Path of the Extra

It is said that a lion's roar can paralyze humans, though this has never been officially proven.

But what about the roars, screams, and cries of void creatures?

Unholy nightmares that stand above any normal animal.

Azriel certainly felt the Nightstrider Hawk's cry. It rippled through him like a shockwave, threatening to stop him in his tracks.

Almost.

The same couldn't be said for those behind him—including the other void creatures. They, faltered, their movements freezing for a split second.

In a flash, he was in front of the giant bird.

The Nightstrider Hawk right wing slashed downward like a scythe, the edges gleaming with a sickly sheen.

Azriel dropped low, feeling the air split above him. The force of the wing's passing sent a shockwave through the ground. But he was already in motion, Void Eater in his grip.

The blade carved upward, meeting the wing's arc.

A wet, sickening sound followed as Void Eater tore through flesh and sinew, the corrupted blood of the void spraying like a geyser. The bird let out a guttural scream that rattled the treetops, its wing collapsing in a grotesque spasm.

Azriel didn't stop.

The blade burned with red lightning as he twisted it and tore it free, shredding the wing as he sprinted along its length. The once-majestic appendage fell limp, tattered and useless, dragging across the ground like a broken banner.

The giant bird staggered, its cries growing frantic, but Azriel was already behind it.

Azriel turned to look at the Nightstrider Hawk, his armor and blade splattered with black blood.

'Using my aura would've been overkill...'

But Azriel wasn't one to let his prey suffer unnecessarily.

He simply didn't want to deal with an aerial fight.

The void creature never stood a chance in the first place. It was far too slow against someone like him.

Azriel, who stood at the pinnacle compared to other intermediate-ranked humans.

Azriel, the Crimson Prince. The Son of Death. Subject 666.

The Nightstrider Hawk, despite its terrifying presence, was still a juvenile. One day, it could grow into a demon-ranked void creature.

For a moment, the void creature hesitated, its glassy eyes flickering with an alien intelligence. Then it surged forward, talons digging into the earth as it launched itself like a battering ram.

Azriel met it head-on.

The creature feinted, twisting mid-charge to swipe at him with a hooked talon. The claw descended like a guillotine, splitting the air with terrifying precision.

But Azriel's body blurred. The claw struck empty space as he sidestepped, Void Eater lashing out in retaliation. The blade found its mark, burying itself deep into the talon and shattering the bone.

The Nightstrider Hawk screamed, its massive beak snapping forward in blind rage. The force of the lunge cracked the ground as Azriel leaped back, the tip of the beak narrowly missing his chest.

He landed lightly, his left gauntlet rising as he muttered under his breath. The air around him turned frigid, frost blooming in jagged patterns across the ground.

Three spears of ice materialized, glinting like the fangs of a predator.

With a flick of his wrist, the spears shot forward.

The giant bird tried to dodge, but it was too slow, too wounded. One spear slammed into its remaining wing, pinning it to the ground. Another pierced its belly, while the last drove through its chest, sending it sprawling backward.

The creature's massive form collided with a tree, the impact shattering bark and uprooting its foundation. The tree groaned, leaning precariously, its fall halted only by the web of branches surrounding it.

Azriel stared at the twitching body of the nightstrider hawk. Somehow, it was still alive, clinging to life despite the odds.

A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes but was quickly buried.

'Seriously? Clinging to life so desperately... not that I have any right to lecture it.'

Shaking his head, Azriel prepared to summon another spell to finish the bird. But before he could act, a sudden, sharp sensation prickled the back of his neck. Goosebumps rose along his skin as his eyes widened.

Without hesitation, Azriel leapt to the side, rolling across the dirt and landing on his feet in a crouch.

A massive boulder, easily twice his size, hurtled through the space he had occupied moments before. It cut through the air with a deafening roar, smashing through four trees in a row before pulverizing into rubble.

Azriel's gaze snapped toward the source, his heart pounding. Standing there was the ebonclimber, its massive frame looming in the distance. Its lips curled downward in a grotesque mockery of disappointment, as if frustrated at missing its target.

Azriel's expression hardened. He hadn't let his guard down—not entirely. He had kept an eye on the ebonclimber while fighting the bird, but the ape had stayed back, doing nothing but observing. Or so he had thought.

Somehow, the creature had found a boulder and hurled it with such force and precision that, if it had connected, it would have shattered most of the bones in Azriel's body.

Azriel frowned, but before he could act, the hawk behind him let out a piercing screech.

Despite being half-dead, the creature staggered to its feet, supported by its remaining wing and legs.

'Right. That damned monkey is controlling it... It won't stop until it's dead.'

A crooked smile spread across Azriel's face as he turned his attention back to the ebonclimber. Continue reading on empire

"Is this your attempt to scare me, you ugly ape? Ha! You should've fought me when your little pet still had all its limbs!"

The ebonclimber's lips peeled back, revealing two sharp, oversized fangs. Slowly, it rose onto its hind legs, towering over Azriel with an almost theatrical menace.

Then, it roared.

The sound was like a physical force, shaking Azriel to his core. It was even more overwhelming than the bird's earlier cry.

The air vibrated as the ebonclimber pounded its massive fists against its chest, the rhythmic thumping reverberating through the forest.

Azriel blinked, a trace of disbelief flickering in his eyes.

'Did it really understand me?'

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

The ground beneath the ebonclimber erupted in a cloud of dirt and debris, and in an instant, the massive creature vanished.

"Eh—?"

The next moment, the giant gorilla was right in front of him. Azriel barely had time to register its colossal fist descending toward him like a wrecking ball.

Red lightning crackled across his body as he launched himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. He skidded to a stop several meters away, turning just in time to see the ground where he had stood erupt in an explosion of dust and debris.

The impact sent tremors through the earth, shaking the trees and scattering leaves in every direction.

Through the dissipating dust, two glowing yellow eyes locked onto him. A massive crater now marred the ground where the ebonclimber stood, crouched on all fours.