Path of the Extra

They did exactly as Azriel said, wasting no time.

Immediately after the entire facility was evacuated without explanation, the extermination squad, led by Sir Henrik, moved.

The emergency elevator was large enough to fit all six of them inside with some space to spare. As they slowly descended, smooth jazz played softly in the background. The awkward, tense silence stretched between them until Celestina finally broke it.

“Sir Henrik, Azriel, do either of you have a signature skill on your Soul Armor or Soul Weapon?”

A signature skill…

It was a unique ability some Soul Weapons and Soul Armor possessed—a bound skill that was an intrinsic part of the gear itself.

Unfortunately, Azriel shook his head silently.

Sir Henrik, on the other hand, smiled softly. His Soul Armor was a strange white-and-gold cassock, adorned with ceremonial chains, and at his hip rested a beautiful silver rapier.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. “My Soul Armor is called Stained Vestments. The signature skill lies in these chains. They’re bound to the armor and can uncoil at my will, latching onto any person I choose… However, since they’re linked to my Soul Armor, if they’re destroyed, Stained Vestments will suffer severe damage as well.”

The others listened with interest, their eyes now holding a new kind of curiosity as they studied his armor.

Azriel turned to Celestina.

“And you? Does your Soul Armor or Soul Weapon have a signature skill?”

Celestina nodded.

“My Soul Weapon does. The sword I wield gets sharper with each kill I land in rapid succession. But after a full minute without a kill, [Reaper’s Momentum] deactivates.”

‘Interesting… That was never mentioned in the book.’

Azriel already knew that the book wasn’t completely reliable, but it was still the only advantage he had when it came to prior knowledge. Unfortunately, it didn’t contain all knowledge.

His gaze shifted toward her sword, and he found himself wondering—did Jasmine have a signature skill as well?

Not long after, the elevator came to a stop. With a soft ding, the doors slid open, revealing a darkened corridor that looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

“D-Does anyone suddenly feel the urge to go back up…?” Sophia mumbled, her expression uneasy as she took a step backward—only to freeze as she felt a cold breath against the nape of her neck.

“Eek!”

“Hey!”

She jumped like a startled rabbit, instinctively latching onto Gavin, who let out a sharp hiss.

They both turned—only to see Nova standing exactly where Sophia had been a second ago. Her face was blank, but a slow, pale smile stretched across her lips. Something about it made Azriel—and everyone else—shudder.

“N-Nova!” Sophia stammered, her voice shaking.

“What do you think you’re doing? Playing pranks in a place like this!?”

Nova tilted her head slightly. “I didn’t do anything except breathe. You were the one planning to slam the back of my head against the wall.”

Sophia’s face scrunched up in annoyance.

“…I’m just glad my night shifts were never with you.”

“E-Excuse me, but can you let go of me now?”

“?!”

Sophia blinked, realizing she was still clutching Gavin’s arm. Her expression darkened as she quickly pulled away, scowling at him.

“Why were your arms wrapped around my back? Are you some kind of pervert?”

“Huh?” Gavin’s face twisted in disbelief. “Woman, you were the one who jumped on me!”

Azriel watched the three of them bicker.

Henrik coughed loudly, causing them to flinch and freeze in place. Slowly, they turned their heads, noticing Henrik, Celestina, and Azriel watching them. Their faces paled, and they quickly bowed their heads.

“We are extremely sorry! I promise we won’t show such unsightly behavior again!” Gavin exclaimed hurriedly, while Sophia nodded her head in agreement, still bowing.

“We won’t fight anymore…” she murmured.

“Are all your coworkers this close?” Celestina asked with a sly smile.

Sophia and Gavin averted their eyes in shame, ceasing their bowing.

Nova, her expression unreadable, tilted her head slightly and nodded at Celestina.

“Isn’t that normal behavior?” she said evenly, her voice betraying barely a hint of emotion.

Azriel noted that she didn’t seem the type to express much.

Before anyone could respond, Henrik cleared his throat again, this time with a strained smile.

“We need to refocus. No distractions from here on,” he said, pointing to the ground of the elevator. “Whether this is a good thing or not, we won’t waste time on floor -1. We’re heading straight down. Whatever caused the deaths of the higher-ups is down there. Keep your guard up—never split from me unless ordered to.”

Everyone’s expressions hardened at Henrik’s words. Azriel frowned, then glanced at Henrik.

“Isn’t there an emergency staircase leading to the Black Zone?” Azriel asked.

Celestina answered.

“Apparently not. It’s easier for a void creature to use the stairs than for us to use an elevator, or so Edge says.”

Azriel narrowed his eyes before nodding slowly.

“Right. Let’s proceed.”

Azriel pressed the button to close the elevator doors, then tried to press for floor -2. Nothing happened.

The group made space, pressing their backs against the elevator walls. Celestina stepped forward, crouching and placing both palms on the floor. Her gray eyes began to glow faintly, and instantly, everyone felt the air around them shift. Only Azriel and Henrik felt it more intensely, their attention solely on Celestina.

