The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

The system's voice was urgent, trembling with something dangerously close to panic.

[Host… please… answer me, Host!]

Alex could barely register it anymore. His mind was fog, his vision flickering between darkness and searing flashes of light.

Even the sensation of his body was slipping away—everything felt distant, disconnected.

Aaron's blows had reduced him to something barely recognizable. Blood streamed freely from a dozen gashes across his body, dripping down his face, soaking through his torn, dirt-caked clothes.

His skin was mottled with deep bruises, his bones cracked in too many places to count. Each breath came as a ragged rasp, and with every exhale, more blood spilled from his lips.

In mere moments, his state had gone from bad to catastrophic.

The ground beneath them groaned and then collapsed entirely, giving way into a massive sinkhole.

Earth and debris sank inward, swallowing trees and shattered stone alike, until they stood in the heart of a fresh, yawning crater.

Aaron didn't pause.

A blur of motion, and then—impact.

Each punch he landed was like a cannon firing point-blank into Alex's body, the force reverberating through the ground, sending tremors racing out like shockwaves.

The air cracked with every blow, the sheer power making the onlookers flinch involuntarily.

Then, in one smooth motion, Aaron's hand closed around Alex's throat, lifting him as if he weighed nothing.

Without slowing, he blurred through the air, dragging his prey back toward the place where his disciples stood—where Ethan and the others could see everything.

And there, before their horrified eyes, Aaron's fist drew back.

The strike came down like the wrath of a god.

CRUNCH.

Alex's chest caved under the blow, his ribs creaking and splintering, the sound sharp and sickening.

Aaron laughed—loud, unrestrained, like a predator savoring the kill. "You're still breathing? Impressive. But not for long."

He let go, tossing Alex to the ground like a broken doll.

The body landed with a dull, lifeless thud, unmoving.

Veyron, who moments ago had been trembling in fear of the silver-haired figure, now let out a sharp bark of laughter.

The sight of Alex's state seemed to burn away his earlier terror, replacing it with a cruel sense of superiority.

Ethan, Alden, Seraphina, Draven, Ava, and Charlotte could only watch, frozen in disbelief and horror. Ava's voice cracked first, the tears spilling before she could stop them.

Charlotte followed, her composure shattering, while Seraphina's also last her composure entirely, her eyes glassy and wide.

All three ran toward him.

Alden and Draven moved too, their own expressions carved in anguish.

They reached him together—five people kneeling in the dirt, calling his name over and over.

"Alex! Hey—Alex!"

"Hey man Answer me damnit."

"Answer me, say something."

But nothing came back.

As their hands pressed against him, they realized just how much damage had been done. His torso was an unrecognizable mess of broken bones and torn muscle.

Blood oozed from open wounds. His breaths were so shallow it was a miracle he was still drawing any at all.

'How…? How was he even standing until now?' Alden thought, the question clawing at his mind.

Before they could try anything else, a blur moved—Veyron stepped forward. His boot slammed into Alden's side, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll.

A pair of steady hands caught him—Carter, who slid in to keep him from hitting the ground.

Veyron didn't stop.

He grabbed Charlotte, Seraphina, and Ava all of their hair at once, hurling them with casual force toward Alden's direction.

They hit the dirt hard, groaning, their bodies jolted from the impact.

Draven surged forward, fury flashing in his eyes—but Veyron's foot snapped up in a brutal arc, crashing into Draven's jaw.

The crack of bone was audible, and Draven's body crumpled, blood spraying from his mouth as he skidded across the dirt.

Ethan's vision went red. His grip tightened on his weapon, every muscle screaming to move.

But before he could, a voice pressed into his mind—calm, measured, yet heavy with warning.

[My heir… do not act rashly. I need your complete focus right now, or it will never work.]

Ethan bit down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood, forcing himself to stand still. His nails dug into his palms as he watched, silent rage burning him alive from the inside.

Veyron turned back toward the girls, his steps slow, deliberate.

And then—

"I'll kill you if you touch them again."

The voice was faint, ragged, but it froze him mid-step.

His blood ran cold as he turned.

Alex.

The silver-haired boy was still lying there, broken and unmoving… yet his lips had formed the words. His eyes, half-lidded and glassy, still held a glimmer of cold defiance.

Veyron stumbled back a step before he even realized it.

"Tch. Are you scared of a half-dead brat now? Is this how I raised you?" Aaron's voice cut in, laced with disdain.

Embarrassment washed over Veyron at his master's tone. He shook his head quickly. "No—no, master. What would I be scared of? He's an insect."

He strode forward, forcing the hesitation away, and drove his foot into Alex's side. The limp body rolled a few meters from the impact.

