Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 258

Chapter 258 - A Dragon's Wife

After incinerating the fish demons, Uriel stood by Merlin's side, watching her as she examined the ashes with disdain. It was no surprise to Uriel why she held such a strong hatred for traitors, given what had transpired with her father...

"Go and destroy the rest of the dragon's army," Merlin commanded.

"And who will remain here to protect you?" Uriel inquired and didn't bother hiding the concern in his voice.

For Uriel, life had finally taken on a sense of purpose. He could make up for just standing by the side and letting the betrayal against her father happen. Despite his fear and cowardice, Uriel truly felt guilty for what had happened to Jason. He was not just their protector, or how some worshiped him as a deity, he was also their friend and the guy who would have given his life for them.

"Don't worry about me," she said, shaking her head. "I phave ways to protect myself. Do you really think I am so weak?"

From what Uriel had observed thus far, the young woman appeared to be a Master. Masters Affinity was not known for their strong defense.

But the determination he saw in her eyes left no room for argument. So he summoned flames to form wings on his back and took flight.

As soon as he ascended into the sky, grotesque creatures from the Gardens of Babylon attempted to hurl large explosive rocks at him. Uriel sighed and sent a wave of cursed flames, causing the explosive gems to detonate midair. The searing flames didn't stop there; they continued their path and engulfed some of the creatures. Among them, a few resisted the curses within the flames, but the stones they had intended to throw exploded in their grasp, ending their lives in a gruesome shower of gore.

Before any of the bloodied remnants could reach him, Uriel created a protective shield of flames around himself, incinerating the flesh and blood into ashes before they could make contact.

He pressed on towards his targets and reached the recently created river infested with hundreds of demons. Judging by their frenzied behavior, Uriel surmised that the dragon had only recently subjugated these demons. He sent a torrent of flames down upon them, and before any could react, the river boiled, and they perished, consumed by the cursed flames.

Uriel no longer paid attention to the drabble, focused on the far distance, where the dragon's body now stood, petrified, resembling any other highly detailed statue.

With the dragon in this state, Uriel knew he had to seize this opportunity, as such openings would never appear again. As he approached, he noticed a water barrier encircling the dragon. For a split second, he panicked at the sight of it.

This meant that the dragon was somehow still conscious.

But when he sensed that the water barrier didn't have the same overbearing pressure that the dragon's Ord had, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems someone has chosen to remain and protect their master," Uriel remarked aloud, while the mermaid fixed her cold, haunting deep blue eyes on him, ready to kill.

If this had been the sea, Uriel would have been cautious about fighting an enemy like this. But on land, it was an entirely different story. "I'll spare your life if you leave this place and abandon the dragon."

Instead of responding with words, the woman laughed at him first. "What kind of wife would leave her husband behind in his time of need?"

Despite his confidence in victory, Uriel had no desire to battle an ultimate-class demon. They could possess vengeful abilities. If this mermaid was the dragon's wife, she also had to be more dangerous than any other mermaid.

If the dragon had bestowed blessings upon her, this battle would prove exceedingly troublesome. Judging by her determined gaze, Uriel sensed she was a tenacious woman. Thus, he no longer offered her the chance to leave and instead landed on the ground.

He had no intention of wasting his flames to support his flight; he planned to go all out from the beginning. Gathering his cursed Ord, he shaped a house-sized ball of fire and hurled it at the woman's barrier.

She reacted swiftly, consolidating the water barrier and concentrating the water into a single point. There was a potent Ord imbued in the water she controlled.

A deafening explosion echoed through the area, shrouding everything in mist. Uriel swung his arm in a slapping motion, generating a powerful after wind that dispersed the mist, revealing the mermaid and her injuries.

Her arms were charred, and some of the cursed flames had brushed her cheek, leaving nasty scars with pulsating purple veins. Even though she was a demon, these wounds were cursed and almost impossible to heal.

