Chirp!
Constant Zinger Shrieks resounded in the region as an army of Quip Clansmen glided over the skies, forming a stream in the air.
Their numbers were scary, enough to easily wipe out a large Kingdom in a matter of hours. Every Quip Zinger was exceptionally strong, possessing three Natures.
They were the elites among their kind, carefully trained and nurtured by the Quip Clan. A good fraction of them had the qualifications to become Zinger Aristocrats in the next few years.
And with their talents, most of the group would eventually become Zinger Aristocrats. Some of the most talented ones among them could even enter the Gold Grade.
Quip Zinger x 8750!
Zinger Aristocrat x92!
The army was already insane, as whether it be the Quip Zinger or the Zinger Aristocrat, both had three Natures. They were already one of the strongest forces that could be mobilised into a battle. Adding onto their mobility, they were unstoppable.
And leading the charge were a Zinger Prince and Zinger Princess duo. But as if that wasn’t enough, one more joined them.
Standing on the Quip Tower situated closest to the Stromar Cliff was a Zinger Guard, his expression poised as he watched the stream glide across the skies and approach his position.
Soon, the duo at the front of the stream landed on the Quip Tower in human forms.
"Greetings!" The Zinger Guard said as he cupped respectfully towards the duo before him. He went by the name of Hunsar and was born in the Ravaged Federation. He was one of the few who had the fortune to play and be given guidance by the Royal Zinger, even if it was only for a short while.
"Are the preparations done?" The Zinger Prince, Wenka asked as he stared at the Stromar Cliff.
"Yes," Hunsar pointed at the Stromar Cliff, as for a moment, there was a pulse in presence at distinct distances, forming a line of towers across the region, leading somewhere deeper inside, "All my Homing Satellites have moved into position. The army can now slingshot using it and arrive at the destination safely."
"What about...him," The Zinger Princess, Rhonya, hesitantly staring into the Stromar Cliff, "What has our Deity been up to?"
"Rhonya...!" Wenka raised his voice, expressing anger, "That’s not our Deity. It’s just Inala."
"And he was that Inala before becoming our Deity." Rhonya stood her ground.
Seeing sparks flare between the two, Hunsar hurriedly interjected, "My Homing Satellites reported seeing him enter a crater. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but he’s accompanied by his companions."
"That Panger’s especially troublesome." Hunsar expressed, "I didn’t dare scout for more information."
"It’s just a Panger," Wenka frowned, "With your means, there’s no way you’ll have to worry about her."
"That’s the issue." Hunsar sighed, "I’m afraid the Panger is on the verge of mutating. It’s what I can instinctively perceive."
"...that will indeed be a problem." Wenka analysed, "The Panger and Shuwrak Zahara will indeed be an issue. But we’ve come prepared to take care of them."
"How’s his fighting style?" Rhonya asked, "Does he...fight the same as in the past?"
Rhonya was too young to have received the fortune of playing with the Royal Zinger, back when Inala had the time to do so. Hence, her only experience was of her time at the Kalahatra Desert, as a Zinger Aristocrat who witnessed the Third Major Disaster.
"Does he..." She hesitated before asking, "Does he talk during a fight?"
And by talk, she didn’t mean about a conversation, but Inala’s taunts. Whenever Inala targeted someone, he didn’t just physically attack them, but also hit them mentally. That was what Rhonya feared the most.
After entering the Gold Grade to become a Zinger Princess, Rhonya’s thought process became more aligned with Inala’s mindset. It allowed her to entertain scary thoughts about a situation, that she never knew was possible before.
Currently in the Quip Clan, Zhya was the closest to Inala in terms of mentality and character. However, the existence they were about to face was Inala himself. So, Rhonya was nervous, since she understood Inala’s capability better, especially the latter’s destructive capability.
"He talks like a Brully." Hunsar said, clearly hearing Wenka and Rhonya heave a clear sigh in relief, "But I suggest we still exercise caution. Inala has been laidback only because he doesn’t have any purpose other than to enjoy life."
"Then..." Rhonya asked, "If we were to strip him of his joy, will he..."
"Yes," Hunsar nodded. That answered all questions.
