Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 284

Chapter 284 - Testing The Grounds

Weeks had passed since the barrier had broken down, and Agon found himself lost in thought. He was the kind of guy who preferred leaving such matters to others and didn't engage much in scheming.

Agon couldn't fathom why Kon had placed so much trust in him to stand alone on one of the borders. It seemed Kon was assembling a team, and Agon was going to be a part of it.

While Agon recognized he wasn't the brightest individual, he couldn't help but wonder why Kon had such unwavering faith in him. However, he decided not to dwell on it too much and shifted his focus elsewhere.

He let out a yawn and scanned the other Exorcists around him and the camps nearby. It reminded him of the days during the war against Shuten Doji, except this time people appeared more vibrant and were actively training together.

‘Impressive,’ Yamata no Orochi commented, his voice echoing in Agon's mind like a soft whisper. ‘The kid managed to unite them and focus on a common enemy.’

"Kon has always had a knack for this sort of thing, even back in our academy days," Agon replied with a nod.

‘True, he even helped you suppress me. Despite how he hypnotized you, you've never talked to him about it,’ Orochi attempted to provoke a reaction from Agon, but there was none.

Agon didn't hold any resentment toward Kon for what had happened during their time in the academy. While it had been somewhat irritating when he regained memories of Kon's help. But bringing it up now would only add unnecessary burdens on Kon's shoulders during the ongoing war for survival.

Though common folk might believe that Wisteria held the reins of leadership, the more astute members of society, such as the merchants and nobles, knew who truly wielded power. And among the Exorcists, it was evident that Kon was giving the orders.

Feeling a bit restless, Agon strolled closer to the barrier's edge, where a wall had been constructed about a hundred meters away. The wall was adorned with strange inscriptions and a blessing that augmented the strength of any Sun Kingdom Exorcist standing upon it.

However, what intrigued Agon more was the barrier itself. This side of the barrier was situated within a dense forest, but the trees had been cleared all the way up to the barrier, ensuring that the Exorcists would have a clear view in case something breached it.

"Even though I don't have the brain for it, casting a barrier like this is kinda cool. Hey, Orochi, do you think you can teach me something like this?" Agon asked.

There was another Exorcist who was close to Agon, looking around. Since there was no one else nearby, the exorcist pointed at himself and asked, "Are you talking to me?"

"No," Agon shook his head and pointed at his temple. "I'm talking to the snake inside my head."

The exorcist looked confused and backed off, whispering, "Mother always said not to get involved with crazy people."

Huh? Crazy? Who was he talking about?

Agon glanced around, but there was no one else nearby. Perhaps the exorcist was referring to one of his friends. He decided not to dwell on it and turned his attention back to Orochi. "Anyways, can you teach me about barriers?"

'No, barriers are not my specialty.'

"Ehh, but the fox lady can cast cool barriers?"

'Hey, brat! I'm a thousand times stronger than her pathetic barriers!'

"Huh? But didn't she once seal you back up inside me when we fought inside the golden pyramid?"

Orochi grumbled but didn't dignify that question with an answer. Agon chuckled at the prideful snake's behavior. Despite everyone's warnings about Yamata no Orochi being dangerous, Agon saw him as nothing more than an alcoholic snake demon with little knowledge beyond his poison.

"Enemies ahead!" shouted one of the exorcists, bringing Agon out of his thoughts.

In the distance, a shimmer in the air revealed large bees with dog heads and a few building-sized centipedes with wings. Leading these monsters was a woman in a dominatrix outfit with a fly-shaped bead.

The fly-headed woman exuded a disgusting aura that made it feel as though one were swimming in the sewers and could taste the filth in their throats just by looking at her.

"Okay, Orochi, it's your turn now. Take over and destroy all those monsters," Agon said, a bitter feeling in his stomach.

He had wanted to try fighting these demons with his own power, but that would waste time and put the other exorcists at risk. If Orochi took over, he could eliminate everything with a poison blast and prevent any casualties.

'No. Handle this on your own,' Orochi's voice whispered in his ear.

"This is no time for playing around. People's lives are at stake," Agon pleaded.

'Why should I care about that? Human lives don't matter to me.'

With that, Orochi fell silent and refused to speak further.

"Is this some prank? This is no time to mess around!"

'Remember, Agon, I am and always will be a demon. To me, humans are like worms, at best, cats or dogs.' Orochi's reminder weighed heavily on Agon.

