Chapter 146 - Crouching Cat, Hidden Viper...

Shadow turned around and walked to the darkness.

Jon, who was worried about the other Jon ran to him and shook him.

The other Jon opened his eyes and shouted "Finally!".

"We need to get to..." Jon was about to say something but something interpreted him.

*HISS*

A strong hissing sound was head all over the place."

Both Jons looked at one direction and froze.

"Is there a way we can merge back or anything?" Old Jon asked.

"We fight first, then we can figure that out later." Red Jon took out a sword from somewhere.

Old Jon was in a pinch as his confidence level in fights is a bit pitiful.

"Do you have one for me?" He asked.

Red Jon was in a loss for words.

"Figure it out yourself!" He shouted.

"Oh, okay!" Old Jon meekly responded.

Meanwhile, the hissing became closer and a snake appeared. A large one.

"Come at me, snake!" Red Jon raised his sword and ran towards the snake head-on.

Old Jon saw the scene and cold sweat covered his back. A 10 years old version of Jon is now running madly at a large snake. He was afraid yet he moved at Red Jon's direction.

The large snake appeared to be one meter in diameter and its length was unknown due to part of it is still within the border of darkness. Once it saw Red Jon running at it, it opened its mouth wide and jumped towards Red Jon.

It was a total madness to face such a thing head on. Red Jon was surely going to be swallowed but in the last second, a fast shadow moved and grabbed him, pulling him away.

"LET ME GO! I'LL KILL IT!" Red Jon was squirming left and right trying to get free from Old Jon's grip.

"Yeah yeah, go get us killed! YOU IDIOT!" Old Jon stood up and pulled Red Jon away from the snake's second attack.

"I'll skin that snake alive!" Red Jon kept screaming.

"THAT'S A VIPER, YOU IDIOT! LOOK AT IT'S FANGS." Old Jon was losing his patience. It was good that Red Jon wasn't that heavy.

Red Jon finally agreed to evade the viper instead of facing it head-on.

"We need to make a plan!" Old Jon shouted.

"Plan for yourself. I only need to land a hit on it." Red Jon was a real brat.

"Fine, we need to make a plan for you to land a hit on it." And Old Jon was meek as ever.

For some reason, they didn't understand how this brat added to that meek can make their splendid Original personality.

Anyway, the two were running around to evade the rampaging large viper.

"Can't you use magic?" Old Jon asked.

"Why would I?" Red Jon paused for a second.

"... Magic is much better than attacking it in close quarters, you idiot."

"... It is just a pain! You do the magic." Red Jon and took out a shield from somewhere.

Old Jon was trying to take out something from the very start of the battle but he didn't know how to do it and was very dissatisfied.

Still...

"... I can use magic?" Old Jon was surprised for some reason.

He looked at his hand and called 'Chain Lightning' and it indeed came out.

"Hey, I can really use mag..." He was about to announce it but the viper flicked him away with its tail.

Red Jon clicked his tongue and put his shield up when the head of the viper cornered him.

*clash* *clash* *groan*

He was being attacked relentlessly and got pushed back then got rammed by the viper's body and flew away.

"Dammit! That hurts!" Old Jon and Red Jon were not very pleased with the outcome.

{That's the point of a fight, isn't it?} A voice replied at them.

"Come out and face me, you coward!" Red Jon roared at the voice.

"I am sure he was kicking our asses the past few minutes while smiling smugly." Old Jon stood up and started looking around.

He was now trying to use the situation rather than running around like a fool. He had himself and Red Jon. He can use magic and Red Jon is summoning weapons as if it is some second nature in him.

"Listen, if you can summon weapons, the focus on defense, leave the offense to me." Old Jon said.

"Defense? Impossible!" Red Jon was still planning to retaliate at the viper no matter what.

"You will get to beat him but right now, we need to do it together, you damn fool. Protect me and I will use magic." Old Jon said in a commanding voice.

Red Jon, who was acting all brat a minute ago, nodded and ran to stand in front of Old Jon summoning two shields each hand and donning himself in a heavy armor.

Old Jon needed at least that protection to use magic easily.

"Round two..." Old Jon shouted as he started evoking magic.

It was 'Stoneskin' on himself and Red Jon, then Two Frost Atronaches and after that came the Lightning attacks.

Red Jon was holding the shields that were put together to reassemble one shield and readied himself for impact. Once Old Jon started shooting 'Lightning Strikes' one after the other which mostly landed on the viper.

The viper, that was ready to move anytime it senses danger. Jon and Jon were both ready to intercept its next movements and with Old Jon's attacks, the viper moved left and right while charging forward.

