Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Chapter 166: Eight Thousand Steps

"Hey, let's all calm down," I ushered, exhausted from having to intervene repeatedly over the past hour. Arthur had a limp arm saved by a healing potion, narrowly escaping amputation.

We were nearing the battlefield, and Arthur was already injured! It was tempting to take matters into my own hands and eliminate these troublemakers. They showed no mercy toward each other.

"I'll stop if you agree to marry one of my daughters," Arthur smirked triumphantly.

"Hey! Don't blackmail him, or I'll kill you!" Zumi snapped at him, her threats not to be taken lightly, even in the midst of an uncertain war.

Rubbing my eyes, I sighed. Fortunately, Carpy, my ever loyal companion, nudged me with his tail as if to say, ‘They're fools, you're the sane one. Don't let it get to you.’

Thank you Carpy. If I ever had a son in this world, I hoped he would be like Carpy.

Before I could separate the two and end their fight, explosions echoed in the distance. As we drew closer, Uwabami lay against a mountain, blood streaming from her enormous snake head, while a nearby mountain lay in ruins. The only person capable of such destructive power was Shuten Doji, and since Uwabami still lived, it seemed he had yet to unleash his special ability.

Frankly, it felt like cheating for someone of Shuten Doji's caliber to possess a special ability. His raw power alone could decimate most of humanity.

"It appears the battle is ongoing," Zumi sighed in relief. "As expected, our teacher is holding her own against an ultimate class demon. Her title as Sage was well earned."

"I thought her title was Saint?" Arthur scratched his chin, but he shrugged off Zumi's menacing glare.josei

Arthur added. "Whatever. It doesn't matter to me. By the way, Kim, I bet they'll offer you a Special Rank soon, but the top 10 is full. However, if you marry one of my daughters, I'll guarantee you a position in the Top 10."

Did he just call me Kim? This piece of shit didn't even remember my name. And did he imply that he would eliminate someone in the top ten to create an opening for me?

I forced a polite smile and responded, "Thank you for the offer, but-"

"No need to worry. I can guarantee you a place in the top five," Zumi said, her eyes hidden behind dark tinted glasses. "This weakling couldn't eliminate anyone in the top five."

Let's refrain from discussing killing comrades as casually as talking about the weather!

"No thanks. I don't plan on joining the Special Exorcists just yet. I don't feel like I have enough experience," I shook my head.

The real reason was that even if we won this war, exorcists as a whole would be severely crippled, and that meant the Special Exorcists would be overwhelmed with work.

Besides, the Special Rank wouldn't benefit me at the moment. My achievements weren’t going anywhere, so I could apply later when everyone had finished dealing with their overwork and constant life-threatening situations.

As we approached the battlefield, we could see the carnage from atop a hill. Initially, none of us reacted, but in a split second, we charged forward as we noticed that Shuten Doji had joined the fray. Even from this distance, we could see the Saint's bloodied fist colliding with Shuten Doji's body over a dozen times per second, and so far, she seemed to be coming out worse.

Arthur appeared ready to throw his spear but hesitated. Zumi caught his action and smirked. "What? Have you finally learned not to discard toys that actually make you special in some way?"

"Just so you know, the spear is cursed, preventing anyone outside my clan from even touching it," Arthur clenched his teeth.

"Meh, I touched it. It squirmed and even tried to cut me. It clearly failed," she dismissively remarked. Even with her face mask on, it was evident that the corner of her lip was slightly upturned. "Honestly, one might start thinking that your clan only excels at creating shoddy toys."

We arrived at the battlefield, and Arthur unleashed his anger upon the surrounding demons. His blades sliced through them like a whirlwind, while his spear cut though heavily-armored high-class demons as if they were mere paper.

Finally, we reached Shuten Doji and the Sage, witnessing their clash of spiked bat against fist. They appeared to be in somewhat of a stalemate, at least for now. Considering the injuries she had sustained, it was clear that she had been losing the exchanges.

