?Eight hours earlier, right after the Major Treasure of Attribute revealed itself. In a dome deep under Fentan City, grouped with the herd of Empyrean Tusks was Inala, stunned to sense its appearance, "It revealed itself a month earlier?"
He was only puzzled for a moment before approaching Harrala, "Bring out Asaeya."
"Okay," Harrala encased Asaeya in a bone cage and brought it out, shrinking it once it left her biome. Once the bone cage appeared outside her body, the effect of Internal Inertial Gravity vanished, causing the bone cage to revert to its original size, allowing Asaeya to walk out.
"Is it time?" She judged upon seeing Inala's expression, not asking anything else as she firmed up her mind. She currently was at the peak of the Body Stage, leaving behind her second body in Harrala.
Even though Inala had planned to the extreme, the Attributed Region was still a terrifying place capable of killing a Mystic Grade Pranic Beast. Even the current Boar King could be killed there, not to mention the rest.
Hence, by leaving behind a body in Harrala, even if the body of Asaeya accompanying Inala gets killed, she wouldn't die.
Not all Empyrean Tusks would be participating in the race. Even though Minor Treasures were lying around in the Attributed Region, including precious resources that weren't available anywhere else in Sumatra, they couldn't risk the entire Mammoth Clan with it.
As both Gannala and Harrala were strategic assets, having a future as Mystic Grade Pranic Beasts, they were asked to sit out. Raaha, Vhalla, and a couple dozen weaker Empyrean Tusks remained behind too.
Raaha was there to protect them, ready to flee in case the Empyrean Tusks participating in the race got annihilated. With him there, the Mammoth Clan would still have enough protection to continue developing.
As the Mammoth Treasury existed in Vhalla's brain biome, she couldn't enter the Attributed Region, for doing so might cause the influences between the two Major Treasures to conflict with each other.
One body of Blola was left in Gannala's custody, kept secure in her stomach biome. As long as he was alive, all the reincarnates could be revived.
"Open up the path." Inala nodded at Gannala, able to sense the closest entrance, judging based on what he perceived, 'It's near the Varahan Mansion.'
He then stared at Raaha in alarm, "Chief!"
"I know," Raaha observed Vhalla in a hurry, seeing the latter's fingertips tremble in response. It meant the Boar King was approaching their location.
"Two…three…six?" Vhalla calculated based on the extent of fear she was experiencing, adding onto the Boar King's speed, "He's activated six Internal Inertial Gravity."
"Fuck!" Inala became alarmed in response, able to feel it himself as he judged, "He should be arriving here in seven or eight hours."
"That's too soon!" He gritted his teeth and requested, "Let's hurry!"
Inala, Asaeya, Rhanalla, Nitalla, Wrunnala, Meshlla, Fualla, and Trulla; a total of eight were a team. This was the team created to ensure Inala seized the Attribute.
Asaeya had the perfect crowd-controlling ability while the Empyrean Tusks could brute force through any situation, especially since they had gained a Secondary Nature through Maroppa's help and had equipped a Nature Weapon with the power of an Empyrean Zinger.
The Empyrean Zinger's Prana Bomb could be moulded into a Prana Hand through the Prana Hand Skill. Hence, it was helpful for the Empyrean Tusks to recover their Prana during battle. Even though it wasn't necessary, considering the extent of resources in their biomes, it would come in handy during necessary situations.
In the past few months, by conserving their expenditure in human forms, all Empyrean Tusks had managed to recover the amount of resources in them to a great extent. Once Gannala entered the body of a Mutated Empyrean Zinger King that had the Secondary Nature of Subtle Terrain Domination, she could gather a large volume of resources from the endlessly producing region that was the Northern Lakes and Southern Veins.
It was why they camped so deep underground, when it was said to be dangerous beyond a depth of 40 metres in the Southern Veins. All the toxic fumes were just converted into resources by Gannala, making the environment safe.
And once Blola was planted there, he generated Parute King Fruits in large numbers. Just by camping at the Brimgan Empire, the Empyrean Tusk herd was able to recover at a staggering speed.
The focus of recovery was prioritised for the team of six Empyrean Tusks accompanying Inala, ensuring they were at optimal battle states. Considering Inala's significant contribution, they were happy to help him.
"Be safe, Dad," Gannala said and equipped herself onto a body whose Tertiary Nature slot contained the Nature Weapon of Tunnel. Using her power, she opened up a tunnel that led right next to Varahan Mansion.
She had set up over eighty tunnels in Fentan City alone. To reach the surface at the necessary location, all one had to do was jump into the tunnel. They would casually fall towards the surface.
As Inala's team entered the tunnel, Gannala closed it shut. Keeping the tunnels open was dangerous, especially since the Boar King was approaching their location. She then stared at the other teams, opening tunnels leading towards various locations in the region, with each of them positioned close to an entrance.
It was a free fall for them as Inala grabbed Asaeya and piggybacked her, whispering, "Hug tight."
"I would have done it either way." Asaeya chuckled and tightened her hold over him. As she didn't have Internal Inertial Gravity, she wouldn't be able to move fast enough in the Attributed Region.
Hence, Inala will do the moving for her while she can focus on their enemies. The group stared at the faces of each other and became ready as they exited the tunnel, watching the entrance close right after.
A kick on the ground and they leapt straight into the entrance.
Many people in the vicinity of the entrance were surprised to see it, wondering what it was when jet-black ink began to cover the roads nearby, rushing towards them like a tidal wave.
"What is this…" A pedestrian retreated in a hurry and used his Spirit Weapon to prod around, commenting his observation, "It's not toxic or has any harmful properties. It's no different from water, except for its colour."
Mixed amid the crowd was a criminal who had escaped from prison just recently. Upon hearing his thoughts and noticing a flight of stairs made out of water trailing through the entrance that had appeared, the criminal decided to enter it.
The guards chasing after him were narrowing in on his location. Hence, this was the only way to survive. He probed the jet-
black ink with his Spirit Weapon and noticed that it indeed wasn't dangerous.
'This is the only way to survive. I have to risk it.' Thinking as such, the criminal leapt forward and plunged into the jet-black ink that was steadily increasing in volume. Using a boat-shaped Spirit Weapon, he sped towards the entrance, intending to enter it.
But the moment he closed in on the entrance, he noticed to his horror that the properties of the jet-black ink had changed abruptly, emanating enough heat that they instantly melted him alongside his boat.
One moment, he was rushing towards the entrance, but the other moment, he was no more. The spectators who had observed his fate screamed in fright and scurried away, inciting chaos as others followed them to vacate the place.
'Good! This way, I'll be able to maintain control of this entrance.' Orakha thought as he released a bunch of Mystic Eaters into the ink-black flood while stealing more and more Sumatra Gold from a helpless Yarsha Zahara.
"Don't dally too much." Suddenly, Inala's voice resounded in his ears as Orakha turned in the direction and noticed a team of eight in the air, making an arc towards the entrance.
"What the…?" Orakha was surprised by Inala's team, clearly able to sense that they were Empyrean Tusks in human form. It took him only a fraction of a second to understand what had happened, given he knew about Gannala's abilities.
By then, the team of eight plunged through the entrance as Inala's voice resounded in his ears, his tone one of caution, "The Boar King will arrive in eight hours."
"Whatever you want to do, make it quick."