Transmigrated As An Extra In The Apocalypse
Chapter 109 - 108: Wariness

Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Wariness

Then, it hit me all at once, like a quiet whisper slipping through the cracks in my mind.

I remembered something.

Something from the story.

Something that made the scene before me twist into a deeper, darker meaning.

The Fifth Orc Lord... Tharnok... he never wore his helmet.

That was the thing.

That was his signature, his arrogance, his display of superiority.

In the novel, every time he appeared, his face was bare, unafraid, unchallenged, untouchable.

He didn’t need the helmet.

He was power incarnate.

That’s what made him terrifying.

He believed nothing could touch him.

But during the battle with Vasper City, yeah, that one, I remember he didn’t wear it then either.

He went into that war with his head held high, confident that it would be just another effortless slaughter.

Just another notch on his blade. But it wasn’t.

That war... that wasn’t like the others.

He bled in that war.

He almost lost.

Just like how he fought me without his original amour, instead he wore a normal amour thinking it was going to be easy, but he ended up losing.

But even now, the image lingers in my mind like a scene burned into a film reel.

Amber, Beth, Edward, Sergeant Thomas, they pushed him harder than he’d ever been pushed.

Especially Amber.

god, she didn’t fight like a human.

She fought like a beast wearing a human’s skin.

She was everywhere, fast, precise, unrelenting.

Tharnok wasn’t just surprised.

He was scared.

For the first time.

That meant they had 99% chance of beating him, untill he released his last move which totally erased their chance of beating him.

That’s why this... this moment... him putting on the helmet now, here, in his own domain?

It wasn’t just armor.

It was acknowledgment.

He’s scared.

He knows the people of Vasper are here now.

Captured, maybe, but not broken.

He doesn’t know what would happen next.

That uncertainty is eating at him.

The very thought that someone like Amber could be among them, hiding their power for this moment.

And so, the helmet goes on.

The king guards his throne.

Because now, he understands the threat.

Now, he knows he can bleed.

And this domain, this dungeon carved into the bones of the earth it’s not just a stronghold.

It’s a fortress layered in the Ash of Nullification.

I hadn’t realized it before, but it made sense.

It was the perfect defense.

No destruction.

No escape.

He’s locked us in here with him.

And he thinks that makes him safe.

But if he was truly confident, he wouldn’t have worn that helmet.

No... he knows something’s coming.

Maybe it’s Amber.

Maybe it’s Beth.

Maybe it’s all of them.

Or maybe... it’s me.

Either way, he’s not taking chances anymore.

And that’s the first crack in the armor I’ve seen since arriving here.

Good.

Let it widen.

The sudden sound of frantic footsteps jolted my attention away from Tharnok’s looming figure.

At first, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, the heavy silence of the cavern, the distant shuffling of goblin feet, the low growls of orcs patrolling... all of it had become background noise.

But this?

This was different.

Someone was running.

No, sprinting.

My eyes scanned the crowd, weaving past the tired faces and hunched shoulders of the other captives.

And then I saw him, a man.

His clothes were torn, stained with grime and desperation.

His eyes wide with the kind of panic that sits bone-deep, like he’d just remembered he still had something to live for.

He ran straight through the path the orc lord had cleared, the very space that parted like the Red Sea when Tharnok entered.

Now empty.

Now unguarded.

And now... a possible way out?

But my eyes narrowed, and a knot twisted in my gut.

That path... it led to the same direction the trucks came from, the same one Tharnok and his forces used to return through the stone-walled gateway embedded into the cavern wall.

That cursed portal.

That shimmering surface of distorted light and magic.

But that’s just it.

That portal... it only opened for them.

Not for us.

Not for the captives.

Not for anyone unmarked by Tharnok’s command.

So why was this man running?

Why now?

Did he know something I didn’t?

Did he see it open?

Hear something?

Or was this just raw, unfiltered desperation clawing its way up his spine?

I leaned forward, squinting as he pumped his arms harder, dodging weak attempts from a few nearby goblins who barely even reacted in time.

Most didn’t care.

Some just laughed, amused by the effort.

A small, hopeless rebellion, they’d seen this before.

I had too.

There was always one.

He kept running.

And I, I couldn’t look away.

My mind kept circling around the same question, spinning like a blade in slow motion.

Why was he running if the portal was closed?

I shifted slightly, pressing my back against the cold cavern wall, just far enough to remain hidden in the corner.

Ori, curled into a ball beside me, cracked open one blue eye, sensing the tension that clung to my skin.

Was the man truly trying to escape?

Or was this something else?

A distraction?

A trap?

The man didn’t slow down.

If anything, he ran faster.

I thought he was just being foolish, throwing himself toward a sealed portal out of desperation or madness.

But then, just as he neared the end of the path, the space in front of him shimmered.

Not a trick of the eye.

Not wishful thinking.

A real, swirling vortex of dull violet and pulsing gray tore open in the air like someone had sliced reality with a jagged blade.

A portal.

A real, actual portal.

I blinked, mouth slightly parted as the man gave one last scream, part triumph, part fear, and leapt straight through.

Gone.

Just like that.

No light show.

No explosion.

Just... vanished.

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A/N: Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!

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