The Extra Who Inherited Ragnarok

Nobody spoke.

The words remained suspended over the battlefield.

THE SUCCESSOR HAS RETURNED.

Then the ancient voice disappeared.

The fissure sealed completely.

The three moons returned to their ordinary glow.

But the silence remained.

Noah stared at the ground.

His flames had vanished.

His hands were trembling.

Laura noticed.

"Noah."

"I’m okay."

She didn’t believe him.

"You keep saying that."

Noah looked at her.

"This time I mean it."

Laura stepped closer.

"Then tell me what you felt."

Noah hesitated.

"Something recognized me."

Daniela approached from across the battlefield.

"What did it say?"

Noah looked at her.

"It called me a successor."

Daniela’s expression changed.

"That word..."

She looked toward the sealed ground.

"I heard it too."

Reinham joined them.

"Does anyone know what it means?"

Nobody answered.

Even the headmasters remained silent.

The Emergency Council

That evening, the headmasters gathered inside Hildgard’s central government hall.

The fifteen academy representatives sat around a massive circular table.

The Hildgard governor stood at the center.

"The tournament is temporarily suspended."

Several headmasters immediately objected.

"We cannot suspend the tournament."

"After what happened?"

"The contestants are safe."

"The city nearly collapsed!"

The governor raised his hand.

Silence.

"The phenomenon beneath Hildgard is not part of the tournament."

He looked toward the sealed windows.

"We don’t know what it is."

The Elementro headmaster spoke.

"We need to investigate."

The Volstra headmaster nodded.

"Agreed."

The Asgard representative remained silent.

The governor looked around the table.

"Until we understand what happened, no contestant is permitted near the restricted zones."

A pause.

"And nobody is to discuss the phrase successor with the public."

The room went quiet.

Because everyone understood what that meant.

The government was afraid of something.

Valhalla Residence

Noah sat alone.

Laura entered.

She closed the door behind her.

"You’ve been quiet."

"I’m thinking."

"About the successor?"

"Yeah."

Laura sat opposite him.

Noah looked at her.

"You knew something."

Laura didn’t answer.

"You reacted when it said successor."

She looked down.

"I’ve heard the word before."

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"Where?"

Laura hesitated.

"In my childhood."

Noah remained silent.

Laura continued.

"I don’t remember everything."

"But you remember that."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Laura looked toward the window.

"Because that word was connected to the worst period of my life."

Noah’s expression softened.

"What happened?"

"I can’t tell you yet."

Noah didn’t push.

He simply nodded.

"Okay."

Laura looked surprised.

"You’re not going to ask?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because when you’re ready, you’ll tell me."

Laura stared at him for several seconds.

Then she smiled faintly.

"Thank you."

Noah smiled.

"You’re welcome."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Laura quietly added:

"But there’s something you should know."

"What?"

"I don’t think Dead Zone is your enemy."

Noah looked at her.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because when you were losing control..."

She paused.

"It never attacked me."

Noah’s expression changed.

"It protected you."

Laura nodded.

"Exactly."

Asgard Residence

Joseph sat alone in darkness.

His hands were clasped together.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the voice.

The successor has returned.

Then another memory surfaced.

The person who had given him his orders.

The voice.

The instructions.

But now something was different.

The memory was becoming clearer.

Joseph saw himself standing in a corridor.

Someone was speaking to him.

He remembered the clothes.

The posture.

The voice.

Then the face began appearing.

Joseph’s eyes widened.

"No..."

The image distorted.

The face disappeared.

Joseph grabbed his head.

"Who are you?"

A whisper answered.

"You already know."

Joseph stood abruptly.

Black-orange energy exploded around him.

"Show yourself!"

Nothing.

Then another voice.

Not the mysterious manipulator.

A familiar one.

His own.

"You were never talking to him."

Joseph froze.

"What?"

His own voice continued inside his mind.

"You were talking to someone else."

Joseph’s eyes widened.

