The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World Chapter 164: The Mirror of Red Night

Although Ruvian had already made it clear that their only option was to retreat and evacuate, carrying out that plan proved far more difficult than it had sounded.

The mont the two demons completed their transformation, they imdiately went on releasing a relentless barrage of spells at them. A searing blue fla erupted at Irene’s side of the barrier, scorching the air and forcing her to brace herself.

At the sa ti, an overwhelming pressure descended from all directions. The barrier trembled as gravity magic bore down upon it, pressing with crushing force.

"Tch, so that gravity magic is coming from that one demon there."

Ruvian grumbled.

A mont later, a thin, splintering sound cut through the chaos.

"Not good."

Silvena warned.

The barrier was beginning to give. Hairline cracks spread across its surface, each one glowing faintly under the strain of the two forces. It might collapse at any second.

"Prepare to move," Irene said, her voice tight but steady. "This barrier won’t hold any longer. We have to leave the mont it breaks."

Ruvian didn’t argue. Neither did Silvena.

Both of them gave a sharp nod, already strengthening their body with mana. There was no need for further discussion.

Timing would decide everything.

Then ca a sharp, crystalline crack.

Soon, the barrier shattered.

Instantly, the three of them moved. Vanishing from their previous position in the sa breath as the [Magic Barrier] collapsed.

A fraction of second later, the space they had occupied was consud entirely, drowned beneath a roaring sea of blue fla. Had they been even a second slower, there would have been nothing left of them but ash.

Ruvian reappeared near the center of the hall, his steps landing lightly against the velvet-lined seats of the amphitheater. For a short mont, it felt like they had succeeded — that they had managed to break away cleanly...

But that fleeting sense of relief shattered.

A cold, crawling sensation crept along the back of his neck. Before his thoughts could even begin to catch up, his gaze snapped upward — driven by pure instinct.

And there he was.

One of the demons, Raglak stood directly in front of him, his presence so sudden and absolute that it erased any sense of distance, movent or ti between them.

Ruvian’s mind stalled for a fraction of a second.

’...When did he—?’

But before Ruvian could finish the thought...

A sudden shadow moved towards his left — too fast to see, too close to evade — and sothing hard and solid slamd into his side with overwhelming force.

After that, his body was sent flying.

The world blurred into streaks of motion as he was flung across the hall before his back crashing violently into the opposite wall.

BOOM!!!

The impact thundered through the chamber, stone cracking on contact as fragnts broke loose and scattered across the floor.

Dust and debris swallowed his figure entirely.

"RUVIAN—!!"

Silvena’s voice tore through the chaos, sharp with panic as she watched him disappear into the fractured wall.

*****

...

...

For a few minutes, there was only a heavy, unbroken silence. Then, little by little, the sensation began to return. It started as a distant ache, dull and spreading. His body understood the damage before he did.

His thoughts drifted slowly through the haze, unfocused and sluggish.

Ruvian opened his eyes.

For a slow, dragging mont, the world refused to take shape from his eyes, as light and shadow bled into one another, forming indistinct outlines that shifted every ti he tried to focus. Even sound reached him in a muted, distant way.’

...What... happened...?’

The question surfaced weakly. He tried to recall the monts before this, but his mory felt fragnted. Until, gradually... it returned.

’Ah, right...’

He rembered that he had been struck — no, kicked from the side!

The movent had been so fast that his eyes had failed to follow it entirely, leaving him with nothing but the aftermath. And yet, even in that impossible mont, his body had responded on its own.

In that split second, he had instinctively raised his left arm, managing to intercept part of the blow with [Body Enhancent]; it had not been enough to stop it, but it had lessened it.

Without that reflex, the damage would have been far worse. His ribs might not have held at all. Even so, the difference between them had been unmistakable.

A gap of two ranks was not sothing effort alone could overco. No matter how he looked at it, this was never a fight he could truly match.

’...Damn it, how long was I out?’

The thought ca urgently with a sharper edge now.

’Irene. Silvena...’

He forced himself to move, the mont their nas crossed his mind.

’Please be alright.’

Pain flaring as he pushed against the uneven rubble and fractured stone around him.

His head was bleeding.

Still, he pressed on, dragging himself upward from the shallow depression where the impact had left him embedded, ignoring the strain that coursed through his muscles.

But as he instinctively tried to steady himself...

His left arm failed him.

There was no strength behind it, no response to his will.

’Not good. My left arm is broken.’

Ruvian exhaled through clenched teeth as the pain sharpened.

Even so, he did not allow himself to stop. Adjusting his balance, he forced himself upright with what strength he had left. And as the scene before him ca back into focus, his expression tightened.

They were still fighting.

Which ant...

...He didn’t pass out for too long.

However, as his vision steadied, it beca painfully clear that the situation had only worsened in his absence.

From where he stood at the edge of the hall, Ruvian could see Irene being steadily driven back. The pressure bearing down on her was relentless, forcing her to give ground little by little.

Silvena remained close, weaving in to support whenever she could, her spells intercepting and redirecting what would have otherwise struck Irene directly.

Yet even with her assistance, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

At best, they were holding on.

Barely.

Ruvian’s gaze hardened.

’No other choices.’

Without wasting another mont, he reached into his dinsional storage and pulled out a small vial. Bringing it to his lips, he drank it in one motion.

The effect ca almost imdiately.

A subtle warmth spread through his body, as his strength slowly began to return to his limbs, allowing him to stand more firmly on his feet.

Even the lingering dizziness faded.

Still... his left arm remained unresponsive. Though the potion dulled the pain to a manageable level, the injury itself had not been fully repaired.

But at the very least...

He could move again.

Ruvian sighed heavily.

’Well, now that it’s co to this... it’s a good thing Silvena managed to get her hands on this beforehand.’

It was a relic that he had planned to bring along in advance, in case a situation like this ever happened.

Truthfully, he never expected those Demons to already possess the Devil Fruits, but even so, the relic he brought with him would still help tilt the battle in his favor.

With that thought, he reached once more into his dinsional storage. A mont later, sothing cold and tallic settled into his grasp.

Then, a thin but carefully made chain with a centerpiece shaped like a small crescent red moon appeared on his hand. Its dark red surface shines softly under the light.

Ruvian gave a ragged, knowing smile as he stared at it. The artifact resting in his hand was none other than...

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[Chapter 164: The Mirror of Red Night]