Mr. Alpha!

　I picked up Alpha, who was lying on the floor.
　I touch her wrist and check her pulse, and she responds, though weakly.
　He's also breathing.

'Mr. Lane. Where's Mr. Alpha?
She's weak, but I think we've got her out of it.
'Well that's good to hear. Although he is the one who caused the troublesome incident, he is by no means an evil one.
'Yes. It's just that what happens later on...

　We've got all this stuff going on.
　I feel it's hard to say no blame at all.

　The strongest species doesn't belong in human society but....
　But that doesn't mean we can't just leave it at that, if something happens.
　If you do that, you can do whatever you want.

　It's not like anything terrible is going to happen, since no harm is being done....

''Ummm.......let's see if I can get Rezona-san to help me out.
'Krios I know someone in the city where the demon clans gather. Maybe he can help me.
How can I get them to come in?
"How to say it,

　I'm not seducing you.

　After all, Rezona is Rifa's mother.
　There's no way I'm messing with my own mother.

Just get out of the tower.
Yes.

　The fog was beginning to clear, probably due to Alpha's fainting.
　The tower also continued to vibrate with minute vibrations, giving a hint of collapse.



----------



Everybody okay?
Meow, I'm fine!

　The fall of the tower is getting harder and harder...
　A little while after we went down, it melted into the air and disappeared.
　If it had stayed there, it would have been thrown into the air.
　It's horrifying.

　Everyone is safe.
　Iris is okay.
　Mr. Alpha is okay.

Good. I think we just escaped.
Hey, Rain. What's going on after all?
I went to Rayne's anyway, but we don't know what we're up against.
Iris is with you, too, with a look on her face, as if it's a given.
Hmm. There's a lot going on about that.
I'll explain it all later. More importantly....

　I look around.

'Nyan?　What's going on, Lane?
I'm just wondering if there are any dogs or anything else.
Doggy. What do you want to do?
'Monica must have been close by. She might still be hiding somewhere, watching us.
Monica I don't like that guy...

　Kanade's tail hangs down in a henpecked heap as he remembers his previous bitter battle.

'I'd like to use a dog or something to keep you alert... hmmm... would it be difficult?'

　Dogs have an excellent sense of smell, but if they can't smell the target, there is no way to track it.
　They are sensitive to malice and other things, so they might bark at you if something happens... but I doubt it.

Master Lane. In that case, would you like me to take a look around the city?
Are you sure?
I can fly on my own, and I know Monica's presence. I think I'm the best person for the job.
It's, well...

　Wouldn't you just disappear?　I worry about that.
　It seemed to show on her face, and Iris gave a small smile.

''Hmph, there's no need to worry about that kind of thing.
'Well...'
It's rude to hide out again now that you've shown up like this, and I, too, would like to talk to Miss Lane. I promise to come back properly and not run away.
Uh I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you.
'No, I'm glad you feel that way. Huh.

　Iris spread her eight wings.

''Then I'll go.''
Take care of yourself.
Huh, who do you think I am?　It's the deadliest, most powerful species.



----------



It doesn't seem to be a problem.

　After flying over the city of Kagne in a manner, Iris came to that conclusion.

　I looked for Monica's figure, or any sign of her, while on guard, but I couldn't sense a shred of her.
　Monica is able to control her illusions at will, but...
　But there was no escaping Iris's keen eyes completely.
　It was impossible to hide out without leaving a shred of a sign.

　Hence, Iris decided that Monica would be gone.

''Nevertheless, I'm tired...''

　Prolonged combat.
　And the full-throated attack after shifting to the awake state.
　As you would expect, the exhaustion is so great that I'm afraid I'll fall asleep if I'm not careful.

Now, let's go back to the lodge where we were supposed to meet. I'll tell Miss Lane that there is no problem and then what should we do?　If I could, I'd like to be with Lady Lane...
...Hahaha, zannen...
What?

　Suddenly, there was a chuckle.

........huh?

　Iris let out an inaudible scream as a sharp pain shot through her chest.
　When she looked down, she saw a human hand growing out of her own chest.
　A hand pierced through the flesh, revealing a hand drenched in blood.
　At the end of that hand, a glowing sphere was grabbed.

''This.........is.......!
"As expected of you, you can't do anything about the space-jumping attack, and you look exhausted... hahaha!　As expected of a legendary equipment, the Rainbow Crystal. It's got amazing power.
You are... a party of...
His name is Lean. And I don't have to remember it. There's no way this wound is going to save you, hahaha!
Ggh...!
You thought you were going to betray us.　I didn't see that coming. It's obvious. So, we're going to stick to the plan. That's why we're going to do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm going to take the whole thing and use it for myself.
Oh...!

　Iris grabbed the hand that was growing out of her chest and clawed at it.

　At least, just this one person...!
　I don't care if I have only one arm, I'm going to take you with me.

　But I don't get any strength.
　My whole body is rapidly cooling down and my vision darkens.

''.........Rain............''

　Iris fainted as she spoke her beloved's name.