As Iris squared off against Isis, who had floated back to a distance, Alice gave the signal to begin.
"All right, Isis-san. Let's start with beginner-level magic, please."
"Okay... then... Ice Ball."
Isis nodded, conjuring a small magic circle at her fingertip before flicking her hand. A chunk of ice the size of a fist shot toward Iris, but it was effortlessly repelled by a barrier.
It doesn't feel like beginner-level power... but it's not enough to trigger a sense of crisis. Still, that activation speed is a useful reference, even for a low-tier spell.
Since the single strike wasn't particularly threatening, Iris had plenty of room to think.
"Now, Isis-san... please increase the number."
"Okay... is... ten thousand... enough?"
"What?"
Faster than Iris could register the shock of those words, a staggering number of magic circles manifested around Isis. With a single wave of her finger, they transformed into a rain of ice that poured down on Iris.
Good grief, today is nothing but surprises. To fire ten thousand beginner spells so casually... she's likely splitting her thoughts through a brain enhanced by magic power. My limit for simultaneous activation is only about a hundred. Even in areas like this, the gap is clear.
The sheer volume was a threat, but the individual power of the spells had not increased. Iris's circular defense barrier held firm, blocking every falling shard of ice. However, this was still only beginner magic—hardly even a warm-up.
"All right, next is mid-level magic, please."
"Okay... Freeze Lance."
Isis raised the tier of her spell, and a one-meter-long ice spear shot from her hand.
I expected as much. The activation speed is the same, and the power is definitely higher than the standard... but it's not impossible to block.
By channeling a bit more magic power into her barrier, Iris stopped the spear without a problem. However, her expression remained deadly serious. She still had a lingering, bad feeling. It was a sensation she had experienced countless times during her years as an adventurer—the gut feeling that a grim premonition was about to come true.
"Now then... please increase the number."
"Okay... ten thousand again."
"Just as I thought..."
The difficulty difference between parallel-activating beginner spells and mid-level spells was exponential. Normally, it should have been impossible to produce the same quantity—unless ten thousand simultaneous activations had been nowhere near Isis's actual limit to begin with.
Ten thousand was a staggering number. Even so, Iris felt that Isis was still holding back. She was right. As the ice spears rained down, Iris poured a massive amount of magic power into her barrier to hold her ground. The pressure she felt as the defender was vastly different from before, and a light sweat began to form on her forehead.
"Next... high-level magic, please."
"Cocytus Lance."
The battle didn't wait for her. A large magic circle appeared in Isis's hand, and a massive ice spear—several times larger than the previous ones—materialized. It wasn't a wide-area attack designed for Iris to receive easily, but a single-target spell. Yet the pressure it exerted was incomparable to the earlier attacks. The giant lance was launched with a speed leagues beyond mid-level magic, slamming into Iris's barrier.
"Guh... ngh!"
Though she was pushed back along with her barrier by the impact, Iris successfully managed to defend herself. At least against one.
"Please... increase the number."
"Then... ten thousand again."
"!"
Suddenly, Iris's vision was dyed completely in ice. Amidst a roar that could only be described as a bombardment, she desperately channeled magic power into her barrier to endure the spears. Under a pressure that felt like it would shatter her if she relaxed for even a second, Iris somehow held out.
"High Ancient Spell... please."
"Are you sure?"
"Please."
"I understand... Blue Star."
Isis hesitated for a moment seeing Iris's battered state, but after hearing Alice's firm insistence, she nodded and raised one hand toward the sky.
And from the heavens, a blue star of ice fell. It was magic that could only be described as a meteor. As Iris watched the blue star plummet toward her—a sight of pure despair—she readied Apocalypse. Her combat experience from her long years as an adventurer was not shallow, and her intuition told her: Blocking is impossible.
"In that case! I'll just shoot through it! Swallow it! Violent Beast! Apocalypse!"
Defense was impossible, and it was unclear how far the blast radius would reach if she tried to dodge. Her only option was interception. Responding to Iris's cry, a black flash soared into the sky, striking the star.
Then, a voice that sounded almost cold echoed in her ears.
"Please increase the number."
"Yes... I understand."
A rain of stars fell from the sky. To an observer, it might have looked beautifully dreamlike, but to the one in the center of the storm, it was a downpour of pure, violent pressure. Her exhausted knees felt ready to buckle. Her heart felt like it would break before she even realized it. Amidst the darkness of that sensation, Iris broke into a ferocious smile.
"Ah, it’s impossible. Apocalypse can’t be fired in rapid succession like this... 'the current me' has no way to resist."
She glanced toward Alice in the distance, who was simply smiling with amusement.
"In that case, right now! I simply need to grow into the version of myself that can do it! Isn't that right, the Violent Beast of my heart! It doesn't end here!"
As if answering her, Apocalypse released a staggering flash of light. A Heart Tool is a weapon of the heart; Apocalypse was Iris's heart itself. If her heart broke, it would become nothing more than a stick, but if she let her resolve explode, it would respond without reserve.
Answering Iris's determination to shatter the rain of stars, Apocalypse amplified her magic power at a ratio far exceeding its previous limits.
"Consume everything! Beast of Tyranny—Giga Apocalypse!"
A black light—the jaws of the Violent Beast—swallowed the heavens.
Once the exchange concluded, it was decided that Iris-san would take a break before the actual mock battle. While Iris-san sat on the ground looking exhausted, Alice spoke to Isis-san.
