The Extra Can't be A Hero-Chapter 319: The Circle Of Life (2)

Amon stood over the shattered remains of the last Titan as death and ruin stretched across the horizon. The battlefield was gone.

Thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of corpses lay beneath his feet while the world burned around him. It was hard to believe that this wasteland had once been Eshon, the thriving heart of the Elune House. Mountains had crumbled, cities had vanished, and forests had been reduced to ash.

Everything had been flattened into oblivion.

Such was the price of Amon the Great's battle against the resurrected Titans.

Knodalon had led its beast hordes to slaughter and devour every human in their path. Pyrrhos reduced the world to cinders with endless flame. Xiphos crushed lands and cities alike beneath its metallic steps. Theia twisted the forests into living prisons, slowly breaking humanity's will to resist. Anemos ruled the skies, raining thunder and hurricanes upon helpless armies.

And above them all stood Agos, reigning like the sovereign he once was—his power alone claiming billions of lives.

In the end, Amon killed them all.

But the price was far too steep.

Everything humanity had built during the apocalypse was gone.

The Demon Empire, once humanity's equal, now ruled the planet uncontested. The battle had been won.

But humanity had lost the war.

"Amon! Your injuries!"

"... I'm fine, Yue."

Amon waved off Yue's concern as he groaned on the ground. Everything inside him was broken. His arms were shattered, his abdomen pierced through, and his eyelids felt unbearably heavy.

Yet, Amon endured the pain.

What he couldn't endure, however, was the brutal truth that the Sixth Calamity had claimed countless lives.

"Venya, Eris, Fenric, Yeon, Lutz… They all died, huh?"

"Amon…"

"And with that… we're all alone again."

Amon spoke with quiet defeat. All of his allies—his family—were gone. Each time he lost someone, he tried to gather more allies. In this dystopian world, allies were the closest thing he had to family.

Yet, no matter how many he found, they were always torn away from him in the end.

"What kind of hero am I? If I can't even protect my family."

As tears gathered in his eyes, Yue froze.

In all the years she had followed Amon, she had never seen him like this. The man who had stood before Titans, who had walked through oceans of blood and fire without faltering, now looked utterly broken. His shoulders sagged, his voice had lost its strength, and the unshakable composure that defined him had finally crumbled.

It was the first time she had seen him reveal so much emotion.

The first time she had seen the indomitable Amon… defeated.

Yue's fingers trembled slightly, but she didn't move.

There was nothing she could do to ease the pain in his heart. No spell could return the dead. No miracle could erase the scars carved into his soul.

And so she simply stood there, silently watching the man she served fall apart.

In that moment, a quiet vow formed within her heart.

From that day forward, Yue swore to herself.

She would never allow Amon to wear that expression again.

❖❖❖

"Regression… so that's why."

All at once, everything began to make sense.

The Herald's eyes narrowed as the scattered pieces finally aligned. Yue and Amon's rise had always been far too explosive—too flawless.

Even for geniuses, their growth defied reason. Monsters like them simply shouldn't exist. And then there was Yue's uncanny ability to dismantle every scheme Agnosia had so carefully laid out. Plans that had taken decades to weave would crumble the moment Yue appeared, as if she already knew where to strike.

But now… Now the truth was clear.

Yue had regressed.

The moment that realisation surfaced, every inconsistency snapped into place like the final pieces of a puzzle.

"But… how?"

"There's no need for you to know," Yue shook her head, clearly not intending to divulge the secrets of the world to the enemy.

"Does it please you? Knowing that there was a timeline where you won? A timeline where everything went according to your plan?"

"..."

"You said that your hatred was justified… You said that you felt anger because we killed your brother, Knodolan. But, Agnosia… Have you ever thought of the hatred of those who died because of your brother's rampage?"

"That…"

"What? Are you going to say that the suffering of the masses means nothing to superior beings like you and me?"

"..."

The Herald inwardly agreed. In the eyes of the strong, the weak were insignificant. Nay, they were expendable as not every life was equal.

