Chapter 26
“It’s obvious he came here on my father’s orders!”
Ah, I see—
…This is not the kind of situation you can just accept and move on from.
“You mean your father ordered that guy to kill you?”
“I think so.”
But Iryx’s eyes already held certainty.
It was that bastard of a father. That bastard did this!
He didn’t look particularly wounded. His voice had lost some strength, but only because he couldn’t be absolutely sure. He’s definitely the kind of person who would do that… but maybe I’m misunderstanding…—that level of doubt, at most.
“What kind of filial sin did you commit to your father, anyway?”
“Why should I be filial to a father like that? He’s the one who makes me unfilial!”
Ah, right… now that I think about it, he has a point.
With a father like that, a little unfilial behavior is understandable.
When I read stories where the duke was the protagonist, I always found it off-putting.
I read them because he was the main character, and since he was trying to save the world I had to root for him—but as a person he was awful, and I didn’t really want to see a world saved by someone like that.
Crackle—
There goes the aether again. Iryx looked at me. I quickly grabbed him.
“Sunbae.”
“Yeah.”
“You grabbing me won’t help at all. So let go. That’s lame.”
“….”
Would punching him help instead? Iryx grabbed my wrist. The sensation immediately settled down. Fine. I admit it—you’re better at this than I am.
“In the future you saw, what happens to me?”
“You’re doomed.”
I said it firmly.
“You’re doomed.”
Well—actually, not you. The world.
You yourself are fine.
“Completely. Thoroughly.”
Again, the world.
“When did you find out?”
“About three hours ago?”
Which means a few months ago in my time, three hours ago in yours. Let’s just gloss over that.
“So getting on this train was a total coincidence?”
“More or less… yeah?”
“How did you know I’d be here? Coincidence too?”
“…Yeah.”
Whenever I wasn’t confident, I just mumbled vaguely. Iryx stared straight at me, as if trying to judge whether I was telling the truth.
“And you came to stop it?”
“Yeah.”
Because I do have to stop the world from collapsing.
“But how do you know me in the first place?”
How should I explain that?
Should I say I read a novel you’re in?
Even in a fantasy world, that sounds hard to believe.
So I gave the most appropriate answer for this situation.
“Later.”
“Hm?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Now’s not really the time for that.”
Right. Something about this is extremely suspicious.
The fact that we can stand here calmly talking is strange in itself. Just moments ago there were swarms of insane paper birds and Peregion rampaging around, arrows flying everywhere. It was chaos. But now it’s completely quiet. A little dim, but quiet.
Peregion is still too.
Iryx and I tensed, staring toward where Peregion stood.
Why is it quiet?
Is it deciding which of us to descend into?
Ah, not me. This body’s already occupied. By me.
Granted, you’re a god and I’m just a stray spirit, but still.
Peregion moved.
Has it made its choice?
The surroundings darkened further, and a cold, briny wind began to blow.
The prickling sensation surged through my body again. With that feeling, Peregion stirred. Iryx spoke quietly.
“Stay focused.”
“Hm?”
“You know what aether is, right?”
“I do.”
“And yet you’re this calm.”
Well, even if I know what aether is, I’ve never really felt it before.
And I didn’t even know I had any.
“Right now you’re leaking aether nonstop. That thing can grab the trailing end of your aether and siphon it in.”
“Is that dangerous if it steals it?”
“It can use that aether as a path to enter your body. Of course, the reverse is also possible—you could pull that god into yourself.”
He glanced at me and added,
“But don’t even dream about it.”
Now everything around us had completely changed.
Walls, floor, ceiling—gone. Just a hollow black space. Empty. As if the world itself had been torn out.
And inside it stood Peregion. Quietly watching us, a forgotten, starving god waiting for its chance.
[Peregion is making you an offer.]
A soft voice suddenly rang out.
It.
[If you hand over a vessel, it says it will enter that vessel and grant your wish first.]
“What vessel? Me, or Iryx?”
Iryx turned to me.
“Are you trying to hand me over right now?”
“Shh. Quiet.”
[It says anything is fine. Just give it one.]
Sorry. Neither works.
I can’t hand over Iryx’s body—it’s his.
And I can’t hand over Elpini’s body—I’m the one occupying it.
[It wonders what you desire.]
“World peace.”
[…It says that’s impossible.]
“Then you can’t have it.”
And I know what happens to you. Acting all high and mighty when you’ll end up losing your divinity to a human and submitting anyway.
“And I can’t hand over Iryx either. I have no way to break his free will. Whatever happens, Iryx decides.”
“Can’t you just say I won’t listen to you? I don’t know who you’re talking to, but still.”
“Be quiet.”
I tapped Iryx’s mouth. He frowned.
“Why are you treating me like a badly trained puppy?”
“Because you’re acting like one.”
Iryx lifted his head, frowning even more.
[Your words have angered Peregion.]
“It’s asking for something I don’t even have the option to choose.”
I could feel Peregion’s glare drilling into me.
It was really angry.
Negotiations had failed. Only war remained.
But I had a way to fight back.
Aether.
There are only two outcomes with aether.
Either a god steals it from you.
Or you steal from the god.
Iryx used that power to subdue and force gods into submission. He did it all throughout the novel.
So, in theory… I could too.
Of course, that’s only in theory.
And the problem is that I only understand it theoretically.
Let’s learn how to breathe underwater. Ah, just use the gills on the side of your head.
[Are you going to use aether?]
“There’s no other way. But I have no idea how to use it.”
[Then I will help you.]
Huh?
At that moment, a hot current surged up my arm.
The power that had been leaking out like blood from a wound suddenly aligned, as if magnets had snapped into formation.
[We begin.]
It said. I felt a violent current flowing back up my arm.
My ears, eyes, skin—everything felt engulfed in searing light.
[Win. Subjugate. Claim it.]
My blood heated.
It really did.
If this is what using aether feels like… is this how Iryx uses it too?
With this sensation of every sense in the body opening anew?
If so… I can see how conquest itself becomes addictive. It’s incredible.
[Make it yours.]
Peregion came into sharp focus before my eyes.
Before, it had just looked like a mass of darkness. Now it was clear.
Surprisingly well-proportioned. Straight limbs and torso. Beautiful and smooth.
Maybe thanks to the aether, I could see the hidden currents within its black body.
Like ink mixed with glittering dust, power flowed through it, shimmering.
The flow sped up, gathering near the chest. Faster. Tighter. Spinning like a top. Then at last, the vortex rounded into a sphere.
That’s it.
The core of power Iryx once claimed.
Peregion’s core looked like a tiny planet.
From my body, dark blue threads streamed endlessly, flying toward that small core and wrapping around it. The core swelled, like a failing star.
I reached toward that planet. More and more threads poured out. Their ends touched the sphere and clung.
My heart cried out:
Come here.
Let me guide you. Orbit around me as your star.
In the novel, Iryx did obtain Peregion first—but he mostly left it alone. He gained many more captures afterward.
Its name became known as a punisher, but Peregion never wanted that recognition.
It wasn’t punishment—it was execution. And execution only requires bringing down a hammer on someone who can’t resist.
Peregion didn’t want it. But it had to. That was the only role given to it. The only way its name could be known.
Now, a god stood clearly before me.
Its outline was sharp, as if cut from black paper.
Giant in size—but like a boy. Slim shoulders, thin limbs.
Yes. A boy giant.
Black iron, Peregion.
The hammer of the punisher. A black god forgotten and sunk to the bottom.
Iron meant to be tempered for justice—yet ultimately grasped by the hands of the brutal.
That is the iron god before me.
Peregion.
