the nonexistent, something that can't exist." Nupian smiled. "The more I look at her, the more my interest rises. Maybe I can fill her emptiness with my love?"

The moment Nupian decided to make Flamira her new lover, Flamira froze. Though the breezes were warm, and the forest was calm, the apprehension in Flamira heart rapidly solidified. It was even more oppressive and despairing than when she looked at the Overseer.

Serinda and Artium stopped, their eyes fixing at Flamira.

"Sister Flamira, what's wrong?" Serinda said. "Have you forgotten something inside the Labyrinth? Or do you miss your home already?"

"I can never feel homesick, for my home exists only in your hearts, and I'm always with you." Flamira tensed as she glanced behind.

Her sight moved from her friends to the depth of the forest, then skywards.

Above the hazy clouds, seven Monster Girls hovered in the air, directing their powerful attention to Flamira. Despite the vast distance between them, their gazes still weighed on Flamira, locking her in place.

They are all Condensation Phase Monster Girls! Flamira narrowed her eyes and focused on their blurry silhouettes. She could make out four Monster Girls: Undrila, Corane, Kurion, and Noviscar. Are they the powerhouses of the Sinking Dark Forest? Why are they looking at me?

Flamira shifted her gazes to the Monster Girl in the middle. Their gazes met, and the Monster Girl in the wedding dress smiled. She raised her hands and formed a heart shape at Flamira, her mouth opening and closing, forming a few words.

"Do you love me?"

A chill gripped Flamira's heart as fear flooded her mind. She immediately turned around and ran, but the pressure of that Monster Girl restrained her movement. Despite her best effort, her body unwillingly remained fixed, her eyes staring at the Solidification Phase Monster Girl.

The suffocation prevented Flamira from shouting. Beside her, Serinda and Artium tilted their heads and looked at her. They could not sense anything.

"Let me help you dispel that loneliness," Nupian whispered. Her voice echoed inside Flamira's mind. "Not just you, but every lonely Monster Girl needs salvation. I'll be that salvation. My love will form a paradise for all."

As Nupian reached her hand towards Flamira, Kurion and Noviscar pushed their palms forwards. The sparks in their hands shot towards Nupian and exploded. While a flood of colourful radiance blinded everyone, Kurion and Noviscar flew towards Flamira.

"To struggle even in front of absolute despair, I love that quality of yours." Nupian's voice remained calm. "Let's see how much you're willing to sacrifice."

She clicked her tongue. The blinding radiance vanished. Though it lasted for mere moments, Kurion and Noviscar exerted themselves to the limit and soared half the distance between Nupian and Flamira. Still, the ominous feeling didn't lessen.

"Do you think you can escape?" Nupian laughed and pointed at Kurion. "Only the purest darkness can withstand the brightest light. Let me see how pure—"

"Lady Nupian!" Corane stepped forwards and stared at Nupian. "Please forgive them. Those Monster Girls seem to be their important friends."

"Are you implying that I'm evil, wicked?"

"Please forgive them. They're just worried for their friends. We share the same common enemies; there is no need for this unnecessary conflict."

Corane and Undrila stared at Nupian, their eyes pleading. The other two Condensation Phase Monster Girls also looked at Nupian. Each Condensation Phase Monster was a precious powerhouse. One more or one less could decide the general trend of a region.

Nupian turned her head around. The Condensation Phase Monster Girls endured her heavy gaze. They clutched their fists and gritted their teeth, but they never yielded. If Nupian went too far, they might even risk their lives to stop her.

"You all are too serious." Nupian smiled. "I've never planned to kill them. I only plan to force out their true emotions, their true loves. Don't you think that it's beautiful?"

Before anyone else could speak, Nupian snapped her fingers, and the Monster Girls around her froze.

"Now, stay here obediently. I'll give you an emotional show, one that will reveal to you the meaning of true love."

The smile on Nupian's face turned into a smirk as she reached out towards Kurion. When her palm concealed Kurion's silhouette, she slowly clenched it. The snow-white Corruption Power surged into her hand as her fingers drew close.

Kurion trembled. An invisible force crushed her from all sides. Her body dispersed into shadowy mist, but the suppression persisted. Her speed dropped as her soul quivered, producing crackling noises. She closed her eyes and darted forwards, her hands casting countless spells.

Beside Kurion, Noviscar bit her tongue and spit out her blood. Her green blood boiled and turned into a vapour mist. It enveloped Kurion and lessened the invisible force, but Kurion still couldn't break out of the constraint.

"Don't be impatient. Your turn is coming—"

Nupian snapped her attention towards the ground where the Labyrinth of Love hid. The Corruption Power around her condensed into her white wedding dress as she revoked all her spells. Her carefree expression stiffened. Her breathing grew rough.

"It's really here." Nupian gasped. Her heart intensely pulsated.

Before her voice faded, she shot towards the Labyrinth of Love, disregarding Flamira and her friends as well as the Condensation Phase Monster Girls.

Everyone looked at each other, but none could find any explanation for such agitation from Nupian.

