Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 199

Chapter 199 - Battle of Lies

The Demonic Exorcist stared at me, his expression inscrutable as the seconds ticked away. With the time limit for my fusion rapidly approaching, I had no choice but to take action.

Although I had spoken the truth about sensing a powerful exorcist nearby, Miku's abilities were formidable. While she might not be on our level, I considered her an Elite Rank Exorcist, capable of vanquishing high-class demons with her unique power.

Now, my only hope was that the Demonic Exorcist wouldn’t be put off by someone interfering in our battle and wouldn’t want to fight anymore. While I saw someone like Miku as strong, my opponent had a different view of things and anyone under Special Exorcist was weak in his eyes. I knew him well enough that when I said someone strong, he would assume someone on the upper levels of Special Exorcist was here.

"Good," he grinned. "Having someone assist you will make this fight even more enjoyable!"

This delusional bastard! Despite his inability to regenerate any longer, he had the audacity to arrogance to believe he could defeat me, along with a Special Exorcist by my side!

But no, it was my mistake to assume that the Demonic Exorcist would retreat. He was a deranged psychopath, attempting to apply logic to him was as futile as telling a cow not to graze.

"Well, if that's how you want it," I clapped my hands, expending almost all of my vast reserves of Ord.

With the remaining energy I had, I doubted it would be enough to kill the Demonic Exorcist regardless of the attack. The release of so much Ord caused a prickling sensation on my skin, and the fusion was nearing its end.

Water erupted around me while the Demonic Exorcist's fist ignited in flames. However, his eyes widened in surprise as the attack didn't target him, but rather his human and demon puppets, mercilessly slaughtering them. I aimed particularly at those possessing auxiliary abilities such as lie-detection, healing, and sensory powers, severing the versatility provided by their inclusion in his group.

Decades of effort he had dedicated to gathering such individuals were obliterated in an instant.

Even the Demonic Exorcist’s eye twitched at the devastating outcome. He slapped the ground, causing his pig demon to rise and swallow what remained of his puppets. It was a desperate attempt to salvage his team, which presented an opportunity for me to intensify my assault on the pig demon.

The Demonic Exorcist's concern became evident as his eyes widened like saucers upon witnessing the emergence of red gashes all over his pig demon. He turned to me, "Wait-"

But it was too late, he had exposed a moment of weakness and I was going to take advantage of it. I brandished my flaming sword and cleaved him from shoulder to hip. As I aimed for his neck, a sudden clicking sound caught my attention, and I glanced down to find an arm protruding from the ground, clutching a large golden key that struck my leg.

The previous World Exorcist possessed a highly conceptual special ability, to lock and unlock.

Officially people knew his power could only unlock doors, cursed locks, and the like. It could also "unlock" barriers, causing them to break.

Like most exorcists, he concealed some of the true effects of his special ability. He could lock his own presence, making himself undetectable, or even lock away his own emotions so even The Lovers Demon couldn't sense his treachery.

He could also impose such conditions on others. He just locked my Ord. However, his ability was a jack-of-all-trades, and I usually had too much Ord to be affected by something like this. But in my weakened state, the lock only lasted a second before the pressure of my inner energy broke it.

During that second, the Demon Exorcist, despite his lower body missing and having only one arm, launched a barrage of punches at me. His blazing fist seared my abdomen, chest, shoulder, cheek, and jaw as dozens of hits landed.

I was sent flying, bouncing off the ground multiple times before landing on my back. Scorching pain riddled my body, however it wasn’t as much as before. The Demonic Exorcist's flames had weakened, revealing that him using them was unnatural, even the fist he used to hit me with got burned, unable to shield himself from the cursed fire. The flames weakened further as the injuries he inflicted on me healed with my natural regeneration.

Unlike him, I could still heal, giving me an advantage. Meanwhile, the Demonic Exorcist used his own blood as makeshift string to stitch himself back together.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, falling to his knees, and throwing up a mouthful of blood as his silver hair turned back to black. He looked at me, blood dripping from his chin like a wild beast. The craziness in his eyes would put any rabid dog to shame.

Due to all the water I had used in the fight, a small rainbow had formed above me.

Wait, were leprechauns a thing in this world?

