The Extra Can't be A Hero-Chapter 318: The Circle Of Life (1)

Yue stopped a short distance away, her gaze fixed on the Herald. She studied the woman carefully, taking in every detail.

Without her divinity, Agnosia looked nothing like the Titan she once was. The former Titan of Life appeared worn down by time itself. Her frame was slender, almost frail. Years of erosion had stripped away the overwhelming presence she once carried, leaving behind a woman who looked more like a wandering ascetic than a primordial calamity. A hollow shell of what she used to be.

By all appearances, she had no power left to resist Yue.

Yet… Yue did not relax.

Not even for a moment.

Because the three people lying behind Agnosia were still within her reach. Their lives hung on the Herald's slightest whim, balanced on a blade's edge. If Yue attacked recklessly, if she made even the smallest miscalculation… There was no telling what Agnosia might do.

So despite holding every visible advantage, Yue remained still.

"Yue Elune, there's no need to be so guarded. The fact that you reached this place means you've already won."

The Herald, on the other hand, didn't feel the same way. Appearing relaxed, she raised both her arms out and sighed: "I don't have the strength to fight you. Agos is fighting your husband, the other Titans are locked in combat with your companions… It's checkmate for me, isn't it?"

Despite her desperate situation, the Herald remained calm… as if she'd accepted her fate.

But Yue wasn't going to let her guard down again.

Yue swept the area with her senses first.

No traps. No hidden formations. Only then did she move.

In an instant, the world around the former Titan of Life froze under Yue's authority. The air thickened, the ground locked, and even mana itself seemed to hesitate. Yue stepped through space and appeared directly before the three sealed figures.

Two Monarch-tier Spirits descended beside her, baring their fangs at the Herald. Their killing intent flooded the area like a storm. If the Herald so much as twitched… Yue would rip her heart out without hesitation.

Still, Yue wasn't careless.

Several space-sealing spells quietly formed around the battlefield while dozens of Spirits took positions in the shadows, standing guard like silent executioners. Only after confirming that Agnosia wasn't moving did Yue turn away.

She rushed to the three figures.

"Arya…" Yue knelt beside the girl first—her future sister-in-law.

Mana flowed gently from Yue's fingers as she probed into Arya's mind, carefully trying to dismantle the spatial restriction binding her body. Seconds passed. Then Yue frowned.

Something was wrong.

Arya's soul… was bound to something.

Yue immediately turned to Maya and clasped her future mother-in-law's hand. Mana surged again as she inspected her condition. The result was the same. The same restriction. The same chain. Even without checking Aaron, Yue already knew the truth.

And then she saw it.

Three faint threads of light extended from their souls—thin, fragile, yet unbreakable.

They stretched through the air before coiling tightly around the Herald. Yue didn't need an explanation. Her teeth clenched. Slowly, she turned back toward the Herald. Hatred poured from her eyes as her voice cut through the silent chamber.

"You… dare place a Bond of Life and Death?!"

"Oh wow… I didn't expect you to recognise it so quickly!"

The Herald clapped her hands, genuinely impressed by Yue's quick deduction.

The Bond of Life and Death.

It was a divine spell, one only attempted by those who dared tread into the forbidden study of life and death.

The principle itself was simple.

The caster would bind their soul to another's fate. If the caster died, the recipient would die as well. And if the recipient perished… the caster would follow.

A mutual destruction.

Yet the simplicity of the concept hid its terrifying cost. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

To cast such a spell, one had to tear away a large portion of their own soul and weave it into another's. For most mages, it was utterly impractical. Why bind your life to someone else's death? But for the former Titan of Life, it was the perfect move. And more importantly… this spell was utterly irreversible.

If Yue killed her… the backlash would slaughter Amon's entire family.

And just like that, the prey had turned the tables on the hunter.

The Herald slowly raised a knife to her neck. The blade pressed into pale skin. Blood trickled down instantly.

Yue's pupils shrank.

"Stop!"

Spirits surged forward in a blur, but it was already too late. The force of the movement caused the Herald's white blindfold to unravel and fall away.

For the first time, Yue saw her eyes.

Deep violet. Ancient. Beautiful… and terrifying.

Those pupils seemed to peer straight into the soul, pulling the mind into an endless abyss. Anyone who stared too long would fall into a trance they could never escape. After all, before losing her divinity, Agnosia had been the Titan of Life—the progenitor of all living things.

Even as a hollow shell, fragments of that divinity still lingered within her.

