Reborn as an Extra Chapter 545: Inside Hell. Part-4.

The concentration of miasma here is incredibly dense, to the point where the 'law' of 'mana' gets completely overwhelmed.

This indicates that the 'law' of 'Miasma and Corruption' dominates so strongly in this area that all other worldly 'laws' face severe suppression, allowing all sorts of strange events to unfold.

'This spot feels like a diluted form of the miasma sea within the spirit realm... everything around has suffered deep corruption...'

Rio glanced at the hovering cube and observed how its operations had slowed dramatically from the pace outside.

'I'm grateful for wrapping it in my sword intent from the start, or else the miasma might have gone after it too...'

Though miasma poses no threat to Rio himself, it could still lash out by targeting his 'compass,' obstructing his objectives, or stirring up all kinds of obstacles in his path.

In a similar fashion to how mages form a mana barrier for defense against physical harm, Rio enveloped himself in a robust layer of ambient miasma as protection.

'With sword intent serving as my barrier, I don't truly require another, yet blanketing the surroundings with miasma enhances my concealment even further...'

Rio had detected the miasma beginning to focus on him already.

It interfered by destroying the monster's soul just as he attempted to probe it, suggesting that the miasma would keep generating hurdles for him over time.

'Most challenges I can handle... but encountering an SS-rank Evil Spirit is the last thing I want...'

A miasma-tainted spirit realm serves as an ideal habitat for evil spirits; countless millions of them could lurk throughout this domain.

While Rio manages against the majority, SS-rank entities remain beyond his capabilities, and the miasma might even direct one toward him.

'With this miasma shroud in place... not even an SS-rank evil spirit's miasmic detection could pierce through to me...'

Letting out a sigh, Rio proceeded in the direction indicated by the cube.

'It's no surprise that navigating the spirit realm is deemed nearly impossible and disorientation strikes easily here...'

Not just ordinary individuals, but even Rio's instincts and perceptions found themselves muddled; despite miasmic detection, precise orientations eluded him, and the region's spatial distortions proved highly erratic.

Occasionally, space twisted without warning, or void storms gnawed at its edges.

In this area, space would unpredictably contract and expand, rendering it profoundly unstable across multiple spots.

As he advanced, Rio carefully steered clear of those volatile zones.

Should a sudden spatial distortion or instability eject him from the spirit realm, he could find himself hurled to an arbitrary point across the universe.

Such an occurrence would render returning to his home solar system an arduous ordeal.

'Positioned between reality and the void, the spirit realm hosts truly outlandish and peculiar beings; even its space-time structure twists in unnatural fashions...'

'It's clear why the shadow dragons faced exile here as retribution for their betrayal amid the demon extinction war...'

Exiling any being to this realm ranks among the severest punishments imaginable.

Merely enduring existence here turns one into a toy for miasma and corruption, subjecting them to excruciating torment spanning hundreds of thousands of years unless someone ends them by shattering their soul.

'What immense crime did the shadow dragons perpetrate to warrant banishment into this infernal domain...'

Shadow dragons excel in shadow manipulation and wield mastery over shadow and dark elementals.

Possessing strong defenses against miasmic corruption, even they cannot preserve their sanity after prolonged exposure in such an environment.

'How did Ellie manage to remain so 'humane' and 'sane' despite her true form dwelling in a place like this?'

Rio felt real astonishment at Ellie's ability to stay near Liam without sparking any incidents.

Any other shadow dragon would have long descended into madness, unleashing corruption far and wide until slain or returned to the spirit realm.

'Ellie... What intentions do you hold for Liam's soul? I truly hope you can withstand the miasmic corruption and avoid any irreparable actions...'

Rio remained unaware of the pact binding Liam and Ellie, or the profound bond they shared.

Yet, as their friend, he felt compelled to offer aid whenever peril loomed over them.

As Rio traversed the area, he spotted numerous eerie 'flowers' that wailed and spewed onto the earth, though he chose not to draw near this time.

Rio understood that attempting to access their memories would cause them to explode, once more alerting the miasma to his position.

To evade detection by SS-rankers, he aimed to keep his whereabouts concealed; revealing his precise spot could prove deadly under these conditions.

'Were I an SS-ranker, I'd have commenced purifying this whole sector of the spirit realm by now, drawing in all the local miasma to bolster my personal energy stockpile...'

'Regrettably, stirring up that degree of turmoil lies beyond my reach at present...'

Rio often emphasizes that he's no 'Assassin' but a 'Humble Swordsman,' and skulking about in secrecy clashes with his preferred approach.

He believed the ideal method for locating Liam involved confronting a roaming SS-rank evil spirit outright, tormenting its soul, and extracting its recollections.

Following that, he'd repeat the process across dozens more to compile a comprehensive mental chart of the region from their merged insights.

Armed with such a layout and regional familiarity, pinpointing Liam would have proven far simpler.

'Alas, lacking sufficient power renders everything so tediously slow...'

To preserve his flawless disguise, he found himself compelled to proceed cautiously and subdued; without that need, he'd have unleashed pandemonium throughout the zone already.

As various thoughts swirled in Rio's mind during his journey, a colossal, mountain-like evil spirit appeared on the horizon, lumbering ahead.

Resembling an enormous turtle, every footfall sent tremors through the ground like a full-blown quake.

Its sheer immensity meant Rio required no miasmic detection to confirm; he instantly recognized this entity as an undeniable SS-ranker!

'Uh... Yes, it's an SS-ranker for sure... though its condition appears far from ideal...'

This evil spirit took the form of a colossal tortoise, its enormous shell composed of countless desiccated giant maggots fused together.

Rot and corruption blanketed its whole frame; massive eyes dangled from it like clock pendulums.

So grotesque was the beast that Rio couldn't gauge the extent of spatial disturbances its odd form generated.

Myriad wounds scarred its body, oozing rivers of dark blood nonstop.

A vast trail of blood marked its path as it advanced, with hordes of lesser evil spirits following to lap up the leavings.

The sight proved deeply disturbing to behold.