The Extra's Rise-Chapter 476: Resurgence (6)

My heartbeat thundered in my chest as an icy dread settled over me, my face draining of color. The oppressive presence that filled the cavern was unlike anything I had ever felt before—a weight pressing against not just my body, but my very soul.

My thoughts spun, racing to piece together the impossible.

How?

How had he awakened already? This wasn’t supposed to happen—not yet.

’This can’t be happening,’ I thought, my mind rebelling against the sight. He shouldn’t even be awake yet! His recovery should have been far from complete. This was a scenario I hadn’t prepared for.

And yet, here he stood.

As if summoned by my silent plea for answers, my thoughts swirled. How had they managed to accelerate his recovery?

Obviously, it must have been Alyssara who was a variable differing from the Saga of the Divine Swordsman. But that didn’t matter.

We were beyond outmatched.

Magnus stood frozen for the briefest moment, his usually unshakable confidence tempered by the sheer presence of the figure before him. Caladros von Noctis was at the peak of mid Radiant-rank. That alone would have been catastrophic. But there was more.

Alyssara Velcroix.

She stepped forward as though she were his shadow, her radiant aura no less overwhelming than his, the two presences melding into a force so oppressive it felt like the very cavern might collapse. Magnus could beat Alyssara on his own, though barely, but both of them together? Even Magnus would falter.

The situation worsened with every passing second.

Figures began to materialize behind the Vampire Monarch, their numbers swelling. Vampires and cult members poured in, forming ranks with the discipline of an army that had conquered continents.

First came the Immortal-rankers—the Cardinals of the Red Chalice cult. Twenty of them, each draped in robes of deep crimson that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Each Cardinal was easily capable of leveling a small city single-handedly, their power refined through decades of forbidden rituals.

They arranged themselves in a perfect semicircle behind the Monarch, staffs planted firmly against the stone floor. The crystals atop each staff pulsed in unison, a rhythm that disturbed the natural flow of mana in the cavern.

Behind the Cardinals came the Ascendant-rankers—the Bishops. Hundreds of them, their robes a shade lighter than the Cardinals but no less imposing. Where the Cardinals were silent and still, the Bishops moved with predatory alertness, their hands constantly weaving small gestures that left trails of crimson energy in the air. Each Bishop specialized in a different branch of blood magic, their collective knowledge representing centuries of forbidden research.

The Integration-rankers—the Priests—came next, their numbers too great to count at a glance. In the thousands at the very least, arranged in perfect rows, their discipline absolute. Their robes were simpler, but each wore a crimson sash that identified their specific role within the cult’s hierarchy. Some carried ritual blades, others tomes bound in materials I didn’t want to identify. Individually, they might pose little threat to someone of my capabilities, but together? Their synchronized movements suggested they could channel their power as one devastating force.

And behind them all, White-rankers—the Acolytes, the newest initiates, whose presence served as both cannon fodder and future investment. There were tens of thousands of them, their plain robes marked only by a small crimson emblem over their hearts.

But the cult was only half of the nightmare.

The vampires formed their own distinct hierarchy, moving into position with the fluid grace unique to their kind. At the forefront stood the Vampire Ancestors—twenty Immortal-rankers who had once ruled their own territories before pledging allegiance to Caladros.

Behind the Ancestors came the Elders—Ascendant-rankers who served as the military commanders of the vampire forces.

Next were the Blood Knights—Integration-rankers who formed the elite guard of the vampire hierarchy. They wore armor of blackened steel inlaid with veins of crimson crystal, each piece crafted to channel blood magic in combat. Their weapons varied—swords, spears, axes—but all shared the same unsettling quality of appearing partially liquid, as though the metal itself might flow like blood at any moment.

Finally came the Fledglings—the White-rankers of vampire society. Recently turned and still adapting to their new existence, they nonetheless represented a significant threat with their enhanced strength, speed, and regenerative capabilities.

A full army.

The sight was suffocating. This wasn’t a battle. It was annihilation waiting to happen.

"Is the world coming to an end?" Cecilia’s voice broke through the oppressive silence. She stepped to my side, her usual composure fraying as she stared at the overwhelming forces assembling before us.

I swallowed hard, unable to form words, because for once, I couldn’t argue with her.

Magnus raised his sword, its dark surface shimmering with astral energy. "Arthur, take the others and go." His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the undertone of urgency.

"I—" I began, but Magnus cut me off with a glance.

"You’re not ready for this." He turned back toward the Monarch and Alyssara, his posture unyielding even as the weight of the odds bore down on him. "None of you are."

As Magnus’s sword flared with power, the echoes of the past and the terror of the present collided. Whatever hope we had was slipping through our fingers.

"Ah, are we late?" A voice resonated across the cavern, calm yet sharp enough to slice through the oppressive atmosphere.

Everyone turned to see her—Selene Kagu, stepping forward with a casual confidence that belied the enormity of her presence. Her white hair shimmered even in the dim light, and her sheer aura felt like a crack in the darkness, spilling light where none should exist.

Unlike Magnus’s cold, controlled power, Selene’s essence burned like the heart of a star—a blazing inferno carefully contained within human form. Her golden eyes surveyed the assembled forces with a mixture of amusement and calculation, fingers tapping idly against the ornate hilt of a sword that seemed too delicate for real combat—an impression I knew from reputation to be dangerously misleading.

Magnus’s head tilted slightly, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"Selene Kagu," he muttered.

"About time," she said with a grin, stopping beside him, her own aura settling over the room like the first breath of winter.

Caladros von Noctis’s crimson eyes locked onto her, narrowing slightly. "So, you sent everyone here, Kagu," he said, his deep voice rolling out like thunder.

Selene didn’t flinch under his glare, though her body tensed ever so slightly. Even she couldn’t pretend to be unaffected by the presence of the Vampire Monarch.

"I figured the Southern Sea could use some visitors," she replied, her grin widening as though they were exchanging pleasantries at a banquet rather than standing at the precipice of war.

Magnus glanced at her. "Reinforcements?"

"Would I come alone to face this monstrosity?" she said, her tone dry but playful.

As if on cue, figures began to fill the cavern. They moved with precision and purpose, their footsteps echoing off the walls.

First came the Blue Sky Troops of the Namgung family, their robes a deep blue that shimmered like the endless sky at dusk. Their arrival seemed to carry with it a subtle shift in the air, a wind trailing in their wake. At their head was Jin Namgung, the Sky Sword, his narrow eyes sharp and unwavering as he stepped forward to take command.

Jin wore armor that seemed impossibly light, crafted from a material that resembled solidified wind—translucent in some angles, opaque in others. His long hair was bound in a traditional topknot, secured with an ornate pin that bore his family’s crest. At his side hung a curved blade said to be similar to the fall of the sky itself.

The Blue Sky Troops moved as one entity, their steps synchronized to such a degree that they appeared to float rather than walk. I counted at least fifty Ascendant-rankers among them, with Jin himself at peak Immortal-rank.

But they were not alone. Behind them came the Void Vanguard of the Kagu family, their fiery presence unmistakable. Their energy crackled and flared as they moved, a visible manifestation of the fire that defined their legacy.

The Void Vanguard specialized in close-quarters combat without the use of weapons.