Transmigrated As An Extra In The Apocalypse-Chapter 86 - 85: Survivors

The battlefield was eerily still, the dust slowly settling from the chaos that had just unfolded.

My breathing was heavy, my body tense, but my mind was sharp, scanning for any sign that the orc lord was about to emerge from his rocky prison.

Then, something caught my attention.

A shift in the air.

A presence behind me.

I turned sharply, my eyes landing on a group standing at the edge of the battlefield, a group of awakened and soldiers who were still standing.

It took me a moment to process it.

I had assumed most of them had been wiped out, due to that bullet...

But I guess not everyone is weak.

Somehow, they had survived.

Bloodied, battered, some barely able to stay upright, but standing nonetheless.

And then, Beth spoke.

"Huh," she exhaled, cocking her head slightly, her rifle resting lazily on her shoulder.

How many guns and weapons does she have.

"Wow, I thought people around me were just weaklings who would drop dead from normal bullets. Huh." She said lazily.

Her voice was casual, but there was something beneath it.

A hint of surprise, maybe even... respect?

I doubt that.

I blinked, still staring at the group.

Some of them were still armed with weapons that looked barely functional, others were using makeshift gear, and yet they stood.

They had chosen not to run.

Or didn’t have a choice.

I clenched my fists.

Even after everything, even with the overwhelming odds against them, they had refused to be erased.

A small, tired smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

Maybe we weren’t as alone in this fight as I had thought.

Suddenly, I remembered something...

Edward.

I sprinted toward him, my boots hitting the shattered ground with force.

My heart was hammering, my instincts screaming at me to make sure he was alright.

From the distance, he didn’t look injured, but something was off. free𝑤ebnovel.com

As I got closer, the air around him shimmered, a faint distortion, a heatwave rolling off his body.

It was subtle at first, but as I approached, I could feel it, the raw energy radiating from him, an overwhelming heat that could burn through normal flesh like paper.

I stopped just short of reaching him, my breath catching in my throat.

His fists were clenched, his muscles tense, and his breathing was slow but deep.

The aftershocks of his rage.

I knew this was how his ability works.

The more he his rage also increases, his body radiates.

It isn’t dangerous to him...

But to the people around him.

That’s why I always try to help him so he won’t just rely on his rage ability, and that would make people hesitant to team up with him.

"Edward—"

Before I could say anything else, he turned his head slightly, his sharp eyes locking onto mine.

Despite the power crackling around him, his voice was steady.

"I’m fine." His words were firm, as if trying to convince me more than himself.

I frowned, taking in the barely visible arcs of energy flickering across his suit.

"You’re radiating heat like a damn reactor," I muttered. "You do know what I am trying to say right,"

He exhaled through his nose, flexing his fingers.

"Urgh, Stop acting like you are my mom... it will fade. Okay."

Then, his gaze drifted past me, toward the smoldering pile of rubble where the orc lord had been buried.

His expression darkened.

"But that thing... it’s not done yet."

His certainty sent a chill through me.

Not because I doubted him, because I didn’t.

I turned my head toward the wreckage, dust still rising from the broken ground, large chunks of earth scattered like debris from an explosion.

Everything was still.

Too still.

I didn’t like it.

I exhaled slowly, my instincts already bracing for what came next.

"Yeah," I murmured. "I know."

The dust was still settling, the battlefield eerily quiet except for the occasional groan of shifting debris.

I could still feel the heat radiating off Edward, though it was starting to lessen, no longer searing the air around him.

Beth stood nearby, her expression unreadable, arms crossed as she surveyed the destruction.

Then, footsteps.

Steady, deliberate.

I turned to see a man approaching, one of the awakened who had just helped launch that last attack.

His face was lined with exhaustion, dirt smeared across his cheek, but his posture was firm.

He was older, probably in his late thirties, with short, rough-cut hair and a layer of battle-worn experience in his eyes.

A survivor.

When he stopped in front of us, he let out a heavy breath, straightening his back.

"I owe you all an apology," he said, voice low but steady.

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

"For what?"

He met my gaze, then looked at Edward and Beth in turn before exhaling again.

"For not stepping in sooner. We—" He hesitated, jaw tightening before he continued.

"... Where scared" Beth finished, mockingly.

"No... We were trying to wake the others. Some were injured, some had fainted from exhaustion. We had to make sure they weren’t completely out before we joined the fight."

I studied his face, his sincerity clear.

Beth, ever the sharp one, let out a small scoff.

"Took you long enough."

Edward shot her a glance, but she didn’t seem to care.

Her arms remained folded, her sharp eyes still watching the battlefield, as if expecting something to crawl out of the rubble.

The man didn’t react to Beth’s remark, only inclining his head slightly.

"You’re right. But if we’d joined earlier without stabilizing the others, we would have just added to your burden."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

The truth was, I didn’t blame them.

This fight had been brutal, and not everyone had the luxury of throwing themselves into battle the moment they woke up.

Even if frustration bubbled inside me, I knew their hands had been full.

Edward, ever the composed one, simply nodded.

"It’s done now. You helped when it mattered."

The awakened man gave a firm nod in return.

"Still, I just wanted you to know, we weren’t ignoring the fight. We were doing what we could."

I met his eyes and gave a small nod.

"Then let’s just make sure it wasn’t for nothing."

Because even now, I could feel it, the fight wasn’t over yet.