Chapter 86 | Reincarnated as a Necromancer, I Turned a Death Desert Into Paradise

“Your Highness!”

The captain of the guard was the first to react, his thunderous roar snapping everyone out of their daze.

The guards drew their swords, preparing to give chase in the direction the sand worm had vanished, but the sand had already smoothed over, leaving not a single trace behind.

Shane vaulted onto his skeletal warhorse, but before he could take a single step, a figure blocked his path.

“Don't chase it.”

Elon raised a hand to stop him, his tone unprecedentedly calm. “Sara already followed it. She went under the exact moment the sand worm burrowed.”

Shane froze. Only then did he realize that Sara was indeed gone. His attention had been entirely on Alicia just now, and he hadn't noticed her departure at all.

“Sara isn't as fast as the sand worm in the sand, but she can track the source of the vibrations.”

“The sand worm won't stop anytime soon, but Her Highness has an amulet on her. It can generate a continuous defensive barrier, so the acid and pressure won't harm her for a while.”

Elon's explanation clearly failed to satisfy Shane. “How long is 'a while'?”

“It's hard to say. The amulet's mana reserve is limited. Given the corrosive intensity inside a sand worm, I'd estimate an hour or two.”

An hour or two was neither long nor short. Shane frowned, his mind racing as he brainstormed possible ways to rescue Alicia.

“Sara can track the vibrations, right?”

By now, Shane had also calmed down, but his next words sounded incredibly reckless. “Then if the sand worm won't stop, I'll find a way to get inside.”

Elon's eye twitched violently. “Are you insane? I said Her Highness has an amulet, but you don't!”

“Which is why I will prepare myself.”

As Shane spoke, he raised his hand and summoned a dark green light that enveloped his body. When the light faded, a layer of grayish-white bone grew from his skin, covering him entirely to form a complete suit of bone armor.

“Once I'm inside, that thing won't be able to run.”

Shane moved around a bit to test if his range of motion was restricted, then continued, “I will weaken the sand worm from the inside. You guys stay on the outside and use Sara's petrification ray to attack its weak points. An inside-out pincer attack will be enough to slay it.”

Elon stared at him for a few seconds before finally gritting his teeth and nodding. He turned and strode toward the guards, simultaneously summoning his sentinel and sending it into the sky. “I'll provide you with its location. Get ready.”

Shane nodded, sitting tall on his skeletal warhorse. Watching the sentinel circling in the sky, he nudged his mount forward.

A few minutes later, about three kilometers away from the construction area, the sand vibrated violently. The massive body of the sand worm burst from the earth once again, crashing onto the surface.

“Pin it down!”

Elon roared. As the emerald-green light exploded from his palm, buffing auras fell upon Ksaz and the guards simultaneously.

Ksaz was the first to charge, swinging his two-handed axe and burying the blade deep into the sand worm's underbelly carapace.

Shane did not move. He sat on his horse, waiting quietly.

The sand worm was forced back step by step. Especially after Ksaz hacked open a gash in its underbelly carapace, its movements grew noticeably frantic. Its circular maw snapped wildly in all directions, yet it failed to lock onto any of its agile opponents.

Then, Shane made his move.

His skeletal warhorse charged straight toward the center of the battlefield, its speed pushed to the absolute limit. He did not slow down even as he reached the sand worm; instead, he leaped from the horse's back, hurtling like a cannonball directly into the wide-open circular maw.

A fall, followed by immense pressure, and then the sizzling sound of acid corrosion.

Shane was squeezed by rough muscular walls in the darkness. Tiny, sizzling sounds of erosion constantly echoed from the surface of his bone armor, but his overall defense remained intact.

He slid through the slimy interior for an unknown amount of time before finally feeling the resistance beneath him lessen, as if he had fallen into a relatively open space.

Then, he saw a sphere of emerald-green light, glowing quietly amidst the squeezing of acid and flesh walls.

“Your Highness.”

Shane's voice echoed in the cramped space, causing the emerald-green light to tremble slightly.

Alicia was curled up in a corner of the flesh wall, her arms hugging her knees. Her fiery-red hair clung wetly to her cheeks, and her face was smeared with a liquid that was either acid or sweat.

The moment she looked up and saw Shane, a flash of disbelief crossed her violet eyes, which then softened into an indescribable warmth.

“You... how did you...”

Before Shane could answer, the green light seemed to recognize his aura as he drew near. It actively expanded outward by a small margin, enveloping him as well.

The burning sensation of the acid vanished instantly, and the surrounding pressure lessened slightly, but the cramped nature of the space remained unchanged.

The two of them were squeezed tightly together.

Alicia's shoulder pressed into Shane's chest, and Shane's chin rested against the crown of her head. Their bodies were jammed together in the tiny space, leaving almost no room to move.

Shane's bone armor had already been heavily corroded, so he simply dismissed it. Alicia, on the other hand, was only wearing a form-fitting light armor. The fabric, thoroughly soaked with sweat and acid, clung to her skin, making her contours exceptionally clear.

Shane could feel her shoulder blades gently pressing against his chest through the fabric. Her shoulders were slightly hunched from being curled up, and the broad expanse of skin below her collarbone glowed softly under the green light.

“Can you... not lean so close?”

