The Extra's Reincarnation-Chapter 70: Arborax (3)

As Julian finished analyzing his plan he turned to Kyra, his intense blue gaze meeting hers. "I’ll cover you while you focus on supporting Marcus. Don’t worry about anything else."

Kyra hesitated for a moment, still puzzled by Julian’s unexpected abilities, but nodded in agreement. "Alright, let’s do this."

With a collective deep breath, the team prepared to execute their desperate plan. Faustino dropped the barrier, immediately unleashing a massive storm of flames that carved a path through the Arborax’s writhing branches.

"Now, Kyra!" Julian shouted.

Kyra’s hands glowed bright green as she conjured a series of floating wind platforms, each one higher than the last, creating a stairway to the monster’s head. Marcus wasted no time, leaping onto the first platform and beginning his ascent.

As Marcus climbed, Julian positioned himself in front of Kyra, his fingers once again forming that peculiar gun shape.

-My words should’ve been enough to push him forward, if anything, it’s more likely effective for him to slay the monster instead of me, I doubt Faustino would have the heart to guard Kyra, anyway.

GYAK!

Arborax observed the current situation, and it began to realize that they were no longer focused on attacking its branches, so it sent a barrage of wooden limbs towards the ones on the lower ground.

"Bang... Bang... Bang..."

Julian’s mana bullets flew with pinpoint accuracy, shattering any branch that came near Kyra.

His eyes glowed with that eerie red light, tracking every movement of the monster.

Meanwhile, Marcus jumped from platform to platform, his wind blade slicing through any branches that Faustino’s flames missed. As he neared the top, the Arborax let out a deafening roar, shaking the very ground beneath them.

"Almost there!" Marcus shouted.

He leapt onto the final platform, now eye-level with the Arborax’s massive head.

The creature’s eyes, glowing an eerie green, locked onto Marcus.

It let out another ear-splitting screech and began thrashing wildly, desperate to protect its vulnerable core.

Below, Julian continued his relentless defense of Kyra, his mana bullets decimating any branch that dared come close.

Sweat beaded on his brow as he scanned over his surroundings, trying not to overdo it with his output of attacks.

"Marcus, hurry!" Kyra called out, her arms trembling as she struggled to maintain the wind platforms.

"I can’t hold these much longer!"

Faustino grunted with effort, his flames beginning to flicker and wane.

"My mana’s running low. Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!"

Marcus gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on his wind blade. He could see a faint pulsing light at the center of the Arborax’s head–the core they’d been searching for.

But just as he prepared to strike, a massive branch, thicker than the others, shot towards him with frightening speed.

Time seemed to slow as Marcus realized he couldn’t dodge in time.

His eyes widened in shock, bracing for the impact that would surely eliminate him from the challenge.

But the impact never came.

DOOOOM...

A streak of blue light zipped past Marcus’s shoulder, obliterating the branch mere inches from his face.

The streak of light didn’t stop there. When the protective barrier surrounding the monster’s core was struck with immense force, the core that sustained its life became exposed.

As Marcus’s eyes fell into shock from the sudden cover, he shook his head, realising the opportunity laid out before him.

With a fierce battle cry, he leapt forward with his wind blade raised high.

"HAAAAH!"

SHKKK

The blade plunged deep into the pulsing core.

For a moment, everything went still.

Then, with a thunderous crack, fissures of light spread across the Arborax’s body.

"Everyone, get back!"

Julian shouted, grabbing Kyra and pulling her to safety as Faustino stumbled away from the disintegrating monster.

With a final, mournful groan, the Arborax exploded in a brilliant flash of light and a shower of golden pixels.

As the light faded, Marcus descended slowly to the ground, carried by the last wisps of Kyra’s wind magic.

[Arborax Has Been Defeated. Challenge Complete.]

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

The team stood in stunned silence for a moment, chests heaving as they caught their breath.

Then, as the reality of their victory sank in, grins broke out across their faces.

"We... we did it!" Kyra exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air.

Faustino slumped to the ground, exhausted but smiling.

"That was too close for comfort."

