Ch.149The Main Character (7)

# Main Character (7)

Extra’s body was not in a normal state. He had already taken a direct hit from Force earlier, and he had also been caught up in the wide-area attack that had just unfolded.

His condition was no better than the fallen hero party.

Yet he could endure because of the years he had lived, the pain he had endured.

And because of his will.

“Hnngh!”

Extra swung his greatsword clumsily.

His body had no strength. Rather than wielding the sword, he was being wielded by it.

But his determination to defeat his opponent was clear.

Slash!

Extra’s greatsword managed to clearly cut his opponent.

Force, who had overexerted himself for a perfect victory, was in a significantly weakened state—his skin and muscles compromised.

In such a state, even an attack without proper force behind it could wound him.

Yes, this moment—this condition—was the only opportunity Extra had to face Force.

“How amusing. With just this much.”

But even if Force was weakened, was he as weak as Extra?

Ignoring the wound cutting across his body, he lowered the hammer that had been resting on his shoulder to the ground and dragged it before swinging.

His strength had diminished.

But just being able to wield such a weapon…

Boom!

Sending the weakened Extra flying was no problem at all.

Despite blocking with his sword, Extra was easily launched into the air. As he fell to the ground, he coughed up blood.

“Kuh!”

The brief flight and subsequent fall—just that impact made Extra feel dizzy.

But…

“Haa… haa…”

He used his sword as support to stand up.

His head was spinning so badly he couldn’t tell front from back, and the shock hadn’t subsided, but it didn’t matter.

Just now. Yes, just now!

‘It definitely connected.’

Even looking at Force standing there calmly, Extra didn’t despair. The fact that his attack had left a wound couldn’t be hidden.

Moreover, there had been no follow-up attack.

This meant Force was also in a state where he couldn’t move recklessly.

Even when swinging his hammer, he had to drag it along the ground until the moment of impact.

And with both hands, at that.

He confirmed it again. Force was not in a normal state. There was a chance of victory.

As long as it wasn’t impossible, Extra could get up as many times as needed.

“Foolish…”

Force frowned as he looked at Extra, who could barely stand.

“If you had just stayed down, you could have gone without pain.”

“You’ve become talkative.”

“…”

Extra could feel it.

Force was also desperate. He was clearly in a state where movement was difficult.

That’s why he was displeased with Extra’s stubborn persistence in getting up.

Just knowing that fact was satisfying.

“Let’s continue.”

Grind!

Force gritted his teeth.

It was understandable. For him, this struggle with Extra brought no benefit whatsoever, and the fight might leave him with aftereffects.

A fight with no gain.

A fight that would only bring loss.

Being forced into it was etching the emotion of anger onto Force’s seemingly emotionless face.

And the more Extra saw that expression, the more he smiled.

“Heh! Hehehehehehe!”

Even as he coughed up blood with each laugh, Extra joyfully limped forward and raised his greatsword again.

In response, Force gripped his hammer.

And he felt humiliated that he had to act this way.

“Hup!”

Extra swung his greatsword.

Or rather, it was more like he lifted it into the air and let it fall.

In response, Force also dragged his hammer and swung it using the momentum, as if throwing it.

A desperate fight.

Not about defeating the other, but determining who would fall first.

In that moment when blood and flesh burst forth, Extra could sense it.

‘No…’

At this rate, he would lose.

Not only had he lost feeling in his hands, but even landing a hit on his opponent was becoming difficult.

It wasn’t that his opponent was dodging. He couldn’t even hit a stationary target.

In contrast, Force’s attacks were steadily chipping away at Extra.

He could no longer send Extra flying, just push him back, but the impact area of his weapon was different.

“Ah…”

And the moment his next attack missed, Extra knew.

This was the end. If he allowed one more attack, he wouldn’t be able to endure.

Yes, he had missed his last chance.

‘So in the end, I accomplish nothing? As usual?’

He no longer had the strength to swing his weapon. There would be no next opportunity.

A montage flashed through Extra’s mind. He had thought he was special. As everyone does.

Eventually, he realized the reality and had no choice but to conform to it.

But had he given up? No, he hadn’t.

Understanding his limitations and bowing his head to the strong, he survived cowardly while still approaching his dream.

Little by little. Very little by little.

Even without talent, he had risen to become a field-grade officer in the Demon King’s army, and through a deal with the Eye of Truth, he had now gained power close to that of a general.

Power not obtained purely through his own talent and effort, but forcibly pulled up while wrapped in all kinds of cowardice.

Such haphazardly patched-together abilities couldn’t reach a true powerhouse.

“Damn… it…”

Tears welled up.

