The July sun rises quickly. Along with the sweltering heat, the sun revealed itself, casting its light beyond the horizon.
Gim Yul stood on the pier, frowning beneath the veil that covered half her face as she gazed at the sight.
“Saintess, all preparations are complete. It is time to call Him.”
5:26 a.m.
The nun spoke while glancing sidelong at the sack containing the corpse. Without opening her mouth, Gim Yul quietly took out Dagon’s grimoire from where it hung at her waist.
As Sin Ian had said, the grimoire had no function as a grimoire whatsoever. It could not be summoned at the owner’s will, nor could its contents be read. Forget explanations—even the title was faint.
The story might have been different if Gim Yul had become the grimoire’s formal owner, but even when she had been under mental domination, she had merely possessed the grimoire and had not read it separately. Thanks to that, the grimoire could exert no influence over her.
It was truly fortunate.
If Sin Ian had been even a little late in undoing the mental domination, and she had opened the grimoire’s pages for the ritual—
Then the person standing here would no longer have been someone named “Gim Yul.”
Thinking that, she smiled softly.
‘I’ll definitely repay you. Thank you, Sin Ian.’
Crunch.
She set the grimoire on the ground and stomped on its cover. At the unexpected action, the nun’s brow furrowed.
“……Saintess?”
“What is there to prepare for the ritual or whatever? We just have to wait and it’ll be over. There are four minutes left, so he’ll show himself on his own, won’t he?”
“……”
“An advent cannot be canceled. If a promise is made, it must be fulfilled. That’s something that applies in common to Lovecraft’s Outer Gods. So Dagon will definitely show himself in four minutes.”
“……Your brainwashing has been undone. Since when?”
“Thirty-forty-five hours ago.”
Gim Yul grinned and stepped out past the pier.
But there was no sound of her falling into the water. Instead, the splashing sound of someone stepping in a puddle rang out. She stood upright on the surface of the water and slowly began to walk.
Beneath her feet, a creature with the head of an anglerfish and the body of a human gaped its maw as if to swallow her leg whole, but the instant its head touched the surface, it was torn to shreds as though ground apart by blades.
“When he appears…… Hmm, what will he do first? Since he knows our plan, he’ll probably attack without asking questions, right?”
“……Shoot.”
The nun gave the order while staring at the smirking Gim Yul. At that, the clergy and residents all drew their guns at once and aimed at her.
“Eek! Guns are dangerous!”
With a flustered expression, she stomped hard on the water’s surface.
At that moment, a column of water rose like a bulwark and swallowed every bullet that came flying. Beyond that transparent wall, Gim Yul stuck out her tongue.
“……Just kidding. There’s this much water here—how could I possibly be in danger? Do I look like some fucking joke of a water mage?”
“……”
“Of course, once Dagon appears, I won’t be able to handle water this directly…… But dealing with Dagon isn’t my role anyway. So it doesn’t really matter.”
“……That Apostle.”
The nun’s face twisted.
“Did you take control of that man instead? How on earth?”
“Wow, you still think Ian is an Apostle. Did your mother squeeze your head really hard when you were born? No wonder you look so weird!”
“……You!”
“Ooh, even when you’re old, pointing out your looks still gets under your skin, huh? But what can you do? My genes are superior. Look, I’m this beautiful and pretty and cute. Don’t I seem like I’d be popular with men? Whereas you? You’ve got a filthy temper and you’re into some weird cult? You even eat human flesh, don’t you? There’s no way you could be popular……”
Gim Yul grinned and tapped the ground three times. Then seawater shot straight upward, lifting her high into the air.
“Water, obey my command. You shall become a floor more solid than anything, for my sake.”
Gurgle……!
The moment she chanted the spell, the surging column of water tilted horizontally.
A bridge of water connected to the rooftop of a building. Gim Yul hummed as she walked along that path. The bullets flying toward her were swallowed by the transparent film of water protecting her body and drifted through the air.
After she had walked a few steps, someone appeared on the rooftop.
A sacred building with no ceiling, its pure white outer walls adorned with paintings of the sea and a temple.
A man standing on its railing held a cigarette in his mouth and stared into the air with an indifferent gaze. Then he grinned and began walking along the bridge. Gim Yul spotted him and moved a little faster.
“Sleep well?”
“Barely. I only managed to close my eyes for about twenty minutes.”
“Then how’s your condition?”
“Top form. Same as always.”
The man grinned as he passed by Gim Yul.
Neither of them stopped. Without looking back at each other, they both moved their lips at the same time.
“Baton pass!”
“Don’t get hurt.”
Pitter-patter—Gim Yul set foot on the rooftop and immediately began descending the building. Ian flicked off his cigarette ash and stared at the clergy crawling across the ground.
