"I knew it wouldn't be easy, but he managed to avoid detection that quickly?" The Boar King felt shock as he whirred up the Life Bombs in his possession, causing them to spin rapidly and point in another direction.
Without even needing to doublecheck, he knew where the destination was, 'That's the Mammoth Clan. That means he's at least at the 2-Life Stage. No, that can't be the only explanation. If doesn't have my Tertiary Nature, then it would be impossible for him to have multiple bodies. Then, there's a few other possibilities.'
Loot used the Nature of Daily Checkpoint to commit suicide and revive at the Mammoth Clan. The one sensed by the Boar King first was a clone. Maybe even the one at the Mammoth Clan was just another clone of loot.
There were multiple possibilities just based on the data he had regarding Loot, 'And there might be more about him that I'm unaware of. What kind of abilities has he accumulated from the other Continent? How many Gold Grade Natures does he have?'
The Boar King felt conflicted, feeling like he was getting led on a wild goose chase. That was precisely Inala's intention when he framed Loot as being Virala.
In the case the Boar King kills Virala, it was good riddance. Inala would be losing a competent enemy. Even otherwise, if Virala proved capable, he would keep the Boar King engaged on the chase for long. Both situations would play in Inala's favour.
"Do I visit the Mammoth Clan or not?" The Boar King frowned. Honestly, he didn't wish to face the Mammoth Clan for the time being. He wasn't strong enough to be their threat anymore, not at the 1-Life Stage. "After all, that annoying fucker is there."
Raaha, the Mammoth Clan Chief, and the individual touted as the second strongest on Sumatra currently. With the Gold Empyrean Tentacle's power, he was an incredibly annoying opponent for the Boar King.
In the numerous times the Boar King targeted the Mammoth Clan—the larger herd—before the merger, Raaha took a backseat and played support, constantly changing the terrain to suit the needs of the Empyrean Tusks who had an easier time fighting against him.
As a result, the outcome of the most recent clashes only amounted to large financial losses for the Mammoth Clan. Not a single Empyrean Tusk died in the past couple hundred years. For the Mammoth Clan, this was a major achievement.
And now, after the merger, there were Empyrean Tusks in the three digits. Their numbers were too many now. If the current Boar King were to fight them, he would have to activate at least four Internal Inertial Gravity, alongside dozens of Iron Grade Natures such as Prana Shock.
He would run out of Prana within a couple of minutes, which wasn't enough time to kill a single Empyrean Tusk. 'It seems I need to regain my cultivation first. But before that, it has been a while already.'
He was away from home for almost a year. His family would be missing him. Even when he brought Inala and Wittral to the Brimgan Empire, the Boar King didn't meet with his family. "Man, I have never been this busy in all my life. Why is everything happening at the same time?"
Followed by a groan, he sprinted to the Mammoth Clan. He wasn't planning on returning until he at least saw Loot in his actual form. Otherwise, he would have to make a futile trip to the Mammoth Clan in the future, which would only serve to annoy him further.
After all, the moment he hears about the Mammoth Clan, he would feel rage, experiencing an urge to slaughter them all. It would be hard for him to control himself, as that was how his race functioned—of course, that was never exhibited in cases other than his own since all his brethren lost their minds after birth.
[He's coming!]
Feeling the Boar King's approach, the 1st Empyrean Tusk alerted the herd. Hearing its announcement, Raaha ordered them to stop and hurriedly commanded the Mammoth Clan, "Collect as much resources as you can within the next two days."
"The Boar King is coming towards us. We need to prepare for battle." He then observed the 1st Empyrean Tusk's condition, his face convulsing in anger, 'We haven't recovered from the damage sustained at the Sticky Slip Plateau. In our present state, even our strongest Empyrean Tusk can only maintain its battle state for eight seconds.'
Eight seconds; that was how little time they had in their top forms, which wasn't enough to do anything against the Boar King, even when he was only at the 1-Life Stage.
And eight seconds was for the 1st Empyrean Tusk, the strongest of its kind. The weaker Empyrean Tusks barely had a couple of seconds. By the time they take on their battle state, they would have consumed all resources.
"All of you, sleep!" Raaha addressed the Empyrean Tusk herd, "Minimise your expenditure. Conserve it to the limit. I'll be unleashing the full extent of my powers to make everyone appear in a battle-ready state to the Boar King."
As long as the Empyrean Tusk herd puts on a strong front, the Boar King wouldn't fight them. Raaha had a decent picture of the Boar King's character. Hence, he was confident in making it work. He then shouted aloud, "Get to work, Blola!"
"Yes!" Blola exited his house and was carried on a platform by a master through psychokinesis. Once the platform moved closer to the ground, Blola jumped out and greeted Raaha, "Chief, is it okay if I destroy this region?"
"I don't care." Raaha said in urgency, "Suck it dry and convert everything into Parute Fruits."
"Yes!" Followed by a nod, Blola took on his Transcendent Eater form, beginning to bear Parute King Fruits in large numbers. He had taken such a destructive approach that the vitality in the region dropped sharply and was on the verge of being snuffed out.
"Hmph!" Raaha grunted as Prana billowed out of his being and affected his surroundings, terraforming it to seem like it hadn't lost its vitality. This way, the Boar King wouldn't notice the Mammoth Clan's desperation.
"We are gravely unprepared for this fight." He muttered in worry, seeing masters and elites altogether raid the surroundings for resources. They had conducted many raids recently, but the resources collected barely amounted much to the voracious appetite of 104 Empyrean Tusks.
"Master, he's drawing in closer." Resha arrived, carrying a large hammer that he had been refining recently, building it to be on par with an Empyrean Tusk's tusk. His gaze was serious as he was ready to fight with everything he had, "I'll take the lead in facing him."
"No, it's too risky." Raaha shook his head, "You're our future. On the off chance I die, I want you to lead the Mammoth Clan. I forbid you from facing him."
"I injured him the previous time. I have experience facing the Boar King." Resha said with confidence, "I'm the one most equipped to fight him. You should know it the best, Chief."
"Then you stay right next to me." Raaha commanded, "I'll protect you while facing the Boar King. Even if I die once, it's not an issue. I have many disposable lives. But you're only at the Body Stage. So, remain cool while you fight."
"Yes, Chief!" Resha saluted in response and became ready. In the meantime, the Empyrean Tusks swallowed the Parute King Fruits created by Blola to increase their reserves.
Soon, when the Boar King was an hour's distance away, Raaha retracted all the dispersed Mammoth Clansmen back to their respective settlements, making it seem like the Empyrean Tusks had gathered here to rest.
Standing on the tusk of the 1st Empyrean Tusk, Resha noticed a figure leap past one hill after another and approach them, his eyes able to observe a sea of energy sprout upon every leap from the Boar King, "With these eyes, I finally understand."
"This bastard's strength is beyond logic."