Chapter 750: Sacred Desert
Michael emerged from a twinkling Runic Gate and stepped on the soft sand that stretched as far as he could see. The Diamond Transportation Token he'd received from Eren for his first mission broke in his hand, but Michael paid no attention.
The Diamond Transportation Token was a consumable that brought him to a specific location without initiating a Link of Loyalty with someone else. Simply put, Michael managed to get to the Sacred Desert without losing his Lord Powers by linking himself to some idiotic Lord struggling to survive in the Sacred Desert.
The idiots in the Sacred Desert were part of the reason Michael accepted Eren's mission. The Saphirelake Military Academy issued a S-Rank Mission on the academy's mission board. The mission was simple; To rescue the Sacred Desert.
Michael doesn't really care about the Sacred Desert or the Lords struggling to survive. The only interests he had were the resources he needed to continue the trading cycle with the Berserkers, Warlock Centaurs, Valyr, and the Forest Elves, and that Eren would give him a Cursed Technique as well as his support with Danny's vessel once the Undead Pharaoh was taken care of.
The latter was the most important. Michael would need someone's help to create a vessel for his brother. Eren was his best shot at that.
It was hot and dry in the Sacred Desert, but that didn't affect Michael much. What affected him the most was that he was back in the Origin Expanse but that the energy density in the surroundings was nowhere the same as in the Untamed Jungle.
He glanced at one of his Bronze Teleportation Tokens and felt like crushing one to return to the Untamed Jungle immediately. However, he stopped in his tracks before he would do something stupid. Michael didn't want to return to his territory just yet. The Sacred Desert could help him find out more clues about the people who ordered his brother's death.
His thoughts of revenge were not as burdensome as they used to be, but they were still present. He would kill the perpetrators sooner or later. They just had to wait for him.
[It feels weird to be back here.] Danny murmured in Michael's mind.
Michael didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, he was distracted as some noises reached him. Michael turned right, only to discover a bunch of Undead Warriors riding on Skeleton horses.
[Nehkarabia Horsemen riding on Skeleton Horses. They're the most common cavalry unit of the Undead Pharaoh's cavalry. There should also be Nehkarabia Knights riding on Ghoul Serpents nearby. I doubt that the Nehkarabia Horsemen will be out there alone.]
Unsurprisingly, Giant Ghoul Serpents, as long as cranes, emerged from the ground near the horsemen. Michael stared at them with little interest. He tapped into the Ice Sphere and conjured several Icicles. They whizzed through the air the moment Michael released them with a burst of energy. The Undead reacted too slowly. They were only at the 2nd Tier and moved too slowly to evade the attacks.
The Icicles impacted and shattered, releasing their freezing property throughout the Undead bodies. Michael released a few lightning bolts through his fingertips to crush the frozen Undead, transforming their bodies into piles of bones and rotten flesh.
[I don't think they've grown much stronger since I died. When I encountered them first, they were on the verge of Tier-2. They managed to reach the mid-tiers of Tier-2 even though they're Undead. Shouldn't it be much harder for Undead to increase their rank?]
Michael didn't answer. He was more focused on the Warbeasts that emerged near a small mountain of sand. There were soul-devouring Death Vultures and Undead Dire Wolves. The Death Vultures swallowed the sky, whereas the Undead Dire Wolves covered the beautiful glimmering sand.
A sigh escaped Michael's lips. He raised his left hand and released the Elemental Empress. The tattoo engraved on his left arm peeled off, revealing the Elemental Empress that emerged from his palm.
She giggled and jumped around, happy to be in a warm place in the Origin Expanse. This place felt much better than the underground hall. Even though she called her land underground Elemental Empire, it didn't feel like home.
Unfortunately, Zeroa's glee was disturbed by the masses of soul-devouring Death Vultures and Undead Dire Wolves.
"You can take one half, while I take the other ha-..." Michael couldn't even finish his sentence when Zeroa shot forward.
[I want all~!!]
Michael shrugged. The energy influx of the Warbeasts didn't matter much anyway. They were too weak to make a difference. Most were Tier-2, with only some being close to the 3rd Tier. The Elemental Empress was strong enough to burn them to ashes with mythical flames.
Michael watched the Elemental Empress for a while until Danny pulled his attention away.
[The Monstrous Infantry has taken notice of you. There are Anubirats and Kleshabits. They're Superior Existences that reached the Peak of the 2nd Tier when I fought them. If they improved like the other Undead, they'll probably be Tier-3 Superior Existences now.]
Michael watched the Anubirats - giant guardian statues carved into the likeness of the Gods and Goddesses that were loved and prayed to during the Second Epoch - with a faint smile. The Anubirats might be imposing monuments reminiscent of the former glory of the Desert Gods in the Second Epoch, but they didn't feel like much to Michael. Not after he witnessed the battle of two Divine Lifeforms.
Even though neither Eren nor Bloodhound used their full power, Michael was thousands of times more impressed by their power than the Anubirats' appearances.
In ancient times, the living warriors of the Sacred Desert took great strength from the fact that the Anubirats fought alongside them. They believed that their Gods guided and protected them, whether it was in life or in death.
The Kleshabits were not that much different. They were guardian statues the size of an elephant. However, they didn't like fighting alongside their warriors. They stood at the back with a huge six-meter-long great bow in their hands - their arrows represent the fragility of life. Each arrow would find its target, eliminating another life. The remnants of the deceased would then be pulled into the Sacred Desert, where all traces of their existence would be washed away.
A few large arrows whizzed through the air shortly after Danny warned him. Michael released a Qi Barrier before him to block the arrows. The barrier crackled lightly after the last arrow was impacted. That was unexpected, but it didn't matter much.
Michael used Cosmic Stride to appear behind the Kleshabits, conjured Aethyr in the shape of a massive Warhammer, and coated it with Qi right before taking a swing at the enormous statue. The first Kleshabits was struck by the gigantic Warhammer and shattered, unable to resist the massive force that impacted.
Michael teleported beside another Kelshabit and struck out once again. Rinse and repeat, Michael slain the Kleshabits in the proximity in less than a minute. They fell one after another, leaving nothing but energy influxes and rubble behind.
"Didn't you say that they're powerful?" Michael teased his brother lightly.
[You tend to forget that I had only one Soultrait, not a single Cursed Seal and that I was at a lower rank than you at that time!!]
"Excuses~" Michael laughed lightly, only for Danny to curse.
[Bastard!]