Brimgan Empire!
In the darkness of the night, a figure silently scaled past the Lotus Range, her arrival undetected. Darkness expanded from her being, covering her Spirit Weapon range to simulate the conditions of the Sandy-Grey Void.
All light and sound were drowned out in this region. This prevented anyone from detecting her approach using the conventional senses. As for Prana detection methods, they were even more useless, as any wave of Prana touching her was absorbed by the layer of grey sand forming her Human Avatar.
Thanks to the effects of Sandy-Grey Void that she unleashed, even with the Prana part of their Prana-detection means being absorbed, there was no feedback given to the users. They didn't experience any prickles on their skin.
[Wait, something is amiss!]
Brangara's voice resounded in her mindspace as Yarsha Zahara arrived at a stop, her senses heightened to their extreme.
Secondary Nature-Grey Kinesis Deity!
Through it, she could exhibit the effects of the Sandy-Grey Void temporarily, which was immensely potent. After all, it allowed her to touch an object, turn it into the Sandy-Grey Void, and move through it. But a few seconds later, the grey sand would revert to the original object, pristine in appearance, having no traces of her arrival.
The Mudropper's power to create the Sandy-Grey Void was unquestionably dangerous, but it was extremely eye-catching and permanently destructive. However, the Secondary Nature was able to unleash the same effects temporarily, allowing Maroppa to use it as she pleased.
And upon taking over her body, Yarsha Zahara was doing the same. Moreover, with her capability, she had created multiple skills to assist her further.
'Is something wrong?' She stopped in a hurry, covering herself in darkness to blend in with the night surroundings better.
[Seven kilometres to your left, there's a Free Human. Be on guard as I feel he can detect us easily. He turned his head our way the moment we climbed over the wall.]
Yarsha Zahara stared in the respective direction while standing still and observed the Free Human's actions. A few minutes later, her eyes widened in surprise, 'This was merely a theory when I was here. It seems they've succeeded in realising it.'
[What kind of power is it?]
Upon hearing Brangara's thoughts, Yarsha Zahara paused for a moment and replied, 'The one with this Human Avatar has zero combat power. However, they could perceive all manner of stress and strain existing in their surroundings.'
[I don't understand...]
'Basically, when I walk, my body weight is applying a mild stress on the ground. So, a strain in the shape of my footsteps forms, even on rock. This trace will vanish in a fraction of a second, however, in his vision, he'll see my footprints.'
[I see, so if his vision is stress-strain vision is blocked by your power of Sandy-Grey Void, then he'll realise something is amiss. It's a dangerous detection ability indeed. Good thing I noticed his actions and warned you promptly.]
'Yes, had I been a tad slower in reacting, he would have caught sight of my footprints.' Yarsha Zahara nodded, no longer breathing as even that would cause some disturbance in her surroundings. Instead, she relied on the air in her lungs for the time being. 'How do I move from here?'
[What's his detection range? Is it sight-based?]
'I fear it's a mixture of all his senses. So, it's not easy to avoid his detection unless we use Subtle Terrain Domination. But that will leave my Prana traces all over this place. They already have plenty of detection means to notice that.' Yarsha Zahara thought, staring at the Brimgan Empire from atop the peak of the Lotus Range, 'They're completely prepared against all infiltrators. Our only option will be to barge in head-on, but that'll bring everyone's attention upon us.'
[We don't want that. I don't want to face Boul Brimgan where he wields home advantage.]
'I understand our need for secrecy, since that was what I recommended. But with your current strength, do you still need to exercise caution here?' Yarsha Zahara frowned, wondering why Brangara was behaving as such all of a sudden, 'Even Boul Brimgan is nothing before the current you.'
[The Brimgan Empire has remained standing for too long, irrespective of the disasters it has faced. I wasn't the first Mystic Grade Pranic Beast that has rampaged in the Brimgan Empire. Two Mystic Tentacles have attacked it, and despite that, they've stood strong.]
'Are you...serious?' Yarsha Zahara was in a state of shock, 'Did you find this in a ruin?'
