The algae layer had already reached the path traversed by the latter half of the Empyrean Tusk herd. To avoid friendly fire, the Empyrean Tusks refrained from unleashing shockwaves. Only the 1st Empyrean Tusk continued to unleash them, following which it hurriedly sped through the path cleared of algae.
The rest followed it in a hurry. But by the time the 80th Empyrean Tusk set foot on the cleared path, the algae had already covered it. And right as it did so, its foot slipped, causing it to lose balance and tilt in response.
The 80th Empyrean Tusk unleashed a gust of air through its trunk and used the generated thrust to slow down its fall. Its figure slammed into the ground, causing a quake in response while its Internal Inertial Gravity transferred the shock from fall to its skin, releasing a powerful vibration that rattled the algae layer.
The vibration cracked the layer into multiple pieces, causing them to stick to the Empyrean Tusk as patches. As they weren't a single patch, the Empyrean Tusk managed to plant its feet deep into t he ground and used it to get up.
Moreover, holding its tail with a trunk was the 81st Empyrean Tusk, helping it. The 80th Empyrean Tusk then grabbed the tail of the 79th Empyrean Tusk. With the help of the 79th and81st Empyrean Tusks, it managed to quickly recover and begin walking once again.
Many Empyrean Tusks lost their balance and fell, quickly helped by the ones moving immediately before and after them. At least for them, there was an Empyrean Tusk to guard their backs. The sole exception was the 104th Empyrean Tusk that was situated at the very back of the herd.
It had no one to guard its behind and hence, when it slipped, it couldn't make a recovery as quickly as others. Moreover, when it fell, a ripple coursed through the rope tied to its tail, whipping the trailing caravan like a splash of water, sending everyone there flying away.
"Protect Harrala!" Yahard Tusk bellowed with priority and condensed a wall of light that formed into a cylindrical prison. Its lower ends stabbed deep into the ground, rooting itself to the spot stably.
Zahaella transformed into the Rockatrice and used its various hands to grab onto the rods forming the prison. One of its hands held the figure of 1-Life Stage Zahaella who was carrying Harrala.
"Tch!" Yahard Tusk clicked his tongue upon seeing the Mammoth Clansmen of his settlement spraying onto the algae layer as the houses forming their caravan shattered. The rope continued to tug onto whatever remained of the caravan as the 104th Empyrean Tusk skid forward without being able to stop.
"Bora!" He shouted next and condensed multiple ropes of light to cast a net over the region.
"On it!" Bora Tusk roared in response and unleashed multiple, soft explosions, sending the scattered Mammoth Clansmen flying into the net. Everyone hurriedly grabbed onto the net upon falling into it, watching it drag their bodies forward, for its rear end was attached to the rope pulling the caravan.
At this moment, a Decaleech leapt out of the ground and made a beeline towards Harrala. In this region, she possessed the most amount of blood, having already formed a tiny biome. Hence, she became the primary target for the Decaleeches.
"Not on my watch!" Zahaella grunted as the Rockatrice's hands flashed forward, grabbing the rotating Decaleech prematurely. As each of the Decaleech's tendrils reached a length of thirty metres, multiple hands of the Rockatrice managed to grab hold of each, tugging it from multiple directions to rip it apart to shreds.
One of the hands pierced its body and ripped out the blood cluster surrounding its Spirit Container, thereby destroying it. But exactly two seconds later, three more Decaleeches landed on the Rockatrice, followed by two more, and then another four, overwhelming it.
"Resha!" Zahaella shouted in alarm upon seeing the Decaleeches swarm her, about to reach Harrala.
"On it!" Resha's figure flickered towards her, transformed into a Zinger, grabbed Harrala and leaped into the air. Two Decaleeches chased after him when suddenly, an intense gravitational force acted upon them, sending them reeling into the ground.
Resha unleashed a gravitational flux to act upon the land to negate its effect, intending to create zero gravity at his location. He hadn't tried it to date, since there was never a use, same for transforming into a Zinger.
Tertiary Nature—Empyrean 100!
As the sole entity that could glide in the air, the Zinger's body was obviously one of his targets. His wings flashed through zero gravity as he intended to unleash a gust of air to fly away. But right as he did so, the world around him seemed to pause in place.
'W-What is this?' Resha stared with a solemn gaze at the massive eye that had appeared before him at some point in time, its existence seemingly pausing the world's functions. The world around him turned monochromatic as Resha was unable to move, unable to blink, and unable to think.
He noticed the eye trail its gaze over his Zinger wings, the region of zero gravity around him, and the power of Perfect Inertial Gravity that allowed him to fly. An instant later, it determined him to be the cause for this 'flight' and hence morphed cause and effect, intending to eliminate him.
Resha wasn't even able to process what was happening as he felt that his entire existence being erased from the records of Sumatra Continent. And the culprit was this mysterious eye observing him with an air of omnipotence and omniscience.
'No, I can't die!' He summoned every ounce of his being and activated the final part of Mystic Bone Art, feeling blood trail out of his orifices as he bellowed, "Mammoth Ancestor!"
"Help me!"
There was a pulse in Prana from him that echoed throughout the region. A moment later, one of the Transcendent Worlds hovering in the sky blinked in response.
Boom!
An ivory tusk stretching infinitely expanded from the Transcendent World and stabbed into the eye, blinding it.
KNDGHFFFKUHHHR!
An incomprehensible sound resounded in response as blood spurted out of the eye, blinding it.
[Leap! Don't fly!]
Resha could hear the Mammoth Ancestor's voice in his mind as the monochromatic static world vanished, resuming function. He noticed the bloody eye vanish, leaving behind frightful screams. The ivory tusk was no more, having only existed in that one instant.
'This is…?' He observed a mysterious substance hover in the air, like a wave, unaffected by natural laws. It was the blood spilt by the eye. Resha looked around and noticed that only he was able to perceive this blood.
A short moment of thought later, he opened his mouth and inhaled forcefully, sucking all the mysterious eye's blood into his body. Immediately in response, his Mystic Bone Art revved up in full capacity, a moment later exceeding its theoretical limit as endless energy was being generated in his stomach.
'Direct it!' Resha focused it on his Major Treasure of Cure and watched the Mystic Path in him rapidly fill up in response. As that happened, he glided around in the air and unleashed forces of gravity on the Decaleeches to send them reeling into the ground.
In a matter of minutes, he analysed the entire sequence of events that had happened, concluding, 'There's a Transcendent preventing flight on Sumatra. Its power is absolute towards the denizens on this continent but is inferior to the Mammoth Ancestor, considering how she was able to save me.'
Resha stared at the sky and watched the blinking planet vanish, 'I see, so that is the Transcendent World where the Mammoth Ancestor is at. It seems by forcefully protecting me, she let go of the opportunity to communicate with us. It might take a long time before her Transcendent World comes in range of Sumatra once again.'
"Things have gotten complicated." Resha muttered, sighing as he understood how little he knew about this mysterious continent.