Path of the Extra

Chapter 362: A God’s Wish

The one they called the devil walked through a vast desert that stretched endlessly into the horizon. The sun would have burned an ordinary human alive—without protection, their skin might blister, burn, even melt. Yet Lucifer had no qualms with the heat.

He had no complaints about the deep, warm orange sand or the gentle dunes scattered with small, dark patches of stone. He simply walked across them all with a calm face.

Several rocky hills and small mountains rose from the desert floor, their dark, jagged surfaces contrasting sharply with the smooth dunes around them. The sky above was partly cloudy, soft white streaks drifting across a pale blue backdrop, the sun fully visible whenever Lucifer cared to look up.

It was a beautiful day, in its own way.

As the devil walked through the desert and its scorching heat, hours and hours passed. The clouds thickened and slid across the sun. The sun sank, lower and lower, until it was gone and replaced by the moon and the stars.

Night fell, and the color of the sand turned pale—almost white.

Finally, Lucifer stopped.

Standing still in the middle of the endless desert, he simply looked down. Then he gently tapped the ground with his right foot.

A second passed.

Then another.

On the third, the ground began to tremble. Sand corals loosened and slid, rolling off the mountains and dunes.

Before long, the spot where Lucifer had tapped started to crack. Then it tore open. Heaps and heaps of sand poured into the fissure like a waterfall of white grains spilling into a bottomless dark.

A moment later, without hesitation, Lucifer stepped forward and dropped into that pitch black.

It didn’t take long before he landed with a thunderous impact that sent waves of sand exploding outward. It was utterly dark now, and the sand still falling from above was already thinning; every grain that tried to land on him was incinerated to nothing.

With a small motion of his hand, a minuscule mote of white light appeared. It floated from his open palm into the air.

The orb was small... yet its glow illuminated everything around him.

Lucifer saw a stone-carved tunnel stretching endlessly into the distance, splitting and connecting with other tunnels. Then he narrowed his eyes and turned around.

A dead end was waiting there—a massive, colossal, ancient wooden door, covered in strange runes.

The runes were enigmatic, twisting and layered, the kind of markings that could easily give anyone the creeps.

If Azriel had been here and seen them, he would have categorized those runes as...

Both God Runes and Void Runes.

Yes. Two kinds.

Because when Lucifer focused on certain symbols, a brutal, splitting headache tore through his skull and forced him to look away, his expression tightening in discomfort.

So instead of looking at the God Runes, Lucifer focused on the Void Runes—or, as others aside from Azriel called them, the void language.

His eyes narrowed further as he read.

”The oceans will be our blood. The mountains will be our bones. But you won’t win. You won’t go forward. So fight. Fight. Fight until the end. Fight until our hero falls beside us, and joins the ones we lost. Fight until his last drop of red seeps into the cracks of earth. We lie beneath him. Buried under bone, buried under blood, buried under curse. We guard the seal because we must. We remain here because we can’t leave. Warden. Prisoner. Both. Forever. Neither victor nor loser.”

Lucifer’s face did not change.

”Fourth Authority.”

He called out in a heavy, authoritative voice.

There was no trace of the demeanor he had shown after meeting Azriel. It was as if that episode had never happened. Once more, he looked at everything with the same cold neutrality, his gaze as prideful as ever.

”Fourth Authority.”

He called again.

But nothing came. No panel appeared. There was no reply from the host of this copied world.

When he looked up, there was only darkness. That was how deep inside the planet he was.

He looked back at the runes.

He took a step toward the door. His right hand reached out, fingers nearing the ancient wood.

Just before his fingertips could touch it—

That very hand exploded like a black firework, a burst of pure obsidian blood.

Lucifer still didn’t react. Before more of the black blood could spill, his right hand regenerated in an instant.

He sighed solemnly.

All of it...

Everything...

Was slowly beginning to make sense now.

The conditions of his soul vow.

The Second Authority.

The Great Divine Star Spirit Emperor.

The Goddess of Death.

...And that being who had placed the soul vow—this curse—on him.

He was finally piecing it together.

