Why is Background Character the Strongest Now?-Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ezra stepped down from the stands, quieting the thoughts swirling in his mind about Xavier.

He would deal with that later.

For now—his match had come.

Standing across the stage was a figure he recognized at once.

Because now he faced Lyria Aetherhart.

She stood across from him, crimson hair fluttering, wand already in hand, her eyes burning with fire and pride.

"I never expected you’d be here," she said softly.

Ezra smiled. "Maybe fate wanted us to meet again."

She lifted her wand, face serious now.

"I won’t go easy just because you helped me. Today, I’ll show you the strength of House Aetherhart."

"He’s unpredictable... like Daelen. I’ll keep him at range and strike first. I’ll end this before he gets close."

Ezra drew his sword slowly, letting a thin layer of mana coat it.

"Me too. I’ve been wanting to test myself against the heir of Aetherhart."

In the crowd, voices buzzed.

"Lyria’s gonna win. She’s our goddess—and her fire magic mastery is intermediate-level!"

"Ezra held back even against Daelen. He’s gonna destroy her."

"Don’t underestimate the Red House, idiot."

The tension rose.

Above them, the instructor raised his hand.

"Begin!"

⸻

Boom.

Lyria didn’t waste a breath.

She cast five spells simultaneously, her mana flaring like a star exploding.

"Crimson Phoenix!"

Two giant flaming birds burst from her wand, soaring toward Ezra with burning trails.

"Thunderstorm Lance!"

Five lightning spears rained from above, seeking Ezra’s body with terrifying speed.

"Flame Spear Volley!"

Dozens of red-hot javelins shot from all sides.

"Air Surge!"

A gust of wind enhanced their velocity, turning the arena into a flaming death trap.

"Mirror Blaze!"

A secondary illusion spell mirrored some of the phoenix flames, making it hard to tell which ones were real.

⸻

The crowd gasped.

"Is she insane?! That’s over a dozen high-speed spells!"

"She’s going all-out from the start!"

⸻

But Ezra didn’t blink.

A soft purple light bloomed in his irises.

Extreme Insight.

To him—everything slowed.

⸻

One phoenix approached from above—

Step.

He moved half a step to the left. It missed by inches.

A flame spear came from the right—

Swipe.

His sword sliced the air precisely, shattering it mid-flight.

Two lightning lances fell at once—

Pivot.

He leaned backward and turned, both lances crashing into the floor behind him.

Three more spears from above—

Dash.

Ezra blurred forward, mana coating his legs. Wind rippled behind him.

Phoenix screams echoed as the illusion flames twisted toward him—

Flick.

With a light touch of his sword, he redirected them into each other.

Boom! The mirrored spells collided and exploded midair.

⸻

Twelve projectiles.

Zero damage.

All dodged, parried, or turned against each other.

And he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

⸻

Lyria leapt back, shocked.

"H-he’s moving like he sees the future!"

She bit her lip and cast her ultimate spell.

"Judgement Bolt!"

From above, the clouds cracked open—

A single massive spear of divine lightning surged downward toward Ezra, fast as light.

At the same time, she braced herself, putting all her remaining mana into a Mega Shield.

⸻

But then—

A faint hum.

A black lotus bloomed behind her.

And in that instant—

Ezra disappeared.

"Wha—?!" she gasped.

⸻

Flash.

Ezra reappeared right behind her, stepping out of the black lotus like a phantom.

His sword gleamed—only 30% of his true power behind it.

SLASH!

The Mega Shield cracked like glass—

Lyria spun, trying to block with her wand—

But before Ezra’s blade could land—

He stopped.

And instead—

THUD!

He kicked her straight in the stomach with a mana-coated side kick.

She flew backward, crashing into the arena floor. Blood dripped from her lips.

⸻

The entire crowd froze.

The entire fight had lasted... 4 seconds.

The dozens of spells...

The mirror illusions...

The divine lightning...

Ezra had danced through it all—like a ghost with a blade.

He stood still, sword humming softly, as he bowed toward her unconscious body.

Then calmly, he sheathed his weapon and walked off the stage.

Silence.

Not single made a sound.

⸻

"W-Winner... Ezra Celestrian!"

The moment the instructor spoke—

The arena erupted.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"He dodged everything!"

"He was behind her in ONE SECOND!"

"Is he even human?!"

"He’s better than Marcus!"

⸻

In a private chamber above the arena, the instructors were stunned.

Sergei Vlastovich smiled faintly.

"Now then... What do you have to say?"

Katrina shook her head in disbelief.

"He didn’t just block her spells. He made it look like a child throwing pebbles."

Drake grunted.

