Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 259

Chapter 259 - Perfect Time

Uriel flew over the fiery battlefield, blood spilled out of him, and he felt his strength waning.

He had decimated the bulk of the dragon's army, but his injuries now rendered him incapable of fighting for the rest of the war.

Yet, that wasn't the main problem of this situation. What unsettled Uriel more was that the dragon had somehow been able to counterattack and raise an automatic defense, something no one under a petrification curse should be capable of. Unless, of course, they were resisting the curse and on the verge of breaking free.

Fear gnawed at his heart at the mere thought of it.

From what the other Dream Lords had mentioned, this dragon was newly born. Yet, its power seemed to rival that of a thousand-year-old dragon. Uriel was no fool, though he despised to ponder the implications.

With such potential, this dragon could ascend to become another Dragon King.

"Damn it! Shit!" Uriel muttered under his breath.

However, he couldn't afford to dwell on that any longer. He had to reach Merlin before-...

A sudden, searing pain erupted in his back, a sword's tip emerging from Uriel's abdomen. His cursed flames enveloped him to repel the attacker, and his assailant used his body as a launchpad to leap away.

Uriel turned to identify his attacker, cursing softly. It was the green-haired man who had killed the other Dream Lords.

"My apologies for the ambush, but I doubt I could have landed a blow on you otherwise," the young man offered, his expression oddly earnest.

This one was one of the crazy people, Uriel concluded. But this guy was far more dangerous than the usual crazy guy because this one was actually powerful.

"By the way, don't worry, I won't kill you here. But I will hold you back here so the rest of your army gets decimated," the man explained with a strange politeness.

"Crazy bastard!" Uriel roared, his arm swinging forth, sending a fiery wave toward the man.

However, the green-haired man moved through the air with the grace of a swimmer, avoiding the attack and floating upside-down afterward.

"It seems like you will still die in this war," the young man remarked, his eyes narrowing. "But I don't want to interfere with your fate, as the guy who kills you is quite dangerous. Especially a bad counter to me. The world is quite unfair, isn't it?"

An explosion rang out, coming from the same area where Merlin was. Uriel's heart plummeted.

Suddenly, the green-haired man's eyes widened, and he turned his gaze in the direction of the explosion. Then, he shifted his attention to another spot, towards the shore. His expression conveyed a hint of fear.

That was when the island shook, and the distant explosion gradually subsided. A colossal splash of water surged from the location where the green-haired man had been looking, and a massive head emerged from beneath the surface.

It resembled a turtle's head, but it was enormous, so much so that even though the head was still partly submerged, it extended up into the clouds. The turtle's head appeared incredibly wrinkled, as though ancient and weathered.

The colossal turtle opened its gaping maw and inhaled a breath of air, creating a sensation akin to a black hole. Mountains close to the shoreline crumbled and were drawn into the vortex. Uriel had to conjure a fiery shield around himself to prevent being pulled in by the monstrous force. Even then, it was a struggle.

Though it felt like an eternity, the suction force lasted only a split second. Now, the turtle held a mountain-sized charge of Ord in its mouth, ready to unleash it.

Uriel's body reacted instinctively. He used his flames to propel himself towards the ground. The green-haired young man followed suit. Escaping was undoubtedly the best choice, as a devastating surge of raw power flew just over their heads.

Fast!

Uriel marveled as he barely caught a glimpse of the attack before it vaporized the Gardens of Babylon and all its airborne creatures in an instant. Then, the energy beam exploded far away on the horizon, almost far enough for him to not be able to see it, despite his enhanced vision.

But the aftermath was undeniably visible, as a colossal mushroom cloud of water ascended high enough to reach the sky. Then, it descended, generating a tsunami of similar magnitude, spreading in all directions.

The green-haired youth stared in shock and exclaimed, "It destroyed my army and plans in an instant. That's... unfair."

Uriel almost found himself agreeing with the young man. This displayed a level of terrifying power he had never witnessed before.

