Extra in a Romance Fantasy

175 – The Center (6)

The identities of those who suddenly appeared were people Wade knew well, including Ethan and his companions.

“…How?”

A question slipped out of Wade’s mouth without thought.

“Hmm?”

“…How did you get through the enemies? Their strength must not have been trivial.”

The enemy force that Wade had confirmed before being flung into another space by the shadow’s trick was a single swordmaster and a calamity-level monster.

Even that alone would have made it difficult for Ethan and the others to contend, and it certainly wouldn’t end there.

Wade anticipated that they would have prepared even more forces to deal with the group more decisively.

As a result, he expected the group to struggle significantly, and even if they managed to overcome it through their own strength, it would take a considerable amount of time.

Yet, Ethan and the others had broken through the enemy lines at a speed that exceeded Wade’s expectations, appearing in this moment, in this place.

It was so unexpected that Wade couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“Oh, those guys? That was nothing special.”

Ethan brushed off Wade’s question with a nonchalant smile.

“…I’d like to say that, but you’re right. At first, we had quite a bit of trouble.”

He then slightly stiffened his expression and began to explain the situation.

*

Even while facing a swordmaster of the highest caliber and a calamity-level monster alone, Ethan remained composed.

In fact, if one were to look at the situation, it appeared as though Ethan was overwhelming both of them.

Whoosh!

Ethan swung his sword once more.

It was a powerful and sharp strike, capable of shaking even a mountain.

From the momentum alone, it seemed ferocious, a strike devoid of reason, but that was not the case.

It was a perfectly calculated blow, showcasing the innate sense of Ethan Bertrand, the swordmaster, to its fullest.

The sword was swung in a trajectory that the opponent could never hope to evade.

Thus, the opponent had no choice but to block it.

However, the moment they did block it, that would create a problem.

Taking into account the shock of the moment of impact, it was a meticulously designed strike that would lead the flow in a direction favorable to Ethan.

In other words, it was an unreasonable strike that forced the opponent into a corner.

But.

Swoosh—

The shadow perfectly nullified such an unreasonable attack by transforming its body into shadow and evading it.

‘…Tch.’

Seeing that scene, Ethan clicked his tongue inwardly.

“How bothersome.”

It is bothersome.

Ethan’s thoughts, while facing both a calamity-level monster and a group of ten elite warriors, were just that simple.

There was no crisis.

He was not in danger.

However, time was dragging on.

That was the problem.

“I still seem to be holding up well, but…”

Ethan’s gaze subtly shifted to the back.

There, his companions were huddled together, dealing with the monsters.

They were still managing to hold their ground against a number of monsters that was hard to even count.

Under normal circumstances, that alone would have warranted praise.

The level and number of monsters were beyond what mere academy students could handle.

But now was not the time to create a cheerful atmosphere with compliments.

They were merely enduring, nothing more.

“There’s no time.”

There was no time to be idling like this.

He had to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and assist them over there.

They would only grow more exhausted, and with that, the danger would increase.

However, knowing that and executing a plan were two different matters.

“This is the problem…”

What was holding Ethan back was the shadow.

If the opponent had been just one calamity-level monster, he would have been confident he could finish it off in the blink of an eye.

But every time he tried to wrap things up, the shadow intervened, causing disruptions.

If he tried to eliminate the shadow first, it would always use that bothersome ability to escape from danger.

This tedious battle had been dragging on for quite some time.

All because of one shadow.

“What to do…”

Even in a situation that warranted anxiety, Ethan did not lose his composure.

Slowly, calmly, he began to think of a solution.

Fortunately, there were not no methods that came to mind.

‘With that technique, it might be possible…’

The technique he had come to realize he could use one day, a technique of tremendous destructive power, the Sword of Will.

Ethan thought.

With the Sword of Will, it seemed he could cut through shadows.

That was merely a guess, but Ethan was convinced it would be so.

The Sword of Will was not simply a sharp and destructive technique.

The Sword of Will is fundamentally a blade created around the concept of intent.

And intent is, in essence, will.

The Sword of Will, built upon that foundation, possessed more than just physical strength.

If desired, it could even cut through magic, and even spiritual entities.

Considering the characteristics of such a Sword of Will, it was highly likely that he could also sever that shadow.

However.

