Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Perenelle was seething with rage, ready to tear the humanoid dragon's head off. Her heart soared with anticipation. He would rip the dragon’s head off, and then she would wait for Gardens of Babylon to form again and go into the attack. Though her heart hurt whenever she thought about how she would have to start from the beginning with her plan of creating God as everything was destroyed.

However, such thoughts about the future were useless. Because just as her nails grazed the humanoid dragon’s skin, he vanished, leaving her mid-air and clawing at empty space.

Confusion overwhelmed her. Before she could gather her thoughts, a hand gripped her face, slamming her head to the ground, and pain erupted on the back of her skull. Darkness enveloped her world momentarily before she woke up with a different head. A silver-haired man loomed over her. “It seems like you don’t know how to revive people. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken the risk and attacked me.”

Her heart sank. She knew the Gardens of Babylon would rebuild itself, fueled by her husband's loop, powered by the island's energy. But new living creatures that would carry her plan wouldn’t revive. Even if they did, this dragon would destroy it repeatedly, no matter what.

"I-" Perenelle began to respond, but the silver-haired man interrupted her again, crushing her head with his grip like a potato.

From then on, the dragon revealed his cruel intentions, and Perenelle died in countless ways. She was cut, ripped apart, popped like a balloon, boiled alive, and many more ways that sent a chill down her spine whenever she even thoughts about it.

No matter how many times she regenerated from the gem, the pain and fear of impending doom remained. But her revival somehow worked against her, as her tormentor didn’t care if his torture killed her.

"I keep getting angrier every time I kill you," declared the humanoid dragon with an emotionless face, hiding the monster within.

Perenelle, having lived for so long, saw through the facade. He had no intention of letting her die peacefully; his purpose was to inflict pain and revel in it.

"You tricked me," Perenelle accused, but the silver-haired man's gaze remained unyielding. "You don't care about anything I say. This is all just a sick game for you to enjoy hurting me, and then pat yourself on the back afterward."

The crimson eyes of the humanoid dragon showed no outward emotion as he stared and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the woman's body erupted into a gruesome spectacle, with her intestines and organs sizzling on the hot rocks. Miraculously, her head remained intact, and her lungs regrew and connected to the head amid her agonizing screams. Throughout the horrifying ordeal, the silver-haired man's eyes remained cold and indifferent. He stepped back as her body slowly dissolved into dust, leaving a lingering smell of charred flesh in the air.

"Not exactly, I'm just trying to figure out how to kill you," the humanoid dragon replied, causing fear to well up in Perenelle as her new body took form.

The memories of the pain and gore she had inherited weighed heavily on her, mentally draining her. The silver-haired man's brutal killings were chipping away at Perenelle's sanity, leaving her uncertain of how to handle the situation. Talking was risky, and being snide with him only led to different painful outcomes.

Her mind raced, and anxiety gripped her as she tried to find a way to survive. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she desperately searched for the right words. "What about your master? Would he have wanted this? I am just a copy and not really the previous woman who killed-"

But before she could finish, the silver-haired man lost interest, and her words fell on deaf ears. Thinking quickly, Perenelle made a conjecture. "Your master, he was a just man. He would never want this for you. After all, he wouldn't want you torturing women-"

Suddenly, the blood around her neck froze, and her head was violently twisted like a screw until it popped off. The silver-haired man wore a slight smirk, seemingly reminiscing about past memories. "Actually, Master Kon didn't differentiate between enemies. He always killed them, unless they were young and then he would put in the effort to spare them if he could."

As the newly reborn Perenelle found herself in utter desperation, she bowed before him, pleading, "Please stop this. I will do whatever you want me to! Tell me, what you want me to do and I will do it!"

***

Carpy raised a questioning brow at the woman. She was the person who had killed Master Kon and attempted to stab him in the back after making a false promise. There was no way he would ever forgive her, and he wouldn't hesitate to use Perfect Me to try various torture methods without fearing for her life.