“Good morning, my glorious believers. Did you sleep well? This Apostle was so excited to meet Dagon that he had a bit of trouble sleeping.”
“……Were you not an Apostle? But if that’s the case, then the power you showed back then was……”
“I have no obligation to answer you. Mutter to yourself. Or go catch Gim Yul. In about three seconds, your cathedral is scheduled to explode.”
“……What did you—”
Before she could continue, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted from the center of the cathedral, along with a sound like a dam collapsing. The nun hurriedly turned her head.
“……Hah.”
Water burst forth. Not metaphorically—water literally burst forth. Water filled the center of the cathedral in an instant, crushing the entire building, smashing the walls, and spraying waterfalls in every direction. Ian watched the sight and laughed.
“It wasn’t three seconds, but one. My apologies. There was a miscalculation.”
“……”
Grind.
The nun ground her teeth and gathered the clergy before running toward the cathedral.
Ian did not bother catching them. Instead, he casually caught the incoming bullets with his coat and summoned the grimoire.
He took out his phone. Checked the time.
5:29:55 a.m.
About five seconds remained.
“Haa……”
Ian quickly inhaled from his cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and tapped the magic circle engraved on the back of his hand.
“Give me every opportunity of your past, present, and future.”
Two seconds.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!
The far side of the sea exploded. From the gaping hole emerged a grotesque serpent-like tail, the head of an anglerfish, and an iris studded with tens of millions of pupils. It opened its maw wide and let out a hideous scream.
A roar impossible to describe. Ignoring the droplets falling onto his face, Ian moved his lips.
“So that I may stand in the same place as you.”
One second.
An upper body covered in fish scales appeared. At its center, a pair of vertical human lips split open to both sides, exposing organs and bones. Each and every one of them writhed as if alive.
Ian saw it. Fixed his gaze on it. Closed the grimoire.
“Permit it.”
Flutter.
The spell’s conclusion. At the same time, a single blue butterfly flew into Ian’s field of vision.
It soon multiplied into two, then four, then eight, fluttering through the air.
The center of its body was made of water. Moisture extending from it entered its transparent wings, forming a blue radiance. The water scattered the light, and that light became another butterfly, flying down toward the ground.
“This is……”
“They’re just butterflies! An illusion! Don’t be fooled!”
The residents shouted.
“No, for a simple illusion, it’s too—”
Someone aimed a gun at an approaching butterfly. But before the words could continue, the butterfly fluttered gently past the man.
And the man’s upper body exploded.
“……!”
“Oh, fuck, Keviiiin! This fucking magic—”
Boom-boom-boom-boom!!
As if the moisture inside their bodies had exploded, the residents burst apart and died in horrific states. Crushed, split, and torn chunks of flesh dyed the surroundings red.
And from within them, a single blue caterpillar wriggled out. It soon became a chrysalis, then transformed into a butterfly and flew into the sky.
“……”
As Ian silently stared at the sight, the butterflies gathered in one place and formed a single enormous entity.
In an instant, the butterfly had grown as vast as an island, flapping its wings directly before Ian and moving its antennae.
[Are you there?]
A calm voice dug into Ian’s mind. He glanced at Dagon, who had fully descended and revealed himself upon the sea, then turned back to the butterfly with a gentle smile.
“Yes, I’m here.”
[……So this is Father’s voice. I can see why my sister said she liked it. It is truly a beautiful tone. Pleasant to hear.]
“Flattery?”
[It is not flattery, but sincerity, Father.]
Flutter.
One butterfly that had made up the tip of the blue wing flew over and settled on Ian’s shoulder.
[Is this Father’s shoulder?]
“Yes.”
[The body temperature of humans is this warm. It feels truly cozy. If I could, I would like to use all of my ‘body’ to cover you, Father…… But if you have called me, that must mean there is something you need of me. I will obey, Father.]
The butterfly whispered. Ian gently stroked the head of the one perched on his shoulder and answered.
“You see that monster over there?”
[Yes. A god far inferior in rank to Mother is there. I cannot see it, but I can feel it.]
“We’re going to kill it. Help me.”
[Help you? That expression is incorrect. Did the Producer not tell you something, Father?]
Flutter.
[Command me, Father. Use me as you will. That is my happiness, and the meaning of my existence.]
“……You’re devoted.”
[For Father, as much as you wish.]
The small butterfly took flight. It soon approached Ian’s right eye.
Ian stared intently at her for a moment, then grinned and closed only his left eye.
“Come, Regressor. Use your ability for my sake.”
[I will follow Father’s will.]
Flutter!
The butterfly flew into Ian’s right eye.
“……Ah.”
At that moment, Ian’s existence was elevated.