With its job done, the titanic head of the turtle slowly receded into the water, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Damn," Uriel sighed and lay on the ground. It was now dawning on him that he was really taking part in battles between monsters, and he had no place amidst their ranks.

***

Carpy felt the empty darkness enveloping him, leaving him to wonder how much time had passed. With the petrification curse still under analysis by Perfect Me, he was oblivious to the events unfolding outside.

It was a paradoxical mix of terror and encouragement. This setback had jolted him from the euphoria he'd been experiencing. Granted, he had become a colossal monster compared to his former self. Still, he also dealt with other monsters too. Letting his guard down was an unwise move.

Suddenly, the sound of a distant explosion filled the air, and Carpy's heart leaped with joy.

This meant that his senses were returning!

As seconds passed, Carpy's senses gradually returned. He could now smell, see, taste, and feel everything. The stone encasing him cracked, revealing his scales.

Carpy instinctively extended his senses to assess the situation. A wince escaped him when he realized that his army had been decimated. However, there was a silver lining; the Gardens of Babylon and others were also gone.

The sole survivor from his army was the mermaid, who remained at his side. Her body bore cursed burns that stretched to her elbow and a harsh mark across her face. She had little Ord left. Evidently, she had engaged in a dangerous battle to shield him.

Carpy acknowledged her sacrifice, offering his gratitude. "Thank you for watching over me," he said, acting polite. "How long have I been petrified?"

"Twenty minutes," she replied, her gaze shifting to Carpy as she used her hair to partially conceal the burn on her face. Her limbs hung limply by her side; she seemed unable to use her hands.

Carpy nodded. "Well, we better let our enemies kill each other a bit more. For now, let me heal those wounds."

He approached her, gently pushing the hair from her face and placing his hand on her charred skin.

{Perfect Me}

With the assistance of Master Kon's unique abilities, a dragon's healing powers were stretched to their limits. The mermaid's body shone in a bright hue of light, as the curse retreated and disappeared into a purple steam leaking out of her wounds.

Even after her wounds healed, the white light lingered on her skin a bit longer before retreating back into her body. Carpy sensed that she had grown stronger than before, and her Ord was recuperating faster.

Did he just bless her? Carpy knew he could do something like that but didn't think he could do it accidentally. But he had no regrets about it, as the woman deserved it for all she had gone through to protect him. Which she didn't have to, as they had just met and he had basically forced her and her kind to be part of his army.

Actually, now that he thought about it, why had she helped him? Whatever it was, Carpy had enough power that he dared to be very direct with ultimate class demons and not worry about hurting their feelings.

"Why did you risk your life for me?" Carpy asked.

The mermaid tilted her head, her deep blue eyes staring at Carpy as if he had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "You're my husband, of course, I will look after you."

After saying that, she gave Carpy the brightest smile he had ever seen. For a second, he felt his draconic heart skip a beat.

Master Kon's words about finding a wife kept playing in his head. Even Carpy was weak towards women who put their lives on the line for him. What man wouldn't?

"If, one day, I am reborn again, let's get married for real," Carpy stated.

"Eh?" The mermaid frowned. "Even after all this, you still don't want to be married to me?"

Carpy was a bit overwhelmed by her directness, but he shook his head and sighed. "Sorry, but this life is something I owe to someone else."

The mermaid didn't look pleased, and if he were weaker, she might have even attacked him. But he was a dragon, and even her strongest attack would have no chance of harming him. In the end, she could do nothing but sigh and say, "Yes, in your next life, you will owe me a marriage. Just don't keep a woman waiting for too long."

"I will do my best," Carpy chuckled, which came out more like a growl in his dragon form.

He spread his control over all the island's water and concentrated, gathering every drop of blood on the battlefield without alerting the other two powerhouses.

A war was the perfect place for a sacrifice ritual, with so much blood around from creatures of differing strengths.

Yes, this was the perfect time to try a resurrection!