To subjugate the Mega Sandworm, Parmash had made several preparations in advance.
One of them was the large number of livestock meant to lure the Mega Sandworm, which was likely exhausted after traveling a long distance.
Given the nature of the Argato Oasis, which roamed the Nakar Desert, purchasing livestock and acquiring a large number of animals was not a difficult task.
The second was an ultra-powerful sedative he had been collecting in preparation for just such an occasion.
A substance potent enough that even a moderately large monster could be knocked out with just a handful. This was smeared all over the bodies of the sacrificial livestock.
Shamans were summoned to cast spells that concealed their presence, setting the stage for an effective ambush, and the mercenaries participating in the subjugation had their weapons coated with powerful poison as well.
It was, in every sense, a thorough and complete preparation and the results were successful.
However—
Krooooooooooooh――
The Mega Sandworm, so massive it could swallow a building whole in one bite, let out a roar and disappeared into the sand.
If it were to remain hidden underground like this, the Argato Oasis would soon be living in terror, constantly on edge from the threat of surprise attacks by an enraged Mega Sandworm.
But Parmash had already prepared for this scenario.
“Activate the spell!”
At Parmash’s command, the shamans sprang into action.
Dozens of totems planted throughout the area began to resonate all at once, sending subtle vibrations across the vast expanse of land.
“Ugh…”
“Ghh…”
Some of the more sensitive beastkin clutched their ears in mild pain from the vibrations, but having already been briefed by Parmash beforehand, they did not panic and instead braced themselves for what was to come.
While the vibrations were merely unpleasant to the sensitive ears of the beastkin, to the Mega Sandworm who distinguished objects through such vibrations, it was no different than a massive explosion erupting on either side of its ears.
Krooooooooooooh―!!
The standoff didn’t last long.
Unable to endure the pain, the Mega Sandworm burst out of the sand with a tormented scream.
“It’s out! Kill it!”
“Go for the gills like before!”
The subjugation forces that had been lying in wait charged in all at once.
They looked like ants swarming a giant anaconda.
“Huuaaagh!!”
“Just die already!!”
But the ants’ jaws were sharp enough to tear into the anaconda’s hide, and the poison they carried was doing its job well.
The more violently the Mega Sandworm thrashed, the more the powerful sedative it had ingested earlier sapped its strength.
As a result, black, dead blood flowed from the wounds inflicted by the subjugation team. But their own losses were far from small.
“Kabash!”
“Goddamn it!”
A dozen members of the subjugation force were sent flying by a whip of the Mega Sandworm’s tail.
The scouts assigned to assist from the rear rushed to those who had fallen onto the sand which acted as a cushion. But they were already dead, their bones completely crushed.
Due to its massive size, the Mega Sandworm’s movements were difficult to follow in their entirety.
The subjugation force could only pray its rampage wouldn’t reach the area they were in.
Just then, a beastkin holding a sword began running across the thrashing body of the Mega Sandworm.
Running with steady footing atop a creature that flipped the world upside down every second was no easy feat.
“Wh-Who’s that?”
“What….what mercenary group is he from?”
For a moment, the subjugation team’s eyes turned toward the actions of the middle-aged beastkin, who in just a short span managed to reach the Mega Sandworm’s head from its body.
However, what he did next left the rest of the team utterly speechless.
“Th-That crazy bastard!”
“Has he lost his mind?!”
“There are insane ways to commit suicide, but this takes the cake!”
And for good reason. The middle-aged beastkin had leapt past the Mega Sandworm’s head and straight into its gaping maw.
Each of the thousands of cylindrical teeth possessed the power to turn boulders into dust; it was certain that those very fangs would shred the beastkin’s body to pieces.
But in truth, the middle-aged beastkin, or rather Shane, was not insane.
He was more composed than anyone else present at the scene, and above all, he was the person who knew the most about the Mega Sandworm.
Shane knew the most effective way to deal with the creature under these circumstances.
“Hoo…”
The cylindrical teeth, sharp and deadly, lunged at Shane from every direction.
With calm precision, Shane ran across the creature’s teeth, searching for a specific point.
Like a performer in a deadly acrobatic act, he avoided the razor-sharp fangs until his eyes lit up.
Inside the creature’s mouth full of cylindrical teeth, he spotted one small area where no teeth grew.
A narrow space barely wide enough for a single person to fit. Shane locked onto it with complete focus.
Amid the constant thrashing of the Mega Sandworm, where up and down flipped endlessly, Shane’s magic circle spun violently.
[Pierce], [Transfer], [Vibration], [Stack], [Stack], [Stack], [Stack], [Stack].
A sword wrapped in aura pierced through the roof of the monster’s mouth.
To the Mega Sandworm, it may have felt like nothing more than a freshwater fish’s spine pricking its flesh. But the outcome was far from trivial.
Thick flesh was punctured, and its brain was shredded in unbearable agony!
Krrrr, Goooooooooooooh――!!
Even a creature that had lived over a hundred years would have no resistance to pain that reached directly into its brain.
As if electrocuted, the Mega Sandworm couldn’t even muster the will to thrash….it simply collapsed on the spot, its massive body convulsing.
“What the…?”
“Is the sedative finally kicking in…?”
“Who cares! Just kill it!”
“Uoooooooooooooh!!”
Those on the outside didn’t have time to wonder what caused the change. They simply swung their weapons with reckless abandon.
