Return of the Fallen Volume 11 Chapter 33
Marty was running back and forth calling out in excitement. There was junk or in her eye treasure as far as the eye could see. While Marty was diving into one pile after another, Kazuki was casually looking around.
(How can there be so much trash in one place? Who put it all here and why?)
As he was walking around looking here and there, something caught his eye. Kazuki saw a strange piece of junk sticking out of a particular pile and bent down and picked it up. It was shaped like a triangle but the three points were curved. The middle of this strange object bulged a bit as if it had something inside.
Kazuki sent a bit of ki inside and found several crystals embedded within.
(What type of tech is this? It looks like it’s a part of something else but what?)
Kazuki began looking around to satisfy his own curiosity while Marty was basically bouncing off the walls trudging through one pile after another.
Marty pulled something out of another pile and her eyes lit up as she shouted.
“Jentson look! doesn’t this look like the missing piece from
*BANG*
Before she could finish her sentence something struck her in the back and sent her flying into one of the pillars. The pillar broke and crumbled and she fell hard to the ground. Marty immediately jumped to her feet but she was clearly hurt. Her head was bleeding badly but it soon closed. Still, she did not look good.
She wanted to warn Kazuki but she already knew what had attacked her and her lips remained sealed. Kazuki as well quickly became aware and he was instantly on guard. He formed a barrier of ki around his body and he peered into the darkness.
Several piles the size of hills quickly tumbled and small avalanches of junk flowed like a river as not just one but two giant sandworms crept out from behind a bunch of junk. Their fins moved back and forth as they searched for their prey. Kazuki and Marty already knew what to do. These things could sense movement and sound as well as souls. With their souls blanketed with ki and them remaining perfectly still without a peep, all basis were covered.
The giant sandworms slithered to and fro and because of this they continuously knocked over this or that. This allowed many distractions as their attention was constantly pulled in multiple directions due to their own incompetence but this also left Marty and Kazuki in a bind.
(There thrashing wildly. If we don’t make a move soon, they end up crashing into us. With that much force, it could really fuck us. Marty is putting on a strong expression but she already said she was weakened due to using her soul weapon. It was obvious when her wound did not heal instantly. We need to retreat or make them retreat.)
Kazuki wished he could communicate directly into Marty’s mind but he could not sue that without the worms sensing it.
(Forget it, first, let’s see if we can change their direction.)
Kazuki picked up a random piece of junk with his ki before launching it a few hundred feet away. The piece of junk flew threw the air and landed on the floor with a low thud but this did nothing. The worms were simply making too much noise.
(If they are that distracted by their own mess, surely I can move.)
Kazuki was about to take a step to the side when two more giant sandworms entered this large room. Only now did he notice a large hole off to the side. Because of its strange shape, it was hidden all too well. It was like it was naturally camouflaged due to all debris and piles of junk. Kazuki simply hadn’t noticed it. Now though it was like he couldn’t unsee it.
With four giant sandworms, things were not looking good. They were surrounded and because the first two made so much racket, it drew the other two sandworms to search around. If Kazuki made a move, if he took a single step, the worm right next to him would notice right away.
(I have to get blood into its nostrils but its mouth is shut.)
*Bam*
An entire hill of scrap and junk was knocked over causing all four sandworms to go wild. They thrashed their large bodies back and forth and the situation was getting more and more dangerous. Several pieces of junk came flying at both Marty and Kazuki and a few even struck them in the face and body. Some of this scrap was made from strange materials that were incredibly tough. Kazuki felt a few pieces of scrap penetrate his flesh and carve up his insides.
Kazuki grit his teeth but he endured it all. This much pain, he could handle. Kazuki pushed these pieces out of his body with his ki and tossed them away with his energy.
(My healing factor is much better than most so I can take this. Marty though may have to use her energy to heal such wounds and she doesn’t have much left. Hopefully, Marty will catch on the moment I make a move. I’ll release a small amount of aura which should make the worm closest to me open its mouth. As soon a sit does I’ll toss some blood into its mouth and it should retreat like the others.)
Kazuki decided to make a move.
He let a small bit of his ki barrier down and released a fraction of his aura to draw the attention of the closest worm. The moment he did this though he immediately encountered trouble. The Wrom did in fact open its mouth but without even turning in his directino, it began to devour his aura.
Kazuki’s eyes went wide in shcok.
(What, without even turning my way, this bastard!)
He severed the connection by cutting off a part of his aura but that only helped for a split second as the giant sandworm simply inhaled deeper and his soul once again began to get eaten. Kazuki felt his soul start to get torn to pieces and he felt his body grow weak as he fell to his knees.
(No.)
He tried to sever his soul again but he could only feel weakness overtaking him. He circulated his ki as fast as possible and tried to block the worm’s suction but he could barely muster any power while his soul was experiencing such excruciating pain. He could feel his soul shrinking rapidly and he felt the embrace of death as his vision darkened.
Suddenly his vision was filled with bright light and he heard Marty roar.
“THIRTEEN STRIKES OF HEAVEN!”
All at once thirteen bolts of lightning struck. Marty flashed forward and scooped Kazuki up before his vision went black.
“DAMNIT ALL, WAKE UP JENTSON!”
Kazuki heard Marty’s scream in his ear and his eyes snapped open. He was in her arms and she was running as fast as possible up some stairs. Kazuki recognized these stairs, they were the ones that were several miles long connecting the A.I. room to the junk room.
“Why are we on the stairs?”
“ARE YA STILL HALF ASLEEP!? WAKE YOUR ASS UP AND MOVE YOUR OWN DAMN LEGS ALREADY!”
Kazuki could see that Marty was covered in blood and mucus. She had deep gashes and cuts all over and even though she was moving fast, Kazuki could tell she had a limp. Only now did he recall what had just happened. He had sorely miscalculated. He was basing his actions on what he knew about the smaller sandworms. In reality, the giant sandworms could devour a person’s soul without even looking at them and could eat it at such a rate that it could literally knock you on your ass in seconds. Kazuki could still feel some weakness but the moment Marty screamed at him, he sent a surge of ki into his body and jumped out of her grasp, and began rushing up the steps with her.
The moment he did this, he heard a roar behind him, and only now that his feet were on the steps could he feel them trembling as something heavy was rushing its way up right behind them.
“How many are chasing us!?”
“Glad to see ya finally got your shit together. Looks like all four. Haven’t cared to look back ya know seeing as I’m running for my life.”
Kazuki and Marty continued to run upward and the worms were gaining. Suddenly the path in front crumbled as a giant sandworm came through.
“DON’T STOP!”
Marty shouted at Kazuki before stabbing her sword forward. A single bolt of lightning struck forward and hit the sandworm before it could open its mouth. This knocked it back slightly opening a gap big enough for Kazuki and Marty to get past. As they raced up the steps more pieces fell from the ceiling and they had to dodge that while being chased.
“CAN YOU CALL YOUR GLIDER FROM HERE LIKE YOU DID BACK AT THE TOWER!?”
“NO, WE ARE FAR TOO DEEP AND OUT OF RANGE!”
“SO WHAT DO WE DO!?”
“JUST KEEP RUNNING! I’LL TELL YA IF I FIGURE IT OUT!”
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