I walked deeper into the worm, Edward on my back. He weighed surprisingly light. Too light for a man in full plate. His armor clanged and clinked under the growing pressure.
"You good back there?"
"Never better. It's not often I get carried around. It's nice."
"Good. Because the road ahead looks weird."
The tunnel ahead was lined with bumpy, pulsing growths rising out of the ground. Smaller than the ants, but countless.
"I think those are blood vessels," Edward murmured. "They're surfacing as we near the heart."
Up close, they were unmistakable—veins as thick as my arm, no longer buried but throbbing at the surface. I swallowed hard.
"Let's be careful. Don't wanna step on those and have something disgusting burst out again," Edward warned.
"Easier said than done," I muttered. Gravity was increasing with every step.
"Hope you're comfortable back there. I'm gonna have to play hopscotch under Jupiter-level gravity."
I leapt and hopped, weaving between vessels as though the ground were a deadly puzzle. My feet struck solid crystal without even raising dust—the earth here had hardened into something dense and glassy.
"Those the rare minerals you mentioned?" I asked.
Edward gasped, his breath ragged. "Yes. 'Tis a sign we're near."
I agreed. It wasn't the only sign. From here the worm's heartbeat thundered like the pistons of some giant ship.
No enemies. Only crushing weight and pulsing veins.
I jumped again to avoid a cluster, but Edward suddenly phased through me and slipped off my back.
"Edward!"
I tried to catch him but my hand passed through his body. Luckily, he hit the ground instead of a vessel. I rushed over.
"You good?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I am fine. I have recovered and I am no longer tired, but I lost control there for a bit."
His exposed eye was slick with sweat.
"Alright. Can you move on your own now?"
"I will try."
We pressed forward together. I used brute strength to push through the increasing gravity, while he shifted between phasing and invisible platforms of force. Gravity bit less at him while phased, but I could see the strain growing—a wobble here, a slip there.
Hours passed. The heartbeat was deafening now, the only sound left. This journey must have taken us dozens if not hundreds of miles through the worm.
"There!" Edward cried, pointing ahead. "The heart. Our journey is nearly at an end."
Before us loomed an unholy fusion of flesh and crystal, beating. Not like a human heart—longer, vaster, its chambers pulsing like war drums. Bigger than the ants. Bigger than a train. Bigger than a mountain. It vanished into darkness at the end.
Edward looked at it with awe, then tried to take a step, but instead collapsed.
"Your injuries opening up?" I asked, propping him up.
"Nay. They are healing. But my body cannot push through the gravity any longer. My organs fight to stay inside me."
I could feel it too. My body screamed under the pressure. But the goal was right there. I could push through.
"I'll go. I'll finish this. You stay here."
I turned to leave but Edward caught my arm.
"John," he said, face drawn, breath harsh. "Be careful. The gravity increases exponentially from here. But I know you can endure it."
He stared into my eye. "The heart is its vulnerability—and its fortress. Its material will be tougher than anything you've faced." He paused. Hesitant.
"John. The real battle begins after you destroy it. Save your strength."
I stopped, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"
He hesitated. "Just… be careful. There is more to come."
Cryptic, as always. My suspicions had been simmering since the start. This time, I didn't hold back.
"Are you also from Earth?" I asked flatly.
He looked startled, then laughed. "Ahaha! No, I am not, John."
I kept my eyes on him. "That settles it. You're definitely lying."
Still breathing hard, he frowned. "No. I truly am not. And why would you think so?"
I laid out my case. "One. You didn't even ask what Earth was. You just said no."
He froze.
"Two. Your impossible knowledge of the Chompworm. I'm not the smartest guy, but I've done thorough research about space warping creatures— yet no records exist about the Chompworm. Yet you know it all, even its parasites. How?"
I tightened my grip on his arm.
"Three. Your powers. You phased through me without effort. Even Julius—the man with the best mana control alive—have some trouble when operating magic on me directly. You did it accidentally and weren't even surprised. A person from Earth would have weird abilities like that. I'd know. I'm one myself."
I glared at him.
"Four. The convenience. I'm hunting a space-warping creature, and you're looking for it too? And you help me find it? Too convenient. Feels like you were targeting me."
I leaned closer.
"And the clincher. When I tried to describe the Chompworm, I asked if it was as big as a train. You said yes."
Edward tilted his head. "And?"
I grinned. "There are no trains in this world."
He broke into sweat.
"Gotcha."
He laughed again, low. "You're smarter than the rumors suggest, John Delinger. I'm impressed."
"I'm not lying. I'm truly not from Earth. I'm something else." He exhaled. "I'm an anomaly."
"An anomaly?"
"Indeed. Just like you. A glitch in reality. Someone who wasn't supposed to be here," he said. "I went through a Dungeon Warp and came back. That's why I know so much. That's why I have these abilities."
I widened my eyes. I had so many questions. "You're one of them. How? But it doesn't even explain your Earth knowledge? Unless you went to Earth during that time?"
He smiled. "We can talk later, John. Preferably somewhere quieter. I am not going anywhere. And no, I never went to Earth. There's another explanation. Finish your business."
He glanced at the heart.
I relented. "Alright. We're not done. This doesn't explain everything."
"I know." I felt his grin again.
"Here. Take this."
He removed his shining helmet and handed it to me. For the first time, I saw his face. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Sharp features. Weathered.
"You're gonna need the light," he said.
