Although Daneel had an amused look on his face, it was actually not all fun and games.
In his mind, he was completely serious, and he was monitoring the horde of beasts that they had gathered using the scent of Elanev"s flesh.
The art of using scent to attract beasts was something that was extensively researched during the Empire, mainly because of its effectiveness in luring sea beasts into shallower waters where they could be killed for their meat.
Even on Earth, this was a very complicated type of hunting which very few indulged in.
If it weren"t for the system, Daneel wouldn"t even have known where to start.
On giving the command, it had directly made a module which used a few drops of Elanev"s blood to create an almost aphrodisiac-like substance which aroused hungers of both types in most of the beasts which came upon it.
The negative side effect was that it also sent them into a frenzy, and this was on full display as the entire area of water in front of them was thras.h.i.+ng with all the various creatures that were jumping over each other to get to the prey which was driving their minds crazy.
As for the part about eating fish, it was because of a well-known fact that those who had consumed the beings from the sea were more enticing to eat for the beasts, either because of the feeling of obtaining revenge(which didn"t really make sense, as cannibalism in the sea was common) or because of the highly nutritious meat which might take the flavor of humans to another level.
At first, Elanev had been asked to just lead them around in a circle, but that was no longer possible because the trail of the horde was much too large to create a circular path where he would be safe. Hence, he was currently employing a zigzag pattern, but soon, even this would cease to be effective.
That was all right, though, because the horde would soon be big enough to satisfy the task that Daneel had created it for.
Originally, the old man had urged Daneel not to help even in this situation, but that would definitely have resulted in his elder brother"s death. Hence, both Daneel and Faxul were actively using multiple spells to speed him along his way, and the latter was even using a little of his progress in gravity and black holes to slow down the horde just a bit. This was quite effective, and it was half the reason why Elanev had not been swallowed up yet.
Finally, a few minutes later, Daneel sent a message to his elder brother.
"Now!"
With that, getting a look of relief which was quickly followed by one of slight apprehension on his face, Elanev took a deep breath and then…dived down.
Anyone who was looking on would think that he had done the dumbest thing possible. Until now, he had been on the surface, so there had at least been a little distance between him and his diehard fan following which constantly needed to jump up if they wanted to have a chance of achieving what they wished.
Now, though, Elanev was foolishly entering their domain, and that meant that his death might soon follow.
However… As soon as he completely submerged himself, a bright flash of light emerged from around him.
It was the result of a 100 Ker Gem powered one-time trinket, and it did its job.
For a moment, it was as if the entire world it up. Daneel and Faxul were prepared, so they closed their eyes and also used barriers to protect themselves, but the creatures which all had theirs wide open while awaiting the feast of their lives instantly became blinded.
With soundless screams they fell back, and Elanev managed to shoot straight into the depths of the Sea without any resistance.
Parallel to him, Daneel and Faxul followed because they had to be in range to cast the spells that were helping him.
So far… The plan was working.
All of the creatures in the horde, which now numbered over 300 Champion-level beasts and at least a few hundred Warrior-level ones became even more furious as they regained their vision.
They all had terrifying regenerative abilities, and these all came to the fore at this moment. The Champion-level beasts recovered first, and they instantly plunged down, too, as they could still follow the scent which was rafting oh so scrumptiously from below them.
"I"m never doing anything like this in my life! NEVER!"
As Elanev sent this message, Daneel felt like chuckling, but he kept his full focus on the horde.
He actively directed his elder brother- because of his head start, he managed to keep some distance between him and the creatures which were even faster now because this was their home.
Thankfully, Daneel had no dearth of techniques which greatly enhanced Elanev"s own speed, and it looked like there was a stalemate at the moment.
Yet… Things soon started to get dicey.
As they had already displayed, the Great Sharks had tremendous intelligence which they could use if they managed to control their usually out-of-control emotions.
After realizing that just following him like this might not give them success, a few Great Sharks which were more perceptive than the rest broke off from the horde and began to circle around with the intention of cutting off Elanev from the front.
Seeing this, Daneel had no option but to send Faxul on an interception course to stop them. Elanev needed to have free reign, or all of their efforts would have been for naught.
Thankfully, Faxul was now a Champion who could be relied upon, so he did the job even though he was tying down seven creatures at the same level as himself. This was mainly because the Black Raven was known for its defensive abilities, and Daneel even hoped that there would be more creatures that got the same idea.
Although he had asked the system to stop the module that attracted these beasts, it was a pity that he could not completely switch it on and off as he wanted. According to the system, slight hints were still left, and that led to more and more creatures joining the horde.
By this point, Elanev had given up on looking behind him. If he did so, he was pretty sure that he might falter and find himself in one, or even some of the other creatures" stomachs, so he just concentrated on the path ahead while repeatedly cursing his power which was just not enough to crush all these things behind him.
At the same time, a change that he didn"t even notice was coming over him, but right now, there was just no way that he could stop and see what was happening.
The old man in his mind understood, though, but Daneel blocked out his celebratory cheer and just focused on the task that he had set for himself.
However… No matter how much this underwater cat and mouse chase get happening, it did not look like his plan would come to fruition.
The creatures which were now starting to gain as even Daneel was running out of stamina made it clear that there would be no mercy in case he did not make the decision to break it all off when he still had a grasp of the situation, so the King of Lanthanor prepared to call it a day and rest before trying something else.
