"Ahhhh!" Bora Tusk was unable to control his emotions, relieved upon seeing Gannala perfectly healthy and bursting with a level of power he hadn't felt from other empyrean Tusks.
The day he came to find that his Deity was aging was the worst day in his life. After that, he did everything in his power to find a path to the future. One of them was the formation of the raid team consisting of the parents of the seven Mystic Paths. They were tasked with finding a baby Empyrean Tusk and bringing it back.
It was what he had done to protect his Settlement, based on the information he had. But after the merger, he came to know that his actions resulted in a baby Empyrean Tusk getting kidnapped from the other Mammoth Clan.
And this baby Empyrean Tusk was caught vulnerable in the wilds by the Boar King and devoured by him. The culprit that had created such a scenario was none other than Bora Tusk.
If he hadn't put forth a team to steal an Empyrean Tusk baby, this would have never happened. Being directly responsible for the death of a Deity gave him sleepless nights. It worsened his madness.
Even after Raaha came to know the truth that the culprit responsible for killing the baby Empyrean Tusk was Blola and not the Boar King, he retained the information to himself. As a result, the Mammoth Clan associated with the group of 62 Empyrean Tusks still placed the blame on Boar Tusk, making his life difficult with every chance they got.
Even though Bora Tusk wasn't the type to be bothered with some setback, the fact that his Settlement didn't have a Deity didn't sit well with him. Originally, he was at the 7-Life Stage. But during the First Major Disaster, he was killed twice by the Boar King.
In the nineteen years following that, he managed to enter the 6-Life Stage. And probably another two to three decades later, would enter the 7-Life Stage. After the merger, following the completion of the inheritances of all Empyrean Tusks part of the smaller herd, the Chiefs of each were able to reach higher levels of the Life Stage.
Bora Tusk had the confidence in reaching the 8-Life Stage by the end of his lifespan, which was a high enough level of power. The problems he faced, the criticism he endured, and the worries he embraced didn't matter. After all, their Deity was back.
"Can you take on your glorious Deity form?" Bora Tusk asked immediately after he stopped shedding tears of joy.
"Sure," Gannala leaped back far away and assumed her Empyrean Tusk form, becoming a Pranic Beast that reached a height of five hundred metres. It would still take time for her to reach maturity, but in terms of direct comparison, her development was more robust as compared to Harrala.
Harrala only reached a height of three hundred metres at the age of nineteen, appearing short before Gannala who seemed like she'll become the biggest Empyrean Tusk of Sumatra Continent upon reaching maturity.
Well, she had the Mystic Grade Nature of Weaponisation, a Nature that was perfect and natural for Mammoth Clansmen. Therefore, its influence alone contributed to her growth, continuing to strengthen her genetics to become a tad superior to other Empyrean Tusks.
Though she couldn't become the Supreme Tusk, she was easily the second greatest evolved Empyrean Tusk, trailing only behind the Supreme Tusk Gannala.
Seeing Gannala's Empyrean Tusk form caused everyone belonging to the 104th Settlement to shed tears of absolute joy. They prostrated on the ground before jumping onto Gannala's legs, latching onto the grooves trailing across her exoskeleton.
They uniformly exclaimed in absolute bliss, feeling all the stress and madness they had accumulated for the past nineteen years wash away like it was merely a bad nightmare.
Bora Tusk raced through the grooves and leapt into the sky upon reaching the top, "Yoohoo!"
He was jubilant, feeling uncontrollable excitement as he scurried across the place, "Amazing! Amazing! Hahahaha! Amazing! Amazing!"
He checked every single house that had formed on Gannala's exoskeleton, exclaiming every single time. The design was an exact replica of the original 44th Settlement, since Gannala had formed it based on the memories from her inheritance.
But even though it was the same, nostalgic area, Bora Tusk behaved like he was seeing them for the first time, like a child coming across candy in his life. "Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!"
His fanaticism caught onto his people as they too explored the place in fervour. Having been away from their Deity for more than nineteen years, having to live on the blasted ground was akin to hell. And now, having endured for so long without giving up hope, they entered heaven.
"This is it! This is life!" Bora Tusk roared upon arriving at the Settlement Leader's home. He stared up at the massive Empyrean Tusks nearby whose upper bodies were hidden amidst clouds, "In a few decades, we too will reach the clouds, once again!"
"Glory is ours!"
"Glory to our Deity!" He roared next, rallying his people to echo his heightened emotions.
"Glory to our Deity!" The Mammoth Clan part of the 105th Settlement had gathered before him to roar in response.
"Glory to our Deity!" Bora Tusk seemed unwilling to stop the slogan anytime soon, using Prana to heal his throat as he continued to roar. Whether it was him or the Mammoth Clan in the 105th Settlement, the excitement only increased as they roared, their uniform voice reverberating far and wide, causing the Mammoth Clansmen from other Settlements to stare their way.
Their gazes were warm, of relief, as finally, the Mammoth Clan was whole. The blasted caravan used by the 105th Settlement could be rid of now, a disgrace of the Mammoth Clan. Everyone was happy as the edition of every Empyrean Tusk was a joyous cause for festivities.
The sole unhappy group belonged to the Settlement whose Deity was killed the latest by the Boar King. Their gazes were dark, carrying with it hopelessness, with many among them committing suicide over the years.
Even the Settlements lead by Yahard Tusk and Bora Tusk held on desperately only because their hope wasn't lost. For the Settlement that Yahard Tusk belonged to, they already had Harrala and only had to wait for her to grow enough to take on her role as their Deity.
For the Settlement that Bora Tusk belonged to, everyone knew that Gannala was alive. And as the Mammoth Clan Chief confirmed repeatedly that she was alive, they expectantly awaited her return. This hope was what allowed them to endure a horrible life.
But the despairing group were in such a state because the Boar King had killed their Deity. There was no successor. It meant they had no future. It was unknown when another Deity would be born, since no Empyrean Tusk currently had the means to birth people with the Fragment Disease, as they were extremely low on resources.
Even the ones naturally born with the Fragment Disease were only males. There currently wasn't a female with the Fragment Disease in the Mammoth Clan. As a result, the despairing group continued to despair, with many choosing to commit suicide in response.
Even now, when the entirety of the Mammoth Clan was happy, they couldn't. At the lead of the group was its Settlement Leader, Nahak Tusk, his gaze lifeless, living the days with no resolve. He stared at everyone's happiness with a detached gaze.
But slowly, a shadow loomed over him as he turned around to notice the Empyrean Tusk form of Gannala stare at him. He made eye contact with her, continuing to gaze for a couple of minutes as gradually, light returned to his eyes as hope bloomed, "Is it…possible?"
He could feel what the gaze meant, in disbelief at the start before realising that the one before him was a Deity. Tears streamed out of his eyes as he asked, barely gathering the strength to utter, "Is it…possible?"
"Can you accept us?"