Eyes shimmering, Iris smiled at Vindette, who also returned her a smile. Under Vindette’s calm gaze, the tightness in her chest dissipated into warm breezes, which glided under her membrane and tickled her. She coquettishly tilted her head, hiding her hands behind her back.

Vindette raised her hand to her face and drew away the translucent veil covering her face. Her pale cloud-like eyes stared into Iris’s golden star-like eyes. They peered inside Iris’s heart and examined her for any injuries.

“I’m sorry, Iris,” she said. “I’ve let you down.”

Iris shook her head. “My recklessness harmed me.”

“It matters not who harmed you.”

“It’s me who has wronged you. I took advantage of you, of your protection. The fault rests in me.”

“And my promise is to prevent you from doing so.” Vindette lowered her hand, her veil falling to cover her eyes. She turned to Farci, who had distanced herself from Vindette. “Farci, Leader of Two-Fold Wind Order. Why are you targeting our loveliest member?”

“Lady Vindette, Terror of Endless Hazes, I’ve always admired you,” Farci said.

“A Grandmaster at such a young age, your talent is admirable.”

“Your praise is too exaggerated. How could I boast to you, one of the few who could exchange blows with a True Master?”

“If you fear me, then why did you try to harm my Iris?” Vindette’s soothing tone crackled. Her aura quivered and loomed over Farci and her assassins, pressing them from high above. “Do you believe that your bloodline can save you?”

“I believe that Mother’s will is absolute. Not even you, Lady Vindette, could oppose her.”

Farci’s body distorted. Her presence dissimilated into the surroundings. The ground fractured as silent winds rushed through them, grinding them into rubbles. Countless invisible strands of blades shot for Vindette.

Vindette closed her eyes and tapped her index finger at the centre between her brows. Her fingernail drew an orb-like symbol, which detached from her face and expanded into a massive vortex. Dull mists gushed from its opening and drowned the wreckage. The unseen blades, rushing into them, slowed until they became harmless gales.

“You’re too lively, Farci,” Vindette said.

The air stilled. Everything forcefully halted its motion. Even Iris, who was trying to cast a spell, failed to move her hands or open her mouth. Not even her Corruption Power could flow.

Farci appeared in front of Vindette with her right hand aiming for Vindette’s veil. Yet she could not move. Her Pure Power exploded from her figure. It met an invisible wall towering over her.

She exerted herself to break the shackle of unmoving air. Despite her killing intent, she leapt away from Vindette, trying to reset her tempo.

Bombs flew out of her torn sleeves and at Vindette. They detonated into puffs of dark green smoke. They grazed the stones and woods and decayed everything into melting goo. Their bubbling surface spewed disgusting scents that agitated the flow of energy.

Vindette touched her lips and blew. The goo turned invisible and disappeared from the world. The minty breath crawled to Farci, whose body contorted as the viscous air held her ankles and forearms and neck.

Her expression darkened. She bit her tongue. As her blood seeped out, a green insignia of a bladed fan whose centre was a kiss mark manifested and absorbed them.

A soft, lingering song reverberated throughout the ruin.

Iris broke free from her frozen state. She closed her eyes, covered her ears, and crouched down. Her soul palpitated, shivering under a majestic, gorgeous silhouette whose gaze landed on her heart.

Her little Faith expanded into an array of light and pushed off the irresistible influence. A blurry figure appeared in her mind, gradually gaining clarity.

This time, she wouldn’t lose.

Iris opened her mind’s eyes and glared at Bewitch, a fragment of Bewitch. The transcendental aura permeated her vision and body, bewitching her mind and soul. Her golden eyes grew murky, her feelings conflicted.

As she felt herself sinking into a whirlpool of induced emotions, she flashed a smile, which widened until her lips cracked, ripping apart her cheeks. Her Slime Girl appearance turned crimson, bloody, as her membrane morphed into fleshy skin, with sharp teeth growing out of them. Black skeleton wings penetrated out of her back and spread, revealing their rotten structures where eyes sprouted everywhere.

