Volume 12 Chapter 29 The Secret Of The Snake
Jormungand seemed to have taken a huge hit from the meteor I dropped. He appeared to be knocked out cold.
"Ugh, ah..."
With a thud, his massive body fell down. The sound was so loud that the ruins beneath him shattered even more. His size was truly terrifying.
"I guess the time-buying tactic worked out okay."
When I turned around, I saw the giant body of Typhon slowly disappearing in the distance. Mudi's trick must be done now.
"It would be nice if Jormungand just stayed quiet..."
I looked at Jormungand. He seemed limp and appeared to be not moving at all.
With this, I felt a bit relieved. I thought so.
"...No."
I reconsidered.
"Jormungand has been smart ever since Mung took over his head. I should check with the Ajna chakra just in case."
"Hey, Wade-san, you let your guard down a bit!"
Jormungand suddenly shot up. He headbutted me. I was caught off guard but barely dodged it.
"Whoa! You tricked me!"
"Take that!"
"What!?"
The liquid Jormungand spat out came rushing at me. It was a poisonous color. ――Poison! Just as I tried to dodge it further...
"Too bad! I can't spit poison yet! That was just saliva!"
"———."
I got hit by his tail waiting for me after dodging.
"Ugh!"
I flew away with incredible force. I braced myself for a follow-up attack.
But it didn't come.
No follow-up attack, and I just kept flying away.
"...Huh? Why?"
Just a moment ago, I would have definitely acted that way. A small sense of discomfort. But considering that Jormungand is clever, the meaning changes.
And I realize.
――I get blown away, my body falling apart, and crash into some unknown rubble.
I become a mass of flesh, staining the ground.
But the second heart, Anahata chakra, can revive me from here. I regenerate my body and quickly stand up, thinking about the situation.
"Why? Why did he push me away at this timing?"
I think. But I reach the premise of how deeply I should analyze this.
So, to consider how much Jormungand understands and how cautious I should be, I briefly dedicate my thoughts to a simulation.
"Jormungand is clever. So, when he was dealing with me earlier, was it not because he was lured by my decoy, but because he had a plan?"
I think from Jormungand's perspective. Why did he engage with me?
...The possibility that he anticipated the invisibility comes to mind. Whether it was about invisibility or not, he might have seen that I was preparing for him to not easily defeat Typhon.
If that's the case, then forcing my decoy and getting close involves risks.
If I approaches carelessly and Mudi finishes preparing before he can defeat me, he would be attacked by Typhon right away because he's too close. So he took the bait of my provocation.
He must have judged that it was a better chance of winning, knowing everything.
"...That makes sense. Then, I should think deeper about why he blew me away."
The reason he pushed me away. It was because I was in the way. But, thinking about how much of an obstacle I was changes the story.
Did he see my great magic as a threat? No, that seems weak. It is a threat in reality, but Summon Meteor can hit even from a distance.
And Jormungand probably understands that too. Summon Meteor is clearly a long-range technique. Just because he pushed me away, it doesn't mean I can't use meteors anymore. Phew, I can relax, right?
So, if magic is a threat, meaning I was a threat in terms of combat power, then he didn't push me away because of that.
Then, what is it? What did he see as dangerous about me?
For Jormungand, if he crush me, I would be stunned for a while, so it would be easier to keep me close.
If there's a reason to push me away despite that advantage, what could it be?
"...Information."
Jormungand was worried that I, being close, might notice information about the approaching Typhons that he couldn't see from far away.
It's probably not difficult information. It's not about strategy or anything like that. It's something I would figure out quickly if I were nearby, so they feared I would find out and pushed me away.
I think for a moment and realize.
"――Can you see him?"
I look up. I don't know where the Typhons are. On the other hand, Jormungand is facing me but isn't moving toward me.
――It's as if he's hiding his preparation to counterattack.
I'm sure of it.
"This guy can see the Typhon!"
I wonder why. Then, suddenly, I remember something about snakes from my past life.
Pit organs.
The snake has poor eyesight. However, it can accurately perceive its surroundings because it has pit organs that detect heat sources.
In other words, Jormungand can notice Typhon's approach without relying on sight.
"―――――!"
I've been hit. I grit my teeth. That was clever. With just a simple attack, he has put me in a tough spot.
I rub my communication ring. But in this situation, Clay and Mudi seem afraid of being detected by Jormungand through sound, so they don't respond.
"But Jormungand can't hear us! You know how bad his hearing is! Damn it!"
I curse. But I don't have time for that.
"Think."
I need to find a way to get my information to Typhon. Otherwise, if we let our guard down, we'll all be crushed this time. We'll lose any chance of defeating Jormungand.
Should I rush to convey the information to Typhon? In this long distance, can I make it in time even at full speed? Even if it's invisible, I could probably find it with the Ajna chakra, but would that be enough to reset the situation?
