The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 399 - 400 : A Monstrous Creation (2)
The sky turned red.
Not orange from sunset.
Not crimson clouds drifting by.
Red.
As if the heavens themselves had begun to bleed, the color seeping into every shadow.
A suffocating pressure descended, pressing down like an invisible ocean.
A chill ran down the spines of every fallen angel present, frost forming on their armor.
Even Corvin’s jaw tightened faintly, a muscle twitching.
The air trembled, thick with anticipation.
Something was coming, its aura warping reality itself.
The sky trembled, cracks of thunderless lightning flickering.
Then—
A figure materialized in the air above the village, descending without motion.
She looked no older than her early twenties, yet her presence screamed eternity.
Blood-red hair flowed down her back like liquid flame, moving even though there was no wind, tendrils coiling like living serpents. Her eyes were the same shade—deep crimson, glowing faintly as if something ancient burned within them, depths swirling with hunger.
Her skin was flawless and pale, almost luminous beneath the reddened sky, untouched by the grime below. She wore sleek black armor that clung to her form, elegant yet deadly, with faint scarlet patterns etched along the edges like veins of blood, pulsing subtly.
The moment she appeared—
Every Fallen Angel dropped to their knees, movements synchronized.
Wings folded tightly against their backs.
Heads pressed to the ground, not daring to rise.
It was not fear alone.
It was reverence, bone-deep and instinctive.
As if her very existence demanded submission, bending wills like reeds.
The pressure radiating from her body was suffocating.
Cold.
Unforgiving, squeezing lungs and hearts.
Several lower-ranked Fallen Angels trembled violently, knees grinding into dirt. One nearly fainted, vision blurring, barely managing to remain conscious under her presence, gasping for air.
Her crimson eyes swept across the ruined village, slow and appraising.
Disappointment flickered within them, a shadow passing over flames.
Then—
She vanished, leaving only a ripple of displaced air.
And reappeared directly in front of them.
The air didn’t ripple.
There was no sound, no warning hum.
One moment she was in the sky.
The next—
She stood before them, boots touching earth without a stir.
Even the disciplined ranks instinctively took a step back, boots scraping involuntarily.
As if their lives depended on it, survival instincts overriding orders.
Corvin stepped forward slowly, keeping his head lowered, gaze fixed on her boots.
In a low, controlled voice, he spoke, each word measured.
"Lady Victoria, we have completed our assigned task just as you ordered. None of these rebellious swines are left alive."
Her gaze shifted to him.
Just that.
Nothing more.
Yet a violent shiver ran down Corvin’s spine, cold sweat breaking anew.
Her voice finally emerged.
Cold.
Sharp, like ice cracking underfoot.
"Belial will not be happy to hear that you have done such a sloppy job."
Corvin’s breath hitched, chest seizing.
’None among the Fallen would dare call the Supreme Commander by name... but her.’
’I can see the reason why.’ The thought flashed through his mind, unbidden.
He swallowed hard and forced himself to speak, voice steadying by will alone.
"Forgive me, my lady... what do you mean by a sloppy job? We have completed our task. As you can see, there is not a single being left alive."
Victoria looked directly into his eyes, pinning him like a specimen.
"Then tell me," she said softly, tone deceptively gentle, "what is this?"
She flicked her fingers upward, motion casual as brushing dust.
Every building.
Every house.
Every structure—
Dissolved into nothingness.
Not shattered into debris.
Not burned to ash.
Erased, atoms unraveling in silent void.
The Fallen Angels gasped in shock, murmurs rippling through ranks.
And there—
Where one of the houses had once stood—
A small girl sat beside two corpses.
Her mother.
Her father.
She stared blankly at nothing, dress stained with their blood.
Her eyes were hollow.
Not crying.
Not screaming.
As if she had already lost everything.
As if even grief had abandoned her, leaving only a shell.
Corvin felt his throat go dry, mouth tasting of ash.
He slowly turned his head toward the two Fallen Angels who had given the earlier report, their deception clear.
They were pale.
Frozen in place.
Sweat pouring down their temples, pooling in their collars.
Corvin immediately dropped to one knee, armor clanking.
"It is not my fault, my lady!" he said quickly, panic creeping into his voice despite his efforts. "These two assured me that all targets were eliminated!"
