The Extra's Rise-Chapter 475: Resurgence (5)

I could feel Master Li’s wariness as he looked at Alyssara. However, he knew just how outmatched he was now that Alyssara revealed her strength.

She was at mid Radiant-rank—a classification so rare that most cultivators lived their entire lives without encountering one. The kind of power that made even High Immortals look like children playing with sticks. Even the legendary Martial King would barely edge out a win against her, and Master Li was nowhere near that level.

Yet I saw no fear in his eyes—only calculation, determination, and the quiet resolve of a man who had faced impossible odds before.

"I chose correct?" I asked as Alyssara’s eyes met mine, that unnerving familiarity passing between us like a current.

She nodded, a smile touching her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "You chose what I didn’t want you to choose but hoped you would," Alyssara said, her voice melodic yet somehow hollow. "I desired to own you right now, but waiting will make it all that much better."

I shuddered slightly at the manic look in her eyes—that perfect blend of obsession and patience, like a predator who enjoys the chase as much as the kill.

The crimson threads around Cassius tightened almost absently, drawing a hiss of pain from the vampire prince. He glared at me with pure hatred, but remained silent under Alyssara’s command.

"Arthur leaves with us," Master Li said, each word measured and precise. Storm Cleaver hummed in his grip, lightning dancing along its edge in response to his emotions. "Whatever game you’re playing ends now."

Alyssara tilted her head, regarding Li with the mild curiosity one might show an unusual insect. "You misunderstand, Master Li. This isn’t a game. It’s destiny. Arthur and I have unfinished business spanning lifetimes."

"I don’t care if your business spans the creation of the cosmos," Li replied, his voice hardening. "He is my student, and he leaves with me."

Something changed in Alyssara’s expression—a subtle shift from amusement to annoyance. The air around her thickened, pressure building like the moment before a storm breaks.

"Your loyalty is admirable," she said. "Misplaced, but admirable."

Master Li moved with the speed that had earned him his reputation as the Lightning Dragon of Mount Hua. One moment he stood between us, the next he was directly before Alyssara, Storm Cleaver aimed for her heart in a perfect execution of the Seventh Form of the Mount Hua sword style—Lightning Plum Blossoms Scatter the Storm.

The blade blurred, creating dozens of afterimages shaped like plum blossoms, each crackling with lightning that could vaporize stone. It was a strike that could bisect mountains.

Alyssara didn’t even blink.

Her crimson threads intercepted the legendary blade mere inches from her chest, catching it like a spider’s web snaring a charging bull. The impact released a shockwave that cracked the stone beneath our feet, yet she remained unmoved, her expression one of mild disappointment.

"Predictable," she sighed. "I expected more creativity from the famed Lightning Blade."

More threads erupted from her fingertips, lashing out with terrifying precision. Master Li abandoned his sword, prioritizing evasion over offense, but even his incredible speed wasn’t enough. Three crimson threads caught his left arm, instantly cutting through his defensive aura and biting into flesh.

Li grimaced but didn’t cry out, instead channeling lightning directly from his body in a desperate countermeasure. The electricity traveled up the threads toward Alyssara, only to dissipate harmlessly against her passive barriers.

"Enough," she said, almost gently. "You’re embarrassing yourself."

With a casual gesture, she sent Li crashing into the far wall with enough force to create a crater in the ancient stone. He slumped to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but immediately struggled to rise again.

"Uncle!" Seraphina cried, starting forward only to be restrained by Rose’s firm grip.

"Don’t," Rose warned, her analytical mind quickly assessing the hopelessness of the situation. "We’ll only make it worse."

I wanted to help—Gods, I wanted to—but Luna’s warning echoed in my mind, keeping me grounded.

Alyssara turned her attention back to me, extending her hand once more. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, you were about to accept my invitation."

Before I could respond, the chamber temperature plummeted so rapidly that frost formed on the ancient stones. Our breath crystallized in the air, and a deep, bone-penetrating cold unlike anything I’d ever felt rolled through the space like a physical entity.

Alyssara’s eyes widened—the first genuine surprise I’d seen from her. She turned, crimson threads forming a protective barrier around her just as the far wall of the chamber exploded inward.

__________________________________

Alyssara moved in an instant, her form blurring with impossible speed. Magnus’s eyes tracked her calmly, his gaze sharp as a blade.

She was no ordinary opponent.

Her movements were precise yet fluid, every step a calculated burst of power. Her entire body became a weapon, each strike and feint compounding like a melody growing in complexity. It wasn’t mere combat—it was a dance, and she was both choreographer and performer. Her attacks came in a relentless tide, each one cloaked in the raw fury of astral energy.

Magnus responded in kind, his sword weaving through the air with practiced ease. The battlefield warped around them, space bending and folding as their powers collided. Sparks of energy exploded wherever they clashed, and the air itself seemed to ripple under the force of their strikes.

With deliberate precision, Magnus guided the flow of their battle. Each swing of his blade pushed Alyssara’s movements in a specific direction, her attacks redirected as if by an unseen force. His eyes flicked toward Li, slumped in a far corner of the cavern. Magnus maneuvered Alyssara further, creating an opening. In one fluid motion, he darted toward Li, scooping him up and depositing him next to Arthur.

"You monstrous human," Alyssara hissed, her voice low and venomous. Her cyan-green eyes narrowed to slits, her usual air of amusement gone, replaced by something far darker. The threads surrounding her coiled tighter, snapping and writhing as if alive. "How dare you interrupt my playtime? And to think you escaped my Nine-Circle Binding Spell and dispatched my Vampire Venerables so... easily."

Magnus scoffed, the sound dry and tinged with mockery. "Easily? Let’s not overstate things. That spell was... irritating, I’ll give you that." His eyes gleamed with unflinching confidence as his sword shifted slightly, its light flaring like the rising sun, pushing back the shadows. "But I’m here, aren’t I?"

He paused, tilting his head slightly as if in thought. "Though I must admit, your puppets were sturdier than expected. I didn’t have time to even kill one—such a shame. But I was in a hurry, after all."

Alyssara’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her threads shifted restlessly around her, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a blade. Yet beneath the simmering anger, a faint smile began to creep back onto her face, cold and calculating.

"Such arrogance," she said, her voice carrying the icy edge of a blade drawn from its sheath. "How delightful. Magnus Draykar, you might actually prove to be entertaining."

Her fingers twitched, and the crimson threads burst outward, encircling her like the tendrils of a carnivorous flower ready to ensnare its prey. The ground beneath her feet cracked and warped, unable to bear the pressure of her power.

Magnus remained unfazed, his stance steady. He raised his sword slightly, the glow of astral energy intensifying. "Entertaining? I’ll try not to disappoint, then. But don’t think for a moment I’ll go easy on you."

The battlefield trembled as their powers clashed again, each strike sending shockwaves reverberating through the cavern. Alyssara’s threads lashed out like serpents, each one charged with lethal precision, while Magnus’s blade carved through them with effortless grace. They were evenly matched, two forces of nature colliding in a storm of light and shadow.

"Ah, what a shame," Alyssara said, her smirk sharp enough to cut glass as she turned away from Magnus, her threads retreating with a languid grace. "It seems I won’t get the pleasure of facing you after all."

Magnus narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly, the faintest flicker of confusion crossing his face. Then, it hit him—a sudden, overwhelming blast of power. It wasn’t just raw strength; it was an oppressive presence, vast and unrelenting, that filled the cavern like a tide swallowing the shore.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Magnus’s grip on his sword tightened. His instinctive calm gave way to a flicker of unease as he recognized the undeniable truth. This was no ordinary power. It was something greater, something... beyond.

A presence that surpassed even him.