Reborn As An Extra In My Own Novel-Chapter 45: Author Versus Protagonist [1]

Matt and I looked at each other, the air practically crackling with tension at the point where our gazes met.

"I have a lot of questions to ask you, Kai. But I will wait till this is over."

I didn’t respond and simply stared at him.

The crackling atmosphere didn’t solely arise from the tension—it also stemmed from our zones being deployed simultaneously.

The entire first-year class gathered in front of our class, stood in awe at the sight of Matt and me, two individuals who had only learned about zones yesterday, not merely imitating it but employing it effectively.

The area around me crackled with light purple energy as it clashed with the azure glow radiating from Matt.

It lasted only a moment, but the two zones collided, creating a massive burst of light as mana exploded in the air, completely obliterating the classroom wall.

I could hear Neko-sensei and the other professors shouting at us to stop, but neither Matt nor I paid them any attention.

In that instant, if I had doubted myself even slightly, the fight would have ended before it began.

What I needed in that moment was a murderous will to fight.

As if we shared the same thought, killing intent infused with mana flooded the atmosphere, causing many students to gasp for air.

Matt’s mana danced atop his skin as if fused with his very essence.

The sight was so breathtaking that I found myself momentarily stunned in admiration, then, in a flash, he lunged toward me, slicing the air with a sudden burst of speed.

’Fast.’

I narrowly evaded his strike, wrapping my three saints around me.

It would have been ideal if all three could fight alongside me, but I still wanted to preserve a secret trump card for later.

Even after dodging the initial blow, the shockwave from the strike rippled across the battlefield.

I quickly calmed my breathing, taking deliberate, measured breaths—

A deep, slow inhale through my nose, a two-second hold, and then a long exhale through my mouth.

It was a technique I developed in my past life to regain composure, and it never failed.

My previously chaotic mind settled as I fixed my gaze on Matt.

I looked at him with calm conviction, as though nothing he did could shake it. He gave a soft smile and lunged again.

This time, both his hands and mine were coated—his in azure flames, mine in ice.

At this stage of the novel, Matt had not yet unlocked his true potential and could only use Asura Flames. That also meant that, if this version of Matt remained, I stood a chance.

But he was still the protagonist.

His arm extended forward, aiming to tear through my abdomen—

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: CLAIRVOYANCE]

His movements became crystal clear as I extended my arm and seized his.

Immediately, he retracted, shifted his stance, and aimed a left elbow at my side.

I barely dodged and countered with a kick to his face, using all the strength I could muster while airborne.

Matt flew down the hall, crashing through every wall in his path.

I couldn’t allow him time to recover. He was strong—too strong, and would only grow stronger the longer the fight dragged on.

I could sense the augmentation from his azure flames far surpassed the power of my saints.

From the cloud of dust and debris that filled the air, Matt emerged. This time, his skin no longer radiated its usual light blue glow. Instead, a golden light enveloped him.

At that moment, I realized, Matt had already learned how to access Blessing, the most overpowered talent in the entire THD.

"Monster," I muttered unconsciously.

As my eyes widened, sharpened with anticipation, I spotted something subtly in the background. I was certain it was a dagger.

I immediately ducked, not waiting for my brain to catch up.

The golden light burst upward, reaching the sky, shattering the ceiling and sending massive debris raining down on the students.

Matt’s eyes gleamed with even greater brilliance as he moved with blinding speed.

A blade materialized in his hands, and I stared at it—stunned by the incandescent glow of the weapon—it was beautiful.

I quickly snapped out of the trance.

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: FIFTH-TIME]

It was a talent I had hoped not to use, but without it, I would have lost my left eye.

As soon as I evaded the blade’s path, I deactivated the talent.

Matt looked disoriented, seeing me meters away from his blade. He frowned slightly, his brows furrowing.

He tried to speak, but there was no way I’d let him off with a speech.

With a swift movement, almost like teleportation—I dashed to his side and conjured a massive ice shard.

His face contorted, but even he couldn’t suppress the scream, Matt’s cry was loud and grating. But I wasn’t finished yet.

As he crashed through the wall—in that exact moment he hung in the air—distorted by both the attack and the fact that he was now three floors above the ground—

I moved, leaping through the large hole and conjuring an ice shard nearly the size of the building, placing it right above him. Even the blazing sun that broke through after the rain couldn’t harm it and I launched it down at his falling figure.

The shard collided with Matt, crashing into the ground. Ice debris and cold vapor spread throughout the first year’s block.

Matt slowly emerged from the massive crater, wiping blood from his mouth, his hands bleeding, voice hoarse.

"I knew there was more to you, Kai."

He conjured a black blade from dark magic, and I did the same with my ice mana.

Winds even stronger than those unleashed by the ice shard tore through the area, the moment we clashed, ripping soil from the earth.

Matt stepped back, moving like a dancer offering a prayer. As his hands swayed, scattered rubble and sand rose into the air, coalescing into drill-like weapons made of rock.

As the barrage of attacks flew toward me, I dodged one drill after another.

The final drill was the largest. I raised my arm, as if slicing through the air itself.

A thin rupture appeared in space, and my ice mana surged, coating my body with a freezing aura, as if attempting to petrify me.

My skin trembled as though struck by winter, and my rhythmic breathing exhaled visible cold vapor.

Letting out a deep exhale, I deliberately raised my arm, back slightly hunched forward.

As it rose: a towering pillar of ice formed before me, halting the massive drill at its center.

One deep breath—and we clashed again.

Both my ice wall and his earth drill shattered into a million fragments as we collided once more.

"Another talent, huh? Bring it on."

Matt smiled at my words. "I was never going to hold back."

Boom!

The ground beneath me erupted as if a nuclear bomb had detonated. The teachers, who had hesitated to interfere, deployed a massive barrier, but even that was overwhelmed, and the school building shattered into massive chunks of debris.

Both my saint and ice coating barely did anything to stop the damage—my seared skin, made a muffled scream escaped my lips, but my infinite adaptability talent soon closed up majority of the wound.

Bloodied, I still managed to emerge from the flames. "You sure have changed."

Matt tilted his head slightly. "How so?"

I shook my head. "You might not understand since it’s you... but the Matt I remember wouldn’t blow up the school."

Matt frowned slightly. "But aren’t they all mages? They should be able to survive something like this. If they can’t, then maybe they’re better off quitting."

I nodded in agreement. "First sensible thing you’ve said all day."

"Says the guy who’s been spouting nonsense the whole time."

"Did you just say ’nonsense’? Am I that bad of an influence?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock.

"You didn’t know? It was after I met you..." He lunged forward, sending a fist toward me. "...that I finally understood why my mother said not to follow bad children."

’Crazy bastard.’

Our eyes screamed of exhaustion, but neither one of us was ready to back down yet.