Direct combat against the Insect Lord.
It was only possible now because the Marionette Lord couldn't interfere in the Personal Reality, and while this was the battle Iris was most equipped for, that didn't mean it'd be easy.
She immediately made distance once she killed Treya and made her intentions clear.
The Insect Lord was more than aware of her plans, and as he saw the last line of defense fall, his survival instincts kicked in.
Bzzzzzz!
The buzzing of fast-beating wings filled the atmosphere. Tens of thousands of locusts, wasps, and mosquitos filled the air in a horde that couldn't be driven away easily.
And their target was clear.
They swarmed Iris, who retreated constantly, and attacked her in formation. The three species that should've been fighting each other for a piece of her acted in perfect tandem to drive her into a corner.
Iris' eyes narrowed.
'How should I go about this…?'
Her state was much more relaxed than when the battle started, so she was able to entertain her thoughts and try to form a plan of action to achieve the results she wanted.
'In the end, I'm trying to use him for my own benefit. If I just wanted to kill him, it'd be easy.'
Iris swept her hand through the air, sending waves of pure energy into the swarm.
The energy split into multiple variations, some poisonous and some fiery, to attack the weaknesses of the species the Insect Lord sent after her.
It was an effective method that didn't strain her much, but it wasn't the most destructive force she could use.
'How do I draw it out?'
She had to figure it out.
Instead of any of the other insects in his arsenal, she needed to get the Insect Lord to use the specific one she wanted.
'If so…'
She would have to suffer a bit for long-term benefit.
'It's time to push.'
At first, she figured she shouldn't use too much offensive force so as to not scare him away, but she realized her thoughts were wrong.
He wouldn't use that creature unless the battle reached the absolute worst possible scenario for him, and she needed to create that scenario.
Which also meant…
'I'll have to face some things I don't want to.'
"Star Formation."
Iris instantly used the move again, creating a massive solar mass that burned through the swarm attacking her. Without an ounce of hesitation, she pushed forward and reached the Insect Lord in a second.
BANG!
She cut her arm through the air, turning it into a blade.
The Insect Lord's eyes widened.
His body was weak.
He was not someone who fought, he was someone who commanded others to fight, so his body was the weakest a Demigod's could be.
If he took Iris' direct attacks, he'd be injured without much of a fight at all!
SWISH!
He retreated backward in panic while summoning another swarm, this time airborne ants that radiated a strange heat.
"Freeze."
Nevertheless, elemental properties could no longer faze Iris.
She spoke a single word, and her breath turned into an icy mist that spread through the ants. Each and every one was frozen down to their cores, and their fires were extinguished before they could even be shown.
She rushed through the falling icicles and approached the Insect Lord again.
BOOM!
Another swarm.
BOOM!
Another swarm.
BOOM!
The Insect Lord gritted his teeth.
At this point, he was just wasting his troops this way. No matter how many regular swarms he sent out, Iris would easily destroy them and find her way into his range.
'There's no choice!'
He had to stop hesitating.
As he saw Iris' blade-like arm on its path to run him through again, he gnashed his teeth and threw away his emotions.
Those creatures he'd spent so much time to acquire, the ones that he couldn't use again unless he found more of them, the ones he only had a few of and meant everything to him, he could no longer hoard them.
"Go!"
He yelled hoarsely and flicked his sleeve.
Three beetles came out and latched onto Iris' arm mid-swing.
She didn't have time to react
"Khhhh…!"
The beetles easily ripped apart her flesh and bones with their pincers, giving her the worst injury she'd sustained since the battle began.
Seeing the opening he created, the Insect Lord became bolder.
"The rest of you!"
He flicked his sleeve several more times, and each time, a different creature came out.
A bee with a stinger that was more similar to a drill, an ant that enlarged to the size of a house, and even a moth that seemed to harness the power of the world.
They were all corrupted by his inky black energy and in a berserk state where they attacked Iris as if she were their mortal enemy.
And Iris did her best to combat them.
These were the unique creatures in his arsenal. Unlike the ones she'd faced before, they all had extreme power that had to be feared like the Venom Lord's venoms or the Plague Lord's abscesses.
Still, they weren't her final goal.
She just had to get through them first.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She pushed her mind to its limits, progressing in her comprehension of Creation with every move.
All natural forces came under her control. Whether they were elements, energies, or even poisons and attributes, she used them to the best of her capabilities to destroy creature after creature.
No matter what the Insect Lord sent, it would be destroyed by her and she would use the chance to get closer to him.
The ant died first, the bee followed next, the moth, the butterfly, the beetles, the fleas…
Everything died, and their deaths made the Insect Lord feel a visceral pain in his soul that absolutely angered him.
But his anger meant nothing.
No matter what he tried, Iris overcame it, and before he knew what was happening, her hand was on his head.
His eyes widened.
He knew what came next.
Iris smiled cruelly.
"Your time has come."
He gritted his teeth.
He refused to accept it.
If he wanted to live…
…he had to use his last result.
A bee appeared from his sleeve and stabbed through his skin, sending electricity coursing through his body. All his senses were advanced upon its death.
A bug appeared in his hand imperceptibly. It had six legs and a thick shell, but it was unmoving and didn't try to attack anything, unlike the rest.
This creature wasn't offensive, but supportive. It wasn't meant to attack his enemy, but to protect him.
As fast as lightning, far faster than he could usually move, he raised his hand to his mouth in a bid to swallow that bug.
But…
Iris grinned.
"Thanks. I was waiting for this."
She was already grabbing his arm, and the bug in his hand was already transferred to hers.
"Purify."
She used a holy mana to cleanse the bug of all the Nox mana imbued in it, and under the Insect Lord's astonished gaze, she directly threw it in her mouth and swallowed it.
That was the last sight he saw.
"Since I got what I wanted, you can go on your way now."
With a mocking remark and a wave of her hand, Iris pushed the Insect Lord's soul into the depths of hell, killing him without a problem.
And as she glanced at the Marionette Lord, who was glaring at her furiously, her smile widened.
'Good. Now I have insurance.'
