Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 39

The next day arrived and William was feeling more prepared for the actual fighting than for thinking about the other problems that would inevitably arise. He dressed in his House Ascendant combat uniform and headed to the main arena where all twenty competitors were gathering.

The arena had been reorganized for the inter-house competition, with four distinct sections for each house and a central platform where the team battles would take place. The platform was significantly larger than the ones used for individual matches, designed to accommodate five-versus-five combat with room for tactical maneuvering.

William found his team in the Ascendant section. Adrian was already there running through some final strategy points with Patricia and Devon. Mira arrived a few minutes later looking more awake than William felt.

"Good morning," she said while stretching. "Ready to not embarrass our house?"

"That’s the plan," William replied.

The other three houses were gathering in their respective sections. William could see Liam in the Luminara area talking with his teammates, looking completely relaxed despite the upcoming battles. The Arcturus section was further away, but William caught glimpses of silver hair that probably belonged to Seraphina.

He deliberately didn’t look for Claire in the Luminara section.

Headmistress Nectaris stepped onto a raised platform overlooking the arena. Her voice carried across the space without needing amplification, probably enhanced with essence techniques.

"Welcome to the Inter-House Competition," she announced. "Over the next three days, you twenty students will compete for ten positions on our Inter-Academy team. Today’s team battles will test your ability to coordinate and adapt. Tomorrow’s individual brackets will test personal combat skill. Thursday’s specialty challenges will test versatility and problem-solving under pressure."

She paused to let what she had said sink in.

"Team battle format is straightforward. Each house will fight every other house once. Three matches per house, nine total matches for the day. Winning teams receive points, individual performance is scored separately. These points contribute to your overall ranking."

The match schedule appeared on display boards around the arena. Ascendant would fight Valoris first, then Luminara, then Arcturus. The order was randomized, which meant they’d be fighting progressively harder opponents as the day went on if the preliminary results were any indication.

"The first match begins in thirty minutes," Headmistress Nectaris concluded. "Competitors are expected to prepare accordingly."

The Ascendant team gathered in their section to review strategy one final time. Adrian had them run through their coordination signals and positioning plans, making sure everyone remembered their roles.

"Valoris is well-rounded but doesn’t excel in any particular area," Adrian said. "We use that against them. Hit hard with coordinated strikes before they can establish their rhythm. William and I pressure from different angles, Patricia maintains defensive support, Devon controls the ground, Mira creates openings and it would be simple and effective."

They moved to the preparation area adjacent to the main platform. Through the barriers, William could see the Valoris team doing their own preparations. Sara Whitlock was among them, and he felt the system interface flicker with a notification he ignored.

"House Ascendant versus House Valoris," the announcer called. "The participating teams are to be headed to the platform."

They climbed up and took their positions on one side of the circular platform. The Valoris team took the opposite side, spreading into their own formation. Sara was positioned as a support fighter on their left flank.

A referee stood at the center of the platform. "Standard match rules apply. The match ends when one team is reduced to two or fewer active members, or when a team captain signals surrender. Lethal force is prohibited. Begin on my signal."

Both teams tensed, their hands clenched as they prepared to launch at each other.

"Begin!"

Adrian surged forward immediately, lightning crackling around his weapon as he moved to engage the Valoris center. William split right as planned, drawing his sword and channeling fire essence into the blade. His target was the Valoris striker who’d moved to counter Adrian’s advance.

Fire clashed against wind enhancement as William engaged. His opponent was skilled but fought individually rather than as part of a coordinated unit. William pressed the attack while staying aware of Adrian’s positioning on his left.

"Now!" Adrian called.

William shifted his angle, driving his opponent toward the center where Adrian’s lightning barrier had forced the Valoris team to cluster. Devon slammed his hands on the platform and earth essence rippled outward, creating uneven terrain that disrupted the Valoris team’s footing.

Mira’s shadows struck from three directions simultaneously, not strong enough to incapacitate but enough to create confusion and block sight lines. The Valoris team tried to adapt but they were already off-balance from the terrain disruption.

Patricia sent a wave of water essence that caught two Valoris members who’d been forced together by the terrain manipulation. The water didn’t hurt them but it created enough distraction for William and Adrian to press their advantage.

William’s fire-enhanced strikes broke through his opponent’s guard, landing a decisive blow that would have been serious in a real fight. The referee called that fighter out, reducing Valoris to four active members.

