The Extra Who Inherited Ragnarok

The entire Central Ruins had fallen silent.

No cheering.

No shouting.

Even the spectators in the distant arena had stopped speaking.

Above Hildgard, the three moons burned brighter than they had ever appeared before.

Crimson.

Blue.

Scarlet-violet.

And between them floated a fourth symbol.

A burning eye.

Noah stood beneath it.

His body trembled.

Flames wrapped around his arms and shoulders.

Orange.

Maroon.

Pink.

They twisted together like three different fires fighting for control.

Laura held his arm.

"Noah!"

He didn’t answer.

His eyes had changed.

The pupils were still his.

But around them was a faint maroon glow.

Laura’s heart tightened.

"Stay with me."

Noah’s lips moved.

"I..."

His voice sounded distant.

"...I’m here."

The system appeared.

[CRITICAL WARNING.]

[Ragnarok resonance continuing to increase.]

[Dead Zone resonance approaching activation threshold.]

Noah clenched his teeth.

"No."

Another message appeared.

[Emergency suppression available.]

[Activate suppression?]

Two options appeared.

ACCEPT

DECLINE

Noah stared at them.

He remembered the voice.

Let me out.

He remembered the reflection.

Maroon eyes.

That smile.

He selected DECLINE.

The notification vanished.

Laura stared at him.

"What did you do?"

Noah breathed heavily.

"I stopped it."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

At least he was honest.

Daniela watched from several meters away.

Her perception was active.

She could see the energy flowing through Noah.

But now...

There was something else.

A second flow.

No.

A second presence.

It wasn’t simply power.

It had a pattern.

A pulse.

A will.

Daniela’s eyes widened.

"There’s something inside him."

Flora looked at her.

"What?"

Daniela didn’t answer.

She had never seen anything like it.

Then her eyes moved toward Alcris.

He was standing among the Volstra contestants.

He was staring directly at Noah.

And he was smiling.

Daniela’s expression hardened.

"Alcris..."

Jordan stepped forward.

Lightning surrounded his body.

"Everyone back."

Reinham looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because whatever is happening to Blackwood..."

Jordan’s eyes narrowed.

"...isn’t normal."

Reinham clenched his fist.

"Then we’ll stop it."

Jordan glanced at him.

"You think you can?"

Reinham smiled.

"I know I can try."

For once, Jordan didn’t argue.

A deep crack appeared beneath Noah.

CRACK.

Then another.

CRACK.

A black-orange light emerged from below.

Joseph suddenly staggered.

His hand went to his chest.

The same energy surrounded him.

His eyes widened.

"What..."

A voice whispered inside his head.

"The bearer has awakened."

Joseph clenched his teeth.

"Stop."

"You were chosen to eliminate him."

"I said stop!"

The black-orange energy erupted.

Joseph dropped to one knee.

Laura looked toward him.

"Joseph!"

He looked up.

For a moment, his eyes were filled with confusion.

Then fear.

"Get Noah out of here."

Noah looked at him.

"Why?"

Joseph’s breathing became ragged.

"Because I can’t control what happens next."

Jordan stared.

"You were ordered to kill him?"

Joseph looked at Jordan.

"...Yes."

Everyone went silent.

Laura immediately moved closer to Noah.

"By who?"

Joseph didn’t answer.

His eyes shifted toward the ground.

"Someone I trusted."

A strange smile appeared on his face.

"But I don’t think it was really them."

Noah frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Joseph looked toward him.

"I don’t know."

Then his black-orange aura exploded.

BOOOOM!

Joseph vanished.

He reappeared directly in front of Noah.

Laura raised her weapon.

But Joseph didn’t attack.

His fist stopped inches from Noah’s face.

He was trembling.

"Run."

Noah stared at him.

"Joseph..."

"RUN!"

The black-orange energy suddenly surged.

Joseph’s eyes turned dark.

Something had taken control.

His fist moved.

Laura blocked.

CLANG!

The impact sent her sliding backward.

Noah’s flames erupted.

"Laura!"

"I’m fine!"

Joseph attacked again.

Noah blocked.

BOOM!

The force pushed both of them apart.

Joseph stared at Noah.

His expression was no longer confused.

It was empty.

A voice came from his mouth.

But it wasn’t quite his.

"Ragnarok."

Noah froze.

The entity inside him responded.

His flames suddenly turned maroon.

Joseph smiled.

"There you are."

Laura’s eyes widened.

"Noah!"

Noah’s vision blurred.

The world around him became darker.

His heartbeat slowed.

One beat.

Then another.

The voice inside him became clearer.

"Let me handle this."

Noah’s fingers twitched.

He could feel his consciousness slipping.

He fought back.

"No."

"You cannot defeat him."

"I don’t care."

"You will die."

"Then I’ll fight anyway."

For the first time...

The voice went silent.

Noah’s eyes returned to normal.

His flames settled.

Joseph stared at him.

Then something unexpected happened.

Joseph smiled.

Not because he had won.

Because he had finally seen what he wanted.

"You resisted."

Noah looked at him.

"What?"

Joseph stepped backward.

"That’s what they wanted to know."

Noah’s expression hardened.

"Who?"

Joseph didn’t answer.

He turned toward the ruined tower.

But before he could leave...

A voice echoed across the Central Ruins.

Not from Joseph.

Not from Noah.

From beneath them.

"THE FLAME HAS CHOSEN."

The three moons flashed simultaneously.

And every relic buried beneath Hildgard began to awaken.

The words echoed through the Central Ruins.

"THE FLAME HAS CHOSEN."

Then silence.

Noah stood motionless.

