Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 198

Chapter 198 - Let’s Die a Little

Even without Perfect Me, I could maintain the fused form with Carpy for about twenty minutes. While twenty minutes may not seem like much, in battles between exorcists at our levels, where even a second felt like an eternity, it was quite a long time.

In this form, I was a true half-demon since I fused with a demon the right way. I pulled out the flaming sword from my gut, and the wound regenerated on its own. Fusion without relying on Perfect Me, had its own advantages. For these twenty minutes, I was essentially a demon.

Wings made of blood sprouted from the Demonic Exorcist's back, allowing him to take flight. He had predicted that I was going to attack from underground, but if he was flying he could at least see the attacks coming. Even if his flying speed had its own disadvantages as he couldn’t fly as fast as he could move on the ground.

My water blades relentlessly decimated his army, leaving only a couple of demons alive due to their strong defenses. I manifested two water wings and flew.

Although I didn't fly using the wings, I kept them present as a precaution against any surprise attacks from behind.

Suddenly, my water blades slowed down and almost came to a halt as a peculiar demon—a giant elephant-like creature with a mosquito stinger for a mouth—plunged its stinger into the ground. The demon began to inflate, absorbing all the water we had prepared underground, even causing the surrounding grass to wither. Although I attempted to attack with a water blade, the demon's tough hide made it difficult to draw blood.

This was a problem. Although it might not be apparent now, leaving this demon unchecked would ultimately determine the outcome of the battle. However, I couldn't devote too much time to this situation, as some of the demons and humans with projectile abilities had begun to retaliate since the frequency of my water blades had decreased.

Concentrating all the water on the surface, I gathered it at the tip of my new dark crimson horn, which had sprouted from my forehead. Compressing the water as much as possible, I shot it out, piercing through the water-stealing elephant effortlessly and killing it with a single attack. As the creature burst like a balloon, the water it had absorbed became available to me once again.

The Demonic Exorcist's eyes widened as my water-pressurized attack continued unabated, curving and heading towards him. Instantly, a dark centipede emerged from the ground, shielding its master. However, the high water pressure easily penetrated the centipede's hard exoskeleton, passing right through the monster.

Although the centipede obstructed my vision, it also hindered the Demonic Exorcist, giving me an advantage. I couldn't see him, but I could sense his location and attack accordingly. My aim was his head, but when the centipede collapsed, it revealed a gaping hole in his throat, obliterating his lower jaw.

To compensate for my lack of brute strength, I developed a water pressure attack. While it wouldn't penetrate the defenses of an ultimate-class demon, it proved effective against the Demonic Exorcist and his centipede demon.

The inspiration for this attack came from a show I had watched in my previous life, where water pressure was used to cut diamonds. Who said procrastination was useless?

Although Tamae No Mae's power fueled his healing, there was a cautious look in his eyes. We both understood that if my attack had been slightly more powerful, it would have annihilated his head and killed him.

We were aware that his survival was merely a stroke of luck.

While the Demonic Exorcist had grown stronger, his most formidable opponents thus far had been the two-tailed cat and his Red Tails organization.

In comparison, the two-tailed cat was the weakest ultimate class demon in the war, even weaker than Uwabami, from what I had seen.

The Demonic Exorcist was undoubtedly powerful and had experienced an incredible and alarming rate of growth. However, I had faced adversaries who could easily kill him. If he were to confront Otakemaru, even the current Demonic Exorcist would undoubtedly lose and suffer greatly.

"You know, I pushed myself beyond limits I once thought impossible to surpass," the Demonic Exorcist smiled. "If you were to compare me now with how strong I was a year and a half ago, I could easily slay my former self. Back then, I believed I had reached the pinnacle of my growth, barely improving over the last decade, merely amassing more puppets to use-"

"Enough with the lengthy speech," I interrupted. "I don't have time for this."

His smile faded, his hair turned silver, and three white fox tails swished behind him. "Right, let's refocus on the fight."