The room went completely silent.

Then he remembered.

The conversation.

The order.

The face.

Everything.

It had all been wrong.

Someone had manipulated his perception.

Someone had made him believe his relative had ordered the killings.

Joseph whispered:

"Who?"

A faint maroon spark appeared in the darkness.

Then vanished.

Joseph stared at it.

"...Alcris?"

Volstra Residence

Alcris stood before his mirror.

His reflection stared back.

He slowly raised his hand.

A thin veil of energy appeared across his eyes.

His perception activated.

The reflection changed.

For a moment, he saw Noah.

Then Laura.

Then Daniela.

Then Joseph.

Four pieces.

Four different paths.

Alcris lowered his hand.

"Everything is finally moving."

He opened his notebook.

The page contained a single sentence.

THE SUCCESSOR IS NOAH BLACKWOOD.

Alcris stared at it.

Then crossed out the word IS.

He replaced it.

THE SUCCESSOR MAY BE NOAH BLACKWOOD.

His expression became thoughtful.

"Maybe."

He closed the notebook.

Because one thing still bothered him.

The voice beneath Hildgard hadn’t called Noah by name.

It had said:

The successor.

Not Ragnarok’s successor.

Not Dead Zone’s successor.

Just...

The successor.

Alcris smiled.

"Then what exactly are you the successor to?"

He looked toward the three moons.

And for the first time, his ambition wasn’t focused solely on Noah’s power.

He wanted the truth beneath Hildgard.

Whatever it was...

he intended to take it.

Hildgard had never felt this quiet.

The tournament was suspended.

The arena remained closed.

Academy students were confined to their designated residences while government officials investigated the phenomenon beneath the city.

But the silence didn’t bring peace.

It gave everyone time to think.

And for Joseph Yonder, thinking was becoming dangerous.

Joseph sat alone in his room.

A single lamp illuminated the desk before him.

He had been staring at the same spot for nearly an hour.

His memories refused to settle.

The person who had given him the order.

The conversation.

The instructions.

The reason he had believed his relative wanted Noah and the other prospects eliminated.

Everything had seemed real.

Too real.

Joseph pressed his fingers against his temples.

"I saw him."

His voice was barely audible.

"I heard him."

The black-orange energy around his hand flickered.

"Then why can’t I remember his face?"

The room remained silent.

Joseph stood.

He walked toward the mirror.

His reflection stared back.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then his reflection smiled.

Joseph didn’t.

His eyes widened.

"What..."

The reflection raised its hand.

Joseph’s didn’t.

A dark distortion spread across the mirror.

Then the reflection whispered:

"You weren’t speaking to your relative."

Joseph stepped backward.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who gave you exactly what you wanted."

Joseph’s breathing became heavier.

"Power?"

The reflection smiled.

"Purpose."

The mirror shattered.

CRACK!

Joseph staggered backward.

The black-orange aura around his body erupted.

"Show yourself!"

Nothing.

Then a single sentence appeared across the broken glass.

YOU WERE NEVER THE HAND.

YOU WERE THE WEAPON.

Joseph stared.

His expression slowly changed.

He understood.

Someone hadn’t simply ordered him to kill.

Someone had used him.

Meanwhile...

Noah stood on the balcony of the Valhalla residence.

The city stretched beneath him.

Laura stood beside him.

Neither spoke for several seconds.

Then Noah said:

"Do you think the tournament will continue?"

Laura looked toward the arena.

"It has to."

"Why?"

"Because if they stop now, everyone will start asking questions."

Noah smiled faintly.

"People are already asking questions."

Laura looked at him.

"Exactly."

A notification appeared before Noah.

[Ragnarok synchronization: 52%.]

Noah stared.

Laura noticed.

"It increased again."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

Another notification appeared.

[Dead Zone synchronization: 2%.]

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"Two percent."

Laura looked at him.

"What does that mean?"

"I don’t know."

He clenched his fist.

The maroon flame appeared.

