"Is that him?" Prana billowed out of Raaha as he entered a state of vigilance, "Is he…"
"Yes," Orakha nodded in seriousness, "That's Yamahara."
"Has our plans been leaked to the enemy?" Vhalla frowned as she stared at Orakha, "But how? We haven't moved near any Parute Tree. Even the ones in our biomes have been destroyed and we've been using Internal Inertial Gravity to destroy any the moment they begin to sprout."
"We have underestimated Sumatra's Transcendent Eater. That's all," Orakha said as he glared at Yamahara, commenting upon spreading his senses, "But this is for the better."
"He's alone." Saying so, he kicked the ground and charged towards Yamahara, activating his Human Avatar. Heat billowed out of his back and selectively ionised the air, unleashing a thrust similar to a rocket that propelled him straight toward the target.
The conical structure of the propulsion expanded and contracted while increasing their number on his back, using torque and propulsion to accurately turn his body when necessary, allowing Orakha to move around swiftly even at top speeds.
"Please…" Yamahara's voice was soft as a golden flash burst out of his body, using his mother's Skill of Prana Flash. His figure flickered from the spot and moved away at speeds similar to Orakha, allowing the two to remain at a relative distance of twenty metres from each other, "Listen to me!"
"Things will be better with you out of the picture!" Orakha snorted as he used a Mystic Eater as a whip and lashed at Yamahara, frowning upon seeing an Eddy Blade sever it into pieces. A bloody scent wafted into his nose as Orakha opened his mouth and unleashed a wave of flames.
Patches of his skin got burnt in response as Yamahara raised the distance between the two, rapidly healing himself as he shouted, "I just want to talk!"
"DON'T LEAVE!" He shouted, "It's dangerous out there!"
"And what? Stay behind to become your father's dinner?" Orakha grunted and churned his Prana faster, ignoring the pain from his chest as he was placing greater stress on his Spirit Container. Ink-Black fumes jutted out of him and pervaded the surroundings, not in the least interacting with anything.
But the moment Yamahara touched a portion by mistake, intense heat assaulted him, melting off the contact portion. His face convulsed in pain as he clapped violently, unleashing a rumbling number of Prana Shocks that dispersed the ink-black mist and sent Orakha flying.
'That's the power of Astral Chart!' Raaha's eyes widened in shock upon witnessing the fight. The power the Empyrean Boar King had used to traumatise the Mammoth Clan was now being wielded by his son.
"Hah…haah…" Yamahara heaved ragged breaths as blood mist flowed out of his body, having used a significant portion of blood in that short duration. Though he had absorbed a large volume, if he were to face the Empyrean Tusks atop Orakha, he would run out soon.
He hurriedly breathed in and out and regained his composure, his gaze firming upon seeing Orakha, 'He's so strong even at the 2-Life Stage. If he reaches his peak, Sumatra will have one more powerhouse to face the other Continents!'
"Just…hear me out, please!" Yamahara shouted, "I came bearing no harm. Please, at least listen to me first before you do whatever you want."
"Whatever we want?" Orakha healed the cracks that had formed on his Human Avatar and began to walk towards Yamahara once again, "I want your death. Will you give me that if I listen to you?"
"I can't die," Yamahara shook his head, "But just listen to me before you make the decision, alright?"
"Your father never gave us that option while he hunted us," Orakha snorted.
"If we're going into specifics, none of this would have started if the Mammoth Clan hadn't barged into the Varahan Enclave!" Yamahara's expression hardened once Orakha talked badly about his father.
"And?" Orakha tilted his head and pointed at the group of Empyrean Tusks behind him, "Are we related to that incident? It happened two millennia ago. None of us were even alive back then."
"And you dare say you want to talk?" Orakha raged and grew silent, changing his mind a couple of seconds later, "Fine, talk! I'll at least hear you. But, remember this!"
His expression turned fierce, "I'll be coming after you immediately after you're done talking."
"That's fine with me. I won't allow myself to be killed." Yamahara glared at Orakha for a moment before talking, "Something dangerous is out there. I can't go into details, because if I did, I won't be able to find out any more information after this."
"But please believe me when I say that your strength is needed on Sumatra." He thumped his chest, "Whether you wish to fight or flee, that's your choice. But please do it on Sumatra."
"I plead with you to not cross its border!"
"Didn't you enter from past the border?" Orakha raised his eyebrow, "And you're telling us to not do the same?"
"I used this while doing so!" Yamahara said as a thick layer of Brangara's blood covered his body, "This protected me while I went out. But without my father's protection, I'll die in a matter of seconds once I venture out."
Raaha was silent for a few seconds before he activated his Secondary and Tertiary Natures simultaneously, using which he flickered towards the entrance of Gaja Enclave, entered the main continent of Sumatra, captured an Iron Grade Pranic Beast, and returned.
He tied a thick rope around its body, encased it in a bone sphere, and filled it with the power of Internal Inertial Gravity, ensuring the shock from being thrown wouldn't damage it. Following that, he spun rapidly, raising the momentum behind his spin, and released his hold once his figure had become a blur.
The bone sphere had morphed horridly, now resembling the skull of a terrifying beast, filled with grotesque mutations. As for the Iron Grade Pranic Beast within? It was even worse!
The bone sphere flew at tremendous speeds and entered the Sandy-Grey Void. Raaha waited for a few seconds and pulled the rope upon seeing Yamahara nod in response. The result terrified them.
The bone sphere had morphed horridly, now resembling the skull of a terrifying beast, filled with grotesque mutations. As for the Iron Grade Pranic Beast within? It was even worse!