Yet… He could not stop the sinking feeling within him, as this had been the best and fastest one that he could come up with. All of the others required time that he didn"t have, and he had been hoping that this would work.
"Alright, enough, Elanev. Let"s begin our escape."
Daneel expected his elder brother to rejoice and curse some more, but the answer he got surprised him.
"No. Just a little more!"
Hearing this, he focused and saw that his elder brother"s entire body had turned red hot, as if he was a weapon that had been placed in a forge.
Steam was appearing from all over him, and it almost looked as if he was being cooked on the inside.
Before he could ask, the old man in Elanev"s mind sent him the answer.
"Do not panic, King. This… Is the true Overdrive inheritance. You asked me once whether it was worth it to put him through so much suffering to gain this power which did not seem so powerful to you. Now… You will understand why I chose it."
Daneel couldn"t help but notice the pride in his voice. Still, he shot a worried glance at the horde while crus.h.i.+ng a few fishes which showed interest in him and asked, "If it grows any larger, we will have trouble leaving. It has already started, right? Can"t he continue the breakthrough in a calm atmosphere?"
In a firm voice, the old man replied, "No! The very essence of this path is to be pushed to the limits for an extended period of time! If the stimulus is removed, there might even be a backlas.h.!.+ Please, you must make sure that nothing happens to him!"
In the last sentence from the old man, Daneel understood just how much he had gotten attached to him.
Even though he normally tried to act aloof, Daneel was sure that he must definitely not have cared this much for anyone else.
Those words had a certain, almost fatherly worry attached to them, and Daneel couldn"t help but wonder whether this must be how it felt to have a proper master who guided someone.
Shaking off this thought, he decided that a reverse slaughter might be necessary if they wanted to keep it up.
Going to the back of the horde, Daneel changed into a Great Shark, himself.
This wasn"t the first time that he was transforming in this way, but just like each and every time he did so, he couldn"t help but marvel at the power of this creature, especially in the sea.
It hadn"t been hard to get a piece of its consciousness, and he had done so as he didn"t want to scare creatures to death left and right by using the Leviathan.
He began to attack the creatures that he could kill easily, and in this way, he managed to maintain the size.
Yet…soon, he began to be targeted by the actual rulers of the Sea which he could not contend against, especially because they seemed ready to gang up on him due to the fear that he might succeed and deprive them of what they had come for.
Soon, Daneel found himself being attacked by 15 Champion-level beasts, and he had no option but to break off his slaughter by using another blinding trinket.
Reaching a little distance away and seeing with horror that there were now almost a thousand beasts after them, he said, "We can"t hold on anymore! We must-"
[Anomaly detected. To investigate, redirect horde east, in that direction.]
Daneel"s words abruptly cut off as he got this message, which was followed by the Heads Up Display activating him and showing him a certain point which they had pa.s.sed through.
Could it be? Could his idea have worked out?
With excitement, he shouted, "Go that way! I"ll handle them if they get too close! Faxul, come back!"
Saying so, Daneel shot forward, preparing to truly use his Champion Path if needed.
So far, he hadn"t done so as he knew that the Order might have deployed large scale formations over the Sea that would detect it if a certain level of power was displayed.
He hadn"t wanted to take a chance, but if it meant that they would succeed, then he was ready to do so.
Only…it soon began clear that it might not be necessary, as an incredible thing started to happen.
Slowly, the Champion-level beasts at the front of the horde began to slow down their speed, as if they were growing more and more unsure regarding whether they should continue or not.
The struggle was clear- their eyes would latch on to Elanev and even show emotions of desire, but they would instantly change to one of doubt.
Elanev didn"t slow down, but even he started to notice that instead of what had happened till now, the gap had actually started to increase.
With pleasant surprise, he looked back and saw the horde growing more and more reluctant.
"You did it! Great! Wait, why am I on fire?"
His last words were said after he finally noticed the change in himself, and that led to the old man sending an urgent message to Daneel.
"It was perfect timing- the breakthrough is imminent! But he needs to be taken someplace safe! If he is interrupted now, he might die!"
With a frown, Daneel wondered for a second whether they should just use this spot.
Yet…understanding the risks that were involved in doing so, which were too high, he looked in Faxul"s direction and nodded.
Both of them soon reached Elanev"s side, and by this point, all of the beasts had stopped and were looking at them with fearful eyes.
Indeed…fear had sprung up in all the beasts that had gathered, but of course, they were not the ones scaring them.
"Now, system!"
[Using ancient key. Adjusting signal to accommodate for weaker key receptor. Receptor found. Unlocking portal.]
WHOOOSSHHH!
An instant after the system sent the message, a whirlpool came into being that made the beasts move back as the danger they felt amplified.
The weaker ones began to flee, and it was only the Champion-level ones that were still present.
But as the whirlpool grew in size…even these grew too scared.
They instantly began to flee, and as for the three humans who watched all this with bemus.e.m.e.nt, they couldn"t help but wonder how wise it was to willingly walk into a place that could scare away hundreds of beings which were much more powerful than them in this way.
Alas…they had a responsibility to fulfill, and for it, they would have to walk forward, even if it felt as if they walking to their deaths.
Without speaking, all three moved into the whirlpool, and in the next second, they disappeared.