Right behind a rubble stood Shuwrak Zahara, breathing a sigh in relief upon seeing that his position had yet to be detected by the Grim Knell. As long as he avoided its line of sight, he didn’t have to worry too much.
But just to be on the safer side, he wrapped himself with a packet of Prana activated through his Primary Nature of Refractive Inhibition. This way, even if the Grim Knell uses its ability on him, it would lose its effect the moment it enters the packet.
And then, through the eyes of the Tangible Millinger acting as his Spirit Weapon, he perceived the Grim Knell, targeting the latter with a series of attacks to keep it occupied until the Tangible Millinger arrived next to him.
It then carried him and sped out of the Empyrean Colosseum, stopping right next to the entrance. It vanished as Shuwrak Zahara landed on the ground, with the Knell Clansman in tow as he stared at the figures of the Panger and Brully before him. "I wasn’t being impulsive, alright?"
"You do realise Clansmen don’t have value unless they belong to an Expert Gold Grade Pranic Beast?" Inala expressed casually, "Any Pranic Beast would consider the Knell Clansman a threat, especially the Death Knell Race."
"I know," Shuwrak Zahara didn’t argue, "I simply saved him on a whim since I was curious about whatever Primary Nature he has obtained. Whether or not he wishes to live past this is something I intend to leave to him. After all..."
He muttered sullenly, "He has no future."
That was the truth, since the Knell Clansman had become a Clansman without the accompanying cultivation technique. His limit was 100 units of Prana, remaining stuck at the start of the Body Stage.
He was an innately flawed existence. As he had become a Knell Clansman, he could no longer use Gold Inheritance Art. He could probably make do with Mystic Sumatra Art, but even then, he had no future.
Mystic Sumatra Art was a universal cultivation technique meant for Pranic Beasts. The Wean Clansmen could use it since thanks to their Primary Natures, they had a Pranic Beast form. In their transformed states, they could take complete advantage of their cultivation technique, just like a Pranic Beast.
It was why a Wean Clansman hardly used Mystic Sumatra Art in their human form, because it was hardly worth it other than a select few instances.
Even then, thanks to their build, which basically allowed them to transform into a Pranic Beast, the Wean Clansmen had a decent compatibility with Mystic Sumatra Form even in human form.
In the case of the Knell Clansman, there was no such luck. That was why Shuwrak Zahara labelled his case as having no future.
"Seems you do understand the full picture." Inala didn’t comment much on the matter and instead turned to face the Panger, Loya, "Well, I did tell you that the Grim Knell was up to something, right?"
"Didn’t you witness something amazing?"
"You’re right," Loya nodded in excitement, "Through this method, I too am confident of reaching Expert Mystic status."
"Well, even if you can, I don’t recommend it." Inala shook his head.
"Why?" Loya expressed its confusion, "I will reach my peak, so why should I refrain from such a possibility?"
"You’re at Intermediate Gold Grade currently." Inala theorised, "If you Mutate, I’m sure you can reach Expert Gold Grade."
"After that, you need to figure out the means to gain a Tertiary Nature. After that, create more of your kind until the method to gain three Natures becomes easier and easier for your brethren." He continued, "Keep repeating it across the generations until you can attain the Deity Status. And then try to figure out the conditions necessary to reach the Mystic Grade."
"Of course, if you feel capable, attempt to reach a State of Harmony." Inala warned, "You will lose Shield of Thorns if you attempt to evolve. You cannot obtain a better Nature than this."
"Moreover, your race already has a shitty fertility rate. If you evolve, I’m damn sure it’ll become abysmal."
"You’re...right." Loya nodded and then asked Inala, "Then, shall we head out?"
"Yes, but before that," Inala said and stealthily peeked in through the Empyrean Colosseum’s entrance, "There’s one more surprise awaiting you."
"What?" Loya was confused for a moment as it peeked in through the entrance and stared at the Grim Knell’s figure that had just finished recovering from Shuwrak Zahara’s injuries. And then, for an instant, it blinked in shock and then hollered, "What happened?"
The Grim Knell had vanished!
’My sneaky daughter strikes again.’ Inala whistled as he commented, "Just think of it as a natural disaster that’s unavoidable for anyone below the Mystic Grade."
Inala eyed Loya, "That’s also why I advise you to gain a Secondary Nature. Only then would you avoid that existence’s attention."
"W-Who is that?" Loya expressed sheer terror, thinking for a moment before exclaiming, "Is it the Transcendent Eater? I heard it survived the battle at the Kalahatra Desert."