A wicked aura rose from her flesh-like membrane, meshed into a gigantic claw, and reached for the personification of beauty herself.

The illusory goddess let out a surprised gasp and, as she chuckled, pointed at the burning Iris. Her slim index finger glowed and released a floating insignia, another Mark of Bewitchment.

The Mark of Bewitchment at the corner of Iris’s lips shimmered. It softly cried for its creator, for her to embrace Iris, to fulfil Iris’s innate longing.

The Evil Power tainting Iris roared. It suppressed the mark and crashed with the misty silhouette. The clash in the mental world shook Iris’s physical body. She gritted her teeth, her Corruption Power and purple slime gushing out of her rupturing body.

Her grimace gradually turned into a grin. Neon tendrils extended from her membrane, imbuing her body with a stream of warmth. Her Mind Breaker Bloodline stirred, nourishing her damaged mental plane.

“Duality, do you not like the feast I prepared?” Iris whispered in her soul.

“We like it very much, Dear Iris.”

In Iris’s realm of consciousness, an all-encompassing presence descended. The lady of chaos and order sealed the mental world, cutting the communication between Bewitch and her spell.

The bewitching silhouette froze. She closed her eyes and cried, but her body dissolved before she could utter a word. Her lingering energy condensed into a shining green orb, which floated into Duality’s body.

After absorbing the Mark of Bewitchment, Duality looked at the burning Iris.

“Are you trying to imitate us?” Duality said. “Your method is crude and inefficient, but your potential . . . monumental.”

“Imitation is what I do best.”

“Let us give you some advice: Chaos within harmony, harmony within chaos.”

Duality appeared in front of Iris and placed her right hand upon Iris’s head. A golden ray of light showered Iris with Holy Power, washing away the Evil Power devouring her soul.

The Mark of Bewitchment and the Curse of the Eye calmed, returning to their inactive state.

Iris was about to speak when a massive shockwave struck her physical body. She spun in the air and landed near her two attendants before refocusing on her surroundings.

Farci grabbed her right shoulder and panted. Her tattered uniform covered only the barest amount of her skin. Her messy short hair chaotically danced as strong gales revolved around her, keeping the debris from grazing her.

Not too far from the wreckage, Vindette caressed the back of her left hand. A deep wound on it trickled out sky-blue blood. Her torn translucent silk dress fluttered with the light breezes of gentle clouds drifting around her. Her veil remained untouched, always concealing her eyes.

“The young will eventually surpass the old,” Vindette said.

Farci spat blood on the ground, wincing. Blood dripped from numerous wounds on her shoulders and thighs. “Thank you for your mercy, Lady Vindette.”

“I did it not for you, but for my Iris.” Vindette took a step forward, disappearing and reappearing in front of Iris. She stared at her lovely junior, her eyes brightening. “You . . . are indeed a treasure, full of mysteries and surprises.”

“I can’t always be a burden.” Iris weakly chuckled. She slowly pushed herself up. “Please don’t kill Farci. The Court doesn’t have to suffer because of me.”

Vindette snapped her fingers. A puff of her clouds circled Iris and coated her body, repairing her membrane and rejuvenating her Corruption Power. Iris shivered and covered her mouth. Inaudible moans still leaked out.

“If such is your request,” Vindette said. “You’ll have to revenge—”

The entire Donhalgen trembled. The crimson mists rapidly evaporated, and the wicked, oppressive presences that lingered throughout the city faded. A demonic howl echoed endlessly before a divine chant overwhelmed it until all things became silent, until the demonic presence was no more.

Symbols and arrays emerged from the wreckages, sluggishly rotating their components. They dispelled the lingering mists and surveyed Donhalgen with their mechanical perceptions.

Evil Punisher Grand Formation resumed its omnipresent patrol.

Farci and Vindette looked up before turning to each other.

“It’s been a pleasure,” Vindette said. “But this is where we part. The Churches are coming.”

