The Extra's Rise

"Parameters?" I asked, removing my own jacket.

"I'll restrict myself to Sword Heart and astral energy," he stated, his mana already condensing. A traditional blade materialized in his hand, immediately encased in a shimmering blue-white layer of astral energy. "You may use everything at your disposal."

I nodded, understanding the significance. Even with him holding back, this would be no easy contest.

"Begin whenever you're ready," he said, dropping into a deceptively relaxed stance.

I didn't hesitate. In this situation, striking first was the only viable option.

I activated Lucent Harmony, golden qilin sigils igniting across my skin as Luna's power flowed through our connection. My aura began resonating immediately—a constant state I'd perfected in the Well of Miasma, enhancing every aspect of my capabilities.

'Watch his footwork,' Luna advised as I circled the Martial King cautiously. 'His Sword Heart lets him read your intentions before you move.'

I activated Soul Resonance next, my perception expanding as Soul Vision revealed the intricate mana pathways throughout the room. The secondary aspect, Mythic Body, unlocked further physical potential, my muscles and reflexes operating at peak efficiency.

"Still setting up?" the Martial King asked with a hint of impatience. "Let's not waste time."

He moved, covering the distance between us faster than most eyes could track. His astral-enhanced blade came in a deceptively simple horizontal slash that would have bisected me had I been where he expected.

But I wasn't.

Erebus's Bone Armour manifested just as I executed a perfect backdash, dark purple energy solidifying into skeletal plates over my vital areas. The tip of his blade caught only air, though I felt the displaced energy rush past my face.

"Improved reaction time," he noted, already adjusting his stance for a follow-up.

I didn't give him the chance. It was time to show him what I'd truly learned in the Well of Miasma.

I summoned my Divine Miracle—Wings of Seraphim. Unlike conventional techniques, Divine Miracles operated on different principles altogether, bending reality rather than simply channeling energy. Translucent wings of pure light materialized at my back, enhancing my spatial awareness and movement capabilities beyond mortal limits.

The Martial King's eyes widened slightly at the manifestation. "Divine Miracle," he murmured, recognition in his tone.

I didn't wait for him to finish his assessment. With Wings of Seraphim active, I could perceive the entire arena with perfect clarity—every angle, every approach vector, even the subtle fluctuations in the Martial King's mana distribution.

Now was the moment for Grade 6 Art: Purelight Movement – God Flash.

Unlike the incremental techniques I'd shown before, God Flash was singular and devastating—a burst of pure speed and power condensed into a single, perfect movement. I vanished from the Martial King's sight, reappearing within his guard, my strike aimed directly at his center mass with concentrated force that could shatter reinforced concrete.

He reacted with the instinctive brilliance that had made him legendary, pivoting just enough to take the blow on his shoulder rather than his core. Even so, the impact sent him sliding across the training room floor, his boots leaving molten trails in the adaptive panels.

"Impressive," he acknowledged, rolling his shoulder experimentally. "Direct and efficient. But predictable."

He countered with a vertical slash that seemed to distort the space around it, the astral energy extending well beyond the physical blade's reach.

The true demonstration lay in what came next—the CQC Grade 5 Art I'd developed specifically for this world's combat system. It was a comprehensive close-quarters style that incorporated dozens of techniques: joint locks that worked against mana-reinforced bodies, pressure point strikes that affected energy circulation, weight transfers that maximized impact force while minimizing exposure.

I closed distance, shifting unpredictably between different aspects of the style. A feinted knife-hand strike transitioned seamlessly into a sweeping low kick. When he evaded, I was already adapting, converting the missed kick's momentum into a spinning elbow strike.

"Self-created?" he asked as we separated briefly, a new respect in his gaze.

"Adapted," I replied, already planning my next move.

He countered with a thrust so precise it should have pierced my defense, but I rotated at the last possible moment, the blade passing through the space between my arm and torso. My palm struck toward his wrist—not to disable, but to disrupt the mana flow to his weapon.

