The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

Alex lay broken on the forest floor, every breath a labor, his vision fading in and out.

His system's voice broke through the haze.

[Host, don't lose hope. Don't forget who you are… and what kind of powers you possess. I am sure, given enough time, there will be no equal to you.]

Alex was silent for a long moment, sorting through the storm of betrayal, pain, and exhaustion. Then he spoke in his mind, his tone low but unyielding.

'Who do you think I am? I'm not someone who will give up… never. So what if I got abandoned? It's not the first time… and maybe it won't be the last.'

His eyes hardened.

'I've been fighting alone all my life—whether it was in my previous world… or this one.'

After another pause, he gave a small, grim smile.

'So, partner… what's the plan?'

The system hesitated before answering.

[I didn't want to do this… it might be very painful and could harm you. But since your physique can adapt to a single injury in seconds—yet is taking longer against multiple devastating injuries and limbs are also taking longer to regenerate—we don't have the luxury of time. Given the situation, and the fact no one is coming to save us… I think we'll have to use "this" measure.]

Alex frowned. 'What the hell kind of measure are you talking about?'

[Bear with it for what I'm about to do, host. It will be… very painful.]

Alex's lips parted. "What are you gonna do—"

Before he could finish, pain detonated through his body like a thousand lightning bolts. His scream tore through the silent forest, raw and primal.

The ground beneath him cracked as streams of Cosmic Essence bled from the air, coalescing into threads of deep violet and shimmering gold.

Time itself seemed to bend, the flow around him warping as invisible hands shaped it.

It was as if the seconds thickened—each one stretching and slowing—before being pulled apart and rewoven into his body. Time molecules formed and latched onto his cells, accelerating regeneration beyond anything mortal.

His physique roared awake, adapting not just to the pain, but feeding on it. Bones snapped back into place with loud, echoing cracks, reattaching stronger and denser than before. Jagged fractures smoothed, fusing with unnatural precision.

Blood vessels reknit in flashes of light, muscle fibers twisted together like braided steel cables, skin sealed over with fresh, unblemished flesh.

The very structure of his body shifted to accommodate the strain of bending time, each adjustment making him more resilient than before.

To keep his frame from tearing apart under the pressure, the system, using the Cosmic Essence, created and flooded him with life energy, reinforcing his organs and marrow. His heart thundered, each beat a cannon blast in his chest, forcing fresh vitality through every vein.

Alex's voice was hoarse, choked by agony, but his eyes blazed with stubborn fire. He wasn't just healing—his body was evolving in the accelerated frame of time.

---

Not far away, Aaron, Veyron, and Veyra were still staring at the empty spot where Ethan and the others had vanished.

Aaron's thoughts were venomous.

'Impossible. This is my world—my dimension! Here, everything obeys me like loyal subjects. No outside interference… I am the king of this place. So how… how did he manage a mass teleport? They shouldn't be able to leave unless I die! This… this shouldn't be possible!'

He didn't yet know a god had intervened.

The reality gnawed at him—he had failed the mission to capture the Hero. The cult had given him elite forces and resources, and now… there would be consequences. Deadly ones.

Veyron and Veyra exchanged looks of disbelief.

Then Aaron's roar ripped through the air, so vicious that even the Wraith twins flinched. His killing intent swept the forest like a hurricane.

His gaze fell on Alex's mangled form, fury boiling over. 'He's the reason… because of this brat, my attention wavered. And they escaped.'

But then… his breath caught.

Alex's body… was moving. No—rebuilding. Purple particles shimmered all over him, time itself twisting in a vortex around his frame.

Aaron's instincts screamed danger. This was no normal boy.

Veyron's eyes went wide, horror flashing across his face. "M-Master… what's happening? Are you doing this?"

Aaron's head snapped toward him, and without warning, he backhanded Veyron so hard the impact sent him skidding across the dirt. "Does it look like I'm helping that brat recover? Am I insane?!"

Only Veyra smiled—a slow, twisted curve of lips. Her eyes sparkled with dark intrigue. "The more I see him… the more fascinating he becomes."

Aaron became a blur, his movements sharper than lightning. In a heartbeat, he was already closing the distance to Alex—ready to end him once and for all.

Alex, still mid-recovery, lay defenseless on the forest ground, blood mixing with dirt, breath shallow.

But before Aaron's axe could fall, a sudden circular golden dome erupted around Alex, its light cutting through the oppressive darkness of the warped dimension.

Aaron skidded to a halt, his scarred face twisting in shock.

