The Marionette Lord's eyes widened.
They naturally felt the suppression of their Demonic Providence, but they could not understand how it was done.
Though, there wasn't any time to think about it.
Iris' approach was faster than fast. The Marionette Lord's expression didn't change much, but the slight glint of panic in their eyes was definitely satisfying to see.
Iris' arm turned into a blade, coated with the energy of creation that would slaughter the enemy. In less than a second, she'd already approached and cut forward, her arm just inches away from finishing it all.
'This is the end.' She thought inwardly.
However, in that final moment, the Marionette Lord changed.
A twisted smile lit up their face.
And…
BOOOOOOM!
Iris halted her movements abruptly and rapidly retreated, but she couldn't avoid the impact.
SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING!
Four slashes struck her body, tearing through her limbs and the sides of her torso and creating large, mutilated gashes that covered Iris' pristine figure in blood.
"Hehehehe~"
The Marionette Lord's laugh was like the twinkling sound of wind chimes haunting a dreary night.
Iris watched in horror as their body went metamorphosed into something hideous.
'The information was wrong.'
This person was absolutely capable of defending themself and fighting directly.
The Marionette Lord's body was always changing. They never maintained a single form or even a specific gender or age, they would always morph between countless different appearances with seemingly no limit.
Right, this person could change their body into "anything" or "anyone."
But nobody realized the extent of this ability. No, the Marionette Lord had never shown it even once.
As of this moment, they made their debut.
Massive bone apparitions like the legs of a spider jutted out of their back, their arms were blades made of flesh and blood, and even their legs had sharpened into tools of slaughter.
Their body no longer held many "human" components. It was a complete battle machine.
And now that someone had provoked that form out of them, they were not going to hold back.
"Hehehehehe~!"
The Marionette Lord giggled giddily. Their body disappeared and reappeared like instant transmission and appeared behind Iris.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
"ARGH!"
Iris groaned in pain as three blade slashes cut into her back.
She didn't even have time to think of a counterattack before she was forced to duck down and avoid being decapitated by one of the being's legs.
'This…!'
She was astonished.
Iris was pushed back without any chances to move outside of the Marionette Lord's control. They used the arm blades to cause lasting wounds while spinning their body impossibly to use their legs to deal fatal injuries.
Moreover, the bone spider legs jutting out of their back were perfect for control. They extended and retracted at will and forced Iris to remain within a certain area, disallowing her escape from the barrage.
"Khhh…!"
She couldn't fight back at all.
No matter what she tried, it was futile.
The powers of creation she'd just begun to learn weren't good enough to deal with an assault like this.
After all, she was still somewhat of a novice. Her comprehension and status as a Divinity allowed her to comprehend things far faster than a regular person, but she wasn't anywhere near the level of the Marionette Lord.
The strongest under the Inhuman Emperor.
That title wasn't an exaggeration.
In fact, the Marionette Lord was right about as powerful as a Nox Emperor. The Inhuman Emperor had tried to convince them to become one several times, but they'd refused.
Why?
Because being a Lord was more fun.
Just like the Inhuman Emperor, all they wanted to do was enjoy the entertainment that toying with enemies could bring them.
Whether that be her own fellows or enemies from the universe, they really didn't care.
Their approaching Iris wasn't due to any grand reason either.
With Iris' status and the fact that she was weakened now, she was a perfect target.
To bring the universe's strongest to her knees, begging for mercy, wasn't that scene just beautiful?
"Hehehehe!"
The Marionette Lord couldn't stop giggling.
The more of Iris' blood that splattered on their face and body, the more of her blood painted the air, the more ecstatic they became.
Their attacks were ruthless. They barely ever tried to kill. They were meant to torture Iris to a slow death.
'Dammit!'
Iris tried to find a solution, but there were none.
This was an enemy on the level she was supposed to be at. Tricks and deception held no weight against them.
Still, Iris had to try.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Projectiles filled the air between the duo, forcing the Marionette Lord back.
