"Hmm…?" Virala stared at Harla Brimgan, unsurprised about her reaction. After all, he had killed her husband. And currently, once the Spirit Container Lock had taken effect, he had been suppressed to the Spirit Stage.
His body grew incomparably weak, no longer reinforced by his two Mystic Grade Pranic Beast bodies. They were a product of his Nature attained at the Body Stage. Since he dropped to the Spirit Stage, he lost all that power.
Thankfully, this was a sealing-based power. So, even though he was suppressed to the Spirit Stage, he truly wasn't a Spirit Stage cultivator. If that were the case, he would only have a year left to reach the Body Stage or die trying.
80 Prana!
That was his current Prana capacity, which was a fart as compared to before. Now, the only power he had was Mystic Nature Art. It was the only means of power he had for every situation he faced. And in his current state, forget facing Harla Brimgan, he was finding it impossible to even stand in her presence.
Inala's state was similar. Sealed to the Spirit Stage, he lost the powers of his three Natures. His attributed Prana too was gradually settling down, reverting to normal Prana. Prana was circulated through the body by the Spirit Container.
Even his attributed Prana was the same. And as Spirit Container Lock targeted the Spirit Container, acting as a filter, it sealed the power of all Natures, including Mystic Royalty that was present in his Prana.
'As it's the product of six Minor Treasures, the effect is able to seal even Attribute. That's surprising.' Inala thought as he clenched his hand into a fist and relaxed, unable to feel his Pranic Beast strength.
Now, he was a mere Quip Clansman, unable to assume his Pranic Beast form, which would only be unlocked at the Body Stage. Similar to Virala, the only power he could wield now was Mystic Royal Art.
'That's plenty enough.' He thought and observed Harla Brimgan, 'If she wanted to kill us, she needn't keep her end of the deal and could have simply sealed our Spirit Containers completely.'
If that were to be applied, Inala wouldn't even be able to sense Prana. And that was enough for him to judge that Harla Brimgan was simply venting at the moment and didn't dare kill them. After all, they were targeting the Varahan Empire, the weakening of which benefitted the Brimgan Empire.
The Brimgan Empire was steadily arming itself to wage war against the Varahan Empire. Hence, acting against Inala and Virala at the moment would be foolish. Harla Brimgan was aware of that, having already been briefed on all details through an Information Slip by Boul Brimgan.
'Let's not waste time unnecessarily.' Thinking as such, Inala opened his mouth and unleashed a shriek in a frequency resonant with Harla Brimgan's body.
Mystic Royal Art—Piezo Resonance!
Shriek!
A Zinger shriek resounded from Harla Brimgan's body, stunning both her and her son. The duo stared at Inala reflexively, watching the latter unleash another shriek, but this time targeting Virala.
As the shriek slammed into him at a resonant frequency, a series of information appeared in his mind space, causing him to grin as Virala condensed two Spirit Containers and threw each to the mother and son duo.
Boul Brimgan grabbed the Spirit Container and swallowed it, aware of how Mystic Nature Art worked thanks to Ruvva. He knew Spirit Containers acted as Information Slips for Mystic Humans, observing some information appear in his mindspace as he rapidly digested the Information Slip.
In response, he sighed and stared at Harla Brimgan, "They're aware, Mother."
"I can see that myself." Harla Brimgan snorted and left the room, all while glaring at Virala primarily, followed by Inala.
Harla Brimgan had intended to pressure the two and make them subservient to her. She would then record it and use it as a wager against the Virala at the Dralh Sea to seek revenge. She could always use it as a bargaining chip to plummet Virala's reputation amongst the Mystic Humans.
No one would follow a leader whose act of being stomped and humiliated by Harla Brimgan was publicised everywhere. Once Virala was evicted from the Dralh Sea, she could take her time making his life a misery.
These were her thoughts, which had been revealed through a Zinger shriek by Inala. And as he had informed Virala too, both knew what to do. If Harla Brimgan were to target them, they'd commit suicide immediately.
