Days of my Life: Rewrite-Chapter 72: REPTILE

"Gotcha!!!" Kakashi yelled, throwing open the door to yet another empty classroom. "Not here, either." He’d been chasing a phantom, a fleeting glimpse of the demon, ever since he’d been separated from Kelvin and Rita, and he was beginning to feel frustrated.

"This is frustrating! I’m lost, and I can’t even find Kelvin and Rita," Kakashi muttered, opening another door. "And this building is like a maze!"

The room was empty, too. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash, followed by a guttural growl, its approach steadily growing nearer. Kakashi sprinted into the empty classroom and leaped through the window, scattering glass, surprisingly landing unharmed in yet another classroom.

"There wasn’t supposed to be a classroom here!" Kakashi exclaimed, looking for the window he’d just jumped through, only to find a solid wall in its place. He could still hear something moving in the hallway.

He decided to search the room, finding nothing of use except for a collection of Karma swords neatly arranged on the floor. He picked up two, their weight surprisingly comfortable in his hands, and opened the door to find a staircase leading downstairs.

"Mark it right here," Kakashi muttered, thrusting one of the swords into the doorjamb, leaving a clear marker. He read the sign above the door: Infirmary.

He assumed a battle stance, a sword in his hand, as soon as he heard another loud crash, the sound of something large and powerful breaking through a wall. The ground trembled slightly under his feet. From the rumbling, he knew it was something big—something truly enormous.

.

.

.

Something was hurtling toward him, smashing through the wall. The rumbling intensified, and Kakashi knew instantly it was something large, immensely large.

Kakashi gripped his swords, holding it high above his head, mimicking the sword style he’d observed earlier. He planted his right leg firmly behind him, solidifying his stance. He braced himself, preparing for the inevitable impact.

The rumbling grew louder, closer. Kakashi, unsure of the creature’s exact location, focused his senses, attempting to pinpoint its position. Suddenly, the wall exploded outward, and a giant snake, its scales shimmering silver, burst into the hallway, aiming directly for him. The snake was so enormous that only a portion of its body was visible, covering the fifteen-foot-high, twelve-foot-wide hallway.

For a moment, fear paralyzed Kakashi. Before he could overcome his hesitation and swing his swords, the giant snake lunged, slamming him against the wall. The wall crumbled, and the snake continued its relentless advance through the seemingly endless hallway, using Kakashi’s body as a battering ram to smash through the walls. Kakashi struggled desperately to keep the snake’s massive jaws from crushing him.

Kakashi plunged his sword into the snake’s eye, then, using the momentum, pushed himself backward, spinning his body to the left and crashing through a hallway window into a nearby office. He landed on his feet, retrieving his sword, and immediately turned to face the monstrous serpent. To his astonishment, he could still see it.

The snake continued its relentless advance through the seemingly endless hallway, revealing an extent far beyond Kakashi’s initial perception. Its colossal size was overwhelming; its silver scales, an impenetrable defense, filled Kakashi with despair.

The ceiling began to crack and crumble. Before Kakashi could react, the snake was directly above him, its maw wide open, poised to devour him and everything in its path.

_What?!_ Kakashi thought, still able to see the snake’s body slithering through the seemingly endless hallway. _Was the snake really this long?_

Kakashi’s reflexes kicked in; he jolted sideways, gripping his swords tightly. This time, he was ready. Thankfully, the office was slightly larger than the snake’s massive girth, giving him a small margin of maneuverability, though his options were severely limited. He swung his swords with all his might.

"Lightning slash!" Kakashi roared, imbuing the blades with his Karma energy.

*CLANK!!*

The swords shattered into hundreds of pieces upon contact with the snake’s impossibly tough scales.

"Damn it! Not enough space to swing!" Kakashi cursed, his voice filled with frustration and the grim reality of his situation.

The snake’s tail whipped out from nowhere, striking Kakashi and sending him hurtling through the window. He struggled to maintain his balance as he plummeted from the window, but it was no use. The snake lunged again, this time successfully engulfing him whole.

The snake’s body convulsed, emitting several lightning bolts before exploding in a brilliant flash, sending Kakashi crashing to the ground.

*Heavily breathing*

Kakashi raised his head, his lungs burning, his body aching. He found himself in an indoor basketball court. "A second longer, and I would have died in there," he muttered, his voice raspy. "But I’m sure whatever created this domain is still here with us."

Kakashi forced himself to his feet, the effort leaving him breathless. He watched the giant snake disintegrate into dust, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. After confirming his victory, he wiped the dust off his clothes and turned to leave, but then paused.

_The hell! T... there’s something behind me,_ Kakashi thought, a sudden chill running down his spine.

He spun around, and something leaped onto him, knocking him to the ground. A humanoid demon attempted to bite his neck, but Kakashi blocked it with his hand, resulting in the demon biting his hand instead.

Kakashi struggled to reach his swords, realizing they were out of reach. He infused his hand with Karma energy, slicing off the demon’s head with a swift, precise movement. Another demon attacked from above, but Kakashi rolled to his right, leaping up to retrieve his swords. The demon lunged, but Kakashi swiftly cut it in half before impaling its head.

Before he could fully assess the situation, he was surrounded by more demons—a seemingly endless swarm emerging from nowhere. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

_Where are they coming from?! They look hungry. Were they hiding because of the giant snake? They must have watched me kill it, so why are they attacking me now?_ he wondered, his mind racing to understand their sudden appearance.

Their mouths were dripping with saliva, their hunger palpable. One demon leaped onto Kakashi’s back, but he quickly grabbed its arm and flung it into the others. Several demons attacked from above; with a rapid swing of his sword, he dispatched them.

He evaded the remaining demons and headed for the exit, but more appeared from seemingly nowhere, blocking his escape route.

_I must be close if they’re trying this hard to keep me away,_ he realized.

Kakashi charged at the demons, knowing they wouldn’t let him pass without a fight. He was forced to battle his way through the relentless horde.

_I’m not going to last long if I keep holding back, but if I go all out, I’ll be wasting my energy,_ Kakashi thought, weighing his options. He gripped his sword firmly, holding his right arm with his left, focusing his Karma into his palm. Lightning crackled around his hand. Now’s not the time to think. The shockwave technique takes a lot of Karma, and I haven’t completely recovered from my last fight, but I’m sure I can manage one more time.

"Arahime sword technique: earth spike!" A feminine voice echoed through the room. Giant, stone-like spikes erupted from the ground, impaling and destroying most of the demons, leaving Kakashi momentarily free.