The journey was slowly ending, and the vast expanse of forests and beautiful mountains in the distance clearly demonstrated that.
"It's been two days... but nothing has happened." Atlas sighed as if a bit disappointed.
"Ohi... you should rejoice about that. After all, this big fellow is not invincible." Deus retorted, speechless by his words: "Furthermore, there are still two days left, so don't bring us bad luck."
"Hmm... two days..." He thought, staring intently at the sky: "Anyway, don't you think that the small sun is bigger and closer than last week?"
Deus had noticed that, too, but it didn't worry too much. After all, he knew the big bird up there and understood its usual routine. Such a creature wouldn't even bother about them, especially with Kurmanus at their side.
"There were a couple of times when I felt a strange sensation as if someone was observing me. Isn't that strange? After all, we didn't meet even a single life form for most of the time."
Hearing Atlas's report, Deus looked back at him strangely: "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Well... I thought it was you or Kurmanus doing..."
"Idiot..." Deus sighed: "... Anyway, don't worry about that. They wouldn't dare to make a move. As for what will happen later, I hope they are not too obstinate."
Another day passed, and the temperature was incredibly high in this place where a small sun was always shining brightly. Luckily, Kurmanus's energy protected the oasis on top of his shell, making it fresh and safe.
It was already midday when Atlas's group noticed something strange coming out of the terrain. The terrain was no longer only a vast expanse of sand but covered by boulders of rock and sparse vegetation.
"Look there... There is smoke coming out from those fissures!" Atlas said, jumping down from the peak of a tree.
"Yeah... it's way too strange." Deus muttered in a low voice and then shouted: "Old Turtle... Can you feel something strange?"
Kurmanus, who had kept his mouth shut in the last few days, said: "Indeed, there is something right below those boulders. A big fellow is waiting there for its prey."
"Can you handle it?" Deus asked calmly.
"It's a nasty little bastard but not so challenging to manage."
As if answering Kurmanus' venous words, the soil in front broke into four enormous parts with a huge and deep hole at the center.
Soon, a dense mass of black smoke corroded by purple lightning flowed out from the hole directed toward the sky.
SKRYYY!!!
A piercing noise followed, bringing a huge shadow longer than three hundred feet.
A figure with a long and narrow body appeared from the smoke. It was a giant snake with two bizarre horns on its head and purple scales all over its body. Smoke mixed with a yellow liquid kept flowing out of its mouth, filling the area with its stench.
"It's a Desert Horned Cerastir..." Atlas shouted, identifying the huge creature: "I faced one of these bastards before, but it was way smaller and weaker."
Kurmanus didn't react like Atlas and instead scoffed: "Little snake... After many trials, you have reached the Pseudo-God Realm, yet you are still so stupid!"
One of his pawns moved forward, generating solid winds to contrast the dense smoke expanding toward them.
A simple movement filled with tremendous momentum.
"Go farting somewhere else!" Kurmanus growled angrily.
Clearly, he didn't want to fight against this opponent if not entirely necessary, so he exerted his Cultivation Realm like the last time.
A Netherius aura was on an entirely different level compared to a Pseudo-God. However, the Cerastir stood rooted on the ground, ignoring its warning.
"A tough fellow... I see."
Finally, for the first time since the beginning of the journey, Atlas witnessed Kurmanus's profound powers, which were horrifying beyond belief.
All happened too fast for the young man to follow, but what was transpiring before him was clear.
Suddenly, Cerastir's head stuck on the ground as if a gigantic hand had pushed its head mercilessly from above. The ground cracked more from the impact, forcing the creature's scaled tail into the open.
A shirl followed, and muffled noises escaped from the poor creature beaten like a dog.
"Damn, bastard... know your place."
Kurmanus's paw lifted from the ground, racing to its enemy's head. Wasting point with this ant was pointless, so the old turtle didn't hold back and slammed its paw toward its head.
Everything was ending so rapidly, showing the great discrepancy between the two creatures. Alas, before that deadly hammer could slam, something blocked its path.
BOOM!!!
The impact remained, but it completely differed from what Kurmanus had expected because another dark-brown body was effortlessly blocking its attack.
Freed from its opponent's oppression, the first creature retreated below the ground rapidly, leaving behind a new opponent. It was a slightly different version of the Desert Horned Cerastir with dark red horns and a longer body covered in dark-brown scales till its tail.
"Damned bastard... Shame on you!" Kurmanus cursed, staring fiercely at his new enemy: "A Netherius God shamelessly hiding below the ground like a scared rat!"
Angered by its meddling, Kurmanus applied more power on his paw and roared with all his strength, shocking the ground a hundred feet below it.
Feeling the pressure increasing exponentially, the Cerastir evaded hastily retroceding into the distance.
Facing such a dreadful enemy, the snake sprayed deadly poison from afar, mixing its attack with the dense smoke in the area.
The poison flew through the air at an abnormal speed, yet tens of feet away from Kurmanus, it fell from the sky like a rock piercing the soil. Something was all around its body, a strange and heavy energy that protected the old turtle from danger.
The Cerastir was smart enough to keep its distance. Alas, Kurmanus merely smirked at its futile attempt and channeled his next attack.
In a couple of seconds, something strange happened all around them. It was as if the space was slowly taking life. In fact, sand and rocks started moving toward the old turtle as if pulled by an invisible force.
Even the Cerastir suffered the same fate, but it was way more potent than those inanimate things.
As a response, the Cerastir wiggled its long body along the ground to contrast the suction power. Unfortunately, it was all to no avail because everything before it moved inexorably toward the ferocious predator.
Shrills of terror and unwillingness escaped the creature's muzzle because it didn't want to die in such a stupid way.
Clearly, Kurmanus ignored its plead and instead exerted even more power, feeling the deep below its feet with increasing intensity. He was worried that this prey would also escape from his grasp, and sure enough, two more shadows darted from the ground, encircling his body from multiple sides.
The dangerous auras of the newcomer forced Kurmaus to divert the pulling force onto one of them, making a swift and decisive attack.
The two new Cerastir at the God Realm reacted immediately, sensing the peril, and simultaneously attacked the turtle to the head and paw.
Seeing their poisonous fangs reaching for its open parts, Kurmanus extended its neck abruptly, biting into the body of one of the attackers.
Caught by surprise, the smaller creature couldn't react in time and fell prey to its aggressor, who threw him toward the other one.
Kurmanus planned to gather its enemy in a smaller area and use his gravitation force to his advantage. Alas, with three enemies, his plan had too many gaps and inevitably suffered from one of the Cerastir's assaults.
His body had high resistance to poisonous substances, so he didn't care too much about it, but facing those three alone was an arduous battle.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone, and at some point, Deus's severe voice reached his ears: "When I tell you... take down the one on the left."
Deus was still too weak and couldn't help him directly against them, but he was a creature who survived nine evolutions, making its soul a fearful weapon.
A few seconds later, a roar echoed in the space, and noticing the confused reaction of the one on the left, Kurmanus attacked with all its might...