Versatile: Alternate World

"Its HP is at critical levels!" I shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Queen Tanya leaped into the air. As the Great Sandworm extended its body upward, Queen Tanya descended with a powerful punch.

"HRAAAA!"

I couldn't discern the specific form of her fist, whether it was clenched or formed into a chopping motion, but the impact was tremendous. The swift attack concluded so abruptly that it seemed as if Queen Tanya had effortlessly passed through the Great Sandworm's body as though it were nothing.

Due to Queen Tanya's attack, the Great Sandworm wobbled before its body was split in half. The battle was finally over.

"Wow, monsters as colossal as these are apparently regular occurrences here!" Avos marveled at the lifeless form of the Great Sandworm. After all, Resurgia doesn't have any Great Sandworms.

"You're right. Despite my many years of spelunking and dungeon diving, this is the first time I've seen a sandworm up close!" Mila poked the deceased sandworm a few times. "Surprisingly, the skin is quite hard even for a worm!"

"Looks like this is the first time you have seen a sandworm, huh? Well, this is a common monster in the desert, and although they look intimidating and dangerous, dealing with them becomes less troublesome once you understand their movement and behavior. I've defeated many of these creatures before. The more you overcome them, the more they become trivial annoyances," Queen Tanya patted the carcass of the Great Sandworm.

"Does this thing have any uses?" Renatta asked.

"Not really. They are somewhat useless in terms of materials, aside from their teeth and a bit of their tough shell. Their flesh can be eaten, but it isn't that flavorful unless you're skilled at cooking or can incorporate it into soups. They can be consumed, but on their own, they are rather bland."

While we continued our conversation, the ground began to shake once more, but this time the tremors surrounded us. The intensity was significantly greater than the earlier disturbance.

"What the...another sandworm?!" Queen Tanya frowned.

"Could they be drawn by our battle?" I inquired.

"I doubt it. Once a single sandworm is in the area, they usually avoid it unless it's mating season, which isn't currently underway!" Queen Tanya scanned the surroundings, still uncertain of their origin. "Crap, it's not just one sandworm; there are multiple! Be prepared—they're close! Get ready to dodge!"

Everyone immediately went on guard, including myself. Without the blood left among us, we couldn't predict its location accurately unless we relied on the tremors and sensed them.

Queen Tanya's eyebrows furrowed, and she shouted, "Dodge! Now!"

Upon hearing her command, the ground erupted, prompting swift dodges from everyone. Unfortunately, Izmir was a tad late in reacting and found herself tossed into the air.

"AH!" Izmir's eyes widened as she stared below and saw the endless maw of teeth within the new sandworm's mouth.

"HUP!"

Pandora, who had just landed nearby, quickly manipulated her chains and ensnared Izmir before deftly pulling her away from the jaws of death. I immediately caught her and fired multiple rounds of my Pain Delivery at the Sandworm attacking.

Since I used the Pain Delivery, the sandworm immediately perished. I still don't comprehend how this weapon manages to work, but if it can deliver a one-hit kill, it doesn't matter much to me.

"T-thanks..." Izmir blushed, perhaps because I was holding her, or maybe she recalled what happened back then when I retrieved the weapon of lust from her. However, I didn't have time to dwell on her feelings right now; the danger before us remained considerably annoying.

I reloaded the Pain Delivery once again before turning to look in the direction of the sandworm I had just killed. The sandworms that were attacking earlier were now cannibalizing the deceased creature, ripping its flesh like hungry piranhas. Just observing them was enough to make me feel a bit troubled. After all, sandworms don't typically tear flesh like that; they usually swallow things whole.

"What is happening?" Rika frowned as we all observed the carnage unfolding.

"No idea either. This is the first time I have seen the sandworms act like this!" Queen Tanya was also speechless.

"Pixie, could you check how many of the sandworms are devouring the dead one?" I inquired.

"Okay!"

Pixie soared into the air, gaining a vantage point to assess the situation below. After a few minutes, she descended with a noticeable frown on her face.