With these peculiar thoughts in my mind, a wave of overwhelming tiredness washed over me as Carpy and I separated. Although Carpy was exhausted too since I had used his Ord, his size alone towered over the Demonic Exorcist, giving us an advantage.

The Demonic Exorcist sighed and lay down as well, he no longer had the energy to fight either. "Are you telling the truth about the powerful exorcist approaching?"

"Yes, I swear on the life of my clan," I replied without hesitation. "Although I may not like you very much, I value the integrity of our battle and wouldn't lie to you about this. Besides, you spared my friends, and I appreciate that. I won't even inform the exorcist that you're and aren't able to use escape methods. Consider this my debt paid."

Oh, I definitely would rat out on him, but unfortunately, there was no strong exorcist nearby. Nonetheless, after this, I would do my best to sic Tamae no Mae on him.

“Heh, you’re even crazier than me,” he chuckled and gazed at the sky. After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded. "I believe you."

Good, because if he had deceived me with another human possessing lie-detection abilities, I would have instructed Carpy to eliminate them. Fortunately, it appeared that such individuals were scarce, which made sense given the rarity of Exorcists with lie-detection abilities.

The Demonic Exorcist groaned as the World Exorcist helped him up, causing him to rely on his human puppet for support as they walked away. He waved at me with one hand and, with a breath that seemed to indicate his proximity to death, he said, "That was an entertaining battle, Kon. Let's do it again sometime."

Fuck no! We’re not doing this again! The fight was way too close for it to be comfortable!

"Do you have any healing demons? These cursed flame burns are going to be a nuisance to heal," I inquired.

He turned his head and glanced at me. "I had three, but you killed them, so now I have none," he grumbled. "I lost numerous valuable demons and humans with unique abilities. Replacing them will be a tremendous hassle, assuming I’m lucky to find someone like that again."

The Demonic Exorcist complained as if it were all my fault, continuing to grumble like a cantankerous old man while limping away.

As soon as he disappeared from view, I let out a sigh of relief. I had come dangerously close to death in that battle, without my usual fallback plans or strategies for survival if I had lost. However, with him gone, I could now utilize my Special Ability.

{Perfect Me}

Almost instantly, the remnants of Ord I had stored attacked the curses on my burn wounds, pushing them away. It cleansed many of the wounds and even promoted some healing. However, after a few minutes, dark clouds began to form at the edge of my vision, signaling my complete depletion of Ord.

Ord exhaustion—it had been a while since I last experienced it. Nevertheless, I wasn't overly concerned. Carpy was by my side, and he would protect me no matter what.

***

Yara gazed into the distance, where Kon's tamed demon loomed over the forest. The battle appeared to be over, but she hesitated to approach, still gripped by lingering fear from what she had witnessed.

The first time Yara encountered the Demonic Exorcist's Ord, he had casually entered the cabin with cooking utensils and pasta, causing her to faint from the malevolent energy. The second encounter nearly gave her a heart attack. His presence exuded a level of malevolence, evil, and danger that surpassed even demons born of wicked thoughts.

"It seems the battle has ended. We should go and assist Kon," Miku suggested, the unspoken possibility of Kon's demise hanging in the air.

As the strongest among them, Miku's suggestion went unchallenged. Yara also noticed Miku's unwavering loyalty to Kon, and since witnessing the Demonic Exorcist, Miku had been emotionally unstable. No one dared to imagine her reaction if they refused.

They ran toward the battlefield, with Yara carrying the princess on her back. After recent events, Yara was determined not to leave Wisteria vulnerable against any potential new threats.

Upon reaching the battlefield, Kon’s tamed demon stood protectively over his Master’s battered body. As they drew closer, the true extent of Kon's injuries became apparent, causing everyone to wince. Burns, scars, broken bones—he appeared gaunt compared to when he had set out. It seemed he had employed some ability or healing technique, which likely demanded great stamina. Despite his mummified appearance, Yara detected signs of life within him.

Yara then glanced at Wisteria, who wore an inscrutable expression. She wondered how the young princess would cope with the knowledge that someone she had grown close to had been deceiving her all along.

Nok was Kon, the monstrously talented fiance of Princess Wisteria.