Their bodies back home will become aware that the duo had died at the Brimgan Empire, which would prompt them to wage a war. That wouldn't bode well for their side. It was why Harla Brimgan left once her thoughts were leaked.
'So they weren't lying. They're more dangerous when weak.' Boul Brimgan thought upon contemplation, saying shortly as he condensed two Kinesis Felines, "I apologise for my mother's outburst. As compensation, let my golden felines escort you to your destination."
"Our compensation is no payment." Inala waved his hand, turned around, and began to walk towards the exit, "As for the trip, we'll travel on foot."
Boul Brimgan stared at Virala, noticing that he too had the same intention. Unable to understand the reason, Boul Brimgan expressed his confusion, "It might take you decades before you reach the Varahan Empire, and that is in a situation where you survive the wilds. You won't achieve anything as the Varahan Empire would have grown to an unshakeable level by then."
"I can help you shorten the journey time to two months."
"Before the Major Treasure of Attribute revealed itself, the Brimgan Empire too was thought of as unshakeable." Inala chuckled as he eyed Boul Brimgan, "And, what's the extent of damage you suffered?"
"It doesn't matter how strong they get in the meantime. If we planned to stomp them, we wouldn't have bothered to seal our strength." Virala said his piece, competing with Inala to express that he was as intellectually capable as the latter.
"Our survival senses have been numbed completely." Inala said and walked away, "We'll be sharpening it throughout our journey. Our entry into the Varahan Empire would be when our desperation for survival is at its zenith."
"I don't like the way he worded it, but that's the gist of things." Virala grumbled a bit, nodded at Boul Brimgan, and left, "A word of advice before I leave."
His words echoed in the room as Virala's figure entered the hallway, "Beware of the Parute Trees. Any information they perceive will find its way into the hands of Yamahara."
"Alright," He didn't understand the reason, but since Virala said it with such seriousness, Boul Brimgan intended to take the words to heart. Immediately in response, he made arrangements to relocate the Pranic Beasts—that had fused with Minor Treasures—from their treasury to another location, away from Parute Trees.
While he did that, the duo of Inala and Virala had boarded a railway and were en route to the border of the Brimgan Empire. They didn't sit in a luxurious compartment prepared for them, but instead boarded the railway alongside the general populace.
They simply borrowed the money necessary for two tickets from the Brimgan Royal accompanying them, taking a seat at their respective spots.
As he eyed the panning surroundings, Inala was relaxed, observing his level of ego plummeting gradually. 'Slowly, I'm reverting to the mental state I had as a Mammoth Clansman right after being reincarnated.'
There were still some differences though. The influence from the Supreme Tusk Gannala affected the moral state of the Mystic Seven. It was why they never hesitated to take drastic means.
Inala wouldn't be as bloodthirsty as his Mammoth Clan self. However, it was just a matter of time before he began a life of survival in an environment seething with danger.
By the time they were done, both Inala and Virala would be extremely bloodthirsty, unlike anything Sumatra had seen. After all, they were trying to survive at the Spirit Stage, which no one dared.
Free Humans lived in Kingdoms and Empires, living in the safety of their settlements all their lives. Very few dared to venture out, and even they thought of doing so only upon reaching the Life Stage and having a decent stack of bodies.
Venturing out in the Spirit Stage was a death sentence.
"I bid the both of you farewell." The Brimgan Royal bowed, controlling his confusion upon sensing the presence of the duo at the Spirit Stage. Thinking that it was another scheme from them, he didn't voice his thoughts aloud, watching the duo walk away with a slow gait.
"Let's talk about the abilities at our disposal." Inala said, watching Virala nod in response as he began, "Mystic Royal Art allows me to use Zinger Shrieks as a Spirit Weapon. My damage potential is limited, but I'll be competent in terms of scouting, surveying, and extracting information."
"Thank goodness," Virala was slightly relieved, "This way, we'll at least not be ambushed without being aware in advance."
