Path of the Extra

In this world, only three humans were known to possess the light affinity. One was Celestina, princess of the Frost Clan. The other two belonged to the Ten Heavenly Churches.

One of them was the Pope—secretly one of the sovereigns of the world.

The other… was the Saintess. Liliane.

She was also the final member of Lumine’s harem—at least, up to the point where Azriel had read the book.

The story between the two female light users had always intrigued Azriel.

Silver hair was believed, by the Ten Heavenly Churches, to be a symbol of purity. Those born with it were thought to be chosen—closer to the ten gods, and to mana itself.

The Ten Heavenly Churches were a single unified religion, honoring ten divine gods. Each “church” was a branch devoted to one deity, but all were bound together under one sacred body.

So, when news spread that Celestina Frost had been born with silver hair, the Ten Heavenly Churches insisted on taking her in—claiming they would raise her to become the next Saintess. Naturally, the Frost Clan refused. They neither approved nor tolerated such interference. But the Ten Heavenly Churches were relentless… and stubborn.

Even so, the Pope did not get involved. He couldn’t afford to.

If he did, he would have had to endure the wrath of Catherina Frost—the sovereign of the Frost Clan. And not just hers.

If the Pope even set foot in Asia, Elizabeth Crimson, Solarin Nebula, and Valerion Dusk would have joined forces to strike him down.

Not to mention the Four Great Kings. Though they were perhaps weaker than the sovereigns, they were never to be underestimated.

Especially the Crimson King… and the Dusk King.

Those two were simply insane. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

Yet, strangely, the threat of the Four Great Kings didn’t seem to faze the Ten Heavenly Churches.

At just five years old, Celestina Frost underwent her first talent assessment with the Mana Orb—a mana artifact used to measure how much mana one could absorb from the air, and how far their core might grow.

The brighter the orb glowed, the higher the potential rank of the mana core.

When Celestina placed her hand on the orb…

The glow was blinding.

Identical to Jasmine Crimson’s assessment, the orb shone so brightly it was said to surpass even the Saint Rank.

That was the final straw.

The Ten Heavenly Churches tried to kidnap Celestina Frost.

They failed.

Caught by none other than the former Frost King and Queen.

And it was that day… that the world witnessed a truth, the Frost Clan—the supposedly calm, noble, and dignified family of the Four Great Clans—was anything but tame.

When Ragnar Frost, the current frost king, heard of the kidnapping attempt…

He lost all reason.

He marched on the Ten Heavenly Churches alone.

And what followed was a bloodbath.

A disaster so horrific that it still haunts the dreams of those Americans who had been unlucky enough to witness it.

To this day, many remember the massacre he left in his wake.

A storm of destruction.

A tide of blood.

Having no other choice, the Ten Heavenly Churches were forced to bow their heads, even if it meant dragging their reputation through the dirt in front of the Sacred Capitals and beyond—across all of Asia.

Yet, what stung even more—what truly felt like a slap across their faces—was the revelation that Celestina Frost possessed the Light Affinity.

Just when it seemed they were going to drown, when all hope was lost, it was believed to be the mercy of the Ten Gods that brought Liliane into their lives—a girl born with the same affinity.

They took her in. Raised her. Molded her into the next Saintess.

Liliane fulfilled her role with discipline and grace, eventually earning the acknowledgment of the masses. She became their Saintess, in name and in virtue.

But even then… it wasn’t enough.

The believers murmured. They whispered behind closed doors and in sacred halls alike:

“If only we had Celestina Frost as the next Saintess.”

“She had silver hair—she would’ve naturally been the better choice.”

“The Frost Clan doesn’t even understand the Light Affinity properly!”

Celestina this, Celestina that.

Even Liliane, who knew about the Sovereigns, found herself shadowed. Celestina had no such awareness. She hadn’t sat at the same table as the Pope. She hadn’t dined with him as Liliane had. And yet, it was Liliane who was always compared to her—some distant princess from another continent.

So, naturally… she began comparing herself too.

