As the space rift opened, Richard quickly pulled Ali into the Secret Realm, casually dropping two Hearts of Annihilation to block the entrance.
Under the power of the Hearts of Annihilation, two Warrior Worms disappeared halfway, but terrifyingly, their remaining bodies kept trembling, as if they wanted to regrow from their maimed limbs.
Seeing Richard enter the Secret Realm, Ulysses somewhat relaxed.
He and Richard now shared both glory and losses; as long as Richard lived, he would eventually be able to return to divinity and perhaps even advance further.
Now that he no longer needed to protect Richard, there was no need to waste strength. He shrank his body, instantly transforming into the size of a sparrow, and the Annihilation Flame on him also vanished. He darted into the Mushroom Forest, silently observing those fungal creatures approaching.
He wanted to see what treasure had attracted these beings.