Chaos tore through the settlement. The ground split wide, carving deep fractures through stone paths and foundations. Homes cracked. Lantern poles fell. Settlers ran in every direction, some shouting names, others screaming wordless terror as the earth heaved beneath them.
The warning was clear.
The worm was coming.
WHOOSH.
Air twisted. Pressure shifted.
Ash and Kael blinked into the center of town. One heartbeat they weren't there—next, they stood among the settlers.
A few gasped. One woman stumbled back, clutching her chest. Others just stared, wide-eyed, too stunned to speak.
Old Man Mark stood still, the only calm shape in a sea of panic. His gaze snapped to Ash the moment they appeared.
"So?"
His voice cut clean through the noise.
Ash's boots scraped as he stepped forward.
"Help is coming. But they won't make it in time. We have to stall the worm until Max finishes his part."
Kael cracked his neck, fire curling along his knuckles.
"I've got enough juice left to finish this thing myself."
Mark turned slightly, his eyes flicking to Ash. His face didn't move, but the look asked the question without words: is he serious?
Ash rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah… about that, Kael. There's something we haven't told you yet."
Kael's grin faded.
"What?"
BOOM.
The settlement shook. A wall burst outward as something underneath pushed too close. Splinters and stone scattered across the plaza.
And then it rose.
The worm broke through the surface like a mountain snapping free from the ground. Its shadow washed over the settlement, drowning the streets in black. The ground stilled, but the air trembled. The thing let out a roar—deep, jagged, and loud enough to shake the bones inside thier skin.
Kael took a step back. His eyes locked on the beast.
"Shit… it regenerated this fast?"
The upper half of the creature now pulsed with raw muscle. Wet and exposed. But parts of it looked different—hardened. Stone had started to grow across its hide, thick slabs of rock fused with flesh, forming bit of jagged armor plates.
Ash's hands curled into fists.
"Yeah… but that also means we have a window to take it down before it fully hardens."
Kael slammed his fists together. Fire surged up his arms, wrapping his shoulders in heat.
"Good. That means I can actually do some damage this time."
The worm shifted.
Its head snapped sideways, massive jaws dragging the earth with it. Sand and stone poured down in sheets. A wave of debris slammed into the edge of the settlement.
People scattered.
Some ducked behind carts. Others vanished between houses. Screams tore through the thickening dust.
Then—
THUD.
The creature slammed its massive head into the ground and dragged its bulk straight through the middle of the settlement. Homes shattered. Walls folded in on themselves like paper under a boot. The earth cracked wide, plates of stone lifting and falling apart under the pressure.
Bodies flew.
Dust swallowed the screams.
Kael stepped forward through the chaos, the fire on his arms flaring brighter. The glow lit his eyes.
"All right then…"
His grin stretched as embers danced in the air around him.
"Let's burn this thing down."
He threw his hand forward.
A blazing fireball launched from his palm, hurtling through the sky. It crashed into the worm's side like a meteor.
BOOM.
Flames burst across the creature's hide, peeling back part of its growing stone layer and searing deep into the raw flesh beneath. The beast howled, the sound cutting the air in a sharp, grating screech that set teeth on edge.
Then it vanished—sliding back into the earth.
Kael's grin dropped.
"Wait—"
The ground trembled. A pulse, low and rising.
Ash turned, eyes sharp.
"Shit… this is bad."
He didn't wait.
Time bent around him as he moved.
Settlers froze in the air mid-scream. Rocks and beams hovered above shattered rooftops. Ash blurred through the still world, dragging people clear of danger, one after another. His chest heaved with every step, but he kept going.
Then—
BOOM.
Time snapped back.
The ground exploded, hurling a geyser of dirt and rubble skyward. The worm launched upward, tearing through the ruins with its head like a blade cutting across the battlefield.
Kael skidded back, boots grinding through the dust. He let out a breath.
"That was close. So we know it's weak to fire, leave it to me. I'll kill it in no time."
He surged forward—
Ash's hand clamped around his wrist.
Kael stopped cold.
"What the hell—"
"We're not killing it."
Kael yanked, but Ash didn't let go.
"Why the hell not?"
The worm raised its head to face them. No eyes, but its focus was too sharp to ignore.
Ash pointed.
"Because if we do, the other worms will come. That thing is the only reason they haven't attacked yet."
Kael's mouth stayed open, then closed.
"...Shit."
WHOOSH.
The worm lunged again. Its entire body surged forward, a wave of sand and stone riding in its wake.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Wait… is it just me, or is that thing looking at us?"
'Looking?' ash thought.
Then—
BOOM.
It struck.
But Ash moved first.
They blinked from view.
The worm's head slammed into empty air, jaws snapping shut on nothing. It paused, then jerked its head around, confused.
Across the ruined plaza, Ash stood with Kael and the settlers, dust swirling around them.
Kael raised a brow.
"Like I said—you're useful."
Ash scowled.
"Shut up."
The worm twisted, locking onto them again.
Ash let out a long breath.
"Looks like it's after you."
Kael grinned.
"Of course it is. I'm the strongest one here."
Ash didn't blink.
"Yeah? Then have fun."
The worm charged.
Kael flinched.
"Wait—"
He turned—Ash was already gone with the settlers with them.
Across the field, Ash waved from a safe distance.
