Though hard to believe, this was indeed a type of earthworm.
[Earthwalking Worm]: A mutated giant earthworm that typically moves underground.
When it moves at full speed, it creates tremors akin to an earthquake.
By consuming soil and rocks over long periods, it forms a thick protective shell on its surface.
Omnivorous, it not only feeds on soil but also enjoys insects—especially vast swarms of All-consuming Black Ants.
...
'So it likes eating these ants?'
Akira glanced sideways, finally understanding why this giant worm had emerged from the ground to attack.
Its target had never been their group—it was the All-consuming Black Ants.
In the Earthwalking Worm's eyes, the endless swarm of ants was nothing short of an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Unable to suppress its appetite, it had used its racial ability to burst from the soil in a surprise attack.
And the attack proved highly successful.
Not only had it devoured countless ants in one bite, but it had also shattered their formation.
Many of the ants sent flying traced arcs through the air before crashing to the ground.
Then, the Earthwalking Worm fully entered feeding mode, its gaping maw swallowing mouthfuls of nearby ants.
It didn't even need to look for them—they were everywhere, far too numerous to miss.
For a time, loud crunching sounds filled the air, with countless ants disappearing down its throat every second.
Blood mist hung in the air, while severed limbs and shattered remains rained down.
On the ground, many ants were trampled to death by their own kind, while even more were flattened into "paper" by the worm's crushing weight.
At first glance, the situation seemed overwhelmingly one-sided.
However, a new turning point soon emerged.
After a brief period of chaos, the All-consuming Black Ants quickly regrouped and launched an assault on the Earthwalking Worm.
The once turbulent "black ocean" began to transform, forcibly reshaping into long, serpentine black dragons.
Swarms of All-consuming Black Ants either flew through the air or tread upon the scattered remains covering the ground.
Like a well-trained army, they launched attacks from various parts of the Earthwalking Worm's body.
The scene was spectacular—All-consuming Black Ants seemed to be everywhere, completely surrounding the Earthwalking Worm.
All they could do was use their hard mandibles to gnaw at the Earthwalking Worm's body until they devoured it whole.
At first, the Earthwalking Worm paid no mind.
Glancing at the aggressive swarm charging toward it, it even felt pleased.
It believed the All-consuming Black Ants were helping it feed, saving it the effort of moving.
But before long, the Earthwalking Worm could no longer rejoice.
Its exceptionally tough carapace, which should have been impenetrable and kept it safe, was already breached in several places within moments, no longer intact.
Even an elephant can be felled by enough ants.
The All-consuming Black Ants' gnawing ability was already formidable, and paired with their endless, inexhaustible numbers, their power became even more apparent.
One batch would be swallowed by the Earthwalking Worm, only for the next to immediately take their place, continuing the same task.
Aside from the carapace, there were several spots on the Earthwalking Worm's body left unprotected.
These naturally became the All-consuming Black Ants' primary targets.
Its thick hide meant nothing against the swarming ants—within moments, multiple holes were bitten through.
As the wounds on its body multiplied, the Earthwalking Worm writhed madly in pain, rolling violently on the ground.
At the same time, it let out low roars, its body twisting like a tangled rope.
At this moment, it was enduring the agony of being gnawed by countless ants—no numbness, only endless pain.
Its massive, elongated body slammed against the ground again and again, not only causing noticeable tremors but also crushing many All-consuming Black Ants.
Yet the ants did not relent. If anything, their ferocity only grew, their movements becoming even swifter.
The breached holes were quickly filled with All-consuming Black Ants, which then attacked in all directions.
Within moments, the wounds visibly expanded, and even the blood was devoured alongside the flesh.
Like a plague of locusts, the All-consuming Black Ants finally revealed their most terrifying power.
The widening wounds were only the beginning—soon, more and larger gaps appeared across the Earthwalking Worm's body.
The pain in its eyes seemed to Focus into something tangible.
It no longer cared about eating, only fleeing.
So, under its control, the exposed upper half of its body separated from the lower half still buried underground.
Like a cicada shedding its shell, the discarded upper half was merely an empty husk—its consciousness remained only in the lower half.
Now, the Earthwalking Worm no longer cared about anything else but escaping.
Though it knew the cost would be great, any price was worth paying if it meant survival.
Staying meant not just agony, but likely death.
At this moment, the swarm of All-consuming Black Ants had yet to notice anything amiss, continuing to gnaw at the now-limp upper half.
Thus, in an instant, the Earthwalking Worm's upper half vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Just like the trees that had mysteriously disappeared.
However, the Earthwalking Worm was better off than those trees—at least it managed to escape alive, albeit with heavy losses.
After this battle, the field was littered with green blood and the severed limbs of the All-consuming Black Ants.
For some reason, the All-consuming Black Ants didn't seem to devour the corpses of their own kind, but the upper half of the Earthwalking Worm had been completely eaten away.
Streams of blood seeped into the soil, flowing deep underground.
A few inches beneath the nearby earth, a tiny seed, surrounded by blood, emitted an eerie red glow.
The seed was pale green overall, covered in fine fuzz, as if it had lain dormant underground for a long time.
It seemed almost sentient, greedily absorbing the blood—within moments, it had drained a large amount.
Then, the seed began to grow at a frenzied pace, sprouting roots, breaking through the soil, and extending its stem—all in just two seconds.
The appearance of this plant went unnoticed by most.
The field was overrun with swarms of All-consuming Black Ants, their wings flapping loudly in the chaos.
After all, their numbers were vast.
A single All-consuming Black Ant might not make much noise, but in such quantities, the din was overwhelming.
