I Was Transmigrated As An Extraordinary Extra-Chapter 25

Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light erupted within me. My vision swam for a moment, then cleared. Next, I felt a surge of power as I used my remaining XP points to increase my stamina and speed to their maximum.

"Macaron, I’m done. Hide safely for now," I said, my voice steadier now, though still tinged with urgency.

Macaron nodded, a flicker of concern in his eyes, before disappearing into the shadows, flying away from us.

I took a deep breath, the air tasting metallic. I grabbed my daggers, pulling one from my belt. A silvery-white light shimmered from the iron blade.

Sneaking a peek, I saw that Angela was still desperately fighting to free herself from the Rogue’s grasp, her struggle growing weaker with each passing moment. Cypher, meanwhile, was focused on severing the Rogue’s left arm, a whirlwind of attacks.

The problem was Angela. She was close to the brink, her struggle for breath growing shallow. The Rogue’s dark magic was taking its toll, the area around her neck slowly turning a horrifying shade of purple.

’No choice. I need to hit his heart now or she’s gone.’

I changed my position, my enhanced agility allowing me to move with surprising speed. I hurled my dagger towards the Rogue’s chest.

Clang!

"Fuck! I missed!" The sound of the metal clashing echoed in the oppressive silence. My heart hammered against my ribs. If Angela could have stayed still for a second, if she hadn’t distracted the Rogue’s attention, I could have delivered a decisive blow straight to the Rogue’s heart.

The Rogue, its eyes burning with malevolent intent, shifted its focus to me. Luckily, its grip on Angela loosened, releasing her as she crumpled to the ground, coughing violently.

’Uh-oh. I’m dead,’ I thought, a cold, hard knot in my stomach.

His right arm flew, extending and attempting to grab me, but thanks to my increased stats, my agility allowed me to move faster than him. I quickly dodged downward, sprinting away, buying time for Angela to escape the Rogue’s grasp. His right hand condensed, transforming into a sharp, fleshy tentacle that began its relentless pursuit.

Every time it lashed out from behind, attempting to impale me, I dodged, the ground rumbling and fracturing beneath the impact. I almost lost my footing, but my reflexes kept me upright.

"Hah! You missed! Again!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the growing chaos.

That seemed to only further infuriate him. Instead of one tentacle, another nine emerged, joining the relentless chase. More tentacles meant more danger, more chances to miss and more chances for me to get injured.

"Me and my annoying mouth," I thought, cursing my own bravado.

All ten tentacles, fusing into a monstrous, writhing mass, seemed poised to crush me. I bolted towards a sturdy pillar, executing a powerful wall flip, sending the tentacles crashing into the stone. The impact echoed through the chamber, shaking the very foundations.

Seizing the opportunity, I launched my daggers, one by one, at the writhing, fleshy appendages. Each strike found its mark, sending jolts of pain through the Rogue.

He roared in pain and anger, his right hand reforming, but now it was hideously deformed, scarred and misshapen. A sickening, almost metallic crackle emanated from the damaged limb.

’Now’s the time!’ I thought.

"Cypher move!" I yelled, my voice hoarse with exertion.

Without even bothering to turn around, Cypher rolled to the side, expertly evading the Rogue’s furious counterattack. The Rogue’s left arm, a grotesque, clawed monstrosity, swung wildly after him, but this only increased my advantage.

"Arrghh!" The Rogue’s guttural cry filled the air as he struggled to regain control. Bullseye!

Straight in the heart! I leaped in joy, anticipating the Rogue’s explosive demise. But instead of shattering, he merely smirked, a cruel, predatory smile twisting his lips. His left arm, still monstrous, shifted course, aiming directly for me.

’...It failed? How come it failed? I wasted my strength just for that attack?’ My thoughts raced, a whirlwind of frustration and bewilderment.

Before the monstrous arm could reach me, a blinding flash erupted. A colossal explosion ripped through the chamber, showering us with a rain of blood, flesh, and viscera. The Rogue’s remains, pulverized and scattered, stained the air and everything around us. Except for me. I had reacted instinctively, diving behind a massive pillar for cover.

"Hah. So much for dramatic effect. Is this how I wrote my novel?" I mused, a wry smile playing on my lips.

The sheer force of the blast had been staggering. My strength and stamina were draining fast. I collapsed onto the cold stone floor, leaning my back against the pillar, watching Cypher walking towards Angela.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The protective barriers retracted, and the gallery doors swung open. Ambulance cars, their sirens wailing, and agents from the Aeonia’s Hero Association streamed inside, their faces grim.

