The Extra's Reincarnation-Chapter 81: Royal Blade Finale (2)

GONG!

A loud gong sounded, reverberating through the dome.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Julian and Marcus stood frozen, both staring at each other for any sign of movement...

For each second that had passed, it felt like it was going to be a long day.

None of them blinked and none of them moved a single inch of their body, it was like 2 statues, sculpted in the heat of battle.

CREAK…

The sound of metal grinding against metal shattered the tense silence.

"…!"

WHOOOOOSH!

In an instant, both boys exploded into battle, their bodies blurring with incredible speed as they dashed towards the slowly opening gate.

Julian and Marcus moved like lightning, their feet barely touching the ground as they sprinted.

The distance between them and the gate seemed to stretch endlessly, yet they covered it in mere heartbeats.

As they neared each other, their shoulders collided with a resounding thud, neither willing to yield even an inch of ground.

The impact from Cullen’s attack earlier had already injured Julian’s body, but he pushed through, gritting his teeth as he matched Marcus stride for stride.

-He’s fast!

-How is he so quick?

Both had the same thought in their heads and just as the gate emerged before them, the crystal within pulsed with an otherworldly light that seemed to beckon them forward.

Just as they were about to reach the threshold, Marcus made his move.

With a sharp intake of breath, he thrusted his palm forward, fingers splayed out wide.

The air around his hand shimmered and distorted as he channeled his mana.

"Lord of the wind, cast this spell to sever those in between. Grant me the guidance to cut through."

"Spell Arts Of Wind: Wind Slash!" Marcus roared, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

A blade of compressed air materialized, whistling as it sliced towards Julian.

The spell moved so fast it was almost invisible, a ripple in the air that promised devastating force.

Julian’s eyes widened as he sensed the attack coming.

In that split second, he made a decision that would change the course of the battle. Instead of dodging to the side, he leapt forward, tucking his body into a tight roll.

The wind blade passed over him, missing by mere millimeters.

Julian could feel the displaced air ruffling his hair, the sheer force of the spell threatening to throw him off balance. But he used the momentum of his roll, pushing off the ground with all his might.

As he came out of the roll, Julian found himself propelled forward with incredible speed, the wind spell inadvertently gave him the extra boost he needed to get to the gate before Marcus.

WHOOOOSHH!

He shot past a surprised Marcus, who hadn’t expected his attack to backfire so spectacularly.

With a final burst of speed, Julian crossed the threshold of the gate.

He spun around, his back to the crystal, arms spread wide in a defensive stance.

His chest heaved with exertion, but his eyes were alive with determination as he faced Marcus.

Marcus skidded to a halt just outside the gate, frustration etched across his face.

He had been so close for the first point, only to have the first point snatched away by Julian’s quick thinking.

"Not bad…"

Marcus couldn’t help but be impressed with Julian’s uncanny like thinking, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.

"But don’t think this changes anything. I’m still going to win this."

Julian didn’t respond, focusing all his energy on maintaining his guard.

He could feel the crystal pulsing behind him, its energy seeming to resonate with his own.

He knew he couldn’t let his guard down for even a second.

As Julian and Marcus faced each other, the air thick with tension, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed through the dome.

"60..."

The countdown had begun. Julian’s eyes widened, realizing he had less than a minute to protect the crystal.

Without hesitation, he took a quick step forward, positioning himself just outside the gate.

This strategic move gave him room to maneuver and fall back if needed, while still keeping the crystal within reach.

Marcus, recognizing the urgency, wasted no time.

DASH!

He lunged forward with his fist glowing with wind energy as he aimed a devastating punch at Julian’s midsection.

BOOM!

Julian’s Divine Eyes flared to life, the world around him seeming to slow as he tracked Marcus’s movements.

With inhuman speed, he twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the blow.

The wind from Marcus’ attack rustled his hair, a testament to how close it had come.

"50..."

Capitalizing on his dodge, Julian countered with a swift uppercut, infusing his fist with a burst of mana.

WHOOSH!

"...!"

Marcus, caught off-guard by Julian’s speed, barely managed to lean back, the punch grazing his chin.

