Extra's Descent

The afternoon lectures carried on.

It was time for none other than Combat Class.

Along with the perks that came with being a disciplinary committee member was the right to skip out on lectures.

Though, Amelia wasn't the type to do that. With such thoughts, Brandon attended his lecture.

"Hmm..."

It became apparent to Brandon that Rachel wasn't around.

For whatever reason, he had no idea.

But he decided to leave it at that.

She had her internal issues to resolve.

One such issue was regarding her father, Rafael Asami.

Most likely, she had contacted him.

"Haaa..."

Brandon breathed out a heavy sigh.

Truth be told, he would've liked it more if that didn't happen.

"Hopefully, she didn't."

After all, it would complicate things even more.

It was better for things to remain as it is at the moment, just until he had finally infiltrated the syndicate.

Too many variables that would change.

At the moment, Rachel was an unpredictable variable.

He just had to hope that Rachel wouldn't blurt out the fact that things were about to change.

"Hoo..."

He wasn't quite sure if things would proceed as he planned.

In the worst scenario...

"No."

He shook his head.

This was the first time he would prevent someone's death from the plot.

Saving Rachel's father was to assess whether it was possible to save a predetermined fate.

Hopefully.

"Okay, now find your groups."

"Uh-Ah?

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Evelyn finished her instructions for today's lesson.

"I hope we don't get matched against Brandon's group."

"Yeah, I'd like to have a fighting chance..."

"...."

He didn't even know who's group he belonged to.

"I'll be in your care."

Approaching him with a wave, Cyrus Rosewill.

A classmate he had begun to notice during the festival.

After all, he was one of the few who had volunteered themselves to become his officers.

"Likewise."

He nodded.

At that, the two stood next to each other.

"Where's the other member?"

Looking around, he asked.

"Huh, that's weird."

Cyrus tilted his head.

"I saw her making her way towards you. She should've been--Oh, there."

Cyrus stopped mid sentence, and pointed towards a figure that stood behind Brandon.

A girl with bright pink hair, and red eyes. Her entire stature could be well described as petite.

Though, her chest told a different story.

A classmate that he was aware of, though never reached Brandon's radar.

Julie Watson.

She was the typical shy girl who had almost next to no presence as she always hid behind the back.

But despite that, Brandon knew her true potential.

Gravity Magic.

But that was in the far off future. At the moment, she was nothing but a mage with the [Earth] affinity in the top 100 rankings.

"...H-hello."

She waved her hand with an awkward smile.

Giving her a smile of his own, Brandon responded.

"Hey."

Looking at her, she seemed tense. To ease her tension, he flashed a smile and broke the silence with a question.

"Actually, I didn't hear Evelyn's instructions. What are we doing again?"

The one to answer his question was, of course, Cyrus.

"We were told to prepare and discuss our strategy for tomorrow."

"Strategy for what?"

"Teamfight Tactics."

That was quite vague.

"Ah, sorry. From what I could make out from her instructions, it's something similar to capture the flag, I guess?"

"I see."

It was true to its name, Teamfight Tactics. A way for students to learn how to cooperate together in a combat setting.

Pretty straightforward.

With everything out of the way, the three discussed their plans for tomorrow.

It was only brief, since it was more important to learn if the team could synchronize their attacks.

Though Brandon could most likely win the entire thing with a snap of his fingers, it was better to tackle the test together as a team.

After all, although they weren't part of the main cast, it was still important for the others to become stronger.

The more the powerful combatants in the future, the better.

Not everything had to rest on his or Raven's hands.

Plus, he was going against Raven.

According to Cyrus, everyone would be matched in a raffle style.

But from spending time with Evelyn, Brandon knew how she would think.

Most likely, she would match his team with Raven's team, just to even the playing field.

It wasn't bad at all. In this way, Brandon could find himself challenged.

Ever since the Battle Royale, he had never faced Raven yet.

He was curious who was now stronger between them.

After a few hours, the meeting was adjourned and class was dismissed.

The three decided to meet sometime later as Brandon had to make a quick stop by the committee office.

"Hoo..."

Finally, after roaming the halls, he had finally stopped by the familiar door.

Creaaaak.....

The door creaked open slightly and the familiar figure of Amelia Constantine came into view.

"Brandon?"

***

Tak. Tak. Tak.

From his seat, Albert Constantine could hear several footsteps that seemed to be getting louder by the moment.

Shortly after...

Knock. Knock.

With a deep and authoritative voice, Albert gave his permission.

"Enter."

Creaaaak....

Gradually, the door opened and two familiar men emerged.

They held high-ranking positions within the Imperial Army.

Claude and Louise.

Generals.

Just two ranks below Grand Marshal, and a rank below Field Marshal.

He had an inkling of what the two came here for.

After all, the series of rumblings had yet to stop. Not only that, but the Wraith Beasts continued emerging from the portals.

"Grand Marshal."

"Grand Marshal."

Scanning the two, they offered their respects in the form of a salute.

"At ease."

At his instruction, the two lowered their hands and straightened their backs.

"What are you two here for?"

"Sir,"

The first one to have spoken was Louise as he stepped forward.

"I'm here on behalf of Field Marshal Omar to inform you of our situation."

"Alright, speak."

Albert nodded.

Given the permission, Louise continued.

"We've given our best efforts to suppress the Wraith Beasts, Sir. But regardless, there's no end to them. According to Field Marshal Omar, if we don't start the incursion now, the situation might get out of hand."

Albert attentively listened to each and every word that Louise spoke.

He knew the other soldiers' shared the same sentiments. But coming from his right hand man, Omar Locke, had put the situation of grave importance.

He would've liked to wait things out to further assess the situation.

However, seeing the dire state that the Imperial Army was in had him decide on his next course of action.

Though there were no casualties, resources were only being wasted by the day.

At this point, there was no more point in waiting things out.

Yes.

Slowly, Albert stood up.

"I've already made my decision on the matter."

His tone was quite strict, which might be why Louise took it the wrong way.

"But Sir-"

"Rally up, men. Today, we cut to the root of the problem. The incursion has been pushed ahead of schedule."

Scanning their faces, Louise and Clause's eyes seem to lit up.

"Understood, Grand Marshal!"

"Understood, Grand Marshal!"

The two spoke in unison as they flashed their Grand Marshal a salute.

"Good."

Albert nodded.

"Let's go."