Two hours before Lux and Gaap arrived in the Abyss…
"Ugh…" Iris opened her eyes and found herself in a dimly lit place that had a musty smell.
"You're finally awake, Iris," Astra, who had returned to his Unicorn Form and was guarding the entrance of the cave, immediately approached her.
"Astra?" Iris placed a hand over her forehead in an attempt to ease the headache that she was feeling.
However, when her consciousness cleared and she recalled what had happened to everyone in their group, she momentarily forgot the pain she was feeling and looked at her Guardian with a grim expression on her face.
"Where is Cai?" Iris asked. "Where are Alicia, Henrietta, and the other members of Serenity?"
"…I don't know," Astra replied. "After Cai's sneak attack succeeded, she ordered me to take you away from the battlefield. I do not know what happened afterward."
Iris clenched her fists tightly while doing her best to keep herself calm.
She knew that if she allowed her emotions to get the best of her, she wouldn't be able to make rational decisions, let alone save the people dear to her.
"Hanz, Lapiz, Myrtle, come," Iris ordered as she summoned her Guardian Beasts.
The White Tiger, the Blue Dragon, and the Black Turtle appeared before her. All of them had sustained serious injuries.
Iris didn't hesitate and took out healing potions, which were specifically made for Beasts, in order to help her Guardians recover from their injuries.
Whenever she went to Elysium to join her Guild, Serenity, in subduing monsters in the Dungeons, her Guardians would often take the brunt of the damage to prevent any casualties from happening.
Because of this, Iris always carried dozens of potions with her in order to help her Guardians recover faster.
Half an hour later, her summons had all been treated, and Iris told them to rest in order to recover their strength.
She knew that she would need her Guardians to be at their peak if she wanted to go and rescue Cai and the others from the Satyrs.
While the others were resting, Iris took out a blue potion from her storage ring and removed her dress.
She then summoned a full-body mirror and looked at it with determination.
Her body which the Leader of the Satyr, Ampelos, lusted over, was reflected on the surface of the mirror.
Lux had treated it with great care whenever the two of them made love with each other as if it was one of the most precious things in the world.
Iris then opened the potion and dipped her finger inside of it. After her fingertip was dyed by the contents inside the potion, she then drew the symbol of the Black Turtle on her forehead.
This symbol represented longevity, wisdom, and protection.
When she was done, she proceeded to draw the symbol of the White Tiger on her left arm.
This symbol represented strength and bravery.
Once she was done drawing the Symbol of the White Tiger, she then drew the symbol of the Blue Dragon on her right arm.
This symbol represented power, fortune, and prosperity.
When she was finished, she once again dipped her hand inside the potion before drawing the symbol of the Red Phoenix on her chest.
Just like the others, this symbol had a meaning. It represented passion, love, beauty, and rebirth.
After drawing these symbols, several rune markings appeared on the blue-haired beauty's body that glowed faintly, empowering Iris and blessing her with the strength of the Four Mythical Beasts under her command.
Each symbol glowed with a different color.
Black, blue, white, and red.
However, they were not the only symbols that were shining on Iris' body.
Located on her lower abdomen, a golden symbol glowed faintly.
This symbol was heart-shaped with six wings spread wide on the side. Only two people in the world had this symbol on their bodies.
Iris and Cai.
The two people who had been marked by Lux as his women and the two whom he loved dearly.
Iris lightly caressed this mark because even though they were worlds apart, her beloved was always with her wherever she went.
"Don't worry, Lux," Iris said softly as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I will save Cai, as well as the others. After that, we will all go back together, safe and sound. We will return to you, Lux."
When the runes that were circling Iris' body stopped glowing, she took a dress out of her storage ring and put it on.
This dress was as light as silk, but it was as hard as Dragon Scales. It was gifted by her father, and it was meant to keep her safe from harm.
Now, she wore it not to protect herself, but to protect others instead.
Astra, who had returned to guarding the entrance of the cave when Iris started drawing the symbols on her body, returned and waited for his mistress' orders.
"We leave in half an hour, Astra," Iris said as she poured some healing potions over Astra's body in order to help him regain his strength and stamina. "Get some rest until then."
The White Unicorn nodded and crouched down on the ground to rest, boosting the speed of his recovery.
Although it didn't show on his face, Astra was quite exhausted. He had fought against the Satyrs, and after that, he fled the battlefield as fast as he could in order to find a safe place for Iris.
He also stood guard until the blue-haired beauty regained her consciousness. During this entire time, Astra was on edge and was also feeling guilty for leaving Cai and the others behind.
So, when he realized that his Mistress had decided to use her true power in order to save the others, Astra vowed that, no matter what happened, he would do his best to assist Iris in rescuing everyone.
While her Guardian Spirits rested, Iris sat cross-legged on the ground in order to meditate.
She knew that she had to be physically, mentally, and spiritually ready in order to harness the full powers of the Four Mythical Beasts that would merge with her body, granting her the power of four Argonaut-Ranked Alpha Monsters.
That was Iris' current limit because her original Rank was not high enough to include Astra.
Just like the others, Iris had just become an E-Ranker and had awakened some of her Unique Abilities as a Mythical Beast Tamer.
Once she became a D-Ranker, she would also be able to merge the power of 5 Argonaut-Ranked Monsters with her body.
When she became a C-Ranker, she would be able to harness the power of 5 Dreadnaught-Ranked Monsters.
When she became a Saint, she would be able to merge the power of Calamity-Ranked Monsters with her body, making her a true powerhouse that no one would dare to offend.
But this was still far off in the future, and the current Iris could only use a fraction of her true powers.
Finally, after half an hour, Iris opened her eyes.
Her Guardians also stirred one by one and looked at their mistress with determination.
Myrtle, the Black Turtle.
Hanz, the White Tiger.
Lapiz, the Blue Dragon.
And Zoe, the Red Phoenix, all turned into colorful rays of light and flew towards the symbols on Iris' body, sharing their power with her.
Astra neighed and made a gesture for Iris to mount his back, which the latter obliged.
"Let's go, everyone," Iris said softly as Astra ran out of the cave in order to head to the Dark Forest. "To Damnation and Beyond."
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