"Damn it, I gotta think fast!" Carter muttered, his mind racing. "Even if this thing eats me, I won't die, but I'd lose both this sun I've been stalking and my own. I've waited thousands of years for my sun to reach this size, and I have no intention of starting over—especially with the upcoming war."
He glanced back at the shrinking star. He'd already absorbed over 90% of it, but there was no time to finish the job. The creature's massive maw was closing in, glowing with the residual energy of the stars it had previously devoured. Time was running out.
"It's now or never."
SWISHH!!
Carter propelled himself forward, pouring every ounce of power into his speed. He maxed out both his [Astro Movement] and [Gravity Control], upgrading them to Level 9 on the spot. With [Astro Movement] alone, he could move fifty times faster than light, and with the added boost of [Gravity Control], he quintupled that speed.
He raced toward the entrance of the creature's mouth, his gravitational pull straining under the sheer enormity of the cosmic entity. But as he closed the distance, it felt as though space itself was warping around him, stretching endlessly the being had some kind of control over space.
"Find your own damn sun!" Carter roared, channeling his frustration. He reached out with his gravity control, ripping the space in front of him. A swirling tear opened, and Carter warped outside the monster's mouth just as it snapped shut.
[System]
Sub-ability [Space Warping] acquired.
Carter didn't slow down. He knew that as long as he stayed in his sun form—or if his sun remained exposed—the creature would continue hunting him. He had only one option: get back to his solar system and hide the sun within his god form.
With his immense speed, it took mere moments to reach his solar system. Without hesitation, Carter switched his consciousness to his planetary form, quickly absorbing the sun. The star didn't convert into celestial energy, but because it was part of him, Carter had full control over its properties. He shrank it down, hiding it deep within his god form.
Then, sending his planets deep into space and leaving behind the miniature sun that powered life on his world, hoping to bait the cosmic worm.
Right on cue, the colossal worm tore through space once more. Carter's Zone Vision still couldn't fully perceive the creature, only its gargantuan mouth. It hovered for a moment, seeking the missing star. Frustrated by its inability to locate the real sun, it angrily swallowed the decoy miniature sun and retreated into the spatial tear, disappearing without a trace.
Carter floated on his back, letting out a deep sigh. "Damn that giant bastard—over a freaking sun."
[System]
It is extremely unusual. Adult cosmic dwarf worms are billions of years old and rarely traverse galaxies. They typically remain at the edges of galaxies where the majority of stars are concentrated. While it's not unheard of for them to devour fully grown yellow dwarfs, such behavior is more common in younger cosmic worms, which cannot survive the dangers of the galactic edge.
"Regardless of its motives, I'm just glad my sun wasn't devoured," Carter replied. "I don't currently have the strength to beat that bastard into a bloody mess, so let's talk about this when I do."
With his sun now safe, Carter returned his planets to their positions, placing them into orbit around the hidden star.
"So, I have to keep a gravity lock on my sun until I can fight a cosmic worm?"
[System]
The host does not need to. When the host makes the solar system his main body, everything within its vicinity will become part of his domain. If the host so wishes, his domain will be undetectable to mid-level minor beings like a cosmic worm.
"Minor? If that thing is a minor being, then what am I?"
[System]
…
"… Never mind."
Carter released his sun, placing it at the center of his distant planets. "Alright, let's get this shit started."