Reborn as an Extra Chapter 574: The Grand Seal Of The Final Gamble. Part-4.

Even though Rio couldn't figure out how Ellie had crossed this thick miasma—given that he himself was struggling to push ahead in this shaky terrain—he continued onward.

'Maybe the spatial cracks weren't as broad or intense back then?...'

Ellie had probably traversed this region hundreds of years earlier, and over that vast span, the terrain could have shifted dramatically.

'I've got to skirt around these cracks and rifts...'

Those enormous tears in the space-time continuum, filled with miasma, served as an impenetrable wall, hiding whatever lay beyond from view.

Yet Rio detected and perceived something truly 'distinctive' emanating from the tiny unbroken sections of the space-time weave that linked to the concealed zone.

'Should I attempt circling around it?...'

One could mend portions of the space-time fabric briefly to slip past the miasmic barrier, but such an action would probably trigger severe reactions from the miasma, which might then attempt to block Rio's path.

Therefore, Rio's initial plan was to detour around the barrier and access the area from another angle.

To his astonishment, however, the whole expanse spanning hundreds of kilometers was surrounded on every side by these miasmic fissures and cracks, forming a trap like a prison!

'I've never encountered a barrier this formidable before... one forged from actual spatial fractures and miasmic decay...'

Rio felt an urge to replicate this impressive formation and incorporate it into his personal techniques.

Surrounding the colossal enclosure of spatial rifts lay terrain blanketed in heavy deposits of miasmic crystals and choked with thick miasmic mist, rendering sight nearly impossible.

Rio sensed that the elementals—the fundamental essence of this realm—were greatly subdued and existed only in trace quantities; the bulk of the space consisted of pure miasma and taint.

'The miasma here is so concentrated it could corrupt or slay a novice SS-ranker within mere minutes!'

As one of the mightiest 'laws' governing the world, miasma possesses the power to dominate even the 'world authorities' of SS-rankers when its concentration reaches such levels.

'I'm immune to its effects, but my sword intent has definitely been dampened here... except if I draw on miasma as the fuel source...'

'Channeling miasma to power my strikes would amplify them in this environment...'

Having scouted the full perimeter of the multi-kilometer circular zone, Rio verified that no gaps existed in the enclosure from any side; spatial cracks extended even beneath the surface, not to mention overhead.

With that, Rio was forced to ponder ways to breach this enormous enclosure without stirring up excessive chaos, lest he draw the gaze of lurking formidable entities in the vicinity.

Rio was aware that the intense miasma density here harbored mighty malevolent spirits and beasts, many of which were utterly mad and unhinged.

Such creatures could lash out at any stirring motion, and Rio lacked the leisure to tangle with them at present.

'Looks like I'll rely on those fresh techniques I picked up during my flight from the shadow dragon's fury...'

Rio lightly swung his flute toward the miasmic fissures with minimal effort.

Over the previous month, Rio's mastery of miasma had grown so profound that he could now manipulate the ambient miasma to alter the space-time structure and bend it to his will.

Miasma already held sway over the 'laws' of the 'world' within the spirit realm, enabling it to spawn whatever strange occurrences it desired.

Rio exploited this trait of miasma to his benefit.

Leveraging his extraordinary command over miasma and corruption, Rio deceived the 'laws' of the 'world' in the spirit realm, briefly duping them into dissolving those miasmic rifts for just a millisecond by siphoning their own power!

Rio can sway anything tied closely to miasma, provided the target or entity isn't mightier than he is.

As a mid-tier S-ranker, Rio found those miasmic rifts manageable; in truth, they paled against the fissures outside, since the space-time fabric in the spirit realm was more fragile.

That fleeting millisecond opening sufficed for Rio, allowing him to execute spatial manipulation for a quick space jump and slip directly through the safeguards of that vast spatial crack prison.

Even SS-rankers would struggle to replicate Rio's feat amid this miasma-saturated setting.

Once more, Rio demonstrated why he earned the moniker 'Hell-walker.'

He penetrated domains inaccessible to SS-rankers alike; in the spirit realm, he was utterly invincible.

The instant Rio crossed the miasmic crack barrier, he stood upon an expansive meadow.

A wide, pristine blue sky stretched overhead, while vibrant green grass carpeted the earth as far as the gaze reached.

Rio spotted birds soaring and singing; scattered trees dotted the horizon, but the standout feature was a massive tree not far off.

Beneath that towering tree sat a stunning woman, her back resting against its sturdy trunk.

A gentle breeze stirred her silver-black locks, and her ebony gown enhanced the allure of her exquisite features.

A shadowy crown adorned her brow, lending her the air of a regal queen untouched by the world's grime.

Sensing Rio's arrival, she lifted her gaze, her emerald, snake-like eyes gleaming like precious stones as they fixed on him.

"You really took your sweet time getting here... I've been waiting months for you, you know..."

Despite her icy, aloof vibe, her tone blended resentment, relief, irritation, fury, and joy in equal measure.

She appeared glad and eased that Rio had finally shown up, yet furious and frustrated at his delay; his stoic expression only deepened her sense of grievance.

"I figured it'd take you two or three months at most, but nearly a year has passed, you know!"

Rio felt puzzled at first, having no prior sight of this elegant, striking woman, but those recognizable emerald serpentine eyes prompted him to speak at last,

"Is that you, Ellie?... uh... You've matured quickly in such a short time... Does being a flawed dragon mess with a dragon's usual growth timeline? That's rather strange..."

"This is an unusual occurrence... hold on, thinking back... you could always reshape your form; I'd nearly overlooked that!..."

Rio seldom paid attention to any woman besides Lia; in his view, she alone warranted his concern. He instinctively tuned out other females from his vision, steering clear of them flawlessly.

With Ellie and Liam sharing affections, Rio, as their friend, respected limits and avoided prying into Ellie's matters with Liam or meddling excessively, since she held no direct tie to him.

Following the code of brotherhood, 'Never grow too close to your buddy's girl to avoid stirring needless drama...'