Wenka watched the Quip Clansmen arrive in a file and land on the ground, reverting to human forms as they rested. "We will rest and recuperate for four hours."
They had been travelling from the Ravaged Federation to this location all along, en route for days at a stretch. They desperately required some rest before they could take action.
"Let me try talking to him," Rhonya expressed her stance on the matter, "We can always target him if negotiations fail."
"It’ll be of no use." Wenka shook his head, "I know him better than you. He’s not the time to change his decision unless the situation calls forth. He adapts best to a situation but doesn’t change his desire in the slightest."
"I still intend to give it a try," Rhonya said.
"No, you’ll waste our chance at a sneak attack." Wenka shook his head.
"You think you can sneak attack a Brully?" Rhonya rolled her eyes, "Even a regular Brully can sense most forms of ambushes, not to mention Inala. I’m sure he’s armed with a few methods to react in advance."
"What do you think?" Rhonya eyed Hunsar, "You’ve observed him the longest."
"That’s the thing," Hunsar shook his head, "Inala has done nothing special all along. He has just been fooling around with his companions."
"I’m afraid I’ve spent more time wondering if he’s truly Inala than observing him." He sighed, "Most of the time, there are no similarities."
The discussions stalled as the Quip Clan began to prepare in silence. Four hours later, they had rested and recovered enough to make a move once again.
Ideally, they would have preferred at least a day to fully rest. However, Hunsar reported that Inala had already entered a crater and seemed to be heading somewhere.
They didn’t want to lose him, since Inala currently had the appearance of a human. That meant he had endless opportunities to rely on his small stature and hide himself. If they were to lose him here, it would take even the Quip Clan a while to find Inala.
"Take these..." Hunsar said as he gave a Homing Satellite to Wenka and Rhonya, "It’s a homing Satellite made using the water from the Mrutch Sea. If we are to enter the Mrutch Sea, this will help shield us from external harm.
Hunsar then went around equipping each Zinger Aristocrat with a Homing Satellite.
The army was divided between the Zinger Aristocrats, with each leading a group of Quip Zingers. Therefore, giving a Zinger Aristocrat a Homing Satellite was enough. They will bring their group to safety within the homing Satellite when necessary.
As the Zinger Guard, Hunsar was in charge of making battle preparations and creating Homing Satellites according to the terrain they fought in. Of course, the Prana cost was tremendous.
However, all war preparations consumed lots of resources. The Quip Clan was no exception. Thankfully, resources was the one thing they didn’t lack, thanks to their business.
Revealing the State of Harmonies of the Zinger Guard, Zinger Prince, and Zinger Representative caused a setback for the Quip Clan, making many forces nervous or outright hesitant to trade with the Quip Clan.
Kenzar Echo was currently busy negotiating with these forces, to give them deals they thought were extremely profitable for their growth. Their greed and desires were propagated to an extent it overpowered their hesitation.
It was still a work in progress, and for the short while, the Quip Clan was actually making a loss. However, once they tide through this situation, they would start making profits once again.
Besides, their expansion into farther regions still yielded plenty of profit. Therefore, the Quip Clan was able to afford such an expensive warfront now.
’It’s all the catch one individual.’ Hunsar thought, growing nervous as the Quip Clan started to enter the Stromar Cliff.
The three Gold Grade existences leading the war effort didn’t have a State of Harmony to rely upon. The oldest among them was Hunsar, and even he was too far from reaching a State of Harmony.
In terms of cultivation, he had recently entered the 2-Life Stage. Even from an ideal perspective, their situation wasn’t optimal, ’If only the stronger seniors could take charge.’
However, the Quip Clan had other plans, more important ones, to focus upon. To Zhya, capturing Inala wasn’t a priority, knowing very well the latter was living on borrowed time.
But the fact that she still sent out an army meant there was a reason she wanted to deal with Inala and cause the arrival of the second-generation Royal Zinger.
Chirp!
Zinger Shrieks resounded as the Quip Clan army communicated with each other and glided through the skies of the Stromar Cliff, propelling themselves using the Homing Satellites situated along the way.
Soon, they approached the crater in question.