The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 501: Light Against the Warden

The jagged line of rock ripped across the plaza toward the Warden, tearing stone from the ground in its wake. The construct reacted instantly, chains snapping tight as it shifted its weight and braced. The impact cracked against its legs and lower torso, forcing it back half a step, fragments of armor and stone scattering across the open space.

Marcus landed hard, boots grinding against broken tile as he steadied himself.

"Now," he said, breath sharp. "Don’t let it breathe."

Roberto was already moving.

A thin arc of light snapped through the air.

"Radiant Slash."

The compressed blade carved straight into the Warden’s side, slicing through metal and chains alike before dispersing in a flash. The cut left a glowing line that hissed faintly as the light burned itself out.

The Warden turned toward Roberto immediately.

Marcus swore under his breath.

"Hey. Over here."

He stomped down again, anchoring himself.

"Rooted Stance."

The ground hardened beneath his feet, mana sinking into stone as he planted himself between the Warden and Roberto. The construct lunged, its arm swinging in a heavy arc meant to crush rather than cut.

"Stoneguard."

Rock surged up just in time. The blow shattered the shield on impact, the force rippling through Marcus’s arms and into his shoulders, but it held long enough to stop the strike from landing cleanly.

"Damn it—"

Marcus slid back a step, heat flaring along his arms as he countered.

"Azure Flare Strike."

Blue fire burst forward and detonated against the Warden’s chest, the explosion tight and violent. Flames washed over its upper body, forcing it to halt for a moment as molten fragments dripped to the ground.

It didn’t stay down.

The Warden pushed through the fire again, unfazed, chains snapping outward as it advanced.

"It’s not slowing," Marcus said, jaw tight.

"I know," Roberto replied, already breathing a little heavier. "Just keep it busy."

Light shimmered around Roberto’s shoulders.

"Lumina Veil."

A thin layer of pale light settled over him just as a shockwave rolled across the plaza, reducing the impact enough for him to stay on his feet as debris skidded past.

Marcus slammed his hand down.

"Stoneburst."

The ground beneath the Warden exploded upward, jagged shards tearing at its legs and forcing it to stagger. Marcus followed immediately.

"Blazing Pillar."

A column of blue fire erupted from beneath the construct, engulfing it in heat and light. The plaza shook as stone blackened and cracked around the impact zone.

For half a second, Marcus thought they’d finally forced it back.

Then the flames split.

The Warden stepped out again, armor damaged, chains hanging loose in places, but its posture unchanged. If anything, its movements were tighter now, more focused.

"...It’s learning," Marcus muttered.

The pressure in the plaza shifted again, sharper, more concentrated.

Roberto raised a hand, light condensing rapidly.

"Flashbind."

A pulse of light burst outward, flooding the Warden’s field of vision and forcing it to hesitate, its movements stuttering for just a moment.

"Go!" Roberto snapped.

Marcus surged forward, but his breathing was heavier now. The spells still worked. They just took more out of him each time. His shoulders burned. His core felt tight, strained.

The Warden recovered faster than before.

It twisted through Marcus’s next attack and drove a chain-wrapped fist straight into the ground. The shockwave tore through the plaza, ripping apart stone and sending Marcus skidding back despite his stance.

He barely stayed upright.

"...That’s bad," Marcus said, forcing a breath.

Roberto was already there, light flashing as he intercepted the follow-up strike, but this time he stumbled as well, his veil flickering.

The rhythm broke.

What had been controlled, paced, suddenly wasn’t.

And the Warden stepped forward, pressure rising, ready to force the issue.\

The Warden didn’t give them time to recover.

It advanced again, chains tightening as its posture shifted, its focus narrowing. This time, it didn’t split its attention. It went straight for Marcus.

"Hey—!"

Marcus barely got his feet under him before the next strike came down. He twisted aside and felt the impact tear into the stone where he’d been standing a heartbeat earlier. The ground buckled, debris spraying outward as he skidded back.

"Stoneguard!"

Rock surged up again, thinner this time. The shield shattered almost immediately, the force driving pain through his arms as he was pushed back another step.

"It’s going for you," Roberto said sharply, light already gathering around his hand.

"I noticed," Marcus shot back, teeth clenched.

The heat around his body intensified as he pushed more mana through his core.

"Molten Skin."

Blue heat and earth wrapped around him, the air warping as he forced himself forward again. He didn’t wait for the Warden to close the distance this time.

