Chapter 269: The Girl They Called Iris Part 2 (1/2)
”Monty Montague, I order you this as part of the Contract made you are to kill Iris, do that, and you will be free.”
”What?” Iris whispered. ”But you said you needed me to break the seal!”
”I do. So, it's your choice to kill Monty and help me break the seal or die by his hands and set the boy you love free. The choice is up to you; of course, even if he does kill you, I will simply end his life after and move onto the next host, your sister. If she doesn't work, I can always turn to Alton. Of course, you can try and reason with Monty and save him, but that just won't work.”
Monty began walking forward fist clenched tears running down his eyes. ”Iris, please, please. Don't make me do this.”
”You can fight this, Monty! Please, don't let him take you over! I know you can do this!”
”It's futile to resist Monty. It only just makes the process more painful.”
”I'm sorry, Iris, I can't hold back,” Monty screamed, attacking Iris. Breaking her chains, she jumped back, pushing Monty further with her cube as two spears spun around her. ”Kill me! Kill me before I hurt anyone else, please!”
Iris clenched her fist, getting into a battle stance with her cubes at the ready. ”No matter what happens, Monty, I promise you, I'll free you from this curse!”
Monty walked forward, losing all self-control; as Iris readied herself for a fight, Monty collapsed, vanishing into the ground. Jumping up, her cube flew out into a pillar as Iris looked around for Monty's first strike. Turning just in time to find Monty jumping up to attack, Iris smacked him back with another cube knocking him to the floor. Rolling around, Monty pulled himself up, holding his hand out as a machine gun came out from his tattoo. Firing at Iris with no remorse, she pulled up a wall leaning against it as her defence was hailed on with a constant array of bullets. Stepping back, Iris kicked the wall sending it towards Monty, using this found time to turn her attention to Acceptance. Her cube rushed back to her, twisting and morphing into a spear. Gripping it tightly, she stomped the ground throwing it with all her might.
Acceptance smirked as Monty rushed past, looking to take the hit for him. Startled by this, Iris forced her spear to change course, flying off into the distance before shortly returning to her not long after. ”Your attention should be in other places, young Salvation. As long as Monty is under my control, he will not let me get injured in the slightest. Holding him back will not do enough; if you want to stop him and me, you need to kill Monty.”
Iris stared at Monty, conflicted and devastated by the apparent fact, she had no choice in the manner. Gripping her fists tightly, she spoke up with a spark of hope. ”There has to be another way. I can break Monty from his curse!”
”It's too late. I only speak the truth; Monty is never returning, no matter how much he struggles and fights. What will it be, Iris Hawthorne?”
Lowering her head, Iris smiled faintly, wiping her eyes. ”We've been through quite a lot, haven't we, Monty? Two years on the run from Mortem sure brought out the best of us both; I thought you to be a scumbag selfish villain who only cared for himself. But you not only saved my life serval times but you, in the end, we're willing to sacrifice everything to make amends. I know you still feel the same; you'd tell me your life doesn't matter; it's you or the world.” Lifting her hand up, serval spears appeared hovering around her. ”I cannot let the Garden escape! Monty, forgive me!”
The spears flooded forward as Monty looked on with a smile as each one stabbed into him, falling to his knees. His dead look faded as he stared at Iris, smirking. ”Look at you playing the hero…”
Limping over bleeding out, Iris stared on, keeping herself together, breaking down at any moment. There was no time for mourning as a hero. She still had one last job. Acceptance's claps were what snapped her back to reality as his clapping grew louder and faster. ”Bravo! Bravo, wow, what a show of power! Forgive me, young Salvation. I truly thought you didn't have it in you. This was something I should have seen coming, although it will not do you much good. Killing him or not will, at the end of the day, make no differences you've lost. You lost the moment you entered this realm of existence. You will open the seal and free us, Iris; it is your destiny.”
”You're wrong, Acceptance! I'm taking back everything today, and I'm going to avenge everyone you've destroyed with your twisted desires. The Garden will never return because I will always be there to stop you!” Iris boasted, pointing to the Stage of Grief.
Acceptance waited a moment, shaking his head. ”It seems you truly believe you can defeat me. How pathetic. Very well, I shall amuse your fantasies and show you how wrong you truly are.” Stepping down the hill, Acceptance stopped turning away, looking over his shoulder, taunting Iris. ”Show me just what you are made of, then saviour of Victoria.”
Iris turned her hand as a dozen cubes appeared all around her, ready for the fight of her life. She couldn't afford to lose this one, not ever. The stake of the whole world relied on her winning. Jumping up, she began running in the sky around Acceptance, using her cubes as stepping stones. Hovering around on one more, she skated around, getting the best vantage point. Acceptance looked up, smiling boldly, holding both hands up as vines ripped from the ground flinging around, attempting to strike Iris from the sky. Flipping over one, Iris turned on the spot flicking her arm down as two giant pillars crashed down, breaking through the vines. Acceptance stared at each of them as they were cut down by serval more vines slashing at them. Right over Acceptance, Iris pulled a cube into sight, using it as a slingshot propelling the power of her next attack before unleashing it. Smashing her next attack down, it crashed to the floor, setting off a chain explosion ripping through the land.
As Iris came crashing down, she rolled over, distancing herself from Acceptance. However, the moment she touched the floor serval vines ripped at her. Her cubes formed together into a giant wall blocking the attack catching Iris off guard. Traversing around the wall kept morphing to match the oncoming attacks growing bigger and smaller by each passing moment. Acceptance simply stood watching, hands in his pockets as he began to slowly overwhelm Iris. As the last vines broke through, another pillar appeared, smashing Iris into the air as vines burst from where she was standing. High in the sky, Iris came back to her senses as dozens of vines wrapped around her, all looking to crush her. Unable to move, Iris roared with anger screaming out as all the vines broke. Falling to the ground, Iris pulled herself out of the crater with yellow eyes and a long cape glowing purple flowers. Her face was covered by a long masquerade mask and a black teardrop hat with a decaying purple flower. Acceptance inspected his foe amused. ”Finally getting serious, are we? The Child of the Garden on full display; that's more like it. So shall we continue?”