AM N. NOT.
The original Maki scanned every inch of the battlefield – inspecting, searching, waiting for the perfect moment to launch his hook. To reel in the massive fish before him.
Maki 2 kept pouring chakra into the ground, sending towering wooden stalagmites erupting upward in waves, each one slamming into the earth to cut off the Anomalies' paths.
Maki 1 pushed harder, barraging them with wooden tridents that moved faster and grew larger with every volley – now as big as the creatures themselves, slicing through the air with bone-shaking force.
Then Maki 3 opened his eyes wide, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Let me show you what a real centaur is."
"MUKUTON – 'Kentaurnermi Nunaqarfik – Nessuus'…"
(Constellation of Centaurs – Nessus)
The ground shook – not just trembled, but bucked like a living thing, as if an earthquake had ripped open the earth's core. The entire pyramid groaned and creaked, its wooden walls straining under the weight of something colossal fighting to break free.
THOOOOOM… THOOOOOM… THOOOOOM…
Massive tree trunks burst from the floor, thick as skyscrapers, their bark splitting and cracking as if something inside was clawing its way out.
Baaaaang… Baaaaaaang… Baaaang…
Banging sounds thundered from within the trunks – heavy, powerful impacts that shook the pyramid to its foundations. Then – craaaaack! – a force like nothing else shattered the wood apart in an explosion of splinters and sawdust.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Three behemoths emerged.
Their bodies were carved from ancient wood, with leaves and vines weaving across their forms like living armor. They were centaurs – but unlike any legend ever told. Their lower halves were shaped like the powerful bodies of deer-horses, muscles rippling in carved lines, tails of cascading leaves swaying with every breath. Their upper bodies were chiseled to perfection – broad shoulders, defined chests, eight-pack abs carved with intricate detail. Vines coiled around their shoulders and arms like twisted chains, hanging down to brush against their wooden skin. Their hands were human-like, strong and steady – but their heads…
Their heads were serpents.
Snake heads made of polished wood, moving and twisting as if alive. They could open their maws wide enough to swallow a car whole, revealing rows of sharp wooden fangs – no tongues inside, only dark, hollow throats. Instead of eyes, antlers like a deer's sprouted from their skulls, crafted so perfectly they looked real, catching the light like polished bone.
These were the Nessus – standing eighty feet tall, towering over the Anomalies.
Maki 1 and Maki 2 halted their attacks and fell back to join Maki 3. Behind them, the three Nessus stood firm – impenetrable guardians shielding the original Maki who waited just beyond. The fight was now three against three.
The clones leaped up and settled cross-legged atop the serpent heads of their respective beasts. The Nessus were like living wooden mechs, requiring precise control – movements so hard and fluid only chakra could drive them.
The battle was just getting started.
Three clones controlling three Nessus. Against three Tukeraq Aanaa – Bleeding Deer – Anomalies.
Time seemed to freeze. Both sides stared each other down. The Anomalies had been annoyed by the earlier "tickle attacks" – frustrated and irritated beyond measure. But now, seeing creatures their own size standing before them, something shifted in their rage. They began to laugh – a harsh, grating sound that echoed off the pyramid walls.
Zaaaaaaaaazaaaaaazaaaaa…
Zaaaaaalaaaaaaamaaaaaayaaaaaaaazaaaaaaaag…
The original Maki heard every note of their mockery. "Destroy Nessus with just one arm?" he said, his voice cool and dismissive. "Okay then – be my guest."
The Tukeraq Aanaa caught his tone and roared in pure fury.
Baaaang… baaaang… baaang…
The Anomalies charged forward, their massive hooves cratering the wooden floor. They barreled toward the Nessus, who stood still as mountains – unyielding sentinels guarding what lay behind them.
ZAAAAAXAAAAAARAAAAH!
The lead Anomaly screamed, its long neck stretching forward like a coiled whip. It aimed the top of its head – where the Devouring Flower sat – directly at the centaurs. The flower unfolded fully, revealing its true horror: rows of sharp fangs lining every petal, and a deep black hole at its center where the corrosive acid seethed and bubbled.
Then, from that gaping maw, a sphere of sickly green acid began to form. It started no bigger than a basketball – then swelled, expanding until it was the size of a boulder, then larger still.
Sriiieeeeeeeksssss…
The acid hissed and smoked as it compressed, the air around it corroding away in wisps of toxic steam. It was a cannon round built to obliterate everything in its path.
VRooooOoooOoooOooooOm!
All three Anomalies charged their attacks at once, the spheres growing faster than the eye could follow.
The clones on the Nessus' heads saw the threat coming. They placed their hands flat against the serpent wood, feeling the chakra flow between them and their beasts. In perfect unison, they spoke:
"Mukuton – Aegis!"
The ground trembled again, and from beneath the Nessus, thick wooden pillars shot upward – dozens of them, racing to the very ceiling of the pyramid. From these pillars, massive fingers began to take shape, curling and flexing as they merged together. Two colossal hands formed – then clasped tightly, creating a shield of interwoven wood that blotted out half the chamber.
ZAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAA!
The Tukeraq Aanaa roared their challenge – then:
VOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The acid spheres launched forward at bullet speed. Three massive cannon rounds – each bigger than the Anomalies themselves – streaked through the air, leaving trails of smoking, corroded wood in their wake.
FooooooooOooooooOoosh…
The clones watched as the spheres closed in. With a quick surge of chakra, more layers of wood rushed to reinforce the shield – doubling its size, then tripling it, until the Aegis was a wall of solid timber as thick as a fortress gate.
The massive corrosive spheres slammed into the wooden shield – and the world exploded.
BAaaaaaaaaAaaaaaAaaaaaaaAaaang!
🐍AM N. NOT.
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Changing Title. (￣з￣) 👉🏻 OC: Hooked by Heroines