The Extra's Rise-Chapter 354: Three-Way Battle (4)

The battlefield had become nearly unrecognizable. Craters pockmarked the ground, ice formations jutted at unnatural angles, and patches of grey-black flame burned stubbornly despite having nothing left to consume. The air itself seemed charged with residual energy, distorting perception like heat waves rising from scorched earth.

Three figures stood at the center of this devastation, each radiating power in distinct ways.

Lucifer's sword continued its haunting melody, the sound shifting in pitch and intensity as he moved. The pearlescent aura of his unified Yin-Yang energy flowed seamlessly between his body and blade, erasing the traditional boundaries between wielder and weapon. His God's Eyes, though still rimmed with dried blood, tracked every movement with preternatural clarity.

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Jack's transformation had progressed further. The pretense of pure Nirvana Flames had been abandoned entirely as the grey-black coloration of his Abyssal Gift dominated his manifestations. Each flame construct was more complex than the last, bending light and gravity around them as they approached a state of perfect fusion between his dual Gifts.

And then there was Arthur.

The golden sigils of Luna's borrowed power still glowed across his skin, visible through cracks in Erebus's crimson bone armor. His stance remained perfect, his expression composed. To an untrained observer, he appeared as formidable as ever.

But Lucifer and Jack could see the truth. The subtle delay in his reactions. The fractional hesitation before each counter. The increased reliance on defensive postures rather than the fluid aggression that had characterized his earlier fighting.

Arthur was falling behind.

"Getting tired, princess?" Jack taunted, violet-tinged flames dancing between his fingers as he circled to Arthur's left.

Arthur didn't respond, conserving both breath and concentration. He adjusted his grip on his sword—an ordinary blade now, without the transcendent connection Lucifer had discovered. His Soul Resonance with Luna was still active, still powerful, but the borrowed nature of the Gift was becoming increasingly apparent as his opponents evolved organically.

Lucifer attacked first, his singing sword leaving trails of light as he executed Winter's Ascent. The familiar technique was now enhanced by the Resonance, each strike carrying greater power and precision as the sword's song amplified the effect of his enhanced aura. The ice formations that accompanied his movements were sharper, denser, forming with an efficiency that defied conventional magic theory.

Arthur countered with Tempest Dance, his sword swings gathering momentum with each successive movement—not through footwork but through the perfect rhythm of his bladework. It was the correct strategic choice, but Lucifer had anticipated it. The singing sword changed tone mid-swing, its resonance disrupting the building momentum of Arthur's technique.

Unable to maintain his Tempest Dance, Arthur was forced to reinforce Erebus's armor with a surge of Deepdark energy. The crimson bone thickened just as Lucifer's blade connected, preventing serious damage but at the cost of significant energy expenditure.

Jack seized the opening, launching concentrated Abyssal flame constructs from three different angles. "Heads up!" he called, the warning deliberately timed to be useless.

Arthur grimaced, recognizing the trap. Committed to defending against Lucifer, he couldn't properly counter Jack's attack. He attempted to create a gravitational distortion to deflect the incoming flames, but his control was compromised by divided attention.

Two of the flame constructs connected, searing through the crimson armor at his shoulder and thigh. Arthur staggered, momentarily dropping to one knee before forcing himself back up through sheer willpower.

"Not going to make it easy, are you?" Arthur muttered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Wouldn't be any fun otherwise," Lucifer replied, his voice strangely doubled as his sword's song harmonized with his words.

The next exchange happened at speeds that defied normal perception. Arthur initiated God Flash, channeling a massive burst of Purelight energy into a single devastating strike. The technique had been overwhelming earlier, but now both Lucifer and Jack had adapted.

Lucifer's God's Eyes tracked the buildup of Purelight energy, his singing sword adjusting its tone to create a counter-resonance that diminished the attack's potency. Jack's flames spread in a precise geometric pattern, creating a net that would absorb and redirect the incoming Purelight.

Caught between these counters, Arthur's God Flash lost much of its impact, the brilliant beam of Purelight splitting and dissipating as it encountered the defenses.

Arthur didn't hesitate. He committed fully to a desperate gambit. The golden sigils across his body flared brilliantly as he pushed his Soul Resonance with Luna to its absolute limit. Simultaneously, Erebus's crimson armor liquified completely before reforming in a more comprehensive configuration that covered nearly his entire body.

"Nirvana Chakra," Jack announced, bringing his hands together in a complex gesture. The Abyssal Flames surrounding him condensed inward, compressing to a point of impossible density before expanding outward in seven distinct streams. Each stream corresponded to a different energy center in his body, creating a complex framework of power that amplified his control exponentially.

The violet-black flames formed intricate mandalas in the air around him, each pattern rotating independently while maintaining perfect alignment with the whole. This wasn't just raw power—it was the culmination of Jack's understanding of his dual Gifts, approaching perfect integration.

Lucifer raised his singing sword above his head, the melody shifting to something more complex, more profound. The Frozen Zenith movement of his Myth of the Northern Peak art remained fundamentally the same, but the Sword Resonance amplified every aspect. His enhanced aura, perfectly harmonized with the sword's song, created a level of elemental control far beyond what he had previously demonstrated.

