Chapter 411: Not Her True Identity



After surviving such a deadly attack, I was hovering in the middle of the massively messy art Iris had just created. I was planning to retaliate, but I would be futile as I did not have a weak spot on her. Instead, I attempted to resolve the situation through dialogue.

"From your reaction, it seems like I hit the mark. Not only once, but you did twice. You really don't fail to entertain me, Raphael."

"...What are you talking about? What makes you think that I have that ability? What is your basis?"

Not only did she catch me using the Impregnable Fortress, but she also knew how many times I cast it. I had thoroughly concealed my skill by using the Unique Skill: Mystic Artist to apply Perfect Concealment to each cast, removing any trace of mana, energy, etc. But my efforts seemed fruitless in front of Iris.

"You ask me how I knew? It's as simple as... I used to know someone who has this ability."

"What..?"

"Not only that person used Impregnable Fortress, but also the other abilities of the... Ultra Skill: Ultimately Arts."

"?!"

(No way... Am I hearing her right?)

The moment she uttered the name of one of my most classified skills, my eyes widened in genuine shock. Except for my sister, I told no one about this, so it was impossible for anyone to know. If that was the case, then she really knew someone who had the same skill. But who?

"How is that, Raphael? You still don't want to believe me?"

"There's no way I would believe in you... You betrayed me and even attempted to kill me."

"I have a reason, Raphael. Please let me explain."

There was no way I could forget that legless dragon. Not the dragon itself, but the one who controlled it. The one who trapped me in that invincible barrier and dropped a large piece of iceberg into it, which almost killed me.

Now it all makes sense. In order to escape death, I resorted to using Absolute Severance to break the barrier and avoid the iceberg. If Iris was the one controlling the Amphithere, then she must have seen me executing that skill.

"Yes, it was me, Raphael. Just as I said earlier, I was testing your capabilities at that time. But a single test cannot satisfy me, so that's why I did it earlier and confirmed that you are the one I am looking for after personally seeing it myself."

"You are looking for me...? Who really are you, Iris?"

"As you have guessed, this is not the real me, Raphael. This identity, Iris Arcenciel, is my latest incarnation."

So that means she had been reborn, and she was actually older than she seemed. It made her kind of similar to my circumstances, but I did not know what kind of incarnation she did, whether she was an otherworlder like me or she could be just a local reincarnator who wanted to transcend mortality.

She mentioned that she was looking for me; was it because she was aware that I was an otherworlder? Asking her that might make her suspicious of me, so I should refrain from doing so.

"Are you saying that you have several previous lives or something? Constantly repeating the cycle of life?"

"Yeah, something like that. But it isn't like I am doing it every time my term ends. I have been reincarnating myself with a particular interval."

"What are your reasons for doing this? You said you were looking for me, right?"

"Well, it is true that I am looking for you, but I am actually searching for some individuals like you. I am not the only one who is hiding a secret or two, you know? You are also hiding something from everyone. I cannot see anything like your Ultimate Arts on your skill set after all."

"So you can see more than an Appraisal user, huh? But let's get to the point: who exactly are you looking for, Iris?"

"Fufu. The same as you, I am searching for that very special individual who was born every half a millennium. In short, these reincarnators from another world."