Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

"Who is it!?"

Evelyn shouted with enraged eyes. Although the rain of arrows was mostly blocked by Isabella shild, Evelyn was still irritated by the ambush.

The three of them turned to the balcony and saw Elera and other cadets in Team Black.

Isabella's shield held firm, deflecting the majority of the incoming arrows, but the sudden ambush left the trio on edge. Evelyn gritted her teeth, her frustration evident as she glared at their attackers.

Elera stood on the balcony, her gaze calm and calculating, a stark contrast to the chaos she had just unleashed. The cadets from Team Black stood beside her, their weapons ready for the next attack.

"Elera, do you have no shame at all? How dare you attack us from behind!"

Evelyn shouted in anger, for moment most of cadets from team black flinched but Elera wasn't bait eye at Evelyn words.

Elera's expression remained unfazed, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with Evelyn's fiery outburst. She lowered her bow, her eyes scanning the scene below as if assessing the next move in a strategic game.

"It's called strategy, Evelyn," Elera replied, her voice cold and composed.

"This isn't a friendly sparring match. You should have expected ambushes from the beginning. Or were you too caught up in your own arrogance to notice?"

Evelyn's fists clenched at Elera's words.

The calm and calculating demeanor of the girl on the balcony only fueled her anger. It wasn't just the attack—it was the implication that Evelyn had been careless.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Evelyn shot back, eyes blazing. "But hiding and shooting from a distance isn't going to win this fight. Come down here and face us properly!"

Elera simply raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Why would I do that when I have the high ground and the advantage? You're the one who needs to make a move."

The tension in the air was palpable. Elera's calm, strategic approach was pushing Evelyn to her limits, but Evelyn was not one to back down. She looked at Isabella and the third cadet beside her, signaling with a subtle nod.

"We push forward," Evelyn said through gritted teeth, determination blazing in her eyes. "We can't let them pin us down like this. Isabella, keep your shield up. We're going in."

Isabella nodded, her shield ready to block any incoming arrows. The third cadet Natasha, visibly tense, steadied her weapon, trying to match Evelyn's fiery resolve.

As they began to move, Elera's eyes flickered with a sharp focus. She knocked another arrow and aimed, but this time, it wasn't just a random shot—it was calculated, targeting the weak points in Isabella's shield formation.

"Fire!" Elera ordered, and her teammates unleashed another volley of arrows.

Evelyn sprinted forward, closing the distance with a speed that caught the Black Team by surprise. She dodged and weaved through the arrows, her every movement fueled by a fierce determination to turn the tables.

Isabella's shield shimmered as it absorbed the brunt of the attack, but the strain was evident. With each hit, the shield wavered slightly, and Isabella was clearly struggling to maintain it under the relentless assault.

"Don't let up!" Elera shouted, her voice ringing out as she directed her team. "We have them on the ropes. Keep the pressure!"

Evelyn closed the gap to the balcony, her eyes never leaving Elera's. She knew she had to disrupt Elera's control of the battlefield; otherwise, the battle would remain in Team Black's favor. With a final burst of speed, Evelyn leapt onto the balcony, her sword drawn and ready to strike.

But Elera was ready.

She match Evelyn short dagger with her own rapier.

Clank—!

A metallic sound resonateed in narrow path as both Elera and Evelyn got in fighting position.

In few seconds both of the exchange more than 50 swings at each other.

At first it's seems that both of them were on equal ground but as time passed by Evelyn was losing her footing.

Evelyn was slowly but surely was pushed by Elera.

Evelyn is duel weapon specialists.

However her main weapon is Bow and she one time gave up on dagger, So her mastery on dagger is not that great compared to her bow.

On the other hand, Elera was confident she could beat Evelyn as time passed by.

"Dammit...."

Evelyn clenched her teeth as she exchanged blows with Elera. She could feel the difference in their skill and experience.

Every time she swung her short sword once, Elera swung her rapier twice. Furthermore, Elera easily parried attacks she couldn't parry.

It wasn't that there were distractions. Other than Elera, everyone was focused on dealing with Natasha and Isabella. As a result, Evelyn and Elera were having a purely one-on-one battle.

Clang! Clang!

Every time Evelyn sword clashed with Elera rapier, Evelyn felt like her hands were being torn apart.

As expected, Elera was an expert who carried immense strength in her thin rapier.

The only thing Evelyn could do was to block her attacks.

"Goddammit—!"

However, Evelyn didn't want to lose.

At the very least, she didn't want to lose to Elera.

Her desire to win and unyielding spirit led to an incredible eruption of magic power.

Evelyn magic power exploded, soaring high and gathering around her sword. Her magic power formed a giant sword that was both long and wide.

"...!"

The vicious yet imposing appearance of the giant sword made Elera flinch.

Evelyn swung this giant sword with all her strength.

However, a large movement left room for openings.

Elera didn't receive her attack, instead, she rolled to the side and dodged. As a result, Evelyn sword only hit the ground.

Immediately afterward, something Elera didn't expect happened.

KOONG!

Struck with Evelyn sword, the floor collapsed.

Elera, who had just evaded the massive strike, felt the ground give way beneath her feet.

The floor shattered under the force of Evelyn's magic-enhanced blow, sending debris and dust into the air. Elera plummeted into the darkness below, their surroundings swallowed by the crumbling structure.

As she fell, Elera twisted her body, managing to grab onto a piece of rubble protruding from the wall. She dangled precariously, struggling to maintain her grip.

After few seconds of vain struggle, Elera fell on the floor.

"Where did you go!?

A lion-like roar rang out from above. Elera quickly got up. She wanted to return to the battlefield as quickly as possible. Her teammates were too weak to contend with Isabella and Evelyn without her...

But at that moment, someone appeared in front of her.

Elera turned stiff.

Wearing a white cadet uniform, which was the symbol of Team White, he held up his sword.

It was Adrian.

He had defeated Aric on the fifth floor and had climbed up to the fourth floor.

Elera bit her lips.

From the looks of it, Adrian had no intention of going easy. The moment he confirmed that Elera was in Team Black, he charged toward her. Elera received his sword with her rapier.

A power on a completely different level pressed down on her, making her tremble.