The Extra Who Shouldn’t Exist

As Countless dragons hovered over Avaloria's shimmering dome, their roars shaking the air. Some were the size of castles, others sleek and spear‑shaped, but all of them radiated killing intent.

Then, as if receiving a silent command, they attacked at once.

Dozens of dragons inhaled deeply and unleashed torrents of flame. Waves of dragonfire crashed against the barrier, painting the sky in burning red and molten gold. Some shifted into dragon‑kin forms—humanoid bodies wrapped in scales and wings—coating their fists and claws in mana before hammering at the shield with everything they had.

Inside the city, civilians watched from windows and shelters, trembling.

Parents clutched their children; lovers held each other, whispering prayers.

'Is this really the end…?' many thought as the barrier shuddered.

Outside the royal palace, thousands of soldiers stood in neat formations along the city's outer rings. Magic circles glowed beneath their boots. Their staffs, swords, and gauntlets were planted into the ground, each one humming with stored mana.

Every guild in the human empire had assembled.

Warriors, mages, archers, healers—everyone was ready to fight for Avaloria.

---

Inside the command platform, Alicia stood before a large, hovering barrier map glowing in front of her.

She raised her hand, and the nearby officers fell silent.

"All units, focus," she ordered.

Her finger pointed to a marked location on the map.

"Open Section Three-Four-Seven of the barrier, Sanctum Number Four."

The projection shifted, zooming in on a stretch of the barrier near a jagged mountain range far from the capital and all civilian districts.

"That area is clear of civilians," Alicia said firmly. "No shelters. No evacuation routes. Only mountains."

She turned to the mana engineers. "You will create a small controlled opening. Do not collapse the barrier completely. Limit the gap so that only one or two dragons can enter."

"Yes, Commander!" the engineers responded.

They contacted Sanctum Four immediately, relaying the command to lower mana output.

Inside Sanctum Four, the soldiers obeyed at once, reducing the flow of mana into their circle. The dome's map rippled as power shifted.

The engineers on the platform channeled precise adjustments through their consoles.

Slowly, Section 347 of the barrier began to thin—forming a narrow opening high in the sky.

Alicia continued without hesitation.

"Shield units, move to the mountain line beneath Section Three-Four-Seven," she ordered. "Strike teams, take elevated positions and wait for my signal."

Her eyes hardened.

"This opening is intentional," she said. "It is a trap."

She raised her hand.

"On my command—open Section Three-Four-Seven."

Far away, near the mountains, the barrier shimmered and slowly thinned, a slit of open sky appearing among the glowing dome.

Alicia watched it carefully.

"Let them come there," she said quietly. "Not near our people."

---

The moment Section Three-Four-Seven opened, the air itself seemed to shudder.

A deep, furious roar echoed from the clouds as the dragons noticed the breach almost instantly.

"They're moving!" a lookout shouted.

A massive obsidian dragon folded its wings and dove toward the opening, flames spilling from its jaws. A second dragon tried to follow—only to slam head‑first into the barrier with a thunderous crash.

The opening tightened like a constricting throat.

"Only one can pass!" a mage yelled. "The barrier's restricting entry!"

The first dragon forced its way through, its scales scraping against the glowing barrier as it squeezed into Avaloria's airspace.

Before it could roar again—

A presence descended.

Aldric Verlane stepped forward beneath the breach.

He did not shout.

He did not chant.

He simply raised his staff.

The world went silent.

A thin line of pale light appeared in the air—so fine it was almost invisible.

Then it passed through the dragon.

There was no explosion.

No scream.

The dragon's body split cleanly in two, still frozen mid‑flight for a heartbeat before both halves dissolved into drifting ash that rained down over the rocks.

Silence gripped the battlefield.

"…Dead," someone whispered.

The second dragon, still outside the barrier, recoiled violently and let out a panicked roar. More dragons slowed their flight, circling at a wary distance, wings beating uneasily.

Aldric lowered his staff, expression unchanged.

"Next," he said calmly.

From the command platform, soldiers watching the scene felt a chill run down their spines.

The dragons that had already slipped inside before the barrier fully tightened were equally stunned—a human wielding that kind of power was not something they'd expected to see.

The trap was working.

With Aldric Verlane standing beneath the breach, as long as the dragons didn't charge in all at once, every single one that entered would die.

---

Alyssa watched Aldric's display and let out a low whistle.

"Wow, old man," she said. "You still haven't lost your touch, it seems."

Aldric chuckled. "The day I lose my touch, I'll resign from my position as headmaster."

On the mountain slopes, Tania Williams leapt from a rocky ledge, greatsword blazing with condensed mana. She swung in wide arcs, becoming a whirlwind of steel and energy. Her blade tore through the scales of any dragon foolish enough to fly too close. One tried to twist away at the last second, but it wasn't fast enough—its wing was severed, and it spiraled out of the sky, crashing into the cliffs below.

From sheer strength alone, Tania managed to bring down several more, each swing shaking the air.

Alyssa Vega moved like a shadow across the ridgelines, twin blades flashing. With blurring speed, she slit throats, severed wings, broke horns, and gutted dragons mid‑flight. Every strike was precise, every kill clean—but there were too many targets, and more kept coming.

Even with all three of them fighting at full force, they could only keep the dragons at bay.

Every attack they launched was met with counter‑maneuvers. Dragons dodged, dived, and twisted, circling them with mocking roars. Their movements had a cruel fluidity, as if they were toying with the humans below.

From the command platform, Alicia watched the clash.

She took a slow breath.

"Let's do this," she murmured.

Her gaze dropped to the ring on her finger—the one Alex had gifted her not long ago.

"Come back quickly," she whispered to it.

Then she slipped the ring off.

The aura around her shifted instantly.

It was as if the air itself cracked.

Blue light erupted around her.

A blinding aura burst from her body—a swirling mix of silver and violet light that writhed like smoke in a storm. Mana flowed around her in visible streams, coiling and snapping like living serpents.

The mountainside shivered under the pressure.

Soldiers and mages nearby instinctively took several steps back, arms raised to shield their eyes.

"Commander…!" one shouted, voice filled with awe and fear.

Alicia's hair lifted slightly as the aura roared around her, reacting to the pounding of her heart. Her eyes glowed with a fierce light, golden flecks spinning inside her irises like tiny stars.

She raised her sword, now wreathed in crackling mana, and the air itself seemed to bend around its tip.

Above, the dragons hesitated.

Their roars faltered as the wave of power rolled toward them.

Even Aldric paused, an eyebrow rising in acknowledgment.

Tania glanced toward Serena. "What's happening to her?"

Serena let out a long, resigned sigh.

"Just like your daughter," she said quietly, "mine was also born with something special. A physique that raises her power to astonishing levels…"

Her eyes stayed on Alicia, pride and worry mixed together.

"And also a curse," Serena finished, "that makes her lose control when she goes too far."