"That wasn’t student-level swordsmanship. That was Rank 3 movement. With zero waste."

Vice Principal Vairan said nothing—but inside, he knew:

No one among the students, or even most instructors, could beat Ezra in a sword fight.

Kael Daraw narrowed his eyes.

"That boy’s mana usage... it’s like watching a war veteran. Precise. Minimal. No waste. And his reserves..."

Kael clenched his fist under the table.

"Even Marcus or Daelen had only 80% more mana than average. But Ezra..."

"His mana output feels like 120... maybe 140% beyond the norm."

"That’s something only Rank 5s should have."

"Who... no—what is this boy?"

⸻

Across the hall, Daelen Voncrest sat silently, staring at Ezra with even more complicated emotions.

Then, the System message rang in his mind:

⸻

[SYSTEM STATUS – ACTIVE]

Name: Daelen Voncrest

Age: 18

Body Host: Former Villain – Possessed

Soul Origin: Earth – Daniel Ansel, Age 22

Class: Magic Swordsman

Core Rank: S-Rank

Realm: Peak Rank 2

Disciple of: Sword Saintess

STATS:

• Stamina: 25

• Agility: 22

• Strength: 21

• Endurance: 22

• Intelligence: 24

• Mana: 26

• Swordsmanship: Intermediate Master – Full

• Magic Mastery (Basic Spells): Full

Traits: Fire Affinity, Wind Affinity

⸻

MAIN MISSION: Prevent the destruction of this world.

• Reward: [Unknown]

• Failure Penalty: Eternal soul banishment into the Void.

Side Mission: Win this unpredictable special test.

• Reward: +0.5 to all stats

Warning: An anomaly has appeared.

You have three choices:

1. Kill the anomaly

• Reward: Rank 10 Artifact

2. Befriend the anomaly

• Reward: Rank 9 Artifact

3. Observe and decide later

• No immediate reward

⸻

He didn’t need to ask who the anomaly was.

He could feel it.

Ezra Celestrian.

Is he like me? Did he transmigrate too?

He must have...

But that wasn’t what truly unsettled him.

It was the fact that he couldn’t read Ezra.

Not with his Eye of Revelation, a skill he’d earned after saving the academy from a mana bomb trap. A skill that let him see through anyone up to Rank 5—their level, their affinities, even secret skills.

Yet now, he stared at Ezra...

[Error – Target beyond system access.]

He immediately questioned the system.

"Why can’t I see his status?"

[SYSTEM: Host cannot see through anomalies of this level. Upgrade Eye of Revelation.]

"How?"

[SYSTEM: Requires Divine Essence.]

Divine Essence? He didn’t even know what that was, let alone how to obtain it.

For now, Daelen chose not to act.

Not yet.

If Ezra turns out to be an enemy... I’ll kill him.

But a part of him hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Marcus stood in silence, hands clenched tightly by his sides. The faint hum of mana-filled air buzzed across the arena, but his focus was fixed on one person—Ezra Celestrian.

His best friend.

Or at least, he used to be.

Ezra hadn’t even spared him a real look. Just a distant smile. A stranger’s smile.

After everything... is that all I am to him now?

Marcus bit the inside of his cheek, holding back the flood of emotions.

He could still remember the nights they trained together. The way Ezra pushed him, cheered for him, and laughed with him. When Ezra went missing, Marcus had searched for him like a madman. And when the report came in—"presumed dead"—something inside Marcus shattered.

And now?

Ezra was here. Stronger. Colder. Distant.

But Marcus wasn’t the same either.

In Ezra’s absence, he had trained harder than ever. He’d awakened an S-Rank core. He’d mastered advanced-tier elemental spells, fought upperclassmen, and earned the praise of professors who rarely looked twice at first-years.

You think you’ve surpassed me, Ezra?

I’ve grown too.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the match board:

Match 12: Marcus Ardent vs Ezra Celestrian – 5 minutes.

His heart pounded, not with fear—but with fire.

Fine. You don’t want to talk? I’ll make you talk—with my fists.

He gritted his teeth, fire mana already pulsing in his veins. He could feel the Flame Spiral spell humming beneath his skin, the product of weeks of brutal practice. He wasn’t going to hold back.

Beginner Rank 3. That’s where you are too, right?

Then it’s fair.

I’ll beat you, Ezra. Right here. Right now.

Only then would he demand answers. Why Ezra disappeared. What he had become. Why he was acting like a stranger.

But first—Marcus would do what he knew best.

Fight. Win. Then talk.

He rolled his shoulders and whispered to himself, voice steady.

"You’re not the only one who’s changed, Ezra."

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