Reborn as an Extra with the SSS-Divine Debt System and my Past Skills

From the highest rooftop in Lumious, Merci crouched, her crimson eyes narrowing as she looked down at the chaos below.

The once-feared General Ryan was no longer a man, but a hulking, corrupted beast. His claws raked against Lucian's shimmering mana shields, each strike shaking the ground as if the entire settlement quaked beneath him.

Around them, shadows writhed and twisted, dozens of her familiars leaping, snarling, snapping at Lucian like hounds tearing at a lion.

Merci bit her lip, torn. She could intervene—she wanted to crush him beneath a tide of familiars—but she knew the truth of her own power.

Every shadow familiar she created divided her strength. The more she birthed into existence, the thinner her essence stretched, until she became vulnerable.

No, she couldn't risk herself now. Not when her true contractor needed her alive.

Her form shimmered as she pulled back, shadows curling around her like a cloak as she slipped into the building behind her.

Her plan was simple: recover her strength, bide her time, and strike when her enemies were weakest.

But just as she set foot inside, she froze.

A pair of golden eyes glared at her from the dark corridor.

Luna.

The earth-wielder's lips curved into a sharp, cold smile as her hand brushed the wall.

"You-!"

Luna hissed, her tone dripping with contempt.

Merci's heart lurched. Without hesitation, she turned and sprinted down the opposite hall, her shadows peeling away to shield her retreat.

But the ground rippled beneath her feet, tiles shifting into jagged spikes that threatened to impale her.

Merci snarled, forcing her body up the wall instead, clinging like a spider as she scurried across the vertical surface.

She had only one goal: escape. Escape, recover, and return when the balance tipped in her favor. If Luna caught her now, divided as she was, there'd be no hope of victory.

Behind her, Luna's voice echoed through the hall, hard as steel.

"Run all you want. You won't leave this place alive."

The corridor groaned as the floor buckled, chasing Merci like a rolling tide of earth. She grit her teeth, shadows bursting from her arms to propel her faster.

Her only thought was survival—if she survived now, she could kill later.

Outside, the battle raged with unrelenting fury.

Lucian's blade tore through shadow after shadow, each slash dispersing a familiar into smoke.

But for every one he cut down, two more crawled from the darkness, lunging with snapping jaws and talons of living night.

His mana shield hummed, straining under the corrupted general's relentless blows.

Ryan's hulking frame smashed against it, cracks spreading through the glowing barrier like spiderwebs.

The air shook with each impact, the sound of brute strength meeting refined magic.

Lucian's eyes narrowed in frustration. Alone, he could endure this. But not while shielding soldiers who would die in an instant if one strike slipped through.

A guttural snarl erupted behind him. The shadow wolf lunged from the dark, its jaws wide enough to bite through his throat.

Lucian turned too late—

—until a fist smashed into the beast's muzzle with a bone-crunching crack.

The wolf yelped, crashing into the dirt.

Lucian glanced over his shoulder. Berry stood there, shaking out his knuckles with a grim smile.

"You look like you could use a hand."

Behind him, Mira raised both arms, her small frame trembling as a pair of her wolves leapt forward, snarling at the familiars that circled Lucian.

Verus followed a step behind, his blade already drawn, eyes blazing with purpose.

Lucian exhaled, relief passing through him for the briefest moment. He didn't ask where Luna was. There was no time.

"Good. Keep him from escaping. No matter what."

Lucian said curtly. His voice was calm, but beneath it lay the edge of command.

The three nodded.

The battlefield shifted instantly.

Berry charged, his fists glowing faintly with mana reinforcement as he hammered blow after blow into the shadow wolf.

Each strike rippled with power, sending shockwaves through the beast's frame.

But the wolf wasn't fragile—it slashed back, its claws carving bloody lines into the ground as Berry dodged, countered, and struck again.

Mira's wolves darted between shadows, intercepting the familiars that swarmed toward Lucian.

Their fangs sank into blackened flesh, tearing them apart with wild snarls. Mira herself chanted softly, her mana linking with her beasts to bolster their strength.

The air around her shimmered faintly with the raw pressure of her bond.

Verus darted straight into the thick of it, his sword flashing silver as it cut through shadow after shadow.

Each swing was precise, deadly, his footwork sharp as he danced between attacks.

He wasn't just fighting—he was carving a path, forcing the familiars away from Lucian so the latter could focus on the greater threat.

Ryan roared, enraged at the interference. He lifted both massive arms and brought them crashing down like twin hammers.

Lucian raised a new shield, the ground trembling from the collision. Cracks snaked through the barrier, but it held.

Lucian's expression darkened. He couldn't drag this fight out. The longer it went, the more familiars Merci would spawn, the more lives would be lost.

"Verus! Take Mira and Berry. Corner the wolf. Don't let it regroup."

Lucian barked, his voice sharp as a blade.

"And you?"

Verus shouted back.

Lucian's eyes never left the corrupted general, his aura flaring as his mana surged. The shield dissolved into his hand, reforming into a gleaming sword of pure energy.

"I'll handle this monster."

He lunged.

The blade clashed against Ryan's claw, sparks exploding into the night. The shockwave rattled through the air, forcing soldiers hiding nearby to cover their ears.

Ryan snarled, swinging with raw, crushing power. Lucian met each strike head-on, his form flickering as he teleported mere feet away to counter.

His sword sang with each slash, carving burning trails across the monster's corrupted flesh.

But Ryan wasn't slowing down. If anything, the demonic mana surged hotter, his strength multiplying. He struck, and the earth split. He roared, and the air trembled.

Lucian's jaw clenched.

'So this is the power your "benefactor" gave you…'

But he would break it.

Behind him, Berry caught the wolf mid-lunge, slamming his fist into its ribs and sending it sprawling.

Mira's wolves leapt onto its back, their fangs digging deep. Verus slashed its throat, the shadowy blood spraying like smoke.

Lucian's eyes flicked once toward his comrades, then back to the thrashing general. His mana flared brighter, his blade glowing white-hot.

"Stay down."

Lucian growled, his voice low, dangerous.

Ryan roared in defiance, raising both claws high.

Their strikes collided, light against shadow, power against corruption.

The battlefield shook with the impact, a clash that would decide not just the rebellion—but who controlled the very future of Lumious.