He pointed toward them, finger accusing.
"They reported no survivors!"
The two Fallen Angels trembled violently, lips moving soundlessly.
Before they could speak—
A twisted smile spread across Victoria’s face, slow and predatory.
"You disobeyed orders."
Her eyes glowed brighter, crimson flaring like ignited blood.
"There will be consequences."
Her tongue slowly traced across her lips, deliberate and savoring.
"It is time for me to eat."
And then—
It began.
One by one—
Heads were severed.
Cleanly.
Silently.
No blade could be seen, no swing detected.
No movement detected.
One moment they were kneeling—
The next—
Their heads fell to the ground, rolling with wet thuds.
Panic erupted.
Some screamed, voices raw and piercing.
Some begged, pleas tumbling in frenzy.
Some tried to run, wings flaring desperately.
Some tried to attack her, drawing weapons in vain.
None even completed a single motion, bodies jerking mid-action.
They died before they understood what had happened, confusion etched on severed faces.
Bodies dropped like harvested wheat, piling in heaps.
Blood painted the ground, rivers forming.
Within seconds—
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Then all of them, the field a tapestry of slaughter.
Silence returned, heavy and absolute.
Only Corvin remained standing.
Frozen.
Horrified, mind reeling at the speed.
His entire unit—
Gone.
Massacred without effort, not a mark on her.
Victoria licked her lips slowly, a crimson droplet tracing her chin.
"The feast is ready."
She spread her arms slightly, palms upturned.
And suddenly—
The corpses began dissolving.
Not decaying into rot.
Absorbing, essence drawn like smoke to flame.
Every Fallen Angel.
Every civilian.
Every body.
Turned into streams of dark energy that flowed toward her, twisting in the air.
Into her.
She fed.
Their flesh.
Their power.
Their souls.
All of it became nourishment, her form shimmering as it surged inward.
Even the little girl, her tiny form unraveling last.
Nothing remained, ground barren and sterile.
When it was done—
The village was empty.
Clean.
As if nothing had ever existed, not even dust lingering.
Victoria exhaled softly, breath visible in the chilled air.
Her aura surged.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Stronger than before, pressure warping the sky further.
A horrifying realization dawned on Corvin, eyes widening fractionally.
’She... grew stronger.’ The thought chilled him deeper than death.
Her voice echoed softly, carrying across the void.
"Corvin."
He snapped out of his daze immediately, focus sharpening.
He did not dare meet her eyes, staring at the ground.
His body trembled, wings quivering.
"Yes... my lady."
She smiled faintly, expression serene amid carnage.
"Go to the next town."
"Kill the remaining ones."
"And report to me afterward."
Corvin bowed deeply, forehead nearly touching earth.
"As you wish."
He did not dare speak another word.
He turned and left immediately, wings beating to lift him away.
Not once looking back, fleeing the emptiness.
When he was gone—
Only Victoria remained.
Standing alone in the erased village, wind whispering through nothingness.
She tilted her head slightly, hair swaying.
"I wonder if I will get to eat a strong one next."
--------
The holographic display flickered, static crackling like distant lightning.
And vanished, leaving afterimages burned into their vision.
Silence filled the forge once more, thicker now, the embers’ glow seeming dimmer.
Hephaetaestus let out a hollow, defeated laugh, echoing off the stone walls.
"So... how was it?"
Alex crossed his arms, jaw set.
"Well, it was a wonderfully entertaining movie, if you’re asking whether I liked it."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, mind still reeling from the horror.
"But please don’t say what I think you’re going to say."
Hephaetaestus chuckled weakly, cough rattling in his chest.
"You’re correct."
Alex raised a hand, palm out.
"Please don’t say it."
"The weapon I’ve created for you—"
"Please don’t say it."
"—is exactly what you saw."
Alex sighed, shoulders slumping.
"You’re saying it."
Hephaetaestus looked at him directly, eyes weary but piercing.
"It was that crazy woman."
Alex rubbed his face slowly, fingers pressing into temples.
"Damn you, old man."
He shook his head, frustration boiling.
"You really created a terrifying monster, didn’t you?"
He looked at the dying god, pity mixing with anger.
"Maybe... you do deserve to die."
As Haphaetaetus broken voice came "I had no choice left."
