Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 128: Cornered (Part 1)
’This is bad...’
Rey’s mind raced as he assessed his situation, his enhanced perception analyzing the spatial prison that now surrounded him.
The barrier was sophisticated—not a simple containment ward, but a complete isolation from baseline reality. Sound didn’t escape. Mystical signatures were contained. Even the visual connection to the outside world had been severed, replaced by a featureless void that extended in all directions.
"Recognize it? This is an Empty False World," The man spoke, his voice carrying the kind amusement and confidence only shown by victors. "It’s a pocket dimension separated from normal space-time. I had to use a Divine-tier Artifact to make this, but it still requires a great level of skill to execute. Regardless, it was worth it in order to capture you."
"Who are you...?" Rey narrowed his eyes.
"Call me Thane."
’Thane, huh...?’
This Special Investigator—Thane, based on what he had just said—stood approximately ten meters away, his posture relaxed but ready.
He wore the distinctive Category S Guard uniform, and the Ether radiating from him confirmed he was operating at a power level that exceeded anything Rey had faced tonight.
"I am one of the Special Investigators, 6th Division," the man said, his voice now carrying professional courtesy mixed with absolute confidence. "You’ve been conducting quite the operation tonight. Seven branch facilities destroyed, an entire organization’s leadership eliminated. Very thorough."
Rey maintained his disguised appearance, calculating options.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Please," Thane replied, almost amused. "I’ve been tracking mystical signatures all evening. The Chaos Art implosions, the systematic approach, the use of Scrolls rather than personal Ether expenditure. All of it matches the patterns from the Desgarron Manor destruction and the Coliseum explosion."
"I see..."
Rey began to take an offensive stance, not wasting any time bickering.
But then Thane shook his head while smiling broadly.
He then gestured at the void around them.
"The Divine Artifact used to create this Empty False World is a gift from one of the higher authorities, specifically for containing dangerous targets. Even if you somehow manage to defeat me, the domain won’t dispel. It’s anchored to reality itself, not to my consciousness or life force."
Rey absorbed this information, his analytical mind already working through implications.
If Thane was telling the truth, a simple victory wouldn’t secure escape.
He’d need to either find a weakness in the dimensional barrier itself or force Thane to release it voluntarily.
"I’m offering you a chance to surrender peacefully," Thane continued. "Answer our questions about the Desgarron incident, explain your involvement with the Aethers, and cooperate with our investigation. In exchange, we can negotiate terms that don’t involve your immediate execution."
Rey’s hidden features hardened. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I subdue you by force, and we conduct the interrogation less pleasantly." Thane’s expression remained professionally neutral. "Either way, you’re not leaving this domain until we have answers."
Rey made his decision.
He withdrew three High-Grade Artifacts from his spatial storage simultaneously—a defensive amulet that generated layered barriers, an offensive ring that launched concentrated force attacks, and a mobility bracer that enhanced speed beyond natural limits.
"I see," Thane said, not appearing surprised. "The hard way, then."
Rey activated all three Artifacts at once, flooding them with Ether from his reserves.
The defensive amulet created five concentric barriers around him, each one calibrated to resist different types of attacks. The offensive ring charged with compressed force energy. The mobility bracer enhanced his physical capabilities to supernatural levels.
Then he launched his opening assault—three Scrolls activated in rapid succession.
Spirit Art, Inferno Technique, Sequence #5: Flame Sovereignty, giving Rey absolute control over all fire within the domain.
Null Art, Nullification Technique, Sequence #6: Domain Silence, attempting to suppress Thane’s ability to use Techniques.
Soul Art, Marauder Technique, Sequence #6: Life Regulation, targeting Thane’s vital functions.
The combined attack was devastating—fire erupting from nowhere to engulf Thane, mystical suppression attempting to lock down his capabilities, and simultaneous assault on his biological processes.
Thane responded with practiced efficiency.
Null Art, Erasure Technique, Sequence #5: Concept Suppression, targeting the concept of "heat" within Rey’s Flame Sovereignty.
The fires that had been under Rey’s absolute control suddenly lost their defining characteristic. They continued to exist as visual phenomena—light and movement—but the heat that made them dangerous simply ceased to be present in the domain.
Simultaneously, Thane activated his own Technique to counter Rey’s Nullification attempt.
Spirit Art, Heavenly Technique, Sequence #6: Climate Rewrite, permanently altering the atmospheric conditions within the Empty False World to resist mystical suppression.
The Domain Silence that should have prevented Technique usage found itself unable to assert authority over an environment whose very climate had been restructured to reject such interference.
And for the Life Regulation targeting his vital functions, Thane simply... ignored it.
His body continued functioning normally despite Rey’s attempt to control his heart rate and metabolism, as if the Technique had failed to achieve any purchase on his biological systems.
Rey’s eyes narrowed behind his disguise.
’He has protections I didn’t account for. Either Artifacts specifically designed to resist Soul Art manipulation, or his Ether level is high enough that my Mid-Sequence attempts can’t affect him directly.’
Thane didn’t wait for Rey to recover from his surprise.
He launched his own assault—Spirit Art, Construction Technique, Sequence #5: Continental Reshape.
The ground beneath Rey’s feet erupted with force that would have reshaped actual tectonic plates. Stone and compressed matter surged upward in massive waves, attempting to crush or bury him under overwhelming physical force.
Rey activated his mobility bracer and moved with enhanced speed to avoid the worst of the attack. His defensive barriers absorbed impacts from flying debris, but the sheer scale of Thane’s Technique was forcing him to constantly relocate.
He retaliated with another Scroll—Spirit Art, Tempest Technique, Sequence #5: Sky Tyranny, seizing control over the atmospheric conditions within his line of sight.
Wind became weapon and shield simultaneously.
Rey directed hurricane-force currents to deflect incoming attacks while using concentrated air pressure to launch counterstrikes at Thane.
But Thane adapted smoothly, using his own Spirit Art to contest Rey’s atmospheric control. The two Techniques clashed, creating zones of chaotic weather phenomena as both practitioners fought for dominance over the domain’s environment.
’He’s matching me move for move,’ Rey thought with frustration. ’Every Scroll I use, every Artifact I activate, he has a counter prepared. He’s somehow studying my patterns, anticipating all of my tactics.’
Rey shifted strategy, withdrawing a particularly expensive Scroll—Null Art, Vacuum Technique, Sequence #5: Absolute Void Zone.
A sphere of pure nothingness manifested around Thane, attempting to create a zone where matter, energy, and even mystical laws couldn’t persist. Everything within five meters of the Special Investigator should have been subjected to absolute annihilation.
Thane’s response demonstrated why he held his position.
Null Art, Break Technique, Sequence #5: Continuity Lock, halting the Void Zone’s expansion and preventing it from advancing into the next moment of existence. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
The sphere of nothingness froze in place, unable to grow or collapse, simply existing as a static phenomenon that posed no immediate threat.
Then Thane dismissed it with casual authority—Spirit Art, Construction Technique, Sequence #6: Adamant Genesis, creating a substance specifically designed to be indestructible and using it to contain and neutralize the Void Zone.
Rey was forced to acknowledge the reality of his situation.
’He’s Category S for a reason. Not just powerful, but sophisticated in how he applies that power. Every attack I launch gets countered, every opening I create gets closed before I can exploit it.’
But surrender wasn’t an option.
He had to fight—no, he had to win!
