Path of the Extra

"So, you finally found a compatible subject, huh..."

The voice drifted over to Dr. Arthur, both of them standing in a darkened control room surrounded by screens that flickered with surveillance footage. Every screen displayed Azriel in the colosseum, standing before the five men who watched him like a pack of predators sizing up their prey.

"Yes," Arthur replied, eyes fixed on the monitors.

"But I need to see just how effective it is in a fight."

He glanced sideways at his companion: a man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing a lab coat, his expression disturbingly stoic.

"Do we know anything about his past? His real name, family, anything useful?"

"No, and I don't see the point. He's simply Subject 666 from now on. My subject, not yours."

Arthur bit back a curse.

'Annoying bastard... Try anything funny, and I'll end you.'

But he refocused on the screen, leaning in slightly, hand covering his mouth.

"Now... show me what you've got, 666..."

*****

Azriel surveyed the five men before him, his eyes narrowing as he assessed their mana cores.

'Two Grade 1 Dormants, two Grade 3 Awakened, and... a Grade 1 Awakened.'

He hesitated, noting the hulking figure of the strongest one, who stared back with a grin, his imposing frame dwarfing Azriel's. Sure, he had PE-0 coursing through his veins right now, but facing a Grade 1 Awakened in a death match, with others looking to kill him too? Not exactly a favorable setup.

Azriel exhaled quietly.

'It's okay. I have Void Eater with me, and they're unarmed—'

Before he could finish his thought, an unseen speaker crackled to life, filling the colosseum with an order that sent a chill down his spine.

"Subject 666, dismiss your soul weapon immediately."

Azriel's face darkened, teeth gritting in defiance of the voice's command. Yet, after a tense few seconds, he released his grip, and Void Eater dissipated into thin air. The men before him grinned, emboldened by his forced compliance. Clenching his fists, Azriel raised his arms in a fighting stance.

'I can still win,'

he thought, steeling himself. Even without Void Eater, he had PE-0 in his system… at least he hoped that would be enough.

But a strange thought crossed his mind.

'This can't be exactly like the first time. When I first experienced this…'

Back then, he would have been terrified, panicked, a mess of confusion and despair. But now… he was oddly calm.

'He said I needed to experience everything... But unless I'm trapped in my own body again, that's impossible.'

His thoughts cut short as one of the Dormants lunged at him, Azriel's attention snapping back to the present.

The man charged forward, his movements sluggish in Azriel's sharpened perception. As the fist hurtled toward his face, Azriel simply sidestepped, dodging by a hair's breadth, then drove his fist into the man's gut, doubling him over. Without hesitation, he seized the man by the hair and flung him into the other Grade 1 Dormant approaching from behind. The two collided and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

Azriel's gaze shifted to the three remaining opponents. The Grade 1 Awakened stood behind the other two, arms folded, a faint smirk on his face. The other two exchanged wary glances before the first of them shot forward, faster than the Dormants but still within Azriel's reach.

'Still manageable.'

Azriel remained focused, though his senses were on high alert, especially toward the Grade 1 Awakened, whose very presence made his skin crawl. Just as his opponent approached, he noticed the man's figure start to blur, as though swept up by a sudden gust.

Azriel's eyes widened. Then, he felt it—a sluggish pull around his feet. Glancing down, he realized the ground was… mud. Thick, wet mud, and his feet were sinking.

'What the hell—'

In the split second of distraction, his opponent appeared before him, throwing a punch that caught Azriel off-guard, sending him staggering back. Before he could steady himself, the second Grade 3 Awakened was already waiting, fist encased in hardened mud, striking Azriel's face and knocking him down with bone-rattling force.

"Argh!"

The impact cracked the ground, stones shattering and dust swirling up around him. He tried to rise, but the ground beneath him had softened into more mud, threatening to swallow him whole.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back up, the dust settling just as he saw the two Grade 3 Awakened watching him intently.

One of them began to blur again, but this time Azriel was prepared. He channeled his mana, the ground beneath his feet freezing into solid ice. He spun to face his attacker, his body crackling with red lightning, and in a flash, he was gone from his original spot, reappearing directly behind his opponent.

""!!""

The man whipped around, eyes wide, but Azriel was faster. With a flick of his wrist, a claw of red lightning formed in his hand, and he slashed it across the man's throat. Blood sprayed, and the man fell to his knees, gasping as Azriel had already moved forward.

