Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Ceil, Claire, and Ella, the three strongest girls of their respective years, were busy assisting the injured instructors and soldiers, their hands covered in blood and dirt as they worked swiftly.

Their hearts were heavy but determined. The battle had ended, but the aftermath left them no time to rest. The sound of painful moans and hurried footsteps filled the air as the healthy soldiers began picking up their fallen comrades, some rushing to tend to those in critical condition.

Adrian had taken the injured instructors and left for Veda's mansion, trusting the remaining students and soldiers to handle the situation.

The sky was turning darker with the remnants of the battle still hanging in the air like a weight none of them could shake off.

"Senior Ella, how's Instructor Vern?" Ceil asked, wiping sweat from her brow as she leaned down to wrap a soldier's bandages tighter.

"Stable for now," Ella replied, her voice strained. "But we need more supplies, and soon. I'm afraid we won't hold out for much longer."

Claire, tending to a group of soldiers, glanced toward the sky, something tugging at her instincts. "Let's hurry," she called, trying to mask the unease growing in her gut.

The soldiers around them seemed to be in a trance of relief now that the battle was over. Some were smiling as they spoke to each other, ready to call this day a victory. But then, the air shifted, and with it, something came that made Claire's skin prickle.

"Do you hear that?" Claire's voice dropped as she stood, her gaze drawn upward.

"What?" Ella asked, focused on mending a wound.

"That sound," Claire continued, her eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, the distant hum of engines filled the silence, growing louder with every second. Several shadows appeared over the horizon, dark shapes against the fading light of the evening sky.

"Flying ships?" Ceil muttered in confusion, glancing up as well.

"Did the Air Force already return?"

The shapes took form—four, no, five small ships gliding through the air, eerily similar to those used by the city. But something was off. The markings were slightly foreign, and the way they moved made the hair on Ceil's neck stand on end.

Before anyone could react, the ships began to spray something into the air, a fine, misty substance that spread quickly with the wind.

At first, it seemed harmless, just a light fog dispersing in the sky. But then— Continue your adventure at empire

"What's that?" a soldier called out, squinting up at the ships, seemingly unaware of the danger.

A few moments passed, and those who had inhaled the mist without suspicion began to falter. The fog settled over them like an invisible shroud, and their movements grew sluggish. Their eyes glazed over as they dropped to their knees, their minds foggy and unclear.

"No, no, something's wrong," Claire whispered, her instincts flaring. She took a cautious step back, already putting up a barrier around her body as she backed away from the creeping mist.

Ceil was faster to act, immediately shouting, "Hold your breath! Something's not right!"

But it was too late.

Several soldiers had already succumbed, their hands gripping their heads as if trying to hold onto their thoughts. Ella covered her mouth, looking in anxiety as one of the men she'd just treated collapsed in front of her.

Those few who were cautious like Ceil, Claire, and Ella sensed something wrong too late. They tried to retreat, but the overwhelming pressure came down on them like an invisible weight.

It was as if the very air around them turned into lead. They gasped, clutching their chests as they dropped to the ground, unable to resist the sudden, suffocating force.

"What… is this?" Ceil choked out, her voice barely audible as she struggled to stay on her feet. Her vision blurred as her body was forced to kneel, the weight unbearable.

A shadow moved in the corner of her vision, a nearly 2-meter-tall figure that made her blood run cold. It moved through the lingering mist with predatory grace, a creature similar to the werebeast kings the instructors faced just a while ago.

The figure that emerged was graceful and humanlike—a Weremonkey, towering and covered in dark fur with glowing, intelligent eyes that held both cruelty and cunning. It was Sezar, the Guardian of the Ruin of the Red Moon. His presence was palpable, his aura oppressive.

With a sickening grin, Sezar spoke, his voice deep and mocking, "So this is what's left of your forces? I guess those four fools did a good job weakening you guys this much."

Ceil tried to push against the overwhelming pressure, but her limbs wouldn't obey.

Claire gritted her teeth, trying to summon her strength, but even she, one of the strongest in her year, felt the crushing weight pushing her to the ground. Ella, panting and struggling to breathe, shot a look of anxiety toward Ceil and Claire. They were trapped, just like her.

'W-We need to return to the academy...'

Sezar's gaze swept over the fallen soldiers and the few students, his grin widening as he took pleasure in their helplessness. He flexed his nails, the sound of them scraping against each other sending a shiver down their spines.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Now then," Sezar continued, his eyes locking in the direction of the Academy, "Shall I fulfill my promise to her first?"

"Hmm?" Sezar's eyes moved to Ella and the other students' direction, his eyebrows lifting up in surprise and curiosity as they turned into particles of light and disappeared.

"This world surely is interesting as she said, to be able to travel to another location this way... It's even stronger than that wolf's blinking ability..."

"But I was told they were called students... This means they probably went to the place called Academy... Hehe, they are going straight to my clutches."

"Hmm..." Sezar took a deep breath savoring the current atmosphere, his body levitating to the air. His calculating eyes scanned the horizon as if savoring the fear and chaos that lay before him. He spread his arms wide, taking in the sight of the crippled forces beneath him, helpless against his will.

With a deep, satisfied breath, Sezar's voice boomed, echoing across the battlefield, reverberating through the buildings, the broken walls, and even reaching into the all corners of the city.

"My army!" Sezar's voice was like thunder, shaking the very ground beneath them. "Have fun!"

His words ignited the swarm.

From the horizon, thousands of weremonkey soldiers surged forward, their bodies agile and brutal, their roars filling the air. Mixed among them were horrific abominations, twisted creatures—half-beast, half-monster, and intelligent species—products of the mastermind's twisted ingenuity.

Some had massive arms fused with metallic claws, others grotesque limbs that twisted unnaturally, but all shared one thing: a hunger for destruction.

In a wave, the monstrous army crashed against the city's defenses. The towering city gates, once thought impenetrable, groaned under the pressure before shattering into splinters as the weremonkeys scaled the walls with ease, their claws digging into the stone like it was nothing more than soft clay.

Soldiers atop the walls barely had time to scream before they were overwhelmed, tossed aside like ragdolls or ripped apart by the oncoming tide of monsters.

The real chaos had started.