Vortex Origins
Chapter 58: Final battle at Sandworms valley - 1

Chapter 58: Final battle at Sandworms valley - 1

The sandworm loomed.

its eyeless head twisting, tasting the air. A guttural hiss rumbled from deep within its cavernous throat. Wind howled through the valley, carrying the thick stench of blood and something older—something foul.

Kael hovered above, his breath shallow, flames writhing around his body like living serpents. Heat shimmered off his skin, but the cold bit deep. His hands trembled. His fire dimmed.

Ash staggered to his feet, sand sticking to the blood smeared across his arms. His head throbbed, his pulse a hammer against his skull. He sucked in a breath, lungs burning.

The other worms had vanished, burrowing back into the abyss below. But this one remained. Waiting. Watching.

Ash’s gaze swept the ground where max had disappeared to.

"Max..."

His voice barely rose above a whisper.

A heartbeat later.

"[Activating skill: Phantom’s Stride]"

He vanished.

The world snapped forward. A gust of wind trailed in his wake.

Mark stood frozen, his pupils blown wide, skin pale as ash. His mouth moved soundlessly, his body rigid, as if even the thought of motion would shatter him.

Ash grabbed his shoulders, fingers digging into thin fabric.

"Get them all of them out of here. Now."

Mark flinched, a breath catching in his throat.

"There’s a settlement ahead."

He pointed to tge distance of the the wastelands

"Gather everyone and get to the settlement, tell them Ash sent you guys here. Run."

The words struck something loose. Mark blinked, his lips parting. He turned, stumbling at first, then louder—shouting, forcing strength into his cracking voice.

"We have to go! Move! Follow me!"

The survivors hesitated, terror clawing at their heels, before they broke into uneven, desperate strides. Their shadows stretched across the sand, trembling under the flickering glow of Kael’s fire.

But Ash wasn’t watching them anymore.

His focus locked on the sandworm.

It hadn’t moved.

Not yet.

It lingered, its massive form coiled and waiting.

Kael floated higher, firelight casting jagged shadows across his face. His jaw clenched.

"c’mon, why are you just staring. Come at me."

Ash’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. The wind screamed, the sand shifting beneath his boots.

Then—

The sandworm lunged.

Kael’s eyes locked onto the Creature, his breath sharp. The stone-like segments along its body had fully regenerated but line of skin can still be seen, it gleaming under the moonlight like jagged armor.

"Damn it, It’s completely healed. My fire abilities won’t work."

The worm’s maw yawned wide, rushing toward him. For a split second, Kael saw nothing but rows of grinding teeth and the abyss beyond them.

Then—he vanished.

The worm snapped its jaws shut on empty air, its entire body recoiling in confusion. It twisted, its massive bulk sending sand into the sky as it searched for its prey.

Far in the distance, Ash stood behind Kael, eyes unreadable.

Kael let out a breath.

"Thanks."

Ash didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed on the Creature. Cold and Calculating.

Kael smirked.

"Well i guess we are doing this again. So? Got a plan?"

Ash finally spoke.

"Yes."

His eyes flicked toward the place where Max had vanished. He clenched his jaw.

’After this we should find a way to get him out, But how do we get him out of there?’

The sandworm shifted, then launched forward with inhuman speed.

"So what’s the—"

Kael barely had time to react.

Ash grabbed him and disappeared.

The worm’s jaws slammed shut on nothing. Frustration rippled through its monstrous frame. It coiled back, then slammed its tail against the earth, sending deep tremors through the valley. Sand poured into the cracks like water.

Ash focused.

"Kael, same plan as before."

Kael exhaled sharply.

"I don’t have much left for that skill, but I’ll try pour more energy into it."

"I’ll pull you to a save place away from sandworms valley__."

Kael cut in.

"Then i just have to make sure i charge up and give the signal if am ready."

Ash gave a single nod.

The worm stilled. Then—

It burrowed.

Without hesitation, Ash seized Kael and vanished again.

They reappeared near the lone cabin, its wooden frame barely standing against the elements. The windows gaped empty, shadows curling inside like waiting hands. Either Guz had already fled, or he was hiding beneath it.

Kael glanced around.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Far enough, Don’t think about it. Charge up."

He turned back toward the valley.

"I need to move before it starts searching here too."

Kael flexed his fingers, inhaling deeply.

"Alright. Just don’t get killed."

Ash vanished.

The earth exploded.

The sandworm erupted from the ground, its massive form splitting the valley open. It scanned the wasteland, nostrils flaring, then locked onto something—

The cabin.