"You should just give up. You can always find another husband," Uriel tried to dissuade her. He really didn't want to kill her now because he was almost certain she would curse him with her death.

In response, the mermaid smiled. "Could you stop talking? I can tell you're jealous of our love and have never had someone really care about you. There's a reason why no woman has ever looked your way. Because they can tell you're nothing but an annoying weasel."

Uriel frowned and gathered all his flames around his body, shooting towards the woman like a bullet. Even if she had some curse that activated upon her death, he no longer cared.

"Bad move, little man," the mermaid smiled as the ground beneath them swelled.

Before Uriel could guess what was happening, a barrage of water exploded outward, engulfing both the mermaid and Uriel. The pressure twisted his limbs and threatened to crush his body.

This is dangerous! he thought.

Quickly, he gathered as much Ord as he could and transformed it into cursed flames, creating an explosion that made an opening for him to escape the water's hold.

Although his cursed flames were stronger than ordinary flames, water still worked as a counter toward them.

Uriel floated in the sky, looking down at the injured mermaid. "You let the first attack hit you, so you could act like you didn't have the water to defend yourself. That way, I would let my guard down."

The mermaid smiled in response. "My plans weren't the only thing that worked here. Your own stupidity also helped me a lot. You came into this battle assuming I was not only weaker than you but also at a disadvantage."

Uriel gritted his teeth, hating to admit she was right. After defeating the whale demon, he had assumed the rest of the battle would be similarly straightforward.

"Also, you forgot one crucial detail," the mermaid's gentle smile widened, and her glare sharpened, revealing her monstrous features for a split second. "Ord responds to emotions. Not only did you attack my husband, but you also scarred my beautiful face."

Uriel realized he didn't have much time, and Merlin was alone and vulnerable. He needed to finish this quickly. His target was no longer the mermaid but the defenseless dragon statue.

He extinguished his flames and began a rapid descent toward the ground. Swiftly adjusting his posture, flames ignited at the soles of his feet, propelling him toward the petrified dragon like a speeding bullet.

The mermaid's eyes widened, her mouth agape. She attempted to manipulate the water, but this proved challenging—a limitation inherent in all water-controlling abilities. Water was too sluggish for battles that hinged on split-second decisions.

His arm cloaked in cursed flames, he thrust a punch toward the dragon's exposed form. With the petrification curse active and his cursed flames intensifying the assault, the dragon's defenses seemed ready to shatter in an instant.

Yet, the moment his fist inched closer to the dragon, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Uriel's body, akin to a roaring dragon next to his ear. It left him momentarily stunned.

An automatic defense system? How was this possible? He should have been rendered unconscious by now!

Although he remained stunned for only an instant, it was more than enough time for the mermaid to seize her opportunity. Yet, Uriel resorted to burning himself with his own cursed flames, using pain to shake off the debilitating stun, and his gambit paid off.

However, before he could make his escape, he was captivated by a beautiful song—a melody that calmed his soul and temporarily banished all his worries.

But before he could jump away, he heard a beautiful song, something that soothed his soul and made all of his worries go away. For a second, he forgot about Merlin and all the worries that clouded his mind and he was back to those days. When Jason would throw parties all the time, and there was even that occasion where he used Satan as a seat.

Uriel realized that he had fallen victim to yet another stun effect, but as he attempted to ignite his flames to wake himself again, it was already too late. He awoke due to another source of pain, a sharp water arrow that drilled into his hip and exited his shoulder, and another water drill ripping off a large chunk of his midsection.

With no other choice Uriel had to retreat. Using nearly all of his Ord reserves to incinerate the encroaching water tendrils that sought to grab onto him.

Ultimately, he found himself suspended in mid-air, gazing down at the mermaid below. A wince contorted his features as he clutched his injured side.

"What an embarrassing defeat," the mermaid taunted, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. "By a demon much weaker than you, and I'm not even on my home turf," she added, shaking her head. "Now go back to your princess, little guy. Did you really think I'd leave her unattended while you came here?"