Reborn as an Extra Chapter 670: Atleast some ’Hope’ must exist... Part-3.

Countless notifications flooded her thoughts, filling Lia's mind with a tremendous surge of information.

Techniques and skills she had never known before now became clear to her, and the wisdom passed down from Astra revealed even greater intricacies about forging the Sword of Promised Destinies.

Lia at last uncovered the genuine name of this formidable legendary treasure.

The term 'Pratigya' directly translates to 'oath' or 'vow.'

The Sword of Promised Destinies embodies the 'Vow' and 'Oath' sworn by Astra, its original maker, to safeguard the world! That's precisely why it bears that name

Even though King Allen possessed this mighty artifact yet still fell in defeat, Lia grasped that the relic itself held no weakness whatsoever.

Picture the world as a vast computer, with the strings of destiny serving as its core source code; this legendary artifact acts like a 'permission' granting 'key.'

It unlocks 'admin' privileges, letting you command the computer to perform any task imaginable!

Grasping the artifact's capabilities more deeply made Lia ponder the sheer oddity of King Allen's loss, armed as he was with virtually unlimited powers!

This realization sparked the persistent question nagging at Lia.

'What horror could possibly dwell within the Sea of Miasma, capable of crushing a supremely mighty figure like King Allen in direct combat!?'

Strings of destiny link all existence to the 'origin' and the 'world,' and wielding their power represents the pinnacle of conceivable might.

Yet King Allen suffered defeat?

This puzzle forced Lia to confront the utter fragility of human life against a colossal force like the Sea of Miasmic Corruption.

A true overlord, it could obliterate galaxies effortlessly and slaughter trillions of lives in the blink of an eye.

'An unstoppable calamity bent on world destruction... that's the essence of the sea of endless miasma...'

Beyond the secrets of crafting this weapon, Lia absorbed extensive insights into Astra's diverse skills and powers.

'When I return home... I'll gradually assimilate all this knowledge and experience, transforming it into my personal arsenal...'

'An inheritance spanning over a thousand years proves far too immense to fully comprehend in a single day or two...'

As Bela imparted every bit of her wisdom to Lia, her form began dissolving gradually into oblivion.

"Though I'm unsure if I should rejoice at acquiring a suicidal weapon-forging technique, the remainder of your legacy proves quite valuable to me..."

"Thank you, Bela Anant... Though we never met face-to-face since you lived a millennium ago, I'll honor you as my master..."

"Don't count on me becoming a heroine, however; I refuse to offer my life for the world's sake like you did..."

Bela responded to Lia's words with a soft smile, her vanishing hand gently stroking Lia's shoulder.

"Forgive me, Lia... even with such abundant blessings... I failed to deliver a hopeful dawn for the world's innocent children like you..."

"Yet I pray that someday... a figure surpassing even King Allen will arise to eradicate this shadow forever!"

"What King Allen and I could not achieve... perhaps a future child will accomplish one day... Though I won't witness it, I'll cling to that hope until my last breath..."

With her image fully vanishing into nothing, Bela uttered her final words, tears glistening in her lovely eyes as she smiled,

"Live joyfully, Lia... and should the chance arise, share this wisdom with future generations if you deem them deserving inheritors..."

"For 'hope' must endure, come what may..."

To her very last moment, Bela never abandoned hope, steadfastly believing a day would dawn when the world escaped the dread of miasmic corruption.

Lia could merely sigh in response.

'Is this the mark of a genuine 'hero'?...'

Right up to the end, Bela thought only of others, ignoring her own desires entirely.

She seemed devoid of any self-interest, having surrendered her whole being to the cause of world salvation.

'Sigh... I could never emulate that, no matter how hard I tried... because unlike you, I'm no 'Hero'... Just a simple girl longing for a tranquil life alongside those I cherish...'

Unlike Bela or King Allen, Lia harbored no grand visions; she simply yearned to spend her days blissfully with loved ones, growing old and passing away serenely in their midst.

Saving the world? Devoting her existence to strangers she barely knew? Forsaking all she held dear?

Even in her wildest dreams, Lia wouldn't agree to such a thing.

‘Though I can’t become a ‘Hero’ as you wished... at the very least, I’ll pass your knowledge on to someone far more deserving than myself...’

While Lia had zero desire to sacrifice herself, that hardly meant the world lacked truly noble souls.

Should she one day encounter someone awakening the ‘Ascended Sou’ ability identical to hers, Lia planned to hand Astra’s mission over to that individual.

‘Sigh… ignorance really is bliss… I stayed carefree until learning all this… now the future sea of miasma weighs on me; what a massive headache…’

Right as Lia began feeling downcast, a soothing warmth enveloped her sea of consciousness, brought by a familiar power that started its restoration.

‘Hmm?... Wait, this is... Rio’s Sword Intent!? He’s close!? I need to wake up immediately!’

Upon sensing Rio’s power, Lia’s every worry and concern instantly dissolved, replaced by surging excitement at the thought of seeing him again!

"Keke, this time I’ll shock him with all the progress I’ve made!"

Long absent from her sight, he’d returned just as she finally matched his realm; no longer would weakness bring her disappointment!

Thus, she burned with eagerness to parade her fresh powers before him.

Unbeknownst to Lia, Rio teetered on the brink of SS rank already, ensuring she’d remain well behind him!

But that’s a tale reserved for another day.