Path of the Extra

Chapter 288: Lady Mio

She was the Forest of Eternity.

It was the most absurd truth Azriel had ever heard—even after dying countless times, even after drowning endlessly in blood. Yet, as he stood there, he realized something strange.

His mana core was no longer burning with unbearable heat. Instead, a peculiar calmness filled his mind.

Slowly, exhausted beyond measure, Azriel spoke.

”What does that even mean?”

Lady Mio gave him an unreadable smile, her gentle eyes reflecting a sorrow that ran deeper than any Azriel had ever known.

”It means exactly what it sounds like, my lord. My soul, mind, and mana core have merged completely with this forest. Every grain of dirt, every fallen leaf, every blade of grass—they are all me.”

”...”

”From the moment someone sets foot within this forest, they become trapped inside a dream. Or rather, a nightmare. Within that nightmare, I slowly drain their mana cores, sustaining myself. The loop is designed to break them mentally, until eventually... they, too, become my puppets. My eternal nourishment.”

Azriel’s lips parted slightly, hesitating. He spoke cautiously, quietly:

”...Your [unique skill]... it almost sounds like a—”

”A Soul Domain?”

Azriel flinched slightly.

”Yes,” Mio continued softly, ”perhaps it is indeed close to that.”

She turned her gaze back toward her true body. Azriel dragged his broken body forward until he stood beside her, both of them staring at the frail, withered woman entangled within the ethereal tree.

”A forest without end. A dream without awakening. A curse that breaks the soul before it breaks the body.”

Her eyes drifted downward, settling on Sealbreaker in her frail hands.

”Thousands upon thousands of hollow souls, trapped forever in their dreams. They unconsciously draw in mana from the real world, and I feed upon their cores. I have become such a cruel monster, haven’t I, Son of Death? I don’t even grant them the mercy of dying.”

Azriel stared silently at her real body, and finally murmured softly:

”Yes. You are cruel.”

But despite his words, Mio continued to gaze at him with that unbearable gentleness. Her voice then trembled with deep sadness:

”But she is also so cruel to you, my lord...”

Azriel turned his head, confused.

”She?”

”The Goddess of Death.”

”...Why do you say that?”

Slowly, with infinite care, Mio raised her trembling hand and gently stroked Azriel’s bloodied and dirt-stained cheek.

”[Soul’s Crucible]... a skill that ensures your mind can never shatter. It evolves endlessly, adapting to protect you. It is horrifying—no matter how many times you die, no matter how deeply you despair, you will never truly break. You can never fully lose your mind, nor ever truly regain it.”

Azriel blinked, his one eye unnervingly calm. Right now, despite the tremors of horror still echoing outside the cave, he felt nothing—nothing but a strange, aching sadness.

Mio whispered painfully:

”How cruel she is... cursing you never to find peace, for all eternity.”

Silently, Azriel felt his wounds beginning to close, small injuries healing slowly through [Eidolon Flesh]. Then Mio gently placed Sealbreaker into his remaining hand. He stared down at the weapon, his lips tightening in resignation.

”If I kill you with this, the spell breaks. The forest ends. All those trapped souls will finally be released into death. Or—I use this to kill Pollux. Or perhaps I destroy [Redo]...”

He stared deeply into the terrifying void artifact.

”The choice is yours, my lord,” Mio whispered softly, her voice wavering with compassion.

”...You truly are cruel,” Azriel murmured, his voice barely audible. He saw his reflection twisted and fractured on Sealbreaker’s surface.

Then slowly, painfully, he forced himself to speak again:

”Was...”

He hesitated, chewing the words carefully before continuing in a whisper:

”Was it all a lie?”

”My lord?”

Azriel did not look at her.

”You said you had no wish. No desire, no need for any price... that everything you did was simply out of kindness.”

”...That...”

Azriel finally turned his one eye toward her.

”Every single word you spoke, every action you took... every step, even your involvement in this loop, and the Dark Basilisk’s blood... was it all a lie, just to lead to this very moment?”

”....”

”Do you truly wish to die that badly, Lady Mio?”

Mio lowered her gaze, hiding her expression, her voice small and broken:

”I... I truly do wish to die.”

”...”

”I want to die,” she confessed softly.

Azriel exhaled heavily.

”I see. Then—”

”But.”

She lifted her gaze once more, looking at him with fierce earnestness.

”It wasn’t all a lie. The longer someone remains trapped here, the more of their memories I absorb. I... My lord... I never wished to deceive you in such a cruel way.”

Azriel stared at her quietly for a long moment, then finally murmured:

”...Okay.”

