After the duel ended, the Worm Race extended a VIP treatment to Tenjo Hikari and invited them to the Worms' camp.
Although they look like insects, you shouldn't really think of the Worms as ordinary bugs.
In fact, in the original DT story, the Worms are a highly advanced alien lifeform that has invaded many planets, making them a major force in the cosmos.
The DT Planet isn't purely a world of swords and magic; this world actually has skyscrapers, science, and a variety of mysterious things.
The Worms possess the ability to modify their species and create new worms to counter different enemies, evolving even faster than the scientific research of DT Natives.
The current Worm Spirits, while not fully inheriting the Worm Race's abilities, still possess some unique powers, much like the Shaddolls who have certain infectious abilities.
For example, they can mimic the buildings and equipment of other races, so the Worm Race also lives in modern skyscrapers, where every Worm has its own job and responsibilities.
Once they realized that Tenjo Hikari didn't intend to invade their last territory and were even willing to communicate with them, these down-on-their-luck spirits living in the DT Dimension told Tenjo Hikari everything they knew.
During this time, Crystal and Lapis also appeared to chat with the Worm King, inquiring about the current state of this dimension.
Under these circumstances, Tenjo Hikari gained a rough understanding of the current situation in the DT Dimension.
The situation was just like he remembered; the DT Dimension had become a chaotic mess.
Every force that has ever appeared in the DT Dimension now lives in this Spirit World.
It's worth mentioning that this Spirit World is quite vast, and besides the planet, outer space is also part of the Spirit World, where allegedly some Spirits also reside.
They might be "alien spirits," but they're still Spirits of the DT Spirit World.
In such a crowded world of Spirits, their relationships have not completely inherited historical dynamics but have gradually evolved into the present day.
Due to their racial characteristics, the Worm Race originally had settlements all over the planet. However, because they bordered so many other races and had no advantage in power, they've gradually been reduced to one last territory.
Nevertheless, because of this, their understanding of the DT Dimension's situation is much clearer than that of Crystal, a Gem-Knight.
Currently, the "Ice Barrier" is the strongest, largest, and the least concerned about other forces in the DT Dimension. This force reportedly never engages in external warfare, staying quietly in its place unless there's an invasion, basically avoiding conflict with outsiders.
Aside from that, each major force has its own clever tactics, unique methods, and "outlandish elements."
The Gem-Knight Order is one of the more well-known forces in this dimension, without much fixed territory, aiming to protect weaker lives, and very active here.
"I've heard about it; a captain from your Knight Order went missing, and it turns out to be you."
Crystal sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"May I ask, where is the Knight Order stationed now? How long would it take to get there from here?"
Crystal had already decided to follow Tenjo Hikari to save more suffering Spirits, but if possible, still hoped to return to the Knight Order to report his safety and take Lapis back with him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but your Knight Order is on another continent now—you don't have a boat, right?"
On another continent, it seems.
Crystal shook his head regretfully.
Going back to report was not a matter of a day or two.
The master didn't have that much time.
Besides the famous Ice Barrier and the Gem-Knight Order, there's also the "Fabled," known for inciting conflicts everywhere. The reason they were so tense about Tierra before is that in this world, the Steelswarm and Shaddoll are two major dangerous entities, and contact with them could lead to direct infection or even death among their races, requiring isolated treatment—just like when Crystal was infected, it was isolated in the Broken Dimension by the Gem-Knight Order for treatment.
If Crystal hadn't accidentally encountered another Broken Dimension and been discovered by Akaba Leo, Tenjo Hikari wouldn't have even met him.
All in all, in this dimension, aside from the non-interfering Ice Barrier, the most dangerous, and the ones to watch out for, are the Fabled, Steelswarm, and Shaddoll tribes. Each has its own characteristics and high-level strategies. Whether it's high-level Spirit Power or dueling prowess, these are relatively high-tier in the dimension, making them extremely dangerous.
Apart from that, the various chaotic forces bear grudges and friendships among themselves, but as long as you don't stir up trouble, they'll likely ignore you if you pass by—just like how the Worm King advised Tenjo Hikari to leave quickly.
In the DT Dimension, the most famous taboo is "don't watch the excitement" and "don't join the excitement."
As long as you abide by these, passersby of any race usually won't bother you.
"I've heard that the Gusto Race accidentally brought Spirits from other dimensions, called Charmers. They reportedly have all sorts of attributes like earth, water, fire, and wind," the Worm King continued telling Tenjo Hikari. "But they're too far from here. I've never seen them."
Tenjo Hikari imagined for a moment in his mind.
In short, Tenjo Hikari and Tierra listened carefully to the Worm King's understanding of this world to prepare for future plans.
Tenjo Hikari's main target is undoubtedly the Shaddoll, and unsurprisingly, Tierra's target is also here.
But knowing the planetary distribution, he understood that meeting them soon would be difficult unless the next teleportation was random again.
However, the Shaddoll collected through normal means is almost enough. Tenjo Hikari didn't hear anything about the Qliphort tribe from the Worm King, so there's no immediate urgency.
Given that, the closest one will be their next destination.
Apart from the Shaddoll, the Ritual Beasts, Naturia, and Gem-Knights each have their specialties, not being ordinary forces. Their Fusion Monsters are also heroes in fusion.
The Gem-Knight Order won't be found anytime soon.
But the Worm King said that the Ritual Beasts and Naturia are distributed all over the planet, with many habitats—so those two can be relied upon.
Finally, after gaining a thorough understanding of these things, the Worm King even courteously gave Tenjo Hikari a DT pathfinder device.
Reportedly, it's an essential device for adventurous solo Spirits, guiding you to avoid battlefields on your journey and to escape rapidly.
Tenjo Hikari had quite a fondness for these unlucky but very practical Spirits; after all, they hadn't done anything but got beaten up every day.
Additionally, he exchanged some cards from his deck with the Worm King, finding out that the Worm King possessed "Worm Zero," and exchanged some of his spare cards with the Worm King.
It could only be said that the Worms live up to their name, with their greatest feature being abundance.
Card like Necro Fusion that might be extremely useful to them, Tenjo Hikari gave plenty although it couldn't fundamentally change the Worms' weaknesses, it would help them better execute fusion strategies.
Meanwhile, Tenjo Hikari was lucky enough to receive three high-level Fusion Monsters and numerous Fusion Materials in one go.
Honestly, even though Worm Zero doesn't have resistance, it's actually not weak. If paired with cards like Eternal Hero, it can perform quite impressive and stylish moves.
The problem is—the Worms' Low-Level Monsters are too weak.
Tenjo Hikari carefully packed them away, bid farewell to the Worm King and others, and teleported back to the Critical Point.
It had gone much better than expected, considering he thought they'd land in a major battle with Shaddoll.
Although there's still some time before the final match, he still wished to arrive early if possible.
He arrived easily but departed fully loaded!
As Tierra left with Tenjo Hikari, she glanced nostalgically around.
The mountains, the water, the air, they truly are... nostalgic.
Their figures gradually disappeared from this dimension.
At that moment.
The Worm King suddenly felt something uncanny, glancing left and right, feeling as if the wind surged, and even the clouds in the sky seemed to shift.
As if—
After Tenjo Hikari and the others left, this [world] pulsated like the heart of a living creature!