Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Sei couldn't tear his gaze away from Kon's lifeless body, inexplicably drawn to it.

Some people, in our minds, always carry an image of invincibility or the belief that they won't meet their end anytime soon. Kon was one of those individuals - too smart and skilled to be fooled by any cheap trick. He was meant to be Sei's undefeated rival. No matter the trouble, he would be able to somehow get out of it alive.

With his fist clenched, Sei's attention shifted to Perenelle, the one who had killed Kon. She was now writhing on the ground, her body covered in strange purple spots that gradually transformed into dark purple tattoos, emanating an ominous aura as they spread across her arms, neck, forehead, and legs.

"You just had to die before I could prove that I had surpassed you," Sei muttered. His heart clenched when he realized that he would never see his friend, but he refused to show it.

Revealing weakness in the face of someone as strong as Kon would be a disservice to his legacy. Sei believed in a more methodical form of closure - he was determined to avenge Kon by taking down the woman who ended his life and destroying the Gardens of Babylon.

"This situation leaves a bitter taste in my mouth," he continued, gritting his teeth. "But it seems like the others have forgotten your last words."

Kon had urged them to escape, but most of them seemed to have their own motives for staying. Some were driven by vanity, others by unknown reasons, and a few by the thirst for revenge.

But would revenge be what Kon wanted? Sei knew, without a doubt, that his rival was too strategic for such useless pursuits. Kon was gone, and having more people die while trying to avenge him would be spitting on his face.

‘Although I might not be able to convince them to leave, I can at least protect Gem and Anika for him,’ Sei resolved silently.

As Perenelle's body crumbled and she convulsed, the woman known as Perenelle ceased to exist, leaving behind only a fist-sized red gem. Yet, in an astonishing turn, the stone started emitting smoke, and flesh began to form around it. Gradually, the same woman who had seemingly perished stood before them, now naked, but seemingly unfazed by her state of undress as she pointed at Agon.

"If you were to map out someone's brain and use it to create a new person, would they still be the same individual or merely a clone?" Perenelle asked abruptly as the surrounding Ord intensified once again. "My husband believed it would be just a clone, no longer truly himself. That's why he pursued immortality to preserve his soul and build a new body around it."

"Just get on with it already," The Strength Exorcist interjected, struggling to stand up. "You talk too much about your dead husband; it's kind of annoying. Go find a new stick to ride, and get that bitching out of your system."

Perenelle clenched her teeth, and her forehead veins pulsed with frustration. "You think my love is that insignificant?"

At that moment, she got emotional and that was a critical mistake. Moving swiftly once more, Sei couldn’t catch even a glimpse of her, but he knew precisely where she was heading.

Sei's gaze settled on the injured Strength Exorcist, clutching his cut wound, standing in the Gardens of Babylon. The naked woman poised herself behind him, ready to strike and pierce his spine from behind.

Without hesitation, Zumi appeared behind the woman and delivered a devastating kick, kicking the head right off her body. The woman’s body slumped to the ground.

Yet, the red gem shined once more, and a new head formed, the woman now wearing a smile.

"As I was saying before, through my incarnations, I will continue to live forever. Unlike my husband, I no longer care if the real me dies. What's the point of living without him, anyway?" she glanced down sadly. "Once I complete his final project, my life will lose all meaning."

Her emotions hindered her ability to fight effectively. Agon landed about ten meters away from the woman, his mouth opening wide, appearing ready to vomit. However, a snake head emerged from his mouth and swiftly bit down on the naked woman's neck.

Perenelle winced initially, but then a smile spread across her face. "You can use your poison that kills everything as much as you want. I no longer hold onto the concept of immortality like my husband-"

Purple flower tattoos materialized around her as her body broke down. Soon, only the red gem remained, and her flesh reformed around it, she was reborn. Perenelle resumed her speech as if nothing had occurred. "Even if you kill the true me, I will just continue to be recreated, with the same memories, but not truly me. I am unkillable, even by Yamata No Orochi's poison, which once killed the Exorcist closest to God."

