The Extra's Reincarnation-Chapter 82: Royal Blade Finale (3)

The battle for the title of the Royal Blade continued without a stop.

Both Julian and Marcus were nearing themselves to the limit of their abilities.

Throughout their fight, Marcus proved himself to be a formidable opponent. His genius-like abilities with wind magic allowed him to create illusions, enhance his speed, and launch countless attacks, putting Julian on the defensive and winning rounds to equalise their match.

His Mirage spell became a constant thorn in Julian’s side, forcing him to rely on instinct and quick reflexes to discern the real Marcus from his illusory copies.

Julian, for his part, fought with a tenacity that surprised even himself.

Despite the temptation to use his other gifts, he held back, relying solely on his base magical abilities and physical prowess. His Divine Eyes remained inactive, due to the strain from earlier still lingering behind his eyes.

The score climbed steadily. 1-0 became 1-1, then 2-1 in Marcus’s favor. Julian managed to even it at 2-2 with a clever feint that left Marcus grasping at empty air. 3-2, 3-3, 4-3 Julian’s way.

Both boys were covered in bruises, their clothes torn and singed from near-misses with magical attacks. Sweat poured down their faces, mingling with blood from small cuts and scrapes. Yet neither showed any sign of giving up.

In a particularly intense round, Marcus unleashed a tornado of slicing wind, filling the entire area around the open gate with a maelstrom of cutting air.

Julian, in a move that left even Marcus wide-eyed, charged straight through the vortex. His skin was lacerated by dozens of tiny cuts, but he managed to reach the crystal and hold his ground until the gate closed.

But Marcus’s experience and tactical mind began to show as the battle wore on.

He started to anticipate Julian’s moves, using his wind magic to subtly influence Julian’s positioning. In one crucial moment, he used a gust of wind to push Julian just slightly off-balance, creating the opening he needed to slip past and claim the crystal.

And so it came to pass that the score stood at 4-4.

Both boys stood at the center of the dome, chests heaving, bodies battered but spirits unbroken.

Julian could feel the weight of his restraint, the untapped power of his gifts itching to be unleashed.

But he held firm to his resolve, determined to win or lose on his own merits.

As they locked eyes across the arena, both knew that the next round would decide everything.

As Marcus and Julian faced each other in the center of the dome, their breathing echoed in the cavernous space, each inhale and exhale a testament to the grueling battle they had endured.

Neither of them spoke, conserving every ounce of energy for the crucial moments to come.

The silence between them was heavy with unspoken words - respect, determination, and the mutual understanding that only true rivals can share.

The mechanical voice that had become the soundtrack to their battle rang out once more, its emotionless tone a stark contrast to the intensity of the moment.

[Final round commencing. Current score: 4-4.]

Marcus allowed himself a small, confident smile. He was so close to victory he could almost taste it.

One more point, one more crystal, and the title of Royal Blade would be his.

He had fought long and hard for this moment, and he wasn’t about to let it slip away.

As the familiar creaking of metal signaled the opening of a gate, Marcus’s body tensed, ready to spring into action.

But just as he was about to launch himself forward, something made him hesitate.

He glanced over at Julian, expecting to see the same determination, the same readiness for battle.

"...!"

But what he saw instead sent a chill down his spine.

Julian stood perfectly still, his eyes closed as if in deep concentration.

But there was something different about him, something... menacing.

From his perspective, he felt completely bothered by how his presence and demeanor changed.

When he opened his eyes, the intense pressure seemed to fill all corners of the room, and that pressure came from Julian.

The hairs on the back of Marcus’s neck stood on end, as though something was warning him that everything about him personified danger.

-I can’t move... I really can’t move...

Julian’s stance hadn’t changed, his posture still relaxed and unassuming. Yet there was something undeniably different about him. It wasn’t anything Marcus could put his finger on - no visible change, no dramatic transformation. But the aura emanating from Julian had transformed entirely.

CREAK…

The creaking of the gate seemed to echo unnaturally loud in the tense silence.

Marcus blinked, his eyes instinctively drawn to the source of the sound.

