Stretching between the three megacities under the Wean Clan and the Varahan Empire was a battlefield where the two sides clashed. This stretched for close to fifty kilometres from the edge of the three megacities.
"No one would assume this place is a battlefield," Inala commented upon arriving at the spot where he was about to build the battle stadium. Everywhere in his line of sight were Decodus Trees, with various vines dangling down their barks and branches. Not a spot on the ground was visible as shrubs fully covered it.
Inala placed his hand on the ground and felt the damp soil, rich with nutrients to facilitate plant growth. He lifted his head, stared at Shuwrak Zahara and asked, "Just how many Gold Grade existences died in this place for it to brim with vitality to such an extent?"
"A lot, too many in fact." Shuwrak Zahara shook his head, "We usually launch large-scale attacks to mow down all plant life in this region to ensure we have a clear line of sight of our enemies. However, in a fortnight after the battle ends, new vegetation sprouts like crazy."
Flesh and blood rich with Prana would be soaked into the ground, which any plant substances would absorb and facilitate their growth. The fact that even the weakest individual on this battlefield was at the Silver Grade played a huge factor.
"And, there's also this…" Inala stared at the sky and noticed an Empyrean Boar aurora that stretched for dozens of kilometres. It seemed to be in a state of sleep, sprawled flatly in the sky. The body was somewhat hazy, slightly getting scattered and reforming from time to time.
However, as compared to the Empyrean Boar aurora that Inala had witnessed first through the eyes of Binala, this was scarier. In terms of potency, it was weaker. But there were such aurorae everywhere in the region.
There was one right above him. Inala stared in the direction of Binkn Megacity and observed another Empyrean Boar Aurora atop the place. He faced another direction and saw two more, indicating the locations of a Megacity each.
Their locations were revealed to everyone, which might seem to be a bad thing. However, the reality was different, as these Empyrean Boar Aurorae were a sheer display of power. It marked the territory as belonging to either the Wean Clan or the Varahan Empire.
For anyone not a Wean Clansman or without a Vara Human Avatar, this Empyrean Boar Aurorae would intimidate them and cause their Prana to circulate with lower speeds and potency. The effects of their Natures would be reduced by a level.
Inala too felt it, 'Ever since I entered this place, my strength is around 95 percent. This is after I gained my Secondary Nature and experienced a strengthening of my presence.'
The Wean Clan and the Varahan Empire were engaged in a bloody civil war, 'But they are imprinting themselves onto this place. No one else would ever dare try to take over this place.'
Even the Quip Clan couldn't afford to win against the current combination of Wean Clan and Varahan Empire. As Inala understood the strength of both sides, he could say this with assurance. 'Even when not combined, either side could handle the Quip Clan in an all-out war.'
All-out war; that was the key. The Quip Clan would never play fair in a war and would damn well recreate Binala's feats in their enemy territories. The Zinger race were bandits at the end of the day.
The Quip Clan was nothing more than a sophisticated group of wealthy bandits. And obviously, they had heard the news about the Varahan Challenge.
Inala raised his head and noticed a flock of Quip Clansmen in Pranic Beast forms gliding in the air towards his location.
"They're here." Shuwrak Zahara commented as he watched the Quip Clansmen glide through the sky. The latter didn't move straight, but engaged in a pattern resembling a simple harmonic motion.
Every time the Quip Clansmen glided close to the ground, two strings of Prana latched out from their tails and tugged on the ground, generating force to slingshot them into the sky. Using this pattern, the Quip Clansmen could engage in long-distance travel through the sky and didn't have to be helpless due to a lack of tall objects to glide from.
The strings of Prana they controlled helped give them the necessary momentum to reach a couple hundred metres in the air. And Zinger Aristocrats in the Life Stage had a longer range, allowing them to reach higher altitudes and maintain their altitude stably.
'With Prana Stitch, they could stitch the two strings together to gain double the range.' Inala thought as he observed the Quip Clan in action, feeling proud at the fact that they were able to stand and operate on their own, even after the Royal Zinger's demise.
The Wean Clan was a Gold Grade Clan. Therefore, to deal with them, the Quip Clan typically sent Zinger Aristocrats. In the case of large-scale transactions, they'd dispatch a Gold Grade Quip Clansman.
Of course, it was mostly a Zinger Guard as they were the most active outside the Quip Clan.
'I'll pay them a visit in the future.' Inala thought with a mild smile as he watched the group of twenty Zinger Aristocrats land on the ground and assume human forms.
'A Brully!' The Zinger Aristocrat in the lead had a 4-Life Stage cultivation, having had a fair share of battles until now as she ventured into various regions in order to establish trade relations. Such relations could only be established with Silver Grade Pranic Beast groups and above.
But the majority of Sumatra's area was occupied by endless swarms of Iron Grade Pranic Beast races, who would simply behave with territorial aggressiveness and attack any foreign entities. As a result, she had been through a lot of fights.
