A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Varun Madhu, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Silver, Archer, ManyEB, Acedia, Zhandos Kauzhanov, Kylo Ren, Mursuland, Vora, kurtis newman.
ad 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Midorima stared wide-eyed at Garaga's actions.
How should he even evaluate this move?
All that flashy effort, just to end up looking foolish.
Garaga's entire operation left Midorima utterly speechless.
Was… was this a normal course of action?
Garaga was already sinking in the mire; the more he struggled, the deeper he went.
For Garaga, who typically relied on brute force, the "Yellow Swamp" technique was indeed quite problematic. But was it necessary to spit "saliva" into it?
Now, the surface layer of earth had solidified, but the substance below remained liquefied.
Garaga's move effectively embedded himself in the hardened upper crust while his lower body remained stuck in the quicksand below, making it impossible for him to exert any real force.
"Calm down, I was just teasing earlier. You're not the brightest, but that doesn't make you terrible," Midorima said, approaching the trapped serpent.
Garaga's fury hadn't subsided. He tried to spit more liquid at Midorima, who dodged and simultaneously performed a Wood Release technique. Thick trees erupted from the ground, entwining Garaga's exposed upper body. One particular branch forced his jaws wide open.
"Ugh… grrr…" Garaga writhed but couldn't dislodge the branch from his mouth, only managing muffled growls.
Midorima went to Jūgo's side. Although Jūgo's form had returned to normal, he was unconscious. Midorima gave him a few light slaps on the cheek to wake him.
Jūgo held his face. "My face hurts."
"You used your face to block Garaga's attack earlier. Don't worry, it'll feel better soon," Midorima said, patting Jūgo's shoulder reassuringly.
Hearing Midorima's words, Garaga's eyes widened even further.
This human was even more terrifying than the others… and what's worse, that freakishly strong kid actually seemed to believe him, now casting an unfriendly look Garaga's way.
"What about him?" Jūgo asked, staring at Garaga.
"Leave him for now… do you have any food?"
Jūgo fished out two military ration pills. They each took one.
After eating, Midorima regained some energy and then returned to Garaga's side.
"The Great White Snake Sage only asked me to find a way to make you more tractable; she didn't specify the method. If we want to speed up the process, removing your reverse scale would probably be the most effective approach, right?" Midorima stared at a dark crimson scale under Garaga's neck.
Garaga immediately began thrashing again, snapping some of the restraining vines.
Midorima, however, was unconcerned. He was confident Garaga couldn't break free.
"But I don't want to do that. If you become my summoning beast, I'd prefer you retain a certain wildness. After all, when I summon you, the situation will likely be critical. If you're as docile as a kitten, I'd have a headache too," Midorima said, leaping onto the tangle of vines. After a few bounds, he was face-to-face with the serpent.
Having his jaws forced open for so long, Garaga was drooling, the liquid dripping onto his own body. Fortunately, he hadn't petrified himself.
"Now, I'm going to talk to you. If you agree, make one sound. If you disagree, make two. That's not too hard, is it?" Midorima asked.
"Hmm—" Garaga grunted through his nostrils, the sound still laced with anger.
"Do you want me to remove your reverse scale?"
"Hmm—Hmm—"
"But the Great White Snake Sage asked me to make you more tractable. What do you suggest?"
Garaga didn't respond.
"How about becoming my summoning beast?"
Garaga's eyes widened, and he tried frantically to shake his head.
"You want me to free your mouth?"
"Hmm—"
Midorima waved a hand, sending two wind blades that severed the branch in Garaga's mouth. The serpent spat it out with difficulty.
"I'm not convinced!" Garaga spat, furious. "If you had defeated me fairly… or even killed me, I'd have nothing to say. But you used such underhanded tricks to trap me, forcing me into a contract… I'm not convinced! You're despicable."
"Hey, if it were a true one-on-one fight, you don't actually think you could beat me, do you? Do you know how Manda died?" Midorima looked at Garaga with a smile. "He was killed by someone. Although it wasn't me who killed him, how can you be sure I couldn't have? This is the Ryūchi Cave, and I still need to learn Sage Techniques. The Great Sage only told me to find a way to make you more tractable; she didn't ask me to kill you. So… I have no choice."
Midorima spread his hands.
"Go ahead and kill me if you can," Garaga sneered.
"You don't think I'm capable? I'm not Orochimaru, who had to negotiate with Manda every time he summoned him. It's just a shame this is the Ryūchi Cave. You're getting off easy," Midorima replied, still smiling.
Garaga snorted coldly, his eye fixed intently on Midorima.
"Don't worry, once you're with me, you'll have plenty of chances to see my strength. Don't look at me like that… Yes, it's true some people are at a disadvantage in their relationships with summoning beasts. But you'd need to demonstrate formidable power for that, wouldn't you? Or at least rich combat experience. But," Midorima leaped onto Garaga's head and gave it a light pat, "sorry, but so far, your strength isn't sufficient to hold the dominant position in such a contract. Form a pact with me, and I'll examine your injury. I probably can't fully heal it, but I can at least make it more comfortable. So? Do we have a deal?"
Garaga pondered for two or three minutes before finally relenting.
"Fine… I'll form a contract with you," Garaga said in a low voice.
Midorima breathed a sigh of relief.
Against monsters like Pain, Garaga would be nearly useless. But for clearing out lesser threats, he was an excellent asset.
The only downside was that even though Garaga was a serpent that troubled the Great White Snake Sage, he still couldn't compare to sages like Fukasaku or Shima. He wasn't suited for "high-level matches."
Orochimaru's collection had included summoning techniques, which Midorima had learned long ago but never found a suitable partner for. Now, with Garaga, he could finally put the technique to use.
After finalizing the contract with Garaga, Midorima dispelled the Wood Release. Garaga finally pulled himself free from the mire. After a moment of eye contact with Midorima, the serpent turned his head away.
One moment they were trying to kill each other; the next, they were summoner and beast. The role shift was a bit too fast for him to accept immediately.
Midorima gestured for Garaga to lower his head. Initially, Garaga was reluctant, but after Midorima insisted several times, he finally rested his head on the ground.
"Let me examine your injury first. It's probably very difficult to heal, so I'm just checking the internal condition," Midorima said, placing his hand over Garaga's injured eye.
"Hmph, I'm used to it anyway. It doesn't stop me from killing," Garaga muttered.
"What if your other eye gets injured too? You wouldn't want to go completely blind, would you?" Midorima asked.
Garaga fell silent.
Midorima channeled chakra into Garaga's body, conducting a thorough examination around the wound.
Due to the prolonged inability to open, some cellular tissue had atrophied. Midorima's primary concern, however, was the optic nerve.
If the optic nerve was damaged, there would be zero chance of restoring Garaga's sight.
However, after carefully inspecting the optic nerve, Midorima found no signs of damage. He let out a small sigh of relief.
*****
T/N: Use the code "FERRY" on my p@treon and get 90% off your first month on the Pathfinder Tier.