"It’s the Collector." Inala shook his head, "It’s an existence different from the Transcendent Eater. I only heard rumours about it in the Kalahatra Desert...from the Forest Boars."
His expression turned solemn as he uttered, "One day, a large number of Forest Boars disappeared suddenly, just like what you witnessed. It happened many times in the Kalahatra Desert until the name Collector began popping up among them from time to time."
"Of course, there was no one who witnessed the Collector and survived to tell the tale." Inala sighed as he patted Loya, "Let’s head out now."
He came up with the title on the fly, just to annoy Gannala, for the mere fact she couldn’t recognise him after he became a Brully, when conversely, a glance was all he needed to identify his daughter, even when she was piloting a random Free Human’s body.
"The Collector..." Shuwrak Zahara shuddered, "Indeed, a lawless land is too dangerous."
"Welcome to Sumatra." Inala chuckled in response.
With that, the trio began to travel out of the region. Using the Major Treasure of Weapon, Inala had already obtained the body part Spirit Weapons of the Empyrean Whisker and Sphinger. They were the only Spirit Weapons he could genuinely wield.
It had to be either a mineral-based Spirit Weapon or a body part Spirit Weapon. In the case of a body part Spirit Weapon, the Pranic Beast’s mineral was probably part of it, which the Major Treasure of Weapon recognised as one.
Oftentimes, too many options would actually restrict an individual. Inala’s core philosophy wasn’t to possess a hundred different tools but rather a single tool that could be applied to a hundred different situations.
Hence, he didn’t collect any more Spirit Weapons than what he already possessed. Up next, he intended to focus his strength on them and turn them into Harmony Spirit Weapons.
he was content with having around five Harmony Spirit Weapons. The Panger’s Spirit Weapon was for defence, the Empyrean Whisker’s was for traps, defence, and retaliation. The Sphinger’s Spirit Weapon was to be used against swarms.
The Biome Bomb was for recovery, the Storage Lantern was for storage, and finally, there was Shuwrak Zahara’s Spirit Weapon which could be used in a variety of situations.
Inala observed the Grim Knell when he and Loya had knocked the Grim Knell and its Death Knell group unconscious. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a body part Spirit Weapon. And the Spirit Weapon formed using the mineral in their body—with the help of the Major Treasure of Weapon—only unleashed a sound-based ability.
It wasn’t Linked Rupture, so Inala wasn’t interested in it.
Anyway, the moment he felt the Grim Knell and its group were planning something, he was curious. ’And indeed, what it displayed was exhilarating.’
Of course, the moment the Grim Knell evolved into a Gold Grade existence, he was counting down the time for Gannala to strike. Inala was damn sure she would never miss out on such a powerful Nature, especially after being subjected to a Grim Knell’s power time and again under the hands of Asaeya since birth.
’She should probably be in her biome, right?’ Inala thought of Asaeya and let out a sigh, scratching his head, "My head hurts."
"Did you say something?" Shuwrak Zahara asked upon hearing a faint mumble from Inala, only for the latter to shake its head.
"Nothing," Inala exhaled slowly as the trio made their way out of the Varahan Empire. It would take a while before they left the region, not to mention arriving at the Rumtara Kingdom.
Since Shuwrak Zahara had no intention of staying in the Varahan Empire, he accompanied Inala and Loya. The Knell Clansman was still unconscious, currently lying sprawled on Inala’s shoulder.
While the trio journeyed carefreely, the group of Mystic Humans were rushing about with traces of urgency.
"Run faster!" Councillor Hyak grunted as he stared at his group of Mystic Humans who formed a protective circle around Yoribu, "We can’t afford to rest."
While the Mystic Human group cranked their psychokinesis to the limit and ran with desperate stress, Yoribu casually kept pace. She had the Empyrean Boar King’s body. Therefore, even in human form, the speeds she could reach far surpassed the average Mystic Human with a stationary-type build.
’Gold Ewworm and a Spirit Eater, both aren’t great at long-distance sprints.’ She thought and focused on their back, observing a group of Forest Boars chasing after them, ’Seems they’ll catch up soon.’
"Councilman," She uttered, coming to a stop against Councilman Hyak’s shock, "I’ll show you why I intend to be part of the Mystic Human Council."
"What are you doing? Please, don’t stop!" Councilman Hyak expressed his fluster, "Even with the Boar King’s body, you cannot face a horde of Gold Grade Pranic Beasts."
"The Boar King is a hunter, not a fighter." Yoribu chuckled as she faced the incoming horde, "For a fight against a horde, I have something better."