Chapter 882: The Third

It was interesting how easy it was to conquer the third settlement. Michael noticed the sentries' lackluster discipline and attacked the settlement without changing a lot. The most significant change was his preparation of Living Poison and True Extraction Essence. He could have wasted a lot of time accumulating enough energy, soul power, and lifeforce to create Living Poison and convert energy into True Extraction Essence, but Michael went down the lazy path.

He retrieved more than a thousand Superior Energy Stones and exerted Swallow Domain. The Energy Stones were swallowed instantly, only for Michael to use Permute and transform the stones into True Extraction Essence and the components of Living Poison. Once he had the components, Michael easily produced the Living Poison, which he mixed with the True Extraction Essence. Only after Michael had finished the task did they attack the settlement. The Behemoth Elephant was the first to emerge in the settlement center. However, this time, the Behemoth Elephant was given more means of protection. First, Michael inserted Enhancement into the Behemoth Elephant's hide, strengthening it drastically. However, that was only the beginning. Mekhaz applied Repel Runes on the Behemoth Elephant with Michael's help while others were tasked to use their Protection-type Soultraits to ensure the Behemoth Elephant's survival.

If the third conquest had been similar to the second bloody battle, the Behemoth Elephant wouldn't have sustained injuries. Still, the Lord of the settlement and his strongest Subordinates weren't as 'distracted' as the Blaze Lord and his people. Nonetheless, Michael was prepared for them. He emerged in a small room inside the settlement and studied the energy levels of the people around him. The third settlement had only two Tier-5 powerhouses. That was a shame because Michael prepared enough Living Poison for four Tier-5 powerhouses, but it wasn't a big problem. Once he had studied the energy levels of all High Awakened, Michael devised a simple plan. The Behemoth Elephant, Minor Typhoon Rocs, Sun Demos - including his little army - Frederik, the Forest Elves, Hiraku, Daniel, Tiara, and the brother she loathed more than anything was already in the settlement, wreaking havoc. It wouldn't surprise Michael if the Lord and his Subordinates thought Hiraku or someone else was the leader of the invading force.

That gave him a small opportunity to surprise his targets.

He used a Soul Tear on Cosmic Stride and activated the spatial Soultrait with space-attributed energy.

Michael warped through the settlement half a dozen times in a moment.

He appeared behind some High Awakened and used Insert to infuse some of the Living Poison and True Extraction Essence into their system. Most of Michael's targets weren't given a full dose of the Living Poison and the True Extraction Essence, except for the Lord and his right hand. They were given a full dose of the poison and essence, ensuring their bodies would fall apart.

Of course, it wasn't impossible to restrain or block the poison and essence. That was what the Lord and his Subordinates were trying to do once they realized what had entered their system. Michael was a little bothersome that they tried retaliating, but it played into his cards that they had to pay full attention to the poison and essence to remove it. Michael and his people weren't going to give them such a luxury.

He unleashed Curse Fusion at its fullest, triggered the Soullife Arts Foundation Break at high mastery, the Heavenly Beast Physique, and activated all 51 Cursed Seals and 53 Serpent Seals.

His aura changed and erupted. It spread in all directions in tidal waves, suffocating most ordinary High Awakened and the Lesser Lifeforms in his aura's range.

Michael's transformation was ghastly watching him transform into something that hardly resembled a human, which was a hard pill to swallow for some. The Lord and his right hand were shocked at the sudden transformation, but the power erupting from him was an even bigger concern. Michael was not an ordinary Higher Lifeform.

He exerted the Breath of the Underworld technique, which Michael hadn't used for a long time, and unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks. Michael's claws extended and transformed into small katanas, which quickly cut through the Lord and his Subordinates. Adding Spiritual Domination with his cursed eyes to trigger the technique, Basilisk's Petrification pushed the Lord and his people closer to the brink of death. But it wasn't enough to eliminate the Tier-5 powerhouses just yet.

Michael didn't kill the other High Awakened either. He merely injured them and forced their attention in his direction, creating several openings for his Awakened and Summons to strike. That was what they did. The Untamed Army and his Awakened didn't hesitate. They eliminated everyone obstructing their path while the Behemoth Elephant destroyed the Summoning Gate.

It shattered at some point, removing the Lord's powers in one go.

The Lord and his right hand had been busy burning Michael into a cinder, only to notice that their flames were devoured. Before they died, the Lord watched Michael transform into a blazing giant coated in purplish-azure flames.

It was terrifying. Michael's body seemed to expand, but that was only the fear in his enemies' eyes. Their fear of Michael and his people increased, altering their view of Michael drastically. Michael looked terrifying, coated in skin-tight armor of purplish-azure flames. They shrouded his entire body and flared outward whenever he moved.

The purplish-azure flames flickered with every step he made and every slash Michael executed.

He looked like a monster, with the strength surpassing most Mythical Creatures at his rank.

But Michael's subjects didn't view him as such. They didn't think of him as a monster. Knowing him better than others, his trusted subordinates dashed past Michael to eliminate the remaining enemies. They overlooked his attacks when he created hundreds of Qi Swords coated in purplish-azure flames. The sword swept through the surroundings, severing buildings and enemies alike, yet the blazing Qi Swords never struck an ally. They never obstructed someone on Michael's side, either.

"Was it worth it?" Michael asked the dying Lord after severing his limbs one by one. He could have killed the Lord, but his anger directed at the Blaze household wouldn't be quenched this easily.

"F-fuck...you!" The Lord groaned in pain.

"Wrong answer."

True Extraction's Essence reached out for the dying Lord's soul, slowly ripping SoulStar Fragments out of it.

The dying Lord screamed as loud as he could, but the remaining energy inside him didn't last long. His scream grew silent after a few seconds.

"We have a problem!" Frederik shouted while diving to the ground. He used Aeroan to somersault and land softly before Michael, his expression filled with annoyance.

"Two armies of neighboring Lords are coming this way! They will reach us in less than half an hour if they keep up this pace," Frederik warned Michael, who nodded slowly.

'Did they sacrifice this settlement to overwhelm us with numbers? Probably not. Maybe they're just too late. They might have expected us to attack this settlement just a little later. How misfortune.'

Michael chuckled, his attention drifting to the dying Lord. The Lord was smiling, but so was Michael.

"I don't think you should die thinking your family can defeat me," Michael snorted, "Your household is as good as destroyed."

That being said, Michael lunged at the man. His claws dug deep into the Lord's throat and twisted, killing the miserable man.