Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 94: Replacement Training Partner (II)

The flaming practice sword came at Kai’s head with enough force to crack stone beneath them.

Kai’s blade moved in a sharp upward arc, intercepting Seraphina’s strike with a resonating clang that echoed across the training grounds.

The impact sent sparks flying in all directions, with small embers scattering across the dirt like fireflies.

Seraphina’s eyes widened as Kai not only blocked her attack but redirected the force, causing her to stumble back a half-step. She planted her foot firmly and immediately launched into a spinning strike aimed at his midsection, her silver hair whipping around like a banner of war.

Kai sidestepped smoothly, with his sword coming up in a defensive position as Seraphina’s blade whistled past where his ribs had been moments before.

She didn’t pause, the miss immediately turned into a low sweep that forced Kai to leap backward, his feet barely touching the ground before she was pressing forward again.

The flames around her practice sword intensified, growing from flickering orange to brilliant white-hot, the heat distorting the air around the blade like summer heat rising from stone. Seraphina channeled more essence, and the fire spread up her arms, wreathing them in controlled inferno that made her look like a warrior goddess from ancient legends.

"You’re going to have to do better than that!" she shouted, launching a series of rapid strikes that came from multiple angles each one faster than the last.

Kai’s sword became a blur of motion, intercepting each strike with minimal movement. His blade moved swiftly to the right, deflecting a thrust aimed at his shoulder. Seraphina immediately pivoted, using the deflection’s momentum to spin into a backflip that carried her several feet away, giving her space to build power.

She landed in a crouch, her free hand touching the ground as essence flowed through her into the earth. The dirt beneath Kai’s feet suddenly heated, glowing faintly orange as fire essence infused it.

Kai jumped just as the ground erupted in a controlled explosion of flame and debris. He flipped in midair with his sword extended downward to deflect a follow-up strike from Seraphina who bhd launched herself through the explosion to attack while he was airborne.

The clash of their blades mid-air sent another shower of sparks raining down. Kai landed lightly on his feet while Seraphina skidded back, leaving scorched marks in the dirt from her fire-enhanced boots.

The growing crowd of students was now shouting in amazement. Kai could hear their excited commentary but tuned it out, focused entirely on Seraphina who was clearly not done yet.

She raised her practice sword above her head with both hands, and the flames around it intensified even further, condensing into a sphere of white-hot fire that grew larger and brighter with each passing second. The sphere pulsed like a miniature sun, casting harsh shadows across the training ground and forcing students at the edges of the crowd to shield their eyes.

"SERAPHINA, THAT’S ENOUGH!" an instructor’s voice called from somewhere, but she either didn’t hear or didn’t care.

The fire sphere reached the size of a large melon, radiating enough heat that Kai could feel his skin prickling despite standing twenty feet away. Seraphina’s crimson eyes were locked on him with absolute focus, her entire being concentrated on this single technique.

"Let’s see you block this!" she shouted, bringing the sword down in a massive overhead strike.

The fire sphere launched forward, trailing flames like a meteor. It scorched the ground beneath it as it flew, leaving a burning path directly toward Kai.

Kai channeled wind essence into his blade for the first time in the fight, the air around his practice sword beginning to swirl in tight vortexes. He met the incoming fire sphere with an upward slash that sent a compressed blade of wind cutting through the attack.

The two techniques collided in an explosion of fire and wind that sent a shockwave rippling across the training ground. Students at the edges stumbled back, some falling to the ground from the force. Flames scattered in all directions like startled birds, and the wind howled through the training area with enough force to kick up massive clouds of dust and debris.

When the dust cleared, Kai stood in the same position, his practice sword resting against his shoulder, completely unharmed. Across from him, Seraphina was breathing hard, sweat dripping down her face, her flames finally extinguished from essence exhaustion.

"What... the hell... are you?" she gasped between breaths.

Before Kai could answer, a familiar voice cut through the shocked silence.

"HOLY SHIT, WAS THAT KAI?!"

Marcus stood at the edge of the training ground with Sara and Elena, all three of them staring with expressions of complete disbelief. They had apparently been passing by and witnessed at least the final exchange.

Marcus pushed through the crowd, followed by Sara and Elena. "Kai! I didn’t know you could fight! Like, at all! And definitely not like THAT!"

Sara was staring at the scorched ground and scattered burn marks across the training area. "That was... that was tournament-level combat. Both of you."

Elena spoke quietly but her eyes were wide. "You moved faster than I could track. How is that possible for a first-year?"

"Repeated," Kai corrected automatically. "And I’m adequately trained."

"ADEQUATELY?!" Marcus gestured at the destroyed practice area. "Dude, you just went toe-to-toe with Seraphina and looked like you weren’t even trying! That’s not adequate, that’s insane!"

