"Why do you look like a weird demon thing? Also, can you shoot beams out of your horn?" asked the Strength Exorcist as we continued exploring the island.

I was still in my fused form with Carpy, and the strange exorcist, who hadn't bothered to create a special ability, pointed at my horn. No matter what he said, I considered it an elegant and cool horn.

Was I salty because he indirectly insulted Carpy? Hell yeah, I was! Carpy meant more to me than just a tamed demon. I had known him since he was a little fish and had seen him grow over the years. He was like a little sibling or even a son to me.

"Why isn't he answering my questions?" inquired the Strength Exorcist, shifting under his heavy armor.

"He takes it really badly if you insult his demon," Sei clarified. "If we weren't in a place like this, he probably would have attacked you."

We were in some kind of jungle that would whisper dark secrets. If one brought their ears closer to the trees, and tried to hear what they were whispering clearer, then they would have their brain rot. None of us were weak enough to fall for something like this, but the danger was still there.

Also, Sei was exaggerating a bit. At most, I would have threatened him. I didn't care much about insults toward myself, but if someone insulted Carpy, that was a problem. The little guy already had self-esteem issues, and I didn't want them to worsen.

I wouldn't kill someone just because they insulted Carpy. Maybe I'd cripple them at worst. In this world, I had plenty of enemies, and I wasn't going to let someone I didn't care about insult one of the few beings on my side in this messed up world.

The Strength Exorcist sighed. "So that weird fish demon-"

"Hey," I interrupted him. "Watch your language, man. Don’t just go around calling my demon weird."

"What're you going to do about it?" I could hear the smirk under his helmet.

"I will cripple you and leave you here," I responded.

Actually, now that I thought about it, maybe killing would be the better option. After all, I didn't want some cliché development where he miraculously survived and emerged stronger.

"That's a lie right there," he replied nonchalantly.

"Why? You think I don't have the stomach to do something like that?" I said, calling on my Ord as a precaution, readying for a fight.

"No," the Strength Exorcist shook his head. "I can sense it in my gut. You're definitely the kind of guy who would kill instead of cripple."

Well, he was right. It seemed like Warriors also had better instincts about these things in general. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I knew there was something dangerous about you as soon as we met. We should go grab a drink after this whole thing is over. I have some friends who are just as crazy dangerous as you."

We continued walking, and there were no more conflicts as the Strength Exorcist respected my requests. Whether he would have done the same in a normal place was up for debate. Even someone as hard-headed as he was understood that fighting here would be dangerous.

Not long after, a T-Rex dinosaur, an ancient behemoth of unimaginable proportions appeared in the distance, casting a shadow like a mountain come alive. Its thunderous footsteps shook the ground beneath us, as its fiery breath engulfed the surrounding forest, turning lush greenery to ash.

Even all the way here, the air was thick with the scent of destruction and the remnants of the demons it ruthlessly devoured. With razor-sharp teeth and piercing eyes, the colossal creature seemed invincible.

"Why the hell is everything on this island so damn big?!" Anika exclaimed, annoyed.

The Strength Exorcist sighed. "This place is filled with so many ultimate class demons that you'd think lower class ones were rare or something. By the way, did any of you meet your future or past selves?"

We shook our heads, and he smiled. "Good, best not to engage with them. I once encountered my future self, playfully winked at him, and nearly died from Ord exhaustion. I was stuck here for days!"

Wait, days? How much earlier did he wash up on the shore than us? I didn't even bother questioning how someone could reach the shore faster than a ship. This world was full of bizarre things; but some were just too damn odd to ignore.

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"How did you arrive here so early?" I asked.

The Strength Exorcist shrugged. "Don't know for sure, the waves just brought me here. Then I met you guys, guarded your ship for a bit, and set off after a white-haired guy appeared before me, pointing toward the forest. That's when I encountered my future self and nearly died."

It was all pretty confusing. Who was the white-haired guy anyway? In this world, white-haired characters weren't necessarily elderly – it was just a common shounen trope.

Despite the confusion, I knew one thing about this island: worrying about the future or the past was futile. Time was a loop, unchangeable no matter what one did. I had to keep moving forward, considering those from the future and past as if they didn't exist.

