Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 146: Calamity
Two Weeks Later
The landscape had changed dramatically as the caravan traveled northeast.
The lush territories of the interior gave way to rougher terrain—rocky hills, sparse vegetation, and a permanent haze on the horizon that marked the proximity of contested zones.
Rey could feel the difference in the atmosphere’s energy as well.
The ambient Ether carried a hostile quality here, charged by the constant conflict between Nether and Aether forces. Reality itself seemed less stable, as though the border’s presence stressed the fundamental laws governing existence.
"We’re entering the final approach to the border region," Hesta announced during the evening meeting. "According to our scouts, there’s a Guard checkpoint about five kilometers ahead. Standard inspection, then we’ll have access to the border trading posts."
The caravan members prepared for the checkpoint with practiced efficiency.
Documents were organized, cargo was secured properly, and everyone adopted the professional demeanor appropriate for legitimate merchants operating in sensitive areas.
Rey reviewed his own preparations one final time.
His false identity remained solid.
His Spirit Art capabilities were well-documented within the caravan’s records. And most importantly, he’d spent the past two weeks subtly preparing himself for what was about to happen.
The initial draft of the plan was simple—conduct business at the posts as expected, establish alibis showing Ciel Varen was operating normally, then disappear during the night when attention was focused elsewhere.
By the time anyone realized he was missing, he’d be across the border and beyond reach.
However, who was Rey?
He was a very cautious person—a perfectionist in schemes.
He wouldn’t just draft one plan.
And even if he drafted multiple, he would always choose the most efficient choice.
This was what he was up to throught these two weeks.
Then, as it so happened that the caravan crested a hill overlooking the approach to the checkpoint, something went catastrophically wrong.
The air itself screamed.
Reality fractured across a wide area ahead of them, space tearing open like a wound in existence.
From that rupture emerged something that shouldn’t exist—a creature composed of pure Chaos Energy given physical form through mechanisms Rey’s enhanced perception couldn’t fully comprehend.
It was massive, easily thirty meters tall, with a body that defied consistent description. S
ometimes it appeared vaguely humanoid, other times utterly alien.
Its form shifted constantly, Chaos Energy preventing it from settling into stable configuration.
But the immense pressure radiating from it was unmistakable.
"Chaos Dweller!" someone screamed from the front wagons. "Tier 6 Chaos Dweller!"
Panic erupted immediately.
Chaos Dwellers were creatures of nightmare—beings born from Chaos itself, perversions of natural existence that existed only to destroy and consume. They appeared randomly across the Nether Realm, manifestations of the fundamental Chaos that predated ordered reality.
And they were ranked by destructive capability across ten tiers.
Tier 9 Dwellers were manageable—dangerous but defeatable by skilled practitioners working together. Tier 8 and 7 required coordinated teams or specialist intervention. Tier 6 and above entered the realm of genuine catastrophic threats.
A Tier 6 Chaos Dweller couldn’t be defeated by ordinary Guards or even most Category B specialists. It required Category A Guards working in coordination, or a single Category S Guard with appropriate preparation.
Tier 5 demanded the intervention of Category S teams.
Those in Tier 4, 3, 2, and 1 could only ever be defeated by Devils and Angels.
And the legendary Tier 0 Dwellers—creatures that appeared perhaps once every thousand years or so—could only be defeated by the ArchAngels or Archdukes themselves.
The creature that had just manifested was well beyond anything the caravan could handle.
"RETREAT!" Torvald bellowed, his voice cutting through the panic. "Turn the wagons! We need to—"
The Chaos Dweller moved with speed that belied its massive size.
One moment it was a kilometer away, the next it was among the front wagons, its shifting form smashing through vehicles with contemptuous ease.
Corrupted energy erupted as Guards assigned to checkpoint duty engaged the creature.
Spirit Art techniques struck its form—fire, lightning, earth constructs attempting to damage or restrain it. But the Chaos Dweller simply absorbed the attacks, its chaotic nature allowing it to nullify ordered mystical forces.
One Guard tried binding it with Curse Art. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
The Chaos Dweller’s shapeless form simply flowed around the constraints, then lashed out with a tendril of pure Chaos Energy that erased the Guard from existence.
"It’s immune to conventional Techniques!" another Guard screamed before being caught by the creature’s sweeping attack.
The caravan was scattering, wagons breaking formation as drivers desperately tried to escape.
But the Chaos Dweller moved through them like a force of nature, its path of destruction absolute and unstoppable.
Rey stood atop his wagon, his enhanced perception analyzing the creature with cold calculation.
Tier 6 classification was accurate.
The pressure alone suggested combat capability equivalent to a high-level Category A Guard or low-level Category S. Its Chaos nature made it resistant to most Techniques, and its shifting form prevented physical attacks from finding consistent purchase.
Defeating it would require either an overwhelming force from multiple high-ranking practitioners or a specialist with specific anti-Chaos capabilities.
The caravan had neither.
Which meant everyone here was going to die unless someone intervened.
Rey’s mind worked through implications at lightning speed.
He could flee—his capabilities exceeded everyone else present, and he could escape while the Chaos Dweller was occupied with easier targets.
Survival would be trivial.
But fleeing meant abandoning the caravan that had provided him cover for three months. It meant creating a mystery about where Ciel Varen disappeared to during a crisis. It meant potentially drawing attention to his identity at exactly the wrong moment.
And more practically, it meant losing access to the legitimate documentation and organizational cover he’d worked so hard to establish.
But that didn’t matter much to Rey, to be honest.
He was close to his goal.
’Still, I can’t simply reveal capabilities that would expose my true identity.’
The Chaos Dweller was approaching his position now, having devastated the front wagons and begun working through the middle section. Another Caravan member tried to stop it with Construction Technique, creating barriers of stone and metal.
The creature flowed through them like water, then counterattacked with a blast of pure Chaos Energy that left nothing behind.
Rey made his decision.
He couldn’t flee. And he certainly couldn’t let everyone die just like that.
Which meant he’d have to fight.
Rey stepped forward, Ether gathering around him as he prepared to face a Tier 6 Chaos Dweller with one hand tied behind his back.
’I’ll just have to make a noticeable performance and try my best to hold back until those Category A Guards leave their positions. Once they alert the area for Category S Guards and those hidden monsters come out of hiding, I’ll make my move.’
That’s right!
All of this was still according to Rey’s machinations.
He already knew that Category S Guards were in pursuit of him, and although they hadn’t yet identified him, it would be risky sneaking off like that after a convenient Chaos Dweller attack.
Thus, he had to pretend to be a true part of this crew.
Once enough sacrifices had been made, and those people were finally convinced and came to help, he would make his escape by passing through their unmanned regions.
’That’s where I’ll find it... the chasm that connects this land to the other one.’
—The Labyrinth of Darkness!
