The floor until a metre before Torq had cracked wide, causing small stone fragments to fall into the gap that had formed. The depth in the crack reached at least a dozen metres.
Runthral stood a metre outside Torq’s range, and hence, the crack stopped a metre before Torq. This wasn’t an issue for Runthral, as he moved to another spot and created a crack from there too.
Then, like the position of every number in a clock, he caused a crack towards the centre and split the floor wide.
C-Crack!
In the vicinity of Torq, the cracks developed on the ground, as the piece of floor–a metre around him–was surrounded by the caved floor. It was just a matter of time before the floor underneath him collapsed and he fell into the caved section.
Then, the ground will seal shut, crushing Torq to paste in the process.
"You won’t be escaping this alive, Boiboi!" Runthral shouted, on the verge of splitting the floor one last time. That would completely collapse the ground underneath Torq.
Seated on the stands was a bald old man, eyeing the situation with a frown. He was the Academy Principal, Khakha. Aged 386 years, he was an experienced master of the Cooter Clan, having been through plenty of fights until now.
"Principal, did you call?" An instructor bowed behind him respectfully. He was the one who had repeatedly whipped Boiboi.
"Tell me, Dudu." The Principal, Khakha asked the instructor, "How many times have you whipped Boiboi?"
"Six times," Replied Dudu, the instructor, expressing his frustration, "I only wish to get that opportunity once Boiboi graduates."
"Tell me," Principal Khakha pointed at the eight students lying unconscious beside Runthral, "What are your thoughts about that?"
"They’ve made their choice." Replied Dudu, "It’s their honour to serve their Deity."
"Right," The Principal paused for a couple of seconds and then asked, "Do you think Runthral’s actions are justified?"
"As long as he’s operating within the Clan Rules, he is justice." Instructor Dudu stated without hesitation.
"That is true," Principal Khakha nodded, "But that’s only limited to the Cooter Clan."
"What about the outside?" He asked next, "Do you think Runthral’s actions won’t have consequences?"
"What?" Instructor Dudu was confused for a moment before he spawned a stream of water that behaved like a slide to the top of the stadium. He jumped on the slide and skated to the top as the water streamed upwards.
Arriving at the topmost part of the stadium, he was able to peer into the sea beyond. His face paled as he noticed a dark shadow moving underwater, heading towards the island. Promptly, he swerved his head towards the Principal and shouted, "We need to sound the alarm!"
"Why?" Asked Principal Khakha.
"The students need to go into hiding!" Instructor Dudu shouted in response. A few students far away who managed to hear his shouts became alarmed, wondering the reason why.
However, a faint mist spread across the stands, damping Instructor Dudu’s voice. Before the latter could do anything about it, Principal Khakha stood before him and touched the latter once.
"Guhh!" Instructor Dudu felt out of breath, feeling severely dehydrated all of a sudden. He noticed he was sweating immensely, as a pool of sweat had gathered around his legs. Lips drying and cracked, throat parched, and with slightly shrivelled skin, Instructor Dudu eyed the Principal in horror, "Why...are you doing this?"
"The students will all die at this rate."
"This isn’t even on the level of a minor crisis." Principal Khakha snorted, "They are merely Iron Grade Pranic Beasts who have been lured in by Runthral’s presence."
Runthral was an Empyrean Snapper. So, his presence was at the Gold Grade. However, he was merely a baby Empyrean Snapper. This meant he was no different from an Elixir to the Iron Grade Pranic Beasts.
There was a solid chance they could mutate into stronger variants upon consuming him. Most Iron Grade Pranic Beasts weren’t even able to endure the presence unleashed by an adult Empyrean Snapper.
However, a baby Empyrean Snapper was fair game. And as Runthral made big moves with his power, his presence radiated out of the island the Academy of Accumulation was situated upon.
This lured in the Pranic Beasts native to the sea in their vicinity.
"Had our students been paying attention to our classes and training diligently, they could easily survive this." Principal Khakha snorted, "But, if they can’t even handle this meagre threat, then they’re better off dead."
"Remember this," He announced, "We abolished our previous traditions and created the Academy of Accumulation precisely to raise competent Clansmen who can handle extremely dangerous situations. After all,"
"Sumatra has gotten incredibly dangerous in the last century."
Approaching the island through the water was a Pranic Beast shaped like a stingray, but sporting the lower body of a serpent. The entirety of the creature’s body was covered by scales, which glistened under the sunlight at shallow waters.
Intermediate Iron Grade Pranic Beast–Troitail!
With a Prana capacity of 590 and a lifespan of 92 years, the Troitail was a Pranic Beast that lived as a school and typically fed on marine plant life that was present in abundance at the Tsloch Sea.
But when their lives were threatened, they shed their scales, which stuck to the target and exploded.
Primary Nature–Depth Compression!
It allowed a Troitail to swim to depths underwater that was capable of crushing their bodies flat. In this pressing pressure, they stored water in the scales covering their bodies and were even able to use psychokinesis to compress water further within the scales.
They were able to charge up the water pressure in the scales even closer to the surface. However, it consumed too much Prana. It was more efficient just to swim to depths and charge up there as compared to at the surface.
The scales, when shed, floated at the shed spots, moving only thanks to the undercurrents. But by treating them as Spirit Weapons, the Troitail is able to hurl the scales at the targets and then release the psychokinesis pressuring the water within, causing an explosion.
Now, these Pranic Beasts gathered before the stadium walls that bordered the island and the sea.
Pat-Pat-Pat!
Over a hundred scales lodged into a section of the wall and exploded, spewing out a torrential waterfall alongside rock debris that formed the wall.
A deep crater had formed on the wall, almost boring through a tiny hole to the other side. Another bunch of scales lodged at the same spot and exploded, generating a second waterfall. And this time, they had bored a five-metre-wide hole though.
Upon curling its stingray body’s wingspan, the Troitail barely reached half a metre in diameter. Its overall length reached four metres.
Followed by a series of explosions that generated a constant waterfall, the Troitails flapped their bodies and swam upstream, using the waterfall as a bridge to enter the lowermost section of the stands in the stadium.
And then, they flooded the Academy.