When the opportunity to visit the CASC—presented itself, Liliane didn’t hesitate.

The Ten Heavenly Churches wanted to seize whatever the Four Great Kings were after. That was the mission she had been entrusted with.

But for Liliane, it wasn’t just about obtaining a treasure.

She wanted to see her with her own eyes. The girl who had cast such a long, cold shadow over her life. Celestina Frost.

There were stories, both glowing and damning, about the Frost Princess. But rumors were just rumors. Liliane needed to confirm them herself.

Yet, fate had other plans.

When the Divine Wings were unveiled, she received a call—from the Pope himself.

He gave her a direct order: Obtain the wings. At any cost.

She failed.

How the hell did they expect her to win a bidding war against the Four Great Clans? Their wealth was obscene. And even she had underestimated how deep their pockets ran.

The winning bid was 545 billion Velts. A number so ridiculous, she almost laughed.

She reported her failure honestly. Yet somehow, through the vast network of the Ten Heavenly Churches, the Pope learned the truth: the story of the wings was a fabrication.

The real enigma was the person who had donated them.

Guest 001.

A man who bid on his own wings.

Liliane had found it strange too. Now, she was ordered to investigate him. Recruit him if possible. If he knew anything about the Ten Gods, he had to be brought to their side.

She didn’t want to. Of course she didn’t.

But the Pope was the Pope. Above him stood only the Ten Gods themselves. And even Liliane, for all her reverence and status, was still beneath him—and beneath the Ten Archcardinals.

Her rank sat just above the Grand Inquisitor, the Seraphic Chancellor, the High Scribe, and the High Marshal of the Faith.

But she held no real power. She knew that all too well.

So, with reluctance weighing down her steps, and her mood already soured beyond repair, Liliane found herself standing in front of Room 001.

The afterparty had already begun.

But the man inside hadn’t left.

She knocked.

No response.

So she opened the door.

What she met…

Was unlike anything she could’ve ever prepared for.

For just a heartbeat, a wave of goosebumps rippled across her skin.

The blood in her veins turned cold—colder than a still lake beneath winter’s moonlight.

Then—

Darkness.

Everything went black.

And in that void, two colossal pairs of eyes emerged.

“…!”

One pair as deep and dark as polished onyx—like the abyss itself had taken form and was staring straight through her.

The other, a haunting crimson—fragile, like rubies on the verge of shattering, yet burning with an intensity that threatened to consume her whole.

“Ah…”

Her throat tightened.

Her voice died before it could fully escape her lips.

The world tilted.

Her balance faltered.

Then—

Warmth.

A firm, steady arm caught her before she could fall, wrapping around her waist with careful precision.

“Easy there,” a soft voice whispered into her ear.

Soft.

Gentle.

Close enough to send a ticklish shiver crawling down her spine.

Her ears turned red instantly.

Flustered, Liliane straightened herself with his help, quickly pulling away the moment she was steady again. Her hands smoothed her dress, eyes flickering upward—

And what she saw stole her breath away.

‘Beautiful.’

That was the only word that came to mind.

He was young—perhaps her age, maybe slightly older. But the features he carried felt unreal. Delicate, refined…

A face carved not by time, but by something almost divine.

She blinked again, as if trying to convince herself he was real.

And then, abruptly, she bowed.

“T-Thank you,” she stammered, her voice rushing out in a single breath.

“And I apologize. I… I don’t know what came over me just now.”

A low chuckle came from somewhere behind her.

“Her battle sense is sharp.”

Liliane turned, startled.

Another man sat at the counter, relaxed as he took a sip of his drink. His eyes—cool, unreadable—watched her with open amusement.

‘Battle sense?’

Her brow furrowed. It took a few moments, a few racing thoughts, before her mind caught up with her body—and then her eyes snapped between the two of them.

And again—

That feeling.

Goosebumps.

The blood in her veins turned cold.

Her instincts screamed at her.

A single breath escaped her lips.

“Ah…”

Liliane didn’t know who they were.

But everything inside her was sounding the alarm.

From them.