Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 279

Chapter 279 - A Snake's Grudge

Sei couldn't understand and felt his mind go blank. Raging thoughts rushed to the forefront of his brain, and he clenched his teeth.

"Were Yamata no Orochi mocking his goals? Making fun of the death of his clan?"

"You bastard," Sei clapped his hands, and Ord gathered around him like a tidal wave. "At the end of the day, demons will always be demons. It was stupid of me to even ask you that. Demons aren't something an Exorcist should even talk with. You're all supposed to just get killed and die like the trash you are."

"Now that's more like it," Yamata no Orochi whistled.

But as soon as a mirror manifested in front of Sei, Yamata no Orochi was already behind him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. The God of Snakes had a frown on his face. "Slow, even now I can feel your intentions so clearly. You started out well, but as soon as you manifested your special ability, you no longer were going for the kill. For someone so weak, you sure have a lot of arrogance to think that you can afford to do anything less than your best when fighting against anyone."

Sei grit his teeth, grabbed one of his mirrors, and swung it toward Yamata no Orochi. But the snake leaned back so far that it looked like he was going to break his spine. But despite Agon's body usually being rigid, when Yamata no Orochi was in control it seemed like he was made of rubber.

"No, that isn't it either. When I say come at me with the intent to kill, it doesn't mean come at me with brain-dead rage," Yamata no Orochi shook his head, still leaning back and somehow staying balanced only on his toes.

Sei slammed the mirror down, but in a blur of movement, he felt a new weight on his shoulders, and Yamata no Orochi was standing on him with his feet on Sei's shoulders.

This enraged Sei even more; the man who had mocked his family was now making a joke out of him. He manifested mirrors all around, creating an inescapable dome.

Before he could do anything, he felt Yamata no Orochi wrap an arm around his neck like a snake and put him in a chokehold. Sei couldn't even move as Yamata no Orochi's legs wrapped around his body and stopped him from moving.

Unlike before when the God of Snakes had always fought using raw power, like his battle against Shuten Doji, and seemed unfamiliar with fighting in a human body, that no longer seemed like a problem. Yamata no Orochi was using Agon's body even better than the guy himself.

Sei struggled to escape his grasp and clawed at the arm around his neck, but it was useless.

Was this what all of his efforts and talent led to? Getting defeated by Yamata no Orochi, who was only using his raw power. Yet he was beating him with pure technique.

"I might not like the dead guy. What was his name again? Kon or something?" Yamata no Orochi even had the gall to continue speaking as if nothing had happened. "Yeah, that guy was a piece of shit. But unlike you, he never went around whining about how he couldn't become stronger or about how his talent was lacking."

Sei felt the world around him growing darker and didn't have the leisure to pay attention to what the demon was saying. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do but get choked out.

The moment his brain went blank, he felt something slam into his chest and force him to take a deep breath.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on the grass. Agon's face greeted him by being uncomfortably close and with a twisted smile that didn't quite belong there.

"You asked me if I was going to help you, right? I have decided that I will while getting used to this body. With those outside trash coming in here, I can't afford to be in a weakened state. I made quite a lot of enemies back in the day," Yamata no Orochi rubbed his chin, and his smile widened when recalling the old times.

Despite the sluggishness running through his body after just waking up from a knockout, Sei still forced himself to stand up and take a stance. "One day, I am going to end you too, Snake Demon. I will create a world without any of your filthy kind!"

Yamata no Orochi nodded, "Good, I hope you try your best."

Sei clasped his hands, and his Ord burst out wildly, wrapping around the space around them.

Mirror World!

Immediately, a barrier was formed around them, and it felt like they were in a different 'world'. This was the peak manifestation of Sei's special ability, the zenith he had reached a while ago and never quite seemed to surpass.

"Don't worry; you don't need to hold back against me," Yamata no Orochi reassured, looking at Sei with a mocking gaze. "It isn't like some half-assed exorcist like you would even be able to leave a scratch on me."

"That so?" Sei formed a small mirror, and a light-speed laser shot out. Even someone like Yamata no Orochi could dodge it, and ended up with a hole in the middle of the demon's chest.