Actually, I literally didn’t have time for speeches as my fusion was on a time limit. Though he seemed to have taken it as me dismissing his words. Did he think so highly of me that I could use fusion for long enough to have leisure time for small talk?

Demons swarmed towards me, and I mercilessly slaughtered them one after another. Water formed a small lake around us, providing me with a distinct advantage. Although the Demonic Exorcist had numerous demons, each one I killed was typically a high-class demon. He had a sizable army, but it was not infinite.

Whoever won this fight knew that the other side wouldn't come out unscathed. However, finishing the other quickly would minimize our own suffering.

Suddenly, a burst of fire surrounded the Demonic Exorcist, emanating a purplish hue that I could sense even from a distance.

Without warning, an explosion resonated through the air, and the Demonic Exorcist materialized in front of me. His leg was covered in Blood Armour as he delivered a powerful kick to my face. Just before the blow landed, I instinctively raised my arm, coated in water. However, the water boiled almost instantly, pushing me back and setting half of my body on fire. Fortunately, with ample water nearby, I swiftly extinguished the flames, but not without it leaving some dangerous scars.

Tamae No Mae possessed the power of Fox Fire, a form of cursed flames that she naturally wielded. It struck me as odd, as I knew that only pure nine-tailed foxes could utilize such power. Could it be due to his blood control ability? Perhaps he did some Xianxialike bloodline purification?

Regardless, fire was an element in which I held a clear advantage, even if it was fox fire, which ranked second only to dragon fire.

Raising my arms, I commanded the surrounding water to stagnate. The earth beneath us swelled like a volcano on the verge of eruption. The Demonic Exorcist forcefully stomped his leg, creating a fiery field that targeted the ground. While it vaporized some of the water I had been manipulating, it also claimed the lives of several of his own demons.

Nonetheless, he couldn't easily rid himself of the water within my domain, given the vast sea of water nearby.

...

Eighteen minutes later, I was nearing the limit of how long I could sustain the fusion. The ground around me was charred, emitting vapor as if the earth itself were steaming. My left arm and leg were severely burned, rendering them useless. The stench of burning flesh filled my nostrils, and the realization that it was my own flesh made me nauseous. Cursed flames proved to be formidable, despite being my direct counter.

However, I fared better than the Demonic Exorcist. Despite his ability to regenerate, he had reached his limit after I repeatedly struck him down. Half of his face was missing, slowly mending but at a snail's pace. The demons and humans under his control had retreated, and among them, I recognized one individual—the ex-World Exorcist.

Even the typically reckless Demonic Exorcist couldn't hide his cautious expression. The loss of demons and humans he had painstakingly gathered over decades was catastrophic. He also knew that I hadn't yet unleashed Perfect Me, a fact that should worry him.

True, he might eventually activate his third-eye ability. Even if Perfect Me made flawless decisions or attacks, they would be futile if he could anticipate them in advance. The question was whether he could survive until his third eye completed its analysis.

This was a perilous situation that most people would have backed away from, but the Demonic Exorcist sported an excited smile and seemed ready for round two. However, I had no intention of continuing the fight.

While I understood the concept of risking my life and had done so in the past, defeating and killing the Demonic Exorcist held no tangible gain. Sure, he might be a lunatic, but that described around 70% of exorcists.

"Wait," I suddenly raised my arm, causing the Demonic Exorcist to momentarily halt in the midst of our deadly battle. "There's someone within my sensory range—a powerful exorcist."

The Demonic Exorcist frowned, and our eyes locked. He turned to one of the humans under his control, but the man shook his head. "No one is within my sensory radius, Master."

However, another human stepped forward, speaking with emotionless certainty. "His words are true."

"Of course, they're true. Compared to your sensory powers, my demon is at least ten times better," I stated matter-of-factly. The controlled human with the lie-detection ability nodded in agreement.

Now it was only a matter of whether this psychotic bastard was willing to fight a two-on-one battle.

Fuck, why couldn’t he just follow common sense like everyone else?!