Reborn as an Extra Chapter 653: Endless Samsara of Misery.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
From Lia's viewpoint, time appeared to halt with Rahn's sword locked in place right before she passed out, yet the truth differed greatly.
Rahn's sword never halted in time; it never ceased its motion.
Actually, he channeled every ounce of his strength to drive the blade down toward Lia, but shockingly, it wouldn't advance even a fraction of an inch.
A strange power seemed to grip his body, freezing the very fabric of space-time; Rahn couldn't comprehend what afflicted him.
Before he could grasp the situation, raw terror erupted from the depths of his soul, drenching his body in sweat.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin as every cell trembled with profound dread, making even his atoms quiver in 'terror.'
A chill raced down Rahn's spine as he gradually shifted his gaze sideways, spotting an unfamiliar figure seated next to Lia's wounded form.
This enigmatic entity emitted no presence, no aura, no ripples in space, yet merely existing near it filled Rahn with unease and soul-deep anxiety.
His soul shrieked in agony, as though pricked endlessly by needles; his mind scattered, overwhelmed by inexplicable dread.
Even the miasmic corruption within him quivered, desperate to flee; all his instincts and senses blared warnings that this 'being' posed extreme danger and horror.
Rahn hadn't detected or perceived its approach; it materialized out of nowhere.
To Rahn, the entity defied understanding.
The mysterious figure gazed at Lia with pitch-black abyssal eyes for some time, then gradually turned his head toward Rahn, flooding his heart with terror.
In that instant, fear gripped Rahn so intensely that he couldn't utter a single word in response to the query.
Rahn's sword strike hadn't stalled due to any controlling force; he simply froze because his entire being sensed a threat of unimaginable horror, paralyzing him with overwhelming fear.
Before Rahn could respond, the surroundings shifted abruptly, placing him far from his previous position.
Lia's form remained visible in the distant horizon, but courage failed him to speak or inquire.
Excruciating pain struck as he realized his lower torso had vanished entirely, still upright distantly beside Lia's battered body.
"She’s about to break through to the next realm... it seems that after falling in a deadly situation, she managed to polish her existence even further..."
"It’s better to not disturb her when she’s in the process of ascension..."
While the enigmatic being uttered these words in a completely emotionless tone, Rahn glanced aside and saw the odd young-man-shaped creature standing next to him, one hand placed on Rahn's head.
His gaze no longer met Rahn's; it fixed intently on Lia, whose body began levitating as mana surged into her from every direction.
Upon advancing to the higher rank, her injuries mended fully, aided by the 'world's' 'laws.'
"Sigh... Clearing a pseudo-SS-rank dungeon alone while just being an A-ranker... Your way of training is too extreme Lia..."
"Even I wouldn’t dare play with my life like that..."
As the mysterious figure murmured to himself, Rahn's face contorted in sheer torment and fright.
Though deprived of his lower torso, astonishingly, his organs stayed whole; he refused to perish and persisted in living.
Miasmic corruption flooded his form at a frantic pace, plunging his body into endless decay.
Each second, huge portions of his flesh rotted away, inflicting unbearable suffering, only for Miasma to swiftly regenerate them.
The cycle repeated endlessly!
To Rahn's dismay, the miasmic assault extended beyond his body; his mind, soul, and essence began perpetual breakdown as well.
Countless memories invaded his consciousness forcibly, each depicting endless cycles of nightmarish torment.
"I-I am s-sorry... p-please... m-mercy..."
Tears welled in Rahn's eyes as he pleaded for mercy, but the terrifying entity regarded him with a robotic, emotionless face and responded in a matching toneless voice,
"You can still speak? You have quite a tenacious body it seems... well, that’s good; this way you will be able to withstand more torture for a much longer time before your soul collapses..."
"I like people that have strong souls; after all, only strong souls can entertain me for a much longer time..."
Prior to any thought of defiance from Rahn, his ’Sea of Consciousness’ got sealed; his soul reshaped into a novel form.
His whole body transformed into a compact cube of tissue and meat, destined solely to endure countless brief existences brimming with barbaric agony and gruesome conclusions, without respite!
Such torment was so vicious and barbaric that even the world's most feared lunatics wouldn't inflict it upon their prey.
Most terrifyingly, Rahn held zero chance of opposition; it would cease only upon total soul annihilation from accumulated trauma across myriad lifetimes.
"It’s a pity that I can’t go back in time with my current powers, or I would have travelled back in time to catch the real you..."
"The current you are just a memory of the distant past... this punishment still feels lacklustre to me..."