The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 : Alex vs Alicia(1)

The atmosphere at Zenith Academy’s training grounds was electric. The crowd was still buzzing from the last match—Lilith’s display of overwhelming strength had sent shockwaves through both junior and seniors alike.

Now, it was Alex’s turn.

He stared at the platform, lips dry, heart doing its best impression of a drumroll.

He gulped.

"Just my luck."

"Hey, step aside," Alden said, casually nudging Ethan out of the way. "I want a front-row seat to watch that bastard get flattened."

Alex’s eye twitched. Alden, somehow holding a tub of popcorn, tossed a handful at ethan with a grin, as if he were watching an action flick instead of a duel.

"Sharing the experience," Alden added, like it was a noble gesture.

Alex turned to Alicia and Alistar with a deadpan expression.

"Can I forfeit?"

Alicia tilted her head, a mysterious smile tugging at her lips.

Alistar chuckled and crossed his arms.

"You already know the answer."

Alex sighed. A vein throbbed in his temple.

"Of course I do."

He stepped forward with the dramatic flair of a man walking to his own funeral.

"Let’s do this. How bad could it be?"

Alicia followed him onto the dueling platform, her steps light and elegant.

The crowd roared the moment they saw her take position. Students were shouting from all sides.

"Break that pretty face of his, Prez!" someone from the first-year section yelled.

"You can do this!" came another voice.

"Why the hell are you cheering for him?" someone snapped.

"Bastard, I’m cheering for Prez!" the friend shot back.

Amid the chaos, a group of girls cried out,

"Please, leave his pretty face alone, Prez! Don’t hit it!"

Alicia burst out laughing.

"You really do have some unique fans, don’t you?"

Alex smirked, brushing a hand through his hair like a smug celebrity.

"What can I say? If being handsome were a crime, I’d be serving life imprisonment."

That made Alicia laugh even harder, her amusement echoing across the arena.

The crowd loved it.

The stage was set. The duel hadn’t even started, but already, the tension was delicious.

And Alex could feel it—this was going to hurt.

Then Alicia said with a teasing grin,

"We should begin."

Alex stiffened instinctively. The pressure she exuded was subtle but dense—like the calm before a storm. Alicia noticed his reaction and let out a musical laugh.

"Don’t worry, I’m not heartless. You’re just an Advanced (Low) rank, and I’m a Master (Mid)," she said, flipping her glossy hair behind her shoulder. "So, I’ll give you a handicap."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I’ll limit myself to Expert (Mid)-rank strength. If you can land even a single hit on me—no matter how small—or force me to use anything beyond Expert rank... then you win."

Alex’s lips curled into a smirk.

"You sure about that, Prez?"

Alicia’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Oh, I’m absolutely sure. Don’t worry about me... worry about yourself."

Alex chuckled to himself. He knew she was playing with him. But he had nothing to lose.

Alistar, standing beside the sparring platform, merely watched with amused indifference. He raised his hand—and the duel began.

Alex’s eyes sharpened instantly.

『Mind’s Eye』

Time seemed to slow for him. His perception sharpened, predicting movements, analyzing angles, mentally plotting a hundred possible outcomes in the span of seconds.

『Phantom Shift – Activate!』

A faint distortion wrapped around his body as he blurred, afterimages mimicking his stance. His presence flickered, becoming harder to track.

He lunged forward.

『Shadow Step!』

ZAP!

In a blink, Alex reappeared beside Alicia, twisting mid-air for a wide horizontal slash.

CLANG!

His blade stopped.

Alicia hadn’t even unsheathed her sword. She simply raised one foot and kicked him square in the ribs.

CRACK!

He was sent tumbling across the stage, coughing.

From how bad could it be.

The experience became very bad.

Alicia shook her head, smiling.

"You’re fast. But not fast enough. Keep trying."

"Tch..."

Alex rolled up, blood dribbling from his lips, and shot forward again, muscles flaring.

『Heavy Strike – Activate』

His next blow came with immense force, his blade whistling through the air like thunder.

Alicia ducked effortlessly, stepped into his guard, and delivered a crisp uppercut to his jaw.

CRACK!

His head jerked back violently. Blood sprayed. He staggered.

His skill Titan’s Resilience absorbed some of the impact—or he would’ve been knocked unconscious.

Alicia spoke casually,

"Keep your shoulders lower when you charge. You’re telegraphing."

From the edge of the arena, Alden whooped,

"YEAH! HIT HIM HARDER, SIS! BREAK HIS FACE!"

Ethan joined in, laughing,

"Knock his teeth out!"

Only Seraphina and Ava shouted,

"C’mon Alex! You can do this!"

Charlotte, still fuming from her earlier loss, shouted,

"Make him suffer, Alicia!"

Alex scowled, bruises already forming.

Lightning Resonance

Sparks danced across his skin. His speed increased, steps crackling with energy.

Astral Void Rend:

『First Form: Void Step!』

CRACK!

He vanished in a flicker of electric light—and appeared behind Alicia.

『Second Form: Phantom Rend!』

His sword danced like lightning, leaving a trail of afterimages that slashed in tandem. Dozens of overlapping cuts surged toward her.

Alicia sidestepped, body weaving effortlessly between the blades as if she had seen them all before. Then she spun and elbowed him in the chest.

BOOM!

He was thrown back again.

"Too predictable," she said sweetly.

"Don’t rely on just one tempo. Vary your rhythm."

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