Reborn as an Extra Chapter 567: The Curse of Eternal Suffering. Part-6.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
Gazing at the soul fluctuations that extended beyond the boundaries of the world authority, Rio suddenly had an intriguing idea pop into his head.
‘Could I... perhaps imitate Lia’s talent for foreseeing the movement of miasma and the shifts in a creature’s soul fluctuations, just like she does?’
Clearly, Rio had long mastered the art of detecting the soul fluctuations of others, and he could even interpret them upon direct touch via his sword or his palms.
However, unlike Lia, Rio lacked the ability to perform this feat from a great distance.
Lia possessed the skill to achieve it over an immense span, allowing her to glimpse someone’s fate even without them being in her direct view, as long as they remained within her designated area.
Rio simply couldn’t manage anything of the sort; he required proximity for such readings.
‘No, no... Lia can even foresee her own future through her personal threads of destiny... I’m nowhere near that level; her prophetic vision far surpasses my soul-sensing prowess...’
‘Yet, what if I could enhance my soul-reading skill to approach something closer to her foresight power?’
From the moment they forged their friendship, Rio had replicated numerous abilities from his dear companions, one after another, without fearing their ire over such mimicry.
In particular, Lia would never take offense at him for an act like this.
‘Threads of destiny... but how exactly does one perceive them?...’
Rio found himself unable to duplicate that particular gift, given its profound uniqueness to Lia, and at present, he remained utterly unable to discern those threads of destiny.
Thus, he opted for the alternative pair of approaches.
Analyzing the miasma currents within the colossal dragon tree’s form, along with its soul fluctuations, and forecasting their patterns.
‘Every SS-ranker relies on soul fluctuations and mental energy to wield their world authority... so, imagine if I devised a technique that strikes right at their deployment of soul fluctuations and mind power?’
‘Might that allow me to block SS-rankers from accessing their world authority? Or perhaps diminish its potency for a brief period?’
Contemplating this concept deeply, Rio rose to his feet and assumed a ready position, his thoughts racing swiftly as he resolved to test this notion right away.
‘A power that enables distant soul fluctuation detection, all while breaching the barriers of world authority usage...’
On this occasion, Rio approached the task with utmost gravity, even reverting his flute to its sword shape to sharpen his mental concentration.
Rio harnessed the soul fluctuations emanating unconsciously from the enormous dragon tree, which had slipped past its own world authority’s limits, and sought to generate an ‘Error’ via them.
Since an individual’s soul fluctuations belong solely to them, they naturally pass through their personal world authority without hindrance.
Applying this principle, Rio attempted to channel those soul fluctuations as a counterstrike directly toward the core mind and soul of the primary entity!
As anticipated by Rio, the dragon tree’s soul fluctuation, amplified by his sword intent, evaded the world authority’s constraints and struck true against the body and soul of the massive dragon tree!
Within that enormous frame dwelled countless souls and minds; Rio zeroed in on a tiny soul shard, and his strike succeeded beyond expectations!
The soul shard fragmented instantly, unmistakably erasing that specific soul and awareness!
"Ohhhh!!! Now I can truly inflict actual harm on SS-rankers!! Just like always! You’re incredible, Lia!"
Though the injury proved negligible, scarcely more than a mere pinprick to the vast entity’s body and soul, it marked Rio’s inaugural effective strike against what amounted to a genuine demigod!
The earth and the very weave of space-time quaked as the colossal presence stirred for the first time in ages upon ages!
Dozens of enormous dragon heads, which had been fixed on the far-off heavens without pause, at last shifted, all directing their gaze toward the tiny Rio—like a mere speck—perched atop a rock, gripping his obsidian sword.
Hundreds of eyes scattered across that immense form locked onto Rio exclusively in unison, filling him with a touch of unease.
‘Uh... Have I just poked the beehive with this move?’
Despite his anxiety, Rio harbored no regrets whatsoever; in truth, no alternative path existed to alter the unfolding scenario.
Rio possessed no choice except to devise a method for circumventing the colossal abomination’s safeguards, and developing this fresh technique was essential for that.
Had the massive tree not responded so swiftly to Rio’s assault, he might have relished conducting additional trials and probes, yet now escape plans dominated his thoughts.
‘I could deploy those SS-rank strikes from principal Raji to sow chaos, then flee by rupturing the space-time weave and diving through the fissures...’
‘Such a move would hurl me to an arbitrary spot across the cosmos, but a teleportation scroll could bring me back if needed...’
‘Still, the mission would undoubtedly collapse in failure...’
Right as Rio pondered his getaway, the largest among the multitude of shadowy dragon heads fixed upon him gradually unveiled its eyes, and a flash of sharp awareness dawned in their vast depths.
In that instant, Rio sensed a powerful wave of untainted soul fluctuations surging within that head’s consciousness, momentarily quelling the miasmic taint throughout its form to unprecedented lows.
Though Rio was ignorant of the dragon tongue, he grasped every word effortlessly, for the enormous dragon head communicated via telepathy at this juncture.
His message brimmed with weariness, sorrow, remorse, and profound intrigue; evidently, he had confused Rio with King Allen Von Reinhart.
‘Should I reveal that I’m not the one he’s awaited?... yet, wouldn’t that prove excessively harsh... I disrupted his trance, and now he expends his last reserves to converse with me...’
‘Revealing the truth would render it all futile, leaving him to perish burdened by unfulfilled longings...’
In that pivotal second, Lia’s voice echoed within Rio’s thoughts.
Reflecting on her counsel, Rio could only exhale a resigned sigh.
‘You invariably intrude on my thoughts during moments such as this... though I do appreciate it, all the same...’
‘I’m uncertain if this choice will prove wise... but today, I’ll embrace honesty...’
With a helpless shake of his head, Rio responded in a steady tone,
"I am not King Allen Von Reinhart, the one you await. I am Rio Flash, a mere swordsman. I’ve journeyed here seeking a shadow dragon..."
"Her name is Elisia Mistilteinn! Regarding King Allen... he vanished after the conclusion of the thousand-year demon extinction war!"
"I apologize for rousing you so abruptly, but from what I understand, King Allen probably never emerged from the Sea of Endless Miasma!"