Extra Borne: Transmigrated Into A System Apocalypse Soulsborne Novel

Gaodas stood like a nightmare made manifest, his immense form dwarfing even The Crimson Knight beside him. His towering, mist-clad body radiated malevolent energy that rippled through the air like a suffocating wave. His greatsword, massive and jagged, shimmered faintly with a white mist, as though it were alive and pulsing with its own sinister intent.

A guttural roar erupted from his hollow helm, shaking the very ground beneath us. Then, he charged.... a juggernaut of mist and malice, his every step resonating like thunder.

"Celia! Now!" I shouted, my voice barely cutting through the chaos.

"Got it!" Celia responded, determination hardening her tone as she drove her frost-bladed sword into the ground.

Shards of ice began to spread across the floor in jagged patterns, rapidly freezing the surface beneath Gaodas' feet. The moment his colossal form hit the icy terrain, his momentum faltered. His massive frame wobbled, the sheer force of his charge betraying him as he lost balance momentarily.

This was our chance.

I dematerialized into the mist, my body dissolving into a swirl of vapor that danced toward Gaodas. The world felt different in this state... silent, detached, yet sharply aware. I flowed upward, scaling his massive armor as the corrupted mist radiating from him seemed to claw at my essence.

Reforming atop his shoulder, I solidified with a rush of cold air, my dual daggers materializing briefly before I replaced them with my bow. The weapon shimmered faintly as I stretched its string taut. A glowing, vortex-like arrow formed, its swirling energy pulsating with raw power.

But just as I prepared to release it, an icy chill ran through my chest.... not the kind that came from Celia's frost, but something far darker.

I looked down. A blade, wreathed in twisting mist, jutted through my torso.

Pain didn't hit immediately. Instead, there was only disbelief, followed by a dawning realization.

The Crimson Knight.

I'd underestimated him. Unlike Dakarnos, he wasn't tethered to his summoned ally. He was still in full control of his domain, and I had foolishly assumed otherwise.

The system notification flashed before my fading vision:

[EVOLUTION]

+

FIRST EVOLUTION (25%) — 25% removed by the Mist Sword

+

I felt the blade dissolve inside me, the mist seeping away as though it had never existed. That's when the pain began, a cold, burning agony spreading outward from the wound. My vision blurred, and the energy in my arrow dissipated, the weapon vanishing into nothingness.

I fell.

The world spun, the ground rushing toward me, but I never hit it. Uvan was there, his form a blur of motion as his electrically charged speed carried him beneath me just in time.

"Hold on!" Uvan shouted, his voice strained but steady as he caught me mid-fall. He didn't stop, dashing away from the chaos as Jess screamed defiantly in the distance.

I caught glimpses of her through my hazy vision. Flames erupted from her greatsword, burning bright orange as she clashed against Gaodas. The enormous knight swung his mist-clad blade with reckless abandon, each strike shaking the ground like an earthquake. Jess ducked, dodged, and retaliated, her fiery strikes igniting the mist around her with bursts of searing heat.

But Gaodas wouldn't relent.

Uvan carried me to where Celia knelt, her icy blade still embedded in the ground, sending frost creeping across the battlefield. Her eyes widened when she saw the state I was in.

"Agon!" she yelled, her voice trembling as she dropped beside me. Her hands moved frantically, summoning frost to seal the gaping wound in my chest. I felt the cold envelop me, but it was distant, muffled.

"Don't close your eyes, Agon!" she said, her voice breaking as she slapped my face lightly. "Look at me! Don't black out!"

Her words felt like echoes in a cavern, distant and fading.

"I'll hold him off!" Uvan said, his voice cutting through the fog of my mind. He turned and sprinted back toward the chaos, electricity crackling around him as he joined Jess. Together, they faced Gaodas, who roared in frustration, his strikes growing wilder as he lashed out at the two of them.

Celia's face hovered above me, her usually sharp eyes glistening with tears. She pressed her frost-covered hands harder against my wound, but I could tell she was panicking.

"Agon, look at me," she said again, her voice quieter now, almost pleading. "You're not leaving us. Not like this."

Her words were all I could focus on, the rest of the world dimming. The tremors from Gaodas' rampage felt distant, as though they belonged to another realm entirely.