The temperature around him plummeted instantly, crystalline structures forming in the air as moisture froze into complex lattices that resonated with the sword's song. Unlike before, where the technique created a simple dome of cold, the resonance allowed for intricate ice formations that moved and adapted with tactical precision.

Arthur recognized the danger immediately. His opponents weren't just executing techniques—they were enhancing their existing abilities to unprecedented levels. Their respective evolutions had reached inflection points simultaneously.

In response, Arthur pushed even harder, channeling every scrap of power he could access through his Soul Resonance. Golden light erupted from his eyes as Luna's Mythic Body and Soul Vision manifestations reached their peak. The crimson armor of Erebus pulsed with concentrated Deepdark energy, creating a stark contrast with the golden sigils that somehow enhanced both.

God Flash.

A blinding beam of concentrated Purelight erupted from his sword, so intense that it momentarily outshone the sun itself. This wasn't just a powerful attack—it was Arthur pushing Luna's borrowed power to its absolute limit, channeling every ounce of light energy he could access into a single, devastating strike.

For a breathtaking moment, it worked. The Purelight beam overwhelmed both Lucifer and Jack's defenses, forcing them to divert all their power to avoid being completely obliterated. The ground beneath the beam's path vitrified instantly, turning to glass as the pure energy scoured everything in its wake.

But the strain was too much. Arthur had pushed Soul Resonance beyond its sustainable limits. The borrowed power began to fluctuate, golden sigils flickering erratically across his skin as Luna's connection threatened to break.

Lucifer was the first to recover, his God's Eyes perceiving the instability in Arthur's technique. His singing sword changed melody again, creating a counter-resonance that disrupted the harmonic balance Arthur needed to maintain the Purelight beam.

As Arthur struggled to stabilize, Jack's Nirvana Chakra reached its zenith. The seven streams of Abyssal-enhanced flame converged on Arthur from different angles, each targeting a different point where Erebus's armor showed signs of weakening.

The assault was perfectly coordinated. As Arthur's Purelight beam faltered, his defenses were left critically exposed. The golden sigils flared blindingly bright before fading entirely, Luna's borrowed power withdrawing as the connection strained beyond recovery.

In a final desperate move, Arthur channeled all his remaining power into Erebus's crimson armor. The Lich responded, the bone material hardening to unprecedented density as it contracted around Arthur's core, protecting vital areas at the expense of mobility.

It wasn't enough.

Lucifer and Jack attacked simultaneously, their evolved techniques complementing each other despite their rivalry. Jack's Nirvana Chakra created openings that Lucifer's enhanced Frozen Zenith exploited with surgical precision. The singing sword amplified Lucifer's enhanced aura, allowing it to find the minute gaps between plates of crimson armor and disrupt the Deepdark energy that held them together.

With a sound like shattering glass, Erebus's protection failed. The crimson bone splintered and fell away, leaving Arthur exposed and drained. He managed one final, defiant sword strike before collapsing to his knees, his blade falling from nerveless fingers.

With Arthur eliminated, the dynamic on the battlefield shifted. The two remaining combatants separated, creating distance as they reassessed each other's capabilities. The Crown Challenge would have only one victor, and their brief alliance of convenience against Arthur had served its purpose.

Jack reactivated his Nirvana Chakra, the seven streams of violet-black flame returning to their complex mandala configurations. The fusion between his Nirvana and Abyssal Gifts was nearly complete now, creating something that transcended either individual power.

Lucifer's singing sword responded, its melody becoming more focused, more precise. His enhanced aura, perfectly in sync with the blade's resonance, flowed around him in patterns that mirrored the sword's song. His God's Eyes tracked every subtle shift in Jack's stance, every minute fluctuation in his flame constructs.

Arthur limped to the edge of the battlefield, collapsing against a fractured boulder to watch the conclusion. Despite his elimination, a faint smile played at his lips. There was something pure about witnessing two exceptional talents pushing each other to new heights.

The final clash between Jack and Lucifer lasted nearly thirty minutes, though to observers it seemed both instantaneous and eternal. Neither could gain a decisive advantage. Each time Jack's flames threatened to overwhelm Lucifer's defenses, the singing sword would change its tone, its resonance creating new patterns in Lucifer's enhanced aura that neutralized the threat. Similarly, whenever Lucifer's sword came close to landing a decisive blow, Jack's Nirvana Chakra would adapt, creating shields or counterattacks that maintained the stalemate.

As sunset approached, both combatants found themselves at their absolute limits. Jack's flames had dimmed considerably, the perfect fusion between his Gifts becoming harder to maintain as exhaustion set in. Lucifer's sword sang more quietly, its notes less distinct as his concentration wavered.

Their final exchange was almost anticlimactic in its simplicity. Jack launched a concentrated beam of violet-black flame directly at Lucifer's center mass. Simultaneously, Lucifer executed a perfect thrust with his singing sword, aiming for Jack's heart.

Both attacks connected.

Jack was thrown backward by the impact of the singing sword, though his hastily erected flame shield prevented a fatal wound. Lucifer similarly staggered as the flame beam scorched through his pearlescent aura, leaving a smoking wound across his chest.

For a breathless moment, both remained standing, swaying slightly as they fought to maintain consciousness. Then, as if choreographed, they collapsed simultaneously to the broken ground.

Draw.