"Bleurgh!" Angela, who had just regained consciousness after staggering back from the Rogue’s gruesome demise, doubled over, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor. Her face was pale, her body wracked with tremors.

She must have had a low tolerance for the sight and smell of blood, or perhaps the horrific scattering of the Rogue’s insides was too much for her. Undigested food splattered the ground, a pale yellow liquid pooling around it.

She continued to vomit, each heave sounding like a painful cough. Watching the horrific scene, I could practically feel her pain, the visceral reaction to the carnage. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid smell of vomit.

Cypher continued to gently pat Angela’s back, a gesture of support. But Angela, still reeling from the shock and nausea, fiercely swatted his hand away. Cypher, his face etched with concern, reluctantly backed off.

"She’s just being a baby. I’m sure her older brother will come to console her," I said unconsciously, the words slipping out before I could stop them. In the novel, that’s exactly how things unfolded. Her older brother would arrive first, followed by her father who would handle the cleanup and aftermath.

But it seemed Angela interpreted my indifference as an insult. "You! You bit- Bleurgh!" she choked out, another wave of nausea hitting her.

Her bloodshot eyes seemed to bore into me, as if she wanted to kill me on the spot. ’What did I do?’ I thought, genuinely confused.

I was just stating a fact, a prediction based on the story I knew. Or maybe her reaction was simply amplified by her revulsion to the blood and gore?

Unlike Whitney, who was more resilient, Angela was a true noble lady, raised in a sheltered environment. Anything less than the finest quality food would upset her stomach, and the sight of a mere cockroach or rat could ruin her entire day.

"How... Dare... You...." Angela managed to gasp out between heaves.

"I’ll head out first," I interrupted her, cutting off her struggling words.

"Wait Remi-" Cypher began, his voice laced with something I couldn’t quite decipher. For some reason, his face was clouded with disappointment as he looked at me. I ignored it, turning my back on them. There were more important matters I needed to attend to, information I needed to gather.

"Macaron? Let’s go now!" I called out, my voice echoing slightly in the ruined space.

With a soft whoosh of wings, an owl swiftly landed on my shoulder, its talons gently gripping my shoulder. Together, we left the now shattered gallery, the scene of the recent chaos.

As we moved away, my thoughts were consumed by the battle. The Rogue’s strength had been far greater than anything I had written in the novel. There was something fundamentally wrong here, a discrepancy that gnawed at me.

I couldn’t just put my finger on it, couldn’t quite figure out what had caused this drastic deviation from the story I knew.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Sovereign Legion Guild

Annabelle was engrossed in signing a stack of reports, the rhythmic scratch of her pen the only sound in her office, when a frantic voice shattered the quiet from the hallway outside.

"Vice president!" A guild member, his face pale and etched with urgency, burst through the doorway. "Miss Annabelle! A Rogue appeared out of nowhere in the National Weapons Gallery!"

Annabelle’s pen froze mid-stroke. "What?" she asked, her voice sharp with alarm.

"They need backup. We’ll be sending over—" The guild member stopped abruptly, his eyes darting back and forth between Annabelle and the phone pressed to his ear. He seemed to be listening intently to the person on the other end of the line.

"Mmm, okay then. Thank you for the report," he said finally, ending the call with a bewildered expression.

"What happened?" Annabelle asked, her voice laced with impatience. She massaged her temples, a familiar gesture of weariness, as she looked directly at the flustered guild member, waiting for an explanation.

"Umm... Report says that the Rogue has already been taken care of," the guild member stammered, still looking slightly dazed. "Three students belonging from the Glacial Sphere Academy happened to be at the gallery..."

"They’re the ones who defeated the Rogue then?" Annabelle mused, leaning back in her chair. "Hmmm... That’s great." Her interest was clearly piqued. Defeating a Rogue, especially one that targeted the National Weapons Gallery, was no small feat for students. She immediately saw potential recruitment opportunities.

"What are their names anyway?" she asked, already formulating a plan to track them down.

"Cypher Knoxx, Angela Forbes, and... Ugh!"

Before he could finish speaking the last name, a sudden and powerful gust of wind erupted within the office, swirling papers and documents into a chaotic vortex. The guild member instinctively covered his eyes, momentarily blinded by the force. When he finally opened them, the Vice-president’s chair was empty, and the office was a whirlwind of scattered reports and overturned inkwells.

"...Vice president?" he whispered to the empty room, utterly bewildered.