The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 397 - 398 : A Dying God

The moment Alex and Lina stepped out of the portal—

The world felt wrong.

The sanctuary ruled by Hephaetaestus was collapsing.

Not violently.

Not suddenly.

It was dying.

The sky above was dim and fractured, as if cracks had spread through reality itself. Mountains in the distance crumbled slowly into glowing ash.

Rivers of molten lava which were used to forge weapons had thinned into weak, sluggish streams, their glow fading with every passing second.

The very air felt exhausted.

Structures flickered—half-real, half-erased—dissolving piece by piece like memories being forgotten.

Before Alex could open his mouth—

Lina spoke.

Her voice trembled.

"This sanctuary exists because of Lord Hephaetaestus," she said quietly. "Every inch of it was created by him."

Alex turned toward her.

"As his divinity fades," Lina continued, "so does everything tied to him."

She clenched her fists.

"There are only a handful of believers left. His authority is collapsing."

Her breathing became uneven.

"I... I don’t think he has much time."

Tears welled up in her eyes again.

They kept walking through the dying realm.

Alex sighed.

"Alright, alright," he said lightly. "Stop crying, will you?"

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Save it for when he finally croaks."

Lina stopped dead.

She glared at him with pure venom.

Alex froze.

"...Sorry," he said quickly. "Please don’t kill me."

Lina exhaled sharply and resumed walking.

After a short distance—

She stopped in front of a small, broken house.

Cracked walls.

A sagging roof.

Barely standing.

Alex stared at it.

"Sorry if I’m being rude," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "but if I remember correctly, last time I came here, Hephaetaestus lived in a massive forge-castle."

He gestured around.

"A gigantic one. Where he worked and lived."

He frowned.

"What happened to that?"

Lina turned slowly.

"Sometimes," she said flatly, "I really don’t get why Lord Hephaetaestus thinks so highly of you."

She crossed her arms.

"When you’re clearly a dumbass."

Alex gasped.

"How rude."

Before he could continue—

Lina snapped loudly.

"Did you already forget what I told you a few minutes ago?"

Alex blinked.

"Oh... that."

Lina’s eyes narrowed.

"You really weren’t paying attention, huh?"

Alex looked away and whistled casually.

Lina smacked the back of his head.

"Listen carefully now."

Alex straightened instantly, like a scolded child, and nodded.

"Yes, ma’am."

Lina took a breath.

"Everything you’re seeing in this realm," she said, "is tied to Lord Hephaestus."

She gestured around them.

"This sanctuary and him are one."

Her voice softened.

"As he loses his divinity with every passing moment... this place disappears with him."

"Slowly."

"Piece by piece."

Alex’s eyes widened slightly.

"So that’s why the massive forge-castle is gone."

Lina nodded.

"Yes."

She turned toward the house.

"Now stop wasting time."

"And get in."

Alex nodded.

They entered the house.

Inside, it was simple.

Three small rooms.

Two bathrooms.

A narrow kitchen.

Nothing fancy.

Nothing divine.

Alex glanced around.

"Reminds me of middle-class houses on Earth."

Then his expression sharpened.

"Where is he?"

Lina didn’t answer immediately.

She led him down a narrow hallway and pushed open a door.

The room beyond wasn’t a bedroom.

It was a forge.

A mid-sized one.

An anvil stood at the center. Old tools lay scattered across the floor. A forge pit sat dormant—cold and lifeless.

At a table near the wall—

Hephaetaestus sat.

As if he had been waiting.

His rugged face, once proud and unyielding, looked worn. Small, barely noticeable scars marked his skin. His posture was slumped.

Tired.

Defeated.

Like a man who had lost everything and was simply waiting to die.

His bronze skin had lost its powerful glow.

Dark bags hung beneath his eyes, proof he hadn’t rested in ages.

In one hand, he clutched a bottle that reeked of strong alcohol.

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

’The divinity...’

It was gone—or barely there.

The overwhelming pressure that once could crush even monsters like Zarkov without effort—

Nowhere to be felt.

Then—

Without turning around—

Hephaestus spoke.

His voice was low.

Rough.

"You’re finally here, kid."

Alex stiffened.

"I really wanted to meet you before I’m completely erased from existence."

Hephaestus lifted the bottle slightly.

"And give you something."

Something dangerous lingered in his tone.

"Something that’ll at least prove a god once existed."

A faint, broken smile touched his lips.

"A god... who created a monster of a weapon."

"For a human who’s more like a devil."

A slow smile spread across Alex’s face.

"Are you going to die, old man?"

Lina’s eyes widened.

She turned sharply, about to yell—

But Hephaestus raised a hand.

She froze.

The god finally turned his head.

For the first time since Alex entered the room, a small smile appeared on his worn face.

"You don’t have a shred of sympathy for this dying old god, do you?" Hephaetaestus asked calmly.

Alex tilted his head.

"Do you want me to sympathize with you?"

Hephaestus burst into laughter.

Deep.

Hoarse.

Genuine.

He laughed so hard his shoulders shook, the sound echoing through the dying forge.

When he finally looked at Alex again, his eyes burned faintly.

"It seems my hunch was right."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I’ve lived long enough to believe nothing surprises me. You proved me wrong."

Alex frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Hephaestus smirked.

"You think you can hide it well," he said. "Because Lina didn’t notice anything."

His gaze sharpened.

"But you’re thousands of years too young to deceive my eyes, Lucifer."

Alex feigned ignorance, smiling lightly.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Lina frowned and stepped forward.

"My lord?" she asked, confused. "What are you saying?"

She looked between them.

"How did he deceive me?"

Hephaestus chuckled.

"When you look at him," he said calmly, "how do you measure his strength?"

Lina scoffed.

"I thought he was special," she said bluntly. "After all, you asked something special of him."

She crossed her arms.

"But I don’t see much difference."

"Sure, he’s gotten a bit stronger," she continued, "but no... he wouldn’t last even a second against those fallen angels—"

She stopped.

Her eyes widened.

Slowly, she turned toward Alex.

She couldn’t feel anything from him... as if he didn’t possess a speck of energy in his body.

Which was impossible—because even the weakest creatures had energy, no matter what kind or how little.

As the thought struck her—

"How did I miss that?"

"You fooled me," she said quietly.

Her voice sharpened.

"Tell me. How much stronger did you get?"

Alex shrugged.

"And why should I tell you?"

Before Lina could respond—

Hephaestus spoke.

"Mid pseudo-divine rank."

The room went silent.

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He looked toward Hephaestus.

Lina froze.

Her mind refused to process the words.

"...What?"

Mid pseudo-divine rank.

Her breath caught.

She stared at Alex as if seeing him for the first time.

Alex smiled faintly.

"Looks like even while dying, you still have good eyes, old man."

Hephaestus nodded slowly.

"I’ve seen my fair share of geniuses," he said. "But you’re the first who, in just three months..."

His gaze softened with disbelief.

"...rose from grandmaster level to the brink of divine rank."

Alex sighed.

"I’m flattered and all, to be honest, but that’s enough chit-chat."

He waved a hand.

"Where’s the weapon you promised me?"

Hephaestus chuckled.

"I was waiting for you to ask."

He lifted a trembling hand and pointed toward a dark corner of the forge.

"There it is."