Just A Reincarnation Story (Summoning Japan Edition)

Chapter 42-X: █[R]██[OGUE] - I'll Remember You

Meteos slowly opened his eyes after what felt like a very long time of slumber and was greeted by the same eerily beautiful starlit expanse that had accompanied his bizarre and very much lucid dream experience—

"Hnnggg......... huh, wha—aaaargh!? Everything... hurts...!" he cried out in agony. It was the first of a series of painful screams that echoed through this ethereal scape.

Vividly etched in Meteos' mind were the remnants of that fight, wherein each move, every blow, and the emotional turmoil of his elder doppelganger—the uncertainty now lingering as to whether this was but a figment within his dream—surfaced with the force of an unstoppable deluge. Memories surged forth, inundating his mind. With a sudden surge of pain and nausea, Meteos violently thrashed in his supine position, as if every sinew and bone within his being had shattered. Even with Rogue's power, how could his soul endure Kagaseo's beatdown for so long? Was his resolve to reincarnate truly so unyielding? What's even the drive? The Sin of Envy?

But if he did not, the only other option was a fate worse than death...

Yes. Now that their memories seemingly merged, Meteos now recognized his post-reincarnation self and the one who transformed into Rogue to fight a god as one unified entity. The two distinct aspects of his being intertwined, as if the missing fragments of his soul's journey had now been unveiled. Oh, and the alleged fact that the existence of mortals serves as entertainment purposes for those so-called higher beings caused him so much distress within a span of a few seconds. The pain coursing through his body seemed to intensify in response to this, exacerbating his suffering to an even worse degree.

'That bastard paleface... to think he would dump this unnecessary existential crisis on me!'

Amidst the rasping cadence of his breath and the tormented cries that escaped his lips, Meteos inwardly seethed at the instigator of it all. However, as one who had long held reverence for the entity known as "Kagaseo" in his world—the August Star of Heaven—discomfort gnawed at him when considering the cursing of that god's supposed name. Instead, he settled for a derogatory term used by the natives of his world to denigrate the Light-Winged Devils who happened to be just as pale as that Star God.

"If you think that you've died in your sleep and ended up in an afterlife again, don't worry. This is still your Angel Fruit-induced dreamspace. You're still dreaming."

Kagaseo's voice nonchalantly commented as the Star God's face peered down at him from the corner of his vision.

"You...!"

"Yo," the paleface smirked while making a mock salute.

"What... do you want... with me?"

"The hell you're asking me for? It was the fruit that brought your consciousness to my turf. I simply come around to check—and mess around with things that come here... Nah, I'm just kidding. As the god who reincarnated you, I took the opportunity to bring you here to talk. Think of it as like a revelation that prophets receive in their dreams."

"What's even the point...? Anyone who consumes the Angel Fruit is said to forget their dreams—"

"I'm a god, you idiot, and this is just a dream. Why do you think my blessing should be denied by a fucking fruit?" Kagaseo retorted in irritation.

Meteos held his tongue. In his fury, he almost forgot that he is in the presence of this Kagaseo, who in spite of how annoying he is, is still a god. It's normally unwise to badmouth one, even if said god is an asshole.

"Also, can you stop screaming? It's noisy."

"Rrrngh...!" Even the motion of moving his fingers hurts. However, Meteos complied. "Then... why do you make me... suffer this way...?"