The Extra's Rise

I kept running, the wind tearing past me, my sharpened senses screaming at me to move faster. But then—danger.

Mana surged behind me, a compacted sphere of raw energy racing toward my back.

Cecilia.

I could feel it, the weight of her spell warping the air itself, bending space with that unnatural Witchcraft distortion that made predicting its movement impossible.

I was already turning, ready to counter—

And then, suddenly, the mana fizzled out of existence.

Not dispersed.

Purified.

The raw, chaotic force of Cecilia's spell simply dissolved, like a storm cloud wiped clean from the sky.

I knew only one person who could do that.

I skidded to a halt, my eyes narrowing as I looked ahead.

And there she was.

Rachel Creighton.

She stood calmly, golden light still radiating from her extended hand, her sapphire eyes locked onto Cecilia, who had also stopped a few paces behind me, looking far too amused for someone whose attack had just been erased from existence.

Rachel's presence felt different here, out in the wild, away from the Academy halls. There was a weight to it, something untouchable, something holy in a world of ever-shifting morality.

Even Cecilia's ever-present smirk faltered just slightly.

"Rachel," she mused, tilting her head. "Now, now—why are you interfering?"

Rachel's voice was steady, unshaken.

"You've had your fun, Cecilia. That's enough."

Cecilia laughed softly, stepping forward, the jungle's dim lighting flickering across the edges of her crimson hair.

"Oh, come now," she said, tapping a finger against her temple. "You think I was actually going to hurt him?"

Rachel didn't answer immediately. Her eyes flicked to me, scanning me for injuries—a brief, practiced assessment.

Then, she exhaled, her expression firm.

"You're done here," she said. "If you want to fight, fight me."

Cecilia's eyes widened just a fraction, her smirk stretching into something bordering on delighted surprise.

"Oh?" She laughed, stepping fully into view. "And here I thought you were the responsible one."

Rachel raised a hand. The air shifted instantly.

Golden light erupted from her back, unfurling like fire given form, like the dawn breaking through an endless night.

Wings.

Rachel's Gift—the Saintess.

They weren't feathered, nor were they entirely solid. They were pure mana, golden and radiant, flickering with power so absolute that even Cecilia hesitated for a heartbeat.

Rachel took a step forward.

"You want to test me, Cecilia?" she said, her voice quiet but unshakable. "Go ahead. Let's see how well you fare against me."

Cecilia's grin turned sharp.

"Oh, darling, I thought you'd never ask."

Then, without another word, she attacked.

I barely had time to dodge back, putting distance between them as the battlefield ignited with light and chaos.

Cecilia moved first, her fingers flicking upward, summoning three layered spell formations in a fraction of a second, mana twisting and distorting unnaturally as they merged.

Rachel didn't wait.

She charged forward, golden wings propelling her with impossible speed, a lance of condensed light forming in her palm as she broke through the first layer of magic before it could even fully manifest.

Their impact was instantaneous, explosive, the sheer clash of their abilities sending shockwaves rippling through the jungle, tearing up earth, shattering nearby trees.

I had no place in this fight.

Not yet.

I clenched my fists, watching them exchange blows faster than my eyes could fully track, light and distortion colliding like two opposing forces of reality itself.

They were so far above me.

Rachel and Cecilia weren't just fighting with mana. They were fighting with power born from their very existence, from the Gifts that made them anomalies, forces beyond the normal rules of this world.

I had been pushing myself harder than ever before.

And I was still nothing compared to this.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to memorize every movement, every attack, every reaction.

I wouldn't stay beneath them forever.

I couldn't.

Cecilia's mana twisted, warping space around her as her Witchcraft flared in full force. The air cracked and hummed, heavy with distortion, like the fabric of reality itself was being rewritten to her whims.

Rachel, bathed in golden light, didn't falter. Her Saintess Gift pulsed with pure, unwavering mana, the energy condensed into the radiant wings at her back, making her presence feel less human and more celestial.

Then they moved.

I barely saw it.

One moment, they stood facing each other—the next, they were gone, and the entire jungle erupted.