After being interrupted by the Earthwalking Worm, the All-consuming Black Ants didn't immediately resume their march in their original direction.
Instead, they prepared to advance along the tunnel left behind by the fleeing Earthwalking Worm.
This showed just how vengeful these creatures were—once provoked, they would pursue relentlessly.
Though the Earthwalking Worm's appearance had wiped out a large number of All-consuming Black Ants, their remaining forces were still immense, stretching endlessly as if none had perished.
Under these circumstances, most people kept their eyes fixed on the All-consuming Black Ants, their hearts pounding in their throats.
If they had once doubted how dangerous these creatures were—whether they could dispatch humans as easily as they had the trees—
then after witnessing the Earthwalking Worm's desperate retreat, they knew for certain: these ants could eliminate them with ease!
Most of the team had no means to fight back, let alone escape like the Earthwalking Worm.
Aside from the three strongest members, the ones with the highest chance of survival were—
Marione, the puppet master; Pekotero and a Stone Wall member who could materialize flying creatures…
So they had to stay sharp, keeping a close watch on the All-consuming Black Ants to react at any moment.
Amid the crowd, only Akira noticed the plant suddenly bursting through the soil in a corner.
Within seconds, it had grown half a meter tall.
Akira frowned slightly, focusing entirely on the unknown plant.
His instincts told him there was something unusual about this sudden growth.
At first glance, the plant appeared ordinary.
Its edges were wavy and serrated, the top lobes larger, the petioles a translucent green, and the crown spherical, covered in countless white, thread-like hairs.
From a distance, it resembled a volleyball covered in white fuzz—almost like a dandelion.
So… what was so special about this dandelion-like plant?
After his encounter with the man-eating flower, Akira had learned not to judge these plants by ordinary standards.
Or perhaps one should never view anything on the Dark Continent through normal perspectives.
Otherwise, every encounter would be full of surprises.
Take for instance the man-eating flowers that can sprout anywhere in an instant, or the [Shapeshifting Rabbit-man] disguised as a pet rabbit.
Under circumstances of carelessness, even the slightest lack of strength would lead to only one outcome—death.
This is also one of the reasons why the Dark Continent is so perilous.
Dangers lurk everywhere, and most people have no margin for error—a single encounter could mean death.
Curiosity drove Akira to use his Pokedex Ability on that peculiar plant.
[Silent Death Dandelion]: Whenever wind appears, its flowers burst open, releasing countless seeds carried away by the breeze.
Each seed rapidly grows, producing even more seeds, capable of overwhelming an entire region in an extremely short time.
Any land where the Silent Death Dandelion takes root will be drained of nutrients, turning into barren wasteland.
If they land on living creatures, they will swiftly desiccate them, leaving behind mummified corpses.
The appearance of this plant often signifies the devastation of an entire area, classifying it as an extremely hazardous [Calamity].
Aside from a few rare methods, there is typically only one way to quell such an event—
Wait until the Silent Death Dandelion swarm reaches an already desolate area.
With insufficient nutrients to sustain growth, their expansion will cease.
Once the matured Silent Death Dandelions exhaust the nutrients in their surroundings, they too will quickly wither and die.
...
'Hiss—'
After reading the description of the [Silent Death Dandelion], Akira couldn't help but inwardly gasp.
Just from the text in the Pokedex, he could vividly imagine how terrifying such a sight would be.
This eerie [Silent Death Dandelion] had an overwhelming reproductive capacity, easily capable of dominating vast areas in no time.
With just wind and nutrient-rich land, they could expand almost indefinitely.
At the same time, if they attached to a living being, they would drain it dry in the shortest time possible.
Converting the creature's energy into fuel for their own survival and relentless reproduction.
Judging solely from this description, the plant was extraordinarily dangerous, capable of rapidly stripping a region of all life.
As for how large that region would be—that depended entirely on luck.
If one were to estimate the threat level of this [Calamity] based on the [Dangerous Lifeform Evaluation Chart], it would likely rank A+, or even higher.
Because this evaluation chart was created by humans based on known calamities, with the highest-ranked [Calamities] being three tied entries:
The Human-Keeping Beast Pap, the Desire-Dependent Gaseous Lifeform Ai, and the Hellbell Snake.
These three known [Calamities] all shared the highest comprehensive danger rating of A.
As for the [Silent Death Dandelion], an unknown [Calamity] to humanity, its description in the Pokedex suggested it likely surpassed A.
The [Dangerous Lifeform Evaluation Chart] assessed threats based on four criteria: brutality, numbers, reproductive capacity, and destructive potential.
And the [Silent Death Dandelion] met the most extreme level of danger in every single category.
Brutality: The natural ecological behavior of the [Silent Death Dandelion] often poses lethal threats to humans.
Numbers: The [Silent Death Dandelion] can easily reach tens of thousands, if not more.
Reproductive Capability: Once active, they exhibit astonishing reproductive abilities, with their population exploding in numbers.
Destructive Power: The mortality rate of [Silent Dandelions] is extremely high, making them difficult to evade.
Overall assessment is definitely above A-rank.
And even A-rank [Disasters] are already incredibly challenging to resolve.
Not only are the specific methods unknown, but global cooperation is also essential.
Thus, the danger posed by [Silent Dandelions], which exceeds A-rank, is even more terrifying!
If they were to appear on the Six Continents, it would be an unimaginable catastrophe!
Currently, it's unknown whether [Silent Dandelions] affect the oceans.
If they only impact land, it might be slightly better.
The cost would likely be the complete loss of life on one continent.
If, due to certain factors, [Silent Dandelions] were transported to other continents,
it could escalate into a disaster spanning all Six Continents.