Retreat.
The outcome seemed decided, but upon hearing "her" voice, Shade still gave up the pursuit without hesitation. With one step back, he appeared ten meters behind where he had been.
More and more cracks spread across the trembling evil creature, yet densely packed worms continuously poured from those fissures, as though its body were held together by the insects.
At last, as Professor Drake's body completely shattered as though exploding, a swarm of worms burst from within it like a fountain, spraying in every direction. The combined volume of those worms far exceeded Professor Drake's own body.
"I knew it. Every evil creature here has a second stage."
Shade was forced to retreat again, watching the countless worms all burrow into the soil. Almost in the next second, a dull rumbling rose from beneath his feet, and the ground began to shake violently. Bricks and stones started falling from the buildings around the plaza, most of which were buried beneath windblown sand. Maintaining his balance, Shade rapidly scanned his surroundings.
Careful, there's something huge underground.
Just as "her" voice faded, Shade saw an enormous black shadow emerge from deeper beneath the plaza. Even curled up, that thing was large enough to cover the entire Saint Derain Square.
Thus, Shade had no room to dodge. With a tremendous crash, a colossal yellowish-brown worm covered in tentacles burst from directly beneath him. It launched Shade into the air with nowhere to evade, while its enormous malformed worm head—strangely resembling Professor Drake's transformed head—opened its mouth. Amid its roar, tens of thousands of withered yellow human teeth were revealed inside.
It opened its jaws to swallow Shade from the air, but Shade stomped fiercely on its head. The worm roared as the force pressed its head downward, while Shade used the momentum