Inala forced Battalda to resume his work, continuing to accumulate the experience necessary for the completion of the new Skills he was creating.
In the meantime, the Angan River's water level fully receded into the ground, revealing the river bed that was packed to the brim with Slump Lizards that didn't have anywhere else to flee.
After all, on both ends of the Angan River were enemies. Hence, the moment the Slump Lizards sensed the presence of the Centingers, they bolted from the place, spreading across the entire region within the Sandy-Grey Void ring.
It was a sign of the incoming Crisis.
Slowly, from one end of the Angan River entered a Pranic Beast that reached a height of sixty metres, resembling a menacing fortress on its own.
The moment it arrived, the sand forming the Angan River's riverbed vibrated due to the rhythmic noises originating from the centipede legs. The centipede upper body alone stretched for a length of sixty metres.
It slithered through the riverbed and made scuttling noises, casually consuming some plant life to satiate its hunger. This Centinger reached maturity and hence possessed 3288 Prana, the maximum of its race.
Capable of living up to 590 years, it was a Pranic Beast with a long lifespan. Originally docile in nature, as it walked on the riverbed and sensed the fleeing Slump Lizards, an animalistic sense of slaughter settled in its mind, causing the centipede legs to make sonorous clattering sounds.
"Screeuuawwaaa!" It unleashed a sharp screech and broke into a sprint. Its centipede upper body flashed around, affecting hundreds of Slump Lizards whose bodies simply dropped on the ground like blobs as their skeletons had melted.
All these Slump Lizards radiated with the distinct signature of its Prana, making it easy to identify the cause. Grinning excitedly, the Centinger rushed deeper into the land, signalling the start of the hunt.
"Screewuaa!"
"Scraaaweweweee!" Centingers one after another rushed into the Angan Riverbed, engaging in their hunt. One…two…ten…twenty…eighty…two hundred sixty.
Two hundred sixty Expert Silver Grade Pranic Beasts marched into the region enclosed by the Sandy-Grey Void ring, an overwhelming amount.
This was merely the number of male Centingers. The Females entered an hour later, casually as their job was only to tally the scores. They numbered close to three hundred, beginning to munch on some shells from the riverbed.
It seemed one of the largest colonies of the Red-Draft River had entered the region this time, signalling the place's doom. But that wasn't the end.
Calmly entering the Angan Riverbed after a while, like royalty, were twelve Pranic Beasts, four male and eight females, possessing strength on a whole other level.
Mutated Beginner Gold Grade Pranic Beast—Millinger!
When a Centinger mutates, it evolves into its Gold Grade variant, the Millinger. Every single Gold Grade Pranic Beast was a force of nature, possessing potently powerful Natures. The Millingers were no exception.
Primary Nature—Bone-Melting Artillery!
Secondary Nature—Inhibition Dome!
Bone-Melting Artillery was the same as what its Silver Grade variant, the Centinger possessed. But the Millinger's Primary Nature was more potent.
The power that truly set it a class apart was its Secondary Nature.
Inhibition Dome erects a dome in a region, akin to a fortress. All emission-based Natures employing Prana would lose their effect and almost be nullified. The efficiency of the abilities drops drastically, expending more Prana for the same effect.
The Inhibition Dome's effects are selectively applied. Meaning, it only applies to the enemies and not itself and anyone the Millinger recognises as its ally. Therefore, within the Inhibition Dome, the Millingers were pretty much unrivalled.
Only Natures on the likes of Internal Inertial Gravity functioned within the Inhibition Dome. But it'll be hard for even Inala to move around with Bone-Melting Artillery raining down from the skies. Therefore, the best option was to flee in such a scenario.
At least, if only one Millinger was there, measures could be taken to kill it. After all, Ganrimb Kingdom's king, Fhoong Brimgan was a cultivator on the level of a Gold Grade Pranic Beast.
But there were twelve Millingers. Ganrimb Kingdom's doom was guaranteed. Or rather, the entire region within the Sandy-Grey Void ring would be wiped clean of all living traces.
Later, the Empyrean Tusk herd would pass through the region along the banks of the Red-Draft River and encounter them.
In Sumatra Chronicles, this event was termed the Millinger Catastrophe and became the Fifth Minor Crisis. As the exoskeleton of the Empyrean Tusks is made out of bone, the Centingers were a bad matchup.
The Millinger Catastrophe was one of the strongest Minor Crises faced by the Mammoth Clan in Sumatra Chronicles. As it was clearly depicted in Sumatra Chronicles, Inala knew the destruction the region would face.
Perched far away from the Angan River was an Empyrean Zinger Scout. Upon seeing the Centingers arrive, it craned strength into its legs and shot high up into the sky, remaining in its miniature form as it trailed over the Centinger colony, scouting them.
Once it finished gathering all the details, it unleashed a sharp screech before a spike pierced its body, killing it. The culprit was a Centinger that heard its shriek.
As the Empyrean Zinger Scout was barely a month old, it wasn't strong enough to defend against the artillery attack, killed in one hit. But anyway, it completed its mission, transmitting all the information through one shriek, the speciality of the Zingers.
Multiple shrieks resounded as the information was transmitted to the Empyrean Zinger King who inhaled deeply and unleashed a powerful shriek, alerting Inala.
"Time to hunt," Saying so, Inala got up and flexed his muscles, now fully recovered. He stretched his hand and grabbed Battalda by the neck, uttering, "Thank you for your service. You are a valuable resource. Since you'll be dying a few hours from now, allow me to do the deed in advance, for my benefit."
Prime Skill—Empyrean Extraction!
"Koff!" Blood spurted out of Battalda as his brain collapsed. His Spirit Container shattered as all the resultant Prana surged into his head, passing through the brain cells repeatedly before they slammed into his skull, absorbed by the latter.
In a matter of minutes, all the Prana in Battalda's body was used up. Brain matter oozed out of his orifices like water, having been melted for some reason, sizzling hot to the touch.
Inala opened his mouth and allowed an Empyrean Zinger to fly out. He closed his eyes and covered his ears. A minute later, the Empyrean Zinger placed Battalda's skull in his hand, fully cleaned. His corpse vanished, settling in the Empyrean Zinger's stomach.
Mysterious ring patterns covered Battalda's skull. Even though it was eerie to the touch, causing his revulsion to well up, Inala calmed himself and activated another ability, using it on the source through whom he derived it.
Prime Skill—Mind Slip!