The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 365: Truth (4)

While Ravenna was locked in battle against Yeon, the rest of the battlefield had descended into complete chaos.

No… It was no longer a battle.

It was a massacre.

The forces of the Demon Empire were being systematically annihilated by the attacks of Goddess Hyades. Every swing of her divine power erased entire battalions from existence. Holy light rained from the heavens like divine judgment, reducing demons and cultists alike to ash.

And it wasn't just Hyades.

The combined forces of the Solaris House and the Republic Army were overwhelming the Demon Empire on every front.

Their generals were superior. Their soldiers fought with greater morale. Their coordination was flawless.

One after another, the Demon Nobles found themselves cornered, outmanoeuvred, and driven back.

Even the Chaos Dolls—the Demon Empire's secret weapon—were beginning to show signs of deterioration.

The situation had deteriorated beyond anyone's expectations.

Inside the command centre, reports flooded in without end.

"Sir! We've lost contact with the Fourth Army!"

"The eastern flank has collapsed!"

"The Demon Nobles aren't responding to communications!"

"Lord Kieran!"

"Lord Kieran!"

"Lord Kieran!"

Every few seconds brought another disaster. The officers desperately relayed information while trying to maintain order, but the situation was spiralling beyond control.

Kieran felt a pounding headache forming behind his eyes.

The map before him was painted red.

Every marker represented a defeat. Every report represented another piece of the Demon Empire crumbling. Finally… "

Enough!"

BOOM!

Kieran slammed his fist onto the command table. The entire room froze. Silence. Absolute silence.

The officers stared at him, eyes wide.

Fear gripped their hearts. For as long as they had known him, the Apostle of Domination had always been calm and collected.

No matter how disastrous the situation became, Kieran always appeared to have a solution. He was the mastermind behind countless schemes. The invisible hand guiding the Demon Cult from the shadows.

Yet for the first time in their lives... They saw genuine anger on his face.

"Everyone, leave."

Nobody moved. Kieran's gaze sharpened.

"Do not make me repeat myself."

The officers immediately lowered their heads.

"Y-Yes, Lord Kieran."

Within moments, the room was empty. The heavy doors closed. And for the first time since the battle began, Kieran was alone.

Silence filled the command centre.

The Apostle of Domination stared at the battlefield map. His fingers slowly clenched.

"We're losing everything..." His voice was barely above a whisper. "The Goddess..."

Hatred flashed across his face.

"That damned Goddess is ruining everything."

His carefully laid plans.

Years of preparation. Decades of manipulation. All of it was collapsing before his eyes.

The army was fractured. The Demon Nobles were scattered. The enemy's morale remained unbroken. Even worse, Hyades herself had become a variable no one could control.

And then there was the greatest concern of all.

Kieran's gaze shifted toward an empty space on the map.

A location marked for only one person.

The Prophet.

"My Lord..."

His voice softened.

The original plan had been simple. The Prophet would trap Amon within a dimensional prison, eliminate him, and return to personally oversee the conquest.

It should have been a decisive victory.

Yet the Prophet had not returned.

Not a single message. Not a single signal. Nothing.

Only silence.

That silence terrified Kieran more than any battlefield report.

There were only two possible explanations.

The first was that the Prophet remained locked in a life-or-death struggle against Amon. A possibility Kieran could still accept.

The second... His fingers tightened.

No… He refused to even entertain the thought.

Among all the Apostles, Kieran had served the Prophet the longest.

Long before the others had joined the Cult. Long before the Demon Empire existed. He had followed the Prophet's commands without question. Acted as his strategist. His administrator. His right hand.

If the Prophet was the mind of the Demon Cult, then Kieran was the arm that carried out his will.

And because of that loyalty... The possibility of the Prophet's defeat was something he could not bear to imagine.

"No."

Kieran shook his head.

"No, I can still salvage this."

His eyes swept across the battlefield map. Countless defeats. Countless setbacks. Yet one piece remained unplayed.

One final trump card.

Himself.

For countless years, Kieran had remained hidden behind the curtains. He was a planner. A manipulator. A kingmaker.

Never the king.

He preferred moving pieces across the board rather than becoming a piece himself.

But now the board was collapsing. And desperate times demanded desperate measures.

Slowly, Kieran rose from his chair. His shadow stretched across the room.

"I suppose..." A faint smile appeared on his face. "...I will have to do this myself."

The air around him began to distort. A pressure unlike anything before erupted from his body. The walls trembled. The command centre shook. Hidden seals throughout the fortress shattered one after another.