However, he pondered the results of using Perfect Me to torture her. The red gem seemed to create new mental copies and even replicate the soul. What if the torture drove her insane? Would that insanity be inherited by the other copies?

Carpy wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't go that far. He would never use Master Kon's special ability for such sinister purposes. Unlike Master Kon, Perfect Me was dangerous when there were no limits. Certain tasks were impossible within five minutes, but they became eternal when impossible requests were made. Being stuck in a state of Perfect Me for thousands of years sounded like a nightmare.

He realized that giving Perfect Me absolute orders with no room for interpretation was too risky. Maybe adding a time limit to the orders would be better? Although that carried its own set of risks like the ability suddenly stop in the middle of something crucial.

Carpy sighed, dismissing such thoughts. He had never been an overthinker before, but Master Kon's memories were greatly affecting him.

As long as he was alive, Carpy couldn't accept his master's death. He refused to live in this reality. He knew that Ord could achieve many wondrous things, and even revival should be within the realm of possibility.

Although an average exorcist might find it impossible, Carpy possessed immense power. If he couldn't do something as simple as reviving Master Kon, then what was the point of having all this power?

Yet, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a way to bring someone back to life.

In frustration, he used blood control to twist Perenelle's arms like screws and rip them off. She cried out in pain, and whether it was genuine or acting, Carpy didn't care.

Then, using his blood control again, he brought her floating behind him as he walked out of the sizzling heat. He sensed Sei and the others had appeared in the green field nearby.

He walked up to them, Zumi, Anika, and Gem looked at him in shock, undoubtedly recognizing who he was. The others either didn't seem to care or were skilled at hiding their expressions.

"So you weren't future Kon," Zumu mused. "Who would have thought that the human-looking water controller would be his tamed demon instead."

Carpy didn't care and instead approached his master's lifeless body. Seeing Kon withered and looking like a mummy, he wanted to cry, but he held back those feelings and said instead, "I will revive him."

Now that he possessed Master Kon's memories, he learned that one of the future versions of Carpy had managed to alter the course of events slightly. Which gave him hope that everything was possible.

Yet, Carpy wasn’t satisfied with just that. Even if he saved a past version of Master Kon, would it truly matter? After all, there was only one Master Kon who had sacrificed his life for Carpy. Going back in time to rescue another version of Kon felt like a cheap escape from reality.

No, what he sought was a genuine revival. Carpy's heart began beating faster. Despite being the size of a normal human heart, it emitted an eerie and loud drum-like sound.

Numerous thoughts flooded Carpy's mind, pondering potential complications or the possibility of losing the chance to live his life as an all-powerful dragon if he pursued this course of action.

Despite the uncertainties ahead, he greeted them with a smile and turned to the others. "You need to get off the island."

Perenelle was about to speak, but Carpy silenced her by delivering a powerful backhanded punch that shattered her lower jaw, all without even looking at her.

Yes, he sought every opportunity to inflict pain upon her. Master Kon's ideals advised against wasting time on unnecessary pursuits, as indulgences could hinder one's goals. Such things were better done in moderation.

Yet, Carpy held Master Kon on a higher pedestal. As much as he wanted to emulate him, Carpy recognized that he couldn't be exactly like him. After all, he was just an imperfect demon. He could never be like Master Kon, who had saved a no-name fish like Carpy and transformed him into a dragon.

"{Perfect Me}... Revive Master Kon, no matter the cost," Carpy declared, feeling the absolute command taking effect.

He had no idea what Perfect Me would do; it might turn the entire island into a sacrificial ritual, slaughtering everyone within. That's why he had instructed Master Kon's friends to flee.

Perhaps Master Kon wouldn't desire to be revived at the expense of others or through such dark means. But Carpy... didn't care. As long as Master Kon could return, whether it was his own life or even millions of others, that was a sacrifice Carpy was willing to make.