‘The problem is that it’s not as easy as it sounds.’

The difficulty lay in creating the situation.

Ethan still could not use the Sword of Will freely.

Because of that, he needed time to concentrate his mind to the utmost in order to use it.

‘That creature won’t give me such time.’

Though he was clearly at a disadvantage, the shadow he faced was also a master swordsman of the Ten Blades, having reached the realm of intent; it would be impossible for it not to notice that what Ethan was trying to use was something dangerous to itself.

Thus, it would not allow any openings.

And even if he somehow managed to ignite the Sword of Will, that would be a problem.

The moment the Sword of Will ignited, the moment it felt that destructive power, it would undoubtedly use its annoying shadows to widen the distance.

‘What to do…’

Ethan pondered.

How could he break through this situation?

How could he kill the shadow?

Yet, no sharp solution came to mind, and just as a sense of unease began to quietly bloom in Ethan’s otherwise calm heart, it happened.

Crackle!

A flash of lightning erupted.

True to its nature, a streak of lightning shot through the air with the speed of a flash.

—

Nothing other than towards the shadow.

Its speed and destructive power were truly fierce.

“Humph.”

Swish!

The shadow, with a single swing of its sword, cleaved the lightning.

“……”

Ethan, after witnessing that scene, soon turned his gaze to the direction from which the lightning had come.

He saw the rookies looking at him with an utterly serious expression.

“Lord Tugi! I will help!”

Alexis shouted.

“That’s a pointless act.”

The shadow briefly commented on their actions.

“They must know that it would tighten the noose around their own necks.”

It was as he said.

Rachel and her companions were barely holding their ground against the horde of monsters by combining their strength.

If they suddenly lost their power in that situation, it was obvious that there would be problems in stopping the monsters.

The scene unfolding right now was no different.

Because Alexis’s magic was directed at the shadow rather than the monsters, the burden on Cedric and Aira was increasing, making their limbs feel unsteady.

“There’s no hope if we continue like this.”

Alexis continued.

That statement was not incorrect either.

If the fight proceeded as it was, they had no chance of victory.

Knowing that, Alexis and the others were trying to create a variable.

Crack!

Alexis conjured lightning once more.

And several streaks of lightning, like flashes, surged again towards the shadow.

“No way.”

Of course, those lightning strikes produced no meaningful results.

They were all shattered by the sword wielded by the shadow.

However.

The shadow had no leisure to flaunt that fact.

Thud!

Bang!

Magic came flying in succession.

This time, the magic that flew in was something I couldn’t even be sure if it could truly be called magic.

It looked like a mass of magical power devoid of any attributes.

But.

The results it produced were anything but ambiguous.

Boom!

The mass of magical power that flew toward the shadow caused a magnificent explosion.

Its force, its destructive power, was at a level that could not be ignored.

“I’ll blow you away completely.”

The master of that unique magic was Wilhelm.

Wilhelm was a figure who had grown up drinking elixirs as if they were water, thanks to the immense wealth of the Golden Hand.

In terms of the amount of magical power, he was on a level that could not be compared to anyone else present.

Thus, even using magic in a somewhat ignorant manner, he could create tremendous destructive power.

Objectively speaking, it was indeed a threatening attack, but.

“It’s useless.”

It did not work on the shadow.

The shadow evaded all of Wilhelm’s magic simply by moving its body here and there.

“All of this is just meaningless thrashing.”

What you are doing is nothing but a desperate struggle.

“Accept your defeat willingly.”

So do not act foolishly; accept your defeat, your death, without resistance.

With a voice that felt devoid of any emotion, the shadow spoke.

However, the shadow’s voice did not reach them.

Whoosh—

The fierce wind scattered his voice into the void.

At the same time, the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

It was not merely a matter of becoming cool.

Far away, a biting cold suddenly descended, as if it were the northern snowfields.

“Then how about this?”

The phenomenon was created by a single young man.

Among the countless magic towers of the continent, one of the most powerful was the Tower of Frost.

Chris Pale, a genius of ice magic and a disciple of the tower’s master, possessed a talent that could be counted among the few in the long history of the Tower of Frost.

The magic conjured by this young genius transformed the area into a snowfield, if only for a moment.

“I wonder if you can endure even this.”

With a face that revealed nothing of his thoughts, he gazed at the shadow.

