Reborn as an Extra Chapter 752: A Future Without You... Part-4.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
The threads of fate seemed far too tangible to be dismissed as mere illusions woven by magic.
The message resonated with such profound power, deeply connected to the 'law' of 'cosmic order,' that Lia sensed an undeniable truth within it.
"What in the world is happening?"
This revelation not only struck Lia to her core but also left her utterly bewildered by the unfolding events.
"Are you suggesting this scene is a recollection from a potential alternate reality? Are you implying that had I been born untalented, a failure, my parents would have despised me?"
"That's utter nonsense! I won't be fooled by such a transparent ploy!"
As if in response to Lia’s defiance, the surrounding scene shifted once more.
This time, Lia found herself situated within the familiar confines of the academy library, a place she frequented during her student years.
"No, I didn’t kill Kira! It has absolutely nothing to do with me!!! Leave me alone!!"
"Let me go! I haven't done anything wrong!"
Bound by chains forged from potent frost elementals, a version of Lia, eerily familiar, pleaded desperately, trying to assert her innocence.
Yet, to her despair, no one offered her any belief!
Raji, who had ensnared her with frost chains, stood nearby, her expression cold and her silence absolute; Kira’s lifeless body, bisected with chilling precision, lay on the floor not far away, a steady stream of blood pooling beneath it.
Fade stared at his deceased girlfriend, caught in a haze of shock and disbelief, while Link, Riya, and Rio were conspicuously absent from the scene.
The surrounding students were either pointing fingers at her or murmuring amongst themselves, their gazes filled with intense scorn!
Just as the situation seemed poised to escalate further, a grimoire inexplicably launched from deeper within the library, unleashing a wave of miasmic corruption that swept through the entire hall, compelling Raji to retreat to safeguard the other students.
Lia, positioned at the epicenter of it all, became engulfed by the dense miasmic corruption and was abruptly teleported away by a summoning circle that materialized beneath her feet without warning!
Witnessing this, the onlookers intensified their curses towards Lia, their conviction solidifying that she was indeed the true culprit, given her association with miasmic corruption!
"That book… I recognize it… that was the very tome Rio took from me that day…"
Observing the entire spectacle, Lia could not suppress her astonishment.
She had never, even in her wildest dreams, fathomed that the book she had casually retrieved from the library that day would prove to be a malevolent miasmic grimoire, potent enough to force an SS-ranker into retreat.
The scene aligned so perfectly with the threads of destiny that Lia found it impossible to confidently assert its falsity; it felt profoundly real, each event resonating deeply within her soul!
Before Lia could fully process these unfolding events, the scene transitioned once more, finding her standing within a somber throne room.
The version of her who had been teleported, cloaked in miasma, thrashed wildly, desperately attempting to dislodge the pervasive corruption, but like a tenacious parasite, the miasma refused to release its grip.
The corrupted Lia shrieked at the highest pitch, consumed by overwhelming pain, terror, and despair!
Her entire being contorted into grotesque, abstract shapes as Lia experienced a sensation of internal annihilation.
Her bones turned to dust, her muscles were systematically torn asunder, and her heart was repeatedly pierced by countless needles forged from the miasmic corruption.
As if transformed into an entirely new entity, her skin adopted an ash-grey hue, her hair darkened to a deep purple, and her eyes became stark white, devoid of pupils.
'Demonization…'
Lia was intimately familiar with this term and the harrowing process it entailed, having witnessed Jiang undergo demonization during the final examinations in her first year at the academy.
'This is madness… How is this even conceivable… Why would I transform into a demon… This is… this is.'
Lia attempted to refute the reality before her, again and again, yet deep within her heart, she acknowledged that had she never encountered Rio in this lifetime, she might have indeed succumbed to the encroaching darkness within her soul.
In that past scenario, it was entirely plausible for her to have killed Kira out of overwhelming jealousy, and the repercussions of such an act would have been dire.
The scene unfolding before her felt so authentic, resonating so powerfully, that Lia nearly convinced herself that such an outcome might have actually befallen her had she never met Rio.
"Hoh? An intriguing pawn has emerged…"
While Lia was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, the situation shifted.
An eerie and deeply unsettling voice echoed through the throne room, capturing the attention of both the real Lia and her demonized counterpart.
The source of this voice was none other than the entity seated upon the colossal black throne.
This entity lacked any discernible form, its body vaguely humanoid yet swathed in profound miasmic decay. It resembled a corpse long surrendered to decomposition rather than a living being. The creature possessed no facial features; its head had been grotesquely reshaped into an abstract horror by the miasmic corruption, and its skin had seemingly melted away from the rot. Lacking even proper limbs, only a solitary hand dangled precariously from its frame! Though this impossibly malformed and shattered physique appeared utterly frail and devoid of strength, the aura emanating from it was so potent that even the real Lia found it difficult to breathe. There was no question regarding the entity's identity; it was undeniably the one known as... 'The Present Demon King, Nebo Dahaka...' Before Lia could regain her composure, the scene dissolved into blackness, and another fractured thread of destiny drifted towards her, conveying a fresh message.