BOOOOM!
He hit the ground hard and drove straight down. The impact left a wide crater, dust rising in a slow column before spreading outward and thinning into the wind.
For a full minute there was only dust settling around him.
He didn't move immediately.
Not because he was stunned, but because he was recalculating.
The attempt upward had failed. The resistance in the atmosphere wasn't something he could simply overpower with brute force or speed.
So going up directly wasn't an option right now.
He looked down instead.
His body shifted slightly, and he began to dig, his innate abilities working in tandem with one another.
The ground split as his tendrils moved beneath it, forcing their way through compact soil and fractured stone.
Layers collapsed unevenly, some sections giving way too easily while others resisted before suddenly breaking apart.
So he adjusted, and added vibration.