Alicia's voice was muffled against Shane's chest, carrying a hint of embarrassment he had never heard from her before. Shane could see that the tips of her ears had turned completely red.

“Where does Your Highness suggest I retreat to?”

Shane's voice was as unromantic as ever, his heavy breath brushing against the crown of her head.

Alicia didn't speak, but the exposed length of her neck had already turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

A brief silence fell between them. In this claustrophobic environment, only the sound of their breathing could be heard.

Finally, Alicia was the first to speak. “Why did you come in?”

“You ask me why? When Your Highness shoved me out of the way, you didn't ask me first.”

Alicia's body stiffened for a moment, and then she buried her face even deeper. “That was just instinct. I wasn't thinking at the time.”

“I see.”

Another silence ensued.

“Thank you,” Shane suddenly whispered.

Alicia's shoulders trembled slightly, and her muffled voice reached Shane's ears. “You too.”

And then, silence once more.

But this silence felt different from before.

Shane could feel Alicia's breathing grow somewhat erratic. The fabric of her clothes pressing against his chest was soaked with sweat, and through the damp material, her body heat was gradually transferring to him.

And her wet red hair brushed against his chin, carrying an indescribable, intimate scent.

“Your Highness.”

Shane felt his voice grow slightly hoarser than before.

“Hmm?”

Alicia didn't look up, only offering a muffled response.

“Your amulet... how much longer can it last?”

“Probably... a bit longer.”

“How long is a bit?”

Alicia finally looked up. Her face was inches away, her eyes covered in a thin mist, the blush on her cheeks spreading all the way to her ears, and her lips tightly pursed.

Their noses were almost touching.

Shane could feel Alicia's breath puffing against his chin—warm, damp, and rapid.

Her light armor had loosened slightly due to the sweat and acid corrosion, and the collar had slipped askew, exposing a broad patch of sweat-glistening skin beneath her collarbone.

She could feel Shane's gaze lingering there, but she didn't raise a hand to cover herself. She merely averted her eyes.

Right then, the entire space shook violently.

“Ah...”

Alicia let out a stifled gasp, her entire body tumbling into Shane's arms.

Shane instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the tight curve of her waistline and her taut muscles.

Then came a second tremor, a third...

The vibrations grew increasingly violent and turbulent. The walls of flesh began to contract and squeeze fiercely, pinning the two of them tightly against each other.

With each contraction, Alicia's body was pressed even closer to Shane. She could feel the warmth of his chest, and much more.

Through the thin layer of clothing, Shane could clearly sense every contour of the princess's body, even the deeper, softer details that he shouldn't be feeling.

“Shane...”

Alicia's voice was shaken into fragments, making it almost impossible to tell whether she was calling his name or pleading for something.

“Sorry.”

Shane's voice was low. He didn't even know what he was apologizing for, but he felt he needed to say something to break the tension.

The shaking intensified.

Shane knew the people outside were attacking the sand worm. He needed to act, but his current situation made it incredibly difficult to concentrate.

“Your Highness...”

He spoke again.

But Alicia didn't respond. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, her hands having tightly grasped the edge of his shirt at his waist at some point. Her breath brushed against his neck, hot and hurried.

Then, during another violent jolt, Alicia let out a soft, long-suppressed whimper.

Shane's entire body went stiff.

“Your Highness.”

“Don't speak.”

She still didn't look up, her low voice laced with embarrassment and anger. “If you dare speak of this to anyone...”

“I won't.”

Shane's voice was very soft, but his arms pulled Alicia's waist a bit closer to his chest. Then, whispering in her ear, he said, “Your Highness, I'm going to make my move.”

“What?”

“Bang!”

Dark green light exploded from Shane, flowing outward in all directions like liquid mercury and seeping into every muscle fiber of the sand worm.

In that instant, the sand worm's body went limp as if all its strength had been drained. Immediately after, a bone spur sprouted from the palm of Shane's hand, which was still resting against Alicia's waist, and pierced through the sand worm's abdominal cavity from the inside.

The sand worm let out an unprecedented, agonizing shriek, and its entire body began to roll frantically across the ground.

Shane and Alicia were tossed around inside the rolling beast. Every roll pressed their bodies even closer together, and every jolt made their breathing more erratic.

Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, the shaking gradually ceased. Just as the two of them were wondering what was happening, a flash of light sliced down from above.

Ksaz's two-handed axe, gleaming with golden light, tore open the sand worm's flank, completely shattering the already weakened carapace. Sunlight flooded into the slimy, dark space for the first time.

Shane slid out of the rift holding Alicia, and they tumbled heavily onto the sand. The two of them lay on their backs, gasping for air, neither making the first move.

Cheers erupted all around them. Ksaz was shouting something while raising his axe, the guards were gathering around the sand worm's carcass, and Elon was running toward them from a distance.

But neither Shane nor Alicia looked at them.

They lay flat on the sand, shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the sky.

“Your Highness.”

Shane spoke first.

“...Yes.”

“Let's get up. They are watching.”

Alicia didn't say anything. Only after a long silence did she whisper in an extremely soft voice, “Help me up.”

Shane turned his head to look at her profile. She looked completely different from her usual valiant self; the flush on her face hadn't faded, and there was a lingering, inexplicable moisture at the corners of her eyes.