The moment the last foot crossed the threshold, the great door slammed shut behind them.
A sound like the fall of a mountain. Final. Merciless.
Aurevia turned sharply, her blade ready—but there was no enemy at their backs. Only the now-sealed wall, smooth and black, pulsing with faint veins of red light. The way was closed. No path remained but forward.
Then came the breath.
It wasn't theirs. It wasn't alive. But it felt—like something inhaling the air around them, draining the warmth, the hope, the sanctity of the world.
A flood of demonic energy surged forward from deeper within, heavier and thicker than anything they'd faced before. It hit like a tidal wave—not just pressing on skin, but sinking into their bones, whispering again of promises they dare not name. The divine light clinging to them flickered slightly—just for a moment.
Even Alaric's glow seemed dimmer.
They moved forward.
The corridor widened into a chamber—so vast that it could not have fit inside the dungeon, even with spatial expansion. It defied architecture. It defied reality.
It was a throne room.
Twisted and cavernous, built of black stone streaked with glistening crimson veins. Bone-like pillars curved upward, arching like ribs, holding up a ceiling hidden in unnatural fog. Chains hung like vines, some broken, some still taut—what they had once bound, no one could guess.
And at the far end… was the throne.
It was not made for a man.
Dark and jagged, it rose from the ground like a tumor, alive with a pulse that echoed through the stone beneath their feet. Cracks around it bled a thick, tar-like fluid that hissed softly where it touched the floor.
And seated atop it—was him.
A grotesque figure, impossibly still.
He was tall. Even slouched, his corpse-like frame loomed over the throne like a king over a pyre. His armor was blackened and scorched, etched with demonic runes now dulled and cracked. One of his horns was broken. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, half-gone.
But his eyes…
They burned.
Red and endless. Watching them without movement, without life—yet unmistakably aware.
A demon. A Corpse Captain of the Demon King's army. Long dead… and yet not.
From the center of his chest, just above his breastplate, a wound festered—deep and wide, as if something holy had once pierced through his heart. But the wound hadn't healed.
Blood still poured from it.
Endlessly.
It didn't spurt. It didn't clot. It simply bled—slow, steady, eternal.
Each drop hit the stone below with a sound like thunder. A heartbeat that wasn't his.
Alaric's steps faltered.
Not out of fear—but because he felt it.
The throne room was a grave. A curse. A monument of suffering. And the thing on the throne… was not alive, yet not allowed to die.
A creature that had once served in the highest ranks of the demon horde—now left to rot, to bleed, to wait.
And as that gaze met theirs—still unmoving, still frozen—they all felt it.
They had been seen.
Not as warriors.
But as witnesses.
To something ancient. Something tragic. Something unspoken.
And yet, the moment could not last.
A tremble ran through the floor. The chains above groaned. The throne pulsed.
Something within the wound twitched.
Alaric raised his hand.
Not to attack.
But to shield.
The battle had not begun. Not yet.
But they all understood.
The next step forward… would start it.
And nothing after would be the same.
"What do we have here… a Blessed One of Elyssira?"
The demon's voice was deep—wrong. As if it echoed from a thousand years of silence.
He stared directly at Alaric. The air tightened.
"Hmm. But you feel… different from the other."
—FZZZMM—!
Divine energy clashed with demonic miasma in the space between them, silent but deafening.
"Unlike others… whose divine energy is attributed and diluted for mortal vessels… yours is pure. Untouched. Divine energy only gods should wield."
His tone twisted into fascination.
"Hmm. How fascinating… A mortal who commands the impossible."
No one could respond. Not even the air dared to move. The demon continued.
"Even after tens of thousands of years… I'm still serving the demons. Locked away here… waiting… and finally, someone arrives. A mortal… powerful… dangerous."
His hollow sockets burned.
"You… must be eliminated."
—SST—BOOM!
He vanished.
CRACK—!
Alaric's ribs shattered as the punch landed square on his chest. Divine light surged instinctively from his Divine Heart Core, forming a radiant barrier.
—KRRRZZZT—!!
It held. But only for a breath.
Alaric was launched like a falling star, slamming into the stone wall with a thunderous impact.
BANG—!!
"MASTER!"
The three girls screamed in unison.
He coughed golden blood, each drop shimmering. The pain was real—visceral.
The demon now stood where Alaric had been, staring at his fist as faint wisps of light burned against his decaying flesh.
Szzzzt...
The sizzling sound continued.
"As expected. A threat… that must be erased."
—BOOM!
He lunged again—but three attacks flashed like lightning.
CLANG—!! FWWOSH—!! ZZZRRRMMM—!!
Aurevia's blade intercepted. Serineth's ice lances split the air. Callione's flame exploded around him.
The demon blocked with one hand, spinning mid-air.
"Hmph. Then I'll deal with you first."
—THRUM—!
He shot forward, his presence suffocating.
The Fight Begins
Aurevia clashed blades with him, the impact shattering the ground.