For the first time, I saw genuine surprise in his expression as he felt his astral energy waver momentarily.

Magnus nodded, acknowledging my response with a teacher's approval. Then he shifted, his stance becoming more aggressive. "Enough warm-up," he declared, his astral energy intensifying around his blade.

The Martial King nodded, acknowledging my response with a teacher's approval. Then he shifted, his stance becoming more aggressive. "Enough warm-up," he declared, his astral energy intensifying around his blade.

His next attack came with significantly more power—a diagonal slash that cut through the air with such force that the training room's sensors blared warnings. This was still only a fraction of his true capability, but it was clear he was escalating the test.

I needed to respond in kind.

I accessed memories I'd deliberately kept buried—the weeks of starvation training at Mount Hua Sect under Master Li. The gnawing emptiness, the hallucinations, the way my body had consumed itself from within. Those experiences had forged something in me—an understanding of emptiness that made Deepdark manipulation possible.

It was time for the second movement of my Grade 6 Art: Hollow Eclipse.

Where God Flash represented perfect speed and precision, Hollow Eclipse embodied overwhelming power. Eleven elemental energies began to gather—fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, metal, wood, light, chaos, order, and Deepdark. The first ten formed two distinct layers around my right arm, while spots of Deepdark manifested in the gap between them.

The completed technique resembled a spiraling eclipse of multicolored energy, with points of absolute darkness scattered throughout its structure. Unlike conventional elemental arts, Hollow Eclipse didn't seek harmony—it weaponized the inherent conflicts between the elements, creating a constantly destabilizing force.

Magnus's expression grew serious as he sensed the building power. "Show me," he commanded, reinforcing his astral-enhanced blade with additional layers of protection.

Without warning, I launched forward, abandoning defense entirely for an all-out assault. Hollow Eclipse surrounded my arm as I struck directly at his astral-enhanced blade.

The collision was spectacular. The training room's sensors blared warnings as our energy output exceeded safety parameters. The protective barriers around the arena glowed white-hot as they struggled to contain the overflow.

For a moment, we were locked in stalemate, neither giving ground. The Martial King's face showed intense concentration as he fought to maintain his weapon's integrity against my assault.

The eleven elements in Hollow Eclipse attacked his blade from multiple conceptual angles simultaneously—some disrupting its frequency, others interfering with its structure, the Deepdark spots creating minute vacuums that pulled at the astral energy's cohesion.

Then, with a sound like shattering glass, a crack appeared in the astral layer surrounding his physical sword. The crack spread rapidly, branching outward like lightning across the sky.

With a final surge of effort, I pushed forward—and the astral enhancement shattered completely, leaving the Martial King holding only the physical blade beneath.

He disengaged immediately, the monitoring systems around us powering down automatically, their emergency protocols triggered by our exchange.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke. I maintained my combat stance, uncertain of his reaction.

Then, unexpectedly, the Martial King smiled—a genuine expression I'd never seen from him before.

"Well done," he said, examining his now-ordinary blade with interest. "Very well done indeed."

I released my techniques one by one, the various energy manifestations fading as I returned to normal state. Even with my enhanced capabilities, maintaining so many high-level arts simultaneously had been taxing.

"Your control is remarkable," he continued, sheathing his weapon. "The contrast between God Flash and Hollow Eclipse particularly—one representing perfect precision, the other overwhelming power. Few practitioners master both ends of the spectrum so thoroughly."

"The Well demanded versatility," I acknowledged, accepting the water bottle he tossed to me.

"Clearly." He paused, studying me with renewed interest. "The Divine Miracle especially. Wings of Seraphim is not a technique I've encountered before."

"Self-inscribed," I confirmed.

He shook his head slightly. "And that final technique—using eleven elements simultaneously, including Deepdark. The mana control required for that should be beyond an Integration-ranker."

"I had excellent foundations to build upon," I replied, acknowledging his role in my development.