The two boys engaged in a furious exchange of blows, As Meredith watched the scene before her, she knew that if anyone else were in their place, the winner would undoubtedly be Julian or Marcus.

BOOM...BOOM...BOOM...

Fists and feet flew with incredible speed, each strike was precise and equally as powerful.

The sound of their combat echoed through the dome, proving the willingness and determination to keep fighting for that one goal.

"40..."

Marcus, gritting his teeth, unleashed a another barrage of wind-enhanced jabs.

The air around his fists distorted, each punch carrying the force of a gale.

-Shit... there’s to many attacks to look at!

Julian, relying heavily on his Divine Eyes, weaved and bobbed, avoiding most of the strikes.

Those that did connect sent shockwaves through his body, threatening to push him back towards the crystal.

Julian retaliated with a series of mana-infused kicks, each one leaving a trail of blue energy in its wake. Marcus blocked and parried, wincing at the force behind each strike.

The sheer power of Julian’s attacks was forcing him to give ground, inch by precious inch.

-Damn it, if I can’t get any closer I’ll lose the first point...

"30..."

As the battle raged on, Julian felt a familiar strain building behind his eyes.

He finally realized that even though he could use a single gift for as long as he liked, the prolonged use of his Divine Eyes was not only causing pain in his eyes but also leaving his head weary with exhaustion.

-What’s going on? He seems thrown off by something…

Marcus, noticing Julian’s momentary distraction, seized the opportunity. He feinted with a left hook, then suddenly dropped low, sweeping Julian’s legs out from under him.

"...!"

Julian, caught off-guard, felt his feet leave the ground.

Time seemed to slow as he fell backwards, the crystal mounting ever closer behind him.

-I can’t let him reach it!

BAM!

Channeling mana to his palms, Julian slammed his hands into the ground.

The force of the impact sent him into a backward flip, his body arcing over the crystal.

He landed on his feet on the other side, his back now to the gate, the crystal safe between him and Marcus.

He stumbled slightly and deactivated his Divine Eyes, the strain was becoming too much to bear.

-There’s not much time, I need to use ’that’...

In a call for desperation, Marcus began to channel a massive amount of mana within his body.

"Spell Arts of Wind: Mirage!" Marcus shouted, his voice echoing through the dome.

The air around Marcus shimmered and distorted, creating multiple illusory copies of himself.

Each copy moved independently, their movements fluid and lifelike.

Julian’s eyes widened in confusion as he tried to track the real Marcus among the swirling illusions.

Just as Julian prepared for an attack, bracing himself for impact, the Marcus he had been focusing on suddenly dissipated into thin air.

"...?"

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

In that split second of confusion, Julian felt a rush of wind behind him.

He spun around, but it was too late.

The real Marcus had slipped past his defenses, using the mirage spell as a distraction.

Julian caught a glimpse of Marcus’s triumphant smirk as he reached for the crystal.

"10..."

Julian lunged forward, desperately trying to intercept Marcus. His fingers brushed against Marcus’ sleeve, but he couldn’t get a firm grip.

Marcus’s hand closed around the crystal, its ethereal light pulsing at his touch.

"5...4...3...2...1..."

As the countdown reached its final seconds, a bright flash of light engulfed the arena.

When it faded, Julian found himself back in the center of the dome, his heart pounding with frustration and admiration for Marcus’s clever strategy.

The mechanical voice rang out once more, its tone impassive.

[Marcus has scored. 1 point has been awarded... Current Score 1 - 0]

Julian glanced over at Marcus, who stood opposite him, a look that reflected an expression to keep fighting.

WHAM...

The crystal Marcus had grabbed had reappeared on its pedestal, shimmering innocently as if nothing had happened.

"You’re quite fast… haah… If I had known you had this kind of skills at the start I would’ve gone straight for you in the last challenge…haah…"

"I could say the same, haah… apart from going after you, haah…"

Both Julian and Marcus were catching their breath, but the two were evenly matched in their current state.

If there’s one thing Julian knew it was that the battle was far from over.

As he prepared for the next round, he couldn’t help but feel excited. This challenge was pushing him to his limits, forcing him to think on his feet and adapt quickly.

If he wanted to beat Marcus for this position, he would have to do everything by all means to succeed.