CLANG!—SKKKRKK!!
She was forced back, blood spraying from her shoulder.
Callione unleashed a pillar of flame—
KRRRRROOOOOM—!!
—but the demon simply walked through it, grabbing her throat.
"Guh—!"
—THUD!!
He hurled her aside like a rag doll.
Serineth's magic danced like a blizzard.
SSSSHHHHH—CRACK!!
Dozens of spears pierced him.
"—Freeze."
She activated a freeze sigil—CHING—!
For a moment, the demon stilled.
Then—
KRK—KRK—KRK—!
He regenerated. Limbs reknitting. Bone reforming. Skin twisting into place.
In a blink, he appeared behind her.
THWACK!!
A backhand sent her flying into a pillar. Blood trailed mid-air.
"No—!"
Alaric's vision cleared through the ringing in his ears. His girls—his guardians—were being torn apart.
He clenched his fists.
FZZZMMM—!!
Divine energy surged from his core, light flooding the chamber.
"Heal. Empower."
Waves of radiant power poured into their bodies.
CHING—! CHING—! CHING—!
Bones realigned. Skin mended. Their auras flared.
They rose again—tattered, but burning brighter.
The demon paused.
"Hoh. So even in this state, you can channel… this much?"
They fought again.
CLASH—BOOM—SCREECH—!!
Sword, flame, and ice met the demon's onslaught. A thousand strikes exchanged in seconds.
But it wasn't enough.
—SPLURT—!!
Callione's abdomen was pierced.
—CRACK!
Serineth's leg twisted unnaturally.
—THUNK!
Aurevia crashed into the floor, sword shattering.
The demon stood unscathed.
SZZZZK—!
Black veins of demonic energy crawled over the girls' bodies, infecting their wounds.
"NO!"
Alaric tried to heal again. Nothing.
"Why…?"
He gritted his teeth.
"Why isn't it working…?!"
He wanted to unleash his Final Technique—the one he'd crafted to destroy—but it was too slow.
Every second mattered.
But time was against him.
The demon raised his hand.
Three tendrils of dark energy writhed like serpents, aiming at the girls' hearts.
They couldn't move. Their bodies were already failing.
The demon grinned.
"This ends now."
—KRRRRZZZZTTTT—!!
*****
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
✶ I Reincarnated as an Extra ✶
✧ in a Reverse Harem World ✧
⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰
✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢
*****
As the demon prepared to launch a final, devastating attack at the girls, Alaric channeled Divine Energy throughout his entire body.
The pressure was immense—so much so that his skin began to crack and golden blood gushed out, only to be healed immediately by his own power.
The pain was unbearable, yet Alaric didn't care. He raised a barrier in front of the girls and pushed so much Divine Energy into the threads of the spell that they snapped under the strain.
But Alaric didn't stop.
He had forgotten, bound by the threads, that he could heal not by technique, but by will—by flooding the space around him with divine energy. This time, he did something different.
He didn't just let the Divine Energy flow outward; he condensed it into his back, into a form connected directly to his heart. And then, like wings of golden-white light, it burst forth—undulating with life and purpose.
The demon's attack collided with the barrier and cracks began to form. Desperation crept in. Alaric was just a [Rank-1]. His body couldn't keep up with a being that even a [Peak-Rank-3] swordsman, aided by two [3rd-Circle] mages, couldn't defeat.
He had thought his support alone would be enough. That was arrogance—and now that arrogance could cost them all their lives.
His body began to fall apart. The healing couldn't keep up with the damage. Blood vessels tore and rebuilt in a constant cycle. This was the first time he had ever channeled divine energy at this scale.
Still, the barrier held—but the people within it were barely clinging to life.
Alaric willed the three lightning wings to connect with the girls, just like the first time when the Divine Heart Core had acted on its own. But this time, he was in control.
The wings passed through the barrier—both made of the same energy—and wrapped around the girls.
No ordinary person could have done this. Even high-ranking warriors would struggle to multitask like Alaric was doing. But he didn't even notice. His soul trait—The Eternal Arcane Core—allowed him near-perfect control over energy, shielding his soul from harm.
It was the reason he could wield divine energy, a force only gods could normally command. For any other mortal, pure divine energy would be too much—a flood they could neither store nor survive.
It required unfathomable mental strength. Even if one could contain it in a dormant state, awakening and controlling it was nearly impossible.
But not for Alaric.
The Eternal Arcane Core protected and strengthened him. It had held back the Divine Energy on the day of his awakening. Now, it responded to his desperate will, growing stronger by the second. It helped him wield divine energy like never before.
The wings of light slammed into the girls' almost-lifeless, demon-corrupted bodies—
wham! wham! wham!
—beginning the healing process. Their injuries slowly reversed, though they remained unconscious.
Aurevia was semi-conscious, barely hanging on. The demonic corruption had reached their very souls. Even divine energy was taking time to purge it.
