Pallorn stood beside Iris and spread her wings. Their black and white feathers swayed, covering Iris from the outside view. Her holy Corruption Power suffocated the peaceful atmosphere, filling the room with black and white tints.

Though her power could only crumble before Vivalin’s might, her resolution disallowed her retreat. She strengthened her back, rooted her feet on the floor, and embraced Iris from behind. Even if the Deities themselves descended, she would never hesitate.

The Fallen Angel must protect her Fallen Goddess.

Iris carelessly touched Pallorn’s tensed hands, her eyes flashing with surprise. She turned to Pallorn and shook her head lightly.

“Vivalin means us no harm. You don’t need to protect me, Pallorn.” Iris pulled Pallorn’s hands to her lips and shifted her gaze to the Second Princess. “My overconfidence has embarrassed me. Please punish me accordingly, Your Highness.”

Pallorn reticently retracted her wings. Her feathers dispersed into the shadow and light. Though tranquillity returned, hidden pressure now plagued the room. Lenmia and others stood up, though they kept still, their eyes fixing on Iris and Pallorn.

“Iris, Pallorn . . . what do Her Highness’s words mean?” Dulcie said before she looked at Lenmia. “Sister Lenmia, did you know this too?”

Lenmia averted her gaze, but she didn’t shake her head.

“You must have known it too, Lenmia,” Vivalin said.

Lenmia faced the Second Princess. “Yes. Although I am now a Monster Girl, I was once a Holy Maiden. My soul is exceptionally sensitive to the movement of Faith. Pallorn, she has Faith inside her, which she used to communicate with Iris.”

“But how?” Dulcie frowned. “How can Iris be holy? Is she . . . no longer one of us?”

“She’s still one of us!” Pallorn said. “She might be a Monster Girl, but her body can also house Faith and belief.”

“Everyone, please calm down,” Lenmia said. “Even if she were no longer a Monster Girl, would she have abandoned us?”

Iris wished to speak, but Lenmia’s graceful smile silenced her. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t tell the truth either. They mustn’t know the truth, or they would be dragged into this deadly scheme, the scheme from which she’d been keeping them away.

“She would never.” Varda raised her right fist. “She promised, didn’t she? Even if she were to flee, I would bring her back. I would corrupt her again, and this time, I’ll make sure she feels what I felt.”

“I’m still in the room.” Iris sighed. “You all must stop now, or I will walk out right this instant.”

“You cannot walk out now,” Vivalin said. “I still require your help.”

“What could I do that you and the Broken Empire couldn’t?”

“We are of this world, our perspective bound to our worldly senses.”

“I knew little about my past. My main body didn’t give me all my memory.” Iris glanced at Pallorn. “I cannot track or return her messages.”

“Did she tell you her location?”

“Somewhere in the Eastern Continent. She is safe, but there is no way for her to return to us in a short while.”

“If she were in the Central Continent, our Broken Empire would have brought her back. Unfortunately, our influence didn’t extend across the great body of water.”

While Northern Continent and the Central Continent were relatively close, the Eastern Continent was in isolation, cut off by the vast distance, surrounded by turbulent oceans and volcanic ranges. Only Monster Girls of Condensation Phase and above could confidently voyage through them.

“The Eastern Continent?” Lenmia looked at Vivalin. “Your Highness, please do not make any rash decision.”

“Worry not. The Broken Empire was once the Divine Empire. The secrets the Churches know, we know too.” Vivalin smiled. “Though we cannot visit the oceans, we can take a tour around the cities. Iris, have you thought about a vacation?”

Iris tilted her head. “To where?”

“Staying inside all the time is unhealthy. We’ve supplied you with exotic materials, but without experience, your power will stagnate.” Vivalin flicked her wrist. An ethereal map of the Central Continent manifested. “How about the Tentoid Empire, or the Ladimon Kingdom?”

“It’s too dangerous. Forgive my insolence, but I don’t believe we could take over the two nations this quick.”

“Something happened to the Seven Goddesses and the Goddess of Redemption. The rampaging Evil Cults might have played a part in the design. Nonetheless, the two nations have passed their peak.”

“For two Goddesses to disappear, something apocalyptic must have happened. There is a high chance that other Deities and Evil Deities are pulling the strings. And against them, we will fall.”

“You speak with such confidence, Iris. Do you know something I don’t?”

Iris pointed at the Tentoid Empire. “There is another clone of mine somewhere near the Sunken Dark Forest. There is a rumour about a falling constellation, a dying goddess.”

“Have your main body told you the location of that clone?” Vivalin furrowed her brows. “As expected of you. Despite being of Transformation Phase Slime Girl, you can already make two Life Clones, and your condition suffers no deterioration. Is this Lady Lilith’s gift?”

“Please forgive her, Your Highness,” Pallorn said, smiling. “Her main body is too cautious.”

Vivalin chuckled. “Even if she told me, I wouldn’t have believed her. However, you wouldn’t lie to your family, would you?”

“You know my weakness well.”

“How could I not, when you are our living hope?” Vivalin waved her hand. The map dispersed. “I shall trust your judgement but on one condition.”

