"Good, good!" Brangara muttered as he felt his second body beginning to form. Similar to how a baby grew in its mother's womb, his second body was being developed in his second Spirit Container. Once it forms enough, he'll be able to use his second body.
As he wasn't a Free Human but a Pranic Beast, he didn't have to build his body. Instead, he only needed to consume enough food. His body will grow on its own, which was the best in his case, as he didn't need to set aside any focus on the task.
Moreover, due to the sheer quality of Prana present within the Empyrean Snapper, consuming it would allow his body to mature by around ten percent, which was tremendous. After all, he had already killed the second Empyrean Snapper.
As long as he fully consumes both the bodies, his second body would have progressed to one-fifth in its path to maturity. He only needs to keep up the pressure until he kills ten Empyrean Snappers, by the end of which he would have attained peak maturity for his second body.
Brangara prioritised the development of his second body's human form, which could be achieved in a matter of minutes, since the mass of nutrients necessary to build it was barely a mouthful of his Pranic Beast form.
'Strange…! Why is it remaining at the back?' Brangara ran around the place, propping up the shell of the Empyrean Snapper—that he had just killed—like a shield, using it to defend against the attacks of the Empyrean Snappers. His gaze fell upon the 1st Empyrean Snapper, seeing it remain far away from the fight.
'Is it planning something?' He thought, paying attention to the matter. After all, the 1st Empyrean Snapper was the strongest of their kind. Its attacks would prove the most damaging against him, so he had no other choice but to keep an eye on its actions, especially since it seemed to be planning something.
Boom!
Attacks fell on the shield as Brangara hid behind it, taking the chance to consume more than half of the Empyrean Snapper's ten-kilometre-long neck. Every single chump from his Celestial Boar form consumed more than two hundred metres of the neck's length, allowing him to rapidly consume it.
The carcass of the Empyrean Snapper acted as his foothold, on which he stood while defending with the shield. And seeing him dance around on the corpse of their brethren only triggered the Empyrean Snappers further.
Floating at the very end of the group of incensed Empyrean Snappers was the 1st Empyrean Snapper, indeed formulating a plan. But it wasn't geared towards Brangara, instead focused on the precious individual situated in a stone house on the mountain growing on its back.
[Wally, you need to leave, now!]
"No, I'll fight too!" Wally shouted, only to be ganged upon by a desperate group of Cooter Clansmen who constrained him, "Why? I'm a Snapper too! I'm already strong enough to fight alongside you all!"
[NO! You need to flee!]
The 1st Empyrean Snapper expressed its desperation, surging its Prana on the mountain on its back to form a tunnel underneath the house Wally was staying at. The tunnel seemed to be leading somewhere as faint winds generated around Wally, intending to push him inside.
[The Celestial Boar is too strong! We'll all be hunted down one after another if we were to flee. So, the only choice is to fight! The future of the Cooter Clan rests on your shoulders, Wally! We'll try to hold the Celestial Boar long enough. Flee this place and never look back! Only return to Sumatra when you've attained the Mystic Grade!]
"I'm not a coward!" Wally roared as he unleashed the power of Subtle Terrain Domination, able to counter the winds generated by the 1st Empyrean Snapper, "I won't run! Around one-fifth of the Cooter Clan is here, along with the Chief! How can I flee in such a situation? If we're to fight, this is our best option!"
A good portion of the Cooter Clan's top fighting strength was present here, so if they were to lose this, even though the Cooter Clan still had plenty of Empyrean Snappers, they wouldn't be as strong anymore.
Without a powerful central figure to rally around, the Cooter Clan would fragment itself into many branches, focusing on their vested interests instead of a grand ambition.
[Wally, listen to me. You can argue as much as you want, but even though you're strong for your age, you're no match for the Celestial Boar. Adding you into the equation only increases the number of corpses by one more. So, I want you to hold on to our legacy!]
"Legacy…" Wally's expression thundered in realisation as he calmed down, asking unwillingly, "Is it…the right time?"
[Wittral was supposed to inherit it once he matured. But you're a better candidate. All Empyrean Snappers made the decision unanimously the day you were born. If there's anyone worthy of wielding this power, it's you. So, enter the tunnel and make that power yours!]
Wally raised his hand and motioned towards the desperate Cooter Clansmen that he wouldn't remain stubborn anymore. Unable to communicate with the Empyrean Snappers without Geugeu, they had no idea about the conversation between Wally and the 1st Empyrean Snapper.
"I'll be following the 1st Empyrean Snapper's arrangements," Wally said to the Cooter Clansmen and jumped into the tunnel, which closed up immediately upon his entry. The tunnel stretched for three kilometres and led into a cavern that was situated at the innermost spot of the mountain, close to its root, growing right on the 1st Empyrean Snapper's shell.
The cavern was a perfect sphere, spanning a radius of 180 metres. Collected on the floor, forming a pool was a bluish-black liquid, emanating plasma in the form of lightning bolts.