For a split second, Yue's mind wavered. Then she tore herself free. Her glare sharpened with killing intent. Blood continued to flow from Agnosia's neck, staining her robes crimson. The wound wasn't fatal yet—but if Yue delayed much longer, the Herald might truly bleed out.

But Agnosia only smiled.

Calm. Gentle. Completely fearless.

Her voice was soft when she spoke.

"Don't be foolish." The knife pressed a little deeper into her throat. "Or I'll end your lover's family."

"..."

Unknowingly… Yue had been checkmated. She held all the power. Agnosia was but a mere mortal, one that could be destroyed with a single thought, and yet… Yue couldn't do anything against her.

Yue knew when she was defeated. Frowning, she lowered her arms and growled: "What do you want?"

"Nothing," the Herald chuckled. "Let's just wait here patiently."

"Wait here? Are you sure that's your demand?"

"Definitely," the Herald replied. "Currently, Agos is facing your husband, and my brothers and sisters are facing your subordinates. In time, they would all be defeated. Of course… that's unless you go and help them."

The Herald wasn't a fool. She knew who the true X-factor was in this equation. If she could tie Yue down while her brethren dealt with the rest, it was more than enough. Therefore, she took the gamble and bound her life to the wretched humans.

"Fine, so what now?"

Yue sat down next to Arya. Despite knowing she was beaten, she didn't leave her future family's side. Rather, her mind started to examine and calculate her next course of action, all while she kept the Herald entertained.

"Well… Let's have a conversation, shall we? Let's get to know each other."

"A conversation? What? Do you want a tea party too?"

"Heh, humans sure are indulgent."

The Herald laughed before sauntering forward, knife still lodged firmly in her neck. Anytime she wished, with just a little effort, she could pierce her major artery and end her life for good. Of course, Yue wasn't going to let that happen that easily, but the threat was still imminent.

Taking her seat nearby, the Herald smiled and asked:

"Yue Elune… I see that you harbour love for your husband's family. So you should understand why I'm doing this."

"..."

"Just as you love your family, I love mine. I would do anything for my family, even if it meant giving my life. That's why, even after we lost the war against the Dragons so many aeons ago, I persisted in returning to them."

Sadness dripped from the Herald's eyes as she spoke about her past.

"Do you have any idea how long I waited? I dragged my feet through the change of dynasties. Untold years of loneliness… centuries wondering if I could ever meet them again… I gave up and regained hope millions, even billions of times. But I continued my struggle."

Yue's heart winced, resonating with that sentiment.

She too had regressed to get back to her family. To procure hope. To reunite with the one she loved.

Their stories had some parallels, and the first to acknowledge it was none other than herself.

"So when I finally reunited with my family… can you imagine my happiness? The sight of them brought me joy, their voice gave me peace, and their existence… validated mine."

"..."

"And now, you're trying to take them away from me," the Herald's voice suddenly turned cold, her beautiful eyes showing signs of hatred. "No, you already took one of them from me. My brother's core now lives within you. Do you know how disgusted that makes me?"

"..."

"So, Yue Elune. Can you imagine my hatred for you? The person who is trying to take everything away from me?"

"Yes," Yue replied softly. Not with empathy, but with resolution. "You have every right to hate me. But, I have the right to hate you, too."

"Hah? You? The person who murdered my brother and is threatening the extinction of my family?"

"Yes," Yue spoke firmly. "For you have taken mine before."

"... what are you talking about?"

Yue's ruby eyes shimmered faintly as she summoned the Mysterious Grimoire.

But she did something far more dangerous than revealing a weapon. She exposed her soul. It was an act she had never permitted before an enemy. Before them, the veil around her essence peeled back, revealing the truth of her existence.

For anyone else, it would have been meaningless—but before Agnosia, the former Titan of Life, such a revelation carried unimaginable weight.

Agnosia's violet eyes gleamed. Those ancient pupils, once capable of perceiving the essence of all living beings, gazed directly into Yue's soul.

And what she saw made her pause.

Yue's soul… was far older than it should have been.

Older than her body. Older than her life. Fragments of time clung to it like distant echoes, memories that existed long before her birth.

The flow of her existence was not linear; it carried traces of a past that should not have existed.

Which meant only one thing. Yue had lived before.

"T-This… What is this?"

"Regression, Agnosia. I came from a timeline where you succeeded in tricking us and annihilated majority of humanity." Yue spoke honestly, holding nothing back.

"So you could say… I'm here for revenge."