Kael stood in the open, his hands pressed together, a swirling orb of flame growing between them. The fire pulsed, flickering with raw, unstable energy.

The worm reared back, splitting its maw wide. A screech ripped through the air, shaking the ground beneath Kael’s feet.

Then it moved.

A dark blur streaked above.

Ash landed on the worm’s head. Blade in hand.

The steel sank deep into a segment line, tearing through the thin, vulnerable flesh beneath the armored plating.

The worm convulsed, a guttural roar vibrating through its enormous frame. Blood burst from the wound, steaming in the cold night air.

Ash tightened his grip, forcing the blade deeper.

The Worm shrieked.

But it didn’t stop, the sandworm tore through the valley, its monstrous form carving deep trenches in stone. Fractures spiderwebbed beneath its relentless weight, the landscape shattering as it moved. It had passed the boundary of Sandworm Valley—unstoppable, insatiable.

Ash stood atop its spine, blade slick with black blood. His grip tightened on the jagged ridges of its armored back, every muscle braced against the violent thrashing beneath him.

The Worm convulsed, trying to shake him loose, but he held on, a shadow welded to flesh and bone.

A fissure split open between two segments.

Ash drove his sword into the wound. The steel vanished into raw muscle, twisting deep.

A muffled shriek rolled from within the creature’s gut, a sound like stone grinding against metal. Thick, molten blood bubbled around the wound, but the worm didn’t falter.

It surged forward, driven by something deeper than the pain.

Heat.

Kael’s fire pulsed in the distance, a sphere of searing light cradled between his palms. The worm sensed it, drawn to its warmth like an ancient worshiper before a sun-god.

Ash’s breath sharpened. His blade tore free in a spray of black, and he ran. Sparks flared beneath his feet as he sprinted down the undulating spine, dodging jagged scales, leaping over shifting plates of flesh.

The worm slammed its tail into the earth, opening a chasm beneath him. He pushed off the crumbling ridge, landing hard on another segment just before it twisted sideways.

The Worm rose. Its grotesque mouth split open, a cavern of spiraling fangs that churned rock and bone into dust. The stench of rotting corpses poured from its gullet, thick enough to choke the air.

Kael stood below, motionless.

His was focused. The orb between his palms swelled, slow and deliberate, veins of molten gold streaking across its surface. It pulsed, each throb sending a wave of heat through the battlefield. His breathing was steady, but sweat traced lines down his face. He was close. Almost there.

Not yet.

The worm plunged.

Ash vanished.

Air cracked. The night warped. He reappeared in front of Kael, blade raised, muscles locked. No words. No hesitation.

The worm’s maw descended.

Steel met flesh. A shockwave ripped through the ground, sending a tidal wave of sand and fire skyward. Ash braced against the force, feet sliding back fast as the Creature pressed down. His sword buried deep into the creature’s inner jaw, but it didn’t stop. Its fangs ground closer, the pressure forcing him back inch by inch.

Kael’s eyes snapped open. The fire in his hands roared.

The worm reared, ready to strike again.

Ash didn’t turn. Blood dripped from his chin. His arms shook, but his grip held firm.

"Not yet."

Kael hesitated. The orb flared, the heat distorting the air around him.

The worm lunged.

Ash planted his feet. Held the line.

"Now."

Ash’s voice sliced through the chaos.

Kael grinned.

As the worm lunged, its cavernous maw descending to consume Ash whole. But in the instant before impact—he was gone.

Kael surged forward. The fiery orb between his palms seethed, its heat warping the air around him. He shot into the darkness of the worm’s throat like a blazing comet.

The jaws slammed shut.

Silence.

Then—

A deep, guttural tremor.

The sandworm convulsed, its massive form jerking violently. Segments rippled, stone-like plates cracking as something ruptured within. Light bled from the fissures.

And then—

Detonation.

Its head burst apart in a geyser of molten flesh and blackened blood. The explosion surged down its body, tearing through each segment in a relentless chain reaction. Flesh and armor split, fire and gore spraying across the valley, until the destruction reached the tip of its tail.

Smoke and heat choked the air. The battlefield was still.

From the smoldering ruin, a lone figure stepped forward.

Kael.

Blood clung to his skin, thick and steaming, dripping from his jaw. His breath came in uneven pulls, shoulders rising and falling with the effort. He glanced at the carnage behind him, lips curling into a weary smirk.

"This time,"

he muttered, his voice hoarse,

"I got your whole damn body."