"Molten Lance."

Fire and earth fused in front of him, condensing into a solid spear of glowing magma. The cast took longer than he liked. Too long. His breathing hitched as he hurled it forward.

The lance slammed into the Warden’s chest and detonated, blasting molten fragments across the plaza and forcing the construct back several meters. Chains snapped loose, armor cracking deeper than before.

Marcus exhaled hard.

"Got you."

The Warden answered by tearing itself free of the explosion and charging straight through the lingering heat.

"...Of course," Marcus muttered.

He inhaled sharply and opened his mouth, mana flaring.

"Dragon’s Breath—Azure!"

A cone of blue fire roared out, flooding the narrow section of the plaza ahead of him. The flames filled the space completely, heat rolling back over Marcus as stone blackened and split under the assault. For a moment, the Warden disappeared inside the inferno.

Marcus held it longer than he should have.

His core screamed in protest as he forced the spell to continue, jaw tight, vision blurring at the edges. When he finally cut it, his knees almost buckled.

"Marcus—!"

Roberto stepped in immediately, slamming his hand down.

"Sanctum Pulse."

Light erupted outward in a wide shockwave, blasting into the Warden and throwing it back before it could capitalize on the opening. The construct skidded across the plaza, carving a deep line through the stone.

Roberto staggered as the light faded, bending slightly at the waist as if catching his breath.

"Still good," he said quickly, waving a hand. "Just... winded."

Marcus didn’t miss how fast he’d recovered.

The Warden rose again, slower now, but angrier. Its mana surged, pressure spiking as chains coiled tighter around its limbs.

It lunged.

Marcus reacted late.

"Earthen Shell!"

Stone surged up around him, forming a partial dome just as the Warden’s strike landed. The impact crushed into the shell, cracks racing across the surface as Marcus was driven to one knee inside it.

The barrier held.

Barely.

Marcus gasped for air as the shell collapsed, shards falling away around him. His vision swam as he forced himself upright, hands shaking despite the heat still clinging to his body.

That was when it clicked.

"It’s not just pressuring," he thought grimly. "It’s targeting me."

The Warden ignored Roberto entirely as it advanced again, every movement lined up toward Marcus, every angle cutting him off.

Archmage – Common.

The gap wasn’t subtle.

Marcus raised his hands again, a half-second too slow.

The Warden didn’t slow down.

It stepped in close, chains snapping tight as mana surged through its frame. The pressure spiked sharply, enough to make the air feel dense, heavy against Marcus’s chest. He barely had time to brace.

"Stoneguard!"

Rock surged up in front of him again, thinner than the previous ones, edges rough and uneven. At the same time, Marcus forced his feet into the ground.

"Rooted Stance!"

The earth answered, locking him in place as he leaned into the defense with everything he had left.

The Warden hit anyway.

The impact wasn’t clean. It wasn’t precise. It was brute force, channeled straight through mana and mass. The stone shield shattered instantly, fragments exploding outward like shrapnel. The force carried through into Marcus’s stance, ripping his feet free from the ground despite the anchoring spell.

"—Ghk!"

The blow caught him full on.

Marcus felt weight, heat, and pain all at once before the world lurched sideways. His body was launched across the plaza, smashing through broken stone and debris before slamming hard into the remains of a collapsed building. The impact knocked the air from his lungs completely.

He hit the ground and didn’t get back up.

Roberto moved too late.

"Marcus—!"

Light flared around him as he tried to close the distance, but by the time he reached the spot, Marcus was already still, half-buried under rubble, his mana flickering weakly.

For half a second, Roberto froze.

It wasn’t panic. Not really. Just a sharp, tight pause, like something snapping inside his chest.

Then it vanished.

Roberto straightened slowly and stepped forward, placing himself squarely between the Warden and Marcus’s fallen body.

The way he stood changed.

The unsteady breathing stopped. The forced fatigue dropped away. Light gathered around him, not in flashes or bursts, but as a steady presence, dense and controlled, spreading outward and settling into the air like a boundary.

"Solar Dominion."

The space around Roberto brightened, the light forming an invisible field that pressed back against the Warden’s advance. The chains rattled as the construct pushed forward, its movement suddenly heavier, restrained.

Roberto didn’t look back.

His eyes stayed on the Warden as he spoke, voice flat and cold.

"You’re not touching him again."

The Warden answered by stepping forward anyway, pressure surging as it forced itself into the light.