The colossal dinosaur roared, spewing flames that scorched a nearby mountain. It then devoured the mountain and launched boulders like meteors at the sky, and some of those projectiles were about to land on us. Sei acted quickly, creating a mirror to protect us from the barrage.

The dinosaur demon didn't relent, continuing to unleash stones of such size that even Sei's Ord couldn't create a mirror large enough to shield us.

"That's some special ability bullshit," the Strength Exorcist grumbled, punching the ground and creating a large crack. He then lifted a giant rock from the ground and used it as a shield. "This is how real men do it!"

As the rock shield trembled under the dinosaur's attack, Sei used a mirror to fly up. He formed an enormous mirror, and his Ord surged, dimming the sun in the sky.

Well, this was something I didn’t know about. What was Sei up to?

During these uncertain times, whenever I found myself unsure, I activated Perfect Me to analyze the situation. It turned off almost immediately, as it comprehended what was happening in an instant.

Sei... You damn genius bastard.

After nearly a full minute, the dinosaur finally noticed Sei's mirror as it looked up. Then, opening its mouth, flames came spilling out. However, before the attack could land on him, Sei swiftly created another smaller mirror in front of himself. The mirror emitted a blinding light and shot an attack at light speed.

Sei swung the mirror skillfully, slicing the flaming attack in two and decapitating the giant dinosaur as though it were made of butter. By using the larger mirror to absorb and then enhance the light with Ord, he had produced a more potent, concentrated attack that was capable of slaying an ultimate class demon.

Impressive. It appeared that Sei had also reached a stage where he could kill an ultimate class demon on his own.

"What?" Anika said smugly, addressing the Strength Exorcist. "Did I hear someone talking crap about special abilities?"

Come on, Anika, you are a lady. Don’t swear more than a sailor.

I felt a bit responsible for her behavior, as she had been spending so much time around me and the boys, talking as if we didn’t even have a lady amongst us.

Sei dismissed his mirror, floated down, and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed even he hadn't been entirely certain this plan would work.

***

The Empress, the second strongest exorcist, shifted uncomfortably under her thick coat and face mask, using Ord to cool her body down slightly as she stared at the ominous forest. As a Warrior, her instincts told her that there was something dangerously amiss on this island.

She couldn't help but wonder why her teacher had instructed her to come here and look after Kon. From what she had observed so far, he didn't seem like he needed protection. Was her teacher grooming him to be her successor? After all, Kon had inherited the prestigious title of the 12th Ranked Exorcist, known as The Hanged Man, who had defeated her teacher in the first generation and ascended to become the third Sage.

Maybe she should just go and have some fun? The allure of testing her abilities in the forest tempted her. What warrior wouldn't feel drawn to such a challenge? However, she knew her duty was to keep watch over the ship. Regardless of whether they accomplished their objectives on the island, their mission would be a failure if they couldn't return.

Unexpectedly, a voice called out to her from the shore, and she turned to see the Strength Exorcist. Waving back, she immediately felt her Ord deplete. As per her knowledge, this man should be from the past. But hadn't the individual who washed up on the shore already ventured into the forest? Why was he back so soon?

"Go into the forest, look after Kon," the Strength Exorcist instructed, and with that, his Ord seemed to drain from him, leaving him gasping for breath as he leaned on the ship.

Frowning, The Empress decided to take action. She leaped down, swiftly struck the Strength Exorcist's neck, rendering him unconscious, and pulled him back onto the deck. Addressing the others on board, she said, "Look after him. Be cautious when interacting with him. I'm going in there."

Though some looked as though they wanted to protest, no one spoke up. They all knew the purpose of their mission, and the grim likelihood of death hung heavily over them.

With resolve, she leaped down and sprinted towards the forest at full speed. She removed her face mask, revealing her face, and her Ord surged exponentially.

"Tch, if I keep revealing myself like this, what man would ever consider marrying me? How disgraceful," she muttered under her breath. Nevertheless, she understood the practicality of her actions.

After running several hundred meters, she abruptly stopped, sensing someone staring at her. She followed the gaze and found a man with red eyes, his crimson pupils slit like a cat's. His long silver hair flowed, and a hole in his shirt exposed his heart.

"Who are you?" she demanded, only to feel her Ord plummet to below half.

Damn! Someone from the future!