Skip to content 
𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐬
“Luke, Luke, where are you going?”
ㅤ
“Just a moment. . . I can’t see master.”
ㅤ
Luke was moving through the forest, leaving Alma chasing behind him.
ㅤ
In Luke’s eyes, he could see Iris’s footprints leading into the forest.
ㅤ
And the footprints were not just Iris’s.
ㅤ
The ones that continued alongside them were. . . Cyphos’s footprints.
ㅤ
(What could it be, I have a bad feeling about this. What are they planning to do?)
ㅤ
Urged by his bad feeling, Luke was moving forward.
ㅤ
ㅤ
The forest ended at the coast, and beyond that was a beach dotted with rocks.
ㅤ
And on that beach was Iris.
ㅤ
In front of Iris, a few meters away, stood Cyphos with a sword in his hand.
ㅤ
“Cyphos-san!”
ㅤ
“Oh, Luke. Sorry, but I’m going to borrow your master for a bit.”
ㅤ
Contrary to the desperate Luke, Cyphos was as carefree as ever.
ㅤ
“Borrow. . . what on earth. . .”
ㅤ
“Stop it.”
ㅤ
As Luke tried to step forward to stop the two, his shoulder was held back.
ㅤ
“Highness Gale?”
ㅤ
The one there was Gale, who was supposed to have left the forest.
ㅤ
“No one can stop that old man once he gets like this. If you interfere recklessly, it won’t end with just an injury.”
ㅤ
When Luke looked at the two again, he understood the meaning of those words.
ㅤ
Although their expressions did not change, a murderous aura that kept anyone away surrounded the two.
ㅤ
“Damn that old man, he lectures me and then does something reckless himself.”
ㅤ
Gale’s exasperated tone was somewhat cheerful.
ㅤ
ㅤ
Iris spoke to Cyphos with interest.
ㅤ
“You’re a strange one, aren’t you? You know you’re going to lose, but you still come at me.”
ㅤ
“Sorry, but think of this as the whim of an old man whose days are numbered. Will you forgive me?”
ㅤ
Cyphos readied his sword with a casual tone.
ㅤ
His tone was calm, but the murderous intent emanating from his entire body made even Luke flinch.
ㅤ
“I thought my vigor had long since dried up. But when I see a strong person like you, my blood boils.”
ㅤ
“You’re a greasy old man for a dried-up stick. Well, it’s fine. Come at me. I’ll give you a light rub.”
ㅤ
“Master. . .”
ㅤ
“I know.”
ㅤ
Iris held back Luke’s words.
ㅤ
“I’m just going to play with him a little. Wait for me, it’ll be over soon.”
ㅤ
“. . .”
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
“What happened to those two? There seems to be a lot of hostility. . . Do we need to stop them?”
ㅤ
Luke shook his head at Alma, who had caught up with him.
ㅤ
If Iris becomes like that, there probably won’t be anything on Earth that can stop her.
ㅤ
The tension between the two is now so high that it seems visible to the naked eye.
ㅤ
Everyone present was watching without moving or saying a word.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
When a particularly large wave hit the rocks and caused a large splash, the tension suddenly disappeared.
ㅤ
ㅤ
At that moment, the positions of the two had switched.
ㅤ
Even though they never lost focus or blinked, their movements were not visible.
ㅤ
Even Luke’s “analysis” couldn’t keep up with their movements.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
“. . .Thank you for the match.”
ㅤ
Cyphos quietly announced.
ㅤ
“You’re pretty good for a human.”
ㅤ
Cyphos smiled faintly at Iris’s words.
ㅤ
And then he slowly collapsed onto the sandy beach.
ㅤ
“Cyphos-san!”
ㅤ
“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill him.”
ㅤ
Iris answered Luke, who had rushed over in a panic.
ㅤ
“Well, this is probably what humans are like. But even as a vessel, it’s quite something to be able to hurt me this much.”
ㅤ
Iris’s left arm, which she had raised, had been cleanly cut off at the elbow.
ㅤ
“Amazing. . .”
ㅤ
Luke couldn’t help but be surprised when he saw Iris’s arm.
ㅤ
Even a divine beast couldn’t hurt Iris’s body, and yet a human, who wasn’t even a demon, was able to wield this much power. . .
ㅤ
Luke felt as if he had been shown the potential of humans once again.
ㅤ
ㅤ
“Make sure to tell that old man. He can be proud for generations that he wounded me.”
ㅤ
“Master. . .?. . .That body!”
ㅤ
Luke, who felt a sense of discomfort in those words and turned around, let out a surprised voice.
ㅤ
There were fine cracks running on Iris’s face.
ㅤ
The cracks were gradually getting bigger, and they were about to cover her whole body while we were watching.
ㅤ
“It seems like we’re out of time.”
ㅤ
Every time Iris opened her mouth, fragments fell from the cracks.
ㅤ
It was as if we were watching a time-worn mud wall weathering in fast forward.
ㅤ
“What on earth is that body. . .”
ㅤ
“It seems I pushed it too hard in the battle with the divine beast. After all, it’s just a vessel, so it wasn’t going to last long, but it seems that old man’s blow was the last straw.”
ㅤ
A vessel must constantly emit magical power to maintain its form.
ㅤ
Although the vessel created by Iris should have a durability that is orders of magnitude different from ordinary ones, it seems that it could not withstand the enormous magical power possessed by the demon’s soul.
ㅤ
With a clink, Iris’s left arm fell off and shattered.
ㅤ
“!”
ㅤ
Alma involuntarily turned her face away.
ㅤ
“Don’t make that face. It’s not like I’m going to die or anything.”
ㅤ
Iris smiled as she crumbled.
ㅤ
“Luke, it was fun to be in the world after a long time. Well, I’ll be waiting for you in the mountains. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
ㅤ
At the same time as those words, her entire body finally crumbled.
ㅤ
The body, which had become as delicate as pottery, was blown away by the wind.
ㅤ
All that was left was a single magic stone, as red as Iris’s eyes.