More students were crowding in now, all talking excitedly about what they’d just witnessed. Kai felt increasingly uncomfortable with the attention.

Seraphina had recovered enough to stand properly, though she was still breathing hard. She walked over to Kai with an expression that was equal parts frustrated and impressed.

"You’ve been hiding your abilities this whole time," she said. "You’re not just some lazy first-yerar who skips classes. You’re... I don’t even know what you are."

"Someone who prefers not to draw attention."

"Well, you failed spectacularly at that." Seraphina gestured at the crowd. "Everyone just saw you block my Blazing Comet technique like it was nothing. That’s going to spread across the entire academy."

Kai grimaced. She was right. He had successfully avoided revealing his combat abilities for months, and now he haf blown that cover in a single sparring session.

"Why did you attack with full power in a practice match?" Kai asked.

"Because you were patronizing me! Letting me score hits, clearly holding back, treating me like I wasn’t worth your actual effort." Seraphina crossed her arms. "I wanted to see what you could actually do. And now I have, and I have so many questions."

"I’m not answering them."

"Of course you’re not." She sighed, then smiled slightly. "But at least now I know William’s roommate is actually capable of keeping up with him. That makes me feel better about leaving him in your care when I’m not around."

An instructor finally pushed through the crowd—Master Henrik, one of the senior combat trainers. He looked at the destroyed practice area, then at Kai and Seraphina, his expression stern.

"What exactly happened here?"

"Training exercise got out of hand," Seraphina said smoothly. "It was my fault. I channeled too much essence into a technique without properly controlling the output."

"That ’training exercise’ nearly injured bystanders and destroyed academy property." Master Henrik’s gaze shifted to Kai. "And you are?"

"Kai Wraith. First year, House Ascendant."

"First Year." Henrik studied him carefully. "I don’t recall seeing you at any advanced combat classes."

"I don’t attend them."

"Clearly you should, given what I just heard about from multiple witnesses." Henrik gestured at the scorched ground. "Both of you, come with me. We need to discuss appropriate use of combat techniques in training scenarios."

Seraphina groaned. "We’re getting lectured, aren’t we?"

"Extensively," Henrik confirmed. "And you’ll both be assigned to repair this practice area as consequence for excessive force in unsupervised sparring."

He marched them toward the administrative building while the crowd of students continued buzzing with excited conversation behind them. Kai could hear fragments of speculation about who he really was and how he’d learned to fight like that.

Marcus called after them. "Kai! We’re definitely talking about this later!"

"No, we’re not," Kai called back.

"Yes, we are!"

Master Henrik led them to a small office and proceeded to deliver a thorough lecture about safety regulations, appropriate power levels for practice sessions, and the importance of proper supervision when using advanced techniques.

Seraphina looked appropriately chastised, nodding at the right moments and apologizing for her excessive force. Kai just sat silently, accepting that this was happening and there was no avoiding it.

After thirty minutes of lecturing, Henrik finally assigned them to repair duty. "Tomorrow morning at six AM, you’ll both report to the training grounds and restore them to proper condition using earth manipulation techniques. If you don’t know earth manipulation, you’ll do it manually with tools. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Henrik," Seraphina said.

Kai nodded.

"Good. Now get out of my office."

They left together, walking back toward the main campus in silence for a minute before Seraphina spoke.

"So. Six AM tomorrow. Want to just use earth manipulation to fix it quickly, or should we drag it out to make Henrik think we’re actually being punished?"

"Quick is fine. I have better things to do."

"Fair." Seraphina glanced at him. "You know everyone’s going to be talking about this for weeks, right? You can’t go back to being the mysterious lazy first-year who nobody pays attention to."

"I am unfortunately aware."

"Does William know you can fight like that?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Probably not."

Seraphina laughed. "You’re so weird. Most people would show off abilities like that. You hide them deliberately." She stopped walking and looked at him seriously. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For actually trying at the end. You took my attack seriously instead of just dodging or letting me tire myself out." She smiled slightly. "It’s been a while since someone’s made me go that hard in practice. It was... fun."

"You’re welcome, I think."

"We should spar again sometime. Properly, with supervision and appropriate power limits." Seraphina started walking again. "Maybe when William gets back, we can all train together. I would like to see how you two work as partners."

They parted ways at the dormitory entrance, Seraphina heading to her own building while Kai climbed the stairs to his room.

Inside, he collapsed into his chair and stared at the ceiling, thinking about tomorrow’s inevitable conversations.

And Kai would have to figure out how to deflect all of them without revealing anything important.

Just another problem in an already complicated loop.

At least it would make the wait for William’s return more interesting.

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