I spin my thoughts around. A crisis. A pinch. I clench my teeth hard, glare at Jormungand, and think, think, think――――
I come up with an idea.
"...That's it. I can use this situation."
I activate my Ajna chakra first.
Then, I successfully spot Typhon running through the wilderness. He's moving at quite a speed. It's likely that I won't catch up if I try to close the distance normally.
But I've already accounted for that. I take off running, using gravity magic to gain momentum, and fly straight toward Jormungand.
From here on, it's all about luck. I have a plan, but I'm not sure how well it will work. If it doesn't work, I'm definitely going to lose. It's a tight battle.
Ah.
"I can't take it anymore!"
I burst into a big smile and suddenly fall to the side.
There's one thing I need to check. The timing of when Jormungand will move against the approaching Typhon.
Jormungand has created a situation that is almost a checkmate for our side.
The only way out is my awareness. From his perspective, he probably can't notice it at all, and even if he does, there's almost no way to break through.
So, he is relaxed right now. Just like our Clay.
That's why he pretends to look at me and wait for Typhon to get closer. Typhon is just about to jump at Jormungand.
Estimated time left... 3, 2, 1.
"Alright, it's time to fight, Jormungand."
Jormungand starts to move. Not towards me, but towards Typhon.
"!?"
The one who was shaken by that was Typhon. He was seen through, even though he was supposed to be invisible, and they instinctively hit the brakes to stop.
In that moment of stiffness, Jormungand tries to strike with his tail.
"Hehehe! Being careless is a big mistake!"
Jormungand's tail, bending like a huge whip, rushes towards Typhon. It's a life-or-death situation.
So, I struck there.
"Summon Meteor!"
My big magic rains down from the sky.
"Hehehehe! It's useless! Wade-san! It's too late for you to resist now!"
Jormungand was determined to push through, wagging his tail with even more force. If it was just one hit, Mudi could defend, but the tail was flexible. He was probably planning to strike again immediately.
And I couldn't help but smirk.
"Right? If things are going this well, you'd want to force it, wouldn't you?"
The meteor I summoned grazed Jormungand's nose instead of his skull and fell to the ground.
"Ugh!? That's hot!"
Jormungand recoiled in surprise. However, unlike before, it didn't take a concussion-level hit.
Instead, it took a much more serious blow.
"Hehe! You missed, Wade-san! So, does this mean my victory...?"
Jormungand, regaining his posture, showed confusion on his face. I grinned and thought, "Success."
Jormungand shouted,
"Why...!? Why can't I see?!"
From the distance I had finally closed, I extended Durandal and slashed at him.
"Well, if I burn your heat-sensing organs, you won't know where the invisible enemy is, right?!"
As I passed by, I slashed Jormungand's eye. "Gyaaaah!" Jormungand screamed.
Yes. The reason I didn't hit him directly with the meteor was for this.
The meteor was glowing red-hot from its speed. I thought that if I burned his pit organs with such a heated stone, it would hardly work anymore.
"Alright, Clay! Mudi! Typhon! From here on, it's your turn!"
When I called out, Mudi laughed, "Got it!"
"Looks like you've been thinking too much. Well, I'll tell you that I didn't need any of that!"
Jormungand's tail was hit hard by Mudi. In that moment, Typhon slipped under the floating tail and quickly got behind Jormungand.
"Wade-kun! Please!"
"Leave it to me, Clay!"
I poured all my remaining magic into lifting Typhon with gravity magic. Typhon jumped high and attacked from above where Jormungand wasn't paying attention.
"Damn it! Where are you! I won't go down easily!"
Even while shouting, Jormungand started to thrash around wildly. If Typhon got hit by that, it would be over, so I used gravity magic to launch Typhon even further, changing the timing of the attack.
I gritted my teeth. I was already past my limit. I desperately held on with the magic produced by my second brain, Sahasrara Chakra.
"I have to win here!"
Jormungand shouted while rampaging.
"There are people who want to accept a loser like me, a guy who has lived by sacrificing others, as family! If I don't meet their expectations, a sinner like me can never become family!"
I shouted back at him.
"Are you stupid? Rollo and the others have already accepted you as family, Jormungand! It's your problem that you can't properly accept that because you're sulking!"
At my angry shout, Jormungand's eyes widened. Then, he aimed at me and shouted, "Shut up!"
In other words...
For Typhon, it was the perfect moment to strike at the deadly Jormungand.
I threw away my chance to dodge and supported Typhon's attack. When the tail hit me, my body flew apart, but that was the least of my worries.
Typhon rushed in, following the magic of gravity. He raised the super huge Durandal high.
"Quake. Desertification."
With Clay's curse, intense vibrations and desertification magic filled the Durandal.
It was a blow powerful enough to wither even Jormungand's massive body.
While swinging it, Clay said,
"If you can fight with your life on the line, then that's already family, Mung-san."
Typhon and Durandal went for Jormungand's neck.
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