"Help me!" Resha shouted at Asaeya as he cranked his gravitational flux to its limit and pulled himself towards the Boar King.
Everything had happened too quickly. As a result, Asaeya instinctively used her Spirit Weapon like a bat and slammed Resha with it, sending him flying toward the hole in the gate that was rapidly closing up.
Only after she had done so did she realise her mistake, 'I should have entered it instead. Resha is Inala's competitor!'
But she wasn't confident enough in stopping the Boar King, having already used her reserve of pain on the Boar King. And without anyone else to tank the expenditure of Akashic Transfer, she'll only be able to steal the Boar King's senses for three to four seconds with her Prana reserve.
As a result, she instinctively felt that it would be better to help Resha, 'I'm not sure if this is the right decision. Shit!'
When Asaeya's Spirit Weapon slammed into him, Resha turned his body weightless and also used External Inertial Gravity to repel himself away from the Spirit Weapon. This way, the speed at which he was sent flying was faster than simply being hit by the Spirit Weapon.
His Prime Skill of Gravity Funnel pulled him towards the Boar King as Resha activated his Tertiary Nature of Empyrean 100 to transform into an Iron Grade Pranic Beast with a small body, using it to pass through the rapidly closing hole.
He reverted to human form once he entered Layer 0, shouting with all his might, "There's an enemy, Inala!"
"I'm aware," A voice resounded from beside him as Resha stared at Inala in despair.
"Why the fuck are you here?" He was perplexed upon seeing the Boar King casually flickered through the array of rock pillars to reach the Attribute, "If you were already here, why didn't you get the Attribute first?"
"The Attribute is a bait." Inala said and assumed Empyrean Zinger form to take flight, "Follow me."
"There isn't a better chance to kill the Boar King!"
Resha lightened his body and attached a Gravity Funnel to Inala and was pulled into the air by the latter. He stared at Inala in shock, 'What the fuck is this guy planning now? Is he not interested in Attribute?'
In less than a minute, the Boar King reached the cage covering the Attribute, "A futile attempt at shielding it."
The pillar of light continued to surge out of the cage, keeping the Attribute's position revealed. The Boar King punched the cage, only to see a stream of grey sand spill into his body in response, "What the fuck?"
He hurriedly retreated in alarm and observed his hand gradually turning into grey sand, "Sandy Grey Void?"
With a flash of Prana, he severed his hand and other parts of his body that had come in contact with the grey sand. His eyes observed the grey sand on the floor consuming it to create the Sandy-Grey Void but was actively getting suppressed by the influence of the Attributed Region.
As a result, the quantity of grey sand remained the same, neither increasing nor decreasing. The body parts severed from his body continued to fall towards the floor when a hail of Gravity Bombs slammed into them and splashed the grey sand on him, startling the Boar King.
Inala flew across the place as the string of Prana elongated out of his mouth like a tongue and curved accordingly to his flight path and aimed at the Boar King. The Gravity Bombs targeted the splash of grey sand in such a way they carried at least a few particles with them before impacting the Boar King.
Due to the rapid dissemination of the grey sand's effect, causing a single particle to latch onto the Boar King was enough. The power behind the explosion failed to even scratch the Boar King's dense body, but the grey sand was troublesome enough.
Inala aimed at a spot on the floor with enough grey sand and slammed a Gravity Bomb there, causing it to explode and eject the compressed air within it in such a direction that it spilled the grey sand on the Boar King.
"What are you gawking about for?" Inala shouted at Resha, "Use your gravity to send the grey sand back on the Boar King's body."
The string of Prana in his mouth bent below to unleash a thrust that accelerated his body as Inala flew faster, now spamming Prana Bombs on the Boar King. The moment a Prana Bomb slammed into the Boar King and absorbed some Prana, Inala morphed it into a Prana Hand before it was destroyed by the latter.
'Sweet!' Inala judged the consumption and gains, 'I'm using ten Prana per Prana Bomb and two more Prana to transform it into a Prana Hand rapidly. The interval of Prana absorption is short, so I'm only able to gain five Prana.'
Even though he was consuming seven units with every single attack, he was actively causing the Boar King to lose five units too. This was atop him having to focus on cutting off parts of his skin that came into contact with the grey sand time and again.
There was a mountain of Prana Bombs, filled to the brim with Prana in Inala's stomach biome. The ones consuming these to create both Prana Bombs and Gravity Bombs were his Empyrean Zingers. Inala's sole consumption was to inhale air into his lungs after turning it into a biome.