When Alex didn't so much as flinch, Veyron's fear was gone entirely.

He descended on him with savage fury—punches, kicks, each one cracking bone and tearing flesh.

Ten minutes. That's how long he kept going, and each strike was worse than the last.

By the time he stopped, his chest was heaving, and the broken figure on the ground was barely recognizable as human.

Seeing all this Veyra just clicked her tongue.

But still—

"I'll… pay it all back. For sure."

The voice was quieter than before, but it carried enough weight to make Aaron's brows twitch.

Aaron stepped forward, a dark grin spreading across his face. "You just don't know when to die, do you?"

His hand shot down—grabbing Alex's left leg. With a single, sickening jerk, he tore it free. Blood sprayed violently, soaking the dirt.

Before anyone could react, his other hand clamped onto Alex's left arm. Another vicious pull—and it was gone too.

Aaron laughed, holding the severed limb for a moment before tossing it aside.

Ethan's breath came sharp and fast, but before he could move, the voice returned in his head—firmer this time.

[My heir, now is the time. Gather your friends and the civilians. I am beginning the teleportation.]

His eyes widened in realization. He turned toward the others immediately, rushing to them as the ground beneath them began to glow.

Massive runic patterns spread outward, forming a vast teleportation circle.

The truth hit him in a rush.

"What about Alex?!" Ethan's voice was desperate. "We can't leave him here!"

Tiamat's voice was unyielding.

[My heir… the boy is almost dead. Can't you see? And the moment we try to save him, that scar-faced man will notice and stop the teleportation at once—risking all of your lives.]

Ethan's voice in his head was raw, desperate. 'No?! After what he did for me… for all of us… how can I leave him?'

Tiamat's voice was sharp, cutting through his hesitation. [My heir, the path of a hero—of a saviour—is not easy. In the future, you will have to learn to sacrifice a handful to save billions. You are taking your first step toward your destiny now. The choice is yours.]

'But—' Ethan tried to protest.

[But nothing, Ethan. Stop acting like a child and make your decision already. The life of one friend against all your remaining friends and all these civilians—choose.]

A single tear slid down Ethan's cheek, stinging as it fell. 'I hate myself for being born like this…'

His eyes dulled, the light in them replaced by cold resignation. "Do it," he whispered.

The faint magic circle beneath their feet flared to life, runes igniting with blinding light. The air hummed with raw power.

Draven, Charlotte, Seraphina, Alden, Carter, Ava, and every civilian within range froze in shock as they felt the surge.

Ethan's voice rang out, hollow yet commanding. "We're teleporting out of here."

A spark of hope lit Charlotte and Alden's facesuntil Draven's gaze darted toward the distance. He froze, then his voice cracked. "What about Alex?"

Ethan's head turned away, the silence answering for him.

Alden's expression twisted into horror. "No… no, you're not—" He lunged toward Alex's direction, Charlotte right beside him, but Ethan's hand snapped up.

The air around them solidified, locking their bodies in place. A powerful binding spell wrapped around each of them like iron chains.

"You bastard!" Alden's voice broke, rage and panic interwoven. "Let me go! I can't leave him to die here! LET ME GO!"

Charlotte's voice trembled. "Ethan! Please! Stop this!" She and Draven thrashed against the magical restraints, but it was useless. Ava's voice cracked into sobs, Seraphina's eyes burned with helpless fury.

Aaron's sadistic amusement froze for a moment as he finally noticed the glowing formation. His brows furrowed, but the teleportation's light had already reached its peak—too late to intervene.

Alden roared, veins bulging on his neck. "ETHAN! YOU BASTARD LET GO OF ME."

And then…

Alex's body jerked in pain, a guttural scream tearing from his throat. His eyelids fluttered open just enough to see through the blood and haze. His gaze locked with Ethan's—two broken stares meeting across the battlefield.

Ethan's lips moved slowly. "I'm sorry… please… never forgive me."

And then they were gone—Ethan, Alden, Charlotte, Draven, Ava, Seraphina, Carter, every civilian—vanishing into motes of light, ripped from the battlefield.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Alex lay there, staring at the empty space they'd left behind. Something inside him… fractured. Slowly, a single tear traced down his dirt-and-blood-streaked face.

'Useless… you're here, right? At least you'll never betray me… right?'

The voice in his mind was soft as if crying for him, steady and emotional. [Don't worry, host. I'm always here. No matter what happens, I will always be there for you. You will never be able to get rid of me.]

Despite the agony, a faint, almost fragile smile formed on his lips.

'I'm so glad… to have you as my partner.'

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A/N:

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