Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 262

Chapter 262 - The First Step…

She had the gall to insult Carpy right to my face, calling him a 'dumb dragon.' She was lucky that I restrained her from decapitating her on the spot. After all, there wasn't much she could have done about it.

I had just lost Carpy. The only reason for being here right now was because the thing I cared most about in the world had sacrificed himself for me.

Uriel looked shocked, and Merlin had wide eyes while staring at the stump where her arm used to be.

Why were they so surprised by my response? What she had done was akin to insulting a parent's child at the child's funeral.

Uriel looked ready to attack me, gathering his cursed flames to form a sword. He was someone I recognized from the original story, unlike the white-haired woman. But in that moment, their identities mattered little. If they attacked me again or insulted Carpy again, I would kill them.

"Uriel! Stop!" Merlin shouted as she clutched her bleeding stump, which had once been her arm. She fixed her narrowed gaze on me, finally coming to her senses. "We can't afford to have to battle here."

She was right. Carpy had sacrificed his immense power and body to grant me a second chance at life. But I hadn't come out of this defenseless just because I no longer had Carpy. However, despite how easy they might be to kill, the giant turtle would be dangerous.

Was it worth it to risk the life Carpy had given up everything? No, I also had to be careful. If I died here, Carpy's sacrifice would have been for nothing.

"Good look, in whatever endeavors you take part in," she said, surprisingly composed considering the severed arm.

A part of me still wanted to beat her face in and rip her limb from limb, but that part of me was the part still grappling with Carpy's death.

I threw the arm back at her as a courtesy, "Yeah, best of luck to you too."

She nodded, placed her arm beside the stump, and closed her eyes. Strands of flesh extended from the stump and reattached the arm.

It didn't feel like she used a special ability to do that. Was this all a result of her Master affinity and controlling the body? It almost felt as if she were using Perfect Me. Just how high was her Master affinity?

The island quaked, and the sea level surged. Waves crashed on the shores. It wasn't the sea level rising; Avalon Island itself was sinking.

She must have been afraid of the impending barrier breach. If she was indeed the daughter of the man I assumed to be the God of Exorcists, she had every reason to hide.

The demons coming from the outside will hunt her down, though most might not even know about her existence. I almost feel sorry for the terrifying death she will have if the demons her father terrorized get their hands on her.

I levitated above the ground, glancing at the green-haired man who had a smile on his face. Throughout my conflict with Merlin, the young man had remained in the background. Which was surprising as Carpy had attacked him, but he had shown no hatred.

What was that guy's deal? He should be furious right now, screaming about a massacre. But he looked more like the friendly neighborhood Christian youth counselor. Perenelle probably couldn't instill all that murderous intent in him, considering she had no time to program such things into her child's mind.

"So, you got anywhere to go?" I asked.

He pointed at the sky, and a shadow settled above us. Hovering there was the Gardens of Babylon in all their golden glory. However, it didn't contain any living creatures in it.

"If I stay around any longer, I will probably die. So I have to go into hiding too," the green-haired man chuckled nervously. "Also, the Gardens of Babylon hasn't fully recovered from the damage and is being absolutely decimated."

Did this guy still have the same special ability that allowed him to steal special abilities and use them better than their original owners? Since I could barely sense any Ord in him and knew how his special ability worked, he probably still had those powers.

"You're not planning on attacking humanity, are you?" I asked him directly. Since we were all being honest here and were all strong enough to rise above petty tricks, there was no reason to lie.

"No, not really. Even if I wanted to, I see no reason to try and get involved in that whole mess. Not like humanity has a long time in this world, either way," he shrugged, jumping up and landing on the Gardens of Babylon, sitting on its golden walls. "Though I am a bit angry at your dragon for killing my mother. But there was literally zero percent chance I could have killed him, so I just let him go along with his plan. Which, as you know, still ended in... well..."

A part of me doubted his words, and just to be sure, I would have killed him right here. However, I wasn't sure if I could take him on.

If this had been before, I might have taken that chance and gambled on this situation. But now, Carpy had also sacrificed his life for mine, and it would be dishonorable to his and Bets' sacrifice to risk my life so recklessly.

"Well, if you ever decide to threaten humanity, I'll be here to kill you," I warned him in an almost joking tone.