”My lord?”

Azriel took a slow, trembling breath.

”I’ve made my choice.”

”Then you will—”

He did not respond. Instead, Azriel began walking forward, silently stepping toward the heart of the ethereal tree. A shadow masked his face, yet strangely, despite his broken, barely-holding-together body, he felt no pain. No fear, no hesitation—only that peculiar, fragile clarity. His footsteps were as quiet and fleeting as the whispers of the dead.

He walked across the water, its still surface rippling softly under his steps for perhaps the first time in eternity. Then he stood before Mio’s true form—frail, gray, entangled within the delicate branches of the ancient tree.

Slowly, Azriel raised Sealbreaker, his reflection shimmering faintly upon its blade.

Yet he did not strike immediately.

From outside, the echoes of battle faded to silence.

Without turning back, Azriel quietly asked Mio:

”What rank are you?”

Mio hesitated briefly, then replied softly, her voice barely a whisper carried by the still air.

”Level Eight... I am a Sovereign.”

Azriel’s lips curled slightly, almost bitterly.

”I never imagined... my first kill of a Sovereign would be like this.”

Without another second of hesitation, Azriel plunged Sealbreaker directly into Mio’s glowing mana core. The blade pierced through effortlessly, slicing through the core as if through air itself.

He released the weapon, stepping backward slowly, realizing only now how heavily he was sweating—how violently his heart hammered against his ribs.

For a moment, the entire forest was deathly silent.

...Then, abruptly, the entire world shuddered.

[’World’s Providence’ looks at you, shocked.]

An arrogant voice echoed through the shattered forest, deep, furious, and inhumanly cold:

”You are all disappointments.”

The sound of glass shattering filled the air. Mio’s mana core cracked, releasing a blinding white light through fissures like lightning strikes. Sealbreaker, too, splintering even more, its blade fracturing as the overwhelming brilliance burst forth.

Ripples danced violently across the lake’s surface as delicate, translucent leaves fell gently like tears.

Lady Mio’s mana core crumbled completely, shattering alongside Sealbreaker into fragments of fading white radiance.

Then...

...At long last, after eternity, the spell was broken.

*****

”My lady, you truly look beautiful!”

The maids showered her with compliments one after another as they finished applying the final touches of her makeup. Staring into the ornate mirror before her, Her eyes widened slightly, startled by the elegant reflection gazing back at her.

”...Is that really me?” she murmured softly, disbelief and wonder dancing together in her eyes.

Her midnight-black hair was meticulously gathered into an elegant updo, adorned gracefully with sapphire pins that glittered like captured starlight. Her makeup had been done softly and tastefully—delicate blush gently warmed her porcelain cheeks, a subtle shimmer enhanced her expressive eyes, and her lips were painted a faint rose, as tender as freshly bloomed petals.

The gown she wore matched her sapphire accessories perfectly—a floor-length masterpiece crafted with layers of shimmering blue silk cascading like gentle waves. Its fitted bodice hugged her slender frame, accentuated by a corseted waist. A subtle sweetheart neckline and delicate, off-the-shoulder sleeves gracefully highlighted her pale, graceful collarbones.

Her forearms were adorned with sleeves of soft silk, sapphire blue fabric ending just below her elbows. She shyly opened her delicate fan, partially covering her blushing face as she looked down nervously.

”I... I don’t look strange, do I, Rhea?”

Rhea immediately smiled warmly, reassuring her with genuine sincerity.

”Of course not, my lady! Believe me, you’ll outshine everyone today at the debutante ceremony of Duke Abel Corvaris’ youngest daughter!”

”Exactly right! Oh, I even heard the Crown Prince himself will attend!”

Her heart skipped a beat, her fan hiding her rapidly deepening blush.

The Crown Prince...

”Huh? Really? That’s surprising; he hasn’t appeared in public in the past two years.”

”Well, it’s Duke Corvaris’s youngest daughter, after all! Even House Aureliath and the Crown Prince himself cannot afford to ignore an event this grand.”

Another maid leaned in, eyes sparkling with excitement.

”They say he’s incredibly handsome—even more than the Second Prince!”

Listening quietly, she felt her heart flutter nervously.

The Crown Prince attending meant...

”My lady,” Rhea gently interrupted her spiraling thoughts, stepping forward with tender reassurance.

”Please don’t worry yourself too much.”

She took her delicate hands in her own, meeting her gaze warmly and sincerely.

”Please trust me,” she whispered encouragingly.

”Today, Lady Mio, you will undoubtedly capture the heart of every man present—perhaps even the mysterious Crown Prince himself.”