Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 283

Chapter 283 - The Dead Stay Dead

Beelzebub, I didn't know much about anyone like that, except that it was some demon from a book in my previous world.

He was called the Lord of Flies, which probably meant he could fly... something that most ultimate class demons could achieve skillfully using their abilities. Carpy could do that as a high-class demon by using his water levitate, but he was unique like that.

"It's kind of crowded in here," Agon commented, looking around. "Also, it has a lot of anime things. Whose room is this? They must be a super weeb!"

Wisteria looked to the side, embarrassed. But I smiled, grabbed her hand, and looked confidently at the others. "This is my room."

Upon hearing that, the trio was surprised, and even Sei had wide eyes. Ellen, on the other hand, chuckled good-naturedly. Anika looked like she wanted to say something but held back. However, Agon didn't have the same filter as others did. "Wow, I never took you for a hardcore weeb."

"I never took you for a hardcore rumbass, either. But here we are," I joked.

Agon turned toward his team and asked, "Wait, I don't look dumb?"

Then he turned toward me, puffing out his chest proudly. "Man, when people look at me, they must think I'm smart."

Ellen snorted as she desperately tried to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing but to no avail.

Still, wow, Agon really was something...

I hadn't seen him in a while, so I had forgotten how he could be sometimes. He was still one of my friends with whom I could have a lot of fun hanging out, but he wasn't the kind of guy I could rely on to come up with a decent plan or even lead anything. He would have been cannon fodder if he wasn't so likable and the main character.

"Anyway, this Beelzebub seems like a threat, something that Yamata no Orochi went through all this trouble to warn us about, so we must keep an eye on him. But for now, we need to concentrate on other things. While the barrier has stopped ultimate class demons, the demons below that stage can still enter in droves and will likely soon notice the opening we have left," I explained to them, looking each in the eyes and keeping my gaze on Ellen a bit longer.

In the original story, Ellen had been nothing more than a side character who would teach the main cast a couple of things and show the readers the heights of a Master. But now she had proven herself to me as someone trustworthy, and when it came to mental resistance, she was probably even better than me due to her The Lovers demon.

Perfect Me might give me a mental resistance that was next to absolute, far beyond what Ellen had. However, her mental shields were always activated. She would be the last one to fall into a mental trap set by outside demons.

I glanced at Agon. He was also a good substitute; there weren't many demons who could overwhelm the hold Yamata no Orochi had on him.

"Can I talk to you in private?" Anika suddenly interrupted my train of thought. "I... I'll help you with whatever you want, but I need you to answer some of my questions."

When she said that, I looked at Ellen since she was the one who had brought Anika here. If there was any danger to my well-being or if Anika had discovered that I was the one who had killed her father, Ellen wouldn't have brought her here.

"Of course," I said. At that, Wis tugged at my sleeve and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

I leaned in closer to her and whispered, "I already told you I wouldn't dishonor you like that. No need to be jealous of every woman around."

"I know, dumbass. Also, that's not what I mean. I'm just worried, don't let your guard down. You know her clan..." she whispered back with an edge to her tone.

Ah, so she was just worried about me? Cute.

I walked over to the side of the room, pulled down a magical girl poster, and imbued my Ord into the wall. Strange inscriptions lit up, and the bricks slid backward, revealing a secret tunnel. "Come on, we can talk there. Also, ladies first."

"Wait, since when has that been in my room?" Wis asked.

"It's a secret exit, don't question it too much."

"A secret exit that I don't know about?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't exactly be 'secret' if everyone knew about it."

"This is my room... Wait, since when has it been there?"

"This one?" I pointed at the dark tunnel. "It's been around for a couple of days."

"Did you just say 'this one'... What's that supposed to mean? There are more secret exits in my room?!" Wis seemed bewildered, her mask slipping. "Wait, how did you even build a secret entrance? I don't leave my room and would have been able to hear you digging or something."

"Okay, can we talk about the small things later? We have more important things to discuss right now," I acted clueless. These were things I didn't want to talk about with the others around.

***

Anika's mind was a jumbled mess, filled with obscure thoughts and overwhelming emotions, making it hard for her to think straight. The people around her were speaking, but her focus remained fixed on the imposter.

Her gaze was sharp, never leaving 'Kon' for a moment. For all she knew, he might be some doppelganger who had escaped from Avalon Island.

After some chatter between the others, she and Kon ventured into a dark tunnel that led to a peculiar room that looked like a kitchen, with birthday decorations adorning the walls. A cake sat on the table, sealed under a stasis talisman so it wouldn't go bad.

"Don't worry about all this," Kon sighed, "it's just that Wis' birthday is coming soon. The plan was to celebrate it, but given recent events, I'm not so sure anymore. The world ending and millions dying would put a damper on anyone's celebrative mood."

Anika felt a pang of hurt when he spoke fondly of Queen Wisteria. However, she reminded herself that this Kon was a clone, nothing to worry about.

"Are you a clone?" Anika asked directly. "I saw Kon die and held his lifeless body in my arms."

Kon remained silent, his gaze fixed on her as he weighed his words carefully. That was typical of him, always several steps ahead of those around him, often succeeding.

While others moved at a leisurely pace, Kon operated at full throttle. He was so fast that even someone exceptionally talented like Sei couldn't keep up.

Perhaps that was what had initially drawn Anika to him, that and the field exercise after awakening his Ord. While others had struggled with low-class demons, Kon battled mid-class demons and competed with the Demonic Exorcist.

By the time others reached his previous level, he had already surpassed them, cementing his place as one of the world's strongest Ord users.

Kon was the closest thing to a hero that Anika had ever encountered. Brave, talented, intelligent, and... willing to sacrifice himself to save others.

A pang of despair crawled up her heart.

All these thoughts raced through Anika's mind in an instant as the imposter responded, "Yes, I am Kon. I was created through Carpy's sacrifice."

Lies, she thought. Anika couldn't believe him for a second. Revival was beyond the capabilities of an Ord, even if Kon's tamed demon was a dragon.

Although much knowledge had been lost over the years, something as significant as revival wouldn't just disappear.

Something like this might have tricked her if it had been her before she went to Avalon Island. But it felt like too simple a solution.

After all, her deepest desire was for Kon to survive... well, perhaps a part of her also longed for her father's return. But no corpse had been found, and she still clung to hope that he might be out there somewhere, perhaps aware of the barrier breaking and taking precautions.

Anika sighed, forcing herself to focus solely on the situation. She clenched her fist so hard that it nearly drew blood, but she couldn't afford to let her emotions overwhelm her.

She was no longer the naive young girl who had once believed in heroes who would swoop in to save the day. When fantasy collided with reality, it crumbled. Even though she had once believed Kon to be invincible, he had met his end.

Anika stared at the clone's face, which eerily mirrored Kon down to the tiniest detail. Despite her efforts to control her emotions, her stomach churned with anger.

No, this wasn't what Kon would have wanted.

The clone wasn't to blame for Kon's death. If he were alive, he would want his duplicate to carry on his legacy and protect the people, just as it was doing now.

"Right, you were revived," Anika glanced down briefly before meeting Kon's gaze. She put on the most convincing facade of sincerity she could muster.

The faker's face was expressionless and hard to read. Was he happy? Was he sad?

"I believe you," she lied through her teeth.