Only Flamira lowered her head and prayed. Main Body, you must be careful.

...

"If Miss Quasi's authority is not enough, what about the authority of the Puppeteer Token?" Iris said. "Can the Overseer resist the imperial will? Can you resist the successor of your civilisation?"

Iris closed her eyes. The Puppeteer Token quivered as the runic engravements on its surface lit up in multi-coloured light. The radiance wrapped around Iris and lessened the suppression of the Overseer, loosening the chains of electricity.

"Iris, you have many symbols of approval, but most of them are weak," the Overseer said. "Quantity, without quality, is meaningless."

"Nothing is meaningless, Overseer. Just because you can't accomplish it doesn't mean that it's impossible."

Because her slime body had partially turned into an android body, Iris's physical strength also increased. She swung her mechanical arms, rattling the chains of electricity. The chains shook and pulled her arms back, but the radiance from the Puppeteer Token weakened their power.

As they faded away, Iris broke through their binding and fell onto the throne. Her body instinctively relaxed and sank into the support, but she realised that she could not feel the coldness or the hardness of the material.

Most of her membrane had turned murky, smooth, and solid. The rigidness of her body seeped into her mind and soul, changing her fundamentally.

"With the Puppeteer Token in my hand, I hold the qualification to succeed you, Overseer." Iris placed her arms on the armrests and tilted up her head. "Am I worthy?"

Though Iris sat on the gigantic throne, the Overseer still towered over her. His silhouette enlarged as he stepped forwards, his firm feet cracking the metallic tiles with every step. He raised his four arms and reached towards Iris, his palms radiating coldness and apathy.

Iris remained motionless, though her grasp on the Puppeteer Token tightened. The Overseer's hands clutched the four edges of the throne. His head hung over Iris, his eyes staring into her blue abyss-like eyes. He shattered the edges of the throne, but none of the fragments injured Iris.

The silence lasted for a moment until Iris blinked. Her eyes turned from blue to black.

"Tell me, am I worthy?"

She pressed her arms and pushed herself up. The air of helplessness turned into stillness, undisturbed by the overwhelming force of annihilation. Her movement was graceful and elegant as if she had been practising it for all her life.

As Iris stood up, the Overseer pulled back his hands and stepped backwards, allowing Iris to stand unobstructed. For a moment, her silhouette overlapped with a hazy yet majestic figure from the Overseer's memory. The Overseer shuddered and took a few more steps backwards.

He almost knelt.

"You . . . are worthy." The Overseer lowered his head. "I cannot defy the imperial decree, but you have not become the new ruler of the Legacy Ground!"

The Overseer howled. His metallic voice imbued anger into the world and collapsed the throne room. The blackness of the void flooded into reality as the power of assimilation gradually devoured the pocket dimension, pulling it back to the Main Material Plane. The Puppeteer Legacy Ground had lost all its Floors except for the fragments of the throne room.

Trembling, the Overseer reached his hands towards Iris. His arms quivered under the invisible strains, rapidly disintegrating. The restriction of Quasi's and the Puppeteer Token's authority repelled him, but the Legacy Ground had broken down too much, weakening its power.

"What are you doing?" Iris frowned. "Are you going betray the imperial rules?"

"If that is the price to pay for our salvation, I'm willing to shoulder that sin."

The Overseer grabbed Iris and pushed her against the throne. He did not exert too much force, for he could accidentally destroy her android part. No matter how much Iris struggled, she could not break free. Her spells could not harm the Overseer; she could only sit on the throne and wait for the end.

"Is this your belief?" Iris said. "Everything for that salvation?"

The Overseer said nothing. His other hands drew some magic formations in the air and shattered them. Colourful lightning emerged and coiled around Iris. They seeped into her slime, sped up her change, fixed her damaged parts, and injected unknown energy into her.

As time passed, her mind grew dull. Fatigue and confusion plagued her heart. Unknown memories played in her mind, lulling her to sleep, telling her to let go.

Holding onto her conviction, Iris gritted her teeth and waited. A familiar sensation enveloped her. She had experienced this before. The tranquillity washed over her mind and wiped out her memories. It was painful, but she easily endured it.

Her eyes became unfocused. Her control over her body dulled. As she sank into the throne, her mind closed onto itself.

The Overseer couldn't stop himself from trembling as Iris turned into a complete android. He grabbed the necklace that maintained the stability of the Legacy Ground and split the crimson gem embedded in it.

The milky white stream of energy ruptured from the necklace, forming a silhouette of an ancient android. His golden cloak radiated powerful heat that distorted the fabric of reality, collapsing it further. He opened his golden eyes and stared at Iris.

The Overseer knelt until his head touched the ground. "Your Majesty, the vessel is ready."

The man lightly nodded and flew towards Iris. He drew his hands towards the azure crystal embedded in Iris's chest. Once he possessed this body, he would come back to life once more, and it would be the beginning of his resurgence.

As his hands touched Iris, she snapped open her eyes. She stared at the man, imprinting his aura and appearance into her memory. Her lips curved into a smile as she sank into the depth of the Shadow Plane.