Dark Priests Perspective

A little earlier in time.

"The passive glow of the item has disappeared twice now and the active skill is on cooldown for a few more hours, I don't understand how a soul can vanish just like that, this being must be really special."

"I believe we should head closer to the coliseum as it was the place it glowed more even though finding the right person in the middle of all of them will prove to be hard."

"What do you suggest brother?"

"Perhaps we could wait at the exit? Eventually, everyone will go through it."

"That does sound perfect here stick with the item I'll take a look at the participants to see if I notice anything peculiar."

"Alright be careful with anyone from the church or even the royal guards as they might have killing intent detect."

"I'll be careful and currently all I want is to find the leader of the prophecy."

"I'll be here with our brothers waiting for the people to leave we'll disguise as peasants and hide our black robes."

The man removes his own robe giving it to his brother and goes inside the coliseum.

After some hours of watching the fights unfold, he notices a very exquisite phenomenon.

'Why is that blonde girl aura acting almost as if it's alive? Did she lose control of it and it's now going into burst?'

'With the earlier round it didn't felt like she lacked control in fact it was very good pinpointing her opponents with dirty attacks from behind.'

'Seems like it stopped, for now, I wonder what kind of skill would allow her to use her mana to damage the physical terrain it's worth investigating if she wasn't the general of the crown prince army, guess I'll make someone enter their army to decipher Aurora's secret.'

'Lord Zylph appears to be enjoying himself from watching her fighting as well, too bad for him that it is yet another individual he won't be able to approach,' this man started laughing at his friend's demise.

'That person hiding on top of the coliseum wall seems similar to Aurora is it her mother perhaps? I'll observe both for now as they seem to be the two of the seven targets that I'd gamble my life on being worth the time.'

※※※

Iris perspective

Back to the present.

Once I head back from the arena, I go to one of the bathrooms and then head into the mirror world once again leaving no trace.

'This place with the snow ritual barrier always in effect feels amazing healing my mana rapidly though this time I should have around 20 to 30 minutes till the next round.'

"Are you adorable?" I look at the back of a girl with light blue long hair, who turns to me smiling and then gets up and runs to me glomping me making us both fall on the snow.

"Master Iris," she hugs me tight," I was wondering how many years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds... I'd need to wait to see, observe, stare, witness, spectate, appraise your excellent and utmost glorious beauty."

'This girl is absolutely crazy just how was she born from my personality again? I thought that I could be backstabbed in some way but she looks obsessed enough about me to completely negate such thoughts.'

"Hello adorable witch, mind if I call you like this?"

"Of course not my master, it brings me the utmost happiness, a gigantic joy to be called and named by you, ah my heart can't take it, it's beating so fast that I believe it'll explode, will it explode? it will explode won't it?"

"Certainly it might if you don't calm yourself, tell me something," interrupting me she quickly says, "anything," ignoring her I continue and speak," how did you awaken so fast?"

"Me? Everyone will the amount of soul you gave us was more than necessary as the soul stones grades were pretty good, as such I added my own power to your barrier master so that you can feel the love that I dedicate entirely to the Babel witch, whenever you're in the mirror world."

"Power? Love?"

"Yes, focus on the mana around you, it should be recovering twice as much as my mana is being depleted, to fill you with the nourishment you need, to refill with the life that is lacking."

Upon hearing those words I look at the magic circle and use the skill magic analysis.

Notice: 400 mana has been deducted.

Notice: Analysing master Iris's magic circle...

"Oh, to be blessed with a demonstration of your marvelous magical skills, this one is too blessed, overjoyed even!"

Notice: The circle is currently erecting a snow ritual barrier through an area of 50 meters, alongside a mana channeling that will stay effective as long as the one temporarily known of the adorable witch, stays inside the magical circle.

'So that's how it works now I understand clearer, I wonder if the other witches will come out as crazy as this one,' I look at the light blue-haired me making her cheeks rose and embarrassed.

