Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 230: Change

The silver-haired guy they were talking about had the power of blood control and the ability of Perfect Me. He had to have that, in order to luck someone’s Ord, though the victim had to be a lot weaker.

It seemed unlikely that I had no recollection of such a significant character from the original story. The only logical explanation was that this mysterious individual was none other than my future self!

An immediate shiver ran down my spine at the thought. It was hard to accept the idea that I would do something as reckless as attempting to alter the past. I had no grasp of how time truly worked, and I certainly didn’t want to risk erasing myself or the entire world inadvertently. While Ord might not possess world-obliterating power, I was clueless about its limits. Who’s to say it couldn’t?

“We need to head to the ship,” I declared.

I was confident that my future self had no reason to attempt to meddle, given that I possessed common sense. I wouldn’t dare try such a dangerous feat.

Yet, on the slim chance that someone else was indeed trying to change the past, it was crucial for us to get away from the island. Because no one from different timelines could interact once we were outside.

“How do we even reach the boat?” inquired the Strength Exorcist, rising to his feet. He nodded gratefully toward Anika. “Thanks for healing me, girlie. I owe you one.”

How could we reach the boat?

In a normal situation, the answer would be simple: walk towards the shore and head in the direction where the boat was when we arrived. But this wasn’t an ordinary place.

I had placed tracking talismans on the ship as a precaution. Now, taking out another talisman that responded to the tracker, I tore it apart, and a directionless arrow spun in the air before fizzling out.

As expected, it was useless.

Navigating Avalon Island required capturing one of the Dream Lords, considered the twelve most powerful beings on the island, fully integrated into its essence. These creatures had borrowed so much from the island that they were now inseparable from it, granting them immense power and unique abilities. However, they’re unable to escape the island in exchange for getting its power.

One of my primary objectives had been to find something on this island that could transform Carpy into an ultimate class demon. However, devouring the demons here was risky, as he might become part of the island himself through this ‘borrowing’ process.

Regrettably, my search for other miraculous treasures on the island had to be postponed because of some future interloper, as nothing had unfolded as it did in the original story so far.

“I think I can get us out of here,” Anika said confidently.

I looked at her, raising a questioning brow. She blushed a little and looked away. “W-Well, I think I can, at least.”

“Then I will leave everything to you,” I nodded. If she really had a way to get us out of here, it would be a lifesaver.

Even when I was planning how to navigate this island, I couldn’t think of any method that would work. I didn’t know anyone with a navigation-type special ability. So my initial hope was to have Carpy become a dragon and guide us. Dragons possessed mystical and magical abilities, so navigating this place shouldn’t be out of their realm.

Anika sat down in a meditation pose and extended thin strings in four directions, which stretched out in long reaches while still connected to her.

As she continued, a frown appeared on her face, and a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek.

Though creating strings usually didn’t require much Ord, this island was monstrously big, far larger than it appeared from the outside. So extending the string from one corner to the next would undoubtedly demand a significant amount of Ord.

Realizing that Anika needed a boost in power, and knowing that Ord was related to emotions, I decided to sacrifice something to help. “If you can get us out of here, I will do one favor for you. Whatever you want.”

There was no response at first, but then her Ord ballooned up to ridiculous proportions, and the strings flew out of her at a faster rate.

Sei and the Strength Exorcist glanced at me. I shrugged, “What?”

“Nothing, but I’ve never seen such a big emotional boost. Be careful, kid,” the Strength Exorcist warned me. “Women like the girlie aren’t that simple.”

Did he think I didn’t know that? It was quite a pain to always act like the oblivious harem protagonist whenever I was around her. As if I was duller than a rock at things that concerned romance.

However, Anika’s feelings for me were nothing more than a high school crush. How old was she? Seventeen? It sounded like a terrible age to even know what someone wanted to do with their life, let alone decide on complicated matters like love.

I had no intention of addressing her feelings anytime soon. Emotions mixed with Ord could create a dangerous outcome. I was certain that eventually, Anika would move on from this crush and find someone who reciprocated her feelings.

…

After half an hour, Anika stood up with a confident smile. “I found the route to the ship.”

I returned the smile, but it quickly faded as I noticed a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Also, Kon, keep in mind that you will owe me this favor.”

Sei conjured a car-sized mirror, and we positioned ourselves on it, our feet dangling over the edge. The Strength Exorcist yawned and comfortably fell asleep despite the precarious situation.

As Sei raced at incredible speeds, green trees blurred past us. Agon broke the silence with a question, “So, who do you think that white-haired guy is? Even the annoying snake bastard warned me that he was dangerous.”

In response, one of Agon’s arms turned scaled and emanated purple Ord as Orochi took control, landing a punch on his face. What followed was a bizarre fight between Agon and his own arm, resembling something out of a cartoon. Surprisingly, the arm seemed to be winning.

However, Agon quickly regained control by imbuing his other fist with Ord and activating his special ability. Anika jumped up and scolded him, slapping the back of his head to calm him down.

I observed the spectacle from the sidelines, thinking that having some popcorn would make this moment infinitely more enjoyable. When Anika, Sei, and Agon were together, there was never a dull moment.

Anika returned to her seat on the ledge as we followed the string that led to the other side of the island. “Him having silver hair and red eyes doesn’t really narrow down the guessing pool,” Anika remarked, pointing at her own silver hair to highlight that it wasn’t a rare hair color among Exorcists. “Even Sei’s hair has some strands of white now, and it kept flashing fully white in the war. So it could be some kind of transformation.”

What the hell did she just say? Sei’s hair kept flashing white during the war against Shuten Doji!

Demonic Synchronization, where the child demon grows stronger when the parent demon is close and inherits some traits, seemed to be the only real reason for such a phenomenon. The Nine Tailed Fox must have been free from the beginning and close enough to cause Demonic Synchronization.

That meant the Nine Tails hadn’t been fully sealed all that time. But why pretend to be sealed? Perhaps she was being cautious after having her power stolen?

Shaking off these thoughts, I reminded myself that we had more pressing concerns at hand. I couldn’t help but worry about Gem and the Kuro Clan Head, though finding them in our current state seemed impossible.

Okay, I wasn’t that worried about the Kuro Clan Head. But Gem was one of my closest friends.

As we flew over various biomes, we encountered unseen creatures below who even fired peculiar projectiles at us, but fortunately, our mirror shielded us from harm.

After a considerable journey, we finally arrived back at the shore where we had originally landed. However, our expectations of a joyous reunion with the other exorcists were shattered.

“How on earth did this happen?!” Agon exclaimed in disbelief.

I clenched my fist, gazing at the sight of our ship reduced to smoldering ruins, devoid of any signs of life. The scent of burnt wood filled the air, and I scoured the surroundings for survivors, extending my senses across the shore, but to no avail.

“We’re now stranded on this island,” Anika stated calmly, her exhaustion suppressing any anger she might have felt.

“This doesn’t match my recollection!” protested the Strength Exorcist. “We were supposed to arrive safely, and then my past self would wink at me, revealing the exorbitant cost of winking at a future version of oneself!”

My heart sank, and I mustered the courage to ask, “Can you please clarify?”

“After fulfilling his duty of protecting the ship, my past self would venture into the forest,” he recounted what had transpired.

The world seemed to spin around me, and my throat felt parched, cold sweat running down my brow.

Someone… somehow… had altered the past?!