Its head had grown four tentacles, with the ends of each sporting bizarre-looking heads, varying in size. The eyes of one suddenly swerved in their direction, terrifying everyone.
Pus leaked out of the Pranic Beast's body that was no longer at the Iron Grade. Instead, it had mutated to enter the Silver Grade, but its body had mutated to such an extent that it was unable to handle the rampant changes.
Its beating heart exploded, causing splinters of blood to burst out of its body and cover the inner surface of the bone skull. Faint tendrils resembling maggots coiled within the eyes of the skull and faced the direction of the Empyrean Tusks, revealing a ravenous glee.
Its jaws revealed a sinister smile while the lower body of the Pranic Beast behaved like a tongue, licking the front side of its teeth. The jaws moved up and down, expressing clattering sounds that somewhat resembled laughter.
"There's some juicy prey here," Suddenly, a grating voice resounded from the corpse of the Pranic Beast. One of its mutated heads let out the sound when Yamahara's figure flickered before it and unleashed a Prana Shock, sending the skull and all the contents within flying into the Sandy-Grey Void.
He then inspected the ground where the skull had been, extensively using his abilities and heaving a sigh in relief only upon failing to detect any lingering corruption. He slumped on the ground in exhaustion and turned around to face a terrified Orakha, stating, "That's one of the reasons."
'Sumatra's Transcendents are actively fighting against the Transcendents from the other Continents that have been sent first as scouts.' Yamahara thought of the information he gained from Sumatra's Transcendent Eater during their second round of discussion. He noticed that its voice seemed less arrogant than before, and mildly exhausted too?
'Mother, Father, Boul Brimgan, and the Mystic Paths. As long as I can prevent any of their deaths, we'll have sufficient fighting power to face the Continent Invasion following the Fourth Major Disaster.' Yamahara thought, worrying about it, 'But what can I do? Sumatra dislikes interference from the Transcendents. The moment I reveal the details, it'll lock out the Transcendent Eater too. I won't be able to get any information about our enemies and prepare accordingly after that.'
"I apologise that I cannot share any details, but I'll do everything in my power to act as a bridge between the two sides." He said, expressing desperation, "Let's have peace talks…"
He shouted upon seeing the Mammoth Clan continue to head towards the Sandy-Grey Void, "Didn't you hear me? You've seen what happens to anything that heads out!"
"You'll all die!" He said in desperation, flickering to appear between the Mammoth Clan and the Sandy-Grey Void.
"I appreciate your help, Yamahara." Orakha said, his expression of hatred softening, "But understand that this is our desperate attempt."
"Unless your father promises to leave us alone, we have no other choice but to flee."
"I promise to convince him…" Yamahara shouted, flinching upon receiving a glare from Orakha.
"As a merchant, I have a decent ability to read a person's character." Orakha stared at Yamahara for a couple of seconds, "I appreciate your efforts, Yamahara. But it seems you haven't managed to convince Brangara even after so many years. I don't know how many times you tried to do so, but it seems to be plenty."
"I'll try! As many times as it takes!" Yamahara shouted, veins popping across his neck as he watched the Mammoth Clan continue to avoid him and walk away, "Just give me time! I promise to convince him eventually. He's my father! He cares about my opinion. So, please! Give me some time and I'll ensure he's able to set aside his hatred."
"Time?" Orakha chuckled in a self-deprecating manner and stared at Yamahara to ask, "How many Boar Kings does the Wean Clan have at present?"
Seeing Yamahara's expression stiffen in response, Orakha shook his head and walked away, "That's the reason."
"The longer we wait, the more despairing it gets for us." A massive bone ship glittering with lines of Sumatra Gold appeared before the group who boarded it promptly. Standing on its deck, Orakha stared at Yamahara to say, "We have no intentions to wait until every single Wean Clansman can hunt us like your father did in the past."
The ship entered the Sandy-Grey Void, able to endure the corruption outside as it left Gaja Enclave, leaving Yamahara behind.
"I…failed, once again." Yamahara slumped on the ground and clenched his hand into fists. Tears streamed out of his eyes, "Orakha…left. He alone could have strengthened the Free Humans to a terrifying level."
"Aargh!" He roared, frustrated at his powerlessness. All he had was power and not the means to convince others, "What should I do now?"
'If the other Mystic Paths leave similarly, Sumatra will be done for!' His body trembled, fearing the enemies that would be appearing in the future, "But how? How can I convince them?"
"If you're that worried about something, you should have a chat with this old man, son." At some point in time, Brangara had silently appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder to offer support, "You know I'm always on your side."
"Dad, can't we talk with the Mystic Paths?" Yamahara stared at his father, understanding upon seeing faint smoke wafting from his body to realise that Brangara had ventured into the Sandy-Grey Void, "Can't we all talk to each other?"
"A diplomatic talk will be great!"
"Do you know…?" Brangara let out a sigh and said, "A diplomatic talk is held before two sides wage a war. But,"
His expression hardened, "This war had already begun the moment I laid my eyes on Gannala during the First Major Disaster."
"And it won't end until one side is wiped out." He hugged Yamahara and walked away, "I didn't target the Mammoth Clan this time because you requested me not to. That's why I endured my impulse to not jump them when Orakha injured you. But, remember this, son."
He stated solemnly, "I'm strong! Whatever you're afraid of, I'll destroy it, even if it's a Transcendent. That's why I've been venturing into the Sandy-Grey Void in preparation. So, don't stress yourself so much, and learn to have fun once in a while."