The Extra's Advent: My Villainess Fiancée is a Yandere

Chapter 143: Battle Royale [3]

An hour passed after Cael and his team eliminated those two teams.

The forest had settled back into its natural rhythm. Birds returned to the branches. Insects resumed their humming.

For the third time, the barrier was closing in. The shimmering wall of energy crept inward, swallowing trees and rocks, reducing the battleground with each pulse.

And now Cael could feel teams nearby. Their mana signatures flickered at the edges of his perception like distant candles in the dark.

But Cael did not close in on other teams. He just sat on top of a tree, beside Aria and Brania.

The branch was thick and stable, covered in soft moss. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, casting dappled shadows across his face.

Meanwhile, Edwin had gone to scout the area. He moved through the underbrush with practiced silence, keeping to the shadows.

Although Cael did not need it due to his spatial awareness, he did not stop Edwin from doing so.

Cael knew that Edwin, too, needed experience. The boy had grown, but growth required more than training. It required real situations. Real decisions. Real consequences.

If it were not for the Grand Summit Trials, Cael might not have used his powers so brazenly in Phase 1.

The virtual world had been safe. No permanent consequences. No real danger. But here, in the real world, things were different.

Then Cael’s eyes turned sharp as he turned his head.

Even though Cael could not see it due to the canopy of leaves and trees, Cael could feel it.

’A flame?’

Cael felt strange. Not because he felt danger, but because he felt warm and comfortable, like morning sunlight spreading across his skin on a cool day.

The sensation was soft, almost gentle, nothing like the hostile pressure of an attacking skill.

Maybe it was due to Mana Sovereignty that Cael could feel it even though that flame was more than two hundred meters away.

The skill connected him to mana in ways most rankers could not comprehend. It allowed him to sense not just presence, but intent, nature, and texture.

Only then did he realize the flame user’s mana signature. It was Elara Grace. She had a unique element called Golden Flames.

Those Golden Flames could heal and burn, based on Elara’s will.

A versatile element, rare and powerful. Not many could claim to hold the power of both healer and attacker in the same hand.

So, Cael guessed Elara was healing her teammates. The warmth he felt was not an attack. It was a restoration.

’Interesting element.’

Then Cael slowly stood up as he stretched his body. His muscles relaxed. His breathing steadied. His mind sharpened.

Edwin, who was scouting the area, came back. He emerged from the shadows of a large oak, his dagger sheathed, his expression curious.

Cael looked at him and said,

"You are just in time."

Edwin was puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Cael did not answer. He turned his head toward Aria and Brania, then said,

"I am going to fight Elara Grace."

Brania’s eyes widened as she immediately shook her head.

"There is no need at all. I am not saying this because I doubt you, but... no, wait. Let me get this straight. Why do you want to fight her when you can use your illusion skill?"

Aria and Edwin looked at Cael for the answer as well. Three pairs of eyes, three expressions of confusion.

Cael let out a chuckle and said,

"I just want to fight, that’s all."

Then he added,

"You guys wait here and watch the fight. If Elara’s teammates take action, then you guys can join in."

After saying those words, Cael directly jumped from the top of the tree.

The wind rushed past his face as he descended. Leaves scattered in his wake. His silver hair trailed behind him like a banner.

As Cael fell, the speed of his fall grew slower and slower.

By the time he reached the ground, he was levitating. A cushion of wind and mana held him aloft, softening his descent until he barely touched the earth.

With a soft step, he landed on the ground. The grass barely bent under his weight.

Cael also sensed there was no third party within a five-hundred-meter radius. The forest was empty except for his team and Elara’s.

So, Cael could wholeheartedly focus on Elara’s team.

Actually, Cael wanted to try copying Elara’s unique element.

It was very rare for him to come across unique elemental users. Most rankers relied on basic elements. Wind, water, earth, fire.

But the unique elements were different. They carried properties that could not be found in nature.