It targetted Old Jon that posed the greatest threat but a large shield met its charge head-on and it was stopped. Magic rained it left and right but the Viper managed to regain a foothold (or a tailhold in its perspective) by bringing all of its body to the fight and...

"Damn, that's big!" Old Jon was barely keeping himself from panicking.

"I will skin it alive." And Red Jon was still a brat.

The viper stood and commenced its next attack. Red Jon wasn't pleased with the situation.

"Watch out for the flanks."

Old Jon didn't understand as he was already guarding the flanks with two Frost Atronaches but it seemed that that wasn't enough when the viper moved.

The viper crept around the two Jons and two atronaches using the advantage of its length to surround them.

Old Jon clicked his tongue and started getting ready for the next attack.

The viper's speed rose so much that it started to look like the gears of death and it was tightening the area of the two Jons.

"More!" Old Jon started conjuring as many Frost Atronaches as he could and there were almost twenty of them around him, they all started to push at a different direction to keep the viper from taking all the space.

Red Jon saw how relentlessly Old Jon was fighting. Just a while ago, he was about to crap himself and now he is taking the offense and the defense alone.

"DAMMIT!" He shouted and the instincts of the warrior kicked in. He discarded his shields and summoned a big hammer that didn't suit his size. With it, he struck the viper's body so hard that the viper made an agonized scream.

Old Jon and Red Jon faced each other and each of them readied an attack.

Old Jon called upon lightning and Red Jon charged at Old Jon. Once they were about to clash, Red Jon jumped over Old Jon who unleashed his Lightning attack to where Red Jon stood.

The Hammer smote and the Lightning struck. The hammer hit away the viper's tail that was about to attack and the lightning burned away the viper's eyes.

*PHAHHHHH!*

The viper screamed from pain yet the bastard was too sturdy to be killed.

Red Jon delivered the last blow for 'Round 2' with a...

"FUS RO DAH!"

"YAHOOO! Fly away, bitch!"

The Viper was sent away flying by Red Jon's shout. Old Jon and Red Jon jumped in a similar way and used the same middle finger gesture. It was disturbing to see it from a ten years old but Old Jon didn't think about it.

For a second their both of their line of sight became higher than it was and something felt strange...

... No, it felt familiar.

It returned to how it was supposed to be.

{It seems that you found your way back to yourself... Congratulations!}

The voice sounded once again.

"So you are the one behind this headache, huh?" Jon spoke in his haughty tone. "Your color was so negative, man. That will teach you not to try to imitate the most handsome man in the world."

The voice of Shadow laughed. It was true that the form Shadow appeared in was in Jon's true form yet in a negatived colored effect.

{You are really something, aren't you! I am glad you made it this far. I guess Round 3 won't be a challenge to you. See you then.}

The voice quieted and the voice of the viper came out instead.

Jon who regained his form was standing there alone. He then used his mentality and summoned a hammer as the one Red Jon used. He, however, understood how these things can be summoned.

He was in his Mind Realm and he himself experienced it a lot with the Augur's communication methods and the System. He didn't need a hand out like his two incompetent other selves.

He could even manipulate the Mind Realm as he wishes but it is a bit too costly on his mental power.

Once the viper appeared from the shadow once again, Jon clicked his tongue.

"Tsk! I wanted the Cat or some dragon at the very least, yet all I get is a limbless lizard."

The viper seemed to have got offended by Jon's words and it charged full and reached Jon in a second.

It was opening its mouth in a frightening angle yet Jon only moved his arm.

The hammer struck on the viper's head from the side and sent it flying.

"Lightning Cat Paw Strike!"

Jon spoke in a cool way while making a pose.

The viper landed far away yet it seemed more powerful than the last round and readied its body to attack Jon.

Jon only extended his arm then pointed down with his finger. With his hand gesture, a large golden blade formed in thin air and pinned the viper's tail. The viper released its body towards Jon despite having its tail pinned. Each time it moves, a new blade forms and pins a part of it.

Surprisingly, the viper started getting thinner. The thinner it gets, the longer it extends its body.

"... Come on, not the Gumo Gumo devil fruit!" Jon was at a loss for words yet his black sarcasm was always there for him.

Blades started forming and coming down at the viper until its one meter in diameter body became much thinner yet it seemed I bare reached Jon and that was the limits.

"Sigh! A viper is my Guardian Beast? What kind of joke is life trying to play on me?"

Jon walked and stepped on the viper's neck.

The viper looked up to him and opened its mouth wide revealing its terrible fangs and hissing in anger.

Jon summoned a short blade in his hand then he held it in reverse with the two and pointed it down at the viper.

The viper made its last angry hiss opening its mouth wide and Jon coolly stabbed down with the sword.