"We messed up a bit back there," Ralral spoke once she regained her senses, observing that this happened only after four of her Clansmen expended all their Prana. She concluded after analysing the previous battle, "Asaeya can steal our senses using sound. We can counter her with our mist. As long as her sound doesn't reach us, we needn't worry about her."
"The problem is Inala," She said, watching the others nod in response, "He's able to steal the Prana in our mist. That makes him by far the most dangerous."
"Our defensive arrangements remain vulnerable before him."
"He's able to steal 10 Prana every second." Kaka calculated her exchange with Inala and spoke, "Somehow, he's able to control four Spirit Weapons."
"So, he can steal forty Prana every second." Ralral exhaled softly, "That's troubling indeed."
Currently, they were huddled within an abandoned mine, having terraformed it into a stronghold. Right before the Death Hour starts, Pranic Beasts would surge into the island.
The job of these eight Cooter Clansmen was to protect the entrance to the mine where the two thousand Free Humans worked. They would spend the Death Hour facing the Pranic Beasts, doing everything possible to hold out until then.
After all, the Pranic Beasts were aquatic creatures. They wouldn't be able to survive on land for long. Hence, right as the Death Hour ends, they would retreat into the water. Remaining on the island would be dangerous after that, as immediately after the Death Hour, there would be a cold downpour.
Immediately in response, the Dralh Sea would begin freezing.
There were times when too many Silver Grade Pranic Beasts came onto the island, overwhelming the Cooter Clansmen. Hence, for such situations, they made arrangements throughout the island, one of which was a wave of mist that would envelop the entirety of the island, dampening sound, decreasing Prana sensing range to merely two metres, and also reducing visibility to zero.
This way, the Pranic Beasts would be able to target the mine and would stay put for the hour.
When they lost their senses, Ralral activated one of her arrangements, causing a mist cloud to form and drag them all to this cave. As it moved on the ground, it was slow. But since the entire island was covered by mist already, they remained hidden until arriving at their stronghold.
And now, they formulated a battle strategy to deal with Inala's group. Staring at three people, Ralral said, "The three of you will deal with Asaeya. Attack her from long range. Kaka, you're in charge of this team."
She then pointed at three other people and faced Tuktuk, "You're in charge of this team. Deal with Gannala. She'll be able to destroy the ground and unleash powerful gusts of air, so be ready to defend each other when necessary. No matter what, never fight her head-on. A single punch from her could shatter your body."
"I'll face Inala," Ralral concluded and stared at the last member of her group, "You're in charge of replenishing the mist that covers the island. We have an advantage in this terrain. So, as long as we maintain it, our victory is only a matter of time."
All eight Cooter Clansmen inhaled the surrounding mist, activating their Mystic Mist Art to consume the Prana within the mist and replenish their reserves. In a matter of minutes, they were at full capacity.
In terms of combat strength, a Mammoth Clansman was stronger. But in terms of recovery means, a Cooter Clansman was superior. They planned to play by their advantages. And since they had a good grasp of their enemy's power, they were confident enough to win.
Inala had the power to absorb Prana through his Spirit Weapons. Asaeya was able to steal the senses of her targets through sound. And finally, Gannala was an Empyrean Tusk. Hence, with enough preparations, they could kill their foes.
The fact that Inala could possess more than one Nature never even crossed their minds. After all, such a feat was impossible. The butterfly effect created due to the regressor and six reincarnates didn't reach here.
Hence, their information and strength level were a mirror of Sumatra Chronicles.
Ralral closed her eyes and spread her senses through the mist covering the island, patiently sensing its flow. A minute later, her eyes shot open, "The mist in the region of our tower has been consumed. They are camping there."
She then observed the sky, making a prediction, "The Death Hour will begin in a minute. We'll spend this hour accumulating strength. Right as it ends and the cold shower starts, we'll attack."
"What about the Free Humans?" Tuktuk asked.
"The mist is covering the island. So their presence wouldn't be revealed for the time being." Ralral said, "I formed a barrier at its entrance. It's their fate if a Pranic Beast still manages to make its way into the mine."
"Killing the trio takes priority." Ralral said, "We don't want them to get too comfortable with our place and set up defensive arrangements."
Right as she predicted, the Death Hour approached on the dot.
There was a subtle change in the sky, following which the bubbles on the Dralh Sea subsided. The ink-black sea began releasing all the heat stored in it.
At the layer of water right above the seabed, heat began moving up, rapidly cooling down the layer of water to normalcy. But the layer right above it now possessed twice as much heat as before. Soon, the heat in the second layer was transmitted upward.
Now, two layers above the seabed, the heat within the third layer was three times as usual. As the heat continued to move up, it piled up into the successive layers, creating a layer of intense heat.
The powerful Pranic Beasts among the Gold Grade and Silver Grade were the first to swim down into the section of water above the seabed, for the temperature levels here had dropped to normalcy.
As the layer of heat began to move up, the Pranic Beasts continued to move below it, taking refuge in the safe waters. But soon, there came a point where the heat contained in the layer reached the point where it became plasma.
Any Pranic Beast that touched it now became vaporised instantly. The region of water underneath it was packed to the brim with Pranic Beasts like sardines. At the bottom-most were Gold Grade Pranic Beasts. Above them were Silver Grade Pranic Beasts in the descending order of their strength.
Some crafty Iron Grade Pranic Beasts too managed to reach this side and make space for themselves before the layer of heat turned plasma.
The Pranic Beasts stranded on the other side began to rush towards the surface, making their way towards the islands scattered around the Dralh Sea. They congregated on the islands, fighting for a spot as the land area was limited, resulting in a bloodbath.
The plasma layer continued to move upwards, absorbing more and more heat. It also vaporised the water that came in contact with it, resulting in billowing volumes of vapour gushing out like thousands of volcanic eruptions happening simultaneously, side by side.
These vapours carried some of the heat in the upper levels, creating a wave of mild plasma capable of melting the bodies of any Pranic Beast under the Gold Grade, resulting in the Dralh Sea's infamous phenomenon that lasted for an hour at the end of the day, every day.
Death Hour!
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