“I’ve learned a lot today.” Farci took out a small vial containing red liquid, crushed it, and applied the fluid to her wounds. They swiftly healed. “We will . . . meet again, Iris. Our offer . . . still stands.”

Farci glared at her remaining subordinates and took a step back. Her figure distorted and vanished from the wreckage. The Master Assassins didn’t doubt their leader and retreated as quickly as her.

Quietude plagued the area. Secain and Lorient soundlessly came to Iris’s side and supported her. Iris didn’t resist, for her fatigue had caught up to her. Although Vindette had replenished her bodily energy, her soul still needed rest.

“You all will leave first,” Vindette said. “I’ll distract The Churches for you.”

“There is no need for that,” Iris said.

“An Archbishop is coming. They might throw a tantrum if they can’t find me.”

Iris lowered her head. “Then . . . please be careful. I’ll be . . . waiting at the hideout.”

“Should I demand you a date too?”

Chuckling, Vindette walked up the air and headed towards the horizon.

…

Aspera alighted from her pitch-black carriage. She turned around and reached out her right hand. Delicate Snow rose from her seat, smiled, and took her old friend’s hand. She lightly squeezed it as she got out.

“If only the scenery were clear,” Delicate Snow said. “This date would have been perfect.”

“The mist obscured the world from us, us from the world.” Aspera tapped her lips. Her eyes glimmered in dark light.

“Unfortunately, we aren’t alone.”

Delicate Snow looked onward. Donhalgen Beast Museum towered over all other buildings, casting its stirring shadow on the two True Masters. Despite the great tide of crimson mist, whose unholy air permeated the surroundings, the museum stood unaffected.

In front of the desolated museum, a muscular figure emerged. Selvant, Leader of Suppression Sect, approached his partners and laughed. His powerful voice echoed under the crimson mist, pushing it far from him.

“I’m glad you two could join me,” he said. “We Suppression Sect will never forget this favour.”

“The secrets the museum holds intrigue me too.” Aspera pinched her middle finger against her thumb. She closed her left eye and looked through the hole with her right, staring at the museum. “My Domain can’t penetrate its isolation field.”

“The true museum lies in another dimension,” Delicate Snow said. “Rumour has it that a Scholar of the Ancient created it as an inheritance ground.”

Selvant hmphed. “Despicable humans, they stole treasures of my race and sealed them here.”

“Let us see what kind of Artefacts are worthy of being sealed within this subspace.”

Aspera drew her right hand above her head and clasped it. Her Corruption Power enveloped her friends and her. An invisible veil shrouded their presence.

Selvant expressed his thank and walked forward. He went past the entrance, where empty guard posts quietly observed the trespassers. Chill air lingered within the proximity, caressing everything in its range.

As they walked, Delicate Snow looked around. Plants and decorations, colourful and lively during the normal days, turned withered, wilted into an endless dull grey. They mixed with the concrete buildings, pale pillars, and cracked ground. The passageway they traversed twisted into a winding maze, repeating every so often.

Yet it still radiated unfamiliarity.

Delicate Snow stopped. A hairpin on her head, a bright blue quill-shaped hairpin, shattered. Celestial glitters flickered in and out of existence, illuminating the passageway, within whose shadow revealed a series of infinite recursive labyrinths.

Selvant and Aspera also stopped. Aspera’s eyes darkened. She raised her left hand. A dark purple ring on her index finger glowed. Her Domain of Nightly Concealment bloomed as an unseeable field of flowers. They expanded outwards, filling the fabric of reality spanning cities and mountain ranges.

She could sense no end to this maze.

“Infinite maze subspace,” Selvant said. “This’s going to be difficult.”

“Its energy consumption is too intensive. Even if we do nothing, the trap will dissipate on its own.” Delicate Snow frowned. She turned to her two partners. “What did you two do?”

Selvant furrowed his brows. He couldn’t think of any reason why someone would use such a powerful trap to temporarily remove him from the grand scheme of things. He glanced at Aspera.

Which terrible power was behind this? What was their objective?