The unfortunate thing about being a Navigator is the inherent weakness in the position. Chikusa has had plenty of time to pick up on the differences between them, guiding from behind instead of being on the front lines. It's even worse for him. Astaroth's positioning doesn't enable him to move as quickly as he might want to. It's an enormous snake, curled tightly around him, and dodging takes some forethought.

Forethought isn't something that can happen during a sneak attack.

Gritting his teeth, Chiksua can only really do one thing even as his gaze jerks down towards the ground: he hauls himself onto Astaroth's massive body. Without the Navigator himself to grab, all that's left is the Persona itself... which might as well be the same thing. A massive hiss leaves the creature, and Chikusa's normally bland expression contorts. It doesn't stop him from aiming his weapon down at the hand, firing off another round.