Lucifer’s black wings unfurled from his back. He lifted his gaze toward the unseen stars above, narrowed his eyes—

Then flapped his wings once...

And flew upward.

*****

There was a massive, ancient ruin carved directly into the side of a colossal cliff, as if an entire forgotten city had once sat there before sliding into the abyss. Temples—arched windows, crumbling columns, and terraces swallowed by moss and time—clung to the stone like ghosts.

Most of the structure was half-buried under layers of earth and grass, as if the world itself had tried to reclaim it. White flowers and patches of greenery covered the upper levels, while the lower parts vanished into a deep, dark chasm. The drop was sheer and endless, filled with swirling mist that hid whatever lay far below.

The sky above was pale and hazy, soft golden light filtering through a veil of clouds. On the stone path before the ruin sat a lone figure. He looked small, almost insignificant compared to the scale of the cliff and the hollowed city. He stared at the vast, carved-out face of the rock in silence.

The man wore white robes and a white wolf mask, with horns like antlers jutting from his head.

Then a shadow fell over him. A soft yet powerful voice reached his ears as the wind howled, making his silver hair and robes flutter.

”It is as you predicted, Emperor Pollux. Lord Lucifer is on his way.”

The voice belonged to a man. Footsteps sounded on the mossy path before the owner of that voice came to stand beside Pollux.

Pollux turned his head and looked at him.

The man was ancient and eerie-looking, with an unsettling, almost undead aura. His long, wild white hair was tied loosely at the top, falling in tangled strands around his face and shoulders. A long, snow-white beard reached his chest, giving him the appearance of an aged sage.

His skin was pale and corpse-like. His face was gaunt, with deep lines and dark shadows beneath his eyes. There were markings on his forehead, arranged almost like ritual tattoos, adding to his occult presence. He wore tattered, ceremonial robes—a dark, worn garment that looked older than most nations. The fabric was frayed at the ends, hanging in shredded strips. Intricate, possibly mystical patterns were etched across the chest and skirt of the robe. Around his torso, multiple cords and ornamental ropes were wrapped and layered like sacred restraints.

His posture was slightly hunched, but there was a predatory alertness in the way he stood.

”Second Authority...”

Pollux muttered.

The Second Authority grinned, cheeky and sharp, while stroking his beard.

”I had quite the long conversation with the Fourth Authority,” he said. ”But all seems well. He has finally fallen to my persuasion and is on board with the plan—and with us.”

Turning his face away and looking back down the cliffside, Pollux sighed behind the mask.

”There is no ’us.’ The only reason I would ever work together with someone of your despicable race is because some of our goals happen to align.”

”Ho ho. Your hatred for me... Is it simply because of race discrimination, or... what happened to this very world we stand on?”

Pollux turned his face back toward the Second Authority.

”Make no mistake, Second Authority. Once we have achieved our goals, this temporary alliance of ours will end... as will your life. An unloyal traitor to his own won’t live long.”

The Second Authority chuckled.

”And yet here we both are. Still alive.”

Pollux snorted and looked away. The Second Authority narrowed his eyes.

”Still... that he actually called for Lord Lucifer...” he murmured. ”It means Mother was telling the truth. And she might be right about many of the other things she said. Until now, I wasn’t convinced. I thought he was just an oblivious boy—his acting was simply that astounding. But... will it truly be all right like this?”

”I don’t know,” Pollux replied.

The Second Authority smiled faintly.

”The great Emperor Pollux not knowing?”

”The stars do not dare speak of him,” Pollux said in a low voice.

The Second Authority’s face hardened as well.

”Mother says he is from before our time, and there are barely any mentions of him. If anyone were to research him, they would find nothing. His name, his face, his race... nothing is known. It would be like searching for something that does not exist. And yet he does.”

”Don’t forget: for whatever reason, he’s weak right now. Otherwise, he would’ve killed me the moment I made him suffer.”

”What if that, too, is an act?”

”Stop your unease, Second Authority. It leaves a bitter taste.”

The Second Authority scowled and looked down at him.

