Michael ignored the enemies around him at first. He released a few Glacicle Swords shrouded in Reinforced Sword Qi to kill a few natives blocking his path, but that was it.
Instead, Michael focused on using Insert to apply Enhancement to the strongest High Beasts. The High Beasts and Commanders reacted drastically upon seeing him, but Michael didn't remain by their sides to give them the slightest opportunity to pummel him.
He used Zeroa's spatial affinity to create portals near the three Commanders and the High Beasts they were fighting. After using Insert and three layers of Enhancement to strengthen the High Beasts, Michael disappeared once again.
One of the High Beasts was so surprised that it spit venomous flames at him, but he was fortunate enough that Zeroa's blazing armor was made from compressed mythical flames. They destroyed the venomous flames before reaching Michael's body.
Michael had been using Enhancement more often and with more energy than necessary to ensure that the effect would last longer. If Enhancement's effect could last a longer period, Michael would have considered enhancing the Untamed Awakened and all High Beasts. Unfortunately, the effect was too short. Michael didn't have that much time before the enhanced High Beasts would be ganged up again.
'The spatial affinity is useful, but way too weak. Zeroa's affinity toward the spatial element seems to be the lowest. It's even lower than her darkness affinity.'
Even though an Elemental Empress had control of all elements that didn't mean their affinity to all elements was the same. It was quite easy to tell that Zeroa's greatest affinity was fire. She had even mythical flames which was a rare sight. Her other affinities were not too bad either given that she could create nobles from all basic elements. But that was already the limit of her extent. She could do some things with every element, but the Elemental Empress reached the limits of her capabilities with Space, Nature, and Darkness quickly.
There was nothing she could do about that, and Michael wasn't too bothered. He could fuse with Soultraits to provide what the Elemental Empress couldn't.
But, for now, Michael had to deal with the enemies around him. He conjured more than a hundred Glacicle Swords, coated them in a layer of Reinforced Sword Qi, and unleashed them in all directions.
Dozens of energy influxes reached him at once. However, instead of continuing to dwindle the number of enemies with attacks like this, Michael's attention pulled to the Untamed Awakened. Hiraku was busy being coated in blazing flames. He had been set on fire while fighting two High Lionhearts.
It was good that the High Lionhearts were not Awakened with powerful Artifacts, otherwise, Hiraku would have had more issues to deal with.
Michael kicked the ground, creating a huge dent in the soil, and appeared next to Hiraku. The humongous colossal manifested a shield out of nowhere to block a barrage of dozens of fire spears from the left. Simultaneously his right arm plunged downward. A mace conjured in his hand and smashed heavily into the ground. Hiraku narrowly missed one of the two High Lionhearts, who smiled brightly as bright sparks manifested between their fingers.
The sparks transformed into swirls of fire. They expanded rapidly and pulsated as if they were alive. The mass of fiercely burning flames changed into various shapes. However, none of the shapes maintained as the High Lionhearts compressed the blazing flames into dazzling orbs.
["Dangerous!"]
Zeroa warned him about the flames, but Michael's danger sense had already picked up on the dazzling orbs' danger. He didn't do much as he initiated his next move.
Michael erupted with extraction. Mots of light formed around him They gathered in one place and merged, transforming into a golden blade. The blade moved according to Michael's will and burst forth as Michael unleashed the strongest form of Reinforced Sword Qi.
The golden blade extended as the silver sheen fused into the blade.
A shockwave resounded through the vicinity as the Extraction blade cut through the air. For a moment, it looked like the blade cut through the fabric of time and space. The blade seemed to disappear from everyone's view only to reappear as it cut through the first dazzling orb.
The dazzling orb of searing hot, compressed flames threatened to rupture and explode, however, the golden blade hindered that from happening. The dazzling orb's tremendous heat and energy were drained near-instantly. The golden blade swallowed everything, and it used the newly acquired energy to expand and accelerate.
The blade surpassed its top speed, weaved around Hiraku's colossal build, and pierced cleanly through the other dazzling orb as well.
The same phenomenon as before occurred. Michael's Extraction blade swallowed the heat and energy of the dazzling orb and accelerated.
However, this time, something changed. The Extraction Blade split into two and returned to Michael's side where it continued to transform. Michael strengthened the Reinforced Sword Qi inserted into the Extraction Blade and added several layers of Extraction into the fray. He created a physical frame for the Extraction Sword Qi Blade with the Aethyr that resided within him.
Two one-handed longswords manifested from Michael's hands. Both looked similar to Tigerfang, the first Artifact he had ever wielded, but they had characteristic differences. The Aethyr Swords were a bit broader and their blades were much sharper.
But none of that mattered right now. The Extraction Sword Qi Blades shrouded the Aethyr Swords, further enhancing each other in the process.
Michael felt tremendous power surge through his body, but he knew that it was not enough yet. He manifested the Soul Grimoire once again and used several Soul Tears to amplify Extraction, Superior Constitution, and Spirit Eyes. His Soul, Enhancement, and Taming had already been amplified, but with the additional amplifications, Michael could hardly control the power surging through his body.
But it was not enough.
Hearing the screams of his dying subordinates, feeling the Links of Loyalty that were severed, and sensing the desperation of those who were on the verge of death affected Michael. He unleashed one of his Cursed Seals. The faint marks of Spirit Eyes on his face shimmered brightly as they expanded. His upper face was covered in the Cursed Seal that had fused with the marks of Spirit Eyes.
His golden eyes glowed fiercely and his expression turned even more ferocious than before.
He dashed ahead, leaving deep imprints in the ground, and accelerated further. Michael crossed his top speed as he increased the strain on his body by proceeding with the next level of Heavenly Beast Physique. His body groaned but Michael's focus was on the enemies ahead. Hiraku had just separated the two High Lionhearts, but his assault had failed. None of the High Lionhearts was dead.
Michael changed that.
He appeared in front of the closest High Lionhearts, Spirit Eyes unleashed to the fullest. Prognosis, one of Spirit Eyes' sub-
abilities, allowed him to predict the High Lionheart's next move. Michael responded instantaneously, unleashing Spiritual Domination to assault the High Lionheart's spirit.
As a Higher Lifeform, the High Lionheart wasn't too affected by the spiritual attack of a Lesser Lifeform. Nonetheless, Spirit Eyes was a superior 6-Star Soultrait that had been amplified. It was impossible to block the spiritual attack completely if you weren't guarded against it.
The High Lionheart groaned and lost control of his racial fire affinity for a quarter of a second. That was more than enough for Michael to attack. The Extraction Sword Qi Blade sliced through the air and a head flung through the air. A fountain of blood splattered everywhere. However, Michael was not there anymore.
Instead, a Golden Stinger Wasp replaced Michael. It had switched places with him.
Michael, on the other hand, reappeared next to the other High Lionheart, whom Hiraku had been fighting. Hiraku stared at Michael in shock as he witnessed how the youth decapitated the second High Lionheart with ease.
A Low Tier-3 Lord killed two Higher Lifeforms in less than five seconds. He did not only destroy their attacks and absorb it, but he bested them without giving the High Lionhearts a single second to retaliate.
Michael's skin ruptured and blood spurted out of the tears in his body, but he could slow down.
The shrieks and despair of his dying subordinates resounded through his mind over and over again.
He couldn't stop anymore.
Michael was full in motion.
The carnage could begin.
