The Extra is a Genius!? Chapter 615: Noel vs Roberto [II]

Everything changed instantly. Only a moment prior, the distant collision had been tearing the world apart with force so immense it vibrated the very ground beneath the soldiers. Then, it simply ceased. The shockwaves across the plains vanished. No more blinding flares or obsidian trajectories carved into the horizon. The oppressive weight that had suffocated the war like an artificial firmament dispersed, leaving behind a silence so unnatural it made the flesh crawl.

Noir reacted first. Her hulking lupine form froze mid-stride, her violet eyes locked upon the coordinates where Noel and Roberto had been standing. Selene sensed it immediately. Charlotte, Elena, and Elyra followed, their own sections of the battlefield catching the sudden, hollow absence as it cascaded outward with more precision than any shout.

Selene reached Noir in a blur. "Where has he gone?"

Noir did not offer an immediate reply. She probed the spiritual bond between them, attempting to track Noel as she always successfully had. Her ears flattened briefly, and a flicker of unease crossed her features. "I cannot pinpoint him," she finally admitted.

Charlotte’s expression hardened. "What exactly do you mean, you cannot tell?"

"I can still sense his presence. He lives." That much she declared without a shred of doubt. "But I am unable to connect to him via 'Shadow Step.' There are simply no shadows linking to his current location."

The surrounding silence suddenly felt much heavier.

Elyra’s silver eyes narrowed, yet her tone remained disciplined. "So he is elsewhere. Alive, but beyond the reach of your shadows."

"Correct."

Elena released a slow breath, her fingers tightening briefly around her hilt before loosening. Concern was evident in all of them now—sharp and palpable—though they lacked the luxury to dwell on it.

A ferocious howl erupted from the frontline. One of Roberto’s beasts breached a crumbling defensive line, forcing the nearby soldiers into a chaotic scramble. The battlefield had no patience for Noel’s mysterious disappearance.

Noir lowered her frame, claws digging into the soil. "We must place our faith in him."

Selene stared ahead. "I understand."

Charlotte swallowed hard, offering a sharp nod. Elena and Elyra did the same, deliberately suppressing the gnawing uncertainty to focus on the immediate struggle.

The reality-warping static ceased, and Noel landed with grace, Revenant Fang gripped firmly in his hand. His attention was immediately drawn away from Roberto and toward the environment. Everything was bathed in a sterile, artificial whiteness, as if this dimension had been forged from purified light, stripped of every minor flaw that gives reality its texture. The terrain, the scale, the horizon—all merged into a polished perfection, making the realm feel constrained, like a single concept refined until every imperfection was erased.

He grasped the true danger immediately. Shadows were nonexistent in this place—an epiphany that struck him instantly. Nothing beneath his boots, nothing trailing behind his opponent, nothing to exploit at the periphery of his sight. When his instinct urged him to grasp for the dark, he hit nothing but the sensation of cold glass. 'Shadow Step' offered no response. 'Shadow Rift' remained dormant. This was not a result of interference or hesitation; these techniques were fundamentally severed, incompatible with the laws of this domain.

Roberto observed the realization dawn on Noel’s face. "This is my dominion. Combat is effortless for me here." A faint smile etched itself onto his lips. "And far deadlier for you."

Noel scanned his surroundings one final time before fixating on his foe. "How very thoughtful of you."

The retort was dry, yet he wasted no effort dwelling on his disadvantage. Lamenting the loss of his shadows would not manifest them. He chose to seize the initiative.

"Ignition Surge." Flame cascaded over Revenant Fang in a blistering layer of orange-crimson heat, and Noel lunged forward, capitalizing on raw physical speed and martial prowess rather than darkness. His initial strike targeted the legs; the second swept rapidly toward Roberto’s midsection, both parried with clinical precision. 'Lumina Veil' rippled across Roberto’s skin like a membrane of hard light, absorbing the impact without breaking his momentum. The clash echoed harshly across the white void, the sound jarring in a place of such pristine silence.

Noel vanished using 'Spatial Shift,' reappearing at Roberto’s side to thrust 'Glacialis' toward his enemy's ribs at point-blank range. Roberto pivoted with fluid ease and countered with 'Radiant Slash,' the arc of condensed luminescence cleaving through the ice and forcing Noel to realign his stance. Even within a dimension designed to strip away his shadowy movement, Noel’s pressure remained intense. Blade, speed, fire, and frost were layered together without hesitation, proving to Roberto a simple, undeniable fact—even here, Noel was a lethal threat.

Noel adjusted fluidly, devoid of reckless impulses. In Vaelterra, he had exploited shadows to truncate angles and disrupt his opponent's rhythm whenever a bout grew too structured. That avenue was now bolted shut, and 'Spatial Shift' could not be deployed recklessly. To utilize it effectively, he needed to traverse the space, imbuing it with his own essence, effectively making the path his before attempting to bend it. Rather than forcing the impossible, he opted to sprint.

"Ignition Surge." Revenant Fang erupted in flame as Noel pressed in with raw speed, his boots scorching lines into the white earth as he adjusted his angles through footwork alone. His blade lashed out from the right, then pivoted mid-swing, driving toward Roberto’s waist. Roberto met both attempts with perfect parries, 'Lumina Veil' softening the force while preserving his own poise. Their weapons collided once more, vibrant and sharp, and Noel immediately followed the contact with 'Fire Arc,' the crescent of flame grazing Roberto’s flank at close quarters.

"Radiant Slash." Light answered fire. The two techniques tore through one another, and Noel moved to strike again before the heat could fully disperse. Lowering his hand, he unleashed 'Cooling Veil,' forcing a sudden, biting frost across the white expanse. The absolute clarity of the dimension remained, yet it grew colder, the atmosphere sharpening. Noel exploited the shift immediately. 'Ice Spike.' Jagged pillars of ice erupted from a blind spot behind Roberto, forcing the man to rely on 'Sanctified Step' rather than maintain his centered posture.

That was enough to maintain the pressure. Noel closed the gap, the duel growing tighter, more claustrophobic. Steel met steel. Roberto used his elbow to deflect Noel’s shoulder and ruin a strike, to which Noel retorted by twisting his frame to drive 'Glacialis' into him at close distance. Roberto cleaved through the frost and countered with 'Flashbind.' Intense brilliance erupted, searing Noel’s vision, but he had anticipated the burst. He retreated instead of forcing another maneuver, narrowly dodging the follow-up 'Sanctum Pulse,' the trailing wave of light tearing open the ground just inches behind his heels.

Noel understood the landscape’s intent with stark clarity now. The environment favored Roberto too aggressively, rewarding stable movement, pristine control, and perfect spacing—all facets of the fight that favored the enemy. However, as the distance widened momentarily, Roberto arrived at a realization of his own.

Even without his shadows, Noel was evolving too quickly.

They paused several paces apart, both poised, both lethal. Noel held Revenant Fang aloft, calculating his next sequence. Roberto remained composed, yet the premature ease he had displayed earlier had evaporated. The battle was truly joined. If Noel intended to emerge victorious in this white void, the next stage of his rhythm would have to be forged right here and now.