He then patted his chest, "My body is my Spirit Weapon. I can reinforce myself through psychokinesis. I can increase my strength, speed, defence, etc."
"You'll be the attacker and I'll be our scout." Inala nodded as the duo established their roles. Their current bodies were on par with a Free Human, both physically and mentally. It meant that if they were careless, even an Iron Grade Pranic Beast could kill them.
Virala had 80 units of Prana while Inala had 60 units. That was nothing while venturing out in the wilds. And it hadn't even been long since they began the journey when Inala's body tensed up, making a shushing noise.
[Enemies!]
He used his Piezo Resonance Skill through a soft Zinger Shriek, alerting Virala. Following that, he let out soft whispers and focused on his ears, hearing Zinger Shrieks from seventeen locations. The louder the shriek, the weaker the being was, making it easy to attain resonant frequency.
His eyelids trembled as Inala felt tensed, judging based on the sounds the number of enemies they had to face, 'Fourteen Iron Grade Pranic Beasts, and three Silver Grade Pranic Beasts. Fuck!'
He extended his hand and grabbed Virala by the shoulder, taking in a deep breath as he felt faint waves of Prana being emitted by the Pranic Beasts, trying to scout their position. Prana surged into his throat as he opened his mouth and shouted, unleashing a Tangible Piezo Slip.
[Seduce!]
The Zinger Shrieks had already alerted the Pranic Beasts, for it originated from their bodies, causing confusion in their midst. And right as Inala unleashed a Tangible Piezo Slip, Virala grabbed him, churned psychokinesis through his legs, and ran up a tree.
"Tch!" A wave of Prana touched Virala, causing a prickle on a Pranic Beast's skin, prompting it to attack in his direction. A Spirit Weapon in the shape of a thorn flew his way and stabbed into his thigh, tugging the muscles underneath as the Pranic Beast intended to hook him first.
By this time, Inala's Piezo Slip curved through the air, controlled as a Spirit Weapon. It slammed into one of the females among the group of Pranic Beasts, influencing it faintly. The influence within the Tangible Piezo Slip resonated with its body, triggering its Prana accordingly to cause some memories to surface in its mind space.
These memories made the Pranic Beast feel an urge to seduce one of the males nearby. However, a single Tangible Piezo Slip wasn't enough to influence its actions fully. Aware of that, Inala directed eight more at it, consuming a unit of Prana per each Tangible Piezo Slip.
By now, the female Pranic Beast was fully influenced, beginning to seduce the nearby males that went into heat upon seeing its actions. Soon, they began to mate, including the one that had targeted Virala.
[Fart!]
Inala unleashed another seven Tangible Piezo Slips, causing the female to unleash its strongest fart at the height of their mating session, disorienting the senses of the Pranic Beasts.
That gave the duo of Inala and Virala enough time to hide within a bush, their expressions pale.
His thigh bled as Virala pulled out the thorn and threw it away, churning Prana into the wound as he was flustered, seeing it take forever to close, "Why is it so slow?"
He panted, completely disoriented upon seeing the snail's pace at which his wound healed. He then stared at Inala, asking upon seeing the latter's ashen face, "H-How much Prana did you use?"
"Fifteen units, a quarter of my reserve," Inala said, unable to calm down. Even after doing all that, they only managed to buy some time to huddle in a bush. Both had expended a good deal of their Prana reserves, with nothing to show for it.
They had never been so weak after all, which made it tough for them to adapt, especially when compared to the God-like strength they possessed until recently.
Unlimited Prana supply as long as living beings existed in the vicinity, limbs that regenerated in a matter of seconds, a body unflinching at the strongest of attacks, etc. Upon losing all their advantages, the duo were off to a rough start.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Virala cursed under his breath, flinching instinctively at every growl he heard nearby, continuing to apply pressure on his thigh wound, "Heal fast, dammit!"
'This is tougher than I expected.' Inala thought, sighing upon realising how lax he had gotten after gaining the Royal Zinger's peerless power.