Reborn as an Extra Chapter 685: Operation ’Hydra’. Part-3.

The three of them traversed the facility's hallways in complete silence for quite some time.

Link gathered considerable bravery before he finally managed to say something.

"You have her body?"

Rio paused at Link's inquiry but soon chose to respond.

"I do..."

Upon saying that, Rio dispelled the camouflage concealing the coffin.

When the camouflage vanished, Lia was stunned to realize that the coffin and soul containers had been hovering directly behind her without her detecting them at all.

Not even her perfect foresight had picked them up, and it was only after Rio unveiled them that she spotted the fate threads linked to those containers.

Lia was unaware, yet during Rio's rushed rescue of her, he lacked time to set the containers anywhere suitable.

Consequently, they had floated next to him the whole time until this moment, unnoticed by anyone because Rio's hiding technique disrupted everyone's senses.

"I see..."

Upon spotting the coffin holding Ellie's body, Link balled his fist, ground his teeth, fell quiet, and kept guiding them forward.

Following a brief stroll, they arrived at a spacious conference room furnished with numerous sofas and seats.

Ashtel Rex, Raji, Riya, and the rest were present, all wearing grave looks, and the atmosphere grew even heavier when they noticed the coffin trailing Rio into the room.

Rio set the coffin down on the makeshift stand crafted by Raji's ice spell, positioning the two soul containers beside it.

Next, he turned to Ashtel and addressed him.

"I am deeply sorry... I managed to complete the mission of saving Liam’s soul and bringing it back from the spirit realm but... Ellie didn’t make it..."

"We decided to use ’that’ method to save Liam’s life back then... and I think that same method will also work on Ellie so I made sure to bring her soul and body back too..."

As Rio finished speaking, Ashtel let out a heavy sigh laced with sorrow and replied steadily.

"Tell us... everything from the beginning..."

Ashtel's demand prompted everyone present to straighten up and direct their undivided focus toward Rio.

All of them recognized Rio as far beyond a typical S-ranker, holding the title of their country's mightiest S-ranker at present.

On top of that, Rio had an unblemished record of mission success up to now.

Ellie's fate proved baffling beyond belief.

The spirit realm posed genuine perils, yet Rio's prowess was undeniable to everyone.

Hence, it shocked them greatly that Ellie perished with Rio right there! They all sensed something suspicious lurking beneath the surface.

Lia herself was taken aback, much less the others.

Their immense trust in Rio fueled their burning desire to uncover what had derailed everything.

Realizing concealment of Raika and his bizarre plots served no purpose, Rio reluctantly recounted the full tale.

Concealing Ellie’s death's true reason was futile anyway, as omission would erode faith in Rio, forcing him to divulge every detail!

"When I entered the Spirit Realm, I met this mysterious fellow who called him ’Raika, The Master of the Holy Lyre’..."

Rio required a few hours to narrate his grand odyssey through the Spirit Realm completely.

Beyond detailing Raika and the strange entities within the spirit realm, he also warned Ashtel of the shattered seal guarding the entrance to the endless miasma sea.

This revelation filled even Ashtel's expression with alarm and dismay.

Raji massaged her temples amid an oncoming migraine; Link slumped helplessly on the floor; Lia gripped her fists in concern for Rio; Riya gazed mournfully at the coffin.

While Rio shared nearly all details, he omitted specifics on his power surge and the odd abilities he'd acquired.

He merely explained that navigating that perilous domain and clashing in a desperate fight against Raika had elevated his strength, without specifying the extent.

Soul control, memory alteration, soul-devouring for replenishment, mana crystal generation, and more.

None of these did Rio disclose, sticking solely to elements relevant to the discussion.

Rio wasn't feigning frailty deliberately; rather, his abilities were so unnerving they invited misgivings easily.

No rational individual would fully trust someone wielding powers suited for mind domination, indoctrination, soul tampering, and the like.

Until attaining SS rank, Rio preferred avoiding excessive scrutiny; this juncture was pivotal, and SS rank loomed close, making it wise to conceal key aces for the moment.

"This guy calling himself ’Raika’... something about him feels strangely familiar..."

Silent all along, Ashtel at last broke his silence, speaking with a deep frown creasing his features.

"I must check the secret records... Any idea why he insists on you becoming a ’hero’?"

Rio shook his head in reply to that query.

"Other than my control over miasma and corruption... no other reason comes to mind..."

Ashtel acknowledged the response with a nod and continued,

"On that seal... I’ll alert the world alliance... A brief meeting approaches soon; I’ll raise this issue face-to-face..."

"Concerning Liam and Ellie... we’ll proceed with our earlier strategy... Let’s activate operation ’Hydra’... Should it succeed on Liam, it’ll work for Ellie too..."

"On top of that, Lia’s destiny-manipulating ability is now ours... Boosting our success prospects massively..."

Those words drew a nod from Rio as well.