The Extra's Transcension

Chapter 56 56: Compensation (3)

The academy grounds stretched before him, eerily devoid of life.

Lyrium stood alone in the vast courtyard, his figure dwarfed by the grand architecture that once teemed with students and scholars alike.

But now, an unnatural stillness clung to the air, wrapping around him like a suffocating veil.

The usual hum of activity—the laughter of students, the rhythmic clang of practice swords, the murmured incantations of spellcasters—had vanished without a trace.

He had sensed it the moment he left his dormitory.

A strange, insidious wrongness permeated the very atmosphere, gnawing at the edges of his awareness.

The absence of life was not merely a coincidence; it felt deliberate, as if the entire academy had been swallowed by an unseen force.

His gaze swept across the deserted expanse, his sharp eyes scrutinizing every shadow, every corner,

It was fractured.

And from within the rifts, something stepped out.

Silas turned sharply, his gaze landing on Lily and Ren.

They were both there—alive, breathing—but just as disoriented as he was.

"The hell just happened?"

He growled, his grip tightening around his sword as instinct took over.

His body tensed, every muscle coiled, prepared for a threat he couldn't yet see.

Ren didn't answer right away.

His eyes were fixed on the sky, his face unreadable.

It was only when Silas followed his gaze that he saw it—something was emerging from the fractures above.

A presence. A shape. A formless shadow bleeding through the cracks in reality itself.

Lily was the first to voice the thought clawing at the edges of their minds.

"We… we didn't log out…?"

Silas felt his pulse spike.

That shouldn't be possible.

The academy's VR system was advanced, but no matter how immersive, it was still just that—a simulation.

There was always an exit.

Always a way back.

And yet…

His breath hitched.

A cold realization settled over him like a suffocating weight.

Because now that he truly took in his surroundings—the scent of the air, the texture of the stone beneath his feet, the raw energy of the mana coursing around them—

"But… aren't we in the real academy?"

The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

And no one had an answer.

*****

Azrael stood at the precipice of the fractured sky, his expression unreadable—save for the glint of amusement in his eyes.

The rift above pulsed, widening with each passing second, tendrils of unstable energy unraveling the very fabric of reality.

A storm of chaos brewed at its edges, distorting the world beneath it.

And yet, Azrael merely smiled.

Everything was falling into place.

His gaze flickered downward, as if peering through the vast distance between them, settling on a single name.

A single existence.

Eugene Darcyroix.

Azrael's smile deepened.

"Let's see how you handle this."

*****

Eugene stood inside the combat room, his breathing unsteady as he tried to make sense of the chaos unraveling outside.

The walls of the academy trembled ever so slightly, a faint hum of magic reverberating through the structure, as if the very foundation of reality itself was reacting to the disturbance.

He had witnessed it firsthand—the sky fracturing like fragile glass, the unnatural rift widening with each passing second.

And yet, no matter how much he strained his thoughts, no explanation surfaced.

The academy's protective barriers should have prevented anything of this magnitude.

This wasn't supposed to be possible.

Desperation creeping into his voice, Eugene turned toward his instructor, hoping—needing—answers.

"Professor… I don't know what's happening to the sky right now…"

His words lingered in the heavy silence of the room.

Darcyroix, ever composed, did not answer right away.

His face remained impassive, but there was something unsettling in his stillness.

Without a word, he stepped toward the window, placing a gloved hand on the glass as he observed the unnatural phenomenon beyond.

The eerie glow of the rift bathed his figure in a distorted light, shadows stretching unnaturally across the floor.

A long pause followed.

Then, in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, he finally spoke.

"Miss Anna…"

He began, his tone laced with something unreadable.

"Have you ever heard of"

"The Outer Gods?"

The moment the words left his lips, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Eugene's breath hitched.

A sudden weight pressed against his chest, as if the very mention of those words had shifted something fundamental in the world.

A sharp gasp escaped from Miss Anna, her fingers clutching the edge of the desk as her face drained of color.

"..!!.."

She had heard of them.

And from the sheer terror in her expression—

She wished she hadn't.

*****