The Extra is a Genius!? Chapter 600: The Place Beyond Manacode [II]

The heavy words lingered between them. If this truly was the dimension where Noctis had confined Elarin, then it wasn't merely a fleeting dream born from the stress of ascending to Manacode. It felt utterly real, or so authentic that the difference no longer held any weight. That realization alone would have shaken him deeply. Yet, with Noctis seated right next to him, conversing as if such an encounter could actually happen, the ensuing quiet grew even more bizarre.

Noel merely gazed at him for an instant. The jolt of encountering him once more hadn't completely subsided. He'd long since resigned himself to the idea that their final exchange would stay just that—final. Noctis had declared he couldn't return to the world, and Noel had trusted his words. He still did. Thus, the straightforward conclusion stood alone: Noctis hadn't returned. Instead, Noel had arrived in this realm.

His eyes flicked momentarily to the boundless dark sky before settling back on the figure beside him. "How does this even function, Noctis?"

Noctis shrugged one shoulder casually and peered at his own hand, as though inspecting it out of routine. "Our physical forms aren't present here," he explained. "Just our souls. Our awareness. Pick whatever term suits you." Though his voice remained light, a layer of bewilderment lingered beneath. "What baffles me is how you even made it to this spot. Accessing here should only occur after someone ascends to that realm and—"

He halted abruptly. His head snapped toward Noel, the prior serenity evaporating from his features in an instant. "You've attained Manacode!?"

"Indeed. Only moments ago." Noel furrowed his brow faintly. "I rose to it, and suddenly I was here. That aspect caught me off guard the most."

Noctis fixed his stare on him a beat longer, then inched closer to examine his expression more intently. "Huh."

"What is it?"

"Your thoughts appear steady." He drew back once more, continuing to observe him. "Time warps strangely in this domain. Dangerously so. That twist is why madness often claims those who enter. We're merely on the periphery at present. I linger here mostly to limit its deeper impact on me."

With a fluid motion, he stood up and peered down at Noel. "Let's move. Come with me. I'll introduce you to my brother."

Noctis proceeded without haste. He strolled at his usual unperturbed rhythm, hands relaxed by his sides, gaze directed ahead as if guiding another through such a bizarre locale was entirely ordinary. Noel stood and trailed after him over the shadowy expanse, his attention darting once to the infinite black horizon before focusing on the route forward.

The quiet persisted in its eerie fashion, yet it weighed on him less oppressively now. At least he understood that this realm possessed form, guidelines, and intent. Such knowledge rendered it more bearable. The terrain still mimicked a tranquil ocean, dark and mirroring in spots, though it stayed undisturbed under their footfalls. Overhead, the sky stretched vast and speckled with stars, so expansive that Noel struggled to gauge its depths accurately.

At last, Noctis eased to a halt and paused. He raised a single finger, directing it skyward.

Noel traced the motion. Initially, he discerned only shadows and celestial lights. Then the form emerged. It loomed extraordinarily high overhead, immense in scale that dawned on him gradually as his vision adapted. Several rings surrounded it, enormous loops revolving around a core transparent sphere, akin to the deliberate spin of something icier and infinitely more alien than anything he'd witnessed prior. The sphere was transparent enough for Noel to spot a silhouette floating inside, unmoving, chin dipped low, as though in a slumber no true rest should resemble.

"That's him, my brother," Noctis stated. "Elarin. He's in a state of repose now. Or the nearest equivalent he can achieve. His link to the outside world appears severed."

Noel's features hardened right away. The memory surged back vividly. Roberto. The shattered projection. The sphere via which Elarin had communicated. Roberto had smashed it without a second thought, and back then Noel had viewed it solely as a strategic maneuver. Gazing up at the confinement now, the consequence stood starkly clear. That act hadn't merely ended a dialogue. It had probably severed the last tether connecting Elarin to the external realm.

"I never anticipated you'd achieve Manacode," Noctis went on, his voice softer. "I deemed it unattainable. Up to this point, only my brother and I had progressed that far." He hesitated for a moment. "Yet I suspect Roberto might have as well. Or he's nearly there."