A shockwave blasted through the clearing as Cecilia's layered magic formations activated at once, spears of crackling mana launching in every direction, warping, distorting, twisting through the air like they had their own sentience.

Rachel shot forward, her wings igniting in a burst of light, dodging the projectiles by the barest of margins. She moved with the kind of calculated precision that only someone with her level of control could achieve, her golden lance forming in her grip just before she closed the distance.

Her strike came fast. Clean.

Cecilia's eyes flickered in delight as she vanished mid-step, reappearing just out of range like a mirage dissolving in water.

"Close," she said, voice a purr of amusement. "But not quite."

Rachel adjusted immediately, twisting her body mid-motion, her wings beating once, sending a blast of mana outward.

Cecilia was already countering, layers of wind and fire merging into a spell that shouldn't have worked, but because she willed it into existence, it did.

Rachel met it with a wall of golden light, intercepting the attack before it could fully manifest.

The collision was deafening.

Energy rippled outward, tearing apart the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves deep into the jungle. The sheer force of their magic clashing made the air hum and vibrate, the pressure of their mana signatures thick enough to drown in.

And yet—they were still testing each other.

Neither of them had gone all out yet.

Rachel moved again, her golden aura intensifying, light radiating from her like a star preparing to explode. Her wings shifted, then folded inward—

A second later, she shot forward like a spear, faster than before, her lance raised high.

Cecilia smirked.

She flicked her fingers, and space warped around her.

Rachel's lance struck—but it never connected.

Instead, her attack was dragged into Cecilia's distortion field, bending mid-flight, curving away from its intended target.

Rachel's eyes widened just slightly as her own attack missed its mark, and in that instant, Cecilia countered—a sphere of raw condensed mana forming at her fingertips, aimed point-blank at Rachel's ribs.

The explosion rocked the air, golden light crashing against crimson chaos.

Rachel was sent hurtling backward, but before she could even touch the ground, her wings unfurled sharply, catching her mid-air.

Her body spun once, adjusting, and then she landed—barely phased, her eyes narrowing in understanding.

Cecilia dusted off her sleeves, her smirk widening.

"Figured it out yet?" she asked.

Rachel exhaled.

"I see it now," she murmured.

She adjusted her grip on her lance, her golden aura shifting, refining.

And just like that, they clashed again.

This time, Rachel adjusted mid-strike, countering the warping effect before it could fully manifest, her blade of light cutting through Cecilia's spellwork before it could take proper shape.

Cecilia twisted, her hand forming a series of rapid symbols in the air, her mana output increasing to counter Rachel's sheer force.

I could barely keep up.

The jungle turned into a battleground of light and distortion, golden and crimson clashing in an endless back-and-forth, the ground beneath them cracking apart, trees shattering under the pressure.

Neither of them were letting up.

Cecilia was pushing Rachel to her absolute limit, forcing her to react, to adapt, to refine her control over her Gift even further.

Rachel was keeping up.

She wasn't just fighting—she was learning.

Every spell, every attack, every trick Cecilia threw at her, she countered a fraction faster than the last time.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started—it stopped.

Both of them halted mid-motion, their breathing heavy, their auras still burning but flickering slightly at the edges.

Rachel held her lance steady, its golden light dimming slightly.

Cecilia twirled a strand of red-gold hair between her fingers, her smirk still in place, but something a little more thoughtful lurking behind her eyes.

They both knew it.

Neither of them had won.

Rachel straightened, rolling her shoulders, her golden wings folding slightly as the radiance around them softened.

Cecilia sighed dramatically, shaking out her arms like she had just finished a mildly exhausting spar instead of a battle that had just turned half the jungle into scorched wasteland.

"Well," she said, stretching lazily. "That was fun."

Rachel didn't respond immediately, just giving her a long, calculating look.

Then, finally, she exhaled.

"Next time," she said, "I'll win."

Cecilia grinned.

"Looking forward to it, Ray-Ray."

Rachel twitched.

I took that as my cue to leave before they destroyed everything all over again.