"Sorry! Can't risk the Settlers being near you!"
Kael's jaw tightened.
"You little—"
WHOOSH.
The worm lunged again, but Kael burst upward, flames exploding from his feet. He shot into the sky, smoke trailing behind.
The worm paused.
Its head tilted.
Then it turned.
Not toward Kael
But toward Ash.
Ash's shoulders stiffened.
"…What?"
Then, with terrifying speed—
It charged.
Ash's breath came slow and steady, but his heart hammered against his ribs.
'Shit… so it was after me all this time.'
Off to the side, Old Man Mark stood half-shadowed by dust. He didn't look surprised.
"It's a Tier 6 creature. It has intelligence. Taking out the annoying one first increases its chances of winning."
'Annoying one?'
Ash swallowed, grip tightening on the handle of his blade. His mind cut through the noise.
'Focus. No choice. I guess have to fight.'
He looked at Mark.
"Get everyone somewhere safe. I'll keep it busy."
Mark studied him for a moment, then nodded once and vanished into the storm, already shouting orders.
Ash lowered his stance, feet steady on broken ground. The worm twisted in front of him, its body heaving with power, its head slowly dropping—
Then it vanished.
Ash flinched.
"...What the—?"
Cracks split the ground beneath his feet.
"ASH! BEHIND YOU!"
Kael's voice tore through the chaos.
The earth exploded.
A tail burst upward like a spear, cutting the sky. Ash turned—his veins lit up. Time pulled apart.
The world dulled into stillness. Dust froze in midair. Every heartbeat sounded like thunder.
He pivoted. The blur sharpened.
Behind him—a massive mouth split open. Rows of jagged teeth, wide and waiting.
To his left—the tail swept closer.
To his right—the jaws.
Nowhere to run.
Ash twisted. His blade shot up.
Time snapped forward.
SHLNK!
Steel ripped into flesh.
The worm howled. A shriek that didn't sound like it came from anything of this world. Its body flailed, blood spilling across the ruins. It dove underground with a violent shudder, the tremors shaking the bones of the earth.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The sky lit up.
Kael hovered high, fire curling from his hands. He hurled molten orbs down into the crater below, each one crashing like a hammer. The sand melted. Flames danced across the battlefield, turning ground into glass. Smoke climbed in thick spirals, choking the space between the ruins.
Silence followed.
Kael scanned below. His hands didn't lower.
Ash breathed in, eyes shifting through the ash and haze. Something's wrong.
Then—
"Kael—!"
A shadow dropped from the sky.
Kael turned—too close.
The worm exploded upward, its entire body launched into the air. For a second, it blocked out the sun.
Kael's breath caught.
"Holy shit."
Time hung still.
The size of it—the weight—crushed the air around it. Every muscle in Kael's body screamed at once.
Then it dropped.
A wall of flesh and stone, falling like a mountain.
Kael reacted—fire burst from his palms, blasting him backward just as the creature came down.
CRASH.
The land cracked open. Buildings fell into themselves. A blast of force tore outward, flinging rubble and flame in every direction.
Dust smothered the world.
Then—
Movement.
The worm shifted in the wreckage, curling in the center of the ruins.
Its head turned.
Those eyeless face locked on Ash.
Ash didn't wait.
The ground tore as he sprinted forward.
BOOM.
His boots slammed into the broken earth, his body flickering with speed. Wreckage fell around him, walls buckled, rooftops caved in—but he slipped through them like water, closing the distance.
In his grip, Nightveil Drought gleamed on his blade, black steel catching firelight.
Above—
Kael hovered, flames curling around his arms like living serpents. His gaze never left the Creature. He couldn't kill it.
But he could keep it away from the survivors.
"Oi, ugly! You like fire, don't you?"
He flung a wall of searing heat—not at the worm, but around it. The sand hardened into molten rock, glowing red-hot, forming a prison of fire.
The worm reared back, releasing a piercing shriek.
But it wasn't pain.
It was fury.
Below—
Ash ducked low as the tail ripped past him. Wind tore at his cloak. The ground split behind him, the shockwave flinging shattered stone into the air.
He stumbled, caught his balance, and cursed under his breath.
"Damn it… not enough cuts."
The poison hadn't reached the bloodstream. Not deep enough. Not yet.
High above, Kael called out, voice sharp,
"How long until that stuff kicks in?"
Ash kept his eyes on the monster.
"I need more hits. It won't give me an opening."
A grin touched Kael's face.
"Then let's make one."
Flames burst from his hands—fast, focused.
Not a blast to burn. A blast to push.
The heat rolled in. The worm recoiled, its body twisting, instinct pulling it away from the fire.
Ash moved.
WHOOSH.
A streak of motion.
He vanished—then reappeared beneath the worm, blade flashing.
SLASH!
Steel bit into soft flesh.
A spray of black blood followed, thick and fast.
The worm screamed. The sound shook the air, sharp as breaking stone. It dropped, slamming its body down in a blind reaction.
But Ash wasn't there, he was already somewhere else. His shoe hit the ground in a crouch, blade dripping, chest heaving.
Kael let out a low whistle from above.
"Nice. How many more?"
Ash didn't look away from the beast.
"A lot."
Kael cracked his knuckles. Fire danced up both arms.
"Then let's get to work."