”You should be as uneasy as I am. You’re only operating on the basis of what you believe and hope to be true, but you should question things more... Why is he a weak human? Why are he and Mother so connected? Why... why did Mother—why did the Ten Ancients—keep such an existence hidden from everyone? If he really is weak... why hasn’t he told Lord Lucifer to unseal his true strength already? We should not rush into this with such haste.”

”Haste?”

Pollux scoffed and looked up at the Second Authority with narrowed eyes.

”What haste? I have been waiting for centuries for this moment. I allowed Myself to be this copy, while I sit on my own world that has fallen to your deceptive race—only to now work with one of that race, just so I can finally get my wish. Do not tell me to be more patient, Second Authority.”

The Second Authority sighed.

”It is as you said... We both have our goals here. We both have a wish we want to fulfill. It is because of that that we—”

”—created a copy of a ’Forbidden World,’ breaking countless rules, betraying the Divine Court, betraying your races... because that Forbidden World holds a fragment of the Divine Seal before it was swallowed by the void. And you lot are after the copied version of it. Trying to unseal the copied fragment. Well, I do commend the two of you. At the very least, you aren’t foolish enough to risk whatever lies inside the real fragment and dare to fight the true thing... Still, even if the Second Authority and the Fourth Authority worked together to create this Forbidden World, it doesn’t make sense—since the great Divine Star Spirit Emperor was also copied, and the fragment of the Divine Seal. The two of you combined still don’t have enough power.”

A cold, heavy, unsettling voice drifted across the stone as both of them immediately turned and tensed.

The Second Authority then grinned.

”So you have come, Lord Lucifer.”

Lucifer hung in the air, black wings unfurled, looking down at them with open hostility.

”It seems you’re starting to catch up on your own. As expected of you,” Pollux said.

”Well, Mother did say, didn’t she... Lord Lucifer would stand in our way, and would use his power to help a being that would never allow us to have the fragment.”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

”Yet I still do not grasp the meaning behind your actions, Emperor Pollux. Or yours, Second Authority.”

Slowly, he descended until his feet touched the ground. He stood facing the two of them with a calm, almost relaxed posture, hands folded behind his back.

”What can the two of you gain from unsealing a mere fragment of the Divine Seal? Revenge? Power? Neither can be brought forth by unsealing it. All you would be doing is—”

”Bringing forth a single being of the Divine Race,” Pollux said.

”A side effect of unsealing a fragment of the Seal,” the Second Authority added with a kind, grandfatherly smile.

”Did you really think that, from all the fragments swallowed by the void and scattered across the realms, I went through all this trouble for nothing?”

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed even further at Pollux’s words.

”You mean to say... you know who will be unsealed if you break that fragment?” he asked quietly.

”Indeed I do,” Pollux replied.

”...Mother... Mother of Death... she told you, didn’t she?”

Pollux was silent.

”But then she already knows who lies inside that fragment.” Lucifer’s voice grew tighter.

”Whoever is inside has some power you need. And... why would she help you? Just what is it you’re after?”

”A simple wish of mine,” Pollux said, solemnly.

”That is all I want. Even if I must take the hand of the race that destroyed my own... it is a wish I must fulfill at any cost.”

The wind howled around them again.

”But we apparently need a special key. And the only one who holds that key is a human called Azriel Crimson. Yet we cannot simply rip the key from him in his current pathetic state. There must be a condition that needs to be met, Mother said. The only way for that fragment to be unsealed... is when that human is unsealed. And you are the one who holds that power, Lord Lucifer.”

Slowly, Lucifer’s eyes widened. His face paled as the Second Authority continued.

”But then the question becomes: how do we force him to take us seriously? How do we make sure he calls for you?” The old man’s smile twisted.

”In the end, it was simple. Because he is so weak, it’s easy for Emperor Pollux to drive him into a truly hopeless situation—one where he has no choice but to acknowledge us, drop his act of ignorance, and properly face us by having you unseal him.”

”You want me to unseal him...” Lucifer muttered.

”Mother... told you both everything... but how does she know...? She shouldn’t...”

”Hoho. That is correct, Lord Lucifer,” the Second Authority said.

”...You... you fools,” Lucifer whispered.

”To let your greed consume you this much... You do not understand what you’re doing.”