Agon clenched his teeth, knowing that anything he said now would be futile. Orochi was stubborn, and if he refused to help, there was no changing his mind.

Sighing, Agon jumped off the wall landed on the ground, and crouched. The exorcist who had been weirded out by his friend called out to Agon, but he didn't listen. Instead, he concentrated his Ord on the soles of his feet, feeling the muscles in his legs tingle.

He leaped, soaring high into the air, resembling a human-sized frog. Two silvery gauntlets materialized on each of Agon's arms. These gauntlets served as remote Ord storage, passively drawing Ord from Agon when he wasn't engaged in combat.

Ord balls manifested in front of him, and Agon punched the blasts of energy toward the demons. With each punch, another blast formed to take its place, allowing Agon to send a barrage of blasts.

"Impact Meteor Shower!" Agon called out the name of his attack.

As if doing that increased his power, Agon's fists blurred as he unleashed hundreds of blasts, powerful enough to envelop the demons in a field of explosions. By the time Agon landed on the ground, he found himself amidst the demons, and they were nothing more than smudges of dark blood on the ground.

"Hehe," he chuckled. "Handling normal high-class demons is a breeze."

Of course, he had expended a significant amount of Ord on that new move. But if there was one thing Agon had going for him, it was the abundance of Ord at his disposal, unmatched even by Sei.

Just as he was starting to think the job was done, the dark blood around the battlefield gathered into a tornado and formed a dark spider with three pairs of bat-like wings.

“Shit, that’s an ultimate class demon,” Agon swore under his breath. Before he could react, the blood changed form once again, taking on a muscular humanoid shape with three pairs of bat wings. In an instant, it reached Agon and delivered a powerful punch to his face.

Agon felt his nose crunch under the demon’s raw might as if he had been struck with an iron ball. He blacked out for a second. When he woke up, he found himself lying amid the broken wall.

Quickly regaining his senses, he stood up. Fortunately, not much time had passed, as the demon that had attacked him was still approaching.

Agon touched his face and winced. His fingers encountered sharp bursts of pain wherever they lingered. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing himself in the mirror after this encounter. Nevertheless, he cracked his knuckles and assumed a combat stance.

“C’mon, let’s see who can punch harder! My fist will break through yours with ease! Why? Because each of my punches will be filled with my conviction!”

'Oy, dumbass,' Orochi said. 'He will beat you to a pulp. It seems like the kind of ultimate class demon concentrated on raw power. Use the sword.'

"Sword?" Agon was confused at first, then remembered which sword Orochi was referring to. "Oh, right, I forgot we had Kumichikami."

'Its name is Kusanagi! At least learn its name if you're going to own a mythical sword!' Orochi screeched.

Agon sighed and cursed under his breath while stuffing his fingers in his mouth. His gag reflex came into play, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Instead of bile, something solid emerged, and the sword's handle slowly came out of his mouth, covered in saliva. He still felt like gagging.

"Fucking gross. Why do we have to hide this in my stomach?"

'You should be asking how a sword like that can fit in your stomach. But whatever. Also, this sword has my corpse sealed in it, and there's no way I am leaving it in your careless hands,' Orochi sighed.

Agon wanted to retort, but he didn't get the chance as the ultimate class demon charged.

He picked up his sword and unsheathed it, but by that time, the demon was already within arm's reach and aiming its fist toward his face.

However, there was a hissing sound like snakes, and it was hypnotic. A purple mist emanated from the sword, and there was a soft, sweet scent in the air. For some reason, the demon froze in place, and everything seemed still.

In one swift swing, Agon decapitated the demon with ease. The demon's lifeless body tumbled to the ground.

Agon looked at the sword. "Wow... I must be a sword genius."

'No, you're not. It's just that the sword allows you to use almost half of my power. Also, put it back in its sheath before your body starts breaking down,' Orochi advised.

Agon sheathed the sword, and the world returned to normal. "Why don't we do this more often? Using a sword is kinda basic, but it makes dealing with enemies easy."

But Yamata no Orochi didn't have to answer that, as Agon fell to his knees and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"By the way, go and tell Kon that the demons are trying to breach the barrier. There's little doubt that this was a test, as they were able to form an ultimate class demon on the inside with pieces that came from the outside," Orochi said.

Before he could answer, the world around Agon swirled, and the last thing he heard was Orochi sighing. "Whatever, I will do it myself. Go and take a rest," this time, the words came from Agon's mouth as the snake demon took over.