Well, Luke’s fiancée, Mira, was an exception.

Even though Mira was also a unique element user, her element was directly connected to an SSS rank skill.

So, Cael was not able to copy Mira’s unique element as it was. The skill and the element were too intertwined, too dependent on each other.

Unique elements had special properties. For example, Mira’s element was a combination of space and illusions, but she could not use them without her SSS rank skill, Mirror World.

And Cael’s Frostflame, which could burn and freeze, but was cold. It defied logic. Fire that froze. Flames that left frostbite.

And Elara’s Golden Flames, which could burn and heal, but was warm. The opposite of his own, yet similar in duality.

Now, if Cael were able to copy Golden Flames, he would merge it with Frostflame. Two opposing forces. Cold and warm.

And that result was something to look forward to.

But recalling Mira’s SSS rank skill, Mirror World, Cael smiled softly.

For some time, Cael had thoughts of merging his elements into a skill so that he could control all those elements through a single skill, just like Mira.

Initially, he was waiting to reach [Gold] before doing it, but things happened lately, and he did not have time to think about it.

Now that his mind was clear and he had reached not just [Gold 1], but [Gold 3], he even unlocked the time element.

Cael had already thought of a skill that would sync with all the elements.

It was Mana Sovereignty.

Although it was not an SSS rank skill, it was the most unfair and broken skill he had. It bent the rules. It allowed him to do things that should not be possible.

Even now, Cael couldn’t help but question himself. How is this skill not an SSS rank?

Cael shook his head and put aside those thoughts. They could wait.

For now, he would try to copy Elara’s unique element.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the clearing, Elara knelt on the damp earth.

Her golden flames flickered around her hands, warm and soft, casting a gentle glow across the faces of her teammate. The flames did not burn. They soothed. They mended.

Elara finished healing her teammate. It was a boy at [Silver 2]. His arm had been cut during the ambush, a deep gash that had bled heavily.

Now the wound was sealed, only a faint scar remaining.

Originally, this boy’s spot belonged to Ethan. But due to the mana disruption incident, Ethan had fallen into a coma. His body was still recovering; his mind still trapped in unconsciousness.

So, they had no choice but to choose a new candidate.

In the end, they chose this boy. He had decent skills.

And now, their team was ambushed, and the weakest, the boy, suffered injuries. He had frozen during the attack, unsure of how to react.

Clearly, the boy lacked battle experience.

Elara inwardly sighed. She had chosen this boy for the team just because he was good at sparring. His form was clean. His footwork was precise. His reactions in a controlled environment were admirable.

But sparring and real battles were two different things. In sparring, there were rules. In real battles, there were none.

Elara turned her head to her other teammates. They were both at [Silver 3]. They had held their ground during the ambush, protecting the injured boy until Elara could drive the attackers away.

Then she asked,

"Are you guys fine?"

They nodded and said they were fine. One stretched his shoulder, wincing slightly but smiling. The other sheathed his sword, his breathing steady.

Elara let out a deep breath in relief.

For a moment, the clearing was quiet and peaceful.

But sadly, it did not last long as footsteps approached them.

Elara looked up. Her eyes narrowed.

She saw a silver-haired boy casually walking toward them. His hands were in his pockets. His expression was calm. He did not seem concerned that he was walking alone toward a team of four.

Elara frowned as she muttered,

"Caelir Vayne."

Cael’s steps paused as he softly said,

"Yup, that’s me."

Although Elara and Cael had talked before, since Elara had acted as their guide.

But they both didn’t care about it. After all, it was a competition, and they were competitors.

The brief tour meant nothing now.

Elara glanced around and did not find Cael’s teammates, so she did not know what they planned or were doing.

’Were they hiding? Waiting to ambush?’

Still, Elara asked,

"So, what do you want to do?"

Cael tilted his head slightly, his purple eyes catching the filtered sunlight. A small smile played on his lips.

"If I say I just want to spar with you, will you believe it?"