For centuries, Kieran had concealed his true strength.

Not even most Apostles knew the full extent of his power.

After all, the Apostle of Domination had never needed to fight.

Others fought for him. Others bled for him. Others died for him.

But now... For the first time in the long history of the Demon Cult, the Apostle of Domination stepped onto the battlefield.

And with him came the full might of the man who had spent centuries controlling the world from the shadows.

"If I can't have the world… Let the world burn."

❖❖❖

As the battlefield descended into chaos, Amon stood before the Goddess.

Hyades floated high above the heavens, bathed in divine light. Beneath her, Yue's Mysterious Grimoire continued to force open the Gates of Heaven. The cracks between the mortal and divine realms grew wider with every passing second.

The world was changing.

No, it was returning to what it should have been from the very beginning.

Like a dam that had finally burst, heaven and earth began to reconnect.

Mana and divinity merged as ancient laws, long forgotten, slowly resurfaced.

Across the world, countless miracles occurred. New life was born amidst the overflowing divine energy. Ancient bloodlines dormant for generations awakened once more.

Mountains shifted, oceans churned, and forests flourished under the touch of divinity.

The age of Hyades was over.

A new era was beginning.

And with it came a new Pantheon.

All throughout the world, experts felt the change. Saints who had been trapped at the peak of mortality for centuries suddenly saw a path forward.

The Sword Saint was one of them.

His eyes widened as enlightenment struck. The sword intent around him trembled as the mana in his body underwent a subtle transformation. For the first time, he could sense the road leading beyond the peak.

Towards godhood.

Nor was he the only one.

Within Eldorin, many of the younger generation felt their understanding deepen.

Venya's eyes glowed as new possibilities unfolded before her. Johann Amaris seemed to glimpse deeper truths hidden within the Arcane. Even Eris Umbrelune felt her understanding of death evolve as countless insights surfaced within her mind.

They were not becoming gods.

Not yet.

But foundations were being laid.

Seeds had been planted.

One day, they too would have the chance to ascend.

And Hyades watched it all happen before her eyes.

The Goddess's expression darkened. Everything she had spent years protecting was being torn apart. Everything she had sacrificed for was slipping beyond her control.

"Amon Solaris..."

Her voice echoed across the heavens.

"Yue Elune..."

The Divine Tree shook violently. Countless vines erupted from its branches, blotting out the sky. Each carried enough divine power to obliterate cities. Each was filled with killing intent.

"You have been a thorn in my side for far too long."

The vines descended.

Yue instinctively stepped forward. However, before she could act, a hand stopped her.

Amon.

Yue looked towards him, and Amon simply shook his head.

Then, he took a deep breath.

It was time.

There was no longer any reason to hide his strength. No need to save a trump card for later. No need to hold anything back. This battle would decide everything.

So Amon chose to take the final step… he would ascend.

WHOOSH!

A pillar of black-and-white light erupted into the heavens.

The entire battlefield froze.

Solar mana surged. Lunar mana followed. The two forces that should never coexist began to merge as

Amon activated the Eclipse Arts.

Light and darkness intertwined.

Sun and moon became one.

The radiance engulfed the battlefield, forcing countless people to shield their eyes. At that moment, every insight Amon had accumulated throughout his life came together.

His first life as Number 23.

His second life as Amon Solaris.

His regret for failing to save Nixon, his only friend.

His dream of becoming a hero.

The love of his life.

The hero he admired.

Everything flashed in his mind… and converged into a single point.

Something snapped. Like glass shattering, Amon felt the last bit of his mortal shell break.

Or perhaps something was finally completed.

Divine light wrapped around Amon's body.

The sun appeared behind him.

The moon appeared before him.

One represented power.

The other represented serenity.

One burned.

The other illuminated.

Yet neither sought to overwhelm the other. Instead, they revolved together in perfect balance.

Perfect harmony.

Slowly, a new divine authority began to form.

Amon opened his eyes. The heavens trembled. The world trembled. Even Hyades felt her heart sink. Because she knew what was happening.

A new god was being born.

Not a demigod.

Not a saint.

A true god.

And not just any god.

A throne materialised in the heavens.

The first throne.

The highest throne.

The seat that stood above all others.

Upon it sat a single concept.

Harmony.

The balance between all things.

The union of opposites.

The bridge between heaven and earth.

The path connecting mortals and gods.

Amon stepped forward.

Divinity flowed through every fibre of his being.

The Eclipse Arts had reached completion.

His path had reached its destination.

At long last, Amon Solaris ascended.

The God of Harmony had been born.