“My body is not on the table.”

“But ours are.” Vivalin motioned her hand.

A human maid, dressed in thin white fabric, entered the room, her hands holding a veiled tray. After greeting Vivalin, she knelt before Iris and lifted the veil. There was a pile of coloured letters coated in gemstones and scented dyes, each attached to a portrait of beauty from all races.

“I don’t remember having such influence,” Iris said. “Did you give me an imperial title?”

“If you wish.”

“I do not!” Iris picked up a letter and opened it. Inside were words of admiration and curiosity. The lady, a Butterfly Girl, wished to spend a night with Iris, to serve Iris with her honey-filled touches.

All the letters were of Iris’s admirers.

“Sister Iris doesn’t need these letters!” Varda said. “We are enough for her. Your Highness, please don’t take her away . . . .”

“What do you think, Iris?”

“I . . . don’t want these letters, but I also can’t reject them.” Iris turned to her family. “Please understand my circumstances. My way of polishing my innate talent is . . . mayhaps too unique.”

“But if it’s unavoidable, why not us? Are we not enough?” Varda looked down. “Please point out my mistakes and advice me.”

“Your touches never dissatisfy me, Varda.” Iris blushed. “However, what I need is not pleasure, but intimacy. Our affections are already full. No matter how much we pleasure ourselves, my innate talent won’t progress. Still, it doesn’t mean that I will reject you.”

Vivalin knocked on the table. “I’ve taken too much of your time, and now, I shall return to my usual schedule. Iris, if you wish for anyone, please ring the bell, though I’m unavailable for the moment.”

“I’ll bother you if the need arises.” Iris bowed. “Thank you for your help, Your Highness. Your favour will be repaid in full.”

“Thank you for your time, Your Highness.” All other Monster Girls curtseyed before they resumed their chattering, teasing Iris, asking for more compensation, soliciting more touches.

Vivalin sauntered out of the room and exited the ballroom, her eyes unfocused, her thoughts lost in her mind.

...

The imperial guards saluted Vivalin before they unlocked the chains binding the rusty metal gate. Despite opening the gate, sunlight dared not trespass into the spiralling blackness, lingering only at the abyssal entrance. Only the ancient, mouldy stench could escape from the depth beneath the imperial palace.

“No one but me will disturb the imperial dungeon,” Vivalin said.

“Your words are the law, Your Highness.” The two imperial guards struck their chest plates. The metallic sounds echoed their determination.

“If Imperial Mother comes, tell her I’m visiting the monument of our empire.”

Vivalin disregarded the guards’ response and stepped into the imperial dungeon. Darkness crawled around her, devouring every speck of light clinging to her figure. Nevertheless, her silhouette remained glowing, radiating not radiance but brilliance.

As her delicate feet lay on the stone stair step, the torches on the wall lit up, revealing the successive steps before burning out behind her. She was the only orb of light in the great void, journeying into the pit of despair, into the world locked away from the light.

The moment she reached the bottom floor, freezing blue flames flared up. Their blazes coursed along the cracks in the walls and ceiling, painting the black canvas with an indigo hue.

Inhaling deeply, Vivalin walked toward the deepest part of the dungeon. Countless magic circles floated around her, but they became docile when she approached, flickering in delight as their master graced them. Along the way, multiple sealed jails stood motionless, lacking prisoners. They’d already died, decayed by time, withered by their crumbling souls.

At the end of her path, Vivalin stood before a beautifully crafted gate. She grabbed the handle, tensed her fingers, and pushed it open. Soft, yellowish light greeted her face, dispelling the chilly air and blue tint.

She had emerged from the gloomy dungeon and to a palace.

Unlike the rest of the prison, the last chamber was decorated in splendid wooden material and ceramic ornaments. Lanterns, candles, and chandeliers provided ample light for its sole resident, though he, bound by magic, couldn’t do anything.

The prisoner, a middle-aged man in tattered, crimson clothes, closed the book in his hand and raised his head. His grey eyes turned golden for a moment before dimming to their dullness.

“Vivalin, did you miss me?” he said.

“Every day, Father.” Vivalin sighed. “Today, my friend spoke of your legacy.”

“Do you wish to reminisce about my accomplishments?” Vivalin’s father, the Divine Emperor, smiled. “Like the Divine Empire, my name is a subject of the past, left behind by the flow of history. The younger generation will surpass me in due time.”

“Imperial Father, why must you be insistent?” Vivalin pointed at her heart. “You know my intention. The Divine Empire cannot stand the test of time, not when the Divine mandates our destruction. Everything is for the continuation of our bloodline, your bloodline. Even if we become Broken, we shall stay standing.”

The Divine Emperor silently placed down the book. Once dignified and powerful, his body now exuded a fragile aura that indicated his frail physique. He had fallen, his peak passed.

“Vivalin, you’re too naive,” the Divine Emperor said. “You cannot place your trust in Lilith. She’s a Foreign Existence, an enemy of your world.”

“Half my blood is of Foreign Existence, Father. It’s your blood, the blood of the Divine Emperor, the First Hero!”