As Iris descended into the depths of her despair, she couldn't help but question her very existence. "Why am I like this?" she silently pondered, her trembling hands betraying her inner turmoil. "I can't even stand up right now, and I'm being shielded by rookie knights. I guess my mother disowned me for a reason; I really am useless. What's the point?" Her thoughts raced as self-doubt threatened to consume her.
Amidst her internal struggle, she reminisced about her childhood friends, Licht and Lucifer, who had risen to become the captains of the most formidable knighthoods. "And yet," she continued her introspection, "their vice-captains surpass me in strength, and even my subordinates, who once looked up to me, met their tragic fates because of my actions. Their blood stains my hands."
Suddenly, Astrea's urgent cry pierced through her contemplation. "Iris, we need your help!" Astrea's plea shook Iris from her reverie.
"Why do you need my help?" Iris replied, her voice tinged with self-deprecation. "You all would be better off without me. If I were to join you, I might only bring trouble and, worst of all, jeopardize your lives."
Astrea vehemently denied her assertions. "It's not like that, not even in the slightest. We're all knights here, sworn to protect the people. Even if one of us were to fall due to a mistake, we would never hold it against you. As long as the people are safe, we don't mind sacrificing ourselves, not even in the slightest."
Iris's mind raced back to a poignant memory from her past—a resolute figure who had once uttered the words, "My lady, live on and protect the people in our stead."
Zeldius said "Is that all you have, the daughter of the great Queen of Glass? A few punches, and look at you now—you can't even stand. I thought you said you were going to execute me yourself, just as your mother did."
A sly smile graced Iris's lips as she countered, "I'm nowhere near finished yet." Her voice brimming with unwavering resolve, she chanted, "Mirror Magic, Mana Domain, Prism Prison!"
With that incantation, she declared triumphantly, "Here, I reign supreme, Zeldius!"