Malphegor
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Ch. 93: The Sage and The Toads
🕑 Added 2024-09-21 15:56:05 +0000 UTCThe massive toad leaped through the air, casting a shadow as large as a cloud blocking out the sun. It landed in the center of town's restricted area, smashing the fountain at the plaza with a thud, sending a gust of wind that nearly knocked down the fences.
As the onlookers struggled to their feet, they finally got a clear look at the toad. It was a giant toad, from head to tail covered in warts, wearing a deep blue vest with bandages wrapped around its waist, and a short sword tucked into the bandages.
"What kind of monster is that? It's so ugly!" a villager cried out.
"Ah!" another villager screamed.
"Run!" the cry echoed through the crowd.
The townspeople fled, shouting insults as they ran. However, not everyone reacted with fear.
"Wow! It's like a mountain that can jump!"
Despite its enormous size, the toad, Gamabunta, had sharp ears, especially when people spoke ill of him. Hearing someone call him ugly, he glanced back and mumbled, "Such rude locals. Don't they know a noble toad when they see one?"
"Ignore them, focus on rescuing Jiraiya first," a voice from above commanded, stopping him from paying attention to the insults.
"Understood, Ma-sama!" Gamabunta replied, though he couldn't help but add under his breath, "But I still say they could use some manners."
On his head, a small toad with purple hair, no bigger than an ordinary toad, started making hand signs. Suddenly, it slapped Gamabunta on the back.
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
Boom!
A massive cloud of smoke appeared over the summoning circle. As the smoke cleared, Jiraiya was revealed, sitting on the ground and panting heavily.
He looked up at the clear sky, realizing he had escaped from that other world. "Thanks, Ma," Jiraiya said with exhaustion and relief. Another minute in that place and I might've been Dimensional Shambler chow.
He had been trapped in a two-dimensional world, distracted by a chaotic illusion, and nearly had his ankle grabbed by those wretched Dimensional Shamblers. Luckily, Ma had summoned him out in time. If not, one of the Legendary Sannin might have met his end.
"What kind of monster is that?" Gamabunta muttered, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Jiraiya.
He glanced up at Jiraiya but saw not the familiar face, but a strange, monkey-like creature. Its dry, cracked gray skin looked even rougher and uglier than his own.
"Don't be alarmed, that's Jiraiya," said Fukasaku, who had also been taken aback.
"What's with the outfit, though?" Shima asked in disgust.
"Jiraiya? You look like you've been through a toad blender!" Gamabunta exclaimed, his usual gruff demeanor giving way to shock.
"Oh," Jiraiya finally realized, removing the Dimensional Shambler's skin he was wearing. "This? Just a little souvenir from my vacation. Makes blending in with the locals a breeze," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, aren't you a fashion icon," Shima retorted dryly. "Now, can we focus on the monsters?"
Just as she finished speaking, low growls began echoing from the Lotus Manor.
"We should deal with these monsters first," Jirairya said gravely, looking down at the residence from above. It was clear that without him as a distraction, many Dimensional Shamblers from the mural had made their way into the real world.
Not only that, but Jiraiya noticed a murky green crack in the air above the garden of the manor, through which a Dimensional Shambler crawled out like an insect.
"These creatures can do that?" Fukasaku said in disbelief.
It seemed that the Dimensional Shamblers could freely move between the two-dimensional world and the real one, and even in the real world, they had the ability to travel through space using these strange rifts.
However, their range likely couldn't extend far from the mural, or else they would have already spread beyond the town. It was clear that the source of all this chaos was the mural, and the only way to stop it was to seal the mural itself.
"The mural is the key," Jiraiya explained. "It's like a doorway between worlds. We seal that, we end this."
"Easier said than done with an army of those things crawling out every second," Shima pointed out.
Gamabunta hefted his sword. "Then we squash them back where they came from. Simple as that."
But first, they needed to 'send' the Dimensional Shamblers back to their world. More and more green space rifts appeared in the garden, and one by one, Dimensional Shamblers crawled out.
The only weakness they had discovered so far was that the Dimensional Shamblers were vulnerable to physical attacks. The only way to defeat them was to destroy the integrity of their skin.
Fortunately, Jiraiya wouldn't have to fight them alone—after all, the Toad Sages had quite a reputation. We need numbers and strength.
"Jiraiya-boy, you're already low on chakra. Summoning that many toads will drain you significantly," Fukasaku warned, sensing his intention.
Jiraiya looked at him and smiled. "I've always been one for a dramatic finale."
"Summoning Technique!"
From within another large cloud of smoke, several massive figures appeared.
"The gang's all here," Gama announced, cracking his knuckles.
"Let's do our best," Gamahiro added, his twin swords glinting in the sunlight.
