Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

She had undoubtedly grown stronger and seemed eager for battle, which I could somewhat understand. It was akin to getting a new game and wanting to try it out, except in her case, she was willing to sacrifice lives to test her newfound strength.

Zumi had a chilling ability to take lives without a moment's hesitation, leaving no doubt that she could easily end mine if the whim struck her. The fact that her actions were driven by emotions was typically considered dangerous, but for an Ord user, it presented an opportunity to harness their power and grow stronger. It explained why the most formidable exorcists often seemed so unhinged.

"I know of a place where you can put your newfound strength to the test," I suggested, giving her an outlet for her aggression.

"I was just joking," she replied, though the truth of her words was up for debate.

With exorcists, I always assumed they were lying; it made dealing with them way easier.

Considering the group's overall strength, including myself, Sei, the Kuro Clan Head, and Zumi, we also had capable backups in Anika and The Strength Exorcist. While the latter two might not be able to take on an ultimate class demon one-on-one, they could hold their ground until someone with that level of power could assist them.

Agon was an unpredictable wild card in the group, and if the God in this place wasn't born, Yamata No Orochi could easily overpower everyone here, even if he wasn't in his true form.

Although it wasn't the ideal team I would have chosen to have my back, it was still much better than the worst-case scenario. The only member who could be considered weak was Gem, although he was still undoubtedly an elite-level exorcist.

"Okay, then we need to come up with an attack plan," I declared. Everyone nodded in agreement, and no one questioned why we needed to target the Gardens of Babylon.

It struck me as a bit odd, but perhaps they already knew they were enemies we would face eventually. Maybe they trusted me to make the best decisions for their well-being. If they only knew that I was working on the assumption that most of us were going to die.

The worst-case scenario involved encountering a Dream Lord, and their overpowering abilities would wipe us all out. In the past, Yamata No Orochi had to possess Agon and use his strongest poison to defeat the Dream Lord of Invincibility. It was debatable if he could even use this power now, as the seal hadn’t deteriorated at that point.

The Dream Lord of Invincibility took the form of a boar and could create a barrier that resisted any attack previously used against him. Yet, Yamata No Orochi managed to nullify that barrier using his poison, which could even kill concepts, things that technically didn’t even exist.

"Anyway, we need to take a specific route to avoid being attacked by creatures that aren't our targets," I explained. The others listened attentively, and even the Kuro Clan Head seemed eager for the challenge.

I couldn't shake the feeling that one wrong move could lead to the demise of us all.

***

Zumi felt every breath she took; for some reason, even the air in her lungs tasted better now. Was this what it felt like to take such a large step up in her power? It seemed like all the years of training that hadn't shown progress had culminated at once, raising her power to new levels.

"I can guess the next place where Babylon Gardens will appear. Unlike the rest of the island, Babylon Gardens operates on a normal timeline, where the past, present, and future do not collide," Kon explained. He had been in his fused form for so long that, despite his demon-like appearance, everyone listened to him.

After some discussions and planning among them all, Zumi closed her eyes and took another deep breath. It felt like she was filling her lungs with mint, and every bit of oxygen was being attracted from each breath she took.

It felt amazing!

"Okay, are you ready?" Kon suddenly asked, and everyone else nodded, with Zumi following suit.

Kon closed his eyes, and an invisible sensation prickled at her skin. Was this Kon spreading out his sensory abilities? Zumi wondered what it felt like. The sensation lasted for exactly 0.2 seconds, and though she didn't know why it was that specific duration, Zumi had an aftertaste of the sensation.

The Semei brat created a mirror, and they all climbed atop it. Zumi joined them as well, although she couldn't fully focus on the events unfolding. Strangely the mirror was steady and didn’t tilt or shake at all, despite the weight applied to it.

They flew higher, and the ground below them grew further and further away until they finally reached the top of the clouds. Zumi felt like she was floating above some kind of heavenly carpet.