[Yes, this information was present in the previous ruin I explored in search of Sumatra Gold. I didn't think much of it back then. However, now that I see the various methods they have deployed here, I've come to realise that the Brimgan Empire has avoided destruction not by luck.]
'Do you think they have hidden methods that can harm you?' Yarsha Zahara asked, only to hear Brangara's laughter echo in her mindspace.
[It would take a 10-Life Stage Royal Zinger to even scratch the current me. Irrespective of what methods they have, none of them can harm me. However, I don't intend to take risks, especially because of the existence of the Tangible Nature Minor Treasure of Linked Rupture.]
It was created using the Tangible Nature of Death Knell. Ideally, Brangara wanted more, but
he could only stumble upon one Death Knell. They were just too rare on Sumatra, on the verge of becoming extinct.
However, this was his reason for caution. Death Knells were on the verge of extinction currently, but there was a time in Sumatra when they were present in large numbers.
Death Knell Invasion!
It happened too long ago, so much so that Sumatra's dynamic had changed completely by now as compared to the past. However, the sole constant present in this portion of Sumatra Continent was the Brimgan Empire.
The Brimgan Empire had faced the Death Knells in large numbers at one point in time. Every invasion was at a scale surpassing a Major Disaster. And in that era, the Brimgan Empire would have researched countless ways to both counter the Death Knells and harness their incredible power.
[There's a small possibility that they have a Minor Treasure with the power of a Death Knell. Considering how they hadn't used something like that before, there might be terrible consequences in using it. In the Second Major Disaster, the Brimgan Empire still thought that I could be killed with their power alone. But the moment they see the current me, they'll realise they can't do shit to me.]
'I see...' Yarsha Zahara turned silent. Since there was no way available for the Brimgan Empire to harm Brangara, they would resort to their last-ditched means, probably those that would result in the destruction of both sides.
With the Brimgan Empire as a wager, they'd result in Brangara's death. If they saw no other hope for survival, they'd resort to it, which was why Brangara didn't wish to take the risk.
[I cannot guarantee whether they possess such a measure. However, the Brimgan Empire has experienced both the Death Knell Invasion and the Mudropper Invasion. The details were destroyed in the ruins, but it's a fact that they resisted a Mystic Tentacle more than once. Since our goal is to target Harla Brimgan alone, let's not take unnecessary risks. I need to be in top condition to devour and control the power of the Transcendent Eater in Blola.]
Brangara felt the current him was already invincible enough. However, a body of his had been captured, preventing him from entering the 10-Life Stage. To date, he was unsure of its fate, which meant that anything unexpected could happen. 'If Yamahara is truly at harm, Sumatra's Transcendent Eater would either inform me or personally take action.'
This was why he wasn't entirely nervous about Yamahara's kidnapping. He was a strategic
asset to Sumatra Continent itself and was being watched by multiple Transcendents, including Sumatra's Transcendent Eater. Therefore, if his life was truly at harm, these external entities might try to do something about it.
Or at the very minimum, they'll try to contact him and tell him of his son's location. Brangara
was assured of this fact, a reason why he arrived at the Brimgan Empire first, without even planning to head to the Varahan Empire.
The Varahan Empire was strong, but if even with that much strength, something happened to
them, then it was their fault. He didn't have the patience to care about them for the time being. Or rather, that method of care wouldn't work.
His enemies would figure out one way or the other to harm them if they truly wanted. Hence,
the best course of action was to take advantage of the Third Major Disaster and destroy the Mystic Seven once and for all.
Offence was the best form of defence. Once he was rid of all threats, he could focus on whatever issues plagued his home. And the best insurance towards that was to devour Blola.
Unlike the rest of the Mystic Seven, Blola only had a single Nature, which meant he could be preyed upon by Voracious Cultivator. And as long as Brangara gains that power, nothing could truly harm him, whether on Sumatra, or even beyond it.
