Hitman with a Badass System - #1152 - 1152 The Swarm vs The Ancient Beast II

Back in the safety of the small cave, Michael watched the day slowly transition into evening. 

“It’s a waiting game now,” he said, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Ayag, one of Vedora’s heads, yawned. 

“I’m going to take a nap,” she declared and curled herself comfortably inside Michael’s coat pocket. Her breathing soon settled into the steady rhythm of sleep.

The other two heads of Vedora, Cain and Sarba, also found their own spots to rest, their serpentine bodies coiling in sync with Ayag’s. Michael watched over them, a silent guardian, as they slept.

Outside, the centipede continued its relentless activity. Michael observed it drilling into the ground and shooting out with astonishing speed. Its massive mouth created a powerful suction force, engulfing several giant beasts and birds in a display of raw power and hunger.

As the centipede’s activity continued, Michael remained vigilant, waiting for the night to fall, the moment when their plan would be set into motion.

In the cave, Michael’s earpiece crackled to life, breaking the silence. Pink’s voice came through, clear and familiar. “What are you up to, Michael?”

He replied, his eyes still on the ancient beast in the distance, “Watching the ancient beast. It’s quite a sight.”

Pink laughed lightly. “Surveillance, huh? Sounds like old times.”

Michael’s voice held a hint of excitement. “It is. There’s something thrilling about plotting an assassination, executing a plan. I’ve missed this kind of adrenaline.”

In his ear, Pink chuckled. “This is an assassination alright, except your target is practically a god.”

Michael nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Once I deal with this beast, I’ll get its collar bone, forge a weapon, and then find a way into Fortuna’s gala to assassinate Rainar.”

Pink’s voice turned serious. “I’ve been gathering info through books. My help is limited, though. Stuck in a safehouse with no tech—this world has none.”

“If we could access Seraphine’s crystals, we’d have a game changer. They must hold a wealth of information.” Michael mused.

Pink’s laughter echoed in his ear. “Seraphine, the goddess of information? I bet those crystals are a goldmine.”

“Yeah,” Michael agreed, his tone light. 

“I’ll see what I can do about that. In the meantime, keep looking into Fortuna’s gala. We need a way in.”

“Will do,” Pink assured him. 

“Good luck with your giant bug problem.”

The communication ended, leaving Michael once again in the quiet cave, his gaze fixed on the centipede, waiting for night to fall.

As night enveloped the landscape, Ayag, Cain, and Sarba awoke from their restful slumber and jumped onto Michael’s shoulder, perching there comfortably. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation.

“It’s showtime,” Michael announced, his eyes scanning the darkening sky.

Cain, thoughtful, chimed in. “We need to place the explosive in one of the centipede’s holes. The timing has to be perfect to coincide with the swarm’s appearance, to make them fight each other.”

“But we can’t risk going out there,” Ayag pointed out, her voice laced with concern. 

“The swarm could strip us of our flesh and blood.” said Ayag.

Michael smirked, a plan already forming in his mind. 

“Did you forget? I have drones.”

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a drone from his system storage. The device hovered in front of him, sleek and ready. Carefully, Michael attached the glass container holding the explosive to the drone.

As he guided the drone towards the centipede’s burrowed ground, the ancient beast, true to its nightly routine, retreated into the earth to avoid the swarm.

The drone moved silently, skillfully maneuvered by Michael. It was a dance of technology and stealth, a crucial step in their intricate plan.

As the centipede vanished underground, the drone hovered above, waiting for the right moment to deploy its deadly cargo.

Michael, focusing intently, willed the drone to fly forward, controlling it effortlessly with his mind. Ayag, Sarba, and Cain watched with a mix of excitement and anticipation as the drone glided smoothly toward the barren ground, riddled with large holes left by the centipede’s burrowing.

“This centipede is going to be more than just a little pissed off.” Watching the drone’s progress, Michael couldn’t help but comment with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I want it pissed enough to shoot out of the ground in a rage.” Ayag chuckled, her voice tinged with devilish glee.

“That’s exactly the plan,” Michael replied with a smirk. He guided the drone precisely, sending it into one of the larger holes created by the centipede.

As they watched the drone disappear into the darkness of the hole, a moment of silence followed, nothing happening. Ayag’s impatience surfaced quickly.

 “Did you mess up the explosives?” she growled, her eyes fixed on the now still ground.

