In a region closer to the Manu Enclave, many decades ago.
AARGH!
Orakha screamed in pain as his mind was brutally torn apart by something that had fused into him.
Tangible Nature Minor Treasure—Gracious Inheritor!
"Hmm..." Standing next to a screaming Orakha was Brangara, slowly funnelling Prana into the latter’s body through the Minor Treasure of Gracious Inheritor. This way, Orakha wouldn’t die.
"Damn...you!" Orakha cursed and bit his tongue in an effort to commit suicide. However, his tongue spontaneously regenerated thanks to the Celestial Boar’s Prana funnelling into him through Gracious Inheritor.
Boom!
Orakha’s body collapsed helplessly on the ground, gasping strenuously as all his suicide attempts had been foiled. None of them were strong enough to overpower the regenerative prowess of the Celestial Boar’s Prana.
"It’s futile," Yarsha Zahara said as she changed the makeup of Natures within Gracious Inheritor and watched it seep into Orakha once again, this time causing him to writhe in pain differently.
"What do you think?" Brangara asked as he approached Yarsha Zahara.
"I am systematically inducing damage to his mind until his every identity is erased. And then, we’ll inflict enough blow to his existence that he would be nothing even if he’s revived." She spoke as she clenched her trembling hand, disgusted at herself.
"This body..." She growled, "It’s humiliating."
"It’s because of you!" She roared for a moment and punched Orakha squarely in the jaw.
"...Gah...my fault?" Orakha was barely able to articulate his words as blood dripped out of his mouth. His jaw had been dislocated, causing him unbearable pain. His eyes were an expression of fury as he stared at Yarsha Zahara, "I wanted to flee, to not be a part of this war. We came to a location that wasn’t accessible to you, even if you were to run on Sumatra for the rest of your life. But you chased after us."
"You...chased us, killed everyone, and now..." He spat blood on the ground, "And now...you inhabit my wife’s body. You say...that’s my fault?"
"Hahahaha!" His voice resounded amidst choking laughter. One moment, it was loud. The other moment, it was stifled, "You’re funny, Yarsha Zahara. You know why?"
He raised his head and stared with abundant mockery, "Even when blessed with all the talent and resources Sumatra has to offer, you still lost pitifully against me."
"That’s all you were..." His words were cut off as Brangara held him by the neck and lifted his body.
Bringing close enough until their eyes were staring into each other, Brangara uttered coldly, "You done?"
"Nothing you do will ever make a difference."
"Oh yeah?" Orakha broke into a chuckle, "Then why did you target me first? Even if you don’t wish to admit, you’re aware, aren’t you?"
"At the fact that I can counter you?"
"For someone who fled from battle in fear, you sure do talk a lot." Yarsha Zahara sorted as she kicked Orakha in the face once Brangara healed him.
"The one I feared wasn’t either of you..." Orakha gasped as he slowly raised his arms, despite having lost most motor functions by now thanks to the influence of Gracious Inheritor. He held Brangara’s outstretched arm and uttered, "It was your son."
"I despaired at his limitless potential, and at the fact that if he’s even the slightest bit smart, nothing on Sumatra can counter his build." His eyes glazed over by the time he finished his sentence. He hung at the end of Brangara’s hand limply.
"It took full effect." Yarsha growled from the side, "Now, he’s plagued by all sorts of influence. Even when he’s revived, he won’t be a threat."
"It’s not enough," Brangara uttered coldly, "Compound Human Avatar..."
He stared at Yarsha Zahara to ask, "Do you fully understand its might?"
Yarsha Zahara was silent for a few minutes before she lifted her head and commented, "Let’s take him to the Sandy-Grey Void. We can’t take any risks."
The duo raced to the border and stood right before the curtain of night that extended infinitely.
"Say," Brangara asked right before they were about to step into the Sandy Grey Void, "What he said...about being able to counter me."
He eyed his wife to ask, "Do you think it’s possible?"
Brangara was at the 2-Life Stage before the fight. By the end of the fight, he lost a life and his wife died, all thanks to Orakha.
"With just a Compound Human Avatar and Mystic Eaters...it’s impossible." Yarsha Zahara shook her head, "The Nature that his Compound Human Avatar forms is stronger than his Natures. It’s an inherent flaw in his build, which prevents him from crossing the 3-Life Stage. There’s a chance of implosion the moment he enters the 4-Life Stage."
