Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

On the other side of the battlefield, amidst the swirling chaos, the Queen was trapped. Her emerald flames had dimmed to almost nothing as she stood frozen in place, her body rigid and unresponsive.

Above her head, a strange artifact glowed faintly—a dark, jagged relic thrown by the scarred man. The artifact shimmered with an eerie light, locking her body in a petrified state.

Before her stood Mrs. Sia, the chainblade woman, her cold eyes devoid of remorse as she twisted the serrated blade in her hands.

With deliberate precision, she plunged it into the Queen's chest, again and again, more than a dozen times. Each strike was brutal, mechanical, as though it was nothing more than a task to be completed.

The Queen's emerald eyes locked onto Sia, her face calm despite the pain. Her lips curled into a faint, knowing smile, an expression that made Sia's calm facade falter for a split second.

"You'll help me," Sia muttered, her voice soft but resolute.

Her free hand pressed against Queen's abdomen, where her core was stored—the powerful artifact that was both the source of Queen's strength and the key to reviving her world. "You'll help me take back our world, our city... and my throne."

The Queen didn't respond, her eyes continuing to pierce through Sia as though mocking her. The faint upward curl of her lips didn't falter, and that subtle expression caused Sia's confidence to waver.

With her cold smirk replaced by a frown, Sia reached out to the Queen, her hand glowing faintly as she prepared to extract the core. She muttered softly to herself, almost reverently, "It's here... I can feel it." Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

But when her hand made contact, nothing happened.

Her expression froze.

Panic began to creep into her features as she searched desperately, her fingers digging into the Queen's chest as if the artifact had merely slipped out of place.

Her voice rose, the calm demeanor gone entirely. "W-Where is it?!"

The Queen's soft chuckle broke the tense silence, her voice carrying a weight of disdain and defiance. "Did you truly think I'd let you... or anyone... take my heart from me?"

Sia's face twisted into disbelief and anger. "You… you hid it?! Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?!"

The Queen's faint smile widened just enough to fuel Sia's growing frustration. Her calm gaze spoke volumes: whatever power Sia sought was far beyond her reach.

'Hehe, thankfully, I hid it in the town when I went two days ago after realizing their target was me.'

"You!"

Sia's frustration boiled over, her trembling hands gripping the chainblade tightly before she took a deliberate breath to calm herself. Her cold demeanor returned, her lips curling into a sinister smirk as her icy gaze locked onto the Queen. "Are you going to hand it over nicely, or..."

She moved with a predatory grace, dragging one of the immobilized elven elders from the group restrained by the Avengers.

The elder, frail yet dignified, trembled slightly but held his head high despite the perilous situation. Sia produced a real dagger this time, its blade glinting ominously as she pressed it against the elder's neck.

"Or else, I'll kill them one by one. Right here, in front of you," she finished, her voice dripping with venom.

The Queen's cold emerald eyes shifted to the elder, who met her gaze with trembling yet resolute courage.

"Don't worry about me, Mother," the elder said softly, his voice steady despite his trembling body. "You should protect yourself."

The Queen's lips pressed into a thin line, her expression unreadable. Her posture betrayed no weakness, no submission, even as her piercing gaze lingered on the elder for a moment longer than necessary. She didn't move, didn't flinch—her silence spoke volumes.

Sia scoffed, shaking her head with a mocking smile. "You're just as I expected you to be," she muttered, her voice filled with disdain. "You act kind, like a benevolent ruler who cares for everyone, but when it truly matters? You care only for yourself." Her grip on the dagger tightened. "An arrogant, selfish ruler. Nothing more."

The Queen didn't retort, her calm, cold expression remaining unshaken. But within her mind, a mocking thought surfaced, her disdain for Sia bubbling just beneath the surface. 'What do you know...'

Sia's smirk widened, her tone taking on a sharper edge. "Well then, since you're so eager to watch your children die..." Her gaze flicked to the elder as she raised the dagger. "I'll do as you wish."

The tension was unbearable as the dagger began its descent.

But just before it could pierce the elder's flesh, a mocking laugh echoed through the battlefield, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Ha... Haha... HAHAHA!"

The laughter grew louder, more derisive, as the stunned combatants turned toward its source. Their eyes landed on one of the Top Hunters—a handsome figure, his features sharp and striking—who had regained consciousness. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes glinted with amusement and superiority as he rose to his feet, brushing off the dirt from his cloth.

"You're all fools," he sneered, his voice filled with contempt. "You think this is some grand victory? That your petty plan has worked? What a joke."

Sia's eyes narrowed dangerously, the dagger in her hand freezing mid-air. "What are you babbling about?" she snapped, her tone sharp and impatient.

The man chuckled darkly, his grin widening as he stared at Sia and the Queen with mockery in his eyes. "You've been played. All of you. Do you really think you could fool our Master?" His laughter grew even louder, sending shivers down the spines of those present. "Our master has already found it! The core—the Essence of Nature."

Silence fell over the battlefield as the weight of his words sank in. Sia's smirk faltered, her confident demeanor cracking as doubt and fury filled her eyes.

"Liar," she hissed, though there was a trace of unease in her voice.

Black Star Lord was really good at scheming after all.

"Believe whatever you want. But your little power play here? It's meaningless. The real prize is already in our master's hands. He has seen through you and your plans long ago."

"And now, our master will finally be able to achieve his dreams!"

"Our world will reach greater heights!"

"We will revive our world!"

"We will-!"

"HAHAHA-!"

"We-!"

"Hahaha-!"

"W-"

"HAHA!"

"..."

"Haha, sorry, sorry, you continue spouting nonsense."

_____

(MASS Release: Complete)