"Leader, we found the culprit." Dressed no different from a commoner enjoying the spectacle in the Zahara Kingdom's colosseum was a woman in her early thirties. She approached a man who appeared to be in his late thirties and whispered casually, acting as if she was merely commenting about the competition.
"Where?" The man asked, displaying no change in expression. He was Bunakin Vara, Leader of the Royal Guards who protected the Emperor and Empress of the Varahan Empire.
Though the Varahan Empire hadn't been established, they were secretly given their official designation. A total of five people were selected for it.
When Yarsha Zahara approached him first, Bunakin Vara was overwhelmed, for his life changed for the better. After helping him destroy his original Spirit Container carefully, Yarsha Zahara helped him retain a unit of Prana.
From a single Spirit Container, she helped him heal it and build a hundred Spirit Containers to reach the peak of the Spirit Stage. Following that, he successfully managed to enter the Body Stage.
If not for her help, he wouldn't have been able to overcome the influence accumulated in his body by his previous Human Avatar. Hence, he was grateful for Yarsha Zahara's help. After all, his current Human Avatar was made using Vara produced by the Celestial Boar, giving him Gold Grade strength and a lifespan worthy of one.
Once he succeeded, Yarsha Zahara granted him the suffix of Vara, signifying his designation as a Royal Guard. Only the Royal Guards had the privilege to bear the suffix of Vara, the same name that had been attached to the mineral created through powdering the tusks of Empyrean Boars.
From a negligible commoner to attaining one of the highest seats of power, Bunakin Vara had become a completely different person. The first task assigned to him by the Varahan Empire's Empress was to locate Gannala and Virala.
"It's that man in red," The woman seated next to Bunakin Vara said. She was the Royal Guard named Shael Vara, "I managed to observe him in closeup when I brushed past him just now. There's a Nature Weapon in him."
"Good work," Bunakin Vara signalled another Royal Guard, "You approach that man and keep an eye on him from nearby."
"Okay," The Royal Guard, Katal Vara nodded and got up from his seat. He slowly waddled his way through the seated crowd and headed to a spot ten seats behind the target.
Along the way, he passed by a woman in her early twenties, a decently talented individual since her presence indicated that she was at the Body Stage. She only had one Nature, so she didn't strike as someone suspicious.
As Katal Vara walked past her, her eyes trailed across the man for a moment, 'They've been granted powerful Skills to mask their Gold Grade presence. But their expertise is minimal, making it easy to see through their actions.'
The woman was Gannala. Currently, she occupied the Nature Slot of someone in the Spirit Stage. Hence, there was just one Nature in the woman's body.
[I told you so. Yarsha Zahara is terrifying. Look, she already figured out a method to make others detect people equipped with Nature Weapons!]
A message appeared in her Bone Slip, sent by Virala who was seated a hundred metres away. Hearing his comment from the Bone Slip, Gannala was silent. Honestly, she was feeling the pressure already. The rate at which Yarsha Zahara was cornering her position continued to increase at an alarming level.
Currently, she still possessed enough methods to avoid detection. Her Tertiary Nature of Cultivator allowed her to give human forms to all Pranic Beasts. Similarly, she figured out that by accumulating the same effect on a Free Human, she was able to hide herself better in the target's Nature Slot.
This way, she'd appear no different from the woman's Primary Nature, which was where she had equipped herself. Moreover, Cultivator allowed a Pranic Beast to cultivate through the Life Stage.
Hence, this effect stabilised the woman's Spirit Containers, allowing them to hold Gannala's Nature Weapon form. Otherwise, her Spirit Containers would have crumbled due to the stress long ago.
Even for the individual that Virala was currently occupying, Gannala first entered their Nature slot, applied the effect of Cultivator, and left the body. Only after that did Virala enter it. And the moment the individual's Spirit Containers show signs of destabilising, Virala would return to Gannala.
Depending on the situation, she would either use the effects of Cultivator on the individual or store Virala's Nature Weapon to flee elsewhere.
[Do we have to risk everything by staying here? Our purpose will be achieved as long as we kidnap one of the newly birthed Wean Clansman. Instead of wasting time here, we're better off turning more Pranic Beasts into Nature Weapons for your use.]
