Chapter 368: Guard Settlement

Despite the broad daylight, Michael and the others didn't hesitate to attack the guard settlement. On the contrary, the broad daylight created various openings.

The Golden Stinger Wasp's golden sheen was harder to make out as it flew high above the settlement's walls to move back and forth, switching places with the Kitsun Awakened she stung every now and then.

The Golden Stinger Wasp could swap places with a total of three Kitsun Awakened before their disappearance was noticed. But at that point, Sun Demos and the Monkey troupe had already made their move. They attacked the settlement from north, and distracted the guards, who moved rapidly to up their defense and deflect the attacking monsters.

Meanwhile, Michael, Icarus and the others ascended into the air once again. Ignoring the potential dangers, Icarus and his mate began to circle above the settlement at an altitude of more than 200 meters with everyone on their backs.

Since all towering trees in the vicinity had been cleared to make space for the settlement and its wide-spread structures, Icarus and his mate weren't hidden. A single glance up in the air was all it would take to discover the two Greater Eagles. Fortunately, Sun Demos and his Monkey Troupe worked well as a distraction.

The lack of towering trees allowed the Guards to discover the threats in the surroundings more easily. Defending against Sun Demos and the Monkey Troupe was much easier as well. All attacking monsters had to cross a flat area void of trees and other hiding spots before they reached the settlement's thick walls.

That was a little annoying for Sun Demos, but it was not an issue that affected Michael and the rest. Icarus and his mate continued to circle above the settlement while Lilica, and the other Forest Elves retrieved their Bow Artifact. A bunch of arrows followed right after. Nocking their arrows on the firm bowstring, the Forest Elves moved in unison. They channeled energy into the arrows and twisted their upper bodies to peek right over the Greater Eagles' wide back.

It was not easy to stay still in the air while a few Forest Elves kept moving on their backs, but the Greater Eagles did their utmost to move as little as possible as the Forest Elves pulled their bowstring back. They aimed to the ground, the settlement's walls to be precise, and released their arrows in unison.

Mika Zels was the only one using his Soultraits just before he released the arrow. He used Arrow Duplication and Pierce together, ignoring the high energy consumption that followed up. His arrow that was coated in white light cut through the air. It dove downward with high-speed and split up into several dozen copies. A simple series of arrows turned into a downpour of deadly Pieckers that had been further enhanced by Pierce.

Michael witnessed the arrows' impact with Eagle Eyes fully activated. The Forest Elves' aim had been impeccable, creating a graphic image of death, blood and disbelief on the ground. Only a few seconds passed, yet Michael felt energy shares reaching him. The Forest Elves first batch of arrows killed more than 30 Guards. It was a good way to start the assault - a very very good way.

Following the Forest Elves first attack, they released a second batch of arrows in the same direction. They hunted the Guards stationed on the northern walls, creating the opportunity Sun Demos and the Monkey Troupe had been waiting for.

Following the Forest Elves' actions, the Elemental Empress began to move as well. She was still Tierless, but she had accumulated enough power to create a handful of fireballs. The fireballs revolved around her for a second before she released them on the settlement. However, her aim was not very precise. It was already hard enough to maintain the shape of the fireballs over a distance of 200 meters, and accurately hit the target. After all, she was merely Tierless.

Despite her inaccurate aim, the Elemental Empress' attack was far from useless. She aimed at the large wooden buildings and hit most of them. The buildings caught fire and were set ablaze in no time, causing more chaos and distraction.

Michael manifested the Wyverntooth Spear in his right hand and glanced at Tiara, who was holding her spear as well. In the next moment, Michael disappeared, replaced by a small, yet energetic Golden Stinger Wasp.

Michael reappeared near the barracks of the settlement. At the same time, the Golden Stinger Wasp began to move once again, moving Tiara down to the settlement.

Without waiting until Tiara arrived, Michael began to move. He released Extraction to cover his body in a golden layer while summoning the Spirit Armor Set. His strength increased in response and the energy in the surroundings was pulled in his direction.

Right after Michael sensed that Extraction absorbed the dense origin energy in the vicinity, he began to utilize Eagle Eyes and Spirit Gaze as well. His vision sharpened, the energy streams around him became more prominent, and even the minor details in the street opposite him were easy to make out.

Michael channeled energy through his lower body and kicked the ground. He dashed to the barracks' open gates where more than a hundred Guards put on their armors hastily. It was not their shift yet, but the alarm bells had rung, indicating they were under an unexpected attack. All they knew was that some monsters attacked from the north. Some said they'd seen arrows pour down from the sky, but all the Guards saw were two eagles circling above the settlement.

It was uncommon for aerial monsters to hover above the settlement, but it happened occasionally. Sometimes vultures from the savannah circled above the guard settlement, usually when a beast wave was about to occur, or when the smell of death lured them to the Untamed Jungle.

Thus, the guards didn't think too much about the news of the first batch of arrows. However, the second and third batch alarmed them. Most Guards had a bad feeling, which intensified when they sensed something approaching the barracks. Some Kitsun halted in their tracks with their armor in their hands when a terrifying presence encompassed the barracks. Their heads flicked to the left, where they saw a young human covered in a golden sheen rush in their direction.

One moment they saw Michael, and the next moment they groaned out loudly. A wave of indomitable force smashed into them out of nowhere. Their hearts' constricted and a sharp bolt of pain shot through their heads almost like their brains were about to burst apart. Not even a second later, most of the Guards looking in Michael's direction collapsed on the ground, unconscious and twitching like fishes pulled out of water.

Michael had consumed a considerable amount of energy to experiment with the power of Spirit Disturbance, but the result was quite satisfactory to look at. A few dozen Guards collapsed on the ground, attracting the attention of their brethren. They looked over to their brethren in shock, missing the most crucial timing to finish their preparations against Michael's attack.

He arrived in the barracks, manifesting six Qi Swords that revolved around his body as he began to wreak havoc with the Wyverntooth Spear. Michael observed everything in the barracks with great precision. Nothing escaped his sight, not even the few Awakened, who'd retrieved some objects from their War Runes. Some retrieved metal balls, while others retrieved communication crystals from their War Runes. However, before they could do anything, Michael's Qi Swords propelled forward, piercing the heads of the Awakened, who were just about to throw the metal balls at Michael.

Michael switched his position on the ground and moved to the Awakened with the communication crystal.

"He arrived? That's earlier than predicted... Stall for some time until reinforcement arrives!" Michael heard through the communication crystal before he pierced the Wyverntooth Spear through the Kitsun Awakened's throat. He twisted the blade inside the Kitsun's throat and tore downward, ending the Awakened's life instantly.

'They expected us? Well, that is not exactly surprising,' Michael thought, turning around to see Tiara arriving.

"We have to speed up. Reinforcement is on the way," Michael said aloud.

Everyone in the barracks heard him, but the Kitsun, who were still more-or-less alive, weren't happy. On the contrary, fear filled their entire being witnessing how calm the attacker sounded when he announced that the reinforcement of the Kitsun Lord was about to come.

Michael's silverish-golden glowing eyes moved across the remaining survivors of the barracks, Spirit Disturbance activated with the lowest possible energy consumption. The Tier-1 Guards groaned in pain and nearly collapsed, while the Guards and Awakened at the 2nd Tier grit their teeth, trying to endure Michael's attack.

Unfortunately, they didn't expect another mental attack to strike them from behind. Tiara used Spirit Whips to strike the Tier-2 Awakened and Guards heavily, not without inflicting a few deep gashes on their bodies with her spear. Tiara changed her attack pattern every few strikes.

First, she struck everyone around her with Spirit Whips, then she moved around, using Inner Force to change her attack trajectory while thrusting forward with the spear. Her spear blade ended up in a different target than her previous one with every attack. She reaped one life after another, yet her thirst for blood was not sated. She kept using one feint after another to attack straightforwardly without a change in her brute force or strength.

Moving through the barracks with rapid speed and nimble movements, Tiara never stopped smiling. Her smile widened as her experiments with Spirit Whip created much better results than she could have hoped for. It was extraordinary...It was addictive!

Learning new moves and using her new Soultraits to create entirely new fighting styles was difficult. At first, it took her a while to utilize her Soultraits efficiently, however, that was fine. It was definitely worth the effort.

Looking over at Michael, excitement mixed with a tinge of envy swept through her entire being.

'He is amazing...'