This air was then used to charge up the Gravity Bombs by the Empyrean Zingers. Therefore, with his current consumption between compressing air and using his four strings of Prana, Inala would be able to remain fighting for days before the mountain of Prana Bombs would be consumed.
From time to time, an Empyrean Zinger would shatter a Prana Bomb's contents onto the stomach walls, allowing Inala's stomach to digest it and generate Prana for his use.
Using the Attribute as bait, Inala kept the Boar King in check. He didn't have the brute strength necessary to fight the Boar King head-on like Resha, but he had his methods.
Grey sand formed a small cloud as Inala revolved around it and accurately targeted the trapped Boar King. Resha used his gravity on the particles of grey sand and caused them to fly towards the Boar King.
He winced in pain as the particles of grey sand multiplied in number by consuming his Prana.
"I see, I see. This is a festival." Virala stopped before the gate leading into Layer 0 as he caught his breath. A few seconds of rest later, he assumed Mystic Ewworm form and consumed an extra key in his possession—one that led to an adjacent Compartment in Layer 1.
He turned around to stare at a Storage Lantern flying at him and leaped back to pass through the gate, watching the gate tank the attack. He then peeked his head through the layer and stared at the Empyrean Tusk, "Sorry, madam. I wanted this key, you see."
"Inala would win without competition if more of you enter the centre," Followed by a chuckle, he ignored Rhanalla's incensed expression and slithered through Layer 0.
Rhanalla had managed to make her way to Compartment 1-L and was about to enter the centre in order to reinforce Inala. Hence, Virala barged into 1-L from a nearby compartment and stole her key right as she defeated an Attributed Creature.
Based on what he had observed, more and more Empyrean Tusks were reaching Layer 1. Rhanalla was the fastest among them. And the next Empyrean Tusk would enter Layer 0 in ten minutes. Another team was rapidly approaching Layer 0 too, more or less needing ten minutes too, 'I'm still unable to figure out that Empyrean Snapper's identity.'
'Before that woman reaches the centre, I'll need to obtain Attribute.' Virala recalled Dhya's appearance and felt pressured, 'If I can't get it in ten minutes, the Attribute will become Inala's as more and more Empyrean Tusks enter the centre.'
Inala had the key of Path K that led to the centre. Virala obtained Path L's key. Resha and the Boar King barged into the centre without a key. Dhya would be obtaining one of the keys while Harla Brimgan was close to getting one too, despite the setbacks she had faced.
This meant that the remaining twelve keys would be obtained by an Empyrean Tusk each, all of whom were supporting Inala. The moment he had a complete understanding of the situation, Virala sped between the rock pillars, subtle in his approach.
It wasn't easy to detect his Mystic Ewworm form as Virala was slow but patient, getting closer and closer to the Attribute. He watched Resha and Inala attacking the Boar King with a flurry of attacks, feeling Prana continuing to brim within the Boar King, 'He's able to unleash a powerful attack.'
Virala went into hiding and waited until there was an explosion of shockwaves from the Boar King that cleared out the region, causing grey sand to spill all across the place. The shockwaves destroyed the cage covering the Attribute too, forming a clear path.
Virala coiled himself like a flying snake and shot forth like a spring, using the moment when Inala and Resha were busy protecting themselves from the Boar King's attack. The Boar King's body was covered by grey sand, so he needed at least a second or two to clean himself.
'This is the opportune time!' His smile widened as Virala made a beeline towards the Attribute, one that froze up to see a shadow loom over him.
"Thanks for the ride," Orakha said upon reviving above Virala. Using a Mystic Eater as a whip, he sent Virala flying away and used the momentum to grab the Attribute, only to see the Attribute explode in response.
"What the fuck?" Orakha shouted in shock upon landing on the ground farther away as he turned around to stare at the location where the Attribute was, seeing the pillar of light continue to remain there.
Only then did he stare at the brain matter on his hand and realised what was up, "There was a fake atop the original?"
A layer of glass shattered to reveal the actual Attribute, positioned slightly below the one Orakha had grabbed, masked by the pillar of light. In anger, the latter glared at Inala and rushed towards the Attribute, only to be bombarded by a hail of Gravity Bombs, "Fucking schemer!"
"Take a look at it closely. What do you see?" Inala said as he continued to fly around, resuming attacks on the Boar King.
Stunned by his words, Orakha gathered Prana to his eyes and was able to focus better on the Attribute, noticing a line of words formed on the platform of water below it, made using a mineral deposit.
[Personal Property of Sir Inala.]
