Volume 1 Chapter 37 Invasion IV： Snake Crying
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Naoshi runs, kicking up waves.
He dodges the head of the snake that comes at him with a whoosh, jumping to the right, but another head quickly follows.
”Whoa, whoa, cut me some slack, will ya?”
He jumps again to the right, but now a huge tail is sliding toward him.
He lands and then jumps back a few meters to avoid it.
His moves are simple but effective, but to the giant snake, they’re just light jabs, like a quick kick after a punch.
The size difference forces Naoshi to use his whole body, making him move several times farther to dodge.
It’s hard work, and he really doesn’t want to take another hit.
”I ain’t signed up for fightin’ kaiju, y’know!”
Looking back at history, there were indeed battles with giant creatures described as “mountain-like.” But that’s all in the past.
There’s no room for such monsters or mysteries to exist here and now──literally.
So, for Naoshi, fighting something this huge is a first.
”Let’s do this, then!”
But that doesn’t dampen his fighting spirit. With the speed of a storm, he charges right at the base of the two-headed snake.
His palm strike sends a shockwave, and the giant white snake definitely shakes from his hit.
”Ha!”
He jumps a few meters to kick the right head, using it as a springboard to leap to the left head, then kicks off that to move toward the tail.
Just a moment later, the snake’s fangs swipe through the air.
Landing on the snake’s back, Naoshi runs along its twisting body.
The tail whips around, trying to knock him off.
”Yes!”
He slides under it, grabbing onto the tail with his right hand.
Once he’s on solid ground, he grabs the snake’s body with his left hand too.
”Oh, oh, this ain’t easy, huh?”
Naoshi feels spirit energy (reiki) flowing through him, creating sparks that burn the air.
The giant snake stiffens, and for a moment, there’s a balance of power between him and the snake.
”Aw man, this ain’t happenin’.”
Saying that, Naoshi relaxes his grip and lets go.
As the tail swings up, he pulls his fingers out of the snake.
Using the momentum, he leaps back, creating distance again.
He lands with a splash, bouncing lightly on the water’s surface.
The two heads of the snake slowly move up and down, tracking his movements.
──The enemy is big, heavy, and strong.
There might be more surprises hidden up its sleeve, but for now, he can handle it.
However, it’s not easy to land a serious blow on the snake.
If he speeds up, he might have a chance, but that also means he risks getting hit back.
He could try to wear it down, but that would take time and could tire him out.
”I hate askin’ for favors, but guess I gotta rely on that sword-swinger after all.”
In the end, he knows he has to depend on Itsuki’s sword, which is waiting somewhere for the right moment.
So, to create an opening while he still has energy, a quick fight is the best plan.
”Time to make a big splash!”
Once he decides, he acts fast.
In the quiet waters, countless lightning bolts burst forth.
Naoshi’s extra spirit energy flows out, turning into lightning that dances across the water’s surface.
It starts to weave together, forming a cage around the giant snake.
”I’m comin’ at ya, full speed!!”
Without waiting for a response, Naoshi is already running.
The sounds and impacts shake the air and the reeds, creating a storm in the underground space that takes on a human form.
”Here we go!”
With a loud bang, the right head of the snake flies up.
In the next moment, the left head bends sharply.
The air shakes again, and the snake’s body starts to sway left and right, moving in a circle.
No, it’s actually trying to shake off Naoshi, who is desperately trying to hold on and not get thrown off.
”Even if I shut my eyes, I can land a punch! So take this──!”
Naoshi’s fist slammed into the giant snake’s body, and the impact created a small space where lightning flashed and tiny thunder rumbled.
The snake twisted and turned, using its 2 heads to try to stop Naoshi, looking like it was going crazy and hurting itself.
It coiled around, trying to crush its prey inside, but Naoshi’s hits messed up its movements, making its fangs snap at nothing.
The snake splashed around, creating huge waves, and just getting caught in that would probably be enough to take out a person or most creatures.
”Yeah──!”
But Kazuramichi Naoshi stood his ground──no, he ran around and attacked the ayakashi instead.
The giant snake, furious, kept trying to bite the prey it had wrapped up in its long body.
Naoshi dodged its attacks and jumped out of the tightening circle, landing some solid hits on the snake, even if they weren’t the final blow.
”──!”
The snake twisted again.
Its body was now moving in a way to trap Naoshi, trying to crush and smash him.
But Naoshi kept moving forward, dodging everything.
They kept crossing paths, barely missing each other.
Naoshi’s left shoulder got torn, and blood soaked his shoulder.
”Heh…!”
His throat made a sound, and his eyes narrowed sharply.
A wicked grin appeared on his face.
The chaos the snake was causing was something no human could handle.
But now, he was fighting back head-on.
He felt like this was making him stronger.
Bring it on! Show me more of your power──!.
”──Shatter the Moon!”
A calm voice cut through the excitement.
A shooting star shot up into the sky, shining brightly.
Naoshi’s friend Itsuki, who had been forgotten in the heat of the moment, managed to slice off one of the snake’s heads just as planned.
”──!”
The snake, now missing a head, let out a shrill cry.
Red rain poured down around them.
In that moment, Naoshi and the giant snake locked eyes.
”Surprise attacks, sneak attacks, tricking the enemy──Fightin’ ayakashi’s all about trickin’ ‘em. Sorry for usin’ a cheap shot!”
The snake’s square face looked shocked, like it couldn’t believe what was happening.
Maybe it was feeling something unusual, like the thrill of fighting a huge creature that seemed like it belonged in a myth──
”Bah, don’t overthink it.”
