Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Not far from Alex, the space around him began to warp, bending unnaturally as if reality itself were being torn apart. A swirling black entity loomed, its humanoid shape shifting grotesquely.

Tendrils of shadow rippled from its form, growing larger and more chaotic with each passing second, like a virus breaking free from containment. It didn't take long for its figure to resemble something monstrous, a writhing, ever-evolving creature reminiscent of a nightmare given flesh. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

'I almost mistook him for a symbiote.'

Alex's chuckled inwardly, though his expression remained solem.

'The Black Star Lord had made his move.'

"Nice…" he hissed under his breath, his hand clenched into a fist.

Turning sharply, he yelled to the Queen, who was already dispatching the unconscious bodies faster than anyone could blink.

"Take everyone out of here! Now!" His voice carried an urgency that even she couldn't ignore.

The Queen's multicolored eyes met his for a brief moment. Without a word, she gave a curt nod, her form a blur of motion as she gathered the unconscious and brainwashed with ruthless efficiency using earth and vines.

The once-unrelenting void of the Bright World rippled faintly under her presence, as if bending to her will. One by one, the unconscious warriors vanished, teleported far from the danger that was only moments away from escalating.

Alex then turned his attention to Adrian, who stood roughly ten meters away, calm but calculating as his sharp gaze never left Alex. Alex could feel the weight of that stare, as though Adrian was analyzing not just the situation but him as well.

"I don't know if you are who I think you are…" Alex called out, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling around them. "But please, protect our friends. Quickly."

For a brief but tense moment, his other self didn't move.

His unreadable expression lingered, his gaze boring into Alex as if searching for something. Then, finally, other Adrian nodded. In a blink, he vanished, leaving behind a faint temporal afterimage shimmering where he once stood.

Alex exhaled, his focus snapping back to the threat before him.

The black entity was no longer just shifting—it was growing, expanding at an alarming rate, and its sheer presence felt like it was beginning to distort the Bright

World itself. Behind him, he could feel the ripples in the void intensifying as two portals, now nearly fully formed, loomed on opposite sides of the battlefield. Their edges crackled with energy, threatening to breach into reality at any moment.

But it wasn't just two portals. A third one, carefully hidden from view by his manipulation of the Bright World, was also nearing completion. A faint grin tugged at Alex's lips.

'She should've finished by now,' he thought. The faintest trace of relief crossed his face. 'Everything's still going according to plan.'

However, his reprieve was short-lived.

The black entity swelled further, its tendrils lashing out and twisting violently. Its form now loomed over him, casting an almost oppressive weight even within the endless white void. It felt like a culmination of the Black Star Lord's rage, a concentrated embodiment of his will.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, shaking his head.

"Explosions. Why is it always explosions?"

The thought wasn't idle.

He remembered the countless chaotic events he'd been through—explosions of power, battles ending in catastrophic detonations. It seemed like the universe had a sense of humor when it came to him.

His last encounter, one that had supposedly ended his life, was no different.

"And now," he muttered to himself, glancing at the writhing black mass growing by the second, "it's still going to end with another explosion."

Did they always end this way?

He sighed, letting his fingers loosen from the tension they'd been holding. The growing entity, the expanding portals, even the subtle cracks forming in the very fabric of his Bright World—all of it had been orchestrated, planned down to the smallest detail.

"This has to happen," Alex murmured, a sharp glint in his eye. "It's important."

Only this way could they, could he deal a blow to Black Star Lord.

The black entity which would soon explode was part of Black Star Lord's soul or spirit.

Alex knew from the novel that Black Star Lord had sent a part of his soul in this event and stole the queen's core from the Avengers when they thought they outclassed him and his hunters.

And he tried to repeat it launching a sneak attack from behind just a while ago.

But alas, he had already foreseen such an outcome after his mistake in the previous event that 'cost' his life.

______

The portals flanking the battlefield crackled violently, their energy spilling out like waterfalls of raw chaos. The once-blinding radiance of the Bright World began to flicker as Alex canceled his domain.

The endless white light dimmed rapidly until it disappeared entirely, leaving the battlefield bathed in an ominous twilight, the black mass looming larger than ever.

Without hesitation, the hunters began their retreat.

Figures clad in shadow darted toward their own portal, their movements frantic yet precise. It was clear they had received their orders: fall back immediately. No doubt, Black Star Lord had commanded their swift withdrawal, unwilling to lose more resources after his plans had been disrupted.

On the opposite side, Sia and her Avengers also made their move. Their faces were a mixture of frustration and resignation, their grand plans now in shambles. The Queen's furious gaze locked onto them as vines and earth began surging to block their escape.

"I won't let you get away!" she bellowed, her voice dripping with fury.

But Alex stepped forward, his hand raised to stop her.

"Queen, don't," he said firmly. "We don't have time for this."

She whirled around to face him, her multicolored eyes blazing with anger. "They betrayed my children and you! They've shown their true faces, and you're just letting them go?!"

"I'll deal with them another day," Alex said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Right now, we need to focus on surviving this."

The Queen clenched her fists, the earth beneath her trembling as if mirroring her fury. But she relented, turning her attention back to the black entity that loomed above them.

Meanwhile, Sia and her Avengers disappeared into their portal.

Sia paused just before stepping through, casting one last reluctant glance back at Alex. Regret flickered across her face as she disappeared into the swirling vortex.

She had lost the core, exposed their plans, and revealed their identities, all for nothing. The price of betrayal had been steep, and it weighed heavily on her shoulders.

As their portal closed, the hunters' portal remained slightly ajar, a faint ripple marking its presence. Alex's gaze lingered on it briefly before snapping back to the black entity. The mass had grown so large that it now blocked out what little light remained, plunging the area into near-total darkness.

The entity began to pulse, its surface undulating rhythmically like the beating of a massive, grotesque heart. Each pulse sent waves of energy rippling through the air, distorting the very fabric of reality around it.

Boom.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was deep, resonating through their bones. It was the sound of pressure building, of destruction waiting to be unleashed.

Alex narrowed his eyes, watching intently. 'It's almost time.'

The entity's pulses grew faster and stronger, its surface writhing violently as cracks began to form, leaking blinding flashes of light with each beat. The energy within was barely contained, and Alex knew it wouldn't hold for much longer.

The Queen took a step back, her expression shifting from anger to alarm. "It's going to—"

"Yeah, I know," Alex interrupted, his tone calm despite the chaos. "Don't forget your promise."

The black mass swelled one final time, its pulsations reaching a fever pitch. For a moment, there was silence—a pregnant pause, as if the world itself were holding its breath.

Then, with a deafening roar, it exploded.

BOOM!

The explosion was a bit different than the Domain Explosion Alex was in.

A blinding flash of light and then darkness consumed everything, obliterating the massive black mass and sending shockwaves rippling outward. The ground shook violently, and the sound was deafening, as though the world itself was screaming.

The sheer scale of the explosion was unimaginable. It tore through the heart of the forest—once the Queen's territory—with devastating force. Towering trees were vaporized in an instant, their ashes scattered to the wind. The lush greenery that had once thrived here was replaced by scorched earth, a desolate wasteland stretching as far as the eye could see.

When the light finally faded, silence descended upon the battlefield. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring the sky. Alex stood at the edge of the devastation, surveying the aftermath.

Roughly one-sixth of the massive forest was gone, reduced to a barren wasteland. The once-vibrant heart of the forest was now nothing more than a memory.

Alex exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

This was the result he had anticipated—the result he had planned for.

And yet, seeing it with his own eyes still left a hollow feeling in his chest.