'She's certainly useful, fairly speaking all of them have been these past seasons, so I ought to treat them well, plus at some point they might become part of my family, it would be funny if I arrived with more twins of mine, I would love to show them and see their reactions, I'm sure my parents would panic.'

I sit at a point next to hers," shall we attempt to awaken the others?"

"Ah... master that won't be necessary we just have to patiently wait for it, may take days, months, years, certainly all of them will awaken."

"I thought you said I had given everyone enough soul so why will they take longer?"

"I humbly apologize," she kneels hitting her forehead on the snow," however my dear master hasn't awakened, so you are yet too weak to contract with more of us."

"You don't have to be sorry for that, I'll grow stronger in no time, what do I need to do to awaken?"

"I don't know master, but once you do, you will know what to do next."

"I understand, anything else I should know about you girls?"

"One of us has referred before, but we have conditions that would make us stronger making you stronger as a witch, just say my temporary name and status, and master will understand."

"Something like Adorable status?" A screen appears in front of me.

Status:

Unnamed | Untitled | Class: Witch

Master: Iris

Health: 1170/1170 | Mana: 3700/3700

Parameters: The master ones.

Titles: The master ones.

Skills: The master ones.

Conditions to awaken:

Receive a flower from the master.

"That's certainly an interesting condition, does it match the personality I thought you'd all have perhaps?"

"Possibly my master, sadly the knowledge doesn't go that far, and I believe it's unhappily the time for you to go as you're expected in the other world," she looks at me sorrowfully lowering her head and containing whatever inside of the green glittering eyes.

I get up then walk to her and give her a hug," I'll be back when I can, take care of our sisters till then, and tell them they can use the eye color matching the hair one, it'll feel more unique that way."

The girl's color eyes change in front of me becoming light blue like her hair, and I extend my hand to her cheek patting it while speaking," I feel like it matches you a lot more now, they too are very pretty, I'll be back soon."

She starts crying happily After hearing my words, knowing I'd be gone, and then I leave through the mirror back to the world of Artana.

I leave the bathroom and then sit on the usual bench that is empty.

Two minutes later a man appears and says," with 20 participants left as some got injured and others completely exhausted the 5th round will start lady Aurora," once again I get up and walk to the arena.

'How does this girl look so vivid compared to most of them? Even her aura feels very present, does she perhaps have some special recovery skill of the sorts?' The man thought confused and curious as he looked at the small blonde girl.

Once I arrive at the arena, in front of me I find a handsome dark-skinned boy older than me, with very long hair wielding a long spear.

"For this next opening act, we'll have this great young lady, who has shown both amazing sword skills and magic ones, defeating two successors of the great noble rose families, she's now up against a dark horse, a peasant from the northwest border who has shown great aptitude during all his combats, Raphael, the spear user!" The crowd applauded us fiercely as every match this young man appears, end up becoming very entertaining.

He bows deeply out of respect and says, "it is my honor to fight the great general of the southern lands."

"Likewise young warrior," I bow lightly to repay the respect even if he's a peasant, which makes it unnecessary and strange surprising him.

"If I win I'd like you to marry me, in exchange if I lose, I'll serve as the greatest warrior your army will ever have," I blush slightly surprised upon hearing such a proposition.

The crowd went from cheerful and energetic to euphoric, as he proposed to me out of nowhere raising the stakes of this year annual tournament.

After taking a glance around me, my eyes meet his and I smile and say," very well in that case I hope you won't die before you join my army," as the words resounded through the crowd the people got up from their seats and started cheering madly.

"Whoa a battle with a compromise of marriage, that'll be the most promising rule yet in the history of the annual tournaments!"

I unsheath both swords holding a short sword in each hand surprising Raphael and everyone else as people thought I used one-handed sword style.

"I'll take that as you being serious," he says and then I smile at him while taking a combat stance by lowering my body slightly and crossing my swords leaving little to no openings.

"The duel may now begin!"