He hadn't targeted Blola until now because the Transcendent Eater was great at fleeing, able
to infinitely recover while on the run. So, the only option was to take advantage of the power of Sumatra Chronicles and wait until the Third Major Disaster began.
'Let's try another method.' The power of Internal Inertial Gravity coursed through her- Maroppa's-body as Yarsha Zahara waited patiently until the man stopped looking in her direction. The moment the chance arrived, she leapt back and dropped past the peak of the
Lotus Range.
With rhythmic steps, her figure arrived at the foot of the Lotus Range and paced away from
the Brimgan Empire. Faint ripples formed on the Brimgan Sea as Yarsha Zahara sprinted
across the water surface, with a disc-shaped Spirit Weapon flying overhead, dispersing darkness like a mist.
It absorbed the sounds of her sprint and the light emitted by her body as she used the power
of Prana Shock to blaze through the place.
Pulses of Prana thrust from her back as she broke through the sound barrier and moved at
supersonic speeds. However, the power of Sandy-Grey Void rapidly dampened and nullified the shockwaves, ensuring nothing leaked out of her Spirit Weapon range.
This allowed her to travel at her top speed while undetected. Soon, she arrived at a small hill
that was approximately 300 kilometres from the Brimgan Empire, watching as a Raid Team moved about on a route.
Their trucks numbered close to twenty; they were a mid-sized Raid Team, carrying the
carcasses of large Silver Grade Pranic Beasts. The carcasses were carefully placed in the trucks, optimally packed to fill up the space.
She surveyed the place, thinking, 'Do you feel any danger?'
[They are using Prana detection means to be on guard against Pranic Beast ambushes, but I'm
not sensing anything dangerous enough to detect you.]
'Good!' Yarsha Zahara nodded. She had arrived at the same conclusion, but just to be on the
safer side, she asked for Brangara's opinion. And since both confirmed through their respective means, she had nothing to worry about.
With a start, she leapt lithely, arced through the air, and landed on a truck. There was no
sound produced by the impact, as she shrunk and enveloped the effects of Sandy-Grey Void in her immediate vicinity-a radius of two metres around herself.
The moment her feet landed on the ceiling, the latter turned into grey sand, causing her figure
to sink inside. Her body landed upon the Silver Grade Pranic Beast carcass and melted through it, turning everything she touched into grey sand.
With a mild nudge of her legs, she landed on the stomach of a corpse and entered inside. Once
she had settled inside, all the grey sand reverted to its original state. The dripping grey sand defied physics, flowed up like a stream, and converged upon the open ceiling.
Once they filled the ceiling, the grey sand reverted into the original material forming the
ceiling. The same happened to the Silver Grade Pranic Beast corpse too. Now, Yarsha Zahara was safely hidden within the corpse's stomach.
Close to eight hours of travel later, the Raid Team arrived at the entrance of the Brimgan
Empire. The doors to the trucks flung open as a group of guards inspected the contents, checking to ensure nothing was amiss.
They simply used their Prana detection means and a general probing around the corpses. The
corpses would lose their value if they were to butcher it in the name of inspection, so that wasn't done.
They didn't check beyond it because all the trucks were locked using Spirit Weapons. So, it was impossible to infiltrate inside without damaging anything. And as nothing was damaged, they remained unaware of what Yarsha Zahara had done, especially since the temporary grey sand unleashed through her Secondary Nature of Grey Kinesis Deity left no traces.
'We're inside.' Yarsha Zahara thought as she relied on the air stored in her lungs-that had been transformed into a biome through the power of Internal Inertial Gravity.
[Keep your wits about yourself. Things are just starting. The closer we get to the Capital, the
stricter the detection means.]
'I know,' Yarsha Zahara nodded slowly, 'I'm the one who understands the potency of these detection means the best. I have personally participated in their research forum.'
[That was so long ago. Whatever you've seen is merely scratching the surface.]
'Did I argue otherwise? Seriously, why are you so chatty? Just shut up and stay put for a few
minutes. Let me think!' Yarsha Zahara snapped at the end, 'What? You think I will dare be careless after what I suffered against Orakha?'