Would a King blink if a vagabond on the street died?

Definitely not.

"Well, to a certain degree, you would be right."

Shockingly, Yue did a pivot. Going against her own words, Yue spoke with a little more conviction.

"I am the Lord of the Elune House. Vice-Commander of Eldorin. And some might even call me a monarch."

Between Yue and Amon, it wasn't a question who held more political power. While Amon was widely considered the world's most powerful man, his organisational and people management skills were abysmal. It was Yue who managed the entire empire under Amon. So for her to admit her disregard for those under her… it was an eye-opening moment.

"But, I don't feel the need to protect everyone under my command. Unlike Amon, with his incessant desire to become a hero, or Leon with his righteous heart… I just want to protect those I cherish the most."

Yue stroked the sleeping Arya's hair, gently speaking her truth.

"Just like you, I treasure my family over all… And if I let you and your family live… my family would be destroyed."

Yue wasn't just concocting a hypothesis; she was actually speaking from experience.

When the Titans resurrected in her previous life, they wreaked havoc like none before them. If they were to be left unchecked, the world would fall into ruin. Just like it did in her previous life.

And more importantly… Yue didn't want to see Amon defeated anymore.

"I see… So we're both fighting a war of survival."

Yue and the Herald.

Humans and Titans.

They were two sides of a coin. Both are fighting for just causes. It just so happened that they were on opposing sides.

"Agnosia… Do you think humans and Titans can coexist?"

"..."

Yue's words left the Herald thinking, but the former Titan of Life didn't have to ponder long before having her answer.

"No, it's impossible."

The Herald replied with resolution.

"Titans are beings of absolute power. Humans, on the other hand, find their might in numbers. I've lived among you for millenia, so I know better than anyone else. We can never coexist."

Humans were weak individually. Which was why they created countries to find strength in numbers. Even heroes were products of years of human innovation, to create a perfected being strong enough to protect them.

On the other hand, Titans were overlords of nature. Just by existing, they posed a threat to humanity. They would destroy countries just because they felt like it. Or rather, they would walk through a town, killing millions without even noticing it existed.

Co-existence?

It was virtually impossible.

"Yeah, I guessed so."

Yue shook her head before relaxing her shoulders. At the very least, she now knew that the war against the Titans couldn't be prevented.

"War begets war. Power breeds power. When there is life… There must be death."

"What are you trying to say?"

"No dynasty rules forever, Agnosia. And your family… is the past."

"And you are the future?"

"Such is the cycle of life."

Yue replied with clear affirmation. She glanced heavenward, as her words weren't just limited to the stubborn Herald before her. She spoke with such conviction that Agnosia felt something was off.

"You must let go of the past and embrace the future. Don't be a hoarder of power and let the new gods come to be."

The former Titan of Life sneered, as if it were the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard.

"Hah, so would you let go?! If it was your time to pass the baton?!"

"Heh, probably not. That's why we're doomed to fight to the death."

"... are you forgetting something? Your husband's family's life is in my hands."

Tired of the sophistry, Agnosia tightened her grip on the knife lodged in her neck. Anytime she wished, she could decapitate herself and send Amon's family to hell with her. But Yue didn't seem panicked. Rather, she cheered the Herald on.

"Be my guest, former Titan of Life. But, before that… perhaps you should check on your Bond of Life and Death."

Agnosia's violet eyes widened, and she hurriedly peered into her soul. Sure enough, the threads linking Arya, Maya, Aaron and her were still around. Yet, for some reason, they weren't bound by a cursed bond anymore. Rather, it felt like she was providing energy… nay, divinity to the three humans who were frozen in bed.

Shaking… Agnosia blinked before meeting Yue's ruby eyes head-on.

"Y-You… w-what did you do?"

"I told you, remember? I regressed. I've fought against you before, and your accursed Bond of Life and Death. One could say… I prepared my whole life for this moment."

And for the first time… the Herald saw death.

Not in the shape of a grim reaper… but a beautiful young woman.