The situation where he couldn’t achieve anything. The fact that no matter how hard he tried, there was a world of theirs that he couldn’t reach.

That was probably why.

In this moment of desperation, what came to his mind was…

‘God, please…!’

Many seek God in moments of extreme despair. But there is no moment more desperate than this.

Yes, that’s why…

“The voices of those who wish to understand and practice the precepts, concentration, and wisdom spread widely in this world.”

The heavens respond to those desperate prayers, doing their best for those seeking miracles.

“Your desperation has accumulated countless merits, reaching the heavens and thus summoning me to this world.”

Blue Blood

Six Realms Manifestation – Heavenly Realm

[Niramarati Heaven – Intention and Answer]

The divine power of a celestial deity.

But he knows. The miracle needed at this moment is not one achieved through another’s help, but just a single opportunity.

That’s why he accepted the intention.

He decided to convey a small miracle that could be exercised by oneself.

Niramarati Heaven is a place created and enacted by one’s own desires.

What manifested through that world’s principle was just one opportunity.

It’s just an opportunity, not a miracle.

It’s the ability to look back at one’s own capabilities and find an answer.

‘Yes, that was it…’

Within the possibilities he possessed, Extra found the answer.

When he first accepted the dragon’s heart.

What La•Pa had said then. What he had ignored and forgotten.

-Kid, your body is too weak to accept a dragon’s heart from the start. You’re fundamentally flawed.

-Are you going to keep cursing me when we’ve just agreed to be on the same side?

-Cursing?

The noble evil god who enjoyed seeing people suffer and struggle.

Looking at Extra, who was constantly coughing up blood, unable to fully accept the dragon’s heart, she said:

-This is advice. You’ve essentially planted a bomb in your body. Handle it carefully. If you mess up, it’ll go boom! Hehehe.

Words spoken in a joking tone.

No matter how you looked at it, it was more of a curse than advice.

But the answer was in those words.

Thump!

Extra felt the newly implanted heart within him.

He spread the dragon’s violent ferocity through his veins.

Yes, this is a bomb.

Using its power means paying the price.

Crack!

Horns and wings sprouted, and a tail emerged to support his collapsing body.

The scales, with a metallic hardness, began covering his skin and blocked Force’s hammer swinging toward him.

“What… is…?”

Scales that not only sprouted from his skin but tore through his flesh.

Bones shattered, and new ones jutted out, destroying his body.

Extra was pushing himself toward death in real-time.

Truly a final secret technique exercised only for this moment, this fight.

“A… dragon?”

Extra, who had already lost his original appearance and become closer to a dragon—no, who had begun to be completely consumed by the dragon’s power—opened his mouth wide.

Blazing flames. The heat of the bomb beginning to explode from his body.

The dragon’s signature finishing move.

Dragon Breath.

KWAAAAAAANG!

The power that erupted like venting frustration completely blew away the upper half of Legion Commander Force’s body.

***

The mushroom cloud created by Force.

A large hole had formed in the sky that had been darkened by it.

And the light pouring through that hole illuminated the scene of the battle’s outcome: Extra and Force with his upper body blown away.

“Huff… huff…!”

Extra, breathing heavily.

He, now looking no different from a dragonkin, was constantly coughing up blood with each rough breath.

Half of his face had melted, unable to withstand the heat of the breath he had released.

But…

Thud!

He had definitely defeated Force. He, who had been just a minor character, had defeated a Legion Commander, one ranked fourth from the top.

“Lug… Lug, are you there?”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.”

Extra, seemingly unable to see, groped the air as he called for Lug. He had clearly heard his voice in the final moment, and thanks to that voice, he had been able to recall the possibility.

“Tell me… Celestial Deity. Was I… was my life… just prepared for the strong?”

The day he was given the name Extra. Humiliatingly, he had thought the name suited him well.

He had never shone and was always just a minor character who made others shine.

“Isn’t there a saying that you are the protagonist of your own life?”

“That’s… something I’ve heard… before…”

“Is that so? Perhaps I said it. I’ve lived for a long time, after all.”

“Heh… heheh…”

Extra felt the light.

The moment he felt the sunlight piercing his eyes, he realized he was lying down.

“So the protagonist of my life is me… That’s quite a common saying…”

He likes it.

Even if the ending is death.

Even if it’s just once.

“Did I accomplish something…?”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel. Because of you, this world can change. You protected the hero party, didn’t you?”

“Yes… I guess… that’s one way… to look… at it…”

His exploding heart grows cold.

One who always lost and never achieved anything had accomplished one of the most praiseworthy feats in this world.

That alone was satisfying.

That’s why Extra could close his eyes with a smile.