The demon paused. Its attack had failed. Slowly, it stood upright and turned toward Alaric—who was now covered in cracks, golden blood hissing as it touched the corrupted ground, purifying it on contact. He was panting, but his mind was unnaturally clear—thanks to The Eternal Arcane Core.
The demon began clapping, a warm smile stretched grotesquely across its twisted face.
"Impressive. As expected of one chosen by Elyssira. You're all infuriatingly competent, no matter the era. That bastard who sealed me here—he was the same.
Though I killed him, it came at a cost. And now, to kill you... it looks like I'll need to pay the ultimate price. My life. But no matter—there's not much left of it anyway."
Alaric clenched his fists, fury bubbling up—not just at the demon, but at himself. For his arrogance. For his powerlessness. For his foolishness.
He looked at the girls and gently moved them to the corner of the room, using divine energy. Then he cut off the flow of energy to his body and erected another barrier. What he was about to do would be dangerous. Fatal, even.
The demon watched with amusement.
"So, you're finally ready to face me, head-on, child of Elyssira?"
Alaric didn't respond. He simply closed his eyes.
Normally, such a move would be suicidal—but the demon, entertained, waited. Alaric, like the first time he created a destructive divine technique, now infused raw emotion into his divine energy once more. Only this time, it was on a much larger scale.
The Divine Energy turned Crimson and black.
The room began to shake. The very earth trembled, as if in fear.
For the first time, the demon's expression changed.
It lunged forward at breakneck speed.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the demon slammed into the wall like a cannonball. The force shattered the surrounding stone, cracked the ceiling, and lodged the demon deep into the wall. Coughing, bleeding, it pulled itself out—wounded.
Alaric stood amidst swirling red-black energy, the air around his fist warping with raw power. His eyes were a glowing crimson.
Crimson veins glowed beneath his skin, golden blood still seeping from cracks but healing just as fast.
The demon sneered.
"In such a short time... you've become far more dangerous than I anticipated. Very well. If that's your play, then I'll answer in kind!"
It let out a blood-curdling roar.
ROOOOOAAAAR!
Its body swelled. Demonic energy surged around it.
Alaric rushed in—like a bolt of red and black lightning—and aimed for the demon's heart. That wound hadn't healed. It was the weakness.
But the demon's massive fist met Alaric's tiny one. They collided—
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave shattered the floor, blasting chunks of stone into the air.
Both combatants were flung backward. Alaric skidded along the ground, gouging a path like a plow through dirt. The demon teleported before him, fist raised.
Alaric dodged just in time.
The ground where the demon punched exploded, cleared of all debris by the force.
Alaric's body burned with divine energy—his Crimson-Black aura growing more violent, more chaotic. He slipped through the demon's defense again, striking the wounded chest.
The demon staggered—then another blow sent it crashing into the throne, shattering it to dust.
Destruction and corruption clashed in the air. The throne room was a ruin.
Both fighters paused. Both were nearing their limits.
Alaric's breaths were heavy. The demon stood, barely holding together—cracks running through its form, one arm missing, and the chest wound worse than ever.
Both prepared their final attacks.
Alaric gathered Destructive Divine Energy into a dense orb. Space itself seemed to buckle under its pressure.
The demon opened its mouth, gathering dark energy into a beam.
"I'm going to die anyway... but I'll take the greatest threat to our kind with me.
GLORY TO THE DEMON GOD!!"
It fired.
Alaric did the same.
VMMM.
Thud.
The energies collided with a dull, eerie thud.
At first, they cancelled each other.
Then—Alaric's side began to lose ground.
He grit his teeth. This was it. Do or die.
With a childlike scream full of desperate resolve, Alaric willed his Divine Heart Core to release everything.
It pulsed—and obeyed.
Power surged through him like a flood. His body deflated, blood vessels collapsing under the pressure—but with that last push, he overwhelmed the demon's attack.
Both screamed.
They knew this was the end.
And as the energy clashed one final time...
The victor became clear.
Alaric's Destructive Divine Energy, fused with his unwavering resolve, surged forth—
—clashing with the demonic beam in a cataclysmic detonation that tore through the air and space itself.
The collision was instant and all-consuming. The throne room filled with a blinding sphere of violet and crimson light, expanding outward with a shrieking roar that deafened even thought.
The demon's eyes widened—not with rage, but with raw, animal terror.
"NO! THAT POWER—!"
It didn't have time to finish the sentence. The divine force swallowed the demonic energy whole, disintegrating it, then turned on the creature itself.
It screamed.
Not in pain.
Not in fury.
But in understanding.
And then it was gone.
The very fabric of the chamber began to break. Stone ruptured. Marble split. The world trembled—
—and in the heart of it all stood Alaric. Or what remained of him.
The Divine Energy within him had grown too wild, too absolute, too boundless for a body so small. His flesh cracked, gleamed, and then—
He exploded.
-To Be Continued