As she was about to speak, a sudden -CRACK!- echoed through the air, akin to the shattering of an egg, yet much louder, as if the very sky had fractured. A mysterious pressure descended upon them, a sensation entirely unfamiliar to their senses.

The world seemed to flip upside down, the sky appearing as if it might collapse upon them. Sei found himself on one knee, the pressure inside him building to a dangerous level, as though his blood vessels were on the verge of bursting. Stormy clouds gathered, casting an ominous shadow that blanketed the sky for as far as they could see.

Perenelle's eyes widened, a hint of panic showing as a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. "Oh no, I completely forgot. Copies share the same memories but not the same thought processes-"

Her words were drowned out by the distant rumble of lightning, and the once peaceful clouds turned a deep crimson red, resembling blood. Lightning illuminated the clouds, revealing a massive serpent-like creature soaring through the sky.

A head emerged from the dark clouds, adorned with a large snout and two horn-like protrusions. The creature's skin was darker than the night sky, and the oppressive pressure on their hearts grew even heavier. Its fiery red eyes scanned the surroundings before settling on them.

Sei's heart raced, and he could feel the fear echoing in everyone else. They clutched their chests, afraid they might suffer an attack or even pass out.

Sei recognized the creature; he had encountered something similar while at sea, a monster that easily dispatched an ultimate-class shark demon. This was a dragon!

Before Sei could even warn the others, the dragon made its move. A blast of fire, a destructive force beyond description, engulfed the sky in flames. The speed of the attack was astonishing, reaching them in less than a second.

‘We’re dead!’ Sei screamed internally and realized that none of them even had the chance to resist.

"Hot!" screamed the Strength Exorcist, quickly retreating. An explosion resounded in the distance, indicating that Babylon was the dragon's actual target.

‘We'll be caught in the after-blast!’ Sei realized. Swiftly, he conjured mirrors above each of his comrades, and as they shattered, they were transported to the mirror world. He took Kon's lifeless body with them, protecting all of them from the devastating aftermath.

***

In just seven minutes, Carpy achieved the perfect evolution without any interruptions. Although the continuous activation of Perfect Me worried him a bit, Carpy didn't care anymore.

He unleashed a controlled blast of fire from his mouth, surprisingly finding it not as scorching as expected. His main concern was avoiding obliterating Master Kon's remains.

Thinking of Master Kon as a corpse filled Carpy with despair.

Despite using only a fraction of his full power and directing the beam away from Babylon, half of the city still melted away in an instant, and the beam caused a massive explosion as it hit the island below, shaking the entire sea.

Surveying the destruction he had caused, Carpy saw the once-soaring Gardens of Babylon plummeting to the ground. He felt relieved that his friends had managed to escape to Sei's mirror world.

‘Well, at least I don't have to worry about the aftermath now,’ Carpy thought, preparing for a full-powered blast.

Master Kon had given everything for this world, but the world had treated him unjustly. Carpy believed that destroying it all and reducing it to ashes was the right path. He envisioned a new world, one where individuals like Master Kon would never have to suffer.

"I will fix this world! I'll shatter it and create it anew in Master Kon's image," Carpy proclaimed to the world, launching a fully powered pillar of fire at the descending Gardens of Babylon.

In an instant, the Gardens of Babylon were incinerated, and the blast extended to the island, causing a mushroom-like cloud to rise. Big enough that it covered the whole sky, and the clouds flew away from the aftershock, revealing a clear sky.

As the dust settled, Carpy witnessed the aftermath of his attack—a vast, seemingly endless hole and a scarred Avalon Island, one side glowing red with molten rock.

He was the strongest, and no one was a threat to him any longer.

With no one left to challenge him, Carpy should have felt satisfied, but an inexplicable emptiness lingered within him.