novelraw Chapter 1478 - 795: Pyrrhic Victory
Chapter 1478 - 795: Pyrrhic Victory
After the black fog diffused into the air, it thinned out significantly, but there was obviously something wrong with it. Hallucinations appeared directly in front of Jimmy's eyes, with silhouettes emerging in the mist, yet the snake's previous position was no longer visible.
This was Jimmy's first experience with such a scene, nearing blindness. Under Heart Eye Vision, he could only observe the area within a dozen meters ahead, while visibility was hindered further away due to the fog, causing the colors to blend. He had no choice but to switch back to real-world vision, using the difference in colors to determine the monster's location slightly further away.
Jimmy retreated slightly, wary of the snake possibly emerging from any direction, when distant flickering silhouettes suddenly appeared before him. Just as Jimmy was about to fire, he abruptly stopped, recognizing the figures as his family, his family from a previous life.
Jimmy froze for a moment, just about to confirm this when he suddenly sensed danger, immediately diving forward and rolling sideways, narrowly evading the snake's sudden side-rear ambush while he was in a stupor.
As Jimmy rolled on the ground, he narrowly dodged its large mouth, and as he got up, he swung the Dagger in his hand upward, stabbing into the snake's body. At the same time, he fired the revolver continuously at the snake's body, aiming at a core location he had discovered earlier. However, the snake's defensive power was still formidable after solidifying its form; the bullets successfully penetrated but did not exit from the back, getting lodged in its body, leaving Jimmy uncertain if he'd hit the core.
After getting shot, the snake immediately twisted away, and Jimmy withdrew the Dagger and ejected the spent shells, reloading bullets, while the figures that had appeared before him had already vanished.
It was apparent that the flickering figures were one of the snake's capabilities; these figures were certainly not real people but Jimmy's own hallucinations.
It was terrifying to think it used hallucinations to cause someone to lose rationality for a sneak attack from the side-rear; such a tactic would be lethal for ordinary individuals, as even the most ruthless person has someone or something they cherish. Just one moment of distraction and they'd be prey to the snake's attack. Were all the people who vanished in this area victims of such a ploy?
Jimmy loaded new bullets and observed his surroundings again; this time, the hallucination was Nia, merely waving at Jimmy without speaking. Jimmy didn't move, and as he sensed another threat from behind, he spun around and fired two shots, forcing the snake's head to lift, then rushed to the side of the snake, once more plunging the Dagger into its body.
He aimed again at the core area of the snake's body, and after slicing open a spot with force, he fired the remaining four bullets inside. The snake suddenly convulsed its body wildly, slamming Jimmy a few meters away, crashing to the ground.
The snake did not seize the chance to attack Jimmy but instead moved a distance away, coiling its body, raising its head, and hissing. Shortly, a patch of light appeared nearby, forming a rift through which Jimmy could vaguely see the environment on the other side. Though it was very dark, it was still distinguishable as another forest, only more oppressive without leaves, with twisted, tangled branches, seemingly unnatural.
It was chilling to realize this monster could open a rift between worlds; though he didn't know which world lay beyond, judging by the rift's formation, it was undoubtedly the snake's doing. Previously, he had communicated with Roland that typically such monsters traverse worlds using existing rifts or new ones formed due to the Dark Tower World's decline.
Could he truly handle this alone?
Mechanically reloading bullets, Jimmy stared at the rift, watching as some fog floated in and some unidentified objects drifted out. However, Jimmy couldn't distinguish exactly what those were.
The rift did not remain open long; once a swap of black fog and objects occurred, it closed, while the surrounding fog returned to the snake's body, enhancing its form further, as if reinforcing itself with a special technique.
The snake hissed at Jimmy again, spewing black fog, summoning another phantom in front. The phantom formed into strangers unknown to Jimmy, each smiling and waving for him to come closer. Yet Jimmy was not susceptible to such tricks, watching as the snake played its games.
Following a series of changes appeared a surprising figure to Jimmy — Mary. She smiled at Jimmy, raised her hand to wave, seemingly greeting him, but made no sound.
This was impossible; the previous hallucinations had been Jimmy's most important people, but now appeared strangers Jimmy didn't recognize. Mary, in strict terms, was merely associated due to Jimmy's concern for James, not someone prioritized among the most important. Unless this implied the monster absorbed souls, indicating Mary might have had part of her soul taken?
Jimmy fired another shot at the snake, causing the phantom to vanish as it hissed at him again, spewing more black fog, intensifying the battlefield fog while it disappeared once more from Jimmy's sight.