Inside, Alex's half-lidded eyes opened, confusion flickering as he noticed the source—his gaze shifting to the black sword lying beside him, the Celestial Sunblade, the very weapon of the so-called Hero.

A voice echoed in his mind, calm yet urgent:

"Hurry up. I can only stop him for a few moments."

Alex blinked in disbelief. 'The Hero's sword… is protecting me?'

Outside the dome, Aaron's face darkened into pure rage. His aura flared like a storm as he bared his teeth. "You dare—"

Then he struck.

BOOM! His fist slammed into the dome, a ripple of golden light flashing.

BOOM! Another blow followed, stronger than the last.

BOOM! The third impact caused thin cracks to appear, spreading like veins of ice.

BOOM! The fourth hit made the golden light flicker violently.

Aaron smirked when the fractures deepened, jagged lines spiderwebbing across the barrier. "You're finished, brat."

Inside, Alex's breathing steadied. The regeneration was complete. His body felt… different. Stronger. Every nerve sang with power.

He slowly stood, tattered clothes hanging off him, muscles tense with renewed vitality. The golden cracks around him reflected in his eyes like fractured sunlight.

"Thank you, partner," he muttered.

The system's voice rang with playful arrogance:

[Now's not the time to appreciate my greatness, host. Escape alive first—then I'll give you enough time to sing my praises.]

Alex's mouth twitched. 'This idiot…' But he smirked anyway.

The system's tone shifted to serious.

[Listen carefully. Fighting that Grandmaster is pointless. Even with your body's adaptation, you lack his raw destructive power. You'd just be a punching bag.]

Alex chuckled dryly. 'Thanks for the motivation, partner. So what's the plan?'

[We escape. This dimension is an extension of him. Use the correct form of your sword art to tear it apart—you already know which one—and it will hurt him badly.]

Alex's eyes sharpened. "Okay… let's do it."

But then an idea sparked in his mind. 'Useless… how much Cosmic Essence do we have left?'

[Around 2%, host. Why?]

'What if instead of mana, I channel Cosmic Essence into my sword art? I can't imbue it into my weapons yet, but I can use it through my techniques, right?'

The system hesitated.

[It's risky… but it might work. And we only get one shot.]

A devilish smile curved Alex's lips—not from confidence, but from instinct. He remembered the visions he saw—the man wielding the same sword art against godlike enemies, purple energy swirling around him.

His survival instincts screamed at him to do the same.

Outside, the dome was barely holding. Aaron snarled, abandoning his fists and summoning his weapon—a massive battle axe, its obsidian blade jagged like fractured stone, veins of molten crimson light pulsing through it.

The weapon radiated killing intent so strong it made the air taste of iron.

Aaron raised it high, his dark aura flooding into the weapon until it looked like a piece of night sky soaked in blood.

BOOM!!! The axe came down. The golden dome shattered into light particles, fading into the void.

Aaron's lips curled into a vicious grin. "Now… die—"

But he froze.

The figure standing before him was no longer the broken boy from moments ago. Alex stood tall, tattered clothes swaying in an unseen wind, purple energy spilling from his body like the breath of an ancient god.

His hair and eyes glowed a deep amethyst, his presence pressing down on everyone like the weight of the heavens.

Alex slowly raised his sword into position. His voice was calm, but carried a weight that seemed to echo in the very fabric of the dimension.

"Astral Void Rend… Fifth Form."

The energy around him condensed violently, space itself trembling. The blade shimmered—and for an instant—disappeared into another plane entirely.

"Dimensional Sever."

Aaron barely had time to register the danger before Alex moved.

The slash came—not like a strike of steel, but like the judgment of a god. Reality warped as the cut ignored all defenses, phasing through matter, bypassing energy, targeting only its chosen prey.

The dimension screamed. Rifts exploded outward, swallowing the ground, the air, even the horizon. Aaron, Veyron, and Veyra felt the world around them collapse—and in the next heartbeat, they were somewhere else.

The familiar warped forest was gone. They stood once more on the same road where Aaron had first ambushed Alex's friends.

Aaron was coughing blood, barely standing. Half his body looked burnt, his aura flickering as his dimension—which was also an extension of himself—was destroyed.

But the slash hadn't stopped. Purple energy still tore through the air, its hunger not yet sated.

Alex's eyes widened in realization. 'You idiotic system! Why the hell didn't you stop me from using Cosmic Essence with my sword art?!'

[........]

No reply came back—as if it himself hadn't expected it.

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A/N:

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