Black Iron's Glory - Chapter 20: Decoding

The Apocalypse is in full swing. Defiled - powerful creatures corrupted by the Great Collision - prowled the lands in search of prey. Unfortunately for them, the human race had long since retreated behind the secure walls of the Sanctuary of Everlast. During one of his regular excursions outside the Sanctuary, Alden is separated from Celeste. - his childhood friend and crush. In that moment, he came to regret never summoning the courage to confess. Somehow managing to survive thanks to some trickery, Alden awakens as a mage. Instead of receiving a normal power, he gains the ability to decay. What’s more, during his ascension, he received a vision from his future self advising him not to trust the Asterons - celestial beings who had saved his race from inescapable doom. Normally... such a revelation wouldn’t faze Alden. However, there was only one major problem with the declaration, though. Celeste was bound with an Asteron. And not just any normal Asteron... She had made a pact with one of the Divine Sovereigns.

He was once the most feared villain in the empire, a master of manipulation who wove chaos from the shadows. Ruthless, untouchable—until the day he was betrayed and executed by the very man he sought to control.But death is not the end.He awakens in the body of Lady Elara Valcrest, a fragile noble girl doomed to be a pawn in political games. Stripped of her former power, she is forced into an arranged marriage with none other than Cairon Everhart—the man who once killed her. He does not recognize her, but she knows him. And she will never forget.To survive, Elara must play a new game. One where deception is her only weapon, and trust is a dangerous illusion. She must outmaneuver her enemies, uncover the truth behind her execution, and reclaim the power she lost. But as she navigates the treacherous world of court intrigue, one question lingers—Was Cairon truly her greatest enemy? Or had she been blind to an even greater threat?Time is running out. The villain has been given one last chance. And this time, she refuses to lose.

Zaiden Archman. He’s the main character in my novel called ‘Awakener’s Dead Harem’.

As an author, I love it when my main character suffers and is depressed.

He’s the main character that I took pride in. With my novel about to end, I pushed myself to write the last volume.

However, what I never expected was that it would be the end of me too. When I opened my eyes again, I had become Vincent Dihart, an Extra in my novel, who is only mentioned a few times in the novel.

I then found out a sad truth about my Main Character that I took pride in. He has changed.

He’s not the Main Character that I made. He’s a Reincarnator. Someone has replaced my Main Character. And that someone has read my novel.

I feel empty and betrayed.

As an Extra, I will not be able to save this world from danger.

Only the Main Character is the one who can save this world. But, he will also not be able to do it without being depressed.

So the answer is clear.

“I will make him suffer.”

This is my story about living as an Extra. And once in a while, messing with the Reincarnator to make him suffer.