Hundreds of members of the subjugation force swarmed the Mega Sandworm, aiming for its gills which was its most critical weak point.
Even so, they had yet to deliver the final blow.
That was how absurdly massive the creature was.
At that moment, Parmash pulled out the final weapon he had prepared.
“Ready the Dragon Claw Spear!”
At his shout, a group of soldiers pulled the cover off an enormous object surrounded by a huge frame—
It was a giant ballista.
A ballista of overwhelming size. 10 meters tall and 30 meters long.
As if the epitome of rugged functionality, the ballista bore not a single ornament. Loaded into it was a colossal bolt, an astounding 40 meters in length.
Kiiiiiiiiiiing──
From the rear of the bolt, a mechanism designed to increase penetration began to emit a menacing hum, unleashing intense vibrations.
Dozens of hoofed beastkin clung to the frame, adjusting the angle. The moment the final signal confirmed that it was perfectly aimed at the Mega Sandworm—
“Fire!”
At Parmash’s command, an explosion erupted from the end of the bolt, launching it at lightning speed.
Tearing through the scorching heat of the desert, the bolt hurtled straight toward none other than the Mega Sandworm’s head.
Shwaaaaaaaak!
In the blink of an eye, the bolt pierced through the Mega Sandworm and slammed deep into the desert sand behind it, letting out a thunderous roar.
“……”
“……”
“……”
At the deafening sound of the ballista’s shot, every member of the subjugation force froze, their eyes fixed on the Mega Sandworm.
A massive penetration wound, seemingly ripped open by the bolt, was clearly visible.
From the wound, blackened dead blood and brain matter burst out like a fountain.
“I-It’s dead!”
“We killed it!”
“Uwaaaaaaaah!!”
Not even a twitch. No more convulsions. The Mega Sandworm was truly, completely dead.
Upon confirming its death, the members of the subjugation force raised their weapons high into the air, unleashing cries of victory without holding back.
In terms of actual battle time, it hadn’t seemed very long. But in reality, no one had known how or when this fight would end.
Parmash had prepared extensively, yes….but typically, a Mega Sandworm was the kind of monster that took days to bring down.
Even with the use of powerful sedatives and poisons, it wasn’t supposed to fall this easily.
Normally, the Mega Sandworm would have fled several times to recover, and the subjugation force would’ve spent that time in nerve-wracking tension, searching for it and fighting again, over and over.
That’s why the fastest recorded time for subjugating a Mega Sandworm had been one full week.
Because of that, even Parmash who had prepared more thoroughly than ever before had only expected to shorten that time by maybe two or three days at best.
Yet in the end, the battle was over within a single day.
At that thought, Parmash recalled the moment just before the ballista had fired.
“Someone definitely went into that thing’s mouth.”
He hadn’t seen clearly from a distance, but he was certain he’d caught sight of a figure climbing the Mega Sandworm’s body and heading straight into its gaping maw.
Not long after that, the Mega Sandworm had collapsed, convulsing, letting out a scream unlike anything Parmash had ever heard before.
Could it have been… that person?
Could it have been one of the two outsiders Mirash had mentioned?
Parmash suddenly recalled the recent scout report and turned his eyes to the dead Mega Sandworm’s head.
And before long, he spotted a lone figure walking out from the Sandworm’s mouth—just as clean and composed as when they had gone in.
***
“The performance is definitely top-notch.”
While the subjugation force was still drunk on the thrill of victory, Shane stepped out from the Mega Sandworm’s mouth.
Looking around at where the creature had fallen, he could still see blood pouring from its head, forming a small river across the sand.
Well, considering the beast was as large as three or four of the Empire’s massive clock towers combined, it was only natural.
Just then, Shane sensed a gaze directed at him and turned around.
There stood Parmash, staring at him with intense eyes.
“Looks like the prediction was spot-on.”
Shane met Parmash’s gaze without flinching.
And in that moment—
Shane’s eyes widened in an instant. At the same time, he bolted toward Parmash.
His movement was so fast and silent that Parmash’s guards didn’t even sense his presence until he was right in front of them.
“What are you—?!”
“Hrk?!”
Just as they finally reacted and reached for their weapons, an invisible force exploded outward from Shane.
In that moment, Parmash and his guards all froze in place.
It felt as if they were standing before some immense, absolute being.
“Pardon me for the intrusion!”
“……?!”
But Parmash was far more mentally resilient than his guards.
Though he was late to react, Parmash tried to resist, shaking off Shane’s hand in defiance. But Shane’s movements were like a mirage. With fluid precision, he nullified Parmash’s resistance and placed his hand on the side of Parmash’s head.
“Urgh…!”
The moment mana surged into him, Parmash collapsed. Shane caught him in his arms and immediately dashed out of the tent.
Only then did the guards, paralyzed by the aura like that of a dragon’s wrath, finally regain their senses.
“Chief!”
“After him, now!!”
A sudden ambush by an unknown beastkin.
Without hesitation, the guards charged out of the tent in pursuit.
And just moments later—
An event occurred that would prove their loyalty had saved their lives.
Kuooooooooooooooooooooh!!
With a ground-shaking roar, something massive slammed down, devouring the tent where Parmash and his guards had been just seconds ago in a single bite.
“A-A Mega Sandworm…!!”
“H-Huh?!”
Another Mega Sandworm had appeared. It was just as massive as the one they had just taken down.
Its arrival was more than enough to drag the once-celebratory subjugation force into the depths of despair.
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