But in that split second, that mere fraction of time it took for his eyelids to close and reopen, Julian vanished.

"…!"

Marcus’s heart leapt into his throat. His eyes darted frantically around the arena, searching for his opponent.

How was this possible?

Even with his incredible speed, Julian couldn’t have moved fast enough to disappear completely in the blink of an eye.

A chill ran down Marcus’s spine as he slowly turned towards the open gate.

There, standing as if he’d been there all along, was Julian. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, but his eyes... his eyes burned with an intensity that made Marcus take an involuntary step back.

Julian’s expression almost looked lifeless.

He stood there, perfectly still, yet somehow radiating an ominous aura.

[Overtime Has Been Reached...]

[10 Minutes for both sides...]

But there was no time to think, no time to strategize. The countdown had already begun, the seconds ticking away relentlessly.

DASH!

Marcus charged forward, wind magic swirling around his fists.

As he reached a perfectly still Julian, he unleashed a barrage of punches, each one carrying the force of a gale.

WHOOSH!

But Julian moved with an otherworldly grace, his body seeming to flow like water around each strike.

Marcus’s eyes widened in disbelief as Julian effortlessly evaded every attack. It was as if Julian could read his movements before he even made them.

Frustration building, Marcus channeled more mana into his strikes, the air around them howling with the intensity of his wind magic.

"Spell Arts of Wind: Tempest Barrage!"

Marcus roared, unleashing a storm of wind-enhanced punches.

The air itself seemed to shatter under the force of his assault, each punch leaving trails of distorted space in its wake.

But Julian’s movements remained fluid, almost hypnotic.

He weaved through the barrage with impossible precision, his eyes never leaving Marcus’s face.

-How is he doing that?!

Suddenly, Julian countered. His fist shot out with blinding speed, connecting with Marcus’s solar plexus.

BAM!

The impact was devastating. Marcus felt as if he’d been struck by a battering ram, all the air driven from his lungs in an instant.

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ACK...

He stumbled backward, gasping for breath, his vision blurring from the sheer force of the blow.

Panic began to set in as Marcus realized the true extent of Julian’s strength. If he took another hit like that, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get up again.

He needed to change tactics, and fast.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Marcus leapt backward, putting some distance between himself and Julian. He raised his hands, channeling his mana into a complex pattern.

"Spell Arts of Wind: Mirage!"

A whirlwind erupted around Marcus, obscuring him from view. Within the vortex, he created multiple wind clones, each one an exact replica of himself.

As the cyclone dissipated, a dozen Marcus’s stood where there had been one, each poised to attack.

But Julian remained unperturbed. His eyes, still burning with that unnatural intensity, scanned the group of clones. Without warning, he moved.

Julian’s movements were a blur, his body seeming to flicker in and out of existence as he weaved through the crowd of clones. One by one, they dissipated into wisps of wind as Julian’s strikes connected with unerring accuracy.

"…!"

-How is that even possible? he should be out of energy… Just how much does he have left?

Marcus watched in horror as Julian decimated his wind clones with terrifying efficiency. Each precise strike dispelled another illusion.

BOOM!

As the last clone vanished, Marcus found himself face-to-face with Julian, those burning eyes boring into him.

In that moment, Marcus knew with chilling certainty that if Julian landed even one more solid hit, it would be over.

But what truly unsettled Marcus was the sudden shift in Julian’s tactics. Gone was the defensive stance, the careful guarding of the gate. Instead, Julian pressed forward with relentless aggression, each step deliberate and menacing. It was as if Julian had decided the best defense was an overwhelming offense.

Marcus found himself backpedaling, desperately trying to maintain distance.

-This can’t be right… everything it’ll be over if I-

WHOOOOOSH!

His mind raced, searching for a strategy, a weakness, anything to turn the tide.

But Julian’s appeared before him with speed that had never disappeared, a barrage of lightning-fast jabs and kicks that left Marcus no time to think, only react.

SHAAAA!

Marcus narrowly avoided all the attacks with Julian’s fists barely scraping against his already bleeding cheeks.