The remaining Grade 3 Awakened froze, horror filling his eyes, while the Grade 1 Awakened narrowed his gaze, his expression hardening. The terrified Grade 3 tried to step forward, but when he looked down, he found his legs encased in ice, binding him in place.

He looked up at Azriel, who was grinning, teeth glinting coldly in the dim light.

Four javelins of pure ice formed, hovering around Azriel's figure.

"W-wait…" the man stammered, his voice trembling with terror.

But before he could say another word, the javelins shot forward, piercing him in his shoulders, heart, and head, hurling him back against the far wall of the colosseum. His body slumped, lifeless, leaving a profound silence in his wake.

"...."

Azriel stared at the carnage he had wrought, his expression unreadable. But inside...

'Holy shit... this drug is insane.'

The control he had over his affinities, the raw power coursing through his body—it was beyond anything he'd felt before. He could wield his affinities and channel his mana with such precision, it almost felt natural.

'I couldn't do this even as an Intermediate. No… there was no reason I shouldn't have been able to do this before.'

He barely had time to dwell on it, his gaze locking onto the last man standing. The Grade 1 Awakened remained stoic, his arms crossed, his eyes unsettlingly calm.

Too calm.

Azriel blinked.

In that instant, the man vanished from his position, reappearing in front of Azriel a heartbeat later. Azriel's eyes widened.

'Fast...!

'

He could hardly believe a figure that large could move with such speed. But there was no time for shock. Azriel's body crackled with red lightning as he vanished from the spot, reappearing behind the man.

The Grade 1 turned quickly, but Azriel was ready. His fist, alive with pulsing red lightning, shot forward, aiming for the man's face.

But instead of the crunch of flesh and bone, a metallic clang echoed through the colosseum.

'What...?'

Azriel's eyes widened as he saw his fist caught in the man's grip. The man had raised one metal-coated hand, catching Azriel's blow effortlessly. Azriel tried to pull back, but the grip only tightened, squeezing until his bones creaked. Pain shot up his arm.

"Mngh!"

Gritting his teeth, Azriel let the lightning course over his body in a last attempt to free himself. But instead of inflicting damage, the lightning flowed harmlessly into the man's metal form, grounding through his body. Cold realization settled in Azriel's stomach. The man grinned, his metallic teeth glinting.

'Dammit...'

Before Azriel could react, the man curled his free hand into a fist, charged with a pulse of lightning and metal, and slammed it into Azriel's chest. The impact sent him flying, his body bouncing across the floor before coming to a brutal stop.

Pain flared through every nerve as Azriel lay gasping, tasting blood with every shallow breath.

The man's voice rang out, cold and mocking.

"Your first instinct was smart—kill before getting killed. But you'd better learn to recognize when you're outmatched, kid."

Azriel raised his head, struggling for breath, watching the man still armored in metal and lightning, now wearing a look of deadly focus. The man strolled over to the two figures lying nearby—the two Dormants—addressing them with a tone that made Azriel's skin crawl.

"And are you worms planning to play dead all day?"

The bodies flinched, scrambling to their feet, faces pale as they backed away. One stammered,

"W-we're sorry, boss! Thought you didn't need our help with the newbie!"

The other nodded frantically,

"Yeah! You're more than enough for him, boss! You don't need us!"

Azriel's breathing began to stabilize, though he remained on the ground, observing. The Dormants' deference was clear. There was a hierarchy here—one that had already placed Azriel firmly at the bottom.

The metal man's grin twisted, his voice dropping to a menacing murmur.

"Yes, you're right. I don't need you... at all."

Both Dormants froze, a shiver of fear evident in their gazes. The man tilted his head, glancing up toward the ceiling as if awaiting approval. A moment later, a voice crackled over the speakers, chillingly detached.

"Disciplinary action will be taken, Subject 431... after you win."

Subject 431 turned his eyes back to the Dormants, a sinister smile tugging at his lips. Both fell to their knees, pleading desperately, voices shaky and strained.

"Wait! Please, don't!" one sobbed.

"We did everything you said!"

The other, wild-eyed, added, Explore stories on m,v l'e-m|p y r

"Yeah! We're loyal to you! Please!"

But Subject 431 took one slow step forward, raising his hands.

With a quick, brutal movement, he smashed their heads together. Bone, blood, and brains splattered across the ground as their bodies collapsed, lifeless, in a twisted heap at his feet.