Seeing that she wasn't replying, Virala spoke further.
[I don't mean to be pessimistic, but Yarsha Zahara is a terrifying woman. Once she starts something, she's unstoppable. She has already figured out countless ways to use Yennda's powers to target us.]
'He has a point.' Gannala frowned in response as her eyes trailed upon the back of a man seated ten rows before her. Peeking out of the sleeves of his shirt was a mole. To the naked eye, it didn't appear anything different from a mole.
But the moment she approached a bit closer to the man, the bangle on her hands reacted. The bangle was a Satellite that she created by equipping herself onto the body of an Enran—that was turned into a human through the Nature of Cultivator.
The fact that the Satellite was reacting implied it considered the mole a threat. It meant that something was hidden in the man, disguising itself as a mole on his back, able to target her specifically.
'Maybe it reacts to Mystic Bone Art. But how can it sense my usage of it when I have hidden myself perfectly?' Gannala didn't have an answer. Maybe if she were using her Inhibition Needle, she could have thought it to be the case.
The Inhibition Needle was created through the combined effort of Inala and Maroppa using the skeleton of a Millinger. Mystic Bone Art was obviously used during the creation process. So maybe there was some trace on it that whatever hid in the mole could detect.
But Gannala was currently occupying a Free Human woman. Hence, she wasn't using the Inhibition Needle. 'So, what method is it using to detect me?'
[Look at the guy seated ten rows before me and tell me your thoughts.]
She communicated with Virala, intending to brainstorm together. If she alone couldn't figure it out, then it was best to get some help. In response to her question, Virala got up from his seat and approached her, taking a seat next to her.
Whether to buy food, head to the restroom, etc. people moved across the viewer gallery all the time, so their actions weren't odd. It was why Virala approached her, since he had already managed to spot the five Royal Guards actively searching for the two of them.
"Oh, I got it." Virala grinned after some time had passed.
[What did you find out?]
Gannala communicated through the Bone Slip, seeing Virala gaze at the location in her pocket where the Bone Slip was hidden.
"Of course," Gannala felt the urge to facepalm as she picked the Bone Slips in her and Virala's possession and swallowed them both, placing them in her stomach biome.
Mystic Bone Art had to be used to use the Bone Slip Skill. It was an oversight on her part since Mystic Bone Art came as normally as breathing to her.
"But, I can still feel a threat," Gannala said a few minutes later, seeing her bangle tremble from time to time.
"It's hard to figure out a proper reason without any information, but if I had to guess, there's one possibility." Virala whispered, "Mystic Eaters."
"I see…" Gannala's eyes widened as she figured out the full picture. During the Second Major Disaster, Yarsha Zahara managed to capture a fair number of Orakha's Mystic Eaters through her power.
She had probably placed them on the common populace to detect Gannala and Virala. The primary function of the Mystic Eaters was to selectively consume minerals to build a Human Avatar with.
Obviously, Gannala and Virala were carrying one of the most precious minerals, touted the hardest on Sumatra—the tusk of an Empyrean Tusk!
So, the Mystic Eaters were on the lookout for this mineral, which was exactly how they were able to detect Gannala. And her bangle reacted in response to the Mystic Eater.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt the likelihood of this possibility. 'Indeed, relying on the power of the Mystic Eater is her best bet for finding me.'
When Gannala hid in a Nature Slot, she wasn't vanishing from reality. Her Nature Weapon form was merely situated in the woman's heart—where the Spirit Container was situated.
Her Nature Weapon form was made with the same material as her tusk, which was exactly what the Mystic Eaters sensed.
"She's terrifying." Gannala sighed.
"This is just the start of her capabilities." Virala whispered, "You've gone through our memories, but you haven't lived through the scenes of her actions in Sumatra Chronicles. The emotions we felt as we read through her exploits was one of awe."
"That's why you tend to underestimate her, despite knowing what she's capable of. But," Virala shook his head, "None of the Mystic Paths will make that mistake."
He stared at Gannala, making eye contact, "That's why Inala hasn't bothered to stop her. He knows that a haphazard plan will only fuel her growth further. That's why he's focusing on his preparations."
"He'll take action only when he's confident in getting rid of her even in the presence of the Celestial Boar."