Extra’s Rebirth: I Will Create A Good Ending For The Heroines - Chapter 462

Chapter 462: The Trial Of Unity [I]
He already knew what they were from the game… the moment Sylvia had become lovers with Reinhardt in the original storyline, she had asked him to follow her into the trials, and that was how the player learned everything.

Back then, the trials were presented as a series of events designed by the Elf King to test not only the strength, but the intellect, diplomacy, adaptability, and judgment of the soon-to-be Elf King.

Even though, in the game, the Elf King had spoken of retirement, it never actually stepped down until the day it died… right as the Children of the Sky descended onto Earth, marking the beginning of one of the worst calamities in the records.

Which meant, in reality, most of these tests were merely ceremonial, designed to fulfill expectations rather than to determine an immediate succession.

Besides, no two Elf King Trials were ever the same.

Every Elf King had the duty and the freedom to craft their own trial based on what they believed the future ruler should understand about the world.

Some kings favored strength and combat, others favored diplomacy and some preferred puzzles or emotional fortitude.

But this particular Elf King… from everything Azel had seen so far, from the oppressive weight of its mana, from the way it evaluated him with those unreadable tri-tone eyes…

This trial would be one of the hardest ones ever held, well he already knew it from the game.

‘Especially with the first thing…’ Azel thought with a sigh forming somewhere deep inside his chest.

If it followed the game… and everything so far aligned disturbingly close, the first trial would be what the game called the Trial of Unity.

A trial where all participants, including their respective lovers, were placed together and forced to clear a Rank 2 dungeon as a single cooperative force.

And Rank 2 Dungeons were never easy.

‘This elf trial thing happened a lot earlier than in the game but whatever…’ he muttered inwardly, running possibilities through his mind.

The timing was off, but the content matched perfectly.

As for how the elves would be expected to come together and clear a Rank 2 dungeon… he really didn’t know if the Elf King would use the same method from the game but if it did, he had a plan in place.

Elves were naturally prideful, and the houses often despised one another. Cooperation was the exact opposite of their instinct.

But he knew one thing for certain:

It would be hell.

“-survive. Did you hear me?” Sylvia’s voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.

He blinked, realizing he had not heard even half of what she had been saying. But instead of admitting that, he nodded, choosing the safe route.

“Loud and clear.”

Sylvia sighed softly, misunderstanding his distraction for seriousness.

“Right…” she murmured, softening a bit. “I don’t know what the Elf King has planned for tomorrow, but I’m guessing it will be something about fighting… We need to get suitable rest first.”

“Okay,” he said absently.

But his eyes were already drifting downward… to her lips.

Slowly, almost naturally, his hand lifted and made its way behind her head, fingers sliding into the soft strands of her blond hair.

He tugged gently, pulling her down toward him, and then their lips met.

Sylvia flinched… just barely but she allowed his tongue to wrap around hers.

Their tongues tangled softly and she responded in an elegant way, enough to make him think she was flustered and affectionate.

When Azel finally released her, she staggered backward, her cheeks flushed red as she covered her face with trembling hands.

“I… I… Just wear your towel and come join me on the bed,” she stammered before she practically fled out of the bath.

Her feet moved too quickly for someone calm.

But the moment the door shut behind her, her expression twisted sharply.

‘How dare he…’ she gritted silently, baring her teeth to no one.

Then she let her towel drop casually… she didn’t sweat at the meeting so she didn’t need a bath.

She only bathed earlier because it was part of the act. ‘Whatever.’

Kissing him was necessary. Pretending to be a normal lover was necessary. Every little gesture that a devoted girlfriend would do… except sexual relations was necessary to keep him attached.

He was merely a disposable piece.

Useful now and worthless later.

‘Though… how will I force the Elf King out of the position?’ Sylvia asked herself, her thoughts far darker than her smile.