Snap—

Chris finally flicked his fingers.

And then, a storm erupted.

A frigid storm that seemed capable of freezing everything in the world.

The twisted trees, the monsters caught within its range, even the calamity-level beasts were frozen in an instant.

A disaster that could only be wrought by magic, a miracle of devastation.

Even the Unarmed of the Ten Blades would have to brace for impact against this unbearable cold.

However.

“I told you it would be useless.”

Even that did not reach the shadow.

The shadow transformed itself into its own darkness, evading the storm.

The frigid storm, which seemed poised to freeze everything, ended up only encasing the earth and trees, ultimately inflicting no harm upon the shadow.

Drip—

Sweat trickled down Chris’s forehead.

This magic was imbued with his full power.

The backlash had now caught up with him.

Yet, even in such a situation.

Despite his stamina and magical energy running low.

Even though his full-powered magic had inflicted no damage on his opponent.

Despair did not color Chris’s expression.

“In fact, I was expecting this.”

“…What?”

The shadow’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Chris’s response.

And in that moment.

Crackle!

Once again, lightning struck.

The shadow, which had been sneering as if to say it would not give up and would hurl yet another trivial bolt of lightning, soon hardened its expression.

It was because it sensed that this lightning was different.

Crackle!

This lightning sounded different.

And everything was different.

It was not merely a few streaks of lightning.

Before long, a massive sphere made of lightning had risen into the air.

The Tower of the Sky is a rare tower that studies various attributes.

As its name suggests, it deals with any attribute related to the sky.

Therefore, unlike other towers, if you were to ask the wizards of the Tower of the Sky what their most outstanding attribute is, they would likely provide a variety of answers.

This is because their fields of study are all distinct.

However, if you were to ask them what attribute possesses the greatest destructive power, they would all give the same answer in unison.

That is, lightning.

And the magic Rachel was casting now was the most destructive of all lightning-based spells.

The vision magic of the Tower of the Sky.

Celestial Sphere.

Originally, it was a spell so devastating that an academy student would never even dream of attempting it, yet it had manifested here through Rachel’s hands.

“It seems your ability weakens in the presence of light.”

“……!”

For the first time, the shadow’s expression twisted.

It was because it had been struck at its core.

“I used my magic for that reason.”

Chris’s magic, the frigid storm he had conjured, had not been aimed at the shadow itself from the start.

The goal had been to freeze everything around it.

“In this environment, there wouldn’t be a place untouched by light.”

The ice created by Chris’s magic filled the surroundings.

And the ice that was created like that was now serving as a mirror.

The light emitted by the lightning from the celestial sphere spread in all directions, and the ice created by Chris reflected that light.

Because of this, the already bright light of the celestial sphere was literally illuminating the world.

Indeed, there was no place untouched by the light.

In such a situation, the shadow could not be angry.

The expression of the shadow hardened as it recognized this fact.

“Then, let’s see if it will truly be of no use this time.”

And then, divine punishment fell.

Kuwung—

With a heavy sound, a sphere made of lightning began to fall to the ground.

Only one, aimed at the shadow.

To the celestial sphere, that massive size might seem dull, but its essence was ultimately lightning.

In other words, it had no weight, yet retained the speed of lightning, swift as a flash.

That size, combined with a speed reminiscent of a flash.

It was a strike that even a shadow, a master of the ten swords, could not evade.

Thus, gazing at the unavoidable sphere of lightning descending towards him.

“…What remarkable insight.”

The shadow commented calmly.

In this urgent situation, he had identified his weakness and even created a scenario to exploit it.

For that fact, the shadow was genuinely impressed.

Such remarkable insight, composure, and talent.

Surely, if time were to flow like this, he would make a name for himself across the continent… no, he would undoubtedly rise to a position to lead the continent itself.

But.

“It is meaningless.”

Such a future would not come.

The shadow was certain of this.

“Indeed, I cannot evade this magic with my abilities.”

However.

“I can certainly block it.”

The power of the celestial sphere was tremendous.

The very name of the vision of a single tower could not possibly be light.

That magic contained a power that, even if struck directly by the Ten Blades’ warrior, would undoubtedly be dangerous.

However, conversely, it meant that one simply had to avoid being struck directly.