This experience solidified her strength, making her confident enough to hold her ground against powerful Silver Grade Pranic Beasts. She had yet to kill a Centinger, but she was getting close to such a level.
That was towards a Silver Grade Pranic Beast. The Zinger Aristocrat had encountered quite the few Gold Grade Pranic Beasts until now, so she could always maintain her cool before them, which was why she had been dispatched to the Wean Clan now.
However, at the sight of a Brully, she became nervous and reflexively maintained distance between the two.
"I don't fight those weaker than me." Inala knew exactly why she was behaving like that and spoke to calm down the latter. For his current build, Inala wanted a Brully egg. As he didn't have the time to search for it on his own, he mobilised the Quip Clan.
During the search, the Quip Clansmen came across a few adult Brully and suffered a good beating. 'Seems she's one of them.'
'A Brully that can talk?' The Zinger Aristocrat blinked in shock, for in her memories, a Brully only cared about beating its opponent and nothing else. However, as a seasoned merchant, she quickly concealed her thoughts and made a formal bow, "It's our pleasure to make an acquaintance with a Brully."
She then made a respectful bow towards Shuwrak Zahara and an even deeper bow towards KalTara, "I greet the Wean Clan Leader."
Upon seeing KalTara nod in acknowledgement towards her words, she took out the Gold Biome Bomb hanging from her hip and expanded it to its original size, "I'll begin unloading all the goods here."
Her string of Prana slithered into the Biome Bomb through the entrance, coiled around a rock pillar within and dragged it out.
KalTara used the Quip Clan's services to quickly transport the rock pillars from the Zahara Kingdom to their location. He could have relied on their railway network, but the route to the Zahara Kingdom trailed from the Varahan Empire's capital, Narkn.
Therefore, his only other option was to rely on the Quip Clan. As one of their biggest customers, KalTara received plenty of discounts and other benefits, which actually made this transaction cheaper than had he used their railway to transport.
The Quip Clan actually made a mild loss on this transaction, but it was something they accepted voluntarily, since they had to take care of their big customers. KalTara could calculate the rates, which was why he took advantage of the benefits given to him without shame.
'They're giving lots of benefits to the Wean Clan Leader, even at a loss. However, they're making up for the loss from the rest of the Wean Clan.' Inala had personally set the price point for everything. He knew the various resources that the Quip Clan had monopolised. And by controlling the prices of these goods, they maintained an overall profit at the macro scale.
"You can start, Leukeu," KalTara said and activated the Nature of Imprison, causing the rock pillar to turn into dust and move towards a vacant field.
A team of Wean Clansmen used a variety of Natures to quickly mow down the vegetation and dig up a massive crater for the stadium to be built.
Inala condensed a massive Billakin Hammer and walked towards the side, casually brushing past the Gold Biome Bomb as he placed his hand on the latter. His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing a second later, "A pity."
'It seems only a Silver Biome Bomb can be a Spirit Weapon. Higher variants are a product of Mystic Royalty and as I expected, my power cannot recognise them as a Spirit Weapon.' Inala didn't mind it too much and casually walked away with his hammer.
Soon, loud clangs resounded in the region as a stadium was readily being built, one with a seating capacity of four hundred thousand. 'This will soon become the place where the higher-ups of both sides engage in fights to the deaths.'
'That will accelerate their development even further.' He thought and smiled, 'And as long as that development relies on Vara, I can benefit from it all.'
Days passed in such a fashion and soon, two days before the day of the Varahan Challenge, the stadium was completed.
"Phew!" Inala wiped his sweat and turned around to face KalTara, "Please check it."
"Sure," KalTara nodded and used Shredded Lunge to leap to the top of the stands and then used an Eddy Blade to target the place.
A gash indeed formed on the place, but wasn't as severe as he had expected. Moreover, the thinner sections of the gash were healing on their own, "This will do."
KalTara smiled in satisfaction, "This won't crumble from our fight."
"Then," Inala pointed at the entrance trailing into the stadium from the Wean Clanb's side, "Please do the honours of naming it."
"Call it the Empyrean Colosseum," KalTara said.
"Done!" Inala grinned as he hammered in a large inscription atop the entrance and did the same on the entrance facing the Varahan Empire.
KalTara watched Inala in action and commented once the inscription of the name was completed, "It's almost time, huh?"
He then faced a group of Wean Clansmen and asked, "Have you invited everyone from the list?"
"Yes," The Wean Clansman nodded, "We dispatched the invitations through the Quip Clan's network to the leaders of various forces a month ago."
"Most of them should be arriving by tomorrow."
"Alright," KalTara nodded and then turned silent once Shuwrak Zahara patted his shoulder solemnly. A few seconds later, he whispered, "I'll live, Uncle."
"I'm not planning to die before the Wean Clan surpasses our strength from my grandfather's time." He clenched his hand firmly, stating firmly, almost as if hypnotising himself. It was mostly an effort to reassure himself, since this will be the toughest fight of his life yet, "I'll live!"