Even if she completed the Elf King Trials, even if she succeeded in every single step, there was nearly zero chance that the Elf King would simply hand the position over.

It was not required to do so. The trials were symbolic, not binding.

‘Should I recruit the help of an enemy…?’

Demons.

Corrupted spirits.

Exiled elves.

She didn’t care what kind of darkness she had to touch. All she wanted was the throne. All she wanted was the authority of the crown and the ability to exact her revenge in the most brutal way possible.

“Hm…” Gwendolyn floated beside the doorway and watched Sylvia’s shifting expressions. At first she assumed it was normal flustered behavior.

But as Sylvia’s face twisted from softness, to calculation, to fury, to eerie calm, Gwendolyn’s ghostly eyes narrowed.

This elf was hiding something enormous.

The bath door opened again.

Azel stepped out wearing simple clothes, a towel still around his shoulders. Before he could speak, Sylvia practically bolted to the window, shutting it and activating a protection seal.

She couldn’t risk anyone seeing inside or anyone interrupting.

Not when her “pawn” was in the room.

Magically infused ventilation began filling the room through tiny runic holes in the walls. Clean air entered, but nothing could escape.

Azel climbed into the bed and leaned back, relaxing. Sylvia immediately followed, sliding under his arm and curling into his chest as if the position comforted her.

“I’m only doing this because I want you to charge enough for tomorrow,” she whispered, resting her cheek against him.

“Yeah… yeah… cutie,” he murmured, patting her back gently.

She didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off. Eventually, Azel’s breathing steadied as well.

For a few hours, peace settled over the room.

…

“Azel!”

A flash of instinct ripped through his mind.

His eyes shot open, golden mana bursting from his irises. In one swift motion, he conjured his bone sword and placed its edge directly against the throat of the intruder who stood over their bed.

Sylvia remained asleep beside him, completely asleep and the intruder did not move.

The Elf King blinked once, then sighed.

“At ease… I was just trying to send you both over to the first Trial,” it whispered. Yet somehow, even in its whisper, its voice echoed perfectly, resonating in Azel’s ears.

“Oh… okay.” Azel lowered the sword and laid back down. As he did, he finally noticed something strange about the bedding… while they slept, Sylvia had lodged a fortress of pillows between them, creating a perfect barrier.

He wondered why.

“One word of advice,” the Elf King said quietly.

The entire room glowed red.

“Be careful of Sylvia.”

And with a soft pop, everything collapsed into darkness.

…

Azel opened his eyes once more… this time to the feeling of Sylvia practically smacking his stomach with both hands.

“Hey, darling… wake up.” Her tone was soft but impatient, as if she’d already been trying to wake him for a while.

Azel blinked, inhaling sharply.

The scent of the room from last night was gone… there was no floral fragrance, no warmth, and no softness of the bed either.

Instead, a chilling dryness hit his throat. When his vision finally focused, the realization hit him instantly.

They were no longer in the room, in fact they weren’t even in the Land of Elves.

The world around them was a wasteland full of ash.

The sky looked like smeared ink, the earth like crushed bone. Every direction was the same muted color, as though the world had been painted over with dust.

“Y-yeah…” Azel muttered, pushing himself upright. “What’s going on?”

He stretched slowly, still sluggish from the abrupt displacement, and turned toward Gwendolyn.

She floated several meters away, yawning as if the scenery were nothing more than a foggy morning stroll rather than a dead hellscape.

‘What happened?’ Azel thought, brushing ash off his clothes.

Gwendolyn turned lazily, her eyes half-lidded. “The Elf King apparently transported all contestants here… including you two. A sleeping spell was placed on everyone, and then a barrier spell was cast to keep the monsters from sensing or touching you until the both of you awoke.”

‘I see.’ Azel sighed, running a hand through his hair. That explained the weird heaviness he’d felt before waking.

He looked to Sylvia next. Her brows were drawn tightly together, her expression lined with worry so convincing that if he didn’t know better, he might’ve believed all of it.

