As the sand worm closed in, Kael immediately activated the Specter-X Nano Bracelet.
Black streams of nanobots surged from the bracelet like liquid darkness, racing across his body. Few moments, they completely encased him from head to toe, forming a sleek suit of dark armor that gleamed beneath the desert sun.
He had barely finished equipping it when the attack came.
The ground exploded.
A deafening roar echoed across the desert as the colossal sand worm burst from beneath the sands. Its enormous mouth stretched open, revealing countless rows of jagged teeth. It looked less like a living creature and more like a bottomless abyss capable of swallowing everything in its path.
Kael’s instincts screamed.
He kicked off the ground and darted sideways.
The gigantic jaws snapped shut where he had been standing only moments earlier. The force generated by the bite created a violent gust of wind that swept across the desert.
The worm crashed back into the sand and immediately began burrowing underground.
Kael didn’t waste the opening.
Reaching into his inventory, he summoned a throwing spear.
Without hesitation, he hurled it.
The spear tore through the air and plunged into the worm’s hide before it could fully disappear beneath the sands.
A shrill screech erupted from the monster.
Its massive body twisted violently before diving completely underground like a fish slipping beneath the surface of a lake.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
The hit had landed.
Unfortunately, the damage was disappointing.
The spear had barely shaved away a small portion of the creature’s health.
There was nothing to celebrate.
This thing was far stronger than the golems they had been hunting all day.
With a thought, the throwing spear vanished.
A heavy combat axe appeared in its place.
Kael rested it against his shoulder and smirked.
"Come on, you oversized worm."
He slammed the axe into the sand.
The impact sent vibrations through the desert floor.
According to the information he had gathered, sand worms relied heavily on vibrations to locate prey.
As expected, the bait worked.
The desert erupted.
A massive tail burst from beneath the sand, whipping toward Kael’s torso with frightening speed.
Spikes covered the tail from end to end.
Venomous spikes.
Kael had no intention of finding out how deadly they were.
At the last moment, he dropped into a crouch.
The tail passed mere inches above his head.
"Not today, sucker."
His axe flashed.
The blade bit deep into the hardened flesh of the tail, carving a long gash across its surface.
The sand worm shrieked in pain.
Its body recoiled violently.
Kael immediately switched weapons.
The battle axe vanished.
A long spear appeared.
Without hesitation, he drove it into the ground.
Boom!
The desert beneath him exploded apart.
The spear sank deep into the sand before striking something solid.
The worm.
The weapon had pierced straight into its body beneath the surface.
The creature thrashed violently.
Kael felt the spear shaking in his grip as the monster struggled.
Then suddenly the resistance vanished.
The worm had escaped.
Retreating deeper underground.
Kael slowly pulled the spear free.
His expression remained calm.
He knew the creature hadn’t fled.
A predator like this wouldn’t abandon the hunt after suffering a few injuries.
It was waiting.
Searching for another opportunity to strike.
Standing motionless, Kael focused completely on the desert around him.
Every grain of sand.
Every vibration.
Every movement beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, several kilometers away, the escaping hunters continued running.
One of them suddenly glanced backward.
His brows furrowed.
"Wait."
"Where’s the sand worm?"
The others quickly looked behind them.
Only then did they realize the monster was no longer pursuing them.
A hunter’s gaze landed on Adam and Zoey.
"Weren’t there three of you?"
"There was another guy."
Zoey nodded.
"He stayed behind."
The hunter frowned.
"Stayed behind?"
"To hold back the worm."
Several expressions immediately changed.
Before anyone could speak, a distant boom echoed across the desert.
Then another.
The sounds of battle carried across the sands.
Adam and Zoey couldn’t help looking toward the source.
Worry flashed across both their faces.
They knew Kael was powerful.
Far stronger than he had admitted.
But they also knew what kind of monster he was facing.
Especially Zoey.
Having sensed the creature herself, she understood better than anyone just how terrifying it was.
One of the hunters glanced at them.
"You think that’s your teammate fighting it?"
Before Zoey could answer, another hunter scoffed.
"What does it matter?"
He pointed toward the horizon.
"Do you seriously want to stick around?"
"The worm will finish him sooner or later."
"And when it does, it’ll come looking for us next."
The others silently agreed.
They were grateful.
Without Kael, they never would have escaped.
But gratitude and survival were two different things.
In their eyes, Kael had made a foolish decision.
He looked young.
Far too young.
No matter how talented he was, there was no way he could defeat a monster like that.
Staying behind was suicide.
And none of them intended to die alongside him.
The group continued moving.
Soon only Adam and Zoey remained standing.
The two stared silently toward the distant battlefield.
Adam eventually turned toward Zoey.
He didn’t need to speak.
The worry on his face said everything.
Zoey understood immediately.
But she shook her head.
Going back wouldn’t help.
Being weak wasn’t shameful.
Refusing to acknowledge your weakness was.
If they returned now, they wouldn’t be helping Kael.
They would only become burdens.
That wasn’t bravery, it was stupidity.
After several long seconds, Zoey finally turned away.
Adam followed shortly after.
Both of them continued moving.
Neither spoke nor look back again.
Yet the worry remained visible on their faces.
Back on the battlefield, the fight had finally reached its climax.
Boom!
The desert exploded apart.
The sand worm burst from beneath the ground once more.
Its enormous body towered above the dunes.
Deep cuts covered its flesh.
Several sections of its armored hide had been torn open.
Blood stained the sands wherever it passed.
The creature looked miserable.
And furious.
Its crimson eyes locked onto Kael.
Every wound covering its body had been inflicted by the human standing before it.
The sand worm released a deafening roar that shook the surrounding desert.
This time there was no caution left.
No probing attacks.
No tactical retreats.
The monster had reached its limit.
It wanted only one thing now.
To kill Kael.
And judging by the dangerous aura radiating from its massive body, it was finally prepared to go all out.