Path of the Extra

Chapter 100: We Are All Liars Here [3]

With a groan, Azriel pushed himself up with his remaining hand, struggling to stand. He was drained, exhausted.

Letting out an audible sigh, he tapped his storage ring and drank a health potion. Then tossed the empty vial to the ground.

Then another.

And another.

Until there were none left.

”That feels much better...” he muttered, closing his eyes to savor the peace and quiet that followed.

No one was left.

Everyone who entered this cave had died—all except for him.

And Leo.

Unwillingly, Azriel opened his eyes, seeing Leo standing in front of him.

”I didnʼt want to use it on him. I tried to find another way, but...” Azriel trailed off.

”There wasnʼt another way,” Leo cut in.

”Itʼs not that itʼs impossible for you to defeat an advanced-ranked, but it was impossible for you to defeat Instructor Benson fairly.”

Azriel nodded as he limped toward the edge of the bridge.

”The strongest mana bomb currently in existence—capable of doing heavy damage to an advanced-ranked at point-blank range—and even then, that instructor of yours survived.”

Leo walked forward, standing next to Azriel as he stared down into the darkness below.

”Though itʼs better to say that falling into the void... that nothingness... is what killed him. Erased him. Maybe his body is still falling, maybe heʼs conscious, but Benson is dead. Heʼs nothing now.”

”Thatʼs good to know...” Azriel muttered.

Leoʼs laughter echoed madly.

”Good, he says!”

”I didnʼt mean it like that,” Azriel clarified. ”Itʼs good to know that [Core Reaper] works this way. How else would I know what counts as a kill? If I pushed someone, would the fall count as mine or the heightʼs? Now I know—as long as Iʼm the reason, itʼs enough.”

A twisted smile crept across Leoʼs face as he looked at Azriel.

”Still, planting that bomb without falling into the void? That took guts—something you clearly lack.”

Azriel didnʼt respond. He slowly sat down, biting his lip as his body screamed in pain.

He sat dangerously close to the edge, cross-legged. Leoʼs smile widened as he leaned in, his head almost resting on Azrielʼs left shoulder.

”Youʼre almost at the end. You deceived the headmistress, fooled the instructors, tricked Grandmaster Thomas into leaving the Frost Kingʼs side... You lied to everyone just to get here—all for this reckless gamble.”

Leoʼs grin widened even more as Azriel stared down into the abyss.

”A reckless, stupid gamble. You didnʼt care about the lives of others or the deaths of others. If you win, youʼre the hero. If you lose, youʼre the villain. Which will it be, I wonder?”

Azriel clenched his teeth, glaring at Leo, who seemed even more amused by the reaction.

”You sacrificed your hand, and your trust—all to come out on top. But why?”

”Why?”

”Yes, why? We talked about this at the banquet. Why do you do what you do? You claim you donʼt know, but thatʼs a lie, isnʼt it?”

Leo leaned in closer, blinking slowly.

”A lie you tell others... and yourself. Maybe you didnʼt know back in that boring world of yours, but here? Here, you damn well know what you want.”

Azrielʼs face softened. He sighed and turned his gaze forward, locking onto the giant gate ahead. It would take days for the dungeon to rebuild the bridge.

Leo clicked his tongue and sat down in one motion.

”Oh?”

Azriel turned to him, annoyed—until his eyes widened.

”Oh.”

Leoʼs hands were flickering, appearing and disappearing constantly. Azriel understood why.

”Looks like your timeʼs finally starting to run out,” Azriel observed.

Leo nodded slowly. ”It seems so. Soon, the original me will regain everything Iʼve learned, and Iʼll finally be whole again. Iʼll finally play this fun game... and Iʼll be coming for you, remember that.”

”Shut up. Stop saying it like youʼre actually going to do it. You still have time left—save your dramatic lines for then.”

Leo laughed again.

”I guess youʼre right.”

A silence fell over them, the peace settling in once more. Azriel closed his eyes, savoring it. It was strange—he didnʼt feel panicked.

He just felt... hollow.

His hand was gone. He had downed all his health potions to ensure his wounds were closed and the bleeding had stopped for now. If he survived today, he could get his hand fixed. It wasnʼt impossible in this day and age.

But it wasnʼt cheap, either.

And who was he? A prince who would be scolded by his sister and mother for not getting his hand reattached.

”Well, this is an interesting sight.”

A voice sounded behind Azriel, but he didnʼt turn. He remained seated, eyes still closed.

Footsteps approached silently.

”Well, would you look at that? Your gamble paid off. Though I thought heʼd look scarier,” Leo remarked.

