The Extra's Rise

The sound of daggers clashing reverberated through the Ashbluff family's private training room as Jin and Kali separated, both breathing hard from their morning sparring session. The underground chamber was carved directly into the Western Continent's volcanic bedrock, its walls lined with protective wards that could contain even Peak Immortal-rank combat without disturbing the manor above.

Both weapons gleamed with Deepdark energy that seemed to devour the room's magical lighting, creating shifting patterns of shadow and void that made tracking their movements a challenge even for enhanced senses. They moved with the kind of synchronized precision that spoke to months of training together, each anticipating the other's techniques with the intimacy that came from sharing both combat practice and more personal moments.

Kali's fighting style was aggressive and unpredictable, her twin daggers weaving patterns that prioritized overwhelming offense over defensive positioning. She fought like someone who had learned that hesitation got you killed, every strike calculated to end conflicts quickly and decisively. Her dark hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail that kept it out of her eyes, while her combat attire was functional rather than decorative—reinforced leather that could turn aside most magical attacks without sacrificing mobility.

Jin's approach was more methodical, his movements flowing with the kind of controlled grace that came from noble training refined through practical application. Where Kali sought to dominate through speed and violence, Jin preferred to control the pace of engagement, using superior positioning and timing to gradually gain advantage. His dark hair was disheveled from exertion, but his breathing remained steady despite the intensity of their sparring.

The final exchange was decisive. Jin's blade work had been gradually forcing Kali into increasingly disadvantageous positions, and when she committed to a particularly aggressive combination, he was ready. His counter-attack flowed around her offense like water around stone, ending with his dagger pressed gently against her throat while her own weapons were trapped in positions that couldn't threaten him.

"Yield," he said softly, though there was satisfaction in his dark eyes that went beyond mere victory in training.

"Your art is fucking ridiculous," Kali scoffed as she stepped back, but her tone carried affection rather than genuine irritation. "How the hell do you make defensive fighting look so damn elegant?"

"You are strong too," Jin replied with characteristic understatement, his usually stoic expression softening with the kind of small smile that only appeared when they were alone together. "Though perhaps you rely too much on aggression when patience would serve better."

"Patience is for people who have time to waste," Kali retorted, accepting the towel he offered with automatic courtesy. "Some of us prefer to end fights before they become problems."

"Besides," she continued while wiping sweat from her forehead, "your 'patience' wouldn't have gotten us through half the political negotiations we handled during Arthur's absence. Sometimes you need to convince people that cooperation is their best option by demonstrating what happens if they choose otherwise."

Jin chuckled quietly, the sound carrying warmth that transformed his usual serious demeanor. "True. Though your methods of persuasion occasionally created diplomatic complications that required considerable effort to resolve."

"But they worked," Kali pointed out with satisfaction that spoke to results rather than methodology. "Every major guild in the Western Continent now operates under Ouroboros coordination, the noble houses have agreed to resource-sharing protocols, and potential rivals decided that partnership was preferable to opposition."

Their collaborative efforts during Arthur's absence had been remarkable in both scope and effectiveness.

"By the way," Jin said as they moved toward the training room's equipment storage, "Arthur is finally coming to the Western Continent."

"About fucking time," Kali cursed with characteristic directness, though her tone carried relief alongside irritation. "That bastard disappeared after the attack and comes back after two years like nothing happened."

Despite her harsh words, Jin knew Kali had been genuinely worried about Arthur's wellbeing. When news of the Order's assault on Avalon had reached the Western Continent, she had immediately prepared to travel there despite having no clear understanding of what assistance she could provide. Only Jin's calm reasoning and Arthur's own message explaining his departure had prevented her from charging across continents to help someone who was no longer there to be helped.

"I wonder how strong he is now," she continued with speculative interest that couldn't hide underlying concern. "Knowing that bastard, it would be something completely ridiculous."

Jin nodded in agreement, his dark eyes reflecting the same curiosity. Arthur had always possessed the kind of driven ambition that pushed normal limitations beyond their breaking points. Two years of mysterious training, combined with whatever had motivated his departure, would likely have produced results that defied conventional expectations.

