The Valyr lost everything. Their settlements were destroyed, razed to the ground, and they had to leave everyone behind to survive.
Most who escaped barely managed to survive. Some lost a limb or two, whereas others sustained internal injuries. All of them were wounded in some way and it wouldn't surprise Michael if half of them were to succumb to their wounds in the next 10 minutes.
Michael figured that it was a stupid idea to bring the Valyr to his territory to let them stay in Arx, but he couldn't leave them behind like that either.
'If they cause trouble, I'll throw them out right away.' He told himself, even though he knew that the Valyr wouldn't have to do much to stir trouble.
It was already troublesome enough if the Council of Xylon would deploy people to search for the Valyr Lordess and the remaining survivors. And that was likely to happen. Michael doubted that the Council of Xylon would leave the Valyr Lordess alive if they could do something about it.
Michael's eyes fell onto the Valyr Lordess, her pale complexion, and weak energy fluctuations and another heavy sigh escaped his lips.
'I can bother about that later.'
He configured Cosmic Stride to consume a humongous amount of space-attributed origin energy to teleport a dozen Valyr at a time back to Arx. He moved back and forth quickly, draining his energy rapidly.
Fortunately, Michael had Extraction to drain the surrounding energy and annex it instantaneously with both techniques Leviathan Diffusion and Pantheon's Dawn activated.
It was no problem to overexert himself a little bit to move the remaining Valyr into his territory. It was a bit cramped in Arx, but everyone worked hard to expand the settlement. It was only a matter of time before everyone had enough space to move freely and unrestrained.
The Valyr Lordess collapsed the moment she arrived at the infirmary and many of her followers followed suit. Their willpower and a tinge of luck granted them enough strength to reach Arx, but that was as far as they could go. There was no ounce of strength left in their bodies.
Only a few managed to stay awake and watch their Lordess and comrades receive the support they required to survive.
Michael could kill them easily if he wanted to. It was a good thing that he didn't feel like doing so.
Zira was one of those who could barely stay awake. She watched her mother get carried into the infirmary's emergency treatment room where the Priests, Doctors, and other medical professionals tended to her with everything they had.
"Do you want to talk about it, or do you want me to wait until your mother wakes up?" Michael asked, slightly impatient and frustrated.
A nagging feeling flicked against the back of his mind repetitively. It was almost as if someone was telling him that the Valyr didn't belong to the Untamed Jungle.
Michael was aware of that, but he could hardly force them to accept his Link of Loyalty to integrate into the Untamed Jungle right now. The timing couldn't be worse. Furthermore, he was not even sure if he wanted the Valyr to stay in Arx.
'I will sacrifice you and your kin if the mythical serpent is coming to burn down Arx!' Michael swore in his heart even though he felt that it wouldn't be necessary.
He felt sorry for the Valyr Lordess, but that didn't mean he would sacrifice his territory and Arx for their sake.
Michael would rather live with the guilt of sacrificing the Valyr Lordess and her people than end up being the reason that his subjects – more than 200,000 – died. To Michael, the Valyr were not that valuable. It might be great to help them for the time being, but the Savannah Region caused more than enough trouble already.
"You don't seem to like that we've fled to the Untamed Jungle to seek you out," Zira stared at the floor, unable to look into Michael's eyes.
"If most of you weren't on the verge of death, I wouldn't have bothered to bring you here. You guys are an unknown variable. If someone had put a mark on you, I wouldn't have allowed you to take one step deeper into the Untamed Jungle, let alone enter Arx."
Zira grit her teeth. She knew that Michael was right. If someone marked them, they wouldn't be able to hide anywhere. Michael's territory would be exposed and they would put everyone in danger no matter where they went.
Michael flicked Zira's forehead lightly, "It's a good thing that nobody was marked, don't you think so?"
Zira groaned softly and rubbed her forehead. She looked up for the first time since they entered Michael's territory, only to see him smile lightly at her.
"Aren't you angry?" Zira couldn't help but ask.
"Hm?" Michael tilted his head, "Of course, I'm angry. But it's not like you were waiting to get betrayed, or that you were hoping for your territory to get bulldozed. The Zynur Lord and the Council of Xylon are at fault. Though, the Zynur Lord received his punishment already."
Zira glanced at Michael, not sure what to say.
Michael was a weird Lord. He was extremely powerful and could probably crush most of his enemies easily, but he wasn't arrogant. If anything, he felt more humane than anyone Zira encountered until now.
He was kind but very confusing. His rapid mood swings especially so.
"The Zynur Lord is dead?" Zira queried after she gathered her thoughts.
Michael merely nodded in response.