Marcus landed softly on the forest floor, his wind blade dissipating as the adrenaline began to fade. He looked around at his teammates with relief washing over him.

"Great work, everyone," he said, his voice hoarse from exertion. "We couldn’t have done this without each person playing their part."

As the group began to celebrate their hard-earned victory, Marcus’s gaze drifted to Julian.

The young boy stood slightly apart from the others, his expression oddly calm and detached from someone who had just survived such a harrowing encounter.

In Marcus’s mind, there was something about Julian that didn’t quite add up. The precision of his attacks, the depth of his strategic insight, and that last-second save that had allowed Marcus to strike the final blow–it all spoke of experience and abilities far beyond what a typical child should possess.

-Did he also anticipate that final attack on me? If he did, then it’s possible that he’ll become even more of a threat in the last 2 challenges.

Marcus opened his mouth, ready to question Julian about his unexpected skills, when suddenly the surrounding air began to shimmer.

The forest scenery wavered and dissolved, replaced by the familiar walls of Ziverard Zagata’s Hall.

As the teleportation effect faded, they found themselves face to face with Meredith, the challenge overseer.

Her expression was unreadable as she surveyed the battered but victorious team.

"Congratulations on completing the challenge. You’re the first team to have beaten a boss monster so far."

Meredith applauded Group 7 for their efforts. As much as they pushed themselves during the battle, they undoubtedly deserved praise for their hard-fought victory. Facing Arborax, a colossal archetype monster, was a formidable challenge, and defeating such a creature with minimal experience as very young mages was truly impressive.

Meredith had kept her eyes on their battle the entire time. She believed this group had all the qualities needed to make a great team, which is why they were assigned a more difficult boss than most groups. However, she couldn’t help but focus on participant 10,000—Julian.

His performance caught the attention of Meredith, the leader of the Inheritor’s Magic Association. It was rare in group events for a young mage to stay true to their role in a tactical formation, but Julian did just that. From start to finish, he not only fulfilled his role as a support but remained committed to his duties, regardless of how the battle unfolded.

Julian not only protected his Frontcaster from every angle of attack, but also thwarted unexpected flanking maneuvers by the ambush of branch hands. Attacks that should have taken his teammates out never reached them because he tirelessly supported his team until the very end.

This undeniable dedication earned Julian a perfect 10/10 performance in Meredith’s book.

"Thank you, Lady Meredith," Marcus said, bowing slightly. "We were fortunate to work well as a team."

Meredith nodded, her sharp eyes scanning each member of the group.

"Indeed. Teamwork is crucial, but individual skills and quick thinking are equally important. You’ve all shown promise today."

Her eyes lingered on Julian for a moment longer than the others, a flicker of curiosity passing across her face before she addressed the group once more.

"You’ll have a short break before the next challenge begins. I suggest you use this time to rest and reflect on your performance."

As Meredith turned to leave, Marcus stepped forward, his voice tinged with concern. "Excuse me, Lady Meredith, but what about Jake? Is he alright?"

Meredith’s expression softened slightly.

"Jake Banter has been eliminated from the challenge, but he’s perfectly safe. He’s currently in the recovery area with the other eliminated participants."

With that, she strode away, leaving the team to process their victory and prepare for what was to come.

As the group dispersed for their well-earned break, Julian found himself drifting toward a quiet corner of the hall. Although his mind was exhausted, his body was not.

Though he was gifted with a god given body, he was processing everything that had happened during the challenge. He had managed to contribute significantly without overexerting his abilities, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had attracted more attention than he intended.

All Julian truly desired in The Royal 8 was to earn the role of the royal blade and live a comfortable life with his mother, while observing the main character, Kaelen, defeat every villain in the story.

"Haah... what a bother..."

Julian leaned against a wall, lost in thought, when he felt a presence approach.

He looked up to see Marcus standing before him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"That was some impressive work out there, especially for someone who claimed to still be ’discovering their strengths’."

Marcus remarked in a neutral tone. Unfortunately for Julian, Marcus was one of the few people who were aware of his magical abnormalities.