The Extra's Rise-Chapter 483: Aurora Knights (1)

We were woken at dawn by a commotion outside. The kind that suggested important people had arrived and were making sure everyone knew it.

After dressing in the clean clothes Mount Hua had provided—functional training garments in the sect’s traditional white with subtle blue accents—we made our way to the main hall. The mood had shifted overnight, the air now charged with a different kind of tension.

Mo stood at the center of the chamber, his expression carefully neutral as he faced a semi-circle of stern-faced men and women in various styles of formal attire. Even without introductions, it was clear these were the family heads and sect leaders who had survived the initial onslaught.

I recognized a few—the stern patriarch of the Namgung family, his usually immaculate robes now torn and stained; the matriarch of the Gu family, her right arm in a sling; three elders from the Southern Edge Sect, their faces grim behind their traditional face paint.

Their discussion halted as we entered, all eyes turning to assess us. Or more specifically, to assess one of us.

"Is that her?" the Namgung patriarch demanded, pointing a finger at Deia. "Lord Daedric’s daughter?"

Deia stiffened but stepped forward, her chin high despite the fear I knew she must be feeling. "I am Princess Deia Solaryn, yes."

The chamber erupted into angry murmurs. The Gu matriarch’s good hand drifted to her weapon. "She should be in chains, not walking freely among us."

"Her father’s betrayal cost us thousands of lives," one of the Southern Edge elders added. "The bloodline is tainted."

"She must be detained and interrogated," another family head insisted. "Who knows what secrets she might be harboring—willingly or otherwise."

Mo held up a hand, but did not immediately speak in Deia’s defense. The political calculus was obvious—Mount Hua needed these families and sects as allies in the coming war. Defending a traitor’s daughter might not be worth the cost.

Deia’s shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. "If my detention will ease your concerns, I will submit willingly," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "I have nothing to hide, but I understand your suspicion."

"No."

The word cut through the tension like a blade. Lucifer stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of Deia. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as his cold gaze swept over the assembled leaders.

"Princess Deia risked her life to warn us of the threat," he stated, his tone making it clear this wasn’t up for debate. "She fought against her father’s forces. She saved lives."

"The sins of the father—" the Namgung patriarch began.

"—are not the sins of the daughter," I finished, moving to stand beside Lucifer. "Crime by association has long been discontinued in civilized society. Or has the East abandoned such principles in its panic?"

The barb struck home. Several leaders bristled visibly.

"You presume much, students," the Gu matriarch said coldly. "This is not your continent, nor your war."

"With respect, Matriarch Gu," Seraphina interjected, her tone perfectly balanced between deference and authority, "it became their war the moment the Southern Sea Sun Palace fell. None of us can afford to reject allies based on lineage now."

The debate continued, growing more heated as faction lines were drawn. Some called for immediate arrest, others for banishment, a few for more extreme measures that made my blood run cold. Throughout it all, Mo remained silent, watching the dynamics play out with calculating eyes.

Finally, when the argument reached its peak, a cold smile spread across Lucifer’s face—the kind that reminded everyone exactly which family he belonged to.

"This debate is becoming circular," he said, his voice cutting through the clamor. "So allow me to clarify something." He took a measured step forward. "Princess Deia is under the protection of the Windward family. Anyone who wishes to detain her will have to go through me first."

A heavy silence fell over the chamber. The Windward family—rulers of the Northern continent, with military might that could rival entire nations.

"You overstep, young Windward," the Namgung patriarch said, though with considerably less conviction than before. "This is an Eastern matter."

"Is it?" Lucifer’s eyes grew colder, his smile sharper. "I was under the impression this was now a global threat. But if you insist on making this a matter of regional politics..." He shrugged elegantly. "Then I suppose power will determine the outcome, as it always has."

The words hung in the air, a challenge that none seemed eager to accept. The Windward name carried weight—the kind that made even seasoned warriors reconsider their position.

As if on cue, the massive doors of the hall swung open. A contingent of knights in gleaming silver and blue armor marched in with mechanical precision, their movements synchronized to perfection. Each bore the unmistakable crest of the Windward family—a stylized whirlwind set against a northern star.

The Aurora Knights of the Windward family.

Elites beyond elites.

Each one was an Ascendant-ranker, which the family had hundreds of. And particularly the two dozen who came here were radiating intense power that made even the Eastern family heads shift uncomfortably.

’Three Immortal-rankers, fourteen high Ascendant-rankers and seven peak Ascendant-rankers,’ Luna informed me mentally, her voice tinged with rare awe.

The lead knight stepped forward and removed her helmet, revealing striking features framed by blonde hair. She knelt on one knee, her movement fluid despite her heavy armor. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"I greet King of the East, Sect Leader of Mount Hua sect, His Majesty Mo Zenith," she announced, her voice carrying effortlessly through the hall. "I am Lilith Windward, the one with the undeserving epithet of Storm Sword."

Her verdant eyes scanned the room before locking with mine for a brief moment. I recognized her from our brief previous encounter, but more significantly from the novel. Lilith Windward, Lucifer’s older cousin, seven years his senior and at high Immortal-rank. She was a talent capable of reaching peak Immortal-rank, and before Lucifer’s birth, many had thought she would become the head of the Windward family.

Lucifer’s birth and subsequent showcase of talent had changed everything, of course.

More than that, at high Immortal-rank, she was someone as strong as Li Zenith. And in this hall, only Mo Zenith surpassed her in strength—a fact not lost on anyone present.

She rose gracefully and turned to Lucifer. "Lord Lucifer, your father has instructed us to place ourselves under your command for the duration of this conflict."

Lucifer’s expression revealed nothing, but I caught the subtle straightening of his shoulders—the prince becoming a commander in a single breath.

"Perfect timing, Captain," he said smoothly, before turning back to the assembled leaders. His eyes met each of theirs in turn, a silent reminder of the power dynamic that had just shifted dramatically. "Now, shall we discuss actual strategy, or would you prefer to continue wasting time persecuting innocent allies?"

The Namgung patriarch’s face had gone an interesting shade of purple. The Gu matriarch’s expression was carefully blank. The rest of the Eastern leaders exchanged uneasy glances, suddenly reassessing the young man they had dismissed as merely a privileged student.

Lucifer Windward had just played his first piece on the war’s chessboard—and it was a knight’s gambit that no one had seen coming.