"Jiraiya, where are you?" Gamaken called out, his shield at the ready.
As the smoke cleared, six enormous toads sat in the plaza of the manor: Gama, Gamaken, Gamahiro, Gami, Gamui, and Gamoto, all standing in formation, staring down the Dimensional Shamblers.
This was practically the all-star lineup of Mount Myōboku!
"Let's show these freaks what real warriors look like!" Gama cried out.
Gamaken mumbled nervously, "I hope my shield polish doesn't wear off in all this action."
Summoning all these toads had taken a toll on Jiraiya's chakra, and he slumped down exhausted on Gamabunta's head.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you guys," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Try not to flatten the whole town, okay?"
The six toads leapt into action, charging toward the thousands of Dimensional Shamblers.
To the Dimensional Shamblers, these massive toads didn't seem any different from other living creatures—just more food for their insatiable hunger.
Several of them rushed toward Gamoto, their sharp claws poised to strike.
But Gami quickly jumped in, blocking their claws with his armored arms, barely moving an inch. "Their claws are sharp, but my armor's sharper! Hahaha!" Gami boasted.
"Thanks, Gami," Gamoto said with a wink. Then he puffed out his cheeks and launched a series of water bullets at the Dimensional Shamblers.
"Water Cannonball!"
The powerful water blasts sent several Dimensional Shamblers crashing into the iron fences of the manor, leaving large dents. Though they couldn't drown, the physical force of the water blasts was enough to knock them back.
As the Dimensional Shamblers struggled to get up, Gamahiro's twin swords came slashing down, cutting several of them in half. "Two swords, twice the slicing. You picked the toad." Gamahiro said calmly.
Once the Dimensional Shamblers' skins were damaged beyond repair, they would deflate like balloons, eventually becoming nothing more than empty husks. However, achieving this required large, clean cuts—something humans couldn't easily manage with mere spears.
Elsewhere, Gamui used his tongue to grab Dimensional Shamblers and toss them aside. "Grab, fling, repeat! It's fun!" he laughed, clearly enjoying himself.
And when the Dimensional Shamblers tried to get back up, Gamabunta stepped in with his short sword, slicing them in two.
The only toad feeling out of place was Gamaken, who found himself cornered, awkwardly swatting at Dimensional Shamblers with his shield and spear. His movements were clumsy.
He couldn't even land a clean hit to save his life – or anyone else's, for that matter.
Feeling useless, he muttered, "I'm no good at this"
"Why am I even here? I'm about as useful as a rusty kunai in a sword fight."
As he fumbled with his weapons, a particularly aggressive Shambler attacked him. In his panic, he dropped his spear and his shield clattered to the ground. "Oh, great," he groaned. "I can't even hold onto my weapons. I don't deserve to call myself a warrior toad."
"Maybe I should just let them eat me and be done with it."
But as the Shamblers closed in, something unexpected happened. Gamaken, now weaponless, instinctively lashed out with a powerful right hook. The punch connected with a Dimensional Shambler's face, sending it flying back into its comrades.
"Did... did I do that?"
Before he could ponder this further, another Shambler attacked. This time, Gamaken met it with a devastating kick that literally popped the creature like a balloon.
His movements were fluid, powerful, and shockingly effective. Shamblers fell left and right, unable to withstand his bare-handed assault.
"Take that!" he shouted. "And that! And some of this!"
The other toads, noticing the commotion, paused their own battles to watch Gamaken's surprising display of martial arts mastery.
"Well, would you look at that," Gamabunta muttered.
"Who knew old mopey had it in him?" Gama added with a chuckle.
After decimating a good two dozen Shamblers with nothing but his bare hands and feet, Gamaken finally noticed his discarded weapons.
"Oh, right," he said, his tone immediately dropping back to its usual gloom. "I should probably use these."
He picked up his shield and spear, immediately returning to his awkward, ineffective swatting. Within seconds, he was back to being pinned down and overwhelmed.
"I'm useless again," Gamaken sighed. "That brief moment of competence was clearly a fluke. I'll never be as good as the others."
Gamahiro, watching this transformation with disbelief, couldn't help but shout, "Oi, Gamaken! You're a beast with your fists! Why bother with the spear and shield?"
"Yeah," Gamoto chimed in, "drop the dead weight and show us those sweet moves again!"
Gamaken just shook his head mournfully. "No, no. I'm sure it was just luck. Besides, what kind of toad warrior would I be without my weapons?"
"A failure, that's what. It's better to fail with honor than succeed unconventionally."
The other toads exchanged exasperated glances as Gamaken continued to struggle with his weapons, occasionally muttering self-deprecating comments under his breath.
Jiraiya, observing from atop Gamabunta's head, couldn't help but facepalm. Next time we're facing a threat, make sure Gamaken leaves his weapons at home.