In response, the green-haired youngster's smile widened. "No thanks. I'd rather explore this beautiful world than get involved in pointless battles. By your human standards, think of me as just a curious toddler, eager to stay far away from trouble."

The Gardens of Babylon floated away, moving slower than expected but still at a respectable pace. By the time Avalon Island sank to the point where water reached my feet, I also took flight.

As I ascended, I manipulated the water and gently set the weeping mermaid on a solid water platform.

Meanwhile, I let go of my flight and fell on the sea's surface. There were undoubtedly more challenges on the horizon, but I pushed those thoughts aside.

Look where worrying about others had gotten me.

Instead, my mind wandered to memories with Carpy. The times he acted like my right arm, serving drinks as I playfully splashed them on my friends.

I remembered the day I rescued him from that fish salesman and all the trials we faced together. He grew in strength, never once complaining, always loyal even when my orders endangered his life.

It felt like yesterday when I cradled him in my hands, and we embarked on our first mission together. I thought about the lake where he first detected the presence of undead demons.

Tears flowed down my cheeks and mingled with the sea.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath, using my arm to wipe my eyes. "Who would have thought things would end this way? I was prepared to die at any second, but not this."

Look where only worrying about others got me. My friend was six feet deep, and Carpy,  my right arm throughout this whole thing was also dead.

What was I supposed to do now?

Keep on living? Doing what? The barrier was down, and the False God that had once threatened humanity was no longer a menace.

In a sense, I had achieved my goal; the False God would never harm humanity again.

I always managed to pull through by using clever tricks, leveraging my strengths, and using my future knowledge.

Yes, I got what I wanted. But at what cost?

If I were to die tomorrow. Who was left to care?

The idea of humanity that I had struggled so hard to save - would they even give it a second thought? No, of course not.

Any day now, some high-ranking exorcist would arrive and tarnish my name, and the people I had sacrificed everything to save would eat those lies as if they were potato chips.

And why was I even concerned about those psychopathic exorcists? They were ruthless enough to stab me in the back or even torture me if there was a hint of benefit in doing that. Some might even do it for fun.

Had I really sacrificed everything for this? Were these people more important to me than Carpy and Bets? So important that I was willing to jeopardize the lives of everyone I cared about in this world, for people who wouldn't reciprocate those feelings in any way?

What had I been searching for all this time? What was the purpose of my second life? Where did this path filled with nails and thorns ultimately lead?

I had committed acts I'd never have imagined I could: threats, blackmail, murder, massacres, and bathed in a river of blood.

All of that, for what?

At that moment, it was as if a spark ignited inside me, setting off an uncontrollable fire through my brain. Then, everything became clear, and it was strangely amusing. I couldn't stop myself as a chuckle escaped my lips.

Yes, I now knew what I had to do.

I rose to my feet, unable to stifle the chuckle that escaped my lips.

Now, I had to keep on living, smiling, and dancing through life... like a fucking clown. What other choice was there? To just lay down and die?

This was my third chance at life, and it took this long for me to realize a crucial detail about living itself.

Whom was I living for? Did any of this really matter in the end?

I stood up and approached the weeping mermaid, gently patting her wet hair. "Don't worry; there's no reason to cry anymore."

She looked up at me, her tears smearing her face. Raw sadness lingered in her gaze, and I felt a pang of jealousy that she could allow herself the luxury of feeling such emotions.

But for me, I could no longer afford to live that way. Wallowing in misery wasn't what Carpy or Bets would have wanted for me.

"I'll bring Carpy back and give us all a happy ending," I reassured her. "No matter what it takes..."

All along, I had been one step away from a revelation, never quite taking that step others in this world managed to cross with ease.

Why give a fuck about others that don't care about you? Why had I given myself such a headache?

It was simpler to go through life when you considered yourself the center of your own universe, the protagonist in your own story.

I am God, and others are mere fakes.

Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the greatest one...

{Perfect Me}

Name: Kon

Master 99.9%

Creator 0.033%

Blaster 0.033%

Warrior 0.033%

Strength 145/533

Stamina 180/677

Agility 160/540

Description: A transmigrated person, and an extremely talented youngster who has a dragon-like body. His body and mindset are perfectly suited for Ord. He has the power beyond what many humans will ever achieve, and his potential is neigh limitless.

Danger Rating: (SS-)