Extra's Ascent

"You've seen what I'm capable of, Al. Do you really think it's wise to take me on alone, knowing exactly what my strength level is now?"

Of course, it wasn't wise. He knew that. He wouldn't even be doing this if he had other options available, but he didn't. No reinforcements, no backup plans. Just him. His body, his mind, and his instincts, his only tools in this impossible moment.

She was powerful, blindingly fast, ridiculously durable, and worst of all, cloaked in that dreadful mana. That protective layer of energy was the true problem. Every inch of her was wrapped in it, a pulsating aura of hostility that defied basic logic.

So, what now?

There was only one path forward: Aldrich had to throw every ounce of tactical brilliance he possessed into breaking her open.

First up, he had to find a way through that accursed defence if he was ever going to get a winning chance going.

"Spatial Art: Breaker Orb!"

If there was any attack in his arsenal suited to dismantling that barrier of hers, Breaker Orb was the one to call upon. It was a spatial technique summoned as spherical projectiles whose number depended entirely on the user's mana reserves.

And Aldrich? He had plenty to spare.

"Smart move," Saldrich acknowledged coolly.

Breaker Orb wasn't some top-tier, god-level spell, but it didn't need to be. Its strength lay in its effect: ignoring any and all defences to inflict pure, unfiltered damage. It was elegantly brutal in combat and highly effective when used at the right time.

A tip of the hat to its original creator, Kyle Dandada, a prodigy. And perhaps even more impressive? Aldrich's ability to replicate it from a single observation, a feat only possible thanks to the clairvoyance embedded in him.

Despite the conflict between them, Saldrich couldn't help but admire the strategic mind working behind those eyes. Aldrich was built differently, possessing mental resilience that allowed him to keep calm under crushing pressure and the wisdom to select the ideal technique in the heat of battle.

In that category alone, she had to admit he vastly outshone her. His battlefield intellect was terrifying. Where had he learned all of this? Had his long coma gifted him some latent insight into warfare and the art of fighting under stress?

His timing, his choice of Breaker Orb, it was all nothing short of a chef's kiss.

But—

A flare of volatile energy erupted around her, as her mana responded violently, coiling like a storm in the making. It extended forward, twisting, folding, condensing and then formed.

A skeletal limb, forged entirely from condensed mana, took shape. Translucent and menacing, the arm punched forward, sending out a shockwave of shimmering particles that disintegrated the incoming Breaker Orb on contact.

"Battle Armour!" she declared. "You've never seen this before, have you, Aldrich?"

He watched, wide-eyed not in fear, but in reluctant awe as the mana around her continued to take form. The energy traced a spine along her back, extended into arms, then formed ribcages that wrapped around her torso without restricting her movement.

Within seconds, it was complete, a spectral exoskeleton, shaped like a humanoid beast, encased her. The structure was elegant in design but monstrous in function with arms, spine, and ribs all locked together in a protective shell that radiated unshakable defence.

"You see this?" Saldrich said, eyes glowing through the skeletal veil. "This is the peak of the Aldaman lineage. A gift reserved for those who have awakened the Three-Leaf Clover."

The peak of the Aldaman's power? A laughable exaggeration. A misunderstanding formed from the general knowledge of assuming the third clover was the highest evolution the clover eye could reach.

She wasn't wrong. To her understanding, she wasn't.

This was the famed Battle Armour. Incomplete, perhaps, but still monstrous. A technique of legendary calibre, it granted unmatched offensive and defensive prowess, accessible only to Aldamans who had met three gruelling conditions: lineage, awakening of the third leaf, and the mana capacity to both conjure and maintain the form.

Saldrich had met all three. She had earned her right.

Aldrich couldn't help but chuckle, a bitter one at first. Then again. And again until it grew into a full, maniacal laugh.

"Battle Armour, huh?" he muttered.

Until this moment, he had clung to a shred of hope. If he just fought smart enough, if he used his abilities as an Aldaman properly, he might actually pull off a miracle. He had convinced himself he didn't need the Third Leaf. He could win with less.

What an absolute fool he had been.

Now, he understood.

There was always meant to be a vast gulf between the first and second clover. But the gap between the second and third? That difference was colossal. No comparison. No debate.

Still—

'It's not over,' he reminded himself. 'She has the advantage. But I'm still in her path. I can still stand. I can still fight.'

Deep down, deeper than the noise in his head, another voice rose.

What nonsense are you spouting? You think you can win? How?

His Breaker Orb had failed. Crushed like nothing. One of his best tools is gone.

He still had one last card. Doom Piercer, his trump technique. If he could just buy the right window of time...

But before the thought even completed—

She vanished.

Blitzed past him in a blur of motion that tore through space, faster than his eyes or perception could track. Her figure, her presence, all completely gone.

DING! DING! DING!

[A Second Point for the Left Team]

The announcer's voice rang out across the arena.

The crowd gasped, bewildered, stunned, completely lost as to what had just occurred.

"Speed?" Aldrich murmured, eyes wide with madness. "No… no…"

And then he broke into a manic grin.

"Pendragon! Astravon! Valthera!" he bellowed, laughter pouring from his mouth in violent waves. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He threw his head back, laughing like a man touched by the abyss.

"Fine then, Saldrich Aldaman! You've presented me with a challenge, and I accept! I accept this duel in all its fury and absurdity! And I swear, I will emerge victorious!"

Madness or clarity? Who knew anymore. But what mattered was the fire.

The fire still burned.

He hadn't thrown in the towel.

Not yet.