Lightning Plasma Spirit Pool!
This was the Spirit Pool used by Geugeu to build his power upon, a Spirit Pool meant exclusively for the Cooter Clan Chief for generations.
Primary Nature—Lightning Plasma Dominance!
This was Geugeu's Primary Nature, one that allowed him to transform into a thundercloud and rain down lightning upon his opponents. And by assuming his Spirit Weapon transformation, he would be hidden deep within the thundercloud, making it impossible for his enemies to target him.
This was the reason Geugeu remained one of the strongest powerhouses on Sumatra and the same went true for every generation of Cooter Clan Chiefs. But Wally's focus wasn't on the Lightning Plasma Spirit Pool but instead on its source.
Hovering a few metres above the Lightning Plasma Spirit Pool was an Empyrean Snapper, seemingly made out of the same material that formed the Spirit Container. But this was stable, able to maintain itself without problems.
Of course, at the end of the day, it was a Spirit Container. And hence, any external attacks could shatter it. Even an Iron Grade Pranic Beast's attack will do the job.
Though it was extremely fragile now, things will change in the future, as close to its completion, it would be as tough as the body of an Iron Transcendent. After all, it was a place that was similar to the Attributed Region, Golden Giant, etc.
Influenced Region—Teary-Eyed Snapper!
The Teary-Eyed Snapper's body barely reached a size of four metres, with its neck reaching a length of ten metres. Dripping from its eyes, one drop every few minutes was the bluish-black fluid that formed the Lightning Plasma Spirit Pool.
The Teary-Eyed Snapper was the source of Geugeu's power. Currently, as the Influenced Region was still in its growing phase, it was fragile. Hence, only the Cooter Clan Chief was allowed to this place.
If left undisturbed, it would continue to develop and one day produce enough of the bluish-black fluid to birth hundreds of Cooter Clansmen like Geugeu. But the reason Wally had been sent here was to disrupt this process.
After all, the 1st Empyrean Snapper didn't have the confidence to survive this battle against the Celestial Boar. Even if it started to flee now, it wasn't fast enough to remain evasive for long. Enough traces will be left along its tracks for Brangara to follow it.
Even if it focuses on hiding its tracks using Subtle Terrain Domination, considering its size, it couldn't hide for long. There will be too many witnesses. Brangara only needs to interrogate some Silver Grade Pranic Beasts to find it.
And when he targets it, the Cooter Clan's most precious treasure will fall in his grasp. Therefore, to prevent that from happening, Wally needed to fuse with it—the Cooter Clan's Major Treasure.
'The moment I do so, the long line of Cooter Clan Chiefs will be halted.' Tears streamed down his eyes as Wally was emotional. The Cooter Clan had come into existence during the period of the Mudropper Invasion, the same as the Mammoth Clan.
They had been around for approximately thirteen thousand years, which wasn't a long period for the formation of an Influenced Region. Hence, the Teary-Eyed Snapper wouldn't be able to maintain its function without its Major Treasure.
It would collapse immediately, resulting in the loss of thirteen thousand years' worth of painstaking effort. "Celestial Boar! If only you didn't exist!"
Wally used Subtle Terrain Domination on the Lightning Plasma Spirit Pool to create a flight of stairs, allowing him to approach the body of the Teary-Eyed Snapper. He extended his hand and gently touched it, feeling a pulse as if it were a living being.
Major Treasure—Spirit!
Shaped like a heart, it looked no different from the core of the Cooter Clansmen once they activated their Spirit Weapon transformation. The pulse came from it as it was nurturing the Teary-Eyed Snapper.
[Originally, when Wittral reached maturity, the plan was to bring him here to carve out a portion of the Teary-Eyed Snapper, using which he could reforge his Spirit Container, creating a stronger foundation for laying down a path to the Mystic Grade.]
The 1st Empyrean Snapper's saddened voice resounded in Wally's mind.
[Please use it all, Wally. Reforge a stronger Spirit Container using the Influenced Region. And once you fuse with the Major Treasure, flee Sumatra, survive and enter the Mystic Grade. We'll be relying on you to have a future!]
"Yes, I will…" Wally's words halted as he noticed the neck of the Teary-Eyed Snapper move, curving its head to face his way. The tears stopped as it stared at him with a saddened expression, able to feel the Cooter Clan's fate through his emotions.
"I'm sorry!" Wally kneeled in helplessness, sobbing profusely as he kept apologising for his weakness, "I'm sorry! I'm…sorry!"
"Wally!"
There was a whisper as the Teary-Eyed Snapper's head touched him, caressing him slightly. Wally stared into its eyes, surprised to be returned with a sentient gaze filled with resolve, "You're…alive!"
"No, I understand." His body continued to tremble as he hugged its neck, causing it to turn into a fluid and seep into his chest, "I promise to succeed. Please…become my strength."
Primary Nature—Subtle Terrain Domination!