Azriel listened as Leo examined the newcomer.

”Handsome face. Nice jawline. Black hair and blue eyes... Damn, I could drown in those eyes.”

Azrielʼs lips curved up slightly before he pressed them together again.

ʼIdiot.ʼ

Finally, the man arrived and sat down next to Azriel.

”A lot of things havenʼt made sense since I returned to Earth. The future destroyed. Plans leaked by a sixteen-year-old boy. One of my most useful men turned into a fanatic,” the man said calmly.

”...Indeed. Strange,” Azriel muttered, glancing at the figure beside him.

ʼZoran...ʼ

A walking time bomb. One wrong move, and it would explode, killing him.

”When I entered the void dungeon, I felt its murderous intent. I saw the floor shifts that happened here and on the first floor... A dungeon shift like this only occurs when there are two or more Children of the Gods inside.”

”...”

”I know the Child of Life is here, and so is the Child of Dreams. I spotted the Child of War on the surface, making only two in here. Yet the entire dungeon already shifted. That means... either everyoneʼs luck is terrible, or another brother or sister of mine is here.”

Zoran turned to Azriel, who did the same, both locking eyes.

”I suppose itʼs only natural to assume, with all your involvement, that the third child is you, Azriel Crimson.”

After a few moments of silence, Azrielʼs lips curved slightly.

”That is correct.”

”A dead man. Thatʼs what you were supposed to be. Yet you came back... Now, I know who all my other siblings are, but not you. Still, itʼs not hard to guess whose child you are. The only one left...

The one who was neutral, uninvolved—blessed none.”

Zoran licked his lips.

”The God of Death. Prince Azriel Crimson, son of Death, returned from the grave... Youʼve ruined the future. Destroyed everything Iʼve prepared for the last decade just by being alive.”

”That is correct.”

”I donʼt understand why the God of Death chose you, or why it had to be you. But your existence has done irreparable damage.”

”That, too, is correct. As expected of you, Zoran, Apostle of Ruin, one of the seven Heptarchs of Neo Genesis.”

A smile appeared on Zoranʼs face at Azrielʼs words.

”I wonder how much you know. The Supreme Archon only shares part of the books with us Heptarchs. Clearly, he didnʼt give one to you. So it makes me curious, because Iʼm sure you knew the future... the one that was supposed to happen.”

”The Supreme Archon didnʼt give me anything, but it doesnʼt matter. My knowledge of the future is now the same as yours. Basically nothing. I know nothing, just like everyone else in Neo Genesis.”

”The Supreme Archon might be angry—or maybe not. I never knew how he thought. But... humor me. Why?”

”Why?”

”Yes. Why? You came back from the dead, and I can understand that, but... why do all of this? What is your end goal?”

Azrielʼs eyes shifted to Leo, who stood nearby, grinning widely before he turned back to stare into the abyss below.

”I could tell you I donʼt know,” Azriel muttered, ”but like someone recently pointed out... maybe Iʼm lying to myself as well. Maybe Iʼll say itʼs to destroy the future and create a better one—but thatʼs just another lie. Perhaps itʼs because I want to be the hero, but... no, I donʼt seek that either.”

Zoran smile widened.

”Well... we are all liars here.”

Azriel allowed a faint smile to creep onto his face.

”But if Iʼm being honest?” he continued. ”I think... I do everything here just to see the end. The end I never got to read. Just like you Heptarchs didnʼt. No one did.

But I knew where we were heading, and I didnʼt want that. I wanted to be part of it—to be a real player in reaching a different end. And then see... who would win.”

Zoran remained silent, his expression unreadable.

”Yeah... I want to see the end.”

”...Youʼre an ambitious person, Prince Azriel. Not many would have made it to the end we were once aiming for, but at least it was guaranteed. Now? Youʼve destroyed our chances—the chances of surviving.”

”What does it matter if humans survive, but humanity doesnʼt?”

Azriel clenched his fist.

”Youʼre all sick in the head, every one of you in Neo Genesis.”

”Are we now?”

Zoranʼs face darkened, the air around them growing heavy.

”At least we, the ʼsick,ʼ are doing something. What are the great clans doing to secure a future? The Sovereigns? Nothing. They just hide, rule and conquer, but in truth, none of them care about humanity as well.”

”...Four great kings, seven Sovereigns, ten Apostles, and countless other talented people... Yet you Heptarchs decided to follow a cursed book handed down by that Supreme Archon—a book that isnʼt even half-complete. You barely knew if your plan would work.”

”...Do you have a better plan?”

Azriel shook his head.

”No... but Iʼll find one. One that doesnʼt require me to give up my humanity.”