Damien could only watch helplessly.
It shouldn't have gone this way.
He killed the Strength Lord and he killed the Venom Lord. He gained power from them and approached in time to help with the battle with the Marionette Lord.
So why…?
Why did Iris have to do that?!
He saw it from the top of a faraway mountain. The moment when she made that decision, he rushed without a single thought in his head.
The only thing he could do was try to push forward.
But it didn't work.
Despite all odds, it didn't work.
He wasn't just teleporting. He used Flash Step to move forward in space and backward in time, so by all logic, the movement should've undone itself by the time he got there and he should've had the opportunity to save Iris and fight together.
But it was futile.
No matter how far back he went in time, their movements didn't change.
Because Iris set up a Personal Reality, their "time" was separated from Damien's, and with just Rudimentary Existence Law, he couldn't affect any timeline without limitations,
So he could only watch.
The entire world moved in slow motion.
His emotions boiled over, filling his empty head with a mesh of chaotic colors.
He didn't care what he had to do, nor did he care what he had to sacrifice.
As long as he could save Iris, he would do anything.
Why was the world against him?
He was so close, yet so far away, unable to bridge the gap regardless of any power or authority he possessed.
So he could only watch.
He could only feel the fluctuations of Iris' soul shattering into pieces, and the fluctuation of that impact traveling into the Marionette Lord's body and forcing them to feel it too.
"NO!"
He roared out mindlessly.
By the time it happened, he was already upon them.
The Marionette Lord was already struggling.
The impact they took was severe. With Iris' soul shattering under the influence of the Soul Pairing Beetle, the Marionette Lord's soul was crippled beyond belief.
Their power was disconnected. They could no longer access their Demonic Providence, nor did their Divinity hold any value.
In essence, the Marionette Lord was reduced to a regular mortal until they could find a way to piece together their soul.
So, when they saw Damien arriving, they couldn't say anything.
They could only look at him in panic and hatred as he attacked.
No, they didn't care about that. Since they were going to die anyway, they threw away all their regrets…
…and grinned.
Perhaps they would die, but they achieved what they wanted.
They got to see Damien despair.
And that was their win.
Regardless of what happened from this point forth.
"DIE!"
Damien roared again. He didn't care what he said or did, he just knew he wanted the Marionette Lord gone.
Void Mana raged through the atmosphere. Rudimentary Existence Law ran rampant and destroyed everything.
It was a silent event, but one more terrifying than anything grand.
Heaven and Earth, and all beings between them, were obliterated in a several thousand kilometer radius. The Marionette Lord, whose soul was crippled, was blown away without the ability to say or do anything, and even several Demigods not involved in the battle whatsoever were swept into oblivion by his rage.
Damien didn't care.
He didn't care if they were enemies or allies.
He wrapped Iris' body in his arms and roared, refusing to accept the circumstances.
Without hesitation, he took her and teleported into a nearby cave abode, gently laying her down and sending his mana into her body.
He had to save her.
There was no other future in his mind besides the one where she lived.
Void Mana traveled through her circuits and gave him a comprehensive view of her state.
'Her body is fine. These injuries can be healed easily, but…'
Her soul was in pieces.
'Luckily, it's not gone yet.'
The fact that it hadn't dispersed meant saving her was still possible. There was definitely a method.
He used the energy of the Void the way he always did, trying to pull the pieces of her soul together, but it didn't work.
The power he possessed wasn't enough to save her.
But, in that moment of desperation, something happened.
A glistening glass-like piece of soul took hold of Damien's mana and traveled through its connection into his body, similar to how the damage was transferred to the Marionette Lord.
That piece of Iris' soul…
'This is her last hope.'
Damien realized instantly.
He slumped against the wall powerlessly.
'Seriously…why does this woman trust me so much?'
Damien's emotions calmed down enough for him to think rationally.
Because of that piece of soul, he realized that Iris didn't completely give up hope, nor did she plan to die here.
She put everything on him, trusting him to bring her back.
He smiled wryly.
Despite the situation, his heart was touched. He wanted to cry, but tears did not form.
'How…?'
How was he supposed to do it?
Void Mana didn't work. Rudimentary Existence Law didn't work. Nothing he could do worked.
So what did she expect from him?
No, how was he to fulfill her expectations?
Damien had barely ever felt like this before.
The people he cared about were never put in situations like this. He never had to despair over their survival, because he trusted they would make it through.
This time it was different.
This time, logic said it was impossible. Reasoning said it was impossible. Natural law said it was impossible.
Only he, as the person who defied these fundamental concepts, could make it possible, but if he didn't know how, then what?
"...what do I do?"
"You cannot save her."
At a time unknown, a figure appeared in the cave alongside Damien and Iris, but he didn't react to it despite recognizing its presence.
"I refuse to do nothing. There has to be a way."
"There is, however, not for the current. Only Mother has the power to reverse this fate."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
If the Void could do it but he couldn't…
"I understand."
Iris' soul was shattered beyond belief. The pieces of her soul couldn't be aligned because the available pieces were not all there was.
Damien controlled Rudimentary Existence Law, not true Existence Law.
And the pieces of Iris' soul that disappeared couldn't be controlled through Existence Law in the first place.
This was a force of Nonexistence. It was a realm Damien had yet to even come close to exploring.
Therefore, he simply didn't have the power to–
"Did you say the Void can fix this…?"
"Yes, Mother has no bounds. This matter is trivial before its power."
"I see…"
Damien frowned.
There was a way.
But…he couldn't just use it wantonly.
"Could you give us some space?"
The Ancient Sovereign gazed at him without a change of expression, but he seemed to understand Damien's intent.
"Orion's descendant is important to me as well. I shall aid you in soothing the Heavens if you act."
With that last word, he disappeared from the cave entirely, leaving Damien and Iris alone.
Damien looked down at her.
He'd already healed her body.
She was truly a sleeping beauty. She looked so peaceful it was almost a shame to interrupt her sleep.
But this slumber couldn't be eternal.
Not anymore now that Iris had become someone important to Damien.
He closed his eyes and felt the soul fragment that entered his heart moments prior.
And without hesitation, he connected his own soul to its form.
