"What are the Twinpillar?" Kilibur asked, eyeing the creatures suspiciously as they slowly approached.
One of the worms responded in a deep, sinister voice:
"We are the guardian worms of this place… and we're starving! How fortunate that you came; we were about to go out and eat the citizens, but it seems the food has come straight to us."
The Twinpillar began advancing toward the group, but Paltio quickly signaled to Golden:
"Golden! Lend me 20 percent of your power!"
With the energy received, Paltio stepped forward to defend the others from the devastating blows of the boxing worms. Though he blocked their attacks with determination, one of the twins mockingly remarked:
"Not bad, kid… But I don't like playing with my food."
Paltio kept resisting, but it was clear he was losing strength. His movements became slower, and his breathing grew labored.
"Paltio, what's wrong with you?" Golden asked, worried as he noticed the prince gasping for air.
"I don't know… I think I haven't recovered from the last fight," Paltio replied, trying to stay on his feet.
"Let me handle this," Kilibur interjected, launching an illusion attack. He created two red worms of the same size as the Twinpillar, pitting them against the creatures to buy time for the group.
"That should hold them for now," Kilibur said, motioning for Paris to pull Paltio out of the line of fire. "Are you okay, Paltio?"
"I don't know… I feel tired, and I don't understand why," the young prince responded, visibly exhausted.
"Daddy, daddy! What's wrong with you?" Rykaru asked, floating near him with concern.
"Let me heal you," Kilibur offered, moving closer to using his healing powers on Paltio.
Meanwhile, Paris observed the spot where Chiki had been buried.
"They've finished off the dog, I think… I don't see any trace of the little chihuahua," she murmured sadly.
The illusions created by Kilibur began to lose their effect under a powerful combo delivered by the twin worms. As they dissipated, the Twinpillar focused their attention on the group gathered before them.
"Well, dinner is served," they said in unison, lunging forward with their mouths wide open, ready to attack.
Rykaru, seeing Paltio weak and being tended to by Kilibur, decided to take a brave stance. He positioned himself in front of the group, ready to face the beasts.
"I have to be brave for my daddy," he whispered to himself before addressing the worms:
"Hey, stupid worms! I'm going to fight you!"
The Twinpillar burst into mocking laughter:
"You? A silly white ball? You look like a toy!"
Concurrently, in the hole where he had been buried after receiving the brutal blow, Chiki began to regain consciousness. Annoyed, he muttered to himself:
"How could those useless worms defeat me? Good thing Ron isn't here to rub it in my face… Oh! Well. I was saving this for an important moment, but since I want to finish this quickly, I'm going into my 'FELICA' form!"
Back with the group, the worms prepared to attack Rykaru. One of them exclaimed:
"Stupid ball, don't get in the way! But in that case, you'll be the first thing we eat. I hope you taste good!"
With a swift flick of its enormous white tail, one of the Twinpillar struck Rykaru, sending him flying into a wall with great force.
"Rykaru!" Paltio shouted, alarmed by the impact and filled with concern.
"Well, once that thing is out of the way, we can feast on these three," said one of the worms, referring to Paltio, Kilibur, and Paris.
"But how do we do it? Do we draw lots, or do we split them half-and-half?" asked the red-haired worm.
"I think half-and-half," responded the green-haired one.
"Alright, it's decided," agreed the red-haired worm. "And which one do we split in half?"
"Let's see… I think that fox-eared boy. The other two look normal," indicated the red-haired worm, pointing at Kilibur.
"Good, then we'll go for those two first, and dessert will be the fox boy," agreed the green-haired worm with an evil smile.
"Alright!" both exclaimed in unison, preparing to attack.
They advanced toward Paltio and his team, but before they could do anything, a bright light struck them both. A stern voice echoed throughout the area:
"Stop, you stupid worms! You haven't defeated me yet!"
Everyone turned to the source of the voice. A massive animal appeared before them: a red wolf the size of a puma, standing upright on two legs. He wore spiked gloves on his knuckles, a fitted black vest, and a blue bandanna that stood out against his scarlet fur.
"It's you, little chihuahua!" Paris exclaimed, surprised by Chiki's transformation.
"So you used your FELICA form," Golden commented, nodding in approval.
"Not bad," Kilibur added, impressed by the imposing figure of the wolf.
"Yes, it's me," Chiki replied with a fierce smile as he let out a powerful howl that resonated throughout the place. "Now it's my turn to fight. Round 2 begins… and I growl at you!"
"Wow, you look amazing," Paltio said, looking at Chiki with admiration.
"Truth. Leave these stupid worms to me," Chiki declared confidently as he stepped forward toward the Twinpillar.
The worms, visibly surprised, asked:
"How can you still be alive after we beat you to a pulp?"
"I'm angry now," the red wolf responded in a deep, threatening voice. Without giving them time to react, he charged toward them and delivered a swift punch directly to their stomachs. One after another, the worms suffered devastating blows from the wolf.
"Fist Rain!" Chiki shouted as bursts of energy shot out from his hands, unleashing thousands of consecutive strikes. The worms went flying from the impact, unable to withstand his power.
Meanwhile, Paltio began to feel better. He looked at Kilibur and said:
"I think I'm feeling better now."
"I need to go get Rykaru," he added, heading toward where the little creature was.
Golden stopped him with a gesture.
"Don't push yourself. You haven't fully recovered yet, as far as I can see."
"I'm fine, I'll just grab him and come back," Paltio insisted, walking over to Rykaru.
When he reached him, he knelt beside the small being and asked:
"Are you okay, Rykaru?"
Rykaru, sad because he hadn't been able to protect Paltio, lowered his head, almost on the verge of tears. Without saying a word, Paltio took out the scepter sphere and healed Rykaru.
"See? Good as new," he said with a warm smile.
Rykaru instantly cheered up and, though he had no arms, pressed himself against Paltio as if hugging him, showing his gratitude.
On the battlefield, Chiki continued to face the worms. With a serious and menacing voice, he declared:
"Take this, stupid worms!"
The Twinpillar could barely defend themselves against the wolf's attacks.
"This being is too strong… We shouldn't have made him angry, brother," said the green-haired worm, panting from the effort.
"Yes, brother," replied the red-haired one, slowly recovering from the last attack. "Wait a minute! We're the Twinpillar! We rule this place! Show that dog who's boss here!"
The two worms exchanged a knowing glance and, without a word, coordinated their plan. With synchronized movements, they launched themselves directly at Chiki. They raised their giant fists, ready to strike the red wolf. However, instead of directing their blows at him, they tricked Chiki: both slammed their fists with devastating force into the ground.
The impact caused the earth to shake violently, opening up beneath them like a hungry mouth. Everyone began to fall once again into the darkness of the abyss.
The Twinpillar burst into mocking laughter as they watched the group disappear into the hole.
"No one messes with us, especially not in our territory!" they shouted in unison, crossing their arms arrogantly as the echo of their laughter filled the space.