However, at the same time, the Marionette Lord's bone spikes extended and stabbed into Iris' body, dragging her right back to their original position.
'This defense…!'
It was incredible.
As the explosions died down, Iris saw it clearly. The Marionette Lord's body changed once again, turning into a mesh of black spikes without any humanoid resemblance at all.
They were like a massive insect, or a homunculus made specifically to kill.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Iris sent forth stars and planets, galaxies and universes of energy to buy herself some space.
She was a ranged fighter. The only reason she risked pushing up on the Marionette Lord was because they weren't supposed to have the ability to fight back.
After all, considering the latter's ability to protect themself from her ranged onslaughts, she felt she had no choice but to push in.
Yet, it was all a ruse.
The Marionette Lord was someone whose actions couldn't be distinguished. The truths and falsities they presented were all twisted.
Perhaps this entire battle was a trap meant to lead Iris into close combat with them, so they could toy with her until the last moment!
Blood went everywhere.
At some point, Iris realized that her left arm was unusable. The nerves and systems had been damaged too far.
Her legs were also limply following her as she flew through the air, unable to move as she pleased anymore.
'They're crippling me slowly.'
It was absolutely intentional. The fact that she still had her right arm, the fact that she still had her head, it was absolutely intentional.
Nothing in this battle was due to luck. The only variable was her awakening Creation, but it seemed that wasn't enough to disrupt the Marionette Lord's scheming.
'It's impossible.'
Iris realized early.
She didn't have foresight, but her perception was practically precognitive.
She could see where this fight would go. No matter what she tried, she'd just feel the depths of futility and suffer until death.
There was only one solution.
'An extreme risk.'
The last resort she'd planned to use against a Nox Emperor, the very effect of the bug she'd eaten moments prior.
It seemed she'd have to use its effects early.
She had to be decisive here.
'Didn't he say he'd faced death already?'
If he could do it, she could too.
And as if the heavens were answering her will…
"IRIS!"
A voice boomed from the distance.
She turned her head just in time to see Damien teleporting towards her as fast as he could.
The look on his face was full of worry and panic. It was as if he realized her plans before she even started acting on them.
But that only made her smile.
'Right, if it's you, I believe it will succeed.'
He was her last hope.
As she felt her right arm fall limp, Iris turned back to the Marionette Lord with extremely fierce eyes.
"I won't let you do as you please, bitch."
With a grin on her face, she suddenly altered her body position.
Within her body, she used all of her remaining Divine Energy to "create" something.
A corridor to her soul.
And…
SHIK!
She perfectly placed herself in the path of the Marionette Lord's bone spike.
It impaled her chest, but instead of coming out of her back, it was forced through the tunnel and traveled into the ethereal.
The bone spike slammed into her soul.
Iris felt a massive shock.
But…
A translucent barrier appeared around her soul. It condensed into a string that shot through the bone spike and, within a fraction of an instant, connected Iris' soul with the Marionette Lord's.
Any impact she took would be shared between them.
The Soul Pairing Beetle. Its original function was to connect two lives and make it so the attacking party would be enslaved to the consumer.
If the consumer's soul was injured, the injury would transfer to the aggressor's. In the case of death, it would cripple the latter while using the remaining energy to preserve the former's soul.
But Iris wasn't planning on waiting for that uncertain moment.
She acted immediately.
This time, the Marionette Lord's eyes truly widened.
Their expression twisted into one of horror.
"YOU…!"
"STOP THAT NOW!"
Their usual demeanor completely vanished. They roared, their voice transmuting into countless different beastly forms as they lost control over their abilities.
They couldn't believe what was happening, but it was too late to regret.
Finally, the Marionette Lord met someone crazier than them.
"IRIS, NO!"
Damien's roar filled the air.
Iris looked at him without a single care. She didn't regret anything, because she believed he'd take care of the rest.
So she did it without hesitation.
As she mouthed a farewell to the man so desperately trying to save her, she acted on her will.
Eyrrisea Luminus shattered her soul.
And the entire world was filled with light.