"Then, it’s not an issue?" Brangara asked.
"I guess," Yarsha Zahara said, but wasn’t feeling fully confident about it, ’He...doesn’t have a Secondary Nature now. If he had one, especially something that could solve the fault in his build...’
"Let’s go," She said and dragged Orakha into the Sandy Grey Void. As she and Brangara entered the Sandy Grey Void, the latter couldn’t see the goosebumps that had erupted on her skin.
From the very beginning, Orakha was an absolute counter to her, capable of stealing Sumatra Gold from her Human Avatar. Only upon reaching the peak of the Body Stage to assume a complete Human Avatar form would she be free from his attacks.
However, considering the way she died, it seemed apparent that Orakha had ways to deal with her. That terrified her, which was why she wanted to get rid of Orakha first. ’But now, I’m reduced to nothing!’
She was a Tangible Nature Major Treasure, which was pretty overpowered. However, in terms of potential, she could say her present self was nerfed and was subordinate to Brangara. In contrast, her human self would have been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Celestial Boar as long as she reached the peak of the Body Stage.
"Gh...ah...urgh...aii...woo!" The duo returned to Sumatra, carrying a body of Orakha that was mutating in grotesque forms thanks to the Transcendent influence plaguing him.
Slowly, Brangara infused his Prana into Orakha until the effects of the Transcendent influence was controlled.
"Stop..." Orakha gasped, but knew that wasn’t happening. He could instinctively perceive that most of his identity had been destroyed beyond recovery and the duo before him wouldn’t stop until he was absolutely neutralised.
Since pleading wasn’t an option, Orakha decided to dial down, while the last of his self still remained, "You better do a good job...Yarsha...Brangara."
"Otherwise," His face curled into a ravaged smile, "Hell awaits you..."
Swoosh!
Brangara instinctively threw Orakha into the Sandy Grey Void, realising his impulse a moment later. He rushed into the Sandy Grey Void, somehow managed to find Orakha, and brought him back.
Grey sand was eating into his being by now, producing more of its kind. Brangara healed Orakha a little and observed the latter, revealing a relieved smirk after a while, "Yeah, he’s done for."
He stared into Orakha, maintaining eye contact until the latter fully crumbled into grey sand. Dusting his hands, Brangara turned around, "Let’s return."
"I need to stockpile," As he uttered, Orakha’s face kept flashing in his mind, enough that Brangara couldn’t ignore it.
"We have left the Varahan Empire long enough," Yarsha Zahara said, "Once we return home, we will..."
"No," Brangara shook his head and walked in the direction of the ring of Sandy Grey Void created by Maroppa, whose boundary was littered with a dense number of Parute Trees, "I’m afraid we don’t have the leeway to return home."
"Are you...concerned?" Yarsha Zahara asked, pausing to see Brangara snort and leap away. She groaned, feeling angered by his behaviour towards her, "You could at least respond to me...damn it."
’Do my opinions no longer matter since I’m a part of your strength now?’ Veins popped on her forehead as Yarsha Zahara grew silent during her return journey to the field of Parute Trees. When she arrived, she observed Brangara stuffing his face with Parute Fruits without rest.
In pride, Brangara didn’t express anything. He didn’t want to acknowledge that even after becoming the Celestial Boar, existences he considered ants were now able to threaten him and make him concerned...about maintaining his dignity as Sumatra’s predator, about survival.
Originally, their plan was to kill Orakha, destroy the Mammoth Clan, and capture Maroppa. Following that, they would return to the Varahan Empire and comfortably farm for strength there.
The prime reason for capturing Maroppa was to take advantage of her power to create a Sandy Grey Void and cause Sumatra’s Transcendent Eater to border it with Parute Trees. This will produce an endless number of Parute Fruits for a few decades, until the Sandy Grey Void is fully neutralised.
Most of them will be consumed by Brangara. And any excess would be distributed across the Varahan Empire to strengthen it further. ’However, it’s as if he’s afraid.’
She eyed Brangara and thought, ’Afraid that if he returns to the Varahan Empire now, he would be...caught lacking by the Mystic Seven.’
’Afraid? He?’ Yarsha Zahara was stunned to reach such a conclusion. She didn’t wish to believe it. However, observing the desperate way in which Brangara was stuffing himself at peak capacity to grow in strength, she knew that to be the case.
"Dammit, this is all because of that bastard!" She cursed, "Damn you, Orakha."