Extra's Ascent-Chapter 169: Don’t Give Up, Not Yet

"Alright, up we go, everyone. You've had enough downtime. Time to rise." Aldrich urged, nudging their sides with the toe of his boot, his voice firm yet calm.

He had already done the hard part of gathering their scattered bodies and placing Valeria and Opius side by side. Now, all that remained was to get them on their feet again, conscious and ready. Plans needed to be made, strategies drafted for what lay ahead. But first, they had to wake up.

DING! DING! DING!

[One Point for the Left Team]

"There it is," Aldrich muttered, unsurprised, his tone laced with a strange mixture of expectation and quiet annoyance. "Took her long enough."

Honestly, the only thing surprising about it was that it had taken Saldrich this long to score. The idea that she wouldn't make the first goal had never even crossed his mind.

And, as though timed to perfection, the instant the blaring announcement of her goal echoed across the battlefield, Valeria and Opius stirred. A low growl escaped their lips as their bodies began to twitch, signs of consciousness slowly returning.

"Tch. Finally. I was beginning to think you two were planning on taking a nap here forever." Aldrich commented dryly, turning to watch them.

"Here's the situation," he began, his tone steady and composed. "We lost the first round, that is. The first goal's already been scored. My lovely sister Saldrich beat us to it."

The words hit hard, especially for Valeria. She shot up, wide-eyed and alert, as though insulted by the mere notion.

"We lost?!"

"Yes. We did," Aldrich confirmed, offering a reassuring nod. "But it's only round one. Forty minutes left on the clock. That's plenty of time to turn things around if we get serious and work as one."

He had no choice but to sound confident, no matter what. Panic was a disease in battle, and as the highest-ranking member among them, he needed to set the tone. He couldn't afford to look shaken. If an S-rank student like him started panicking, what hope would there be for the rest? Valeria was an A-rank, Opius a B, both strong in their own right, but neither had his presence or experience.

So, Aldrich wore calm like a second skin, masking his own doubts with an air of certainty.

The formation shifted again after the goal, resetting both sides to their starting positions. Everyone returned to their corners, their minds buzzing with new purpose and pressure.

"Sorry, everyone," Dickins spoke up, shoulders heavy with guilt. "I couldn't stop her. She was... too strong."

"Don't sweat it," Aldrich replied, waving the apology away. "There wasn't anything you could've done alone. It's not your fault."

And it truly wasn't. Even Aldrich knew he wouldn't have been able to halt Saldrich's charge by himself. Her power was overflowing, wild and consuming, unlike anything their year had witnessed. The only one Aldrich could think of who might stand against her in raw strength was Dante Pendragon.

But Dante wasn't here, and even if he was, Aldrich had no intention of depending on him. The path to becoming a LORD wasn't paved with borrowed strength or friendly alliances. It was a lonely, uphill battle. Every obstacle, Saldrich included, was just another mountain he had to conquer alone.

The second round began as the ball dropped from the sky once more, landing squarely atop one of the lower blocks.

"Let's do this!" Aldrich signalled, breaking into a sprint. Valeria and Opius followed close behind.

They didn't have the luxury of dedicating two players to defend the base. Not when they were up against this version of Saldrich, an unrelenting juggernaut blazing with raw, untamed energy.

Aldrich was already ahead, his eyes locked on the ball.

But of course, she beat him to it.

Saldrich reached it first, her movements fluid and terrifyingly fast. Her mana, wild and unrefined, blazed around her like a tempest. That cursed three-leaf clover shimmered ominously at her side, as though mocking the very laws of fairness.

"What's your move, Al?" Saldrich taunted, raising the ball with a glint in her eye.

Aldrich stopped in his tracks, lips pressed in a tight line. Not good, he thought. That much was obvious.

A moment later, Fiona arrived, leaping onto the platform to join Saldrich, silently assuming her place beside her teammate. They were already aligned, already functioning like a singular force.

Meanwhile, Valeria and Opius were still catching up.

Perfect.

On Saldrich's team, Selina and Aydin had remained eerily quiet after the goal. Perhaps her performance was enough to silence them, to remind them where they stood in the background.

But none of that mattered. Saldrich and Fiona alone were enough to secure victory if left unchecked. They didn't need the rest.

'We can do this,' Aldrich told himself.

It wasn't a motivational line meant for his teammates; it was for himself, a desperate whisper to stave off the creeping doubt.

There weren't many options left.

'Here goes nothing.'

He charged forward, zeroing in on Saldrich.

But Fiona met him halfway.

"Not this time, Fiona!" he snarled. "Water Art: Roaring Water Waves!"

A glowing circle spun to life in front of him, water erupting with force from it and spreading in chaotic torrents across the platform.

He sprang upward, into the air.

"Lightning Art: Twin Chain Lightning!"

Twin bolts burst from his palms, streaking down to meet the wet surface below. Sparks exploded as the lightning surged across the drenched tiles, the platform now a live conductor of painful voltage.

Fiona, sensing the danger, instinctively leapt out of harm's way, preserving her safety. Her hesitation gave Aldrich the window he needed to break past her, eyes locked on Saldrich.

By the time Fiona moved to retaliate, Valeria and Opius had finally arrived to stall Fiona and cover for Aldrich. They weren't the same people she'd overwhelmed last time.

They stood firm now, shoulder to shoulder, expressions grim but resolute. There was no retreat in their stance, only resolve sharpened by defeat.

Their previous encounter with Fiona had ended badly. But not this time.

This time, they were ready.

This time, they would stand their ground.