Path of the Extra Chapter 424: The Abridged Version
Previously on Path of the Extra...
Azriel's heart felt like it was at its breaking point.
No, this was no exaggeration.
He couldn't even think about the gods, nor this world, nor the other participants. His mana core syndrome was a distant concern now, and the steady erosion of his sanity barely registered.
At this moment, the most pressing threat to Azriel's life was undeniably a heart attack.
His gaze fixed on Celestina, who remained looking down, Azriel opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated.
He found himself unable to utter a single word, utterly lost on what to even say.
Finally, he managed to ask,
"How long were you faking being unconscious?"
Celestina remained silent for a beat before responding.
"Aren't you just a hypocrite, Azriel?"
She echoed the very words Pollux had spoken.
"From that moment on..." she continued softly, her voice tinged with disbelief, "...until the very end, when you shot her..."
It was as if she couldn't fully accept that the last part had truly happened.
Azriel closed his eyes.
"...What is it you want me to say?"
"The truth would be most helpful."
A faint, hollow chuckle escaped her lips.
Azriel averted his gaze.
"Would you believe me if I told you those were merely the final words of a child lost in delusion?"
A pregnant pause followed.
"No."
Celestina finally raised her head.
By then, her eyes seemed to have fully adjusted, and as they focused on Azriel, a tremor began to run through them.
Then, they widened in astonishment.
Her gaze traveled from his face, down his exposed torso, taking in the gruesome sight of the cracks, the blood, and the ruined skin.
Her eyes widened to their absolute limit.
"G-Gods, Azriel... What... what is this!? What have you done!?"
Her shout was heavy with concern as she struggled forward, only to be halted by the unforgiving chains.
"Apologies," Azriel stated. "I cannot break these chains. We will have to await Sir Felix's arrival. Or, should he have perished, someone of equivalent standing. These restraints are even suppressing your mana."
"Forget the chains! What happened to you!?"
Her face clearly displayed the immense worry she felt.
Azriel briefly glances down at his own injuries before offering a slight shrug.
"Well, I may have expended a bit too much mana to reach this place."
"This is from your mana core syndrome, isn't it!? You fool! Why would you use your mana knowing it would exacerbate your condition!?"
Azriel's lips quirked slightly.
A wave of vexation washed over him.
"Take a guess, Celestina. It's not as though I had many options, with two princesses vanishing under my watch, a completely inept rescue party stuck with me, and Lioren also missing. Why else would I possibly expend my mana, hmm?"
Celestina clenched her jaw.
"That..." Her gaze fell. "I had no choice but to comply. Jasmine... she suddenly lost consciousness, and then a group of ten masters surrounded us. I... I would have fought. I would have done anything else, if Jasmine's safety hadn't been on the line."
As if angry at herself, she lowered her head.
Then, Azriel witnessed a spark of indignation ignite in her eyes.
"If Lioren is missing... how did you reach us? Sir Felix alone wouldn't have been enough to get past everyone. They mentioned there were actually more than ten masters present, so then..."
"Caleus is with him," Azriel replied. "Along with a few others. Yelena and Lumine are there too. I misled them, claiming I would create a diversion. But in reality, they were the diversion. While they engaged the enemy, my plan was to reach you and Jasmine swiftly, then depart as quickly as possible."
He paused.
"Until, well... it seems I walked into an ambush."
Celestina looked up, bewildered.
"Caleus? And what do you mean you were ambushed? Just... don't tell me you fought against a master. No... you fought against several masters? A-and you won?"
Azriel rubbed the back of his head.
"Well. More or less."
"More or less?"
"I entered through a concealed passage. It led me directly into the arena of this colosseum, where I found myself confronted by Prince Dorian and approximately thirty other masters."
Celestina froze, stunned.
Azriel carried on.
"Oh, and Caleus, it turns out, was the one who colluded with Prince Dorian—a royal of this very kingdom—to orchestrate your kidnapping. The scoundrel only ended up assisting us after realizing Jasmine had also been taken."
His expression grew grim.
"I eliminated them all. Then I made my way here, and... well, you see."
If Celestina had been angry before, she was now incandescent with rage.
Azriel instinctively took a small step back, sensing the shift in her demeanor. Her pupils constricted into narrow slits, and a silver luminescence began to emanate from her grey eyes.
"That purple-haired piece of shit..!"
Her voice dropped to a low, deadly growl.
"He's gone too far this time! I will kill him! I swear, I will kill him!"
"...Uh-huh."
Then, as if the full weight of his words had only just registered, Celestina abruptly stopped.
Her silver, fox-like eyes snapped back to him with renewed intensity.
"T-thirty masters...?"
She looked as though she had been struck forcefully.
"E... excuse me? You must be joking, surely?"
"Do I look like I’m joking?" "...No." She swallowed. "You definitely don’t." She shook her head slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. "How... did you manage to kill more than thirty masters and come out... alive? I thought dropping a floor on top of my head while falling with a demon-ranked void creature you had just slain was already the peak of your insanity..." Azriel wanted to fake a cough at the mention of how he had dropped a floor on her head back at the containment facility. Instead, he coughed for real. Blood slipped past his lips. He moved to hide it, but stopped when he realized Celestina had already seen. "...I honestly don’t remember," he said quietly. "I just... killed them all." She did not look convinced. But Azriel did not know what else to say. Pollux must have known Celestina had been pretending to sleep. He must have known there was a high chance the proctor and the others of the god race were watching. Or at least listening. And yet he had still said what he said. But then Azriel wondered why he should bother putting in so much effort at this point. Why care? Everything had already gone to shit. He glanced at Jasmine, who was still sleeping peacefully. Then he lowered his knees to the ground. But... Azriel did not want the gods to gaze upon Jasmine. Or Celestina. He looked at her. She seemed to have already realized that he was debating something inside his head. And from the seriousness in her eyes, Azriel knew that if given the chance she would not let this go. Not now. Not ever. Not even if he only had hours left to live. "There’s simply too much to say," he admitted. Celestina frowned. She was about to speak, but Azriel continued before she could. "So here’s the abridged version. The scenarios, also known as the Theogenies, are fake realities constructed inside a self-made realm by a race the ten gods themselves belong to. They claim it is meant to ’judge’ humans, but in truth, they use us as entertainment. They reward participants based on performance and completed objectives, like this is all some divine game." Celestina stared at him. Azriel’s expression did not change. "But this specific scenario is different. It was never meant to judge any of you. It seems to have been designed specifically for me. As if I am the only real participant here. And its purpose is to break me in very specific ways, toward some end the gods want. I’m still trying to figure out what that end is."
