Chapter 37: The Devourers Beneath

For a moment, the battlefield was silent. The Ice Worm, the monstrous guardian of the Elves, lay still, its massive body sprawled across the frozen wasteland. The humans had fought tooth and nail to bring it down, and victory had seemed assured.

Then the sacred chant echoed across the battlefield.

A deep, otherworldly voice reverberated through the icy winds, speaking in a tongue unknown to humanity. The very air trembled with divine energy. Above the fallen Ice Worm, a colossal magic circle formed, its intricate runes glowing with chilling lunar power.

The corpse of the Ice Worm began to convulse. Its frozen flesh cracked, jagged fissures forming along its segmented body. At first, the human forces assumed it was simply the final death throes of the creature.

They were wrong.

Something inside it was trying to break free.

And then—the horror began.

The Young Ones Emerge

The Ice Worm's corpse ruptured.

From its sundered body, dozens of creatures slithered out—smaller Ice Worms, ranging from 10 to 25 meters in length. Their bodies, though not as massive as their progenitor, were just as lethal. They drilled into the ice, their burrowing bodies sending tremors through the ground as they maneuvered unseen beneath the battlefield.

The first attack came without warning.

A young Ice Worm erupted from the frozen ground beneath a Green Guardian mech, piercing its cockpit with jagged mandibles before dragging the entire machine underground. The pilot’s scream was cut short as the ice sealed shut.

Panic set in.

The human forces, already worn from battle, were now facing an unseen enemy from below. The Ice Worms attacked from beneath, bursting through the surface before disappearing back into the depths. Infantry were swallowed whole. Mechs were torn apart. Even the massive tanks, which had been pressing the advantage, were now vulnerable.

Arjun Mehta, commander of the Green Guardians, quickly took charge.

“All units, adjust formations! Stay in motion, don’t remain stationary!” he ordered. “Use seismic scanners to track movement beneath us!”

The Green Guardians, specialists in defensive tactics, formed a protective perimeter around vulnerable forces, deploying energy barriers at key points. But even their advanced shields could not fully prevent the ambushes.

Arjun saw one of his mechs collapse, its leg dragged under by a burrowing worm. He had no time to mourn—the largest of the young Ice Worms, a 25-meter behemoth, was heading straight for his position.

Arjun’s Gamble

The massive young Ice Worm lunged, shattering through a mech formation as it made a direct charge for Arjun. He had no time to think. His only chance was to let it swallow him whole.

Disengaging his shields, he stood his ground.

His second-in-command screamed through the comms.

“Commander, MOVE!”

But Arjun held firm.

The Ice Worm’s jaws engulfed his mech, swallowing it in one swift motion. For a brief moment, everything was dark and silent inside the creature’s frozen gut.

Then—

BOOM.

Arjun reactivated his energy shields, expanding them to full power. The sudden force ripped through the Ice Worm’s insides, tearing its internal organs apart from the inside out. The creature convulsed violently, before exploding in a spray of ice and viscera.

As the massive Ice Worm collapsed, Arjun’s mech emerged from the ruins, battered but intact.

The battlefield erupted in cheers.

His Green Guardians rallied, using their seismic scanners to track the smaller Ice Worms. Once identified, coordinated bombardments of plasma and railgun fire rained down, forcing the creatures to surface, where they were quickly dispatched.

Humanity was fighting back.

But on the Elven side, something else was happening.

The Order to Retreat

Princess Dyana von Forestia, royal heir and twin sister of Dyug, stood atop a ridge, watching the battlefield with narrowed silver eyes. The young Ice Worms were too wild, too uncontrolled. They attacked without discrimination, devastating human forces but also endangering the Elves.

By her side stood Mary, a Common Elf and leader of the Royal Knights—the very unit Dyana had once scoffed at.

Mary clenched her fists as she saw Elven warriors—her warriors—being swallowed by the very creatures they had summoned.

“This is madness,” she said. “We have to retreat.”

Dyana turned to her, her expression unreadable. As a Royal Elf, she was above Mary in every way—by blood, status, and magic. Yet, despite their difference in rank, Mary spoke without fear.

Dyana looked back at the battlefield. The Ice Worms were killing both humans and elves indiscriminately.

If they remained any longer, they risked complete annihilation.

Dyana exhaled sharply. She hated this. She was an Elven Princess, blessed by the Goddess Luna. Retreat was not in her nature. But she was also a commander, and no amount of pride was worth the lives of her people.

She turned to Mary.

“Give the order.”

Mary’s eyes widened slightly. Dyana—a Royal Elf—was allowing a Common Elf to lead the retreat?

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Mary immediately commanded the Royal Knights to fall back, their well-trained discipline ensuring a swift withdrawal. Dyana followed, her presence alone keeping the High Elves in check.

As the Elves retreated, the young Ice Worms did something unexpected.

Instead of continuing their attacks, they burrowed deep into the ice.

Then, the ground shuddered violently.

Antarctica Fractures

The young Ice Worms, now deep beneath the ice, began drilling outward in all directions.

Massive cracks formed along the battlefield, stretching for kilometers. The ice groaned and splintered. Then—with an earsplitting CRACK, an entire section of Antarctica broke off from the main continent.

The separated landmass, now an island, began drifting away.

Before human forces could react, Elven mages raised immense magical barriers, shielding the floating island in layers of defensive spells. Inside, the remaining Ice Worms and retreating Elven forces vanished from sight, concealed behind an impenetrable veil of magic.

The battle was over.

Humanity had won.

But a new Elven stronghold, a fortress island, had just been born.

Aftermath and Laughter

As the dust settled, human forces regrouped.

The survivors were exhausted but victorious. The Green Guardians and Blue Titans, who had borne the brunt of the battle, gathered together.

Arjun Mehta, despite his triumph, had suffered some injuries—his mech had barely held together after being inside the Ice Worm. As he staggered out, his comrades greeted him with cheers and claps on the back.

Captain Samuel Briggs of the Grey Eagles shook his head with a grin. “That was either the bravest or the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Colonel Zhao Wei of the Red Archers folded her arms. “I’m leaning towards dumb.”

Arjun chuckled, then winced as his ribs protested.

Then, Viktor Petrov, the massive leader of the Blue Titans, approached.

Without warning, the Russian wrapped Arjun in a crushing bear hug.

Arjun immediately grimaced. “Viktor… ribs…”

The entire squad burst into laughter.

Despite everything, despite the horrors they had faced, they were still alive.

And for now, that was victory enough.