Chapter 578 Encounter Again, Executive [Poisonous Snake]
Huuuu――――――Hu――――――
The powerful force brought smoke and dust that slowly dissipated. Satō Shin’ichi waved his hand to clear the dust before him, his chest heaving like a city wall, while a small stone wrapped in dark blue energy floated in front of the young boy.
His eyes were subconsciously drawn to the energy portal beside him, which flickered with an eerie green glow. A trace of confusion crossed Satō Shin’ichi’s gaze; this familiar appearance and energy fluctuation belonged to the member of the Dark Group he had previously clashed with, [Viper].
The young boy’s brain quickly processed the situation before him.
[The ability of that crack is unknown, but they seem to want to use this portal to reach the sealed place. All I need to do is stop them from entering!]
Shoo――――――Shoo――――――Shoo――
The sound of cutting through the air reached his ears, and Satō Shin’ichi subconsciously jumped back, narrowly avoiding several poisonous snakes that lunged at him from the shadows. He then stomped his foot heavily on the ground, neutralizing the snake attack that had emerged from below. As he raised his head, he looked toward the figure slowly emerging from the shadows.
“Hey, I’m telling you, it hurts a lot! You really didn’t hold back.”
A tall young man with long hair gradually revealed himself from the shadows, appearing completely unconcerned. He lazily held his upside-down head that had tumbled down from the impact, adjusting it as he gazed at Satō Shin’ichi with his bizarre dual-colored eyes glittering with an ominous light.
“You are…”
“[Poisonous Snake]!!!”
The familiar attack style, the familiar appearance and tone made Satō Shin’ichi instantly recall a memory of an enemy he had fought before—back when this guy had a normal form and they had an easy scuffle at the academy. Back then, limited by his ordinary form’s strength, he had suffered considerably. If it hadn’t been for his years of training that allowed him to relocate his heart, he could have sustained serious injuries.
She Cangya tilted her head slightly, a smirk forming on his lips, his eerie dual-colored eyes appearing even more enchanting under the eerie green glow. His voice was lazy and casual, as if viewing Satō Shin’ichi as nothing more than an insignificant insect.
“Relax, relax. Unfortunately, I don’t know you, so could you do me a favor and die?”
Before he finished his words, a massive snake’s mouth burst forth from the ground beneath Satō Shin’ichi’s feet, swallowing the young boy who was still standing in place. The fangs of the snake glinted coldly, and the breath exhaled from its mouth washed over Satō Shin’ichi, plunging him into an endless darkness.
“Tsk, so boring.”
She Cangya pouted, stretching lazily. He seemed completely unsurprised by the outcome of the battle. Turning around, he walked toward the energy portal flickering with an eerie green glow, humming a disjointed tune.
After all, since it was a hero he didn’t recognize, it was highly likely they were not ranked among the stronger fighters. Those wanting to hand themselves over to him were likely to be weaklings. Moreover, he needed to feel out a way to enter the [Kimokado] leading into the sealed place; otherwise, when the Crimson Flame arrived, he might truly have to engage in a serious fight.
However, just as he took his third step, a violent fluctuation of energy suddenly erupted behind him.
She Cangya halted, his eerie dual-colored eyes narrowing slightly as he turned around slowly.
“Bang bang bang――――――bang bang bang――”
The dull thudding sound came from the half-submerged body of the giant python, followed by a sense that something was crazily expanding within it. The giant python’s body uncontrollably bloated.
She Cangya frowned slightly, impatience in his tone: “Oh? Not dead yet?”
“Boom――――――”
The enormous purple python was completely torn apart by a surge of violent energy. Satō Shin’ichi’s figure burst forth from within, his muscles having swollen even larger due to blood flow, the high temperature evaporating the snake’s blood that splashed onto him, appearing like a demon emerging from hell.
The golden figure vanished in an instant, appearing before She Cangya as if teleporting, and he punched down hard. This time, he intentionally controlled the point of force’s explosion, not sending the opponent flying as before, but condensing his power and smashing directly into the opponent’s chest.
“Poof――――――”
The sound of flesh being pierced came from in front of him, and the momentary sensation surprised Satō Shin’ichi. Just in an instant, he understood and hurriedly twisted his body to withdraw his right hand, but at that moment, the pull from his right hand made it impossible for him to pull his arm away.
Unbeknownst to him, the body that Satō Shin’ichi had pierced had transformed into a mass of countless eye snakes emitting strange purple energy, wrapping around him like a festering sore. The overwhelming power and the special energy they carried left Satō Shin’ichi unable to escape their grasp, even with all his strength.
“Your body is pretty solid, kid. Thanks to your own talent and effort, I guess.”
The lazy voice came again from before Satō Shin’ichi, and before he realized it, She Cangya had reappeared in front of his previous position, glancing back at Satō Shin’ichi, trapped by the eye snakes, without any intention of stopping. He merely waved his hand and continued toward the location of the Ghost Gate.
Satō Shin’ichi gritted his teeth, his muscles taut and veins bulging as he attempted to break free from the writhing eye snakes. However, every time he exerted strength, the snakes tightened even more, as if they wanted to crush his bones.
The purple energy seeped into his skin through the snakes, bringing him a sharp chill and a numb feeling.
“Damn it, I can’t let him get in!”
Satō Shin’ichi felt an overwhelming urgency, his gaze fixated on She Cangya’s receding figure. Finally, he’d located this group of snakes trying to infiltrate the enemy, but the executive known as [Viper] had such a bizarre ability that he had been ensnared in mere moments. There was still some time until the crack connected to the wild director was severed. If he let this enemy in now, it would be all over.
“Wait, if it’s this kind of power…”
The scorching power coursing through his arm reminded Satō Shin’ichi of his previous battle. He bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, spraying it onto his left fist before bringing it down heavily on the circle of snakes surrounding his right hand.
“Effective!”
Although it wasn’t as noticeable as the previous effect against ghosts, Satō Shin’ichi could still perceive that special sense of restriction gradually lessening under his attack. Bit by bit, he could rely on his physical strength to break free.
Despite this, the young boy had no time to stop She Cangya’s actions. At that moment, She Cangya had already reached the edge of the [Kimokado]. It seemed he felt Satō Shin’ichi’s efforts from this side, as he turned around, waved at Satō Shin’ichi, then turned and stepped through the doorway.
“Damn it!”
With a heavy punch landing on the snakes with his right hand, Satō Shin’ichi could only let out a reluctant shout as he watched the enemy’s figure disappear into the light portal.
But just as the figure in his sight gradually faded, a dazzling red afterimage streaked across Satō Shin’ichi’s vision, followed by the deafening sounds of explosions and a sea of red flames.
“Boom boom boom――――――”