"Isis-san, what do you think of Iris?"
"I think... she'll become very strong. Her potential is amazing... and her heart is strong too."
"I see, I see..."
Alice nodded with a satisfied expression. Seeing that, a question welled up in my mind. Why had Alice planned this mock battle between the two of them in the first place? If the goal was to let Iris-san experience high-level combat, it seemed like Alice herself could have done it. Knowing how sharp she is, I suspected there was another purpose behind specifically creating this opportunity to fight Isis-san.
"How was it on your end, Iris? The mock battle is still ahead, but what about Isis-san's power?"
"I am honestly in awe. She doesn't just rest on her innate strength; her power is like a blade polished to perfection. It's frustrating, but right now, I feel she is a completely superior version of myself."
"Hmm, hmm."
After nodding at Iris-san's words of praise, Alice spoke with a faint smile.
"Now then, I have a proposal. Iris, listen while you recover. Just to be clear, this is strictly a proposal. It only happens if both of you agree."
"That’s a rather pretentious way of putting it. What is it?"
"Isis-san, do you have any interest in making Iris your subordinate?"
"Eh? ...Ehh?"
The proposal caught me by surprise. Or rather, Isis-san seemed more shocked than anyone, looking back and forth between Alice and Iris-san with a stunned expression. Iris-san put a hand to her chin, lost in thought. Knowing Alice as she did, she likely sensed some underlying intention.
"I see. As I am now, there would be some inconveniences for me, wouldn't there?"
"Exactly. I'm managing for now, but Iris has a body that can move freely, and her range of activity is going to expand. Considering how strong she'll get, we won't be able to keep a lid on the information forever. Her body, which is based on mine, is essentially that of a Demon. A 'free' Count-class High-ranking Demon is a true rarity. Nations in the Human Realm would want to hire you at any cost, and the number of Demons wanting to become your subordinates would skyrocket."
"So, to get ahead of that, you’re suggesting I join Isis-dono's faction."
"That’s it. Of course, you’d likely end up accompanying her to events, but I think you’d be in a position with more freedom than the alternatives. Plus, if Iris wants to grow stronger, I think it'd be effective to study under Isis-san, who excels in magical techniques and possesses a mountain of grimoires."
"..."
Come to think of it, I didn't know of any Count-class individuals who weren't affiliated with someone. Not to mention those under the Six Kings, even Illness-san serves Lilia-san. With Kuro’s Family, the public perception is that they're under the Underworld King. In the future, if Iris-san gets stronger and becomes famous, people might even try to set her up as a Seventh King.
"Hey, Alice. Is there a possibility that Iris-san might eventually become a Seventh King?"
"I won't say it’s impossible, but she’s completely unsuited for it."
"I know that myself. I am suited for a supporting role; I am not meant to stand at the peak."
"I see."
There was the matter of suitability, and it seemed Iris-san didn't wish for that herself. As we talked, a worried Isis-san spoke to Alice.
"Um... Shaltier? Is it... okay if it's me? What about making her... Shaltier's subordinate?"
"Eh? Iris as my subordinate? Absolutely not, it gives me the creeps."
"Unthinkable. Just hearing the idea of becoming Alice's subordinate makes my skin crawl."
At the suggestion, Alice and Iris-san both made faces of genuine disgust at the exact same time. For the two of them who had spent so long as partners, they saw each other as equals. The idea of one being above the other was inconceivable.
"B-But... I..."
"Yes, that's right. To be blunt, before, you weren't the type of person who could take someone as a subordinate. Or rather, you didn't have the mental leeway for it. If you were still the Isis-san of old—cold and isolated, constantly radiating intimidation—I wouldn't have made this proposal."
Hearing those words, I remembered the first time I met Isis-san. Back then, her eyes were so cold, looking like she had given up on everything. And as Chronoa-san had mentioned, she used to be uncompromising, forcing her way through with power when opinions clashed. Having gone through that repeatedly, her heart had no room for others.
But that was strictly the past. The current Isis-san had softened to an unthinkable degree. I truly believed she would have many friends if it weren't for her magic power of death.
"However, you changed after meeting Kaito-san. I believe that now, with the room you have in your heart, you'll be fine having a subordinate. Also, the fact that you currently have no other subordinates is a helpful situation for Iris, who is essentially a newcomer among the powerful."
"Ugh, ah... I would be... happy if that happened... but... Iris might not like it."
"Well, it depends on Iris. What do you think?"
Isis-san turned toward Iris-san with an expression mixing anxiety and hope. When Alice asked, Iris-san remained silent for a while before finally speaking.
"Now that you mention it, I have lived as I pleased as an adventurer for a long time... but I have never had the experience of serving someone. In my current state, doing something different from my past might... be interesting."
Iris-san stood up and faced Isis-san.
"It’s not as if respect for you hasn't begun to sprout, and I find you to be a person I can feel fond of. There is a part of me that feels that becoming your subordinate wouldn't be bad."
"U-Uh-huh."
"But I cannot decide completely just yet. Therefore, grant me one wish."
"A wish?"
"If I am to become your subordinate, I want to know the power of my King. Isis-dono likely intended to hold back even in the mock battle, but... I want you to fight me seriously. Show me the full power of the King you are."
"I understand... I will fight... with everything I have."
Having put off the final answer, Iris-san requested Isis-san's full power. Isis-san nodded with a serious expression. Watching them, I felt as though a new bond was being forged between the two, a sign of the future that was to come.