It took some time for Iris to gather herself after experiencing such an existential crisis, but she eventually got her act together.
Experience was key here.
If it weren't for the countless turmoils she'd been through as she grew to her current level, she probably would have faced much more difficulty accepting the current circumstances.
No, it was still difficult.
To recognize something so deeply ingrained in her as a problem, how could it be something she could do easily?
It wasn't as simple as the Ancient Sovereign made it sound. This problem was deeply related to her reason for refusing ascension, the decision she was most sure of yet most regretful of at the same time.
However, she was eventually able to understand her faults and make a flimsy plan for the future, which would become more defined as she learned if the path she was following was the right one.
With both Damien and Iris well-rested and in peak condition, they returned to the battlefield soon enough, but found something curious.
The Ancient Battlefield's considerable shrinking meant they should have encountered several enemies in the half-hour since they started moving, especially since the Ancient Sovereign moved away from this area, but they hadn't met even one.
At first, they assumed it was just unfortunate positioning. They were near the edge of the battlefield, and if most of the battles were focused near the center, it made sense that they couldn't see anyone.
But…
Damien frowned.
"It's too quiet."
In fact, it was extremely quiet.
Eerily so.
"Stay on guard," Damien said solemnly as he glanced around.
He couldn't see anything around them, nor did his perception pick up an enemy, but he felt the strangeness in the air viscerally.
Iris nodded silently, slowly prepping herself for battle as she also noticed the oddity.
'This environment…'
They were surrounded on all sides by mountains. Only the valley through which they came existed as an entrance and exit to this place.
It was not ideal for battle at all.
But it also wasn't a place where people could hide easily.
Damien frowned.
'There's definitely something wrong. There should be–'
"–shit!"
Damien grabbed Iris' wrist and instantly teleported several hundred kilometers away.
BOOOOOOOM!
An explosion rocked the space soon after. A massive ballista bolt landed on their previous position and launched a tsunami of debris in every direction.
Judging by the Divine Energy in that bolt, it would have instantly incapacitated at least one of them on impact.
Damien and Iris flew into the air and flared their mana.
'If the enemy continues to use assassination tactics–'
Damien's worry was unfounded.
By the time the dust cleared, they'd already revealed themselves.
After all, they weren't someone who liked to hide.
"Heyyy~ remember me?"
The familiar, disgusting voice entered Damien's ears and instantly turned his expression ugly.
A character whose gender was unknown and held a relatively unsettling appearance that constantly shifted between countless mismatched body parts revealed themself confidently, waving with a smile.
'Marionette Lord!'
Damien hadn't seen them since their last encounter on Beast Emperor Star, but this was one of the Demigods he least wanted to meet.
Their power relied on control, and as someone who despised being controlled, he held a natural repulsion for them.
"Hey, what's with that expression? I was hoping you'd miss me~!"
The Marionette Lord continued to speak casually, as if they weren't worried about Damien and Iris in the slightest.
'They're supposed to be someone weakened by the Ancient Battlefield since their personal combat power is assumed to be low, but…'
The Marionette Lord was the Marionette Lord after all.
They stood with four Demigods in front of them, clearly puppets being controlled by their strings.
'An ambush. They must've spotted us before we met the Ancient Sovereign. If it's that person, it isn't strange for them to wait so long for the sole purpose of killing us.'
Damien glanced at Iris, who was equally solemn.
But the two of them were confident in their combined abilities. The Marionette Lord was a tough opponent, especially with those Demigod Puppets protecting them, but they weren't impossible to defeat.
"Ahhh~ are you thinking you can beat me? But…I didn't come alone, though?"
BOOOOM!
Damien rapidly teleported away.
This attack was specifically aimed at him, ignoring Iris completely.
Before he could regain his senses, he felt a force approaching from behind.
He turned around and raised his arms just in time to–
BOOM!
Crack!
"Keuk…!"
His forearms shattered, but he was able to mitigate most of the damage with that.
When he regained his balance, he finally saw the man in front of him, as well as the two behind.
'These guys…'
Damien knew their identities well.
The Strength Lord, Bow Lord, and Venom Lord.
The first was one of the strongest under the Inhuman Emperor, a total beast who used his fists alone to stand above all others. The second was the one who shot the ballista from earlier, while the third was someone similar to the Poison and Plague Lords.
However, he exclusively used venoms extracted from different beasts, which he could reproduce after experiencing once. They were not mana-based, but secreted naturally by his body, so Damien couldn't get rid of them easily with the Void Physique.
'A close combat fighter to keep me occupied, a poison master to wear me down, and a ranged combatant for control and piercing attacks. They really came prepared.'
'Did we drop our guard when we were with the Ancient Sovereign? No, I even used Absolute Perception several times to be sure. The Marionette Lord must've used some kind of trick, or…there's a terrifying treasure in their hands.'
Damien's eyes were narrowed to the extreme as he silently faced the three surrounding him, but it wasn't over yet.
By the Marionette Lord's side, a man with a black cloak appeared as well.
His cloak seemed to flutter in the wind, but if one looked closely, it wasn't fluttering at all.
No, it was a massive swarm of microscopic bugs so densely packed that they created a black garment.
'The Insect Lord.'
A fully equipped squad from the Inhuman Emperor's faction.
"Do you like my gift?" The Marionette Lord said with a teasing smile.
"I prepared it just for you!"
Damien glared at them before looking back at Iris.
"Can you take them?" He asked through mental transmission.
"Unknown, but it should be manageable. You?"
Damien's frown deepened.
"Same. We don't have any choice but to fight, but this number is good. If it was any greater, it'd be impossible."
Iris nodded.
They couldn't fight together this time, not until one of them finished the enemies on their side.
It seemed the Marionette Lord did a sufficient amount of research before confronting them. Since their tandem techniques allowed them to win against any number of opponents, they disallowed them from even trying.
It was unfortunate, but it was reality.
"Awww~ why the long faces? Ah! Are you so sad that the battle hasn't started? Well then…"
The Marionette Lord smiled again. It was cruel and gruesome, as expected of the Inhuman Emperor's favorite underling.
They raised their arm in the air with great gusto, as if everything was just entertainment, a performance, as their smile turned into a wide grin.
"...let the battle begin!"
