The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist - Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Chapter 238 : A Haunting realization (1)
Everyone in the grand auditorium and the VIP section was left speechless. The air was heavy with disbelief as countless spectators tried to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

The name of the House of Crestvale carried immense weight across the human empire. Their family legacy—their sword art—was revered, guarded, and passed down only through direct bloodlines. To outsiders, it was a sacred heritage that no one could ever hope to imitate.

Every noble house had their own treasured weapons and combat arts, symbols of their lineage and pride. They were so precious that entire wars had been fought over them. To see someone outside a noble family wielding another house’s art was considered not only impossible but blasphemous.

King Edward’s expression hardened, his violet eyes reflecting astonishment. Even the other nobles around him—men and women who had seen empires rise and fall—couldn’t believe their eyes.

The Crestvale family’s sword art was infamous for its complexity and lethality. Only those with the bloodline’s divine resonance could hope to learn it. Yet this mysterious warrior, Lucifer Morningstar, had just executed it flawlessly—and even improved upon it.

Marcus Reed leaned forward, his face lit with both awe and disbelief.

‘Such talent… this is beyond measure,’ he thought. ‘First, I believed Ethan Williams was a prodigy among prodigy. Then I met Kyle Celestian and thought I’d seen true genius. But this Lucifer kid… he’s something else entirely. What kind of monster is he?’

A faint smirk curved across Alyssa Vega’s lips as she leaned back in her seat. Unlike the others, her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

‘That brat never fails to surprise me,’ she thought. ‘Always showing off in the most dramatic way possible.’

—

Meanwhile, inside the virtual coliseum, Alden stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.

The attack flying toward him was identical to the one he had unleashed mere seconds ago—only faster, sharper, and impossibly precise. The air trembled under the pressure.

‘No time to panic i have to counter it now.’

He thrust his divine sword forward. The weapon shone with a cold, pale white light that glimmered with both beauty and dread.

The blade was long and thin, its surface smooth as glass, but what drew the eye was the hilt. Etched into it was the ancient symbol of a snake devouring its own tail—a mark of his god ouroburos , representing eternity, rebirth, and destruction. The sword seemed alive, vibrating with power, as if whispering in a voice only its wielder could hear.

Yet beneath its beauty was something unsettling—an aura so oppressive that the very space around it seemed to warp. The sword exuded a killing intent so pure that even the ambient light dimmed near it.

Alden gritted his teeth, roaring, “Did you really think you could beat me with my own technique? Then you’re in for a surprise, you bastard!”

Black, chaotic flames exploded from his blade, devouring the light. He swung with terrifying speed. The molten lightning slash that Alex had released met Alden’s black fire head-on.

For a brief second, both forces clashed violently, a storm of blinding energy consuming the battlefield.

Then—Alden’s flames overpowered the attack instantly as if it was nothing infront of it. The molten lightning was swallowed whole, disappearing into the darkness.

Alex blinked suprised, then chuckled lightly. “Okay, that was pretty damn cool. You get points for the presentation.”

That remark made Alden’s fury spike. His aura flared violently, the ground beneath him cracking.

In an instant, Alden vanished from sight.

Alex barely tilted his head before a barrage of slashes filled the air. Alden’s sword blurred into motion—every strike precise, deadly, and faster than the eye could follow. Sparks burst into the air as their blades clashed, leaving trails of black chaotic flames.

The sound of steel against steel echoed like thunder.

Alden’s movements were fluid, his swordsmanship a flawless dance of death. He twisted, spun, and attacked with both elegance and ferocity.

But Alex parried every blow effortlessly, his body barely moving as his golden sword intercepted each strike with pinpoint accuracy.

Leaning slightly toward Alden’s ear, Alex whispered, “You’re too slow.”

Alden’s eyes burned with rage, and his flames roared even higher, their heat distorting the air.

But Alex didn’t even flinch. “These flames can’t do anything unless they actually touch me,” he muttered with a grin.

Before Alden could react, Alex blurred forward. His sword moved faster than thought, and in a split-second, several shallow cuts appeared across Alden’s arms, legs, and chest.

Blood sprayed across the coliseum floor.

Yet, as quickly as the wounds appeared, Alden clenched his jaw and activated his temporal ability.

Time itself shimmered.

His injuries reversed—skin reknitting, blood vanishing, pain erased in an instantly.

Alden slammed his sword into the ground, black flames erupting outward as he roared, “Echoes of Self—Manifest!”

The world around him darkened. Behind him, a massive ring of black fire spun into existence, forming a perfect circle.

From it, ten silhouettes emerged.

When the flames settled, ten identical copies of Alden stood beside him, each wreathed in the same infernal aura. Eleven Aldens in total now glared at Alex, their gazes burning with hatred and killing intent.

The ground trembled under their combined presence.

Even Alex’s smile faltered for a second as he muttered, “Wow… that’s some overpowered shit right there.”

All eleven Aldens took identical stances, their swords glowing with deadly light.

Then, in perfect unison, they spoke the words that made the world tremble.

“Sovereign Blade, Fifth Form—Annihilation Tide.”

The sky cracked.

Eleven massive hurricanes of black fire surged forward, spiraling toward Alex with the force of a natural disaster. The ground split open, ancient pillars shattered like glass, and the very fabric of the virtual arena seemed to bend under their destructive might.

It was as if the end of the world was descending upon him.

Alex’s eyes widened—not with fear, but with thrill.

“Now this,” he said calmly, “this is something worth clapping for.”

His smirk returned as the system responded within his mind.

[ Phantom Shift — Activated ]

In an instant, four ethereal figures shimmered into existence around him—four perfect echoes of Alex himself.

——