Sei realized his mistake immediately. For a split second, he had bathed in his hatred of demons and forgotten that Yamata no Orochi was possessing Agon's body.

'Damn it! Why did I do that?!'

Panic settled in, and he was about to drown in despair.

"Don't panic," Yamata no Orochi stated as the hole in Agon's chest healed and his still-destroyed heart started beating again. "This is nothing but a scratch to me. Actually, it's not even a scratch. Also, now that we are in this world of yours, no energy will escape and draw unnecessary attention. So I can go all out."

As soon as he said that, an overwhelming amount of demonic Ord seeped out of Yamata no Orochi, and Agon's body began to undergo some transformations.

The demon ripped off his shirt, and two new arms burst out of his shoulder blades while a new snake head emerged from his neck. With the white scales around him, he looked a monster that no longer resembled a human.

"Humans use hand seals to help with manipulating Ord, so an extra pair of arms would be helpful. Also, in the past, there was a certain bastard who somehow suppressed me just weeks after awakening his Ord. So, I came up with a countermeasure for that," Yamata no Orochi said while patting the snake head that had grown out of his neck. "This little guy here will help stabilize my Ord and protect me against mental attacks. This form might not be pretty to look at, but it's the one where I can use most of my power."

***

Yamata no Orochi had endured for thousands of years, spanning countless human eras. He had been considered ancient even when the Golden One arrived and put the Golden Sealing Crown on Sun Wukong four thousand years ago.

Yet, in all his long existence, he had never encountered anyone like the young man standing before him.

Sei hd all the necessary tools to become a strong exorcist: exceptional talent and the blood of one of the most powerful demons, Tamae no Mae, coursing through his veins.

Despite Tamae no Mae's bitchy nature, her strength was undeniable. Even Yamata no Orochi couldn't refute that.

Nevertheless, someone blessed with these gifts had somehow fallen into the depths of mediocrity.

A part of Yamata no Orochi was perplexed about why he felt such anger. After all, whether Sei was weak or not had no bearing on him. The only human he held any affection for was Agon, and the others held no value in his eyes.

Yet, some of that anger stemmed from the realization that he could never exact his revenge. He had no liking for Kon and had once scheemed plans to eventually kill the young man.

However, he intended to let Kon reach the pinnacle of his abilities first and then crush him, obliterating all his hopes. He wanted to demonstrate to the arrogant human that the time he had managed to put Yamata no Orochi under hypnosis and supress him was nothing but a fluke—a feat that would never be repeated for all eternity!

But his revenge would never come to be, leaving a bitter taste in Yamata no Orochi's mouth.

How dare that young brat meet his end believing that he had bested the mighty Yamata no Orochi!

Perhaps this was one of the main reasons why Sei's existence irritated Yamata no Orochi so profoundly. If it had been someone like Sei who had suppressed him back then, he might have been more okay with it. Yet, it had been just an insignificant nobody.

That bastard never whined about his limitations or his lack of talent. Kon always set a goal and pursued it relentlessly.

When Yamata no Orochi gazed upon Sei, he felt disgust. The snake demon hated Kon... but he had respected the young man. However, individuals like Sei were the worst—they had immense talent and potential but lacked the guts to do anything with it!

"If the dead kid had your talent from the beginning, Tamae no Mae would be dead by now," Yamata no Orochi muttered, and, as anticipated, Sei was overwhelmed by emotions and launched a barrage of light beams at him.

These were problematic attacks but somewhat predictable. Light was fast enought that few demons could evade, and Yamata no Orochi was no exception. However, he didn't need to dodge.

Corrosive Shield!

With a swift invocation, he conjured a Corrosive Barrier, encasing himself in a purple mist. As soon as the beams made contact with the poisonous mist, they disintegrated into dark particles.

Corroding light wasn't difficult for someone who could poison and kill even imaginary concepts.

"If someone took everything from you. Don't be a coward, and go and take everything they have too!" Yamata no Orochi taunted the young man further.

That was when he detected it—an eerie presence lurking within those mirrors...