The Extra's Rise-Chapter 792: Order of the Fallen Flame (5)

The Cardinal’s confident ultimatum hung in the air for exactly three seconds before I decided to provide a comprehensive demonstration of why threatening my family was a fundamentally poor strategic decision.

"Erebus," I whispered, activating my connection to the Lich whose power had been bound to my soul through months of careful magical integration.

The air around me darkened as my undead companion stirred to consciousness, his ancient presence manifesting as shadows that seemed to drink light rather than merely blocking it. The Necropolis of Forbidden Wisdom expanded outward from my position, creating a Domain that transformed the embassy courtyard into my ideal battlefield.

But even as the Domain established itself, I could feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from our opponents. These weren’t just powerful Order operatives—they were Cardinals, Immortal-rankers whose mana reserves and magical authority outclassed my Peak Ascendant capabilities.

’Master,’ Erebus’s voice carried genuine concern, ’these opponents are beyond normal parameters. Recommend extreme caution.’

The lead Cardinal smiled with predatory confidence as his own power began to manifest. "A Domain at your rank is impressive, boy. But insufficient against true authority."

His Immortal-rank aura crushed down on us like a physical weight, making the air itself feel thick and oppressive. The other two Cardinals flanked him with coordinated precision—one wielding a massive sword wreathed in corrupted flames, the other manifesting spears of crystallized miasma that hung in the air like floating death.

I activated my Second Gift and reached through my bond with Luna, copying her Mythic Body to enhance my physical capabilities while her Soul Vision revealed the true scope of what we were facing. Even with her powers supplementing my own, the Cardinals’ superior mana rank created advantages that would be difficult to overcome through technique alone.

"Rose, Cecilia," I called out while drawing my sword, "handle the Bishops but be ready to support. These three are Immortal-rank—this isn’t going to be a quick fight."

"Understood," Rose replied, her Gift of Paradox manifesting as blue rose petals that swirled through the air with deceptive beauty. The petals began rewriting the local laws of magic, making the Bishops’ spells behave in ways that contradicted their training. Where their fire magic should have burned, it instead froze. Where their binding spells should have restrained, they accelerated their targets instead.

Cecilia’s Gift of Witchcraft erupted around her in chaotic patterns of crimson energy that made reality itself seem unstable. Her spells followed no conventional magical theory, their chaotic nature making them nearly impossible for the Bishops to predict or counter effectively.

But my attention was forced back to the three Cardinals as they moved to attack with overwhelming coordination.

The sword-wielding Cardinal came first, his blade trailing corrupted fire that could melt through enchanted steel. I met his strike with my own weapon enhanced by Purelight, the collision sending shockwaves through both the physical and magical planes. But his superior mana rank meant that even blocking his attacks sent numbing vibrations up my arms.

I immediately transitioned into the First Movement of my Grade 5 CQC art, using Arc Hook Spiral to redirect his momentum while creating an opening for a counter-attack. But before I could exploit it, the spear Cardinal’s projectiles forced me into evasive maneuvers that disrupted my flow.

"Arthur!" Seraphina’s voice cut through the chaos as she moved to intercept the third Cardinal, her ice-crystal sword gleaming with astral energy enhanced by her Gift. Ice Crystal Jade Body allowed her to channel ice astral energy with the concept of blossoming, creating attacks that combined cutting precision with explosive expansion.

Her blade work was poetry in motion—each strike causing ice plum blossoms to manifest along her sword’s edge, the beautiful flowers exploding into razor-sharp ice crystals that forced her opponent to respect her reach despite the rank difference. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Reika joined the battle with violet energy crackling around her as her Gift of Cursed Script activated. Spectral wings formed from flowing text appeared on her back, boosting her speed while cursed words materialized along her blade to enhance its cutting power. She moved like liquid lightning, her enhanced mobility allowing her to strike at the Cardinals’ flanks before darting away.

But even with all five of us coordinating our attacks, the Cardinals’ superior rank was telling. Every exchange cost us more energy than it cost them, while their Immortal-rank recovery meant they could sustain this pace far longer than we could.

I switched tactics, using my Nightingale Method to cast multiple seven-circle spells simultaneously. Fire, ice, lightning, earth—all six elements plus Purelight erupted around me in complex patterns designed to overwhelm their defenses through sheer variety rather than individual power.

The sword Cardinal’s response was contemptuous efficiency. His blade carved through my elemental attacks like they were paper, while his corrupted fire burned away my magical constructs faster than I could create them.

"Inadequate," he sneered, pressing forward with renewed aggression. "This is the power that claimed to threaten our Order?"

I realized I needed to escalate to my most powerful techniques. Channeling Deepdark through Lucent Harmony, I prepared the Second Movement of my Grade 6 art.

Hollow Eclipse began as two layers of multi-elemental astral energy—the outer layer combining all six elements in rotating patterns, while the inner layer wove light and darkness into complex helical structures. Between these layers, I carefully placed drops of pure Deepdark, each one carrying the concept of starvation itself.

The technique built for three full seconds, reality warping around the gathering power as the very air began to hunger for existence. When I released it, Hollow Eclipse tore through the courtyard like controlled annihilation, its devastating force aimed directly at the lead Cardinal.

His eyes widened with the first genuine concern I had seen from any of them. He raised both hands and poured Immortal-rank mana into a defensive barrier that blazed with corrupted authority.

Hollow Eclipse struck his defenses and devoured them.

The technique held him in place for precious seconds, but when it finally dissipated, he was wounded but far from defeated.

"Impressive," he admitted, dark blood trickling from his mouth. "But ultimately futile."

That’s when the explosions began.

The embassy’s outer walls shuddered under coordinated bombardment as more Order forces arrived. Through my enhanced senses, I could detect the magical signatures of dozens of additional opponents surrounding the building.

"Arthur," Rachel called out from her position coordinating civilian evacuation, "the embassy’s defensive grid is failing. They’ve got the building completely surrounded."

The tactical situation crystallized with horrible clarity. The Order hadn’t sent three Cardinals to capture the embassy—they had sent them to keep us occupied while their main force established a siege perimeter. With dozens of Bishops and potentially more Cardinals arriving, even our current success against three opponents would become meaningless.

"We need to evacuate now," I decided with bitter pragmatism. "The building can’t hold against this level of assault."

"The basement access tunnels," Rose called out, her blue rose petals creating a zone where gravity flowed upward to confuse the pursuing Bishops. "I found the entrance to the old transport network."

Cecilia’s chaotic witchcraft erupted in crimson patterns that made the Cardinals’ coordination falter as their spells began behaving unpredictably. "Move! I can cover the retreat but not for long!"

We began our fighting withdrawal toward the embassy’s lower levels, each step contested by opponents whose superior rank made retreat as dangerous as standing and fighting. Seraphina’s ice plum blossoms created barriers that bought us precious seconds, while Reika’s cursed script enhanced our movement speed.

As we reached the basement access, I took one last look at the diplomatic sanctuary that had promised safety but delivered only another battlefield. The Order’s trap had been comprehensive and perfectly executed—they hadn’t come to destroy the embassy, but to capture everyone inside.

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