Extra's Ascent

"Aldrich!" Aydin shouted, a confident grin stretching across his face.

This was it.

The very reason he hadn't volunteered to stay back and guard the goalpost was now unfolding before his eyes.

It was not out of cowardice or laziness, far from it. It was a calculated decision, one driven by a singular desire: the chance to confront Aldrich Aldaman a second time. The man who had once bested him. The stain of that previous defeat had lingered on Aydin's pride like a scar that refused to fade. And now, with the liberty to wield their mystical Arts, he finally had the perfect setting to erase it.

"Come on, Aldrich!" he challenged, his voice alive with anticipation. Aydin hadn't felt this invigorated since the match began. Every muscle in his body trembled with eagerness. He had waited far too long for this.

But Aldrich's mind was not caught up in the sentimentality of grudges. His focus was singular and unwavering? Victory. The ultimate goal was clear, and everything else was simply a barrier in his path. Including Aydin.

And what did Aldrich do to barriers?

He shattered them.

"Match my pace!" he instructed Valeria, his voice calm yet urgent. A plan was already forming in his mind.

Without hesitation, the two sprinted forward in perfect sync, their steps echoing across the shifting terrain. Valeria kept to Aldrich's side, legs moving in tandem as they closed the distance to Aydin.

"Not so fast!" Aydin's fingers danced swiftly in the air, painting glowing strokes with practised finesse. A shimmering inscription materialized before him, its complex runes crackling with power as it hovered in place. The duo drew nearer, far too close.

"Move!" Aldrich bellowed, eyes flashing.

His active one Clover Eye had caught the disturbance within the floating sigil. Though unfamiliar, the enigmatic structure unravelled before his vision like a puzzle. His eye broke down its formation, revealing its function before it even activated.

With no time to waste, he shoved Valeria aside just as they launched from one stone platform to the next.

Moments later, metallic tendrils burst forth from the inscription like coiled serpents. Chains, barbed and deadly, erupted from the magical circle, slashing through the air with terrifying velocity. They surged forward, seeking to entangle and pierce.

Valeria tumbled, the sudden shove catching her off guard, but she adapted instantly, rolling with the force, she managed to steady herself when she landed on the next stone platform.

Aldrich, meanwhile, turned to face the oncoming assault.

With a swift motion, he conjured a sigil of flame, sending a blazing torrent forward. The inferno roared as it met the chains, melting them into sizzling fragments, clearing a path through the airborne danger.

Exactly as he had intended, the situation forced Aydin into a decision.

Would he abandon his duel with Aldrich and give chase to Valeria, who had now slipped past him? Or would he stay and confront the man who had once beaten him?

The answer came without hesitation.

Aydin remained where he stood.

And his choice made perfect sense. Up ahead, Valeria would soon be faced with an impossible challenge, two S-class mystics stood in her path. One wielded the same ocular gift as Aldrich, while the other was formidable in her own right. As powerful as Valeria's abilities were, she remained an A-rank mystic. The odds were far from favourable.

Let her try. Let her discover what it means to challenge strength beyond her tier.

Aydin's business lay with Aldrich.

He slammed his palm into the ground, and from the impact point, dozens of iron links burst upward. Chains erupted from the stone bricks beneath them like a metallic forest, slithering and rising in response to his will. The battleground was now his domain.

"Bind him!" Aydin commanded, voice echoing.

Aldrich had just landed on a slightly lower platform. From every direction, above, beneath, and from both flanks, the chains surged toward him, a coordinated assault of steel and fury.

He responded with precision. Drawing upon his speed, he dashed across the platform with swift, elusive movements. Each step barely touched the stone before he vaulted to the next, narrowly avoiding capture each time. His agility was mesmerizing, a blur of motion that danced between death.

But the barrage intensified. The air grew thick with the screech of metal against stone.

Twisting mid-air, Aldrich formed fire in his clenched hand, channelling it into a blazing projectile. As he spun, he caught sight of Aydin and hurled the flame like a flame javelin throw with pinpoint accuracy.

The fire shaped into an arrow mid-flight, its glowing head aimed squarely at its target.

"Not this time!" Aydin snarled, slamming his hand to the ground again. A wall of earth burst upward in front of him, intercepting the flame just before impact.

The explosion scorched the wall's surface but Aydin remained unharmed behind the barrier.

"I was counting on that," Aldrich replied, already moving. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside the earthen defence, ready to sprint past his rival.

He wasn't here to entertain a grudge. He wasn't here to redeem or relive anything. This wasn't a match for personal pride, it was a battle for victory. He had no intention of wasting time with Aydin when Valeria needed support. Fiona and Saldrich together were a nightmare pairing for any single fighter let alone someone ranked lower.

He needed to get to her. Now.

But Aydin had other plans.

As Aldrich darted forward, a sudden jolt seized his ankle. One of the waiting chains had lashed out with brutal speed, snaring his leg and yanking him into the air. He flipped, suspended upside down as the chain wrapped tighter, its steel links groaning with tension.

"You're not going anywhere, Aldrich Aldaman!" Aydin declared triumphantly, his eyes gleaming with vindication as he watched his opponent struggle.

The decision was made, Aydin showed his determination, desperate to be taken seriously by Aldrich.

It soon became clear that if Aldrich hoped to reach Valeria in time, he'd have to stop Aydin first. Right here. Right now.