I stared for a moment, then nodded. "Thanks. See ya later." I did not put it on. I simply carried it.
And then I was off. Alone. The heart before me.
I stepped closer, my breath shaking. My head pounded from the pressure. The heart's vibrations rampaged through my body. The good news? They destroyed my eardrums, so I couldn't hear it anymore. The bad news? My body refused to let me rest. It healed them every second, only for the sound to rip them apart again. A battle between flesh and thunder. One I would have gladly lost—if my body ever let me.
Fifty feet from the heart, I stumbled. Gravity crushed me to my knees. My knee shattered instantly. I collapsed to the floor, more bones snapping under the weight. My body scrambled to fix me, and when it did, I crawled forward again.
I tried the warp rune. It sputtered, flickered, opened for half a second, then died. Gravity warped space itself. But half a second was enough. I kept opening it, step by step, inch by inch.
The gravity no longer rose gradually. Now, each step was ten times heavier than the last, and that number increased the closer I went.
I left Edward's helmet behind. It was too heavy to carry, but it lit the path ahead. Even my clothes weighed like mountains until they tore from my body, leaving me bare.
I felt my blood pooling at my feet. My face sagged like melting wax. My organs pulped into slurry. Each step came with cracking sounds—bones breaking, muscles tearing. My heart fought to push blood through my veins, each beat a losing war. At some point, I went blind.
Still, my body clung to life. It rebuilt itself again and again, each time a little stronger, a little more durable. And with each step, I glimpsed that serene feeling I always felt when I grew stronger.
Sixteen feet away, I stopped. Any farther, and I would die. The heart's beat now pulverized me from the inside out. But this was close enough.
Up close, the heart was colossal. So large that it's probably bigger than some kingdoms. It is truly a marvel at how the Chompworm fits all this inside itself. It's an entire world in here. No wonder our attacks just bounced off it. We hadn't failed to hurt it before—it had simply been too vast for our attacks to matter.
A magnificent creature.
And it was about to die.
There's a reason why I almost never go all out. Why didn't I just hit the hardest I could all the time. It's not just because I care about the surroundings. There's more to it.
My body improves endlessly. Each time I push through my limits, that part of me gets better at what it does. So far, I have found no limit. However, not all parts of me improve equally. My strength improves the most. It improves faster than anyone we've seen or recorded.
My healing comes second. That's why some call me The Immortal in some places.
My durability, however, seems to be unable to keep up. It's still fantastic, and most people would kill for it, but it is not nearly as good as improving my strength. Or rather, my strength improves too fast, leaving the other parts of me in the dust.
The result? Edward was about to find out.
I whispered through my bloodied lungs. "Let me show you what I can truly do, Edward. Why I'm the strongest man alive."
He probably didn't hear me. Didn't matter. I needed to say it.
I tucked my left arm. A portal appeared before my right arm. The other end opened on a wall near the heart. The portal flickered, threatening to collapse. Good thing I only needed a second.
"Feast upon Armaggedon, worm."
For the first time in a long time, I punched with everything I had.
Air compressed in front of me, resisting, straining to stop me.
I broke through it.
My fist slammed into the heart—
And the world turned to fire and ash.
The heart shattered, then disintegrated. The rare earth minerals that were once everywhere turned to dust. The cavern collapsed. The destruction continued. Miles and miles of land were ripped by the very air.
Organs of the worm ruptured—intestines, liver, structures I couldn't even name. All undone in a single blow.
Still, it didn't stop.
Creatures we'd never seen—ants, nematodes, parasites—obliterated instantly.
Still, it didn't stop.
Earth itself peeled away in layers, crumbling, collapsing, until only desolation remained
And when the air rushed back to fill the vacuum I'd made, the backlash unleashed another wave of destruction.
At last, it ended.
In the center of the ruin, I stood. Barely.
My arm? Gone. Not even bone remained.
My torso, mutilated and charred. My intestines were spilling out of my body. Half of my face has no skin, making me a discount Harvey Dent. My legs survived with just some burns that were already healing.
I couldn't hear. Couldn't smell. Half blind. Immobile.
But I could feel.
The pain I felt right now touched my soul, like it was exhausted. More painful than when I got all my skin burned off. More painful than when poison rotted my body. I was exhausted to the marrow. But I had done it.
I slayed the Chompworm.
I destroyed a world.
The intense gravity was no more. The roof collapsed. The floor shook. The walls cracked.
I began to fall—until hands caught me.
"I told you to save your strength," Edward said, hefting me onto his back.
I laughed, hollow and ragged. "Couldn't help it. You looked so cool doing your ultimate attack, I had to do mine too."
He leapt across invisible platforms, dodging falling debris. On the broken roof, a crack in space split open in the air—an exit to the world above.
"There's our exit!" He shouted. He sped through the air. I held on tight with my one arm. The crack in space was there.
He vaulted through it.
Sunlight. Trees. Fresh air. I couldn't help but smile. I slid off Edward's back and pressed my hand to the grass. The outside soil felt impossibly light. Behind us, the corpse of the worm lay still. A gaping tear in its stomach where we came out of spilled rocks, minerals, and oceans of blood.
"We're back!" I said to Edward. However he did not share the same enthusiasm. He had a vigilant look on his face.
"John. Recover your strength. I'll hold them off."
"Who?"
Figures emerged—masks, black leather uniforms, red insignias stitched on their chests. Assassins.
Behind them, two dragons and five giants rose, their shadows blotting out the sun.
"Oh shit."