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 sly grin spread across Rio's face as Raika's furious shout echoed, and he continued blasting the wind technique designed to repel mosquitoes relentlessly, blocking Raika from disrupting the wormhole's balance or nearing its barriers.
"As I already told you, you're not returning this time..."
With Liam's soul vanished and Raika's famed artifact in pieces, he found himself utterly defenseless before Rio's onslaughts.
That prized artifact had clearly been the key to this projection's immense power and its effortless imitation of others' abilities!
Once destroyed, Raika lost his capacity to copy powers, and severed from his primary form, he could no longer wield his world authority!
Raika had leaped into the wormhole in pursuit of Rio.
Should Rio end up hurled to an unknown spot, tracking him down and dispatching the projection for an assault would prove impossible.
For that reason, Raika dove in to remain near Rio and persist in his attacks.
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 unleashed a fierce gust of wind, hurling him off course with elemental forces!
Rio blocked not just his getaway but his very self-destruction!
"You don't seriously believe you can maintain this forever, right!?"
Raika spoke true; Rio understood he couldn't sustain this endless barrage much longer. Both tumbled through the wormhole, and several minutes had already passed since their entry.
That signaled their approach to the wormhole's exit, where they'd be expelled soon. Then Raika could reconnect with his core self once more!
Rio swung his sword, summoning a vast wind enclosure that trapped Raika within.
He'd already unleashed his anger by slapping Raika around like a pest time and again; now came the moment to turn deadly serious.
"Naturally, I realize I can't toy with you indefinitely... but rest easy, unlike you, I've got allies backing me up; I know precisely how to proceed..."
Rio flashed a smirk, tuning out Raika entirely as he plunged downward at breakneck speed!
While hauling Raika along in the descent, Rio held him fixed in position within the wind enclosure.
The enclosure gripped Raika's arms and legs firmly and quelled his inner energy via sword intent, stopping any chance of self-destruction.
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 stood utterly powerless now!
"Stealing my energy won't help; 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 interfere, slashing his accumulation rate to a crawl!
By the point Raika amassed enough for self-destruction, countless months would pass!
And that delay was Rio's exact scheme!
Probing the area with his mana, Rio sensed the wormhole nearing its close, prompting him to ready himself at once.
"I won't allow your escape from this spot just yet... and since truly slaying you isn't an option, I'll seal you away right here..."
"I trust you'll relish your solitude... mutter to yourself and leave me out of your ramblings!"
"I have zero desire to play the hero or anything like that!"
Rio recalled his earlier chat with Ashtel Rex prior to this venture, inspiring his plan to trap Raika within the wormhole!
Channeling sword intent to its peak alongside space and time elementals, Rio triggered a spatial tear at the wormhole's exit point!
The wormhole destabilized instantly from that overwhelming strike, and to regain equilibrium, it circled back to its initial 'entry' position!
Rio applied Ashtel's technique to form a self-looping wormhole ring!
Trapped inside, Rio and Raika now faced eternal descent in an infinite cycle!
Without breaking free from the wormhole, they'd linger in perpetual freefall forever!
"Whew~ that took real effort... I wonder when I'll pull off something like this with ease..."
Forming that looping wormhole demanded huge effort; even a frail link to the spirit realm in his current state drained vast power and concentration.
Had it been a wormhole from the primary material plane, Rio lacked the might to rupture its endpoint!
Rio drew in a steadying breath and retrieved the long-hoarded high-grade teleportation scroll from his space ring.
As Rio prepared to depart, Raika yelled out,
"You can't just abandon me like this, Rio! Hear me out on what I'm saying!"
"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 absolute heights of this realm! You could become the ultimate hero!"
Rio simply shook his head, blocking Raika's pleas from his mind.
"Save your breath... I'm out of here, and stay away from me from now on!"
Without delay, Rio activated the teleportation scroll, pouring his remaining mana into it.
Mana's brilliance illuminated the scroll, forming a grand magic circle encircling Rio.
A large gateway emerged from the circle, with steps unfolding down to Rio's position.
"Oh... these premium teleportation scrolls sure are elaborate... they even craft portals with stylish flair..."
"Impressive..."
Direct instant teleportation for Rio was nearly unfeasible due to his anomalous nature, which messed with such spells.
Therefore, Rio had requested Ashtel modify the scroll into a portal-based teleporter rather than an immediate one.
Rio gave Raika a casual wave farewell and leaped through the portal.
The portal sealed shut immediately after Rio vanished, leaving Raika stunned and alone.
Though Raika hadn't fallen to Rio in direct combat, he'd been bested by Ellie in a crucial, indirect clash.