"Agon... Agon... Agon..."

Her voice faded, replaced by an overwhelming silence. The cold spread deeper, numbing everything.

Then, nothing.

...

(Celia's POV)

Agon's breathing grew shallower with each passing second. His face was pale, his body limp, and no matter how hard I shook him, his eyes refused to open.

"No, no, no. Please, Agon, stay with us. Don't black out," I pleaded, my voice cracking as I struck his face lightly, hoping for any sign of life.

But the system refused to let me forget how dire the situation was:

[SYSTEM]

+

TEAM 5 MEMBER – AGON HEALTH LOW!

TEAM 5 MEMBER – AGON HEALTH LOW!

TEAM 5 MEMBER – AGON HEALTH LOW!

+

"Enough!" I screamed, my voice trembling as I lashed out at the air, as if I could silence the notification. But no one was listening.... not the system, not the mist, and certainly not the gods.

A pouch materialized in my hands, I searched inside to retrieve the small, crystalline healing pill Jess had handed me before we faced Gaodas. My fingers trembled as I pressed it to Agon's lips.

"Swallow," I whispered, guiding the pill into his mouth. It dissolved almost instantly, a faint, glittering mist escaping his parted lips as it did.

I turned my attention to Jess and Uvan. They were locked in a brutal struggle with Gaodas, their movements desperate and strained. Uvan dashed around the towering knight with bursts of lightning crackling in his wake, his blade slicing through the mist but doing little to slow Gaodas. Jess attacked head-on, her greatsword burning with orange-hot flames, each swing lighting up the battlefield like a fleeting star.

And yet, Gaodas stood unyielding, as though he were a fortress given life. He moved with terrifying speed for a creature of his size, each swing of his massive mist-covered greatsword forcing them to retreat, their attacks barely scratching his armor.

I turned my gaze to The Crimson Knight, who stood at the front of the giant gate, watching the fight like a lord surveying a gladiatorial arena. His arms were crossed, his pitch-black eyes glinting with amusement beneath his crimson helm.

My jaw tightened, and my hands curled into fists.

"This isn't how we'll die," I hissed through gritted teeth.

I looked down at Agon's prone form, his chest rising and falling faintly beneath the icy barrier I had conjured to shield him. His life was slipping away, but he was still holding on. Barely.

"You once promised me we'd make it out," I whispered, my voice trembling as the memory of his words flickered in my mind. My fingers brushed against the hilt of my sword, still embedded in the frozen ground. "And now, I'll promise you the same thing."

The frost spreading from my sword cracked and splintered as I wrenched it free. The blade shimmered in the pale, bluish light that emanated from the frozen battlefield, its surface reflecting my determined gaze.

I stepped away from Agon, my legs crunching against the thin layer of frost beneath me. My heart pounded in my chest, not from fear, but from rage. I could feel the cold spreading through me, a familiar sensation that began in my larvae and radiated outward. My breath fogged the air as my body responded to the surge of power within.

"We'll make it out alive," I said aloud, though my words were more for myself than anyone else. My grip on the sword tightened as I turned toward Gaodas and The Crimson Knight. "And this time, I swear it with my own life."

A faint, icy blue light began to swirl around me, the energy coalescing in my eyes until they glowed like frozen stars. I took a deep breath, feeling the frostbite-like chill settle in my veins, sharpening my senses and dulling the pain in my chest.

"Just stay alive until then," I murmured, casting one last glance at Agon's still form. "Because you're what drives me now."

My gaze shifted forward, locking onto Gaodas. The massive knight roared, his mist-covered armor flickering as Jess's flames clashed against it. Uvan shouted something, his lightning briefly illuminating the shadowy arena. But my focus was already straight.

I stepped forward, the frost beneath my feet intensifying with each movement. The air around me grew colder, the moisture crystallizing into tiny snowflakes that drifted lazily before dissolving into nothing.

"I'll end this," I whispered, raising my sword. The icy glow around it intensified, spreading out in jagged patterns like cracks on a frozen lake. "Once and for all."

Gaodas's head turned toward me, his soulless helm locking onto my glowing form. The Crimson Knight tilted his head slightly, his amused smile now replaced with mild curiosity.

I exhaled, my breath turning to mist.

The battle had only just begun.