Author's Note:
Dear reader, I hope you're enjoying the story. If you could support me by giving me power stones, I'd greatly appreciate it. Your feedback and suggestions are also welcome. Happy reading!
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Just after they set foot on the ground, Deon, who had just remembered a small detail, shouted Alexia's name to warn her — but it was already too late.
The spot where she and Amelia had just stepped cracked open, revealing a large gaping hole filled with sharp, jagged teeth resembling those of a shark. It was the mouth of another desert worm. But this time, they noticed that the creature before their eyes was different from the ones they had previously slain.
Its skin, slightly yellowish in color, blended perfectly with the desert sand, allowing it to camouflage itself without risk of being discovered. The diameter of its mouth and the length of its body were almost twice that of its kin. But the most striking thing was its speed of reaction—it was simply incredible.
Theo screamed Amelia's name with all his strength as she narrowly escaped certain death together with Alexia.
Ever since they had entered the portal, Alexia had been putting into practice the advice Deon had shared with her during their training. She was trying to lessen her presence to blend in. It worked, more or less. If she had been caught in the desert worm's surprise attack, it was only because she was within Amelia's attack zone. Unlike Amelia, the worm hadn't really sensed her presence, which allowed her to react a bit faster.
Just before being swallowed by the worm's jaws, Alexia grabbed Amelia's hand and summoned her wind elemental spirit. It immediately blasted them backward, creating a tornado that sent them crashing into a mountain before disappearing at its summoner's command.
Theo, who had just screamed Amelia's name, didn't wait for Deon before launching a ferocious attack on the desert worm. Gripping the handle of his sword tightly, he leaped high into the air, swinging it down with all his weight added to the blade's momentum.
"Mountain's Crush!" he murmured, his expression hard to describe. Taking advantage of his height, he used the speed of his fall to reinforce the impact of his strike.
A deafening boom echoed across the desert, raising a massive cloud of dust. The attack Theo had unleashed on the worm was spectacular and visibly powerful—yet the result didn't match the effort. Unlike its kin, this desert worm's skin was incredibly tough. Even Theo's seemingly devastating blow had caused it only minor scratches.
The creature let out a shrill screech, turning its head toward Theo's direction. It had located him. Theo's burst of rage had just made him commit a fatal mistake.
"Damn it, Theo, what the hell did you just do?!" Deon cursed under his breath.
Desert worms had no eyes. Possessing only a massive mouth, their only way to detect enemies was by sensing vibrations through the ground. Extremely sensitive to terrestrial vibrations, they used them to pinpoint enemies or track down potential prey.
Earlier, Deon and Theo, who were aware of this trait, had moved carefully, causing as little vibration as possible. This made it nearly impossible for the worms to locate them precisely. Amelia, after landing with Alexia, had created strong vibrations when she tried to run toward Deon and Theo, which allowed the worm to detect and target her.
Deon was worried for the girls since he had called out to Alexia a second too late. However, he might have reacted the same way Theo did if he hadn't seen the scene and realized they were safe. Despite the speed at which everything happened, Deon had been able to clearly perceive what was going on thanks to his heightened senses. He knew nothing serious had happened to them—but before he could reassure Theo, the latter was already in a fit of rage.
Now, the worm wouldn't let Theo go. It relentlessly attacked him, giving him no respite. Theo, however, didn't back down. He fought back with renewed fury, combining his skills and sword techniques. But despite all his efforts, he couldn't overpower the creature. He was clearly in a bad position.
Sensing the danger, Deon had no choice but to join the fight to help Theo. Yet he quickly realized it wouldn't be of much use. Theo, blinded by anger, couldn't synchronize his moves with Deon's for greater efficiency. Despite Deon's best efforts to support him, it proved futile.
Meanwhile, Alexia and Amelia, already back on their feet, were preparing a large-scale spell. From where he stood, Deon could see Alexia shaping a wind arrow through her elemental spirit. She had concentrated so much mana into the spell that anyone who saw it would know it was going to be devastating. Behind her stood Amelia, playing her flute. As a bard, she was boosting Alexia's power to maximize the spell's effectiveness.
"Alexia! Hold on for a few seconds!" Deon shouted as he rushed toward her.
Just before Alexia could release her wind arrow, an idea crossed Deon's mind. He felt he could defeat the creature in record time if he executed it properly. Having no other choice, he asked Alexia to delay the spell's release.
"Let's combine our skills and techniques to create a stronger attack. It'll increase our chances of killing it in one shot," he said as he reached them. "Alexia, can you modify the shape of your spell?"
Deon didn't wait for her answer before pulling out a bow and an arrow from his spatial ring.
"It's possible to change the shape," Alexia replied, curious about what Deon had in mind this time.
But quickly, without needing further explanation, she already understood. Seeing Deon infuse aura into the tip of his arrow, Alexia immediately began reshaping her spell. Soon, she transformed the wind arrow into a whirlwind, compressing it to its limit before wrapping it around Deon's arrow.
"Amelia…"
Hearing Alexia call her name, Amelia swiftly cast enhancement buffs on Deon. The rest of the process happened fast. Despite a few doubts running through his mind, Deon kept his cool, fully focused on the battle.
After activating his Sense Enhancement skill, he adjusted his posture and released the arrow, carefully aiming away from Theo. The arrow's speed was staggering. Combined with the extreme rotation caused by Alexia's whirlwind, the result was astonishing.
A massive explosion erupted as the thick, tough skin of the desert worm was pierced through, the blast caused by the friction between mana and aura.
"It's dead… right?" Deon panted, his breath heavy. Behind him, Alexia and Amelia were more worried about Theo than the fallen creature.