Boom!
The Prana Bombs approached Inala, intending to bombard him. But right before they did so, Inala severed his Rutham right and expanded it like a dome. He then split it into a double helix and compressed it like a spring until the gap between two parallel lines was slightly less than the cross-section of a Prana Bomb.
Thanks to the boost in psychokinesis granted by Rutham, he was able to set up the construct and increase its numbers before the Prana Bombs reached him. the start of the double helix was lodged deep into the ground, following which it curved through the air and stabbed into the ground farther away.
Such double helices surrounded Inala radially, eventually causing the entire construct to resemble a dome.
The first of the hail of Prana Bombs approached the construct and slammed into it. Due to its curvature, when it met one of the Rutham rods in the shape of a helix, the force behind it pushed it to the side, for the rod had an external curve.
As a result, the Prana Bomb slid to the side of the rod without transferring most of its force. Now, like a train on tracks, the Prana Bomb slid into the groove between the double helix.
The double helix was in such a shape that it caused the Prana Bomb to slide over its form, at the end of which it rolled out, onto the ground and away from the construct.
Another Prana Bomb slammed into the construct. But this time, it impacted a rod dead in its centre. If only this one helix had existed, it would have shattered from the momentum transfer. However, the series of double helices was connected through joints.
This way, when the helix deformed from the impact, it distributed the load across the construct, causing it to bend in response, which ended up positioning the Prana Bomb in the groove between a double helix.
In this manner, as the Prana Bomb impacted Inala, they were caught by the Rutham construct and rolled out on the ground. And the moment he finished creating the construct, Inala reverted his hands.
Since the Rutham construct was no longer his Spirit Weapon, he didn’t have to worry about his Prana being consumed by the Prana Bombs. Even he would fall unconscious if over a hundred Prana Bombs were to simultaneously absorb his Prana.
Bang!
As multiple Prana Bombs slammed into the construct every moment, the latter wasn’t able to deform fast enough. When the deformation occurred from multiple directions, stress was built up in one of the joints, which caused it to shatter.
In response, a couple double helices burst out of the construct, creating a gap in the defences. Inala quickly away from the opening that had appeared, watching a few more openings appear in a matter of seconds.
The construct was designed pretty well, but in his hurry, Inala couldn’t gather more Rutham. He had to finish the construct before the Prana Bombs reached him, and hence, the rods were thinner than ideal.
It was why they began to break faster than his expectations, forcing Inala to dodge within the dome.
As he continued to dodge, two Prana Bombs approached his face. He had just moved to evade an attack and hence, couldn’t move in response to the latest attack. His hands turned into Rutham as they moved faster than his body and grabbed the two Prana Bombs.
His brows furrowed as he crushed the Prana Bombs and swallowed the fluid within. He could use the shells to create a Prana Bomb as his Spirit Weapon. However, it would only waste his Prana.
It only took ten units of Prana to create a Prana Bomb. But in this situation, that was expensive, as Inala was constantly being bombarded by attacks that served to steal or make him waste his Prana.
It made him understand just how annoying the Zinger Race’s build was, sympathising with his previous life’s opponents for a moment.
As time passed, the construct began to shatter more and more, forcing Inala in a precarious situation. Every time a Prana Bomb was about to hit him, Inala caught them with his Rutham Hand. He lost some Prana in the process, which had to be recovered by drinking the fluid within them.
"Urgh!" His Prana reserves were running low as his stomach felt bloated, filled with Prana Bomb fluid. He was digesting it pretty fast, but the digestion rate wasn’t anywhere near levels that allowed him to supplement his consumption. ’In times like these, an Empyrean Boar build is the best, since it can digest things quickly.’
One of, if not the biggest advantage Brangara had was how quickly he could eat and digest things. As the Empyrean Boar King, Brangara had been able to consume food many times his body mass in one sitting.
They were all digested as rapidly as he consumed them. The excess mass, after his body gained all the benefits from consumption, was ejected as sweat, fart, urine, and shit. Brangara’s body was extremely efficient in the shitting process, so much that it rivalled a Brully that was the epitome of efficiency.
By now, most of the construct had been destroyed, as more and more Prana Bombs reached him. Soon, Inala wasn’t able to catch them all, feeling the impacts as his Prana was absorbed as a result. "Ugh!"
