Transmigrated as an Extra: Awakening of The Ex‐Class'-Chapter 68 : Haunted building part 6

I moved slowly, feeling the ground beneath my feet vibrate with each step, as if the earth itself were alive and breathing at a slow, measured pace. The atmosphere was ominous, dense, and suffocating, charged with a demonic energy that clung to my skin like a second layer, making the hairs on my arms and neck stand up. The air reeked of damp earth and sulfur, mixed with a metallic stench that reminded me of blood.

I looked around, trying to take in more detail of this place. It was vast, much larger than what you could see with the naked eye. Above my head, a large dome rose, blocking out the light from the sky, as if it were the vault of a cathedral forgotten by time. But this place didn’t have that sacred air, no. This was something completely different. The wide, gloomy corridors were flanked by grotesque trees growing from the walls and floor, as if the place itself had spawned them. Their twisted, black trunks seemed to writhe in pain, and their long, thin branches extended like sharp claws, ready to snatch any unwary who came too close. The leaves, if they could even be called that, were a dark, glossy green, as if covered in a viscous substance that slowly dripped to the ground.

At the end of this cocoon of countless corridors, I made out the figure of Erwing. His sword shone with a golden glow, slicing through the air with lethal precision, each fluid movement resembling a dance, beautiful and lethal. Before him, the true threat loomed, imposing and monstrous. A thick, gnarled trunk was covered in cracked black bark, from whose cracks emanated a dark, sulfur-scented smoke. Instead of branches, twisted, thorny tentacles extended in all directions, moving with unnatural agility, as if they had a life of their own. What should have been its face gaped at a huge mouth, filled with sharp, twisted fangs that shone with a sinister gleam. From its maw dripped a thick, black substance, falling to the ground with a sickening sound, corroding the earth where it touched.

But the most horrifying aspect were its "eyes." Two deep, empty, and dark hollows that disturbed the consciousness. Inside, a reddish glow shone faintly, but its intensity made it seem as if it came from the depths of hell. The light increased with the rhythm of its movements. It almost sounded like a heartbeat. Every time the creature moved, its tentacles slashed through the air with a sharp hiss, leaving behind a trail of shadows that seemed to twist in space.

Looking again at the tree-like thing facing Erwing, I almost immediately knew the identity of that thing: "Eldrath," the race from hell that feeds on human blood, a fusion of nature and darkness that defied all logic. And there was Erwing, facing that abomination with unwavering determination, while I watched from a corner as history continued its course.

***

『Erwing’s Perspective』

The air smelled of miasma and corrupted sap. The man-eating demon’s tentacles hissed like blades on the wind, each clad in black spikes that dripped with a poison capable of rotting the soul. My sword trembled in my hands, the runes on its blade devouring my own mana to stay lit.

"Damn it!" I spat out a trickle of blood as I backed away, dodging a shadow whip that split the ground in two.

The attacks came from all directions, a shower of writhing black tentacles that hissed as they sliced ​​through the air. Every wrong move, every miscalculated breath, could cost me my head. I felt the edge of one graze my neck, enough to leave a trickle of warm blood running down my skin. I couldn’t let my guard down for even a second.

I took three quick steps back, my boots sinking into the ground, which was now a putrid mud of demonic energy. I fixed my gaze on the thing, its body a dark, black trunk that seemed to throb with the rumble of my voice. The branches, more like snaking tentacles, writhed hungrily, each ending in sharp spikes dripping with greenish poison. That tree-like beast was a Class A demon called Eldrath.

I had to finish it off before it was too late; my lungs were burning, the thick air of poisoned mud rending my throat with every breath.

In the blink of an eye, mana surged forth, enveloping my sword in a red glow, and I counterattacked again. I slashed forward, the blade whistling in a perfect arc.

ZASH!

Almost instantly, three tentacles fell to the ground, dripping a thick, putrid liquid before drying completely and turning to dust. But there was no time to celebrate. Two new appendages emerged, thicker, faster, their surfaces covered in spines that gnashed as they moved like hungry worms.

"Damn!" I yelled in frustration.

I couldn’t keep up. Every cut I made only fueled their regeneration. My arms weighed like lead, muscles trembling with accumulated fatigue.

But then—

CRACK!

An invisible whiplash struck my side. I felt my ribs give way, pain bend me in half. The next impact lifted me off the ground and slammed me against the stone wall.

BOOM!

The world exploded into white.

Blood. So much blood.

A tentacle slammed into my side, its spikes ripping through the uniform that was practically armor and digging into my flesh. My trembling limbs clutched the ground, trying to pull me up, but my left arm wouldn’t respond—broken?—I muttered, the pain grinding my teeth, but I kept moving, dodging, slashing, surviving.

"No... I’m not going down here!" I growled, spitting blood.

The demon made a guttural cracking sound, like cracked wood mixed with laughter. Its roots spread out beneath my feet, seeking to entangle me. I jumped back, but another laceration reached my leg. Warm blood soaked my pants.

I was wounded all over. My mana reserves were depleted. My vision blurred at the edges. But the demon’s flawless attack kept coming.

Pain

It was all I felt.

My ribs **creaked** with every breath. Blood blurred my vision, but I couldn’t fall. Not yet.

"Damn it!"

I coated my sword with the last of my mana, slicing through another tentacle. But, as always, two more sprouted from the wounds, writhing with hunger.

CRACK!

A blow struck me again, knocking me to the ground. The impact resonated through my bones.