Chapter 27
I raised both hands.
The sphere trapped in the aether began spinning faster, its color deepening into a dark gray.
Hello, Peregion.
A small god long forgotten and crushed by time. A black lump of iron hidden beneath a white pebble, pitch-black steel that was never honed.
Come here.
The core of power captured within the threads was pulled out of Peregion and rolled into my hands.
I carefully grasped the sphere. I had expected it to be solid and heavy, but in my palm it felt light and fragile, like an egg.
I looked down at the sphere.
I felt like a gigantic being—
and at the same time, like someone entrusted with caring for something incredibly small and delicate.
Come here, Peregion.
If you stay with me, there will be no bothersome talk of world conquest or destruction. There won’t be any other gods around to make you feel dejected, either.
Submit.
I could feel it now—control over the power within me. The force writhing inside surged out and tightly wrapped itself around Peregion’s core.
I felt like a god.
It was… strangely, intoxicatingly exhilarating.
So much so that I felt I could do anything for this euphoria.
If this was originally Elphini’s power, then didn’t Elphini also possess powerful aether?
If so, wasn’t Elphini someone who had the potential to oppose Irix?
Then why were there no stories about Elphini?
Did they really do nothing despite possessing such power?
Or was it simply something I hadn’t seen yet?
The sphere that had been spinning in my palm came to a stop. The black boy-giant standing before me vanished. The sphere, too, gradually faded within the nest of aether until it disappeared completely.
Where did it go…?
Next, it felt as though I was waking from a dream. The hazy surroundings sharpened into focus.
I was inside a train.
It was tilted, a complete mess. The train swayed along with the screeching wind—
keeech—keech——
then slid violently before crashing into a steel bridge.
Boom—
The impact jolted my body hard. I felt dizzy.
An enormous number of corrupted beasts were now rushing toward us.
A chill ran down my spine. At the moment I felt that cold fear, something seemed to shoot out of my body.
Moments later, a black hole formed in front of me and rapidly expanded.
From it, a giant burst out like a bird leaping from darkness—a boy-giant with a pitch-black body.
Peregion.
I reached out my hand. Blue threads appeared again along my arm. Aether. The threads connected to the black boy’s body.
What did Irix say again?
Right—
Absolute Command.
Destroy my enemies.
Thud—
With that short, powerful sound, the beasts were crushed and pulverized.
The monsters were flattened all at once beneath the massive hammer the boy swung.
Other birds, startled by the single blow, swarmed in and covered the train.
Bang, bang— They slammed into it relentlessly. The already-tilted train was shoved sideways by the force. I slid along with it and slammed hard into the train wall.
It hurt like hell.
Kreeee—
Through the torn wall, I could see the pitch-black bottom of a ravine. The wind howled fiercely.
Then a firm hand grabbed my arm.
“Irix?”
It was Irix. He held onto me and grabbed a steel bar across from us—part of the train’s interior. The snake bit into the back of my neck and flailed desperately.
Irix smiled and said,
“As expected. A senior snake, huh.”
Laughing in a situation like this.
And yet, I laughed too.
“Yeah. At this point, I should make you mine.”
“Good thinking. If you like your senior that much, the senior should like you back.”
An ominous sound rang out again.
Flap— flap—
I looked up.
The sky, once tinged blue by moonlight, was instantly dyed pitch-black.
The corrupted birds had returned—there were even more now. They slapped themselves against the train, and the train was pushed back with a thunderous roar.
Then—
Craaaash—
At last, the train fell off the bridge. The connected cars followed, plunging downward one after another. My body floated weightlessly.
“Senior!”
Irix wrapped his arms tightly around me. His hard shoulders and arms pressed against me. Even knowing we were about to fall, I foolishly hoped for a miracle.
Is this the end—
Isn’t this a fantasy world? Isn’t there some way?
In that instant—
A blinding white light exploded from behind Irix’s back.
The light spread in all directions—fast, enormous, as though it would cover the entire sky.
What is this?
Stretching out and undulating, it looked—
like wings.
