Reborn as an Extra Chapter 794: Serenity Before The Final Storm. Part-4.

"So what you are saying is that you are planning to delay the deployment date for Riya and Rio? I have only one question... why?"

Raji was genuinely confused why Ashtel, who was being hailed as the biggest saviour of the planet because of his feat of repelling the Demon King recently and saving the world, would take such a decision.

Although Raji herself didn’t want her younger sister to be deployed to foreign lands so abruptly, she was an SS-ranker, and her duty as the SS-ranker was equally important to her.

At most, she would personally accompany Riya and Rio during their trip across the globe.

She had never even thought of stopping or delaying this purification plan, as she knew how crucial Rio and Riya’s powers were in saving countless affected lives.

Moreover, this purification trip would not only improve Riya’s and Rio’s reputations but also help them establish deeper connections with the various nations of the world.

Riya and Rio were both insanely talented kids, and reaching rank SS was a guaranteed inevitability for them, so this reputation will lay a solid foundation for their future and help them make more connections once they reach a higher realm.

No matter from which angle you looked at it, there was simply no need to hinder this mission, as it was only beneficial for the two of them.

And yet, Ashtel was telling Raji to help him delay their deployment dates; he was clearly asking Raji to deliberately mess with Rio’s and Riya’s path to success.

"The truth is... that although I repelled the demon king this time, he didn’t suffer much and will likely make a comeback soon..."

"Once another attack is launched by the demon king, our effort to purify the currently affected area will become meaningless, as more corrupted places will appear in a short period of time..."

Ashtel looked straight into Raji’s eyes and spoke in a solemn voice,

"Sending Rio and Riya out at this time of instability will only make them a clear target for the demon king and his thugs, as he will undoubtedly consider Rio and Riya’s existence a grave threat to demonkind due to their unique powers..."

"Moreover, Rio is about to ascend to rank SS. Instead of letting him take such a severe risk just to save some corrupted lands that are bound to increase eventually due to the demon invasion..."

"It would be better for us to let him stay in seclusion and advance to the next level first..."

Ashtel didn’t stop there and continued in a confident tone.

"Once Rio advances to the realm of demigods, his control over miasma will likely also improve, and we will no longer have to worry about his safety..."

"We can send him to do the purification work at that time without any more worries! Even if the demon king targets him later, he will be able to at least escape..."

"As for Riya, we must absolutely not let her take this risk; she is still too far from reaching rank SS. It would be stupid to let her go out and become a target for the demons!"

Ashtel’s words left Raji no room to even object, and she could not find any reason to stop Ashtel’s plan either.

Riya was her own younger sister, and Raji certainly didn’t want her own sister to take such fatal risks.

If something happened to Riya, Raji would not be able to forgive herself and live on properly anymore.

So for Riya and her own sake, she decided to agree with Ashtel’s plan in the end.

"To think that Rio is already about to ascend to rank SS... Just a few years ago he was just an ordinary kid from a third-rate orphanage with a bleak future ahead..."

"It’s unbelievable how insanely talented he is..."

"If he really manages to reach the status of a ’Demi-god’ soon, he would become the fastest person in the history of the entire world to reach rank SS! The record of King Allen would be broken by him by a large margin!"

Once Raji used to think that Link was the most talented person she had ever seen in her life, but Rio has completely shattered this notion of hers by now.

In the case of Link, it is still possible to predict or guess that he is talented because of his great lineage and other hidden buffs, but the existence of Rio is simply too bizarre and unpredictable.

His improvement speed is so fast that it seems like the word ’bottleneck’ is non-existent to him, and his realm rises so fast that it’s like he’s riding a rocket to soar right into the heavens!

"Well, if it’s Rio, once he reaches rank SS, he will likely become strong incredibly fast, and with his miasma control, it won’t be difficult for him to at least escape the clutches of the demon king alive..."

"At that point we won’t have to worry about his safety, as he would become capable of keeping himself safe on his own..."

Raji even felt that even before advancing to rank SS, Rio was already quite good at slipping away, maintaining powerful stealth capabilities.

Perhaps he might truly become untraceable for everyone once he reaches rank SS and gains higher stealth capabilities.

Stealth fighters and assassins are already feared across the globe for their high threat; the concept of an SS-ranker being an assassin is almost like a nightmare manifested into reality.

"Aside from the delaying tactics, we also need to start war preparations and need to stockpile a large amount of war supplies in the coming period of time..."

"At the current pace of increase in the density of the world’s mana and miasma in this solar system, we can already assume that an all-out war with the demon race is inevitable!"

"So instead of waiting for the dam to burst before trying to seal the leaking water with duct tape, it would be more preferable to start reinforcing this dam beforehand!"

Raji also nodded her head at those words but then suddenly remembered something and spoke with a deep sigh.

"Neo Aldif used to be the one in charge of preparing war supplies and maintaining ample arsenals in the hidden storages of the nation..."

"With him gone, our work will be more difficult and will take much longer..."

Hearing those words from Raji, Ashtel glanced at the two empty seats in the room with a look of helplessness in his tired eyes.

"I know... he was quite good at managing internal military affairs... His cunning personality was perfect for making great policies and keeping the military ready for all possible troubles..."

"If only he had kept his promise with me and decided to become an upright person... alas... some people can never change no matter how many chances you grant them to embrace righteousness..."

Not too long ago, there used to be four SS-rankers in this meeting room, and the place was filled with more vitality and hope for the future.

Jin was the new blood that the nation had been looking forward to for quite some time, and with Ashtel and Neo things were as stable as they could be.

Thinking about those days, Ashtel couldn’t help but sigh and feel helpless.

"Well... if everything goes right, we will welcome new SS-rankers pretty soon among our ranks..."

"Rio is only the first one because of his fast advancement speed... I am pretty sure that after him, Link and the others will also advance sooner or later..."

"By then, most of our problems will cease to exist, and a new era of peace will be born... I will also be able to retire happy by then..."

Ashtel didn’t say it out loud, but the moment he lost to the Demon King, his own arrogance had cooled down tremendously, and he now only wanted peace and quiet before retiring gracefully.

The next era belonged to the younger generation of talented people like Rio and Link; there was no need for an old dreg like him to keep usurping power and blocking the way forward for the next generation.

’Although I am still young in terms of lifespan, in terms of human tolerance and mental capacity... it seems I am starting to get old too... sigh...’

Shaking his head, Ashtel got up from his seat and spoke in a firm tone.

"Let’s stop talking; we have a lot of work to do. I will leave the delaying tactic to you... as for me, I have something more important to do..."

Without waiting for Raji to speak, Ashtel opened a teleportation portal and left immediately.

Seeing him leave, Raji could only sigh and accept the mission, as she knew that there was no one else she could entrust this burden to and had to do the work herself.

’Sigh... Rio, Link and the others... you lot need to grow up fast; if you don’t, this dear principle of yours will be sent to the afterlife from overwork pretty soon!’