Sumatra's Greatest Fan

Chapter 213: Harmony Versus Unity

Numbering 150 in total was the Boot Squad, one of the squads part of the vanguard. Since they had already captured the entrance region of a biome, and had completed the installation of the Vara pipeline to maintain information flow, they didn’t leave behind any bodies at the entrance.

The vanguard was composed of those with the means to forge a path ahead. The rear was composed of geniuses, researchers, and future powerhouses who all wanted to gain experience.

In the middle was the majority of the expedition forces, who were in charge of development, fortifying bases captured by the vanguard, laying down logistics, etc.

Currently, a few squads had already captured the surface area near the respective mounds. That’s why the Boot Squad could focus on venturing deeper this time.

The biome was shaped like an egg placed horizontally, stretching for close to twenty metres, segmented into two, the Entrance and the Depths.

The Entrance has a lower number of pillars hanging from the ceiling, with plenty of open spaces filled with ponds, plants, and other resources necessary for survival. Majority of the Pranic Beasts on Nusantara Continent were omnivorous, as the distinction between predator and prey has been mostly blurred out, for every living being was an Expert Gold Grade Pranic Beast.

The Depths of the biome was littered with a dense clutter of pillars, from whom plants crew, creating a hanging forest. Only a narrow stretch of space, around twenty metres, existed between the hanging forest and the ground.

The Boot Squad had to traverse through this section, without much sight upon enemy position, since the thick forest cover above blocked their senses and Prana detection means.

Prana detection means have an issue in that they couldn’t penetrate through thick enough blocks of earth or other solids. Without any gaps, they will be completely blocked off. The hanging forest was pretty dense.

But the biggest problem came from the dancing leaves amidst them, which happened when the Garrinch living within were moving the branches. This created a series of congregation among the foliage, cutting off Prana detection means.

When one place became crowded, another place sported gaps, through which a Prana detection means could sense further. However, as the branches were constantly being moved, the Prana transmitted to detect was getting trapped within the foliage and getting cut off.

This was why the Boot Squad had zero visuals on the hanging forest above. Still, they had established plans to move ahead, intending to systematically take over the Depths too.

Once they gain control over the Depths, they could then begin to focus on the tunnels connecting various biomes through an underground network. That would be their key to gaining control over Citrakah Enclave.

But right as they set foot within the Depths, an existence dropped down upon them. It was an aging Garrinch, on its last legs, having been losing muscle definition for a while. It was Ou-Par-Guja, the Garrinch Race’s leader.

Seeing a barrier of wind promptly appear between the Boot Squad and itself, Ou-Par-Guja expressed its surprise, "Insane reaction speed!"

"However, your strength and capabilities are irrelevant here." As it spoke, vibrant radiance erupted out of its being, behaving like radiation as it drowned everyone in the region within it, "Now..."

"DIE!"

...

"Retreat!" FyorBuntara bellowed the instant he heard screams from the Boot Squad, ’There’s only one reason they’re screaming like this.’

State of Unity!

When a creature’s Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Natures synchronise with each other, like three blocks when joined together complete a puzzle, that becomes a State of Harmony, the strongest state a cultivator could attain.

A cultivator with a State of Harmony will be significantly stronger than a cultivator with the same build, but without harmony among his three Natures. But no matter the difference in their power output, the energy they use to unleash said output–Prana–remains as is, with the same properties.

In a State of Unity, however, this is no longer the case. For to unleash a State of Unity, the Body, Mind, and Soul of the cultivator gets fused into a singularity. Their three Natures fuse to become a single power.

In this singularity, there is no distinction between their Prana and mass. They become a single existence, a manifestation of their power, as a manifestation of their existence. That, is the State of Unity!

The nurturing properties of Prana take a backstep here, and instead, the dominant characteristic here, as a result of the singularity, is a radioactive version of Prana.

It is capable of destroying the body, mind, and soul of the target. Only a State of Unity can guard against another State of Unity, for this is a power wielded by Transcendents, which has been achieved by the natives of a Continent.

And whenever it is unleashed, it becomes apparent, for there is a vibrant release of radiance similar to the phenomenon of ionisation.

Nature–Rocky Intimidation!

The moment FyorBuntara noticed the radiation, he erected multiple pillars of rock to serve as a barrier between him and the radiation, ’We’ll all die if we were to come in contact with that!’

He noticed his skin mildly breaking out into a rash, which promptly healed. A tinge of radiation had seeped into him. Thankfully, it was within levels the nurturing aspects of his Prana could handle.

If it were to reach a certain level, then he’ll pretty much die, across his Life Stage stack, as the radiation would travel to all of his bodies through his soul.

"Run!" He roared and erected multiple rock pillars behind the Potential Squad and urged them to run up the entrance.

Boom!

A Garrinch with a suffocating presence rushed at them, intending to crash into the tip of the biome leading up the entrance.

’Dammit!’ FyorBuntara cursed, as even though he had enough reaction speed to stop the powerful Garrinch’s approach, he didn’t have enough energy to spare, for without erecting the rock pillars, the radiance will wash over the Potential Squad members.

He was at the 10-Life Stage, so he could endure and recover from a fair level of radiation. However, the rest in the Potential Squad were merely in the Body Stage, not even at its peak.

They all will die in a matter of seconds from radiation exposure. If he were to stop erecting the rock pillars, his squad would die. If he maintains the pillars, then the powerful Garrinch will block their retreat path.

’Dammit! What should I do?’ Right as he hesitated, a powerful presence erupted from one of his squad members, sharp to the extent gashes appeared on his skin merely from detecting the other party. He eyed the other party in shock, ’GaraBuntara?’

Slowly, no, his hand movements were fast, but carried so much presence, the sense of time of everyone around seemed to slow down, for their nervous systems were screaming at them to watch out, from a reflexive overdose of adrenaline.

"Back to lobby you go." Torq uttered and unleashed a crescent blade, targeting the approaching Garrinch.

And then, there was no splatter, only a pitiful wail for a fraction of a second.