The whole world stopped for a moment.
There reached a point where the laws held more spirituality than those who wielded them. Because of how much they meant to the universe, they realized the ability to choose who was worthy of their power.
These laws were extremely esoteric. They became picky to the point where only a handful of people in the entirety of existence could be chosen to be their users.
Iris was one of those people, chosen at birth by her law.
But she had been unable to live up to its expectations.
It wasn't her fault, of course, but laws were objective. They did not hold emotions like living entities to look upon situations and understand why things turned out a certain way.
But, Iris was never abandoned.
She never abandoned her affinity, but because of her repressed memories, she refused to show it to the world.
This was the moment when she started overcoming the things that held her back, and the law that was waiting for this instance finally allowed its power to bloom.
VOOOOOM!
The blood world that trapped Iris with her enemies was directly shattered by a great force of mana.
Her body became ethereal, a strange illusion of two different projections that were slowly floating towards each other.
A sacred light emanated from her figure. It didn't seem to have a set color, but its color always remained pure. It was a mixture of countless known forces, as it was a force that stood above them all and ruled them.
Iris had her eyes closed.
Her mind was in a state of enlightenment.
The things she'd comprehended from this law over the course of her life finally came together, and the vague picture she had of it finally reached a point where she could understand it.
The path forward was no longer blocked.
Whether by herself or her affinity, the path was no longer impeded.
Demigods who refused ascension cut off their path to the Heavenly World and greater power. This was a known fact to even the youngest practitioners who'd been in contact with the Divine.
However, unbeknownst to them, the path wasn't completely cut off.
There was one more chance.
And that chance was the Ancient Battlefield.
The Ancient Battlefield was originally a piece of the Heavenly World that got torn away and consumed by the lower universe's laws to become what it currently was.
Not only could it house Divinities with ease, it also presented them a second chance to change their decision and seek greater heights.
Of course, this opportunity was only granted to the winning side. Only after all enemies were felled would the road open.
But Iris had a goal now.
She wanted to take this affinity to its peak and she wanted to see the heights she forbade from herself due to fear.
And she didn't want to do it alone.
To win this war, to actualize her ambitions…
She would survive.
She would not let herself be taken down by the forces of evil.
Her eyes flashed open.
Her arm once again raised gracefully into the air, perpendicular to her body.
This was an unconscious action, but her mouth still moved as if she was actively controlling it.
"Star Formation."
The words were subtle, but it was as if they were projected all across the Ancient Battlefield.
And along with them…
VOOOOOOOOOOM!
A huge outpour of mana.
The four Demigod Puppets were pushed back several hundred kilometers, and around Iris, the atmosphere heated up to an extreme.
Within a few instants, it boiled over. Chaotic energies clashed against each other like forces of the universe, and a burning celestial body appeared from nothing.
It wasn't just an imitation like Damien had made many times before.
It was a true star.
Completely under Iris' jurisdiction.
"Burst."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The chaotic radioactive force exploded, rocking the entire environment and incinerating the surrounding mountains.
The Marionette Lord retreated with widened eyes, while the Insect Lord stood before them and released his swarm.
The insects were burned one after the other, but they mitigated and absorbed a large majority of the force, keeping the two backline combatants safe.
Though, the Demigod Puppets weren't so lucky.
Because the Marionette Lord was forced to retreat and lost control for a moment, they acted purely on instinct.
Treya and Helen directly retreated, using their Divine Energy to protect their bodies as best they could.
Meanwhile, as Jerome and Acian did the same, they realized their speed wasn't nearly enough to take them away from the blast radius.
They acted as Blood Asura disciples would.
Shik!
Before Jerome knew what was happening, a string of blood stabbed through his chest.
Acian, who wielded it, threw him forward and used the force to escape, sacrificing his comrade for the sake of survival.
Of them all, only Jerome was forced to take the full force of the attack head-on, but its effects were clear.
His skin was burned to a crisp and his blood evaporated away. No matter how he tried to defend himself, the explosive force only compounded, shattering his barriers and protections and making a mess of his body.
"Hmm…"
Iris hummed slightly as her consciousness returned to her body.
Looking around and seeing the scene she caused, her eyes sparkled in wonder.
"So this is it…" she muttered.
"Creation."
One of the two greatest laws a normal existence could comprehend.
No, one of the two greatest laws under existence.
That was the identity of Iris' neglected affinity, and the reason she'd been tortured during her youth.
But now, it would become the source of her strength.
The reason she would be regarded as one of the greatest to ever live!
Creation wasn't just about material creation. It wasn't just about controlling the forces of the world.
Creation controlled everything that could be created.
Stars, planets, and even universes weren't excluded from its grasp.
Nor were the laws that were created with it as a basis.
Iris glanced at her surroundings.
Damien's battle had moved very far away from her, so she couldn't see them, but judging from the fluctuations, he was still going strong.
Which meant she could fight without worry.
She flashed through the air, approaching Jerome first.
The man was already nearing death, but she wouldn't allow it to come so easily to a traitor.
"Live."
She spoke one word, a divine commandment, as she grabbed his neck.
The aura of vitality forced its way into his body. It didn't heal him, but it did bring him back to life.
But that life was fully controlled by Iris.
"Go."
She latched onto his emotions and pushed them to the extreme.
The betrayal of a comrade he'd just experienced, the thirst for vengeance he felt from it consumed his mind, and without question, he blasted towards Acian.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
With his new nigh-immortal body, Jerome pushed Acian without relenting. He knew his fellow disciple better than anyone, so when it came to cornering him, there wasn't a better choice.
With the long-ranged dealer out of the picture, Iris turned her attention to Helen and Treya, as well as the Marionette Lord who controlled them.
That person's expression was no longer playful.
It was cold and cruel, far more fitting of their character.
The Marionette Lord didn't completely understand what just happened, but they were well aware of their opponent's growth.
This was the opposite of what they wanted.
They didn't want to see Iris grow.
They wanted to crush her and see her hopeless expression before she died.
And for that…
"You, go over there."
…they needed to be more serious.
Iris' fight…was only just beginning.
