I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

The Duel of Inheritance and Defiance

The scent of scorched stone still lingered from the previous match.

Kaen stood at the center of the ring, flames dying down across his arms. His chest rose and fell, sweat clinging to his jaw, but his eyes were bright—clear.

The announcer's voice echoed through the vast, high-ceilinged arena, amplified by Echo orbs lining the rafters:

"Winner: Kaen Suro!"

The crowd erupted. Some clapped. Others gasped. A few were still frozen, trying to process what they had just seen.

Kaen clenched his fist and slowly raised it toward the sky.

"(I win… I really win.)"

From the raised platforms, from the student galleries, and from the rows of observers in Veinwalker cloaks, dozens of eyes locked on him.

Even the Eclipse Vanguards leaned forward now—not one of them pretending to be disinterested anymore.

Then the orb glowed again.

"Next match… Rael Eluron vs. Juno Arkai."

Gasps swept the room.

This wasn't just another match.

It was a clash between legacies and defiance.

On one side: the academy's golden prodigy.

On the other: the boy with no affinity—only fists and nerve.

Rael Eluron stepped calmly onto the field.

His white duelist's coat swayed with every step, golden embroidery catching the light. His platinum hair was bound neatly, not a strand out of place. A single ribbon—blue with the sigil of the Eluron house—fluttered behind him like a banner.

His emerald eyes swept across the crowd, calm and unreadable.

The Lunar Sage Candidate.

The inheritor of the Verdant Mirror.

Kaen's future rival… and one of the main characters of the Kaen Eclipse or the alternate title: Eclipse Blade manga.

From a distance, Khael Corzedar leaned forward, eyes wide.

"(Damn. It's really happening. The Taishin prodigy vs. the Eluron heir… This was one of the best fights in the manga, but seeing it in person… it's so much better.)"

Across the other end of the arena, Juno Arkai stepped out.

No glowing aura. No elegant uniform.

Just bare fists. Loose sleeves.

No Affinity. No Echo. Just Taishin.

But his eyes were calm. Focused.

And his stance—low, angled, steady—spoke of years of pain-forged training.

From the gallery of students:

Saya Kurenai squinted.

"Isn't that the guy with no Affinity?"

Shigeo Motome popped a grape into his mouth.

"What a complicated world."

Rael drew in a slow breath.

A faint green shimmer passed over his body, Seraphis, the Verdant Mirror, was already active.

Juno adjusted his footing.

And without a signal they moved.

The Duel Begins

Rael struck first.

A blooming green pulse surged around him. With a whisper of motion, he vanished and reappeared in front of Juno, aiming a high-speed palm strike to the chest—Verdant Step, a movement Echo Art amplified by Wind affinity.

But Juno tilted.

Shifted.

And countered.

His hand shot out and slammed into Rael's ribs—Taishin Art: Pulse Snap.

A direct pressure-point hit.

Rael's arm flickered, his Echo aura hiccuping for a breath of a second.

"(He hit my Vein Point?)" Rael's eyes narrowed.

He pivoted and unleashed a follow-up wave of stone-sheathed roots, vines reinforced with Echo stone—an Eluron-exclusive hybrid technique.

Juno leapt. His body rotated in the air like a whip, and he came crashing down with both feet—Steel Step landing reinforced. The impact cracked the arena floor.

Then, without pause—

"Taishin Gate: Bone Gate—OPEN!"

A red ring ignited around his body. Muscles surged. His arms expanded slightly, veins bulging.

Juno moved faster now.

He closed the gap, fists flying.

Rael blocked, barely.

Juno's fists hammered, every strike carrying bone-rattling weight. It was like being punched by someone made of compressed steel.

Then Rael jumped back and slashed his palm across the air—

A line of glowing green energy whipped toward Juno like a blade.

"Echo Art Blade: Crescent Thorn!"

Juno ducked. Sparks flew as the energy sliced his shoulder, drawing blood.

He gritted his teeth.

"Taishin Gate: Tendon Gate—OPEN!"

Another gate. Another red ring. His reflexes sharpened. Juno twisted through the next attack and came behind Rael in a flash.

Vein Lockdown!

A palm to Rael's back—direct hit.

Rael's Echo aura fizzled for three seconds.

But Rael didn't panic.

He turned with a high kick laced with electricity—Lightning Echo Copy Art: Volt Sweep.

It struck Juno's ribs and launched him ten feet sideways.

Kurosawa Zeke scowled, arms crossed.

Raiden Kurogami smirked.

"Still think Taishin's just muscle-flexing, Zeke?" he asked lazily.

Zeke didn't answer—just clicked his tongue.

Amane Hoshigaki twirled her parasol.

"Arara… he's not bad for a boy with no Echo. Quite the dancer."

Gorou Kanzaki pressed his massive palms together.

"Amitabha… discipline like that must come from deep suffering."

Yui Fushiguro remained still, lips unmoving.

And above them all, Master Isen leaned slightly forward.

His blue eyes shimmered like deep water.

"(Let's see how far the boy with nothing can go… against the boy born with everything.)"

…

Meanwhile, in the arena…

Dust swirled. Tension thickened.

The crowd leaned forward as Rael Eluron Meanwhile, in the arena…

Dust swirled. Tension thickened.

The crowd leaned forward as

Rael raised his hand slowly and declared,

"I admit you're strong, Juno… but you're no match for me."

Then he vanished.

"Echo Art: Lightning Stun!!"

A crack of thunder split the air. Juno's limbs froze mid-motion—the electricity paralyzing his nerves like invisible chains. His eyes widened.

But he still moved barely.

With sheer force of will, Juno slammed his fist toward the ground—

BOOM!

—but it stopped short. His knuckles embedded halfway into the floor, stuck.

Rael's voice echoed, cool and cruel:

"Exactly as planned."

He smirked, raising both hands now. Wind began to spiral at his feet.

"Echo Art: Tornado Wind!"

A twisting vortex burst from his palms, surrounding Juno in a spiraling prison of wind and pressure. The cyclone shrieked, trapping him like prey in a snare.

Juno grit his teeth, body trembling. "Tch—he trapped me…"

But then—

His veins glowed faintly red.

His body pulsed.

"GATE… UNLOCK: IRON NERVE!"

A sudden shockwave cracked outward as Juno's muscle fibers swelled and his eyes blazed. His paralysis shattered. Wind scattered.

One gate. Two. Three… Four…

FIVE.

Iron Nerve Gate—a rare feat for his age.

The crowd erupted in gasps.

Even among the Vanguards, murmurs sparked.

"That proves it," whispered Raiden Kurogami, thunder sparking in his eyes. "The kid's a prodigy."

Juno roared, breaking free from the storm prison with raw force, wind blades slicing harmlessly off his awakened skin.

A surge of crimson energy tore across the field.

Juno, veins glowing from unlocking the Iron Nerve Gate, launched forward with staggering speed, fists cutting the air like cannonballs.

The cyclone Rael summoned had already collapsed under the raw pressure of his awakening.

Amane Hoshigaki crossed her arms, the rings on her fingers shimmering faintly.

She grinned.

"Hoh… seems like Juno's got the upper hand this time."

Her tone was playful—but her eyes were razor sharp.

A beat passed.

Kaito Yagami, standing with hands folded behind his back, barely moved.

His lips moved softly.

"Or does he?"

No smile. No malice. Just quiet calculation.

To be continue