She extended her hand and touched the clouds. Her fingers passed through the fluffy-looking mass, coming out a bit wet on the other side.

"Clouds are made of water," Kon explained, his eyes fixed on her.

“I know,” she said.

If Zumi didn't know any better, she might assume that he had a crush on her. But that was about as likely as pigs flying. From what she had seen so far, Kon wasn't the kind of guy who would fall for a woman.

"Stop!" Kon suddenly yelled out, and Sei's mirror came to a halt. Then Kon frowned and looked around. "Can you smell that?"

The rest of them were a bit confused, but Zumi took a deep breath, detecting a stale, unmoving, and rotten odor in the air.

How could such a smell be so high up?

"Go down," Kon instructed.

The floating mirror descended, and they saw that they were at the edge of the island. A bead of sweat rolled down Kon's cheek, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. "We almost ended up in the outside world."

"We need to go that way," Kon pointed in the opposite direction. Then his eyes turned emotionless for a split second as if there was no soul behind his gaze, and he continued, "Just be careful, and while we should still fly above the clouds, we need to be cautious and keep an eye on things so we don't go from the frying pan and into the fire."

Zumi smiled, thinking that Kon made a rather good leader. Though to be honest, he could use a little more ruthlessness, which was the main thing holding him back.

He should have left Gem behind. What would he even do if he were there with them? It wasn't like he was likely to survive even one attack from an ultimate-class demon.

...

After flying for a while, they finally spotted something in the distance. Zumi narrowed her gaze, recalling Kon's description of the Gardens of Babylon, though she had been paying little attention to the whole thing. "Is that what you meant when you said Babylon Island?"

Her companions turned toward her, and the Strength Exorcist asked, "What're you talking about? I don't see anything."

It dawned on Zumi that even other Warrior Affinity exorcists didn't possess the same abilities as her. So she simply said, "Just follow this route, and we will be closer to our destination."

Then, she turned to Kon and questioned, "By the way, I've been feeling uneasy about how little the others question your decisions. Can you tell us why we need to go to Babylon Garden and risk our lives?"

Zumi knew that the cautious Kuro Clan Head probably had a similar question, but he seemed surrounded by enemies, even his own son Gem would likely support Kon.

But unlike them, Zumi wasn't afraid. She felt confident that even if the Sage was here, she could overpower her. However, she wouldn’t fight her teacher, as she respected her too much to do so.

As they approached Babylon Gardens, Zumi could better see their target. The place truly lived up to its name, offering a breathtaking view.

Golden walls glistened in the sun, and jungle-like habitats with green leaves and vines adorned the walls. Strange animals with bright colors and flowers straight out of a picture book were everywhere.

As they got even closer, the weakest members of their crew would be able to cover the distance needed to jump from there to the flying palace.

However, before they could proceed, Kon raised his hand, and the clouds shifted and transformed into the shape of a giant dragon, raining down water blades.

Kon initiated the attack, seemingly attempting to take out any potential threats or test for protective barriers. Yet, despite the barrage of attacks, nothing appeared to be killed, only the surrounding structures were destroyed.

The attacks lasted about five minutes before Kon finally stopped, wearing a puzzled expression.

"You sure this was the right place?" teased the Strength Exorcist.

"Yes," Kon answered confidently. "There's no way the inhabitants would abandon their place like this."

“You’re right,” said someone who suddenly appeared behind Kon, seeming to teleport.

It was a woman with long dark hair and black eyes with red irises, and she wore a black dress with a striking red gem embedded on her chest.

Zumi enveloped her body in Ord, strengthening every pore as she brought back her fist and jumped toward the woman. However, the woman's speed was incomparable; she effortlessly turned around and pierced straight through Kon's back.

Her hand burst out of his chest, and a small smile crept onto her face. “You really give off a dangerous feeling, kid.”

Kon’s eyes widened, and everything had happened so fast that he hadn’t even had the time to notice what had happened.