A warrior who has reached a certain level can cut through magic itself, and once they attain the realm of intent, they can manipulate that intent, rendering most magic no longer a threat.

With magic of that level, while it might be impossible to completely sever it, if one swung their sword with all their might, they could significantly reduce the damage.

Of course, even so, its power would still be absurd.

Just the aftermath alone would be enough to turn a person into a charred lump.

Yet, the shadow did not worry about that aspect.

The shadow had spent many years serving as the hands of the master, handling all sorts of tasks.

Among those tasks were some as simple as killing someone, but there were also many that were quite complicated to deal with.

Having dealt with such matters for a long time, the shadow had to be prepared to respond to any situation.

A defensive artifact created directly by a grand sorcerer was one of those preparations.

The shadow finished its calculations.

If it used the artifact, it could sufficiently block the aftermath of that magic.

Of course, it wouldn’t be able to block it completely, and there would be some damage.

However, it would still be at a level where it could move adequately.

Then, that would be the end of the situation.

The shadow recognized it.

This was an attack infused with the full power of those youngsters.

This situation was one that could not be replicated twice.

Thus, the shadow was confident in its victory.

As long as it could withstand this attack, it would only need to face Ethan in the same manner as before.

Even a calamity-level monster was merely frozen on the outside; it was not dead.

With time, it would break free from the ice on its own, and then the two could face Ethan again.

And, by binding Ethan’s feet like that, the youngsters who had exhausted their strength would soon become prey for the monster.

“It’s over.”

As the shadow organized its thoughts, it lifted its sword.

“Yes, it’s over.”

A calm voice penetrated the shadow’s ear.

At the same time, it felt a chill run through its blood.

It was a voice that should not be heard in this situation.

For some reason, Ethan stood before him.

With a destructive aura emanating from his sword.

The moment their eyes met, the shadow immediately sensed Ethan’s intent.

He had come here to cut him down.

“…Are you out of your mind?”

The words slipped out of the shadow’s mouth reflexively.

The heavens were falling toward this place.

Soon, a devastating lightning bolt would strike here.

And that lightning would turn this entire area into a pile of charcoal.

In that, even Ethan would not be safe.

“If this goes on, you’ll be swept away by that lightning too…!!”

For the first time, the shadow shouted at Ethan, emotions laid bare.

Perhaps it was just a feeling, but there seemed to be a hint of resentment in that voice.

However.

“I know.”

Ethan readily affirmed that statement.

“What’s the big deal about getting hit by a little lightning? No need to make a fuss.”

Then, as if he didn’t care about the lightning at all, he spoke nonchalantly.

“…….”

It wasn’t bravado.

The man before him genuinely believed that.

The shadow realized this truth as he looked into Ethan’s eyes.

“Now, let’s end this.”

Ethan raised his sword.

“You can’t run away now, can you?”

A fierce smile blossomed on his face.

“Ethan Bertrand…!!”

The shadow’s face, which had consistently reflected no emotion, finally twisted in anguish for the first time.

And.

KWAANG!

Lightning struck, and the world was painted white.

In that white-washed world.

Swoosh—

A single sword traced a sharp trajectory.

*

“That’s pretty much how it went down. This time, I got a bit of help from these guys.”

Watching Ethan speak so calmly.

“…….”

Wade, for a moment, forgot the situation and stared blankly at Ethan.

What he had said was so absurd.

To take on a spell of that magnitude, not just any magic but one from a mage tower, with nothing but his bare body while finishing off the enemy—it sounded like something out of a legend or an old tale, utterly ridiculous.

However, despite the absurdity, Wade did not doubt the truth of it.

Ethan was not the type to lie, and the scorched marks on his body and the significant burn damage to his clothes added credibility to his statement.

“By the way…”

Ignoring Wade’s gaze directed at him, Ethan slowly surveyed the crowd again.

His eyes passed over the monsters filling the surroundings, over Belruid, and finally lingered on Mary, floating in the air.

“I may not know the details, but I can roughly estimate what happened.”

Though he hadn’t been given an explanation, his superhuman senses instinctively understood the situation and drew a conclusion.

“It seems we just need to sweep those guys away.”

Ethan raised his sword with a look of eagerness.

“It’s fortunate; those earlier ones were far from enough.”

The ghost smiled fiercely.