Their relationship with Arthur had experienced a rocky, forced beginning. Political necessity had brought them together rather than personal choice, and early interactions had been characterized by mutual wariness and careful evaluation. Arthur's reputation for complex romantic arrangements had made Kali suspicious of his motives, while his obvious strategic intelligence had put Jin on guard against potential manipulation.

But over time, those initial tensions had mellowed into something approaching genuine friendship. Arthur's willingness to honor commitments even when inconvenient, his obvious care for people who mattered to him, and his ability to separate personal relationships from political calculations had gradually won their respect and trust.

More personally, working to support Arthur's interests during his absence had created the circumstances that allowed Jin and Kali's own relationship to develop beyond professional partnership.

"We should prepare for his arrival," Jin said as they made their way upstairs toward the manor's main living areas. "Though I have to say, his timing could be better."

"You can say that again," Kali agreed with grim emphasis, her usual colorful vocabulary temporarily restrained by the seriousness of the situation. "The Savage Communion has been mobilizing for months. Intelligence reports suggest they're planning something major, and the Axe King himself has been making appearances at strongholds that haven't seen him in decades."

The political situation in the Western Continent had grown increasingly unstable during Arthur's absence. The Savage Communion—a religious organization that worshipped strength above all else and followed ogre traditions that emphasized conquest and domination—had been expanding their influence through a combination of military pressure and theological conversion. Their Pope, known as the Axe King, commanded respect through pure physical power that had remained unchallenged for generations.

"War is coming," Jin said with quiet certainty that reflected his family's intelligence networks. "The question is whether Arthur's return will help stabilize the situation or accelerate it toward open conflict."

"Knowing Arthur?" Kali replied with dark amusement. "Probably both."

They spent the next hour reviewing current intelligence reports and strategic assessments, preparing briefings that would bring Arthur up to speed on developments he had missed during his absence. The Western Continent's political landscape had shifted dramatically, with traditional power structures being challenged by the Communion's aggressive expansion and their own efforts to create unified resistance.

"The timing really is shit," Kali observed as they worked through diplomatic correspondence that detailed growing tensions between various factions. "Another few months and we might have had everything properly organized. As it stands, Arthur's arrival might force everyone's hand before we're ready."

"Perhaps that's for the best," Jin suggested with strategic thinking that had been refined through years of political maneuvering. "Prolonged preparation sometimes creates more problems than immediate action. If conflict is inevitable, better to face it with Arthur's capabilities available rather than hoping the situation improves on its own."

Before Kali could respond with what was undoubtedly going to be a creatively profane assessment of that logic, both of them went completely still as something massive and alien touched their magical senses. The sensation was like standing near a barely contained storm—power that operated on scales they had never encountered, authority that made the air itself seem to vibrate with potential energy.

"What the fuck," Kali breathed, her hand instinctively moving toward her weapons despite knowing that whatever was approaching was far beyond anything blades could address.

Jin's face remained stoic, but his dark eyes widened slightly as his enhanced senses tried to process what they were detecting. "That's not possible. No one is that strong without being Radiant-rank, and even then..."

The manor's defensive wards, designed to detect and identify approaching visitors, suddenly chimed with recognition protocols that identified the impossible presence as someone with authorized access to Ashbluff family properties.

Through the main hall's crystal windows, they could see a transport settling onto the landing pad with mechanical precision. The vehicle itself was unremarkable—standard guild design with defensive enhancements that spoke to routine security considerations rather than special preparation for visiting dignitaries.

But the figure that emerged from the transport's passenger compartment made both Jin and Kali forget how to breathe properly.

Arthur Nightingale looked exactly as they remembered and completely different at the same time. His physical appearance was familiar—the same dark hair, the same blue eyes, the same confident bearing that had characterized his presence since their first meeting. But there was something else now, something that made their enhanced senses scream warnings about forces that transcended normal magical classifications.

"Jin! Kali!" Arthur called out with genuine warmth as he approached the manor's main entrance, a small figure walking beside him with obvious excitement. "It's good to see you both again!"

The casual friendliness of his greeting created cognitive dissonance that made processing his presence even more difficult. This was someone who radiated power that could probably level mountains having a normal conversation like nothing had changed.

"Arthur," Jin managed to reply, his usual stoic composure intact despite the circumstances. "Welcome back."

"You bastard," Kali added with affection that couldn't hide her shock, "you feel completely different. What the hell happened to you out there?"