“I woke up earlier,” Azel said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Why were there pillows between us? I thought we fell asleep hugging. Then suddenly, pillow barricade.”

It sounded childish the moment he said it, but he couldn’t help it. Going from cuddling to a wall of pillows was… jarring.

Sylvia froze for half a second before lowering her gaze with a small, guilty pout.

“Pillows?” she echoed quietly. “I’m sorry… but you were grabbing me too much in your sleep.”

“Oh?” Azel blinked, standing fully. “Sorry the—”

A sudden growl cut him off.

From all directions, pairs of glowing eyes flickered into existence.

The air vibrated with snarls as creatures emerged from the ash… they had panther-like bodies, massive claws, but their forms were made entirely of dust and soot, like living shadows sculpted from cremated earth.

Sylvia’s posture shifted in an instant.

“Handle one side, and I’ll handle the other,” Azel said calmly.

Sylvia nodded and sprinted away. But Gwendolyn… did not follow him.

Instead, she floated to Sylvia.

‘There’s something very weird about your behavior…’ Gwendolyn thought, narrowing her eyes at the elf princess. ‘I intend to gather enough proof before confronting him.’

And then, quietly.

‘And when the time comes… I’ll tell him about my past too.’

Azel didn’t have the luxury of pondering any of that. The monsters charged, claws digging into the ash as they launched themselves toward him from multiple angles.

He summoned his Bone Sword instantly, its pale blade reflecting the dim sky.

“Aurum Hand,” he whispered.

A surge of golden light coursed over the weapon. The bone turned whiter and sharper, even its mana conduction improved drastically.

‘Overpowered skills are the best…’ Azel thought with a grin.

The first ash-panther lunged. Azel met it halfway, carving through its body in a single sweeping strike.

The creature disintegrated into a burst of drifting dust. A second monster leapt from his left… he pivoted, slicing through three at once before spinning around and invoking.

“Dragon Slash!”

A crescent of destructive force carved outward, obliterating several monsters in a single glorious sweep. Cores scattered onto the ground like faintly glowing stones.

‘I guess it’s started, huh?’

They were in the Trial of Unity… and the moment that thought formed, the Elf King’s voice boomed across the ashlands, it was monotone yet amplified enough to rattle the ground.

“I hope all of you have awakened,” the Elf King announced. “It was a hassle to enter each of your rooms and bring you to this place, but it was for the greater good.”

Azel rolled his eyes. He could imagine the Elf King teleporting around like an unamused babysitter.

“Your first trial is upon you… The Trial of Unity. You are currently raiding a Highborn Gate, or what humans would call a Rank 2 gate.”

Azel stilled.

‘Yep. Just like the game.’

“Your goal in this trial is simple,” the Elf King continued. “You must survive and unite to defeat all monsters and even the Boss that lies at the end of this place.”

Azel exhaled slowly.

Unity, huh? With a bunch of arrogant elf nobles who wanted to murder him for breathing their air?

Sure.

That was perfect unity.

“If you look upward, you will see a billboard I have created from magic,” the Elf King added. “It displays the names of each group or individual and their current number of kills.”

Azel looked up. And sure enough… a floating magical board glowed across the sky, as though projected by the dungeon itself.

Names glowed in green text, reshaping as numbers updated in real time.

He spotted his own name near the top.

Azel & Sylvia = 20 kills

The fact that the Elf King could manipulate a dungeon’s internal systems even inside a Rank 2 gate was absurd.

“Killing someone above you on the rankings adds their kills to your name,” the Elf King continued. “And if your total reaches three hundred, I will personally remove you from the dungeon.”

So cooperation was needed… but competition was also incentivized.

“Now,” the Elf King finished, voice echoing like a cold bell, “begin your trial. Will you unify… or will you struggle for your survival?”

His voice faded.

A moment of silence followed then the ashlands erupted into chaos.