Moreover, this was without taking into account the demon's special ability, which he hadn't employed yet, and the assistance provided by other exorcists.

Zumi charged at Shuten Doji with rage, delivering punches, kicks, and knee strikes to his face. However, Shuten Doji effortlessly swatted her away, but Zumi managed to maneuver in mid-air and kick off his hand, avoiding serious injury.

Arthur, undeterred by Zumi's unsuccessful assault, confidently aimed his weapon at Shuten Doji's face. The demon raised his hand to block the attack, relying on his thick Ord coating to provide defense. However, Arthur's spear pierced through Shuten Doji's palm, causing dark crimson blood to seep out. The demon's eyes widened in surprise as his defenses were easily breached, and dark marks began spreading from the wound, crawling up his arm and throughout his body.

Frozen in place, Shuten Doji became vulnerable, and Arthur exclaimed, "He will be like this for three seconds!"

The power of the spear's curse immobilized the demon, explaining why it was considered the strongest cursed weapon. Despite my presence, I decided to keep my distance as I was too weak and tired to participate in this battle. I had already helped enough by dealing with Otakemaru, a dangerous opponent who could neutralize any attack and turn weapons to ash with a mere touch. In some ways, he was more dangerous than Shuten Doji since Temperance’s ability was useless on him as she would die because of the heat, before even being able to touch him.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, Chariot, despite her injured arm and lack of weaponry, swiftly approached Shuten Doji. She donned a pair of glasses and transformed into Temperance. The meek girl let out a surprised yelp, quickly grasping the situation, and made physical contact with Shuten Doji.

In an instant, all the overwhelming Ord energy emanating from Shuten Doji vanished as if it had never existed. Seizing the moment, the Sage wasted no time and delivered a powerful punch to Shuten Doji's stomach. Despite his formidable physical strength, Shuten Doji coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Though three seconds may seem brief to most people, for exorcists at the pinnacle of the Special Ranks, it felt like an eternity. Zumi had already positioned herself behind Shuten Doji and landed a knee strike on the back of his head, though there was no visible injury apart from the demon's head jerking forward.

"Frustrating! His Ord is gone, and I nearly broke my knee," Zumi hissed, retreating. Despite her knee being infused with Ord, it had no effect on the ultimate-class demon.

Her next move was something that I could only have come up with if I was using Perfect Me. She threw a small pebble with precision, shattering Temperance's glasses just as the cursed marks all around Shuten Doji's body faded away.

Chariot appeared just in time as Shuten Doji attacked her, pounding the ground and creating a small crater. He recognized her as a threat—a person capable of sealing everyone's Ord with a mere touch. She was humanity's only hope for killing him, and the malicious glint in his eyes made it clear that he knew that too.

Shuten Doji propelled himself off the ground, raising a cloud of dust as he charged at Chariot. But before he could reach her, a mirror materialized behind Chariot, and she vanished into it. Shuten Doji swung through empty air, snorting in frustration.

However, his scowl soon transformed into a smile. "I'm being pushed back. This is a sensation I haven't felt in a while."

Then, for some reason, his gaze shifted toward me, his eyes narrowing.

Why the fu- Oh, right, he saw me and Otakemaru disappear in the same way. He probably already deduced that Otakemaru was dead.

"What a shame," the ultimate class demon said as he produced an old paper talisman and tore it. "Storage Talisman: Release."

A brilliant light rippled, sending a chill down my spine. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to get the hell away from there!

Flying demons in the vicinity began plummeting to their deaths before they could reach the ground.

As the intense light subsided, an eight-headed serpent emerged. Its venom killed both humans and demons alike. Fortunately, the Special Rank Exorcists managed to create some distance in time.

Still, I couldn't help but stare at the colossal eight-headed serpent, its eyes gleaming with malice. The sun and the moon themselves seemed to bow at the sight of such a creature, as the sun turned darker and the moon became visible.

How was this possible? Yamata No Orochi was supposed to have been sealed!