[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-path-of-the-extra":3,"chapter-path-of-the-extra-path-of-the-extra-chapter-298":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Path of the Extra",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},420536,684,"Chapter 298: Coward","path-of-the-extra-chapter-298",298,"\u003Cp>Azriel opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strange part was—one eye saw the jagged ceiling of a cave. The other saw nothing. Only darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Ah... right.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was blind in one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was blind... why did it feel like that eye was moving?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his right arm. Then his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both arms were back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel blinked, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached for the cloth wrapped around his face, tore it off—and saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through both eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It’s healed,\" he whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was healed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could process the shock, a familiar—but strangely refined—panel flashed across his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Status Update!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Your Mana Core has evolved: Level 4]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Expert?\" Azriel muttered, baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I became an Expert..?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the panel didn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Soul Echoes slot unlocked]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have acquired a new skill: Heartcraft]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have acquired a new skill: Distiller’s Touch]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have acquired a new skill: Ghostfinger]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have acquired a new skill: Core Synchronization]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have acquired a new skill: Crazy Flask]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s mouth parted, speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the panels continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Soul Weapon Acquired: Annoying Feather]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sword Arts: Dance of Death → 25% Mastery → 5\u002F?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>→[Fourth Form acquired – Blooming Veins]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Only then did it end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel stared at the panels in silence, his expression unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then slowly, he pursed his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Grade 2 Expert,\" he muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I didn’t die from it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always known the risk. If he had still been just an Intermediate, his body would have been torn apart. His core would’ve shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why—Back in the Void Dungeon—He hadn’t taken Zoran’s core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The core of a Saint was too powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would have killed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No... Azriel had been scared—scared that his body might’ve been torn apart back when he was just an Intermediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t just normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was an Apostle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an Advanced... an Apostle... he could absorb even that of a Sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t just absorbed one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had consumed everything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every void creature, every fragment of broken will, every being—human or not—that had merged with the Forest of Eternity at the moment he stabbed Mio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s lips trembled as he pressed his forearm over his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long, quiet breath escaped his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the edge of a dark lake, whose surface no longer shimmered with light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ethereal tree was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no reflection. No life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel exhaled again and rose slowly to his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no joy in these rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just... an echoing hollowness in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was still one thing left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final, inevitable thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s eyes sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It’s time,\" he whispered, voice quiet and dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To face the wrath of the Great Divine Star Spirit Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Azriel stepped out of the cave, there was no Skinwalker waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No voidworms crawling toward him with hungry screeches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, what greeted him was a sea of silver flame—roaring across the ground in waves, consuming everything in its path...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, not a single tree burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, the fire curved around the greenery, leaving it untouched—as if the forest itself were sacred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Azriel walked, the flames parted from his footsteps like frightened ghosts, dissolving into harmless mist beneath his soles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t glance at the trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t look at the voidworms being reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not once did his gaze linger on the divine silver fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t bother searching for the dreadful Skinwalker either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the only thing Azriel saw—was the man standing ahead of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His back turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White robes flowing gently in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arms crossed behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Motionless. Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light of the morning sun poured through the trees like strands of gold, illuminating the clearing—as if the forest itself had chosen him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel walked forward slowly, silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just... empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped a few feet away and stared at the figure with a blank, unreadable expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux—in his humanoid form—did not turn to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood as though peering far off into the horizon. Or perhaps nowhere at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, his voice came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emotionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy behind the wolf mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed long and deep, almost tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really are pathetic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... who gave everything for someone else’s happiness. Again. What were you thinking? How could you be that stupid?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux turned now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those dark eyes, ringed in silver, locked onto him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames danced violently behind the spirit emperor, though they made no sound—only echoing the emotion he refused to reveal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After everything you did... what do you have left?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just pain. Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You gave your time. Your heart. Everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You swallowed your own voice. Your own dreams. Just so someone else could smile. Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel remained still. Unblinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what now, Son of Death?\" Pollux whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s gone. Nowhere to be found. And you’re the only one still standing. Again. Barely even breathing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a step closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames curled back between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So tell me... was it worth it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux leaned forward. His words brushed against Azriel’s ear like a cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the end... all you were left with... was pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same voice as always, filled with pride—but there was something else too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melancholy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel saw it in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure Pollux even knew it was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ll never change, will you?\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re just like a coin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One side: Leo Karumi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other: Azriel Crimson.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in the middle...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux’s voice lowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Someone who says one thing, but does another. Who dreams of freedom, but never takes a step. Even with two sets of memories—Leo’s and Azriel’s—you make the same mistakes. You wear masks. So many, even you don’t remember who you are underneath.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip... drip...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood began to stain the dirt beneath them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s hands were clenched so tightly, his fingernails had pierced his palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hiding every emotion behind a smile,\" Pollux went on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Telling yourself it’s for the greater good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s what you said about Celestina Frost, didn’t you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grinned beneath the mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Character development.That’s what you wanted for everyone, right? How noble. How heroic. Killing the Apostle of Ruin. Sacrificing Instructor Kevin. All for the greater good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But the truth is—You could’ve chosen another way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet you justify it. Like a coward who tells himself it was the only option.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are acting. Inconsistent. Irrelevant. Desperately clinging to meaning in a world that doesn’t care what you believe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux stepped closer. They were inches apart now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood trickled from Azriel’s chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All the things you know,\" he said softly, \"you read in a book. A book where the story is meant to be a tragedy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But your existence fights that genre.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux laughed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Have you ever wondered what your fate is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel hesitated, then finally parted his lips and answered with a quiet, dead tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was smiling. Azriel could feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t have one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux leaned in again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"While everyone else is bound by billions of threads, tangled and tied to others... You have only one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were supposed to have none. But fate couldn’t allow that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not supposed to exist. You shouldn’t make sense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And fate can’t have that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why it marked you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goosebumps prickled down Azriel’s spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux lifted a hand slowly—white fingers glowing faintly—and grazed the side of Azriel’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Mark of Fate,\" he whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That single thread on you can’t be connected to anyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It’s not a thread.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s a collar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped back and pointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice turned cold. Condemning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s almost as if you are...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel already knew the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could feel it coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Pollux said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...A slave of fate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azriel’s teeth clenched. His body began to burn from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was that same feeling again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire crackled in silence. The trees swayed with invisible breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollux watched him quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in a voice like the closing of a verdict, he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know, Son of Death... the thing with masks is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Eventually, they slip.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...And in the end, you will show the world who you really are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned away slightly, eyes narrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what they’ll see...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scoffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Is a coward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1410,"2026-05-30T08:07:17.415Z","2026-06-01T04:30:42.950Z",1,"novelbin.me","82a399994b3488a271b467963dcc915202da72acbc4df6b37ee94a16322ba44a","path-of-the-extra-chapter-299","path-of-the-extra-chapter-297",424,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fpath-of-the-extra-cover.jpg"]