"My actions are in line with their desire."
Hearing Virala's words, Resha increased the strength in his hold to choke the latter, hearing grunting sounds to say, "Anything else you wish to bark about?"
"Sure, might as well." Virala gasped for air but displayed no resistance, despite his throat getting crushed. All he did against that was to pour more Prana into the spot to keep healing it, "Can you afford to antagonise me so much, Resha?"
"Aren't you afraid?"
"What do I have to fear about you?" Resha looked down in disdain, "You're a sneaky fuck, but that's it. There's nothing special about you…"
"Does this ring a bell?" Virala grinned as blood flowed into his mouth from Resha's hands. He massaged his aching throat after Resha instinctively let go of his hold, "You must be careful about what you touch these days."
"You…that was you?" Resha muttered in shock, clearly remembering the stream of blood that flowed out of the Boar King's body, creating an opportunity for him and Raaha to target the Boar King.
"I created the perfect opportunity and you blew it." Virala spat out in disgust, "Did you think it was easy to do so? Besides, had you trapped the Boar King with your gravity and prevented him from being sent flying, we could have killed him."
"You're a genius of incompetence and you dare question me?" Virala glared at Resha, "Cure, Attribute, Weapon, and Pet. Even with all of them, you died a dog's death to the Boar King. Though you're strong, you're useless when it matters."
"And you dare question me?"
"I…" Resha was about to defend himself when he realised what Virala was doing. He firmed his mind and glared in hatred, "Don't change the topic. You're the cause that weakened the herd. The Chief will definitely punish you."
"He might, but in his eyes, I'm already dead, since the Boar King swallowed me." Virala shrugged, "I already asked Blola to refrain from a revival attempt. He's planning to blame it on the Boar King, so that's easy."
"Besides, only the Chief will hold me accountable." Virala grinned and patted the 102nd Empyrean Tusk's body, "If you're capable, ask the Empyrean Tusks. They would be in support of my actions."
"Yes, I endangered their lives. But," Virala snorted, "I also created two opportunities to kill the Boar King. We came closer than ever to killing him, something that never happened before. And that's all thanks to me. In contrast, you blew up the sole chance you got."
"I'm warning you, Resha." Virala said calmly, "You might not fear me because you're stronger, but I have none I hold dear in this Clan. Even the influence on my mind as a Mammoth Clansman isn't strong enough to make me change my ways for anything other than the two goals the Empyrean Tusks pursue."
"What are you getting at?" Resha growled in anger, feeling like Virala was leading him on and confusing him with words as usual, "Come to the point."
"Yahira," Virala grinned, "You care about her the most. After her is your obsession with Gannala, since you failed to protect her twice. You see what I'm getting at?"
Seeing Resha's face redden in anger, Virala grinned, "I'm threatening you with their lives. So, stay within your limits, Resha."
"Even my patience is limited. Besides," Virala spat in his way, "Whether a hundred Empyrean Tusks die because of me, it doesn't matter. None of them will hold me accountable, as long as I kill the Boar King and forge a path to the Mystic Grade."
"Moreover, as long as the Supreme Tusk's successor is alive, all Empyrean Tusks can hide their inheritance in her. In the future, she'll be able to input these inheritances into the newborn Empyrean Tusks. So, as long as our two goals are achieved, we can recover our strength without issues." He concluded, "That's the ideology with which the Empyrean Tusks operate. To them, your unnecessary care is just a chain that holds them back."
"I'm warning you, Resha. I don't care what you figured out. But if you reveal any information regarding me to the Chief, I'll target your loved ones. You know I'm capable of that." Saying so, he vanished into the 102nd Empyrean Tusk's body, stunning Resha.
'What did that fucker do?' Resha's face became twisted in anger, 'I always suspected he hid his true powers, but this is absurd. I've never heard about such an ability until now.'
Resha looked around, expanding his Prana senses through External Inertial Gravity, but no matter what he did, he was unable to detect Virala. It was as if the latter had vanished into thin air. 'Just how did this fucker gain such abilities?'
He knew a sufficient amount regarding the Supreme Tusk's arrangement and the seven Mystic Paths. But unlike him, the reincarnates didn't have a past life. So, they neither had his experience nor the level of detail regarding Sumatra Continent he was aware of.
Moreover, they only had fragmented information regarding his past life, expressed through his point of view. But despite that, the reincarnates each possessed abilities that he had no idea of. How that was possible, he didn't know.
And now, Virala's true power went beyond his understanding.
Resha remained still as he felt lost, extremely confused. His eyes widened in shock to see the 102nd Empyrean Tusk get up and act like it hadn't lost its mind before, behaving normally. Seeing it walk like usual, he didn't know what to believe and what to not.
"I'm being defeated in information, me?" Resha exhaled softly, feeling endless rage build up in him.
Mystic Paths!
That was more than enough reason for the Empyrean Tusk herd to give a green signal to whatever the reincarnates did. The only one who kept them in check was Raaha.
But even though he was the Mammoth Clan Chief, he was merely a means of communication between the Empyrean Tusks and the Mammoth Clansmen. He had no sway over their core decisions.
Even if all Mammoth Clansmen were to die, the Empyrean Tusks wouldn't bat an eye. They would simply enter a Free Human Kingdom and recreate Mammoth Clansmen from scratch. They would have to waste a lot of years in the process, but it wasn't an issue as long as they could enter the Mystic Grade.
At the end of the day, the Mammoth Clansmen were simply part of their immune system, a means of convenience for their use. All manner of emotions were one-sided, unreciprocated by the Empyrean Tusks.
Baby Empyrean Tusks were different, since they would still have their birth parents. But typically, the mother died after birth while the father was significantly weakened in response. He too would die in a matter of years, which was usually the time when the Empyrean Tusk decides to take on its Pranic Beast form.
Following that, it would have no attachments to the Mammoth Clansmen of its settlement. And as those it grew up with die over the years, that level of attachment too would vanish, eventually replaced by an omnipotent thought process that was akin to a Deity, treating the Mammoth Clansmen as merely part of its immune system.
Hence, the only one who could keep a check on the reincarnates was Raaha. But if the Empyrean Tusks were to disagree with his decision, they'd force the Mammoth Clan to follow their will. After all, the Mammoth Clan lived and prospered by the resources produced in the Empyrean Tusks. To them, the stance of their Deities was absolute.
"It seems I need to get better in this information war." Resha thought as his eyes hardened, "I can't be caught lacking time and again."
"I have to learn more about these Mystic Paths and the individuals carrying them."