He took a step back, making the Second Authority tilt his head.

”It seems the Fourth Authority was telling the truth, hm? Your unending pride and ego... they’re nowhere to be seen since you met that brat. How is it that you are so meek because of a mere human?” the old man taunted.

He began walking toward Lucifer, his smile growing more wicked, more twisted.

”Tell me, Lord Lucifer... of the three of us, you’re the oldest, aren’t you? It got me thinking... just how old are you, exactly? Are you perhaps... someone who was alive even during the legendary Ancient Holy War?”

”...!”

Lucifer’s eyes froze. He stood utterly still for a heartbeat, then narrowed them again at the Second Authority.

”Why are you helping him, Second Authority?” Lucifer asked. ”What is your wish, that you’d side with another, betray the Divine Court, betray your own race?”

The old man’s smile softened.

”My wish... has nothing to do with the fragment, Lord Lucifer. It has everything to do with that boy. You see... she told me something. Something very interesting. That boy... can grant us of the God Race something I can no longer receive.”

His fingers tightened.

”A name.”

Lucifer’s eyes started trembling.

The Second Authority suddenly looked less like an eerie monster and more like a frail, desperate old man as he stepped forward and grabbed both of Lucifer’s arms.

”You know this yourself, Lord Lucifer... The Divine Court is neutral. We do not like to blindly believe and follow our parents, and they were generous enough to let us be free of that—to let us find our own paths. But in compensation for that freedom, we must still take responsibility for the ’scenarios.’ And the only ones who can grant us of the God Race names... are our parents. The Ten Ancients. But that is not something I can ask for. I gave up that right. Any god who joins the Divine Court under us Twelve Tyrants must give up the right to ever be named. At most, we can receive a title. Yet... Mother... Mother of Death was even more generous than the others! She knew how I was struggling! She knew I was walking toward a dark path! And she came with another solution! She told me of that boy! That he could do what our parents could! That he could bestow me a name..!”

”Second Authority...” Lucifer whispered.

”But I feel uneasy,” the old man admitted, his voice shaking.

”That boy... what is so special about him? To grant us, gods, a name? A mere human? Why is his power sealed? How is he connected to Mother and the others? You know, don’t you? Mother... Mother of Death... she has been missing for quite some time now. It makes me uneasy. Really, deeply uneasy.”

Lucifer swallowed hard.

”Second Authority. Emperor Pollux,” he said softly, looking between the two of them.

”Do not proceed with this. It is not the fragment that concerns me most, but... that thing. That being. It is not even human. I do not believe it is. I do not believe his strength is truly sealed. He is not someone who will grant you a name out of kindness. He will... he will be the end of us all. There is still time to reverse this. The conditions... yes, as long as the two of you back off from this plan, everything can still be corrected.”

But his attempt at warning them was met only with Pollux’s cold stare, and the dark, shuttered expression of the Second Authority.

”Not grant a name out of kindness?” the old man echoed. ”Mother told me everything, remember? She told me that he... granted you a name.”

”...!!”

At that dead, flat gaze, Lucifer leaped back, teeth gritted.

”I will not allow this to happen.”

Pollux walked to the Second Authority’s side and hummed softly.

”I admit, you are a fearsome opponent,” he said.

”But you stand no chance this time. It has to be you who unseals the human, and it will be you.”

Lucifer’s face hardened, his expression darkening.

”Even if the two of you face me together, this will only end in your deaths,” he said coldly. ”You—a mere copy. And you—a betrayer of gods. You will not be victorious. You will meet the end of your path right here.”

”Then what if the real one joined in?”

Another voice cut through the air.

Lucifer’s face drained of color as he turned.

There...

There stood Pollux.

Another Pollux.

A much stronger Pollux.

This one wore no mask, revealing a beautiful, divine face. Unlike the copy, whose skin was as pale and smooth as a mannequin’s, this one looked like a being of real flesh and blood.

”You were questioning how the two of them had enough power to create a copy of a ’Forbidden World,’ weren’t you, Lord Lucifer?” the true Pollux said quietly.

”Well... it was because I lent them mine.”