The maroon flames around his body slowly faded until only a faint orange glow remained.

Laura kept her weapon raised.

Daniela stared at Noah.

Reinham clenched his fists.

Jordan’s lightning crackled across his arms.

Even the headmasters watching from the observation platforms had stopped speaking.

Nobody understood what had just happened.

Except perhaps one person.

Alcris.

He stood among the Volstra contestants, staring at Noah with an expression that was almost impossible to read.

His perception activated.

For an instant, Noah’s body became transparent to him.

The flow of power.

The fire.

The abnormal second rhythm.

And something deeper.

Alcris’s smile disappeared.

It’s real.

He had suspected it.

Now he knew.

There was something inside Noah that wasn’t simply an ability.

Something with its own will.

"Noah."

Laura stepped closer.

He looked at her.

"I’m alright."

"You nearly lost consciousness."

"I’m still standing."

"That isn’t what I asked."

Noah sighed.

"I’m fine."

Laura stared at him.

Then lowered her weapon.

"For now."

Luna approached quietly.

"Something is coming."

Everyone turned.

The ruined ground began glowing.

The three medallions floated from the rubble.

Balgard.

Sylthin.

Flaros.

They rose into the air.

The dragon medallion released crimson light.

The serpent released blue.

The bear released violet.

The three lights crossed above the ruins.

Then...

They disappeared.

The medallions dropped back into the stone.

Noah stared.

"That’s it?"

Damien looked around.

"Apparently."

Jordan frowned.

"After all that?"

Reinham looked irritated.

"I was expecting something bigger."

John laughed nervously.

"Give it time."

A Hildgard official suddenly appeared through the ruined entrance.

"Everyone!"

His voice echoed.

"The relic event is officially terminated!"

The contestants began murmuring.

"What?"

"Terminated?"

"Why?"

The official raised his hand.

"No relics are to be removed from this structure."

He looked toward the medallions.

"Whatever happened here was not part of the tournament."

That caused even more confusion.

A contestant from Niflheim shouted:

"Then why were we sent inside?!"

The official had no answer.

The headmasters began ordering their students toward the exits.

The tournament had gone too far.

Noah looked at Joseph.

The Asgard contestant was standing alone near the broken tower.

"Joseph."

Joseph turned.

Noah approached.

"You said someone ordered you to kill me."

Joseph’s expression hardened.

"Yes."

"Who?"

Joseph looked away.

"I don’t know anymore."

Noah frowned.

"You don’t know?"

"I thought I did."

He paused.

"Someone I trusted gave me the order."

Laura stepped closer.

"Who?"

Joseph remained silent.

Then he shook his head.

"I need to leave."

He turned.

Noah grabbed his shoulder.

Joseph immediately reacted.

Black-orange energy flashed.

Noah released him.

Joseph stared at his own hand.

The glow disappeared.

"I’m sorry."

Noah frowned.

"For what?"

Joseph didn’t answer.

He simply walked away.

Laura watched him.

"He’s hiding something."

Noah nodded.

"Yeah."

Daniela had remained silent.

She watched Joseph leave.

Then her attention shifted toward Alcris.

He was still standing near the Volstra group.

Their eyes met.

Daniela walked toward him.

"You knew something would happen."

Alcris smiled.

"Did I?"

"You weren’t surprised."

"Neither were you."

Daniela stopped.

"That’s different."

"How?"

"I was observing Noah."

Alcris’s smile widened.

"So was I."

Daniela’s expression hardened.

"Why?"

Alcris looked toward Noah.

"Curiosity."

"You’ve been watching him since the beginning."

"He’s interesting."

"That’s not an answer."

Alcris looked back at her.

"It’s the only one I have."

Daniela stared at him.

She couldn’t read him.

That bothered her.

Her perception worked differently from his.

She could measure strength.

She could sense changes.

But Alcris had always been difficult to read.

He was her brother.

Yet sometimes...

He felt like a stranger.

That evening, the contestants returned to Hildgard.

The tournament arena remained open, but the mood had changed.

The organizers announced that the next event would be delayed by one day.

The contestants needed time to recover.

Noah stood outside the Valhalla residence.

Laura joined him.

"You should rest."

"I will."

She looked at the sky.

The three moons had returned to their normal appearance.

No strange glow.

No impossible symbols.

Just the quiet night.

Laura spoke softly.

"Do you remember what you saw?"

Noah looked at her.

"During the vision?"

She nodded.

"The thing that looked like you."

Noah’s expression darkened.

"Yeah."

"What did it say?"

He hesitated.

Then answered.

"It called itself Dead Zone."

Laura’s eyes narrowed.

"So it finally gave itself a name."

Noah nodded.

"But I still don’t understand what it is."

Laura looked at him.

"You will."

Noah smiled faintly.

"How do you know?"

She looked away.

"Because you’re stubborn."

He laughed.

"That’s not very reassuring."

"It’s not supposed to be."

For a moment, they stood beneath the three moons.

Neither spoke.

Then Laura quietly said:

"When you’re ready..."

Noah looked at her.

"...you can tell me."

He understood what she meant.

Ragnarok.

Dead Zone.

Everything.

But not yet.

Noah nodded.

"Yeah."

Laura smiled.

"Good."

Far across Hildgard, Alcris stood alone on a rooftop.

A notebook rested in his hand.

He opened to the page marked:

NOAH BLACKWOOD

Below it, he wrote one new sentence.

Dead Zone possesses independent consciousness.

He paused.

Then added:

Find a method to extract Ragnarok.

Alcris closed the notebook.

His eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight.

"Now..."

He smiled.

"...this is getting interesting."

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