To shake off those thoughts, Naoshi forced a laugh.
But he knew that was a mistake, a sign of overconfidence.
In a fight, being too cocky always gets you punished.
The price for that was the snake’s head rolling away, and from its open mouth came a sudden attack.
”──!?”
Naoshi quickly crossed his arms to protect his face.
He felt something wet on his arms, then an intense heat and pain overwhelmed him.
”Ahhh──!?”
Naoshi screamed as he got splashed with the snake’s poisonous liquid.
He could hear and smell his flesh burning.
Panicking, he threw himself to the ground and plunged his arms into shallow water, but even there, steam started rising again.
”Ugh, ugh──!”
It felt like countless needles were stabbing into his skin.
But he didn’t have time to just curl up and suffer.
The snake still had one head left.
He rolled on the ground to dodge its attacks, soaked and trying to create some distance.
”──Damn it! That head’s shaped like a rat snake’s, ain’t it? It shouldn’t have poison! Even givin’ it the biggest benefit of the doubt, only them foreign snakes spit poison──!”
”You sure know a lot. When did you become a snake expert?”
As Naoshi got back up while grumbling, Itsuki, who had been running around the snake’s head to distract it, spoke with a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
”Now ain’t the time for jokes, ya hear me!? Ugh…!”
”You seem to be handling it pretty well, though.”
Naoshi’s left arm looked straight again, but it hung limply, showing he still couldn’t use it.
So, he had managed to take off the snake’s head with just his right arm.
”Like hell I am! I’m barely keepin’ it together! Damn thing hurts too much to even channel spirit power…!”
”What about the curse? Do you think we can cut it off before it gets worse?”
”Are you crazy!? I ain’t a lizard that can just chop off a limb willy-nilly!”
”If it’s life or death, we can’t just ignore it… but if you think you can handle it, then fine. For now, just leave it to me──.”
Luckily, the giant snake was now focused on Itsuki.
Both of them were in bad shape──one had lost a head, and the other had a seriously hurt arm. They were both waiting for the right moment to attack, being careful not to make a mistake.
”Not a chance, ya fool──!”
Ignoring the tense situation, Naoshi kicked the head of the snake that had just lost its other head, using his legs since his arms weren’t working.
The head flew and hit the still-living head of the snake, causing chaos.
Suddenly, the balance of the fight changed, and the battle was on.
Itsuki sighed as he dodged the snake’s fangs gracefully.
”Naoshi, come on…”
”Our family’s got a rule: ya fight back no matter what!”
”Can your arm move at all?”
”I got my legs! And if that don’t work, I’ll just bite it!”
”Well, if that works for you, then okay.”
With a quick move, Itsuki did a flip in the air.
The snake’s poison splashed past him.
Naoshi couldn’t use both arms, and Itsuki couldn’t use his left arm well.
Meanwhile, the giant snake had lost a head and was covered in wounds. The snake was hurt badly, but Naoshi and Itsuki were getting tired too.
Considering that──.
(Seems like we’re finally on even ground.)
They had already prepared for the worst, leaving it to Suzuri.
The snake probably didn’t have any more tricks up its sleeve.
The moment of weakness that let the curse hit them was a great chance for the snake, but it didn’t take advantage of it.
Now, they just had to fight with everything they had.
”Time to get some payback, big time!”
Naoshi shouted and charged at the snake. He got close and kicked it hard.
It felt like kicking a rocky cliff.
”Take that!”
His heel went through the snake’s scales and hit its flesh.
He kicked the snake’s tail and jumped back onto its back.
”Whoa, hold on…!”
But the snake seemed to have figured out how to deal with him, or maybe it was because he couldn’t use his arms. He was thrown off in less than ten seconds.
”──!”
The snake didn’t even look at Naoshi as it stretched high into the sky.
Itsuki was climbing up to a dizzying height, and the snake was chasing after him.
”Perfect timing!”
The snake’s belly was wide open and unprotected.
Naoshi jumped towards it, using only his leg strength to reach the same height he had when he threw Suzuri.
”Yes──!”
He felt a heavy, solid sensation under his feet.
Instead of slicing, he smashed through.
The impact shook the snake, creating a deadly opening.
”Itsuki──!”
”I got it, don’t worry!”
While dodging the poison curses that flew at him like butterflies, the young man sheathed his sword.
He took a firm step forward, ready to attack.
”Crescent Moon!”
The blade, drawn from its sheath, left a shining trail like a shooting star.
The finishing move was quick and bright.
After that, only the other head of the snake lay cut off.
No, even that quickly crumbled away, turning into a dark mist that disappeared.
”Right, what ’bout that other person──?”
He tried to sense the spirit energy, but it seemed weak from the fight, and Naoshi couldn’t feel it anymore.
He looked at Itsuki, who shook his head sadly.
”──I see.”
In the crumbling remains of the snake, there was probably a core that had been lost, and the exorcist was nowhere to be found.
The last big chunk that looked like a human head quickly scattered away.
A death that left no human shape wasn’t unusual for an exorcist.
Naoshi sighed, feeling both relieved about the victory and disappointed that they lost a clue in this fight.
”Well, not much else we coulda done. Good job, I guess──!?”
While saying some encouraging words, he lifted his heavy right arm.
In that moment, his instincts told him to pull back.
”Tch…!”
A quick slash cut across his chest.
He pressed his hand against the wound, but blood started to flow out.
”──As expected, nice reflexes.”
The person who made the cut, Mibu Itsuki, spoke in his usual calm voice.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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