Chapter 50: GATTAI!!

Having to find a place to hide from the approaching horde I did my best to keep ahead of them. More and more joined the relentless chase. While others got chipped away…

The hunt had started, anything within reach was on the menu, which should give me a sufficient chance to get away from them in theory. But before I could test the practical side I first had to gain some distance.

The only option to not cross paths with the multitude of razor-sharp scythe-shaped hands was to rush down. Not thinking about how to get down I started rushing down, climbing in circles faster than I ever had. Going all the way down the center of the tree, my luck couldn't be worse…

Yet at the same time, even if nature felt like it was unfair to me till now, it always fulfilled one of the main basic rules. These savage bugs didn't care if their family was right next to them or even their loved ones for that matter. Blinding slicing anything that came within reach the horde slowly chipped away in numbers.

For a moment I looked back, to see if they were closing in on me, something I really should not have done. What I saw was something straight out of the bible, making me think of the locust swarms who decimated the lands, the only difference here being the different types of mantis and the fact that they were not only eating but chipping away at the environment around them. Although the mantis was getting rid of their competition, chipping away at their numbers soon the bigger numbers knew it was best to try a different approach.

Right at the moment in which I turned to look, the remaining swarm of praying mantis evaporated a little. The mantis had stopped for a moment.

Thinking this was the time to get away, I turned around and kept on running as now we were almost halfway down the tree. Having run a few meters which in reality was less than I had felt I did. Something gigantic swiftly slashed down on me from behind.

Because the unexpected happened, it made me flinch. Resulting in me tripping and falling down the tree. Looking up, what I saw was something I had never expected the praying mantis to do, seeing as how they were the ruthless universal soldier of the bug empire, before I saw this, the feeling was rather the same… But now…

I must give them praise, as their cunning was even more relentless than those in my original life. The scythe which lashed out to me was an entire praying mantis. Looking up as they continue to pursue prey that had lost its footing on the tree it dawned on me what was happening.

Not only were there hundreds of mantis still chasing my very being, but to do so…

Had put their differences aside, combining their strengths. Almost like how they combined the robots in one of my favourite Japanese animation shows where they wore awesome red pointy glasses.

"Gattai?! That is so cool and horrid at the same time!! They combined!?

How is this hardly even fair world?!"

Frustrated by their cunning intellect I had to find a way to counter this still increasing disadvantageous situation. During this time, the spider began to join in the swarm of mantis, the mantis who had stopped chipping away at their own, now had a common enemy, the spiders who lowered themselves to join in the endless buffet of mantis shrimp and not to neglect me, but wasn't I the main focus of those annoying praying mantis?

Most of the mantis stayed behind to deal with the newly found common enemy.

But nature wasn't about to bestow some rest upon me. Out of nowhere when I thought the time of a breather had arrived, I really shouldn't have lowered my guard at that moment as I was still falling. Looking up, hoping their interest in me would have vanished by now, three remaining combined mantis giants which consisted of two mantes per limb, and two for the main boy who was standing next to each other. Turned their heads entangling their antenna. All three or in this case 6 heads did so, which created a slight spark melting their heads together. It was gruesome, blood still dripped down from the place which previously separated their heads. The final stage of combining how I would like to say it "GATTAI!!" had commenced.

The moment I saw the combined bodies move towards me I knew this wasn't good and had to think of how to battle them, seeing as how the rest of the swarm was occupied with the spiders which came from above the trees.

Would I stand a chance against thirty praying mantes, the way I was now?

Thirty praying mantis had combined into three monstrous gigantic versions.

The two heads, which had melted together as one, must now have also become one, making them able to calculate more and react better towards their situation.

This was only a thought, a thought which certainly made my enemies look bigger and stronger to me than ever before, something which I shouldn't have allowed to spiral in my thoughts, but did…

Having to slow down my falling speed I thought of twirling around branches with my tail.

Doing so surely helped me lose some moments, allowing me to claw onto the thick bask of the tree. The three giants around ten times larger than a single praying mantis had to take this opportunity to calculate my trajectory allowing them to corner me.

In doing so, I had been put into a tough spot. A tough spot that I had to get out of quickly.

Running away had lasted far too long, it was time to fight back, now that my chances had grown from slim to small. Of course, I had to keep my guard up, seeing as how this in and of itself was still quite the impossible challenge, yet the doubt in my mind began to diminish realizing I had flame capabilities.

"How come I didn't think of this sooner? Was it because of the sheer overwhelming numbers? Not to mention the challenge that lays ahead of me at this moment?"

I could hit myself in the face for my obliviousness. Because of all the stress and worrying I "Mira" had forgotten about one of my most basic abilities…

How this was possible I did not know, yet I was happy the thought boiled up during a critical moment like this.

The one in the back, which was occupying my blind side began rushing toward me at blinding speed, it had time enough to calculate my reactions, to take my counters and speed into consideration. For the giant mantis, there was no reason not to attack.

That is until I released the wrath of my behind. Heat boiled up from within, without me noticing that lizards could do that I suddenly let slip the tiniest of farts. Why this did not happen before I had no clue, but seeing as how I peed and pooped like any animal would this shouldn't have come as too big of a surprise, right?

The thing is, although the fart surprised me at the moment, the reaction of the giant mantis surprised me even more. Seeing it getting caught off guard by the suddenly ignited cloud of gas which had now turned into a heatwave, the giant mantis fell off the tree and crashed to his unavoidable imminent death. Surprised with this working I created a ring of fire around my body, to keep the other two at bay.

The Giant Mantis approached with caution, unable to breach the fire, I smiled.

This could be the break I was waiting for. Then again, the question remained, what happens with the experience gained after reaching max level?

Deciding now was not the time, quickly I got my head back into the game.

Creating multiple layers of fire rings on top of each other, the mantis giants were unable to see me, the logical thing to think which I wanted them to think is that I cornered myself with this move, but nothing could be more from the truth.

Confident in their analysis the mantis giants closed in, from two sides they used the pincher movement strategy, it almost felt like I was fighting in a war, a war of my own.

But what they couldn't have known was how sufficient I was in the manipulation of fire.

One tried slashing through it, seeing if it could slice the fire away, succeeding for a moment until the rings of fire quickly returned. They had seen an opening, which I allowed them to see. An opening that would prove to be their demise.

Quickly I created some more rings of fire, but this time, I made the move, turning one around the other some even counter clockwise I created a moving ball of fire around myself.

To me, this was a foolproof plan, where I would crash into the mantis giants and scorch them to death, but the question was; Would they let me?