Chapter 681: Grand Finale [VI]
Dozens of Summons surrounded Zeron Polik. He brandished his pair of blades and slashed the throats of two enemies.
His Soultraits, Swift Steps, Haste, and Tempest Blade were unleashed to the brim, drastically accelerating his movement speed. Each slash and strike released an additional second attack conjured from compressed winds. The strength of the Tempest Blade was directly correlated to the amount of energy and strength used in the initial attack.
That allowed him to turn minor wounds into mortal injuries. A tiny scratch transformed into a gaping wound as the Tempest Blade burst out of Zeron's blades.
He kicked the enemies behind him with his hind legs, hurling them through the air before accelerating again. He weaved around his enemies quickly and agilely, killing dozens of Tier-3 Summons. After he released a bunch of Tempest Blades in all directions, Zeron Polik managed to kill various weaker Summons. The Tempest Blade had enough destructive power to destroy the defense of those who had yet to reach Tier-3. It was powerful and a threat to many Tier-3 Awakened as well.
Once Zeron reached top speed using Swift Steps and Haste together, he was faster than some Higher Lifeforms. The Higher Lifeforms of the Savannah forces noticed that and diverted their attention to Zeron Polik to get rid of him before he became a more significant issue.
The Savannah forces had a hard time dealing with their enemies. Their casualties were tens of times higher than the death rate of the Untamed Army. They haven't even managed to kill a single Awakened yet, either.
The Awakened of the Savannah understood the disparity in their strength quickly. They understood that the Untamed Awakened were leagues above them. There was no need to compare each other. The Savannah's Awakened were too weak. Their Artifacts were not that powerful, and their Soultraits weren't as potent either.
However, the Higher Lifeforms were still stronger than most Untamed Awakened. By combining their strength, the Higher Lifeforms managed to pin down a few Untamed Awakened. They targeted Zeron Polik and entangled his legs, forcing him to slow down until the other Higher Lifeforms confined him. Zeron Polik's most significant advantage was removed, causing him to struggle desperately against the Savannah forces.
Six Higher Lifeforms struck simultaneously. Some pierced his large lower body, which looked like a white stallion, and others struck his human-like upper body. One attack, a crimson crescent blade, slashed Zeron Polik's neck, tearing his throat apart.
A fountain of blood gushed all over the ground as searing pain swept through Zeron Polik's entire being. His sight grew hazy, and his movements sluggish.
He knew that he was about to die, but he didn't want to acknowledge his fate.
Death might not be something to fear as a Warlock Centaur, but Zeron Polik was unsatisfied with his performance. It hadn't been long since he grew stronger...since he attained true power.
He had always been weaker than the prodigies of his age, but no more. After he met Michael, his fate changed. He surpassed his peak and grew stronger than he expected. As long as he faced only a single Higher Lifeform of the Savannah's forces, Zeron Polik was confident he would emerge victorious.
Unfortunately, Zeron Polik wasn't granted more time. His legs caved in, and his body smashed hard onto the ground.
His blood pooled around him on the ground, forming a warm, crimson puddle.
'Screw this!' He cursed in his mind, rage and frustration accumulating deep inside his heart.
'Beat the shit out of them, Michael. PLEASE!' Zeron Polik thought as the last bits of life escaped his body.
He went still. His body stiffened. The Oath of Loyalty broke.
However, before breaking the Oath of Loyalty transferred Zeron Polik's rage and frustration to Michael.
Michael was bound to fulfill Zeron Polik's last wish. It was fated to happen.
But there was one thing that wasn't in fate's control.
The awakening of the crimson-golden Cursed Seal was not in fate's grasp. It has never been.
**
Michael was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of corpses.
Their energy influx flooded his War Rune, refining it repeatedly amid the battlefield.
Michael was fortunate that his soul and body were stronger than the norm. By possessing a Cursed Soul and so many Soultraits, Michael was naturally stronger than others. He also managed to contain so many unprocessed energy influxes and energy shares without feeling stuffy. Others would feel like they were on the verge of exploding, but Michael hadn't noticed anything yet. He barely saw anything in the first place.
The vibrant colors around him were drained and altered as the world dyed crimson.
All he could see were the masses of enemies.
Thousands of Qi Extraction Swords manifested in the sky. Before today, manifesting so many Qi Extraction Swords would have been difficult, but that was not the case anymore. Michael could tell instinctively that he was slowly getting closer to Extraction's Essence. It was only a matter of time before he unraveled his Soultrait's true potential and potency.
His understanding of his Soultraits' properties increased drastically over the last few weeks. However, his sensitivity toward Extraction's power skyrocketed under the influence of the four Cursed Seals.
It was shocking how much Michael understood all of a sudden.
The Qi Extraction Swords had been infused with enough lifeforce to kill any Lesser Lifeform. Michael hurled them in all directions, each Qi Extraction Sword reaping a life.
Some Qi Extraction Swords barely cut the targets, but that was enough to insert the lifeforce into the Lesser Lifeforms, slaughtering them. The lifeforce tore them apart from within, resulting in a gruesome death.
Michael didn't care about how they died. All that mattered to him was that the Savannah forces died.
He teleported to some Higher Lifeforms and circled them with hundreds of Qi Extraction Swords. 7-Star True Extraction merged with 5-Star Reinforced Sword Qi. Michael added bits and pieces of his Elementals Spheres to use spatial and earth-
attributed energy to restrain the Higher Lifeforms' movements before the Qi Extraction Swords exploded forth.
The Higher Lifeforms blocked most attacks, but many scratched them, triggering Insert. Insert a large amount of Extraction's power into the Higher Lifeforms, further draining their lifeforce and origin energy.
Michael couldn't kill many Higher Lifeforms instantaneously, but some of them fell victim to his overwhelming power. He added Heavenly Beast Physique to the fray, appeared the Aethyr Blade, and focused a portion of True Extraction Domain's power on it.
Michael added a few Enhancement layers and applied Reinforced Sword Qi on the Aethyr Blade. However, that was not enough to contain True Extraction. Its potency had been enhanced several times and was strong enough to overwhelm Michael.
He couldn't block the potency and fell victim to it as well.
His body was torn apart, the skin and flesh all over his hands and arms dissected while he was still alive.
It was far more painful than Michael imagined, but he tried to ignore it as much as possible. His expression distorted in pain, yet he killed two Higher Lifeforms by beheading them with the True Qi Extraction Sword that engulfed the Aethyr Blade.
Right after, Michael inserted a massive amount of energy into Archangel's Grace.
Three pairs of humongous white-feathered wings sprouted from his back. However, they didn't look like they used to look.
Michael's wings sparkled in golden mots, and crimson vein-like threads passed through them.
Archangel's Grace manifestation looked bloodthirsty. It didn't seem like a Healing-type Soultrait at this point.
However, Michael knew that nothing significant about the Soultrait had been changed. The only change was that Archangel's Grace merged with the True Extraction Domain. Specifically, it tapped into the energy and lifeforce traversed through the True Extraction Domain.
Michael's body regenerated rapidly, barely countering the effect of the Qi True Extraction Sword that threatened to tear his arms apart.
He healed as fast as he sustained damage. That was just what Michael needed, if not for the unbearable pain that continued to sweep through his arms as they were torn apart and healed countless times.
It was exhausting, but Michael was too happy.
He didn't have to hold back for the sake of his mortality.
He could go all out and break the limits of his mortal body!