An Extra’s POV

"Let's get the first things out of the way."

The one known as Ater began by raising a finger, pointing the tip upwards.

"Darkness…"

In an instant, a swirling sphere of darkness, sparking with purple crackles of energy, appeared at the top of his pointed finger.

It shot up into the sky, scattering the moment it reached a high enough altitude.

Once the sphere exploded, it created a thin layer of purplish black darkness—like a veil—that covered the sky and shrouded the immediate vicinity.

In a mere moment, all of the Mercenary Gang members were within the massive dome of darkness.

'What did he just do?' Claudius wondered to himself as he stared above him.

They could still see the moon hanging in the sky, as well as pretty much everything else.

The world was just a bit darker, but apart from that, there was no issue at all.

'If his goal was not to take away our vision to restrict our mobility, then what was it?

"Don't look so concerned. This doesn't affect you in any way, so ignore it." Ater smiled, and Claudius felt like those words were directed at him in particular.

It frightened him.

"Now then, it'll be a waste of time to entertain you all any further, and I'm pretty bored, so I think I'll just end this quickly."

Before Claudius could properly process and analyze what he just heard, Ater pointed his finger towards the crowd and muttered words.

"Dark Possession."

In that instant, a powerful pulse radiated from Ater, filling the entire space in an instant.

"G-guh!" Claudius felt something slip into his consciousness, but he quickly shrugged it away.

His body felt cold, but he overcame it all through his sheer willpower.

Blinking rapidly and shrouding himself in energy, he woke up from whatever slumber he must have been experiencing.

However, what he saw next was perplexing.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

"SAVE ME! SAVE MEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"I'M DYING! UWAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"HELP MEEEEEEEE!!!"

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

voices filled the air behind him, and Claudius could hardly recognize any of them since they were

was that they all belonged to the

most of them had collapsed—either in their

closely,

of despair filled the

look at his men and

only death

Ater, was living proof

you wanted to

anguish as a result of some kind of

was far from the quick end that Ater

views regarding time." The response was smooth

a second for me. A

he already knew

to use it—my

were the stationary Heads of Destruction, all of

only one who had

instantly knew he wouldn't

try to help them,

were also invalid, so he was completely left on his

for my survival… I must do

heart as he crouched and placed

he would do anything to attain

he felt

stop him from making

"[Ultimate Sacrifice]."

~VWUUUUUUMMMM!~

blackness suddenly swept through the area like quicksand, easily filling the ground surrounding him with dark

bitterly as he spent

he filled the entire

single ally with him fell within his range, though somehow his shadow

He's a

his body as he

like hands—began to stick to the bodies of those who were