The war of the Great Hollow Graveyard had ended.
Surviving Gillians fell upon the battlefield remains, tearing into corpses before the lingering spiritual particles could turn violent and corrupt.
Adjuchas subordinates moved with more order. They gathered the corpses of fallen Adjuchas and collected Gillian masks, piling them in designated areas. Spoils were distributed according to the decree of the Lord of the Northern Forest — an established order forged through centuries of warfare.
And this time, the harvest was immense.
No one complained.
A Reward
Thump.
Sombravida snapped out of his thoughts as a five-meter alien Hollow corpse landed before him.
He looked up.
The towering sandworm lord loomed overhead.
"Ant. You performed well. You did not deceive this king."
"This is your reward."
The Adjuchas tossed the intact corpse toward him.
Sombravida bowed.
"Thank you, my lord."
"Insect. State your name."
"Ace Sombravida."
"…Lord Ace Sombravida. Your strategy brought victory. Enjoy your spoils."
"I will feed."
The colossal body twisted away toward the main carcass piles.
Sombravida spoke quickly:
"My lord… when shall we return to the Great Hollow Forest?"
"After feeding. We will wait to see if any Gillian evolve."
A Dangerous Waiting Game
Sombravida's heart tightened.
Evolution could take weeks.
If Nel awakened and he wasn't there—
If the sandworm evolved into Vasto Lorde and departed for the inner circle—
If he were forced to follow—
None of those paths ended well.
He had bowed for survival.
He would not accept enslavement.
Not after survival was secured.
Not in a den of predators where a careless tail strike meant death.
He forced himself calm.
One step at a time.
If they could not return to the forest, nothing else mattered.
Feeding on Adjuchas Flesh
Sombravida began devouring the Adjuchas corpse.
Unlike before, he consumed everything.
Nothing could be wasted.
Adjuchas spiritual energy could elevate a new Gillian instantly.
But Sombravida compressed every particle.
Refined it.
Condensed it.
His energy stabilized at mid-stage Gillian — then slowly climbed.
He did not stop.
Masks from fallen Gillians were gathered and consumed.
Conversion. Compression. Absorption.
Relentless.
Opportunistic Harvest
The sandworm lord focused entirely on feeding.
Its imminent evolution consumed its attention.
Sombravida seized the opportunity.
He hunted nearby.
Unconscious Gillians wandering too close lost their masks instantly.
Their bodies were pierced and left behind.
Food for others.
In this sea of corpses, no one cared.
Within days, Sombravida had consumed dozens more masks.
His spiritual pressure surged.
Half a month later—
he reached late-stage Gillian.
Peak evolution was within reach.
Evolution Season
Time favored him.
Three or four Gillians had already burrowed underground to evolve.
The sandworm lord, however, failed to advance.
It preserved its remaining energy for later.
Another month passed.
All evolving Gillians completed transformation.
Three new Adjuchas joined the Northern Forest ranks.
A minor ripple in centuries of rule.
Return to the Northern Forest
The sandworm opened a Garganta.
The army returned.
Sombravida was placed under Riat's supervision and flown ahead.
Upon arrival, he inhaled deeply.
The forest's spiritual atmosphere was calm.
Clean.
Unlike the violent graveyard energy still lingering inside him.
He immediately began purifying the corrupted particles within his body.
This did not escape the sandworm's notice.
Its red eyes narrowed behind its mask.
The Invitation
"Lord Sombravida."
The summoning voice chilled him.
"My lord."
"You have rendered great service. From this day forward, remain by my side as strategist. I will grant you immeasurable benefits."
Sombravida's eyes narrowed.
Service meant chains.
If the sandworm evolved and entered the inner circle, Sombravida would be nothing more than expendable prey.
He would not survive there as a Gillian.
"My lord… I wish to serve. But my strength is insufficient. Remaining by your side may hinder you."
"You need not fight," the sandworm replied.
"Hunt freely within my forest."
Meaningless.
Sombravida had always hunted freely.
"My lord… your evolution is near. If I remain weak beside you, it may tarnish your prestige. Grant me time. After my advancement, I will follow you and conquer the world."
Silence.
The sandworm understood perfectly.
Letting Sombravida evolve unchecked was dangerous.
A conscious Adjuchas strategist would not be easy to control.
Its killing intent surfaced.
Ultimatum
"Hmph! Ace Sombravida, do not be stubborn!"
Spiritual pressure crushed down like a mountain.
"I offer one final chance. Join me… or perish."
Sombravida steadied himself beneath the crushing force.
"My lord is a peak Adjuchas. Why trouble himself over a mere Gillian?"
If death was inevitable…
he would seize the final moment.
"…then forgive me—"
Escape
BUZZ!!
A colorless Cero detonated beneath Sombravida's feet.
Dust exploded upward.
Simultaneously—
a Negación barrier sealed the sandworm inside the dust cloud.
Sombravida ran.
Concealment activated.
Spiritual pressure suppressed.
Form blurred.
Every instinct screamed run.
Fury of the Northern Lord
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sandworm's tail shattered the Negación barrier.
Smoke dispersed under a violent surge of spiritual pressure.
Sombravida was gone.
Only stunned Adjuchas remained.
"USELESS TRASH!"
The lord roared.
Only Riat gave chase.
A speed-type Adjuchas pursuing a Gillian—
should have been inevitable.
The lord waited.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then three.
Riat did not return.
Unease
The sandworm's anger cooled into something colder.
Doubt.
"Yadrus."
A spider-like Adjuchas approached.
"My lord."
"Locate Riat."
Green light flared.
Detection waves spread across the forest.
Moments later, the spider trembled.
"My lord… Riat's spiritual pressure cannot be detected."
Shock rippled through the gathered Hollows.
Impossible.
Even at maximum speed, Riat could not have left the detection radius so quickly.
Something was wrong.
"Return to the lair," the sandworm ordered, voice dark with restrained fury.
"We will search again."
The Northern Forest host withdrew.
But for the first time in centuries—
their lord felt something unfamiliar.
Not rage.
Not hunger.
But unease.
Somewhere in his domain…
an ant had escaped.
And worse—
it had taken something with it.