Wraithshade was on a mission—vengeance against Abyssion. But first, he needed to rally the old crew. He stalked along the edge of the swamp, his mind pulsing with psychic signals.

"Rise… my warriors..."

The command echoed far and wide, amplified by his mental force.

But the swamp stayed eerily quiet. No response. Not even a whisper.

Bloodveil scanned the vast, misty expanse. It was his first time seeing a swamp this massive. "Hey, you sure your guy didn't get eaten by some mutant beast?"

"Hmph… Don't worry. Bloodleech wouldn't go down that easy," Wraithshade replied without hesitation.

Bloodveil raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by the confidence. That kind of certainty meant Bloodleech wasn't just any grunt—he was something else.

Wraithshade kept moving along the swamp's edge, Hexarm and a few other undead trailing behind. He kept sending out signals, but the surface remained still. No movement. No signs of life.

Meanwhile, back on the Command Cruiser, Big Ears and a few others stepped out, taking in the rare sight of the swamp.

"Scouting? That's my thing," Big Ears said, stretching. "Let's go poke around."

"Got it!" Shrimpy and the others chimed in, following his lead.

The undead spread out, cautiously exploring the area. No one wanted to get sucked into the muck.

The terrain wasn't as barren as it looked. Besides the puddles and bogs, there were patches of wild grass, and even a small stream branching off in the distance.

Big Ears wandered aimlessly, eyes scanning the ground. He spotted a shallow puddle—and something squirming inside. A fat, thumb-sized worm, wriggling in the water.

He glanced around. No one was watching.

He bent down, scooped it up, and popped it into his mouth.

"High protein…"

That little snack lifted his spirits. Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all. He kept moving, eyes locked on puddles and grassy patches, hunting for more edible oddities.

Where there were no undead, other creatures thrived.

Big Ears found a few more "treats," but then something caught his eye—a strange plant nestled in a clump of weeds.

"Huh? What's that?" he muttered, curiosity piqued. He stepped closer.

It was red, with a faint pink sheen, totally out of place among the green. A mushroom?

He crouched down, studying it. But it didn't quite look like a fungus. The color reminded him of raw meat.

"Maybe… I should try pulling it up?" he thought, inching closer. He placed both claws on it and yanked hard.

Nothing. It didn't budge.

The texture was weird—rubbery, like thick latex. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't tear or snap.

"This plant's freakin' weird," he muttered. This planet—Originis—was full of surprises. He was definitely learning a lot today.

But just as he was marveling at the oddity, he heard a faint rustling beneath the soil.

"Huh?" Big Ears perked up. His hearing was sharp—he didn't miss sounds like that.

Then, the "plant" in his hands started to squirm.

It moved.

It was alive.

Before he could react, it coiled around his waist like a snake.

"What the—?! Let go! Let go of me!" Big Ears shouted, panic rising. He clawed at the thing, trying to pry it off.

The rustling underground grew louder. Then came a low, piercing screech—sharp enough to make his ears ring.

The ground erupted.

Dirt exploded upward as a massive head burst out of the earth, dragging Big Ears into the air.

"MONSTER!" he screamed, eyes wide with terror.

That red-pink "plant" wasn't a plant at all—it was the tongue of a mutant beast.

It had been lying in wait beneath the mud, tongue extended as bait, just waiting for something dumb enough to take the bait.

Now it had its prize.

The creature's head loomed in front of him, reeking of rot and death. Its mouth was a nightmare—rows of jagged teeth, like a meat grinder. It looked just like the worm he'd eaten earlier… only a thousand times bigger.

Shrimpy and the others spotted him dangling in the air and froze.

"Big Ears!" they shouted, panic in their voices. How the hell did they run into a monster out here?

But they were too far to help.

The beast's gaping maw opened wider, teeth glinting. The tongue began to retract, pulling Big Ears straight toward the grinder.

Thinking fast, he reached over his shoulder and yanked out his Crystal Core Hand-Cannon.

He aimed straight down the monster's throat and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

A blinding white flash lit up the swamp. The explosion rocked the air, and shards of broken teeth flew in every direction.

"ROAAARRR—!"

The Mutant Lureworm let out a deafening shriek, its massive head whipping backward in pain. In the same moment, Big Ears dropped from its tongue with a heavy thud, hitting the ground hard.

He scrambled to his feet and looked up. The creature's jagged teeth had shattered—several were missing—and thick, dark red blood oozed from its mouth. But aside from that, it didn't seem too worse for wear. In fact, the wounds were already starting to close.

It had taken a direct hit from an S-Class Crystal Core Hand-Cannon… and survived.

"Just what the hell is this thing?" Big Ears muttered, eyes narrowing. But there was no time to think—the Lureworm was pissed now, and it was coming for him.

Time to run.

He bolted, instincts kicking in. The Command Cruiser wasn't far—if he could just make it back, he'd be safe.

But the moment he turned and took his first step—squelch—his foot sank into the mud. Fast.

"What the—" Big Ears' eyes went wide. He tried to yank his leg free, but the more he struggled, the deeper he sank. His other foot slipped in too, sucked down to the ankle.

Panic surged through him. The harder he fought, the faster the swamp pulled him under.

Behind him, the Mutant Lureworm surged forward, its massive head bearing down, jaws wide open, ready to devour him whole.

Big Ears was stuck. No way to dodge.

But just as the beast lunged, thick vines burst from the ground, snapping up around its neck like a noose. They twisted and tightened, locking it in place.

The Lureworm thrashed violently, but the vines held firm.

Big Ears turned, eyes wide with relief.

Of course…

He was close to the Command Cruiser. That meant he wasn't alone.

But then he realized something else—his body was going numb. Cold. He looked down and saw that half of him was already submerged in the swamp. The muck was swallowing him whole.

"Sprout! Help me!" he shouted, desperation in his voice.

A vine shot out almost instantly, wrapping around his torso and yanking him free with a powerful tug.

Sprout didn't waste time. He dragged Big Ears to solid ground, then turned his attention to the Lureworm.

More vines erupted from the earth, coiling around the beast like constrictors. With a brutal twist, they snapped its body into pieces—blood and chunks of flesh splattering across the swamp.

"Big Ears! You okay?" Shrimpy and the others finally caught up, panting as they arrived.

Big Ears shook his head, still catching his breath. "Yeah… I'm good."

He glanced back at the swamp, eyes wary. This place was no joke. Danger could come from anywhere, anytime. He wasn't about to let his guard down again.

Meanwhile, not far away, Wraithshade came to a halt. His twin heads turned toward the horizon, eyes narrowing.

The ground was shifting.

A massive form burst from the earth—another Lureworm, even bigger than the last, barreling straight toward him.

But Wraithshade didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled.

"My brother… you finally made it."

"Wait, what??" Bloodveil and Bulldozer exchanged stunned looks behind him.

Was he saying… his little brother was a giant worm?

The undead squad stared in confusion as the monstrous Lureworm skidded to a stop in front of them. Its belly began to bulge, the skin stretching unnaturally until a humanoid shape pressed against it from the inside.

CRACK!

The creature's abdomen split open—and from within, a figure emerged.

A Zombie King, drenched in gore, stepped out of the carcass like it was nothing.

...

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