"There are at least 5-6 sandworms feasting on the recently deceased one, and around 7 on the great sandworm's location," Pixie reported.

"What? There are even more on the Great Sandworm as well?" Queen Tanya couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes. They are consuming the carcasses at an alarming rate. It felt like I was watching a fast-forward movie in the air."

"Fast-forward movie...?" Queen Tanya looked confused.

"It means she is witnessing it happen so rapidly that a process that usually takes a long time appears to be completed in seconds," I explained.

"Oh. I see. This is really bad. If those sandworms linger here, we'll either have to take a detour for safe travels or confront them here and now," Queen Tanya shook her head.

"Let's confront them here and now," Avos and Mila simultaneously decided.

"We agree as well. Defeating them here and now will not only reduce our problems with the Sandworms attacking later on," Pandora affirmed, supported by the others.

I also nodded in agreement. "Defeating them here and now is necessary. It will diminish the threat they pose. Allowing them to roam freely after they finish feeding will only cause trouble for us later."

I anticipated Queen Tanya might suggest finding an alternate route, but then I noticed her sudden grin. That's when I realized she didn't consider that as an option; she merely mentioned it for our sake.

"Heh, yeah. I'm glad you all agree, as that is the best course of action right now."

"But then, how do we even lure them?" Sora asked.

"One thing they didn't like is a cold environment. The moment they do, their bodies rapidly deteriorate which is also one of the main reasons that they don't cross the icy fields of the Frozen Region," Queen Tanya explained.

"How did you know that?" I asked. After all, this is the first time I have heard about this.

"Of course, we tested it with my sister. We captured one Sandworm and threw it to the Frozen Region to see whether it could still thrive in the cold weather and let it terrorize the monsters there but it ended in a failure when the sandworm froze to death even though it was not that cold to begin with. Anyway, that's enough chit-chat. Let's beat the sandworms now. So, anyone of you guys who can use magic that is pure ice?" 

Our eyes then landed on Izmir and she looked at everyone with a frown.

"Wait...me?"

Renatta then tapped Izmir's shoulder and grinned. "Who else from us here is proficient enough to summon a huge block of ice or control ice expertly as you do?"

Izmir looked at us and realized that what Renatta said was correct and aside from her, no one from us is totally focused on using ice magic.

"No worries. We will be here, you just need to freeze the area where the enemies are," Renatta added.

"If that is the case, I needed the area full of water. Using Ice Magic in this dry land would just dry my whole mana in one go. If there is water to freeze, it will lower my usage of mana and I can also strengthen it enough that it will be much harder for them to escape."

I then step beside her. "If that is the case, let me do it," I grab one of the scrolls in my inventory and spread it.

"A scroll?" Mila frowned.

"You will get used to it, Mila-san. This isn't the first time, to be honest. Don't think too much about it."

I looked at Izmir and asked her. "Are you ready?"

She nodded as she readied her hands to cast magic. It seems she doesn't need to use any sort of chant to cast the spell this time around.

"Alright, let's get this party started."

RIP!

Tearing the scroll to two, the magic circle appeared on the area I specifically targeted. At first, nothing happened but then... a gushing water suddenly flows around the sandworms causing the sandworms to squirm. But because the water I used was different, there was no way they would be able to squirm away.

----

[(Whirlpool) Scroll]

Tier 6

Usage: One time

Information: A scroll containing the spell, [Whirlpool]. Summons a large pool of water regardless of whether the area has a water source or not. Encasing the targeted area with water before spinning to create the fabled tornado underwater.

Note: Get ROTATED!

-----

With the spell in action and trapping all the Sandworms on the whirlpool, Izmir started casting her spell.

"FREEZE!"

As soon as she shouted those words, the cascading surge of the whirlpool stopped as the ice slowly solidified the water until no water was left.

All the sandworms caught in the whirlpool has been frozen and are now slowly dying to their final breathes.