A soft light began to radiate from her hands, and the elevator lights flickered on and off before cutting out entirely, leaving them in complete darkness. Moments later, tiny motes of white light drifted around them, illuminating the space.

Their eyes widened in awe. The motes danced hypnotically around Celestina, like ethereal fairies, casting an angelic glow around her. In the darkness, she stood, untouched by the shadows.

Then, as if pulled in by an unseen force, the motes froze and shot toward Celestina’s hands.

What happened next was unexpected. The motes merged inside her palms, and in the blink of an eye, a burst of white flames erupted from her hands, filling the elevator with light.

Her eyes began to glow brighter, and the floor beneath them started to catch white fire.

“W-wait, hold on! We’re still here!” Gavin exclaimed, his voice filled with fear as his eyes locked on the swirling white flames.

They burned with an eerie stillness, divine in appearance, yet no smoke rose from them.

The flames spread, encircling Celestina in a ring of white fire, drawing closer and closer, filling the space around her. Concern filled everyone’s faces as Azriel called out her name.

“Celestina?”

She didn’t respond, still concentrating, not moving an inch. Sweat trickled down her face.

Azriel clenched his teeth, watching the flames edge closer. Would they harm her?

His worry was for nothing. Just as the flames were about to reach her, Celestina removed her hands from the floor and simply walked through the flames, making her way to Azriel’s side.

Azriel’s eyes widened in shock. Her clothes were unharmed, and her body showed no sign of damage.

The light from the flames illuminated everything around them, and Celestina flashed Azriel a lopsided smile, pointing to the circle of fire she’d created.

“Look.”

Azriel followed her gesture, and at that exact moment, the elevator was swallowed by darkness again. But in the next instant, a ball of light hovered around Celestina, casting the space in brilliance once more.

Where the flames had once burned, there was now only a hole leading down to floor -2, a floor the elevator could not reach. The edges of the hole still glowed faintly with lines of white that were rapidly cooling and disappearing.

Azriel stood frozen, dumbfounded.

‘She can already turn light into flames?’

“But… Your Highness, I thought you had an affinity for light, not fire?” Sophia asked, her expression one of disbelief as she stared at Celestina, as if she were some sort of alien.

Gavin shared her shock, and though Nova’s expression remained unreadable, her eyes conveyed plenty.

“I had wondered what you meant, Your Highness, when you said you could create a path to floor -2, but I never expected you could do something like this. Truly, I’m grateful to witness such grand talent from our future queen,” Henrik said, his voice filled with awe.

Celestina listened to them, a smile tugging at her lips as she continued to gaze at the hole. She absentmindedly scratched her cheek.

“Well, in short, what I used was light magic. I don’t have an affinity for fire, but light can burn just like fire.”

She paused for a moment, pinching her chin thoughtfully before meeting everyone’s eyes.

“Light is an intangible force—neither solid nor fluid. Its destructive potential comes from concentration and manipulation. What I did was compress the light into an unstable state, where the density exceeds its physical limits, which ignites it into flames. It requires a lot of mana and an incredible amount of concentration, so I haven’t really mastered it yet.”

Azriel stared at her, his mind racing.

‘If she uses too much mana, the flames will spiral out of control; if she uses too little, they’ll dissipate… If she masters this, though, she could burn anything.’

Turning her affinity into a weapon with the potential for both destruction and healing… It was genius, but only possible by breaking the laws of physics with the help of mana.

Perhaps he’d stared too long, as Celestina caught his gaze and quickly averted her eyes, clearing her throat.

“Well, it’s not like I’m capable of using it in a fight. Anyway, I promised I’d make a way to the Black Zone. I can’t make a pair of stairs out of light, so it’s best we start climbing down.”

Gavin took a few steps forward and looked down into the hole. The pitch-black darkness seemed to swallow everything. He gulped, then staggered back.

“…H-Have I mentioned that I’m afraid of heights and the dark? There’s a 40-meter drop from floor -1 to floor -2… If we fall, I know I’ll break more than a few bones.”

Henrik stepped forward.

“Well then, one of you can climb on my back, and the other I can carry in my arms.”

Gavin’s expression twisted, and he took another step back.

“…I seem to have overcome my fear of heights. Thank you.”

“Allow me to make your descent easier.”

Adjusting his sleeves, Azriel crouched down. A mist of white mist swirled around his left hand, and from it, a sharp spike of ice formed and embedded into the floor. As he held onto it, the mist continued to release, and a chain of ice began to form, connecting to the spike.

Once it was fully formed, Azriel tossed the chain down the hole with his right hand, still holding onto the spike.

“We can use this to climb down.”

Celestina frowned and walked towards him.

“Can it hold us, though?”

“That’s why I’ll stay last. I’ll keep using my mana to stabilize it so it doesn’t break.”

Celestina hesitated but then looked at Henrik, who nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“It would be best if I went first,” Sir Henrik suggested, and no one objected. With a nod toward Azriel, he began to use the chain to slide down. Azriel felt the ice beginning to crack but quickly used more mana to restore it.

Celestina followed next.

“I’ll see you down there,” she said, and Azriel responded with a hum.

Then it was Nova.

After her came Sophia, who gave him a radiant smile.

