Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?

Chapter 2005: Of Gods And Dragons

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”Well, most of my siblings have never been interested,” explained Ignatius. ”They usually stay on their own lands in the Demon Continent. A few weirdos do something different from time to time, though. Like that dumb Leviathan, one of my cousins from the Sea Dragon Family. He became the last Demon King’s Demon Lord of the Sea and fought against the Heroes alongside the Demons.”

”Leviathan...” I muttered, remembering the only time I had met him. When we were attacked by that damned skeleton, he had saved Aquarina’s life, protecting her despite everything. ”He was a kindhearted dragon deep down. He even went out of his way to protect Aquarina long ago.”

”...” Ignatius shook his head and clicked his tongue. ”Tsk.”

”He reincarnated as Aquarina’s current sea dragon spirit, right?” Yggdra asked. ”Well, it wasn’t as if he had a terrible ending. Although he might not remember his past memories...”

”I wouldn’t call it a reincarnation. More like Leviathan’s child,” I said. ”But that happened a while ago. Let’s not dwell on it.”

”Yeah, yeah. Anyway, regarding the dragons themselves, several are still doing their own things,” sighed Ignatius. ”Like the family that allied with Yggdrasil and has been protecting it ever since. They’re the Nature Dragons, Fairy Dragons, and Earth Dragons.”

”I-I have never heard of those before!” I muttered.

”Well, their existence isn’t entirely known to the public, I believe,” Ignatius shrugged. ”Something about protecting them or whatever. I don’t know the details. In any case, I was also... an outlier. I roamed the world seeking challenges to grow stronger. I wasn’t even a Demon Lord or anything.”

”Yeah, I know. You were just young and stupid,” I laughed.

”I-I wasn’t!” he groaned angrily. ”I... Ah, who am I lying to? I was indeed stupid and inexperienced. Now I’m stuck like this, a damn spirit...”

”And forever an egg,” Beelzebub mocked him.

”You’re nobody to talk, damn fly—or should I say cute butterfly?!” Ignatius shot back with a laugh.

”Laugh all you want, but Sylphy promised she would make me the strongest Demon Lord. I’m patiently waiting for her to keep that promise. She doesn’t seem to break them!” Beelzebub laughed.

”Indeed, I won’t break it. Eventually you will govern all other demons, Beelzebub,” I nodded.

”Hahahaha!” Beelzebub laughed with wicked delight. ”You should’ve asked her for something better, idiot.”

”Damn it!” Ignatius complained. ”I just want to evolve! LET ME EVOLVE!”

”Not yet! Ugh, be patient!” I said sharply. ”Patience is a virtue after all, Ignatius.”

”Ugh, fine, fine!” he groaned, crossing his tiny arms in frustration.

”Also, you’re the one forcing yourself into that tiny baby dragon form. You could always take your true current evolved form,” I explained.

”I know, but I dislike it!” he said angrily. ”It looks more like an adolescent dragon and it drains my energy. I might as well stay small and quick!”

”You’re such a prick. You really can never be satisfied, can you?” Furoh sighed.

”Who are you calling a prick, you shapeshifter?!” Ignatius barked.

”Heh. Unlike you, I have already come to terms with myself and no longer feel conflicted,” Furoh explained confidently. He took on Ignatius’s appearance and poked his nose with a finger.

”Don’t take my form!” Ignatius groaned, releasing flames everywhere.

I decided to ignore their banter and return to the main conversation, focusing on the last thing that had truly piqued my curiosity.

”About the Demon King and the Heroes, you could say it’s the form of war the gods wage against the world—a slow one,” explained Nephilim.

”Yeah,” Armageddon agreed. ”It’s just a constant cycle of death and destruction with no real end or purpose other than to represent the two factions: the gods and the planet’s life. You are all forced to fight and die. It’s a cold war of sorts, and you’re nothing but pawns. The real players sit back and wait for the other side to grow tired. They’ve been at this for millions of years.”

I nodded as everything finally clicked into place. ”I always knew we were like pawns to them, but this puts the entire conflict in a whole new light. I guess that’s just one more reason why we shouldn’t obey anything they say and should live our own lives as we please.”

”Technically, that’s not entirely accurate either,” said Nephilim. ”It’s not the gods who force you. They grant a blessing and tell you what to do, but they cannot simply take over your bodies... well, not without meeting specific requirements. What truly forces Heroes to fight and Demon Kings to defend their people is culture and society. Societal pressure pushes the chosen ones into their roles. They often start out weak, so if they refuse, the powerful figures who control society and obey the gods will simply kill the young Hero. Then the god retrieves the blessing and chooses someone else.”

”...Ah.” I fell silent for a moment.

”The reason things haven’t changed the way you might expect is because this society that obeys the gods so strictly has existed for as long as anyone can remember...” Armageddon groaned. ”Though it might not seem like it, the Church of the Gods controls most of the world. Even the Elven Kingdom wasn’t completely free of them and had cooperated with the Church since ancient times—until recently, when your grandfather made your Kingdom autonomous from it. The churches still exist everywhere, but no religious figure controls the people anymore. Thus... Heroes born on this continent are relatively safe, I think. However, what about Heroes born elsewhere? Such as on the Human Continent? Hm? Hahaha! Well, they will go through hell.”

”I guess... I never asked my parents about this,” I sighed. ”I think my dad was somewhat forced into being a Hero. Aquarina’s mom too. They had no real say in the matter and couldn’t fight back because they were too young or not strong enough yet. But we are different, at least we Heroes living here. We can fight back. Even if the Church appears one day, they will have to face all of us together if they want to force us into anything.”

”Exactly,” Yggdra said. ”Anyway, that’s more or less the situation. However, I wanted to talk with you about something else as well, Sylphy. This war that has dragged on for so long—although it may look like they only use pawns on the surface—now that we are stepping into the world of gods and have been invited to the Avalonian Court, we might have to participate far more actively in this endless conflict.”

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