Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 187: Prelude To The Massacre?

[Content Warning: This chapter contains scenes of graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.]

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[DISPLAYING INFORMATION OF THE ARTIFACT: SWORD OF CHAOS]

[Sword of Chaos]

[Description—A sword forged by ▒▒▒, the greatest blacksmith of ▒▒▒▒▒▒, using the Chaos.]

[Effect (1/3)—The sword can be transformed into any form that the user wills instantly.]

[Effect (2/3) – Can ignore any physical or magical defence of the opponent to deal damage. Cooldown: 1 hour]

[Effect (3/3) – The user can unleash a devastating attack combining both Light and Shadow elements, regardless of their elemental mastery. The attack scales to the highest potential allowed by the user's current strength. Cooldown: 3 hours]

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Alden scanned the newly unlocked effect of the Sword of Chaos.

As always, it didn't disappoint.

It wasn't absurdly broken, but it wasn't weak either—just perfectly balanced for someone like him.

The ability to combine Light and Shadow in a single, devastating strike… that alone was terrifying.

The sword, linked to his soul, naturally grew alongside him. And now that he had unlocked the Light element, this effect had manifested.

He closed the system window and put the sword back with a calm expression.

He stretched his body and rose from the bed with a light yawn.

There wasn't much on his agenda today, so he figured he might as well go meet Mark and Yuna.

He hadn't yet asked if they wanted to travel with him. He planned to bring that up today.

Dressed in simple casual clothes, Alden stepped out of the hotel room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

With nothing else to do on his way, he let his mind wander about the attack of ancient ruins.

It had felt… too easy.

Despite the chaos, the number of casualties had been far fewer than what was mentioned in the novel.

While the Academy hadn't made an official statement, many independent news agencies were already publishing approximate death tolls.

He had a hand in decreasing the casualties.

He had removed those mana explosives, which must have saved dozens, maybe hundreds, of students.

That event was also supposed to be the end of his story.

In the novel, he died there.

But now?

He was still alive. Stronger than ever. Not a scratch on him.

That fact alone told him just how far he'd grown compared to Alden in the novel.

If he had to compare, he was already stronger than Zephyr and certainly stronger than Lucien.

A frown appeared on his face as he thought about Lucien.

Lucien– The so-called prodigy, who should've been dominating by now, remained stuck at the peak of Initiate Rank.

Alden's brows furrowed slightly.

Something is definitely up with him.

He had ignored the signs until now. But not anymore.

Lucien's weakness was glaring—and in the bigger picture, he was still a useful pawn in the fight against the Demon King.

Just like Amyra and Nyx.

Suddenly Alden's body froze, and his steps came to a halt.

Wait a minute.

Since when did I start referring to others as pawns?

Alden suddenly felt a strange feeling. A strange chill ran down his spine. He didn't like the way that thought sounded.

Before he could think much about the issue—

BOOM!!

A sound interrupted him. A thunderous explosion cut through the air, shaking the entire hotel.

Dust rained from the ceiling as the floor trembled beneath him.

FK

What's happening?

The issue about his strange choice of word was pushed to the back of his mind.

He rushed to the lobby, heart pounding, just as another blast shook the structure.

BOOM!

Alden was just at the entrance of the hotel.

He heard screams of people from outside as a strange wave of red energy passed through him.

The energy felt raw and ominous, as if someone was trying to awaken something ancient.

Alden's eyes narrowed.

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

And whatever it was — it had just begun.

Just as the red wave of energy passed through the hotel walls.

The screams suddenly stopped.

A blue screen popped up in front of him.

[VOIDHEART HAS NEGATED THE EFFECT OF SOUL ATTACK]

Before Alden could dwell on what was happening, an attack came flying towards him.

He ducked as a claw passed through where he had been moments ago.

The attack was rough and without any technique or mana.

Alden's head snapped towards the attacker.

He saw a man wearing a sleek black blazer and tie.

Alden recognised him immediately.

The receptionist.

Why is he attacking?

Something was strange with him.

The receptionist's eyes were totally white without pupils. Saliva was dripping from his mouth like some kind of beast.

His nails had elongated to form claws. Most importantly, Alden couldn't feel any kind of mana from the receptionist.

It was impossible.

Even non-awakened people had some amount of mana. But he couldn't feel even the smallest amount from the receptionist.

Just as he was trying to comprehend the situation, another attack came flying his way.

This time it was another hotel staff member. A female waitress.

Dammit.

What should I do?

Alden could kill them in an instant. But they were just normal just a while ago.

He had seen them interact with others normaly.

Something strange had affected them. The red energy.

He quickly scanned his surroundings.

All around him, people had twisted into grotesque mockeries of their former selves.

Nearby, a staff member giggled as she plunged a fork repeatedly into her own throat, her white eyes gleaming with madness.

The attacks came nonstop.

Alden dodged them effortlessly—their strikes lacked precision, their movements clumsy.

Weaker than even unawakened humans… except for the claws.

The claws were sharp—unnaturally so. Like swords.

Just then he saw it. At the other end of the lobby.

A young boy stood frozen in place. His eyes—normal. Unchanged.

He clung to his mother, trembling, his face wet with tears.

"No…" Alden whispered, his body already moving.

The mother's eyes were white. Her mouth hung open in a growl with saliva dripping nonstop.

Alden pushed through the chaos, dodging through attacks coming in his direction.

Faster. Faster.

He even used his shadow steps in quick succession. The woman was too far.

She raised her claws.

"No," he shouted. "Stop."

Too late.

Her claws slashed through her own child like paper. Blood sprayed across the marble floor.

The boy's body hit the ground in a broken heap.

No...

Fk.