"You believe that?"

"I can't confirm it absolutely. But if he was conversing with Elarin and delving into matters he never should have approached, then he must have accessed this dimension in some manner." His sight stayed locked on the structure looming above. "As you're aware, events cycle in loops. Whenever a core's protagonist perishes, fleeting intervals arise where I can't intervene at all. Short lapses. Any alterations likely occurred during those."

The statement landed with force. Noel had long recognized Roberto's threat, had known the climactic confrontation wouldn't prove straightforward. But absorbing this from Noctis, while beholding the enclosure dangling amid an eternal dark vault, eroded any lingering optimism that the conclusion might unfold neatly.

The ultimate clash would surpass his worst expectations.

They both fell quiet for a spell. Noctis continued eyeing the suspended prison as Noel stood mute under that inconceivable expanse, the burden of his newfound insight embedding itself firmly in his thoughts. The hush no longer seemed antagonistic. Oppressive, yet filled with substance.

Noctis broke the silence next, veering to a topic so everyday that it nearly jarred in this otherworldly setting. "So," he remarked, shooting Noel a sidelong look, "how have things been for you lately?"

Noel regarded him briefly, caught off guard regardless. Among all the phrases he might have anticipated in this space, that wasn't one. "I fathered children," he replied. "Three of them. Nicolas. Elyria. Cloe. The household will likely expand further." A soft exhale slipped out, almost a chuckle. "I attained Manacode. And now I'm biding time until it all concludes."

Noctis remained mute for an extended pause, leading Noel to wonder if a response would come at all. But at length, he dropped his gaze and murmured, softer than earlier, "Thank you."

"For what, exactly?"

"For your efforts."

Noel met his eyes steadily before replying. "You realize this world is mine as well, don't you? From the moment you reincarnated me into it, it ceased being merely another's concern." He faltered briefly. "The years I've spent there have outshone my existence on Earth. So no thanks are needed from you. If anyone's owing, it's me."

Noctis held silent for a beat. When he spoke again, his tone had shifted. "This might be our final encounter. Should you triumph, this realm will vanish. My brother will fade along with it. I will too." He lingered on the words. "And should you fail—"

"I won't." Noel interrupted him mid-thought. "I have a family to safeguard now." He locked eyes with Noctis firmly. "Roberto mentioned having allies. Any idea who they might be?"

Noctis let out a gradual breath. "Likely abominations. But I can't be certain. As I mentioned, nobody's advanced this deep before." He scanned the perpetual gloom one final time. "You ought to depart. Your companions out there are doubtless in a frenzy."

Noel dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Thanks for all of it, Noctis. I hope you witness the outcome I achieve."

Noctis offered no verbal reply. He advanced and enveloped Noel in a swift hug, the sort delivered abruptly and sans rationale, reminiscent of clasping a sibling farewell for the final occasion. Then he withdrew, lifted a hand, and clicked his fingers.

The realm dissolved.

Noel's eyes snapped open. Chilly rock. Sparse highland breeze. The scent of blood mingled with shattered fog. The initial sight was Selene bent over him, her expression more strained than ever, azure gaze pinned to his with unguarded alarm. In the background loomed Daemar, Marcus, Laziel, and Garron, each rigid and evidently perplexed by whatever spectacle they'd beheld.

Noel raised a hand to touch Selene's head, his digits weaving through her locks. "I'm fine," he assured her. "No need for the theatrics."

For a heartbeat, they all stayed frozen. Then a system prompt materialized before him.

[Noir is evolving...]

Naturally. He'd climbed to a fresh tier, and Noir was adapting alongside him once more, true to form. However, this evolution carried a distinct finality. Like the ultimate major transformation in her journey had at last materialized.

He levered himself up gradually, his frame still frail from the shift, and surveyed the hollow one last time. The slain chimera sprawled in his wake, the ghostly vapor had dissipated, leaving the valley as mere rock, skeletons, and hush.

Noel breathed out steadily. "Very well," he declared, eyeing the escarpment overhead and the unending peaks stretching away. "Let's head back. These mountains have had enough of me."