Reborn as an Extra Chapter 571: The Grand Seal Of The Final Gamble. Part-1.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
After taking a brief rest, Rio concentrated and began delving into the memories inherited from the shadow dragon king.
Throughout the previous week, Rio had been fleeing nonstop, without even a moment to catch his breath in peace, all thanks to the dragon tree's wild rampage.
At last, he now had the real opportunity to settle in and properly examine those memories.
’Fortunately, the cube of possibilities had reset itself and begun guiding me along the correct path; otherwise, that whole week of evasion would have been utterly pointless...’
During his flight, Rio had followed the route indicated by the cube of possibilities, which had already figured out the precise direction he should take right when he acquired these memories.
No waiting was required for Rio to review the memories, since the cube could foresee everything just from potential scenarios.
This approach spared Rio plenty of precious time, avoiding the need to study the memories before dashing off in the right way, which might have exposed him to strikes from the frenzied dragon tree.
’Phew... let’s dive in...’
Wasting no additional moments, Rio activated his soul manipulation and memory-reading power to absorb the remaining pristine soul pieces and recollections provided by the shadow dragon king.
...
"My king... I-I don’t believe it’s wise for you to take on all the guilt alone!"
"We all desired that result... now that defeat has come... we should share the responsibility together..."
A mature shadow dragon gazed worriedly at his king, who was gently stroking a tiny slumbering dragon whelp. That little whelp happened to be Elisia.
The surroundings felt strangely recognizable; it appeared to be deep within the spirit realm, indicating this recollection dated from after the shadow dragons' exile from the spirit realm.
Gazing up at the gloomy, miasma-choked sky, the dragon king grinned while forming a massive seal across the region.
This seal served as his technique to shield his kind from the corrupting miasma.
"Indeed, we all envisioned a future of thriving success, we battled for a brighter tomorrow for our race, we yearned for shadow dragons to break free from dragon valley's dominance..."
"We craved superior power so those dragons who've ridiculed us endlessly would finally fall silent and cease their taunts..."
Shadow dragons weren't fools who would turn against the world alliance without cause.
They possessed their own justifications and driving forces.
Among the dragon valley's inhabitants, shadow dragons ranked as the feeblest variety, and prior to the shadow dragon king's emergence as an SS-rank, none had ever surpassed S-rank, cementing their status as the most inferior dragons.
They faced constant mockery for their frailty, and dragons as a species revered only the mighty; the feeble were viewed as lesser than mere scraps in their sight.
The bulk of shadow dragons consisted of feeble S-rank individuals lacking true battle prowess.
Shadow dragons excelled more in stealth and shadow spells. They weren't warriors; in human equivalents, they'd qualify as support awakeners!
This core trait explained their lack of esteem in the dragon valley.
Centuries of such prejudice fueled the shadow dragons' pursuit of a superior destiny once their inaugural SS-ranker arose.
Their aim was straightforward: they'd struck a pact with the demons and the miasma; in exchange for aiding demons against the world alliance and wounding King Allen, demons and miasma would provide them a superior habitat along with boosted aptitude and prestige!
It was a high-stakes wager, risking the fate of their whole species; a single error could unravel it all, and that's precisely what occurred.
Astra, the world's premier healer, restored King Allen to peak condition and preserved his life, rendering him even mightier than before!
His newfound power let him crush numerous demon SS-rankers alongside the full shadow dragon lineage!
At that juncture, the shadow dragons realized they'd forfeited the bet.
One lone female, one healer, reshaped the world's destiny through her efforts; not only did she rescue King Allen via her extraordinary healing arts, but she also preserved the world's very survival!
The shadow dragons were seized, every demon eradicated; the world alliance held judgments over them and imposed the harshest penalty imaginable.
Exile to the spirit realm, forever barred from the material world!
Defeated and shattered, the shadow dragon king guided his followers to the spirit realm and erected a barrier channeling the bulk of miasmic taint toward himself, safeguarding the rest.
This act represented his method of protecting the younger generation and ensuring their prolonged safety.
"I may not endure it much longer, but I trust another will step up after me once I'm no more..."
As he uttered this, the shadow dragon king turned his gaze to his daughter, Elisia!
The shadow dragon king understood that, despite his pinnacle SS-rank status, resisting the miasma's onslaught for long remained unlikely.
A few centuries at best before madness claimed him. A successor was essential to take his place and preserve the race's security.
"B-but... my king, you shouldn’t burden yourself for us... this... we..."
The shadow dragon king shook his head and replied.
"I was the one who proposed allying with the miasma to end our racial scorn... I was the one who guided you into the crime of world betrayal..."
"Therefore, it's just that I... your king and guardian... shoulder the weight of my transgressions alone..."
"Maybe someday, our penance will end, and forgiveness will arrive... I wish for at least one shadow dragon to witness that moment..."
A smile graced the shadow dragon king's features as he stared skyward, envisioning redemption.
...
Centuries slipped by, and even with the shadow dragon king containing the miasmic decay to his utmost, the other shadow dragons couldn't endure.
Most succumbed to the overwhelming miasmic pollution, while survivors began descending into lunacy.
The shadow dragon king's form twisted under the miasmic assault, with the fallen dragons' essences compelled by miasma to fuse into him, amplifying his torment and agony!
Each day brought fresh horrors and trials.
Helplessly, the shadow dragon king witnessed his kin perish, and the most heartbreaking part was that his own daughter faced the same curse of being a shadow dragon.
Every shadow dragon pinned hopes on the king's offspring becoming another SS-ranker, the new mainstay to sustain their kind.
Yet harsh truth proved crushing; Ellie failed to ascend to SS-rank regardless of efforts, remaining trapped at S+.
Furthermore, miasma and decay disrupted her inheritance of the shadow dragons' bloodline magic.
Rather than a pillar, she turned into another burden for the race.
The remaining S-rank shadow dragon elders had lost their sanity to miasmic corruption, boldly branding Ellie the ultimate disgrace of their lineage.
She was meant to be their redeemer, yet she fell short of their hopes! She wasn't the prodigious heir they craved from their king.
She amounted to an ordinary, frail shadow dragon suited only for auxiliary roles.
Time dwindled rapidly, with no room for delay; their king teetered on breakdown from the ceaseless miasmic onslaught, prompting a final, desperate choice.
The choice to voluntarily blend their souls and forms with their king, bolstering his resolve and might against the miasmic threat.
Death loomed for them all anyway; at least this gave their king a shot at extended survival through their contribution.
At the demon extinction war's close, King Allen visited them, and witnessing their plight, vowed to liberate them upon triumph in his ultimate venture.
That promised day never dawned, only deepening their woes day by day.
Consequently, they all chose self-sacrifice, merging souls with their king, save for one shadow dragon who rejected the folly.
That was Ellie; she declined to unite with that grotesque, tainted horror of a tree.
From birth in a miasma-saturated realm, unlike her kin, she'd cultivated exceptional resistance to miasma as her innate dragon physiology adjusted to the perilous conditions during maturation.
She stayed rational, unswayed by labels of cowardice or as the shadow dragon race's utter shame.
She intended to forge her path independently.
And so, Ellie departed her father's protective barrier, proclaiming,
"I won’t yield to miasma so soon!"
With that declaration, she ventured toward the path King Allen had once taken!