Mystic Sumatra Art—Prana Bomb!
This allowed the Spirit Container to gush more quantities of Prana through the blood. Its original use was to allow the user to gather Prana faster to activate an ability. Inala had employed it the most during his Mammoth Clansman days.
His Prana was being siphoned from multiple directions now. Using the Prana Blood Skill only allowed the Prana Bombs to absorb greater quantities of his Prana in a shorter time.
It seemed like a bad move. However, Inala’s intentions were different, ’I can bear it now.’
Since more Prana flowed through his body, the effects of the Skill of Prana Blood were imprinted on his blood and Prana respectfully, thanks to Mystic Sumatra Art. It expanded his mental faculties, allowing him to endure the strain from his Prana getting stolen through multiple avenues.
That was why he had activated the Skill. He endured the attacks, dripping blood as he guarded the sides of his head with his hands and used the last of the Rutham construct to protect the front and back of his head.
With a bloody gaze, Inala watched with a smile, ’Good.’
’Enough of them have begun circulating now.’ He was observing the Prana Bombs pushed on the ground by the construct. The momentum of their throw was transferred into their rolls, which rolled them into the tornado.
Steadily, the tornado carried more and more Prana Bombs throughout it, which ended up slamming into the Zinger Aristocrats.
"Kyak!"
"Aah!"
One after another, the Zinger Aristocrats shrieked as Prana Bombs came in contact with their bodies. The most they could deal with without stopping their attacks was one Prana Bomb. When more Prana Bombs touched their bodies, they were forced to defend.
In a matter of seconds, the Zinger Aristocrats lost control of the tornado, focused more on solving the Prana Bomb issue. Before they could regain control of the tornado, they were flung out with force.
The tornado had become self-sustaining now. It was bound to operate for a few minutes before losing power.
"Aah!" A Zinger Aristocrat spun through the air as she hurriedly unfurled her wings and used the wind drag to gradually orient herself. She crashed into the ground far away, the winds from the tornado interfering with her gliding efforts.
"Urgh!" Another Zinger Aristocrat crashed nearby and coughed out blood. A piece of the Rutham rod was sticking out of her belly. Pieces of it too had mixed into the tornado, which was another reason the rhythm of the Zinger Aristocrats got disrupted.
One after another, the Zinger Aristocrats were thrown out of the tornado as they crash-landed at faraway spots. They quickly grouped up and were about to jump right back in when Hunsar stopped them.
"Don’t rush in," Hunsar warned them as he stared at the tornado, "We might not know what he’s planning next."
Technically, he could use a Homing Satellite to take charge of the tornado. Once the substances forming the tornado become part of the Homing Satellite, they will calm down.
It was the fastest way to take care of the tornado and resume targeting Inala. However, the latter’s body was covered with Prana Bombs now, "He could turn them all into his Spirit Weapons and throw them at my Homing Satellite."
Hunsar’s Prana would be stolen instead. "With Rutham in his possession, his throws would be faster. Inala knows about Accel Hurl and might even be able to use its power. If he does so, none of us would be able to evade the attacks."
"I don’t think it’s wise to give him time to prepare," Wenka said as he approached Hunsar, holding a stone sculpture of Shuwrak Zahara. He had defeated the other party and imprisoned them in a layer of stone.
"I agree with Wenka," Rhonya said as she handed Pitorah to Wenka, who turned him into a sculpture too.
Hunsar brought out an unconscious Loya and watched Wenka turn her into a sculpture. He then placed the three sculptures in a Homing Satellite made of rock and made it run away to safety. "You have a fair point."
"But it’s better to counter than to attack proactively, especially against him," Hunsar said as the tornado died down, revealing the figure of Inala, whose hands had turned into Billakin. "He created our abilities and understands them best."
"Besides," Hunsar frowned, "Isn’t it strange that he hasn’t unleashed any attack at us with the intent to kill?"
"Who do you just resist?" Hunsar shouted at Inala, "Why aren’t you retaliating?"
"My choice," Inala shrugged, "I simply intend to have fun without any baggage."
"So," He said and clanked his Billakin fists, "You can come at me with the intent to kill. I won’t blame you even if you succeed. I will never try to kill you."
"Of course, I’ll beat you up." Saying so, he sprinted towards the Quip Clansmen, "Which I’ll begin now."