Wings made of light.
The light covered the sky. The falling train was caught by those wings of light and came to a stop. Our plunging bodies also halted midair.
A clear, resonant voice rang out.
[My wings, my herald.]
The wings of light grew denser. The brilliance was so overwhelming I couldn’t keep my eyes open. My face was engulfed in the light.
[Mandatariel.]
The wings exploded outward, pushing the train up. An immense mass that had been falling was now being slowly forced upward. The swarm of beasts tried to push the train down, but the wings were stronger.
The train rose higher and higher.
The beasts flapped violently, pecking at the wings of light gripping the train.
[Absolute Command.]
A firm, overbearing voice echoed.
If I had been the wind before, this was a massive storm—
an overwhelming gale that rendered all resistance meaningless.
[You are hereby sentenced to perfect annihilation.]
In an instant, the birds turned white.
The enormous horde that had seemed ready to swallow the world burned away in a flash.
The wings of light exploded, sweeping across the area. Along the tangled trails of light, the beasts burned and vanished.
It was like a superheated bomb detonating, wiping out the enemy in an instant.
After incinerating the enemies, the wings wrapped around the train and pushed it upward.
Then—
Kreee—thud—
The train settled back onto the bridge.
My legs, which had been dangling in midair, touched the floor. Relief washed over me as the tension drained away.
I looked ahead.
I couldn’t see anything due to the backlighting, but I could clearly feel the powerful grip holding both my arms.
Looking at the figure shrouded in light, I asked,
“Is it you?”
The one who had been on the train.
The one who brought me here and made me sit down.
And the only one who shared knowledge of this world’s fate with me.
He pulled my arms toward him and lowered his head, resting his forehead against my shoulder. The light extending from his back rippled. It truly looked as though wings of light were growing from him.
When he lifted his head, I saw his eyes—
deep sunset-colored eyes.
Seeing them, I thought of Irix’s eyes on the summoning circle.
They were similar… but different.
Irix’s eyes had been close to blood-red, savage in appearance.
These eyes were warmer, mixed with more gold.
The man gazing down at me with those shining eyes closed them.
In an instant, the light vanished.
As if a switch had been flipped, all my senses returned at once. Sensation sharpened; I felt wind and cold against my skin.
“Senior!”
At the urgent voice, I turned my head. Maymon was standing in front of me.
Ah—right. Maymon…
Wait.
Why is Maymon here?
I shouted urgently,
“Irix!”
“The young master is here!”
Maymon pointed beside me. Irix was lying there, unconscious. Thin chains wrapped around his body, held by Maymon.
“Are you all right?”
“I think… so.”
Only then did I notice the thin chains tightly wrapped around my own body—also held by Maymon.
“It hurts.”
The chains were squeezing me too tightly.
“I’m sorry!”
Maymon hurriedly apologized and pulled his hand back. The chains loosened and slid down with a clatter. When he tugged on them, they moved as if alive, returning to his hand and wrapping around his wrist. The daggers attached to the chains snapped neatly back into their sheaths, as if they had been thrown with precision.
I was curious. Was that an ability—or just a mechanism?
“Irix.”
I shook the unconscious Irix. He didn’t move, which worried me, so I shook him harder.
After a moment, he groaned and opened his eyes.
“Irix, wake up.”
Irix suddenly opened his eyes wide, sprang up—and staggered. Maymon tried to support him, but Irix raised a hand to stop him.
“I can do it myself.”
And then, with dignity, collapsed on his own.
Thud—
That had to hurt.
Sure enough, groaning again, Irix shouted while lying on the ground,
“I said I’m fine!”
“Maymon didn’t do anything!”
Saying you’re fine so firmly while lying flat on the ground—what good does that do? You’re clearly the least fine person here.
I placed a hand on Irix’s neck. His temperature was normal, his pulse steady. Thank goodness. He was just pale.
Irix glared at me.
“Take your hand off.”
Oh dear, how scary.
I tightened my grip and pressed down on his neck.
Ghk—
Irix let out a stifled groan.