“Your Highness, you really are incredible.”

“Hurry up.”

“Yes!” she replied, hurrying to follow Nova down.

Finally, it was just Azriel and Gavin.

“You need not worry, Mister Gavin. I promise you, nothing will happen to you.”

Gavin, still unsure, glanced down the hole before nodding.

“Your Highness… I just wanted to say that if I gave you a bad impression, or anything like that, I apologize.”

Azriel blinked at him, before flashing him a smile.

“There is no need for you to apol—”

Azriel suddenly stopped speaking, making Gavin glance at him in confusion.

He felt the faint brush of mana against his skin. Azriel’s face hardened.

The orb of light still hovered in the elevator, allowing Azriel to see everything clearly.

He turned towards the closed elevator doors.

“Mister Gavin, can you please open the doors?”

“Huh?”

“Do it. Quickly.”

“Y-yes.”

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Gavin quickly complied, pressing the button. The elevator doors slid open, revealing the pitch-dark corridor ahead.

Still holding the spike in his left hand, Azriel raised his right, aiming toward the corridor.

“Move out of the way, Mister Gavin.”

Gavin didn’t hesitate. With a pale face, sweat dripping down, and his heart racing, he scrambled to the side.

Azriel’s arm hummed, and red lightning crackled around his right arm before a bolt shot forward into the corridor.

The lightning briefly illuminated the dark hallway, flashing red. It revealed only a straight path, empty and still.

Azriel’s eyes grew colder.

“Mister Gavin, do you hear that?”

Gavin shook his head quickly.

“I don’t hear anything, Your Highness.”

Azriel’s arm hummed again, and red lightning crackled once more. Another bolt shot forward, painting the corridor in flashes of blood-red light.

Again, nothing.

A faint ripple of mana brushed against his face, making Azriel shudder. His heart began to race, louder and more erratic.

“Your Highness, w-what’s wrong?”

Gavin looked at him, anxiety written all over his face.

Azriel glanced at him, lips pressed tight, before turning his gaze back to the pitch-black corridor.

His arm hummed again, red lightning crackling, and another bolt shot down the hall. The further the bolt traveled, the clearer the path became in flashes of red.

It sizzled, and Azriel narrowed his eyes.

It reached the end of the corridor, about to hit the wall and dissipate—

It didn’t.

In that brief moment of illumination, Azriel saw it.

A silhouette.

A looming, vague shape at the far end.

Azriel’s heart lurched. His eyes widened, and his body trembled.

“Mister Gavin, go now!”

Gavin’s eyes were wide in shock.

He saw what Azriel saw.

‘Dammit, already? There’s still emergency power on this floor. If something was here, then…’

Azriel’s thoughts cut off abruptly as he realized something.

‘So it was Edge… that bastard!’

“Your Highness, you—”

“Go! Tell them we’ve been betrayed by Edge! I’ll meet up with you soon. Go now!”

Azriel shouted again, firing another bolt of lightning into the corridor.

Gavin hesitated, biting his lip, before quickly doing as Azriel instructed.

“Please hurry,” Gavin said, then descended the ice chain.

The lightning reached the end of the corridor, and Azriel saw the silhouette again.

A monstrous shape against the wall. Massive, inhuman, and unnatural.

It stood on two legs, like a twisted mockery of a human form.

At the top of its form, jagged, blackened antlers curled upward like twisted, gnarled branches, stretching far beyond the figure’s skull.

Azriel could see no more.

And he didn’t wish to.

‘The Black Antlered King…’

Azriel quickly glanced at the spike, then at the hole again.

Gritting his teeth, Azriel shot another bolt of lightning forward.

He couldn’t move from his spot; if he did, Gavin would fall.

The chain of ice would break if both Azriel and Gavin used it at the same time without anyone stabilizing it.

The red lightning flashed down the corridor…

It never reached the end.

It struck something in the middle…

Where the silhouette of The Black Antlered King now stood.

“!!”

“Ah…”

Azriel felt his mouth go dry.

He hadn’t heard it move. He hadn’t felt it move.

‘I can’t fight it here! Not yet! Screw this..!’

Azriel stopped stabilizing the chain and stood up. With one last glance at the corridor, he was about to jump down…

It all happened in an instant.

The next thing Azriel knew, the elevator shook violently, and he was thrown to the side. His head slammed against the cold steel, and his limbs flailed, losing all sense of control.

The metallic floor beneath him crumpled with a sickening dent. The impact left him dazed, gasping for breath.

As he hit the floor, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his abdomen. Azriel’s vision blurred for a moment. Then, he looked down.

“Huh..?”

A twisted, jagged white bone had burst through the center of his stomach. Blood poured from the wound in steady streams, staining the floor a dark crimson.

Azriel coughed and slowly looked up… only to see a head hanging right in front of him.

Its eyes, small yet burning with a sickly red glow. The skin pulled tight over its skull, cracked and slick, like decaying leather. Its mouth split into a jagged grin—too wide—with blackened teeth that seemed to gnash on their own.

Then, the orb of light flickered once—then vanished.

Darkness swallowed everything.