The coordination worked exactly as Adrian had planned. Within two more minutes, they’d eliminated another Valoris member through combined pressure. Sara tried to rally her team but they were already too disrupted to mount an effective defense.

"Match to Ascendant!" the referee called as the third Valoris member went down.

William’s team regrouped at their starting position, breathing hard but satisfied. The match had lasted less than six minutes and they’d dominated through superior coordination.

"Good work," Adrian said. "That’s exactly what we practiced. Rest up, next match is in an hour."

They descended from the platform and returned to their section. William grabbed water and tried to recover his breath while watching other matches. Luminara was fighting Arcturus on a different platform, and even from a distance William could see both teams were significantly more skilled than Valoris had been.

Liam fought with his usual efficient precision, while Seraphina led Arcturus with aggressive overwhelming pressure. The match was close and lasted nearly ten minutes before Luminara secured victory through Liam’s superior tactical awareness.

"That’s what we’re up against next," Devon observed while watching. "Luminara’s coordination is almost as good as ours, and their individual skill levels are higher."

"We can handle them," Adrian said with confidence William wasn’t sure he shared.

The hour passed quickly, and then it was time for their second match. William’s team took the platform again, this time facing Luminara’s formation. Liam stood at the center looking completely composed. Lyanna was positioned on their right flank, and Claire was on the left.

William felt the system interface flickering insistently but he pushed it aside. No time to worry about curse percentages when he was about to fight.

"Begin!"

Luminara opened with more caution than Valoris had, maintaining formation while probing for weaknesses. Liam engaged Adrian directly, matching the house captain’s speed and technique while his teammates provided support.

William moved to counter Lyanna, their familiarity with each other’s styles making the engagement feel almost rehearsed. Fire met magical constructs as Lyanna used her versatile essence manipulation to counter his attacks without committing to direct combat.

"Left side!" Adrian called out.

William shifted as planned, but Luminara adapted faster than Valoris had. Claire intercepted his movement with dark essence techniques that forced him to defend rather than attack. Her strikes came with unusual intensity, and William realized the curse percentage was probably affecting her behavior even if she was fighting it.

Devon’s earth manipulation caught two Luminara members, but Liam countered by using wind essence to keep his team mobile despite the terrain disruption. Mira’s shadows were less effective against Luminara because they’d clearly prepared for that tactic.

The match turned into a grinding battle of attrition. Both teams traded blows without gaining decisive advantage. William’s fire enhancement clashed repeatedly with Claire’s techniques, and he could see the wild edge in her eyes that suggested she was struggling to maintain control.

"Claire, rotate!" Liam called out, apparently noticing something was off.

Claire disengaged from William and moved to support another teammate, which gave William breathing room but also meant Luminara had adapted their formation to counter his pressure.

Eight minutes into the match, neither team had lost a member. Adrian called for a coordinated burst, committing more essence to a combined assault. Lightning and fire struck simultaneously while Devon created a barrier that cut off Luminara’s retreat options.

The tactic worked partially. They eliminated one Luminara member, but the effort cost significant essence reserves. Liam countered immediately with his own coordinated strike that caught Patricia off-guard and forced her to withdraw.

Four versus four now, with both teams visibly tired.

The match continued for another three minutes before Liam made a decisive move that broke through Ascendant’s formation. He took out Mira with a precise strike, then immediately transitioned to pressure Devon before the earth user could recover his stance.

"Match to Luminara!" the referee called as Devon went down.

William’s team descended from the platform looking exhausted and frustrated. They’d fought well but Luminara’s individual skill advantage had eventually overcome their coordination edge.

"We pushed them harder than they expected," Adrian said while catching his breath. "That’s good enough for a first loss. Rest up, we fight Arcturus in ninety minutes."

William sat down heavily and finally checked the system notification that had been blinking throughout the match.

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[CATASTROPHIC ALLURE - COMBAT INTENSITY MODIFIER ACTIVE]

Claire Hivolt: 48% (+2% from extended combat engagement)

Lyanna Stormweaver: 31% (+2% from extended combat engagement)

Warning: Curse influence intensifies during direct combat scenarios. Targets experience heightened emotional investment during fights. Recommend avoiding extended engagements when possible.

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This was going to be a long three days.