The Extra's Rise-Chapter 340: Crown Challenge (2)
"I didn't expect everyone to be interested in this," Valerie said as she looked across the VVIP room, her crimson uniform standing out against the opulent surroundings.
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The observation chamber was suspended high above the arena, its walls constructed of one-way transparency material that offered an unobstructed view of the preparation area below. Plush chairs were arranged in tiered rows, each bearing the insignia of a major academy or continental power. Crystal decanters of rare spirits sat untouched on side tables, the gathering too focused on the spectacle about to unfold for such distractions.
"Well, the winner for the upper years Inter-Academy Festival is obvious anyway," Leon Viserion from the Southern continent who came with Serpentstone Academy said as he yawned, stretching his tall frame. His dark green robes, embroidered with the silver serpent of his academy, rustled with the movement. Despite his affected boredom, his sharp eyes never left the display showing the twenty finalists' rankings. "I am much more curious about this one, especially due to the extra amount of talent."
The air in the room hummed with barely contained power. These weren't merely spectators but Immortal-rankers, individuals whose accomplishments had earned them the right to sit in judgment of the next generation. Their presence created an almost palpable pressure, the atmosphere dense with competing energies that seemed to test each other's boundaries.
"Those three are going to dominate," Lilith Windward, Lucifer's cousin sister and part of the Windward family who came with the Pillen Academy from the Northern continent, said. She absently twisted a strand of platinum blonde hair around her finger, the strands seemingly catching light from within. Her white and gold uniform remained pristine despite the long journey south. "Arthur Nightingale already showed the difference against Ren Kagu in the Tactical Simulation event."
Holographic displays hovered throughout the room, replaying highlights from the preliminary events. Arthur's decisive victory over Ren played in silent loop near the center of the chamber, drawing occasional glances from the gathered dignitaries.
"It is going to be interesting," Jaehyun Namgung who came with the Starcrest Academy from the Eastern continent said. Unlike the others who projected their status overtly, Jaehyun's presence was understated yet unmistakable. His traditional indigo robes bore no ornamentation, but the air around him seemed to shimmer slightly, as if reality itself respected his power enough to give him space.
"I wasn't expecting the Grand Marshal of the Western continent herself to come though," Valerie said as she turned towards Meilyn Potan, a woman whose military bearing was evident in every precise movement. The medals adorning her formal uniform told stories of battles won and enemies vanquished, each one earned through blood and sacrifice.
"I am here to see his performance, that is all," Meilyn said simply, her gaze never wavering from the screens tracking the students' preparations. The light caught on the scar that ran from her temple to her jaw, a reminder of some past confrontation that she had survived but never forgotten.
"But.. I am more surprised that you are here," she said as her dark eyes turned to one man whose presence dominated the room full to the brim with powerful Immortal-rankers.
Magnus sat apart from the others, requiring no posturing to establish his significance. His very stillness commanded attention, the casual way he occupied his space suggesting that the world arranged itself around him rather than the reverse. The faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth held secrets that had shaped empires.
"It's been a while Meilyn," Magnus greeted her, his voice carrying easily despite its conversational tone. "I heard you met the Axe King.. how was his axe?"
The question sent a ripple of tension through the room. Even among these legends, the mention of the Axe King caused several to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
"Too powerful for me," Meilyn responded simply as she crossed her arms, the admission causing subtle reactions among those close enough to hear. For someone of her caliber to acknowledge such inferiority was rare enough to merit notice. "Why are you here?"
"Same reason as you," Magnus shrugged his shoulders, the casual gesture somehow making his expensive tailored suit settle more perfectly across his broad shoulders. "But I too am surprised, to think I would get to see someone like you here."
His grey eyes, clear as winter skies and just as cold, turned towards a man wearing a long black coat despite sitting indoors with an old 19th century black hat covering his features. The man sat unnaturally still, as if conserving every ounce of energy. Though his face remained shadowed, the others in the room gave him a wide berth unconsciously, instinct warning them away more effectively than any overt threat.
"His Majesty wished for the Her Highness's safety," the man replied simply, not saying anything further. Yet every word spoken out of his mouth was robotic beyond compare, as if he was someone who already shed all feelings. His gloved hands rested motionless on his knees, the leather worn smooth from use that no one present wished to contemplate.
"For the safety of his daughter, he sent someone like you?" Magnus scoffed, his voice carrying an edge that made the crystal glasses on the nearby table vibrate slightly. He leaned forward, the expensive fabric of his tailored suit stretching across broad shoulders that had carried the weight of countless decisions. "Is he trying to start a war or something?"
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The other Immortal-rankers shifted in their seats, some subtly creating distance between themselves and the confrontation unfolding before them. Lilith Windward's fingers froze mid-twist in her platinum hair, her eyes widening at Magnus's boldness.
"Be careful of your words towards His Majesty Martial King," the man warned, his voice devoid of inflection yet somehow all the more menacing for its emptiness. His gloved fingers remained motionless on his knees, but a subtle darkness gathered around the brim of his hat, as if shadows themselves were responding to his displeasure. The warning was delivered with the casual certainty of someone unaccustomed to being disobeyed, uncaring for the identity of the person the warning was thrown at.
A charged silence followed. Leon Viserion's affected boredom vanished, replaced by the alert tension of a predator recognizing another of its kind. Jaehyun Namgung's traditional robes rustled as he shifted almost imperceptibly, his eyes measuring the distance between the two men as if calculating the radius of potential destruction.
Magnus didn't seem to care much either, his grey eyes reflecting nothing but cold amusement. "I wouldn't mind seeing the power of the Commander of Nighthawks..." he drawled, one finger idly tracing the rim of an untouched glass of amber liquid, "but you need to be prepared to die for that."
His threat dropped in the air like a stone into still water, ripples of tension expanding outward to touch everyone present. Several of the lesser Immortal-rankers found sudden interest in the holographic displays, their faces carefully blank. The man in the coat remained motionless, the shadow beneath his hat revealing nothing, not responding despite the threat.
Meilyn Potan's hand moved almost imperceptibly toward the ornate hilt at her waist, her scarred face tight with anticipation. Valerie shot her a warning glance, aware that her VVIP observation room could become a battlefield in moments if these titans decided to clash.
"I am just joking, don't take it so hard," Magnus said as he turned his gaze away, his sudden smile never reaching his eyes. His posture relaxed deliberately, a performance for the room rather than a genuine easing of tension. "I don't want to spill blood when I came here for something else."
The collective breath that had been held by everyone present released slowly, though the wariness remained. The Commander of the Nighthawks hadn't moved throughout the exchange, his stillness somehow more alarming than any display of power would have been.
"Are you interested in Arthur Nightingale as well," Meilyn said, her tactical mind shifting the conversation to safer ground. The medals on her uniform caught the light as she crossed her arms, her piercing gaze assessing Magnus with military precision.
"Who isn't?" Magnus replied, gesturing toward the main display where Arthur's profile was prominently featured. The hologram highlighted his combat statistics, a series of numbers that told only part of the story of his potential. "He is a talent I am going to nurture."
A ripple of surprise spread throughout the room. Several heads turned sharply, the implications of Magnus's statement too significant to ignore. Jaehyun Namgung's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, while Leon Viserion abandoned all pretense of disinterest, sitting forward in his seat.
The Martial King was the current Paragon and thus the strongest person in the world as he was the only one at mid Radiant-rank.
Valerie's dark eyes flicked between Magnus and the Commander, calculating the new tensions that would inevitably affect her students. The room that had seemed spacious moments before now felt claustrophobic, compressed by the weight of ambition and power politics being played out with a young man's future as the prize.