Michael, unfazed, responded with a sly grin, “Just wait for it.” And with that, he triggered the explosive, making the drone detonate deep within the burrow.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A massive explosion erupted, a colossal blast of fire shooting out from all the holes in the ground simultaneously. The sound was deafening, a thunderous roar that echoed across the valley. Bright flames illuminated the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the landscape. The explosion was a spectacle of destruction and raw power, the force of it shaking the very air.

The centipede’s burrows became a network of fiery geysers, spewing flames and debris, a testament to the potency of Michael’s explosive concoction.

The centipede’s roar, a sound of agony and fury, echoed through the valley, reverberating against the mountains. It shot out of its burrows, parts of its massive body ablaze, a terrifying spectacle against the night sky.

But the fiery explosions were soon overshadowed by the arrival of the swarm. Like a dark cloud materializing out of nowhere, the swarm descended upon the scene with alarming speed and precision.

The swarm immediately enveloped the centipede, a frenzied mass of tiny, ferocious creatures attacking the giant beast. The centipede, though wounded and partially aflame, fought back with equal ferocity. Its massive body thrashed wildly, trying to shake off the swarm.

A brutal battle ensued. The swarm, relentless and numerous, ripped off chunks of the centipede’s skeletal armor, exposing its flesh beneath. The centipede, in turn, used its massive size and power to tear through the swarm, crushing and flinging the tiny creatures in all directions.

Despite the centipede’s efforts, the swarm was overwhelming. They swarmed over every inch of its body, their tiny but lethal bodies inflicting damage at an astonishing rate.

Ayag, watching from Michael’s shoulder, couldn’t hide her amusement at the unfolding chaos. “Look at that,” she said with a mixture of awe and satisfaction. 

“Our plan’s working perfectly.”

The centipede, despite its colossal strength and resilience, was slowly losing ground to the relentless assault of the swarm. The balance of the battle was tipping, and the outcome was becoming increasingly clear.

The centipede, in a desperate bid to survive, used its enormous, tree-sized legs to rip through the tiny creatures of the swarm. Each leg moved with brutal force, crushing and sweeping away hundreds of the swarm’s members in each motion.

“This beast isn’t going down without a fight.” Michael, observing the struggle, noted.

True to his words, the centipede fought with a ferocity that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. But the swarm was relentless, beginning to eat through the centipede’s flesh, their numbers too great and their assault too coordinated.

Sarba, another head of Vedora on Michael’s shoulder, twitched his nose and remarked, “The smell is so bad.”

Michael, too, noticed the putrid, acidic scent filling the air, a result of the centipede’s green blood mixing with the swarm’s venomous attacks. The smell was a pungent reminder of the violent, primal battle unfolding before them.

The swarm continued its assault, gradually tearing through the centipede’s formidable armor. The centipede writhed and roared in pain and anger, its efforts to fend off the swarm becoming increasingly futile.

Michael watched as the tiny creatures that made up the swarm began to fall from the sky, their numbers dwindling under the centipede’s relentless counterattacks. Despite their decreasing size, the swarm’s ferocity did not wane.

“They’re taking a beating but still coming out on top.” Ayag, observing the battle, remarked.

The swarm’s perseverance paid off. Eventually, they succeeded in removing the centipede’s thick, chitinous armor. Once exposed, they began to eat through the centipede’s flesh and blood voraciously. The centipede, now vulnerable and weakened, struggled to fend off the relentless assault.

The battle reached a grisly climax. The centipede, overwhelmed and drained of its strength, finally fell to the ground with a thunderous impact. The swarm, undeterred, continued their gruesome feast, rapidly chewing through the centipede’s flesh and blood.

In a matter of minutes, what was once a terrifying and ancient beast was reduced to a giant, massive skeleton. The swarm, having fulfilled their relentless hunger, began to disperse, leaving behind the stark and eerie remains of the centipede.

The valley, once filled with the sounds of a brutal struggle, fell into an eerie silence, with only the centipede’s skeletal remains as a testament to the night’s savage events.

In the aftermath of the battle, Michael surveyed the scene with a calculated gaze. 

“Now, we wait until morning,” he stated, his voice steady and resolute. 

“We’ll pick up the collarbone we need and forge a weapon capable of killing a god… Rainar.”

A smirk, sly and confident, played across his face, reflecting the anticipation of the challenge ahead. He turned to look at the skeletal remains of the centipede, his eyes gleaming with determination and a hint of excitement.

“Let the hunt begin,” Michael declared, his words echoing in the silent valley, marking the beginning of a new and daring phase of their mission.