'Aggus!　Lean!　Mina!
Hey it's okay, it's okay.

　As if in response to Arios' voice, Aggus stands up.
　Lean and Mina, although wobbling, don't seem to have suffered any fatal damage either.

　As expected of a brave party, I should say.
　It's not just Arios, the other three also seem to have improved a lot compared to that time.

''Hey, Rain.
What?
Time me. We'll do it all at once.
Okay.

　While I don't like the idea of Arios telling me to do this or that, now is not the time to worry about that.
　How do we deal with the disaster that is Iris?
　That's the only thing I have to think about.......or else I'll die.
　I had a premonition that this was going to happen.

"Guys!
Yeah!

　Everyone, including Kanade, was ready to move at any moment.

'We're here too!'

　Axe and Cell also held their weapons at the ready.

''Oh, dear. Aren't you embarrassed to try to push through a weak maiden with violence in numbers like that against a frail maiden?
Don't tell me your mouth is weak.　You're doing something so unnecessary that I, here, am involved in such a trivial battle............joke!

　Arios stared at Iris.
　The sharp gaze, which could even make you feel the killing intent, doesn't faze Iris at all.

　It's as if to say, I'm used to that kind of thing.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. To the brave party ... skilled adventurers. And.........the strongest species like me, right? As expected, it might be a bit tricky.
"...if you think that's what it is, will you surrender?
Hey, Rain!　Don't be selfish. Kill that woman right here and...
'You understand the difference in strength, don't you?　Then there's no need to push yourself, don't you think?

　Arios interjects, but I ignore him.
　He seems to have been in cahoots with Iris, so I guess he thinks it's bad to be alive.

　Well, we'll talk about that later.

　Anyway, right now, I have to do something about the threat of Iris.
　It would be the best pattern if we could end the situation without having to fight it off swiftly...

Surrender?　Me?　To a human?

　Iris was stunned.
　Next, he laughs like a madman.

''Hmmm...........Hahahahahaha!　What makes you think that I would surrender to a human being?　No, he wouldn't!　Why would a human being........be a human being!
Huh.

　A smile filled with madness and eyes loaded with fiery murderous intent.
　I felt a shiver run down my back when those two were pointed at me.

　I don't know why, I don't know why, but.....
　Iris is hostile to humans.
　She has a deep hatred for them.

''Excuse me. I'm a little distracted.

　With a small laugh, Iris plastered a kamihatsu smile on her face.
　You don't want to show me you're distraught...
　Or maybe he didn't want to imitate showing his heart.

'Anyway, there's no way I'm surrendering,'
So you can't turn back here?
'Master Rayne, would you ever try to get your hands on a delicious-looking dish when it's right in front of you?
...Cooking, by the way, you mean the survivors of the Pagos villagers?
Yes, of course.
You're in bad taste.
Well, you're not of the same race as Master Lane. We have different values.
'I don't think it's a race issue, but ... well, that's okay.
Hey, Rain.

　Arios interrupted with an exasperated look.

'How long are we going to have this silly conversation?　I'm going to kill it now.
I know.

　Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm not sure I want to fight Iris, but...
　But that doesn't mean we can't retreat here.
　We have to get rid of the sparks that fall on us.

'Oh, dear. I'm afraid. I feel like I'm going to cry.

　Iris laughed.

I'm afraid I'd like to call for backup.

　He uttered such a thing.

'Support?'
Hmph, we're bluffing. There's no one around here but us and the villagers.

　Arios would dismiss it as such, but...
　Would Iris, who is feared to be a disaster, call such a bluff?

If you're saying you have another ally, I'd like to see it.
Now, let me show you something.

　Iris gave a deliberate bow.
　Then, in a beautiful voice, she spun a curse.

'I am thou. I am thee.
　Gathered in this right hand is power. Gathered in this left hand is a sign.
　I will give you strength.
　Therefore, go forth.
　I call on you, here you are!

　A magic circle spread out at Iris' feet.
　It spread out as time passed and covered the ground around it.

''What?!''
This is....

　Arios' eyes widened in surprise.
　Maybe I have a similar look on my face.

''Hmph ... come on, hell's dead.

　As if answering Iris' voice, demons emerged from the magic circle.
　Skeletons, Cerberus, Demons........
　All kinds of demons appeared and flooded the place.

''What is this........?''
Rain, that's a summoning spell!

　Sola let out a sharp voice, as if to warn him.

'Summoning?　We had a run-in before, like the demons used to use...?
'That's a bit different as it was creating its own portion of the body.
What's the difference?
''The altered body will disappear once the host is defeated, but that's not the case with summoning magic. It won't disappear even if you defeat the surgeon.
Seriously....
'Not only that, but it can not only create minnows like the minute body, but it can also invoke higher level beings with more power. Moreover, there is no limit to their number.
Isn't that a foul...?
'Yes. It's near foul magic. Hence, it was limited in what it could be used for. It should only be able to be used by Heavenly Clans that were extinct in the past...''
''Well Iris seems to be a celestial race, so I guess I'll have to meet that requirement.
''Hmph. You know a lot about that child of the spirit race over there.

　Iris, accompanied by multiple demons, laughs.

''But there's one more important piece of information you left out.
Important...?

　To Sora, who was looking at him blankly, Iris tried to give him a polite explanation.
　It may be a sign of composure.

It's a good thing that I'm here, so I'll tell you. It's not that I don't want you to know about it, but it's not a problem for me.

　Iris seems to be having fun......telling us a hopeless fact for us.

'There's no limit to what we can summon.
What's your point?
Well, let me get this straight. Come here, my dear.

　A further magic circle spread out at Iris' feet.
　What appeared from there was........

Iris... two?

　A girl who looked exactly the same as Iris appeared.
　That girl scurried around and looked around...
　Eventually, when he locked eyes with Iris, he seemed to understand the situation he was in and let out a sigh.

'Oh dear, is it again?'

　The girl sounded exactly the same as Iris, she said.

'Again, sir.'
"You and I are one and the same, but we are different. I'm happy to help you, but I don't like the idea of you being used for your own convenience.
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that.
What do you think?
But you can kill people, right?　Wouldn't you agree with me on that point?
'Well then, let's stop complaining about it.

　The two Iris laugh.

　What does this ... what does this mean?
　Are you dreaming?

Rain you be careful. That's the real Iris, too.

　Sola advised me, her face scrunched up.

'Perhaps you summoned yourself from a parallel universe,'
Parallel universe...?
'Well I won't go into detail, but consider that there are many worlds like this one that can't come and go, but there are many worlds like this one. I wondered if Iris had summoned herself from among those countless worlds.
''Wouldn't that ... in other words, you could summon more of yourself?''
Hmmm, I can do that too.

　Iris, who had been listening to our conversation, replied with a smile.

''Only, not all of us are cooperative, you know. Since it's a world of different possibilities, some of us are converted.......so it can't be infinite. However, I can lightly summon a few dozen more people. But.........I think the demons and another me will be enough for this place.

　Apparently, they are not going to summon any more.
　Are they underestimating us, or is it a proper decision?
　Either way, there might be a chance of winning there.

''Then........let's go, shall we?　Don't die so easily, do you?　Huh.