An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

Alicia gritted her teeth, slamming her staff into the ground. "[Frost Lance]!"

Spears of ice erupted upward, skewering two trolls through their legs. They howled, staggering—but instead of retreating, they thrashed more violently, the berserk state amplifying their madness. One troll snapped the ice with sheer force, blood pouring from its wounds, and charged again with no regard for its life.

"Damn it, even my magic barely slows them down!" Alicia shouted, her breathing ragged.

Nyra fired another volley of arrows, her hands trembling. "[Piercing Shot]!" One arrow found the throat of a troll, bursting through the back in a spray of gore. But the creature, instead of falling, lumbered forward until collapsing only when its body finally gave out.

Her arms shook as she drew again, her blood soaking into the wrappings on her wrist. "There's too many!"

A troll's massive palm suddenly swatted at her. She raised her bow to block but the sheer force flung her like a ragdoll, tearing her sleeve and leaving a jagged wound across her arm. She crashed near Alicia, barely conscious.

"Nyra!" Alicia cried, forcing another spell through her staff. Fire blossomed, the explosion searing the ground and forcing the trolls back momentarily. But the recoil shredded the remaining fabric of her gloves and burned her palms raw.

The girls' chests heaved, hair matted with sweat and blood. Their uniforms were in tatters, clinging to their bruised and battered bodies. Each breath came with pain, each movement sluggish. Yet the trolls showed no mercy, pressing forward relentlessly.

One troll swung down, the shadow of its fist swallowing both of them.

Nyra, coughing blood, whispered hoarsely, "Press it—now!"

Alicia's hand darted to the glowing crystal badge pinned to her chest. She slammed it, the emergency beacon activating with a flare of red light. A signal for help. The only card they had left.

They stumbled back, trying to hold out for rescue, but their strength was nearly gone. Every second felt like eternity as the trolls circled them, snarling, saliva dripping from their jagged teeth.

"Why… why is no one coming?" Alicia muttered, panic mixing with pain as another troll's strike grazed her side, ripping away the last of her torn sleeve and sending fresh blood splattering.

Nyra fell to one knee, bow shaking in her hands. "Something's… wrong…" Her vision blurred. She tried to nock another arrow, but her bloodied fingers slipped.

The trolls roared in unison, their berserk frenzy peaking. The largest of the pack raised its arm high, its club-like fist casting a shadow over the broken, exhausted girls. Their instincts screamed at them to move, to fight, to do something. But their battered bodies refused.

They could only look up, helpless, as death came crashing down.

A shadow loomed over them—one troll raised its club high, saliva dripping from jagged teeth, ready to end them both in one strike.

A metallic whistle cut the air.

CRACK!

A longsword spun like a streak of silver and buried itself deep into the troll's skull. Its eyes rolled back before the beast toppled, crashing into the dirt with a quake.

Both Alicia and Nyra weakly turned their heads. A girl stood there, her arm still extended from the throw, silver hair catching the dim light of dusk.

"...Althea," Nyra muttered, almost disbelieving.

From behind her, another figure emerged, calm yet radiant, her holy aura glowing faintly against the chaos. Evelyn.

Relief broke across both girls' battered faces. With the Saintess and her knight here… they were saved.

"Damn it, you two look like hell!" Evelyn rushed forward, skidding to her knees beside them, her eyes scanning their injuries. Blood everywhere, their limbs bent unnaturally, their uniforms nothing but torn, blood-soaked fabric clinging to their frames.

"Oh no—you're severely injured!" she gasped.

Nyra coughed, crimson staining her lips, and glared. "Oh~ thanks for informing us. We didn't notice."

Evelyn's lips twitched. "Would you shut up? I'm trying to show some concern here!"

"I don't need your concern. Just heal us already. I feel like my entire body's crushed."

"Well, that's because it is. Nearly every bone in your body is broken."

"You—" Nyra growled, glaring with enough fire to kill.

"Okay, okay!" Evelyn held up her hands. "Don't look at me like that, you're scaring me!"

Still, she pressed her palms together, her voice firm as divine energy gathered around her. "[Divine Blessing]!"

A cascade of golden light enveloped them. It seeped into their skin, knitting flesh, mending shattered bones, washing away the fatigue that clung to their souls. Their breaths steadied, mana surged back into their cores, and within moments, it was as though they had been reborn.

Alicia gasped, flexing her fingers, feeling her body restored. Nyra stretched her bow arm, the tension gone.

"Every time I see that skill," Nyra muttered, "it feels like cheating."

"It is cheating," Alicia agreed with a wry smile.

"Are you two done yet?" Althea's voice rang sharply from the frontlines. She had already retrieved her sword and was holding back three trolls alone, her blade flashing with precise, brutal strikes. "Because a little help here would be nice!"

The three regrouped. Nyra drew a replacement bow from her storage ring, Alicia's mana circle flared back to life, and Evelyn raised her staff, her aura glowing brightly.

The trolls surged again.

"Let's end this!" Nyra said, her voice strong once more.

And then they fought as one.

Althea took the front, sword blazing in controlled arcs that cut through troll hide and bone. Alicia unleashed destructive fire and lightning spells, detonating in bursts that scorched flesh and forced the trolls back. Nyra's arrows whistled through the air, each one finding its mark in eyes, throats, and hearts.

Behind them, Evelyn chanted continuously, her blessings wrapping around her allies like armor. Their bodies felt lighter, faster, stronger. Their magic burned hotter, their blades struck harder.

The battlefield turned into a storm of steel, fire, and holy light. One by one, the berserk trolls fell, their monstrous roars drowned out by the shouts of the four girls.

They fought until the earth was littered with corpses, until their breath came ragged, and the final troll toppled to the ground with a thunderous crash.

The four stood in the middle of the carnage, their clothes torn to rags, bodies covered in dirt and blood. But they stood victorious.