Transmigrated As An Extra In The Apocalypse-Chapter 88 - 87: Plan

For a second, no one responded.

I studied him carefully.

He was confident, but was that confidence justified?

I wanted to believe him, but something in my gut told me otherwise.

I glanced back at the mound of earth where the orc lord had been buried stood unmoving, but I knew better than to trust its silence.

Edward stood firm, his body still radiating that faint heat from his earlier outburst.

His sharp eyes flickered toward the earth-user who had confidently declared that the orc lord couldn’t escape.

"You’re wrong," Edward said, his voice like steel.

The awakened frowned, clearly not expecting to be challenged.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "There’s no way he can break out of that. I made sure of it."

Edward didn’t hesitate.

"You don’t understand the kind of monster we’re dealing with." He took a step closer, his expression grim. "The orc lord isn’t just strong, he adapts. If you think a bit of earth is going to hold him down for long, you’re fooling yourself. He will break out. It’s just a matter of time."

The awakened man’s confidence faltered for a moment.

His lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze flickered toward the mound, doubt creeping into his eyes.

"...Then how do we defeat him?"

Edward exhaled slowly, his muscles tensing.

"We’ll need everything we’ve got," he said. "Every ounce of strength, every trick, every last bit of power anyone here has. No one holds back. No one hesitates." His gaze swept over the remaining soldiers and awakened, making sure they understood the gravity of his words. "And our trump card in all this... is Beth."

Beth, who had been leaning against a broken wall with her arms crossed, finally raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So now I’m the trump card?" she said, her tone half-amused, half-smug.

Edward didn’t humor her with a response.

"Your bullets are the only thing we’ve seen that can pass through his barrier," he continued. "They can’t pierce his armor, but they’re the only thing that has a chance of reaching him. That means you’re going to be our main offense."

Beth tilted her head slightly, a slow grin forming on her lips.

"Well, well, looks like I am special after all," she mused.

I sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"Private Beth—"

"Don’t Beth me," she cut in, flipping her gun in her hands casually. "You all should be grateful I’m here. Let’s be honest, without me, this fight would’ve already been over, and not in our favor."

Edward ignored her arrogance and turned back to the others.

"While Beth focuses on attacking, the rest of us will create openings for her," he explained. "We can’t just rely on brute force. Timing is everything. We hit him together at the right moment. No mistakes."

I swallowed hard, my gaze drifting toward the mound again.

The ground still hadn’t shifted.

No movement, no sound.

But my gut told me it wouldn’t last.

Beth let out a small chuckle, spinning the cylinder of her gun with ease.

"No pressure or anything," she said. "But sure, I’ll do what I do best."

Edward nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Then let’s get into position."

We must use every strength we have.

Because, we had to win.

The tension in the air hadn’t eased since Edward laid out the plan, but at least we had something to work with.

Everyone was on edge, their eyes flicking between the buried orc lord and each other, knowing that the next few minutes could decide whether we lived or died.

And yet, despite the looming danger, some people just couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

"So that’s why she’s been bragging this whole time?" One of the awakened scoffed, shaking her head. "All because of that little gun of hers? That’s how she survived?"

I knew before I even turned that Beth wouldn’t let that slide.

She moved with slow, deliberate steps, her boots pressing against the cracked earth as she approached the girl.

Her gun dangled loosely in one hand, but there was nothing casual about her stance.

It was the kind of movement that made people nervous, like a predator playing with its food before the kill.

"What did you just say?" Beth’s voice was dangerously calm.

The awakened, clearly not expecting her to react so aggressively, stiffened.

Her confidence wavered for just a moment, but her pride wouldn’t let her back down.

"I said, all that talk, just because of a gun? Anyone with a decent weapon could’ve done the same."

Beth stopped a few steps away from her, tilting her head slightly.

"You really think anyone could do what I do?" Her voice was smooth, but the way her fingers curled tighter around her weapon told me she was seconds away from escalating things.

I sighed.

This was the last thing we needed right now.

Before Beth could take another step, I quickly moved in between them, pressing a hand against her shoulder to stop her.

"Both of you, enough," I said firmly.

Beth’s gaze flickered to mine, her expression unreadable.

The awakened crossed her arms but didn’t say anything else, though I could tell she wasn’t happy about it.

"We don’t have time for this," I continued, looking between them. "We are not doing this now. We have bigger problems, remember?"

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Beth’s jaw clenched slightly, and I could see the irritation in her eyes.

But then, just as she seemed to consider backing down, the ground beneath us trembled.

A low, deep rumble.

Everyone froze.

Dust lifted off the ground, and small cracks spider-webbed across the surface of the mound where the orc lord had been buried.

The sound that followed was a deep, guttural growl, so low it vibrated in my chest.

The orc lord was coming up.

Beth let out a slow exhale, her irritation replaced with something else, something colder.

"Well," she murmured, rolling her shoulders. "Looks like we don’t have to argue about who’s useful anymore."

The ground shook again, harder this time.

Small pieces of debris rolled down the uneven battlefield, and the air grew heavier with an undeniable sense of dread.

I swallowed hard, already bracing myself for what was coming next.

The fight wasn’t over.

If anything, it just started.