This time it remained stable.

No eye.

No voice.

Just fire.

Laura watched it carefully.

"You’re getting closer."

Noah nodded.

"Yeah."

Then the flame suddenly changed.

A tiny black shape appeared inside the maroon fire.

Noah’s eyes widened.

"What the..."

The system immediately appeared.

[Warning.]

[Dead Zone attempting partial manifestation.]

Noah’s expression hardened.

"Not now."

The flame vanished.

Laura looked at him.

"Did it try to come out?"

"Yeah."

"Did you stop it?"

"I think so."

She nodded.

"Then that’s progress."

Noah looked toward the three moons.

"Or a warning."

Elementro Academy Residence

Daniela couldn’t sleep.

She sat beside her window with her knees drawn toward her chest.

The image kept returning.

A young Laura.

A violet flower.

A voice telling her:

Don’t let them take you.

Daniela closed her eyes.

Her perception activated involuntarily.

The room disappeared.

She saw a corridor.

Stone walls.

A young girl standing alone.

Laura.

But this Laura was younger.

Much younger.

Her hair was shorter.

Her expression was frightened.

Someone stood before her.

A woman.

Daniela couldn’t see her face.

The woman placed a hand against Laura’s head.

"Remember this."

The vision flickered.

"Your power isn’t a curse."

Another flash.

"You were chosen."

Daniela’s eyes widened.

"Chosen for what?"

The vision suddenly turned black.

A different voice whispered:

"Run."

Daniela opened her eyes.

She was back in her room.

Her breathing was heavy.

"What was that?"

She looked at her hands.

Her perception had never shown her the past so clearly before.

Then she remembered something else.

The woman had said:

You were chosen.

Daniela whispered:

"Laura..."

The Tournament Resumes

The following afternoon, the announcement finally came.

"THE INTER-ACADEMY TOURNAMENT WILL RESUME TOMORROW."

The crowd erupted.

The tournament wasn’t ending.

It was continuing.

But the next event had been changed.

The projection displayed:

EVENT TWELVE

RELIC PURSUIT

Noah stared at the announcement.

"Relic?"

Laura looked at him.

"Again?"

Damien frowned.

"After what happened?"

The Hildgard representative appeared on the screen.

"Due to the incident during the previous event, the relic challenge has been redesigned."

The projection changed.

THREE RELICS

BALGARD

Dragon

SYLTHIN

Serpent

FLAROS

Bear

Noah’s expression changed.

The three medallions.

The same three that had reacted beneath Hildgard.

The same three connected to the moons.

But this time...

the rules were different.

"Contestants will enter three separate ancient structures."

"Each structure contains one designated relic."

"The first team to retrieve its relic receives the highest score."

Laura stared at the screen.

"Three structures."

Luna nodded.

"Three relics."

Damien looked toward Noah.

"And three moons."

Noah didn’t respond.

He already felt it.

A faint warmth inside his chest.

Then the system appeared.

[Ragnarok resonance detected.]

[Relic connection established.]

Noah’s eyes widened.

A second message followed.

[Warning.]

[Dead Zone resonance rising.]

Noah whispered:

"Not again."

Across the city, Alcris watched the same announcement.

His eyes focused on the three relic names.

Balgard.

Sylthin.

Flaros.

He smiled.

"So they’re giving us another chance."

He closed his notebook.

This time, however...

he wasn’t interested in simply observing Noah.

He wanted to test something.

If the relics reacted to Ragnarok...

then perhaps they could reveal how Ragnarok could be taken.

Alcris looked toward the Valhalla residence.

"Tomorrow."

His smile became colder.

"I’ll finally see how far your power goes."

And somewhere else in Hildgard...

Joseph stared at the broken mirror.

One thought repeated in his mind.

You were never the hand.

You were the weapon.

He clenched his fist.

"I’ll find you."

The tournament would resume tomorrow.

The relics would return.

And this time...

everyone would be watching.