Chapter 585: Trap

The rebellion of the Untamed Jungle, as Michael named it, was merely the beginning of a much bigger event. It triggered a domino effect of unknown extent.

Michael's earlier actions had already been enough to stagnate the progress of the Zentika Empire's invasion, however, the Monster Horde's attack and the annihilation of the Zentika Empire's camps was on an entirely different level.

Michael could have destroyed the camps as well, but he didn't want to attract more attention from the Zentika Empire. He had been hoping to reach a silent agreement with the camps to live peacefully alongside the camps, for a few months, at least. A few months would have been more than enough to focus on the Savannah Region and their Regional War.

He would have traveled to the Savannah Region once the situation allowed him to move freely, and attack the Council of Xylon alongside the Trilance and the Savannah Expedition. Unfortunately, that was not feasible.

The Scouts, which Michael had sent into the Zentika Empire, reported back to him, sharing that an army of the Zentika Empire gathered. One of the Zentika Empire's armies was deployed to the Untamed Jungle!

'They will arrive in a few days. More than 150,000 seasoned Soldiers...'

Michael didn't receive much valuable information. All he knew was that the Zentika Empire's army was called Heart of the Blazing Lion and that they had 150,000 seasoned Soldiers left after utterly destroying Taros' territory in the Southern Ice Mountains. It was not a lot, but the information made him recall something he'd learned in the past.

Since he digested many Memory Orbs from Adventurers who had been living in the Zentika Empire for years, Michael could tap into their memories to recall certain facts about the Heart of the Blazing Lion. It was a powerful army with many powerful Adventurers. Most native members were 2-Star Firebender, 2-Star Pyromatic Knights, or 2-Star Ashen Berserkers.

The memories were interesting but they didn't show him the Rank and Tier of his opponents. The Heart of the Blazing Lion could be an army with most members at the 2nd Tier, or they could be an Elite force with a vast majority of Tier-3 powerhouses. In both cases, Michael was certain that their Generals, Commanders, and Captains were Higher Lifeforms, otherwise, the Heart of the Blazing Lion would have never deployed to deal with a Monster Horde led by a dozen High Beasts.

'Since the Untamed Jungle ignores me...should I participate in secret as well? I can deal with the Monster Horde later if the High Beasts turn against me, but the Zentika Empire...I rather eliminate them and fight some monsters later...'

The current situation of his territory was certainly not bad, however, the strongest forces of the military were busy bashing some heads in the Savannah Region. Facing the Heart of the Blazing Lion army head-on was certainly not the best move.

He fell deep in thought, the cogs in his mind rattling wildly.

But before he could make a decision, Michael's heart began to thump wildly. Something inside him pulled tightly, inflicting pain and a burning sensation deep within Michael.

A flood of terror and pain passed through two Links of Loyalty, taking Michael's breath away.

'Fuck'

**

A few minutes earlier in the Savannah Region.

Immortal Knight emerged next to a Holy Knight, his heavy broadsword shimmering brightly as he cleaved down. The blade split the Awakened in front of him in two parts. The Awakened didn't even have the slightest chance to block the attack. His Soultrait was unleashed at full power, but Immortal Knight's Supreme Holy Sword cut through the Awakened's Armament Soultrait like it was nothing.

Hot blood gushed onto Immortal Knight's face and armor, drenching his armor in fresh blood. Dried blood covered his entire body at this point. He weaved left and right, evading the majority of incoming attacks while blocking the remaining attacks with the flat side of the heavy broadsword.

It had been a while since the Immortal Knight overflowed with this much adrenaline. However, he couldn't feel happy about that...not right now.

Siegfried Dracoon passed through the rows of enemies, eliminating a dozen Soldiers in a matter of seconds until he arrived in a small depression. Only a dozen Adventurers were in the depression, but those Adventurers were the most fearsome enemies on the entire battlefield. That was what Siegfried's gut feeling told him.

The Immortal Knight's eyes traveled to the bottom of the depression, his attention locking onto the only unmoving body.

It was a corpse. The Laprix Lord's corpse!

One of the Trilance's Lords had been taken out, and killed. The Laprix Lord was kidnapped right in front of his allies' eyes, pulled into the depression, and stabbed to death by the dozen Adventurers.

The Valkyr, the Immortal Knight, and the other Super Elite forces rushed into the depression, but they had been too late. The death of the Laprix Lord severed his Links of Loyalty, releasing the Laprix Summons and the Adventurers under his command. They regained freedom and were allowed to do as they pleased.

Every Laprix all over the Savannah Region sensed their Lord's sudden death, and they froze in their tracks. Nobody was sure what they were supposed to do now.

The Laprix Soldiers panicked. Some let go of their weapons and fled, whereas others remained where they were, their eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"We have to eliminate them! They have a Soultrait that allows them to pull someone in their range toward them!" One of the Valyr exclaimed.

The others regained their senses as well and charged into the depression. The dozen Adventurers observed the charging Super Elite Forces and other powerhouses, the corner of their lips tilting upward.

Immortal Knight instinctively understood that something was wrong. He slowed down, his left hand lunging forward to stop the Holy Knight next to him from charging ahead.

"Stop charging!" He thundered through the vicinity suddenly.

The Holy Knights and other members of the Savannah Expedition listened to his command. They didn't hesitate and stopped at once. Some went a step further and stepped back as well. Their hearts were racing, and their bodies were telling them to charge ahead and eliminate the Adventurers given the opportunity, but they trusted Immortal Knight unconditionally.

"Holy Shield Formation!" Immortal Knight bellowed, churning most of his accumulated Holy Power through his body. He twisted the heavy broadsword and pierced it into the ground.

Both hands held tightly onto the broadsword's handle as he infused his Holy Power into it. The broadsword began to shimmer at once, however, there was more to it. The Holy Sword expanded. It grew wider and transformed into a shield, a Holy Shield empowered with Holy Power.

The Holy Knights arrived next to the Immortal Knight. They retrieved their shields and used the Holy Shield formation with their shields as a medium. Hundreds of Holy Shields manifested in the following seconds. They connected and fused into a humongous barrier that separated the Immortal Knight and his people from the depression.

All of a sudden, the 12 Adventurers, who'd been standing in the center of the depression, disappeared. They were in the depression one second and disappeared when the first Valkyr were about to reach them.

'Illusion? Teleportation?' Siegfried wondered, now certain that his course of action had been correct.

As the Adventurers disappeared, the scenery within the depression suddenly changed. Crackling noises resounded through the entire depression. At first, the crackling was quiet. Only a few heard the noises through the thunderous sounds surrounding them. However, the crackling grew louder by the second.

It overwhelmed the surrounding noises, forcing everyone to halt in their tracks.

All of a sudden, a burst of energy flooded the vicinity.

A moment later, the depression with everyone inside, erupted in fire.

A horrifying explosion reverberated throughout the depression, bursting the ground and everyone overhead apart. The Valkyr tried to respond timely, but they could barely cover their bodies with a firm membrane of energy when a blazing inferno ruptured through the ground, erupting in a bright pillar that burned everything within alive.

The Zynur and Laprix burned to death within seconds, whereas the screams of the Valyr reverberated through the surroundings.

The Immortal Knight and the others stared at the blazing inferno that erupted in front of them. They were safe and sound behind the Holy Shield formation, but their minds were in a mess.

Who reported that the Council of Xylon couldn't fight as dirty? They could play with fire as well!