Reborn as an Extra Chapter 594: An endless loop! Part-2.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
"YOU F*CKER!!! STOP GETTING IN MY WAY!!!!"
A smirk crossed Rio's face as Raika's angry shout echoed, and he relentlessly unleashed the mosquito-repelling wind technique time and again, blocking Raika from shaking the wormhole or nearing its edges.
"As I mentioned before, you're not returning this time..."
With Liam's soul vanished and Raika's famed artifact in pieces, he stood no chance against Rio's relentless strikes.
That famed artifact had clearly been the key to this projection's immense strength and its effortless imitation of others' abilities!
Once destroyed, Raika lost the power to copy those abilities, and severed from his primary form, he could no longer wield his world authority!
Raika had plunged into the wormhole in pursuit of Rio.
Should Rio end up in some unknown spot, tracking him down and dispatching the projection for an assault would prove impossible.
For that reason, Raika dove into the wormhole to remain near Rio and persist in his assaults.
Yet everything flipped once he crossed into the wormhole.
Ellie, whom Raika dismissed entirely, twisted reality itself and pulled Liam's soul back to her while inflicting inner damage on his vital artifact!
This shattered his scheme to torment Rio by seizing Liam's soul and left him vulnerable, falling prey to Rio's bizarre techniques!
Getting batted aside repeatedly like some insignificant insect was utterly humiliating!
Veins bulged across Raika's striking features, revealing his boiling rage in that instant!
Whenever Raika attempted to flee or end himself, Rio blasted him with fierce winds infused with elementals, throwing him off balance!
Rio blocked not just his escape but his self-destruction as well!
"You don't seriously believe you can maintain this forever, right!?"
Raika spoke true; Rio understood he couldn't sustain this indefinitely. Both tumbled through the wormhole, and several minutes had passed since entry.
That signaled they neared the wormhole's exit, where they'd be ejected soon. Then Raika could reconnect with his true self!
Rio swung his sword, forming a vast wind enclosure that trapped Raika within.
He'd already unleashed his anger by knocking Raika around like a pest multiple times; now came the moment to focus.
"Naturally, I realize I can't toy with you endlessly... but rest easy, unlike you, I've got allies backing me; I know precisely what steps to take..."
With a grin, Rio disregarded Raika and plunged downward at breakneck speed!
He pulled Raika along in the descent, securing him firmly in the wind enclosure.
The enclosure gripped Raika's arms and legs securely and used sword intent to seal his body's energy, stopping any self-destruction attempt.
Should Raika explode, he'd break loose!
As they sped downward, Rio wielded his sword to drain every bit of energy from Raika's form, blocking access to mana or miasma alike!
Raika now lay utterly powerless!
"Draining my energy serves no purpose; I can simply draw more from the environment!"
Rio ignored Raika's retort without a word.
Even if Raika replenished energy, the wind enclosure and sword intent would constantly hinder him, slashing his gathering rate to a crawl!
By the point Raika amassed enough for self-destruction, countless months would pass!
Precisely that delay formed Rio's strategy!
Channeling mana to probe the area, Rio sensed the wormhole's conclusion approaching, prompting him to ready himself at once.
"I won't allow your freedom from this spot just yet... and since true death eludes you, confinement becomes my only choice..."
"Hope you relish your solitude here... mutter to yourself and leave me out of it!"
"I have zero desire to play the hero or anything like that!"
Rio recalled his earlier talk with Ashtel Rex prior to this venture, inspiring the plan to trap Raika within the wormhole!
Maximizing his sword intent alongside space and time elementals, Rio triggered a spatial tear at the wormhole's exit point!
That overwhelming strike disrupted the wormhole's stability instantly, forcing it to cycle back to its initial entry location!
Drawing on Ashtel's technique, Rio forged a self-looping wormhole ring!
Trapped inside, Rio and Raika faced perpetual descent in an infinite cycle!
Without breaking free, they'd endure endless falling forever!
"Whew~ that took real effort... I wonder when I'll handle feats like this with ease..."
Forming the wormhole loop demanded immense effort; even a frail link to the spirit realm required vast power and concentration.
Had it stemmed from the primary material plane, Rio's current might couldn't have wrecked its endpoint!
Rio drew in a steadying breath and retrieved the long-hoarded high-grade teleportation scroll from his space ring.
Spotting Rio's imminent departure, Raika yelled,
"You can't just depart like this, Rio! Hear out my explanation!"
"You're the only one who can alter everything! You're the sole hero capable of rescuing this universe!"
"Join me as a friend, Rio! I'll guide you to the world's absolute peak! You'll stand as the ultimate hero!"
Shaking his head, Rio tuned out Raika's pleas.
"Save your breath... I'm going, and stay out of my path from now on!"
Without delay, Rio activated the teleportation scroll, pouring his remaining mana into it.
Mana's light bathed the scroll, summoning a huge magic circle encircling Rio.
A grand door emerged from the circle, with steps unfolding down to Rio's position.
"Well now... these high-grade teleportation scrolls sure are elaborate... even crafting portals with stylish flair..."
"Impressive stuff..."
Direct instant teleportation on Rio proved nearly impossible due to his anomalous nature, which messed with such spells.
Therefore, Rio had requested Ashtel modify the scroll into a portal-based teleporter over an instant one.
Rio gave Raika a casual wave farewell and leaped through the portal.
The portal sealed shut immediately after Rio vanished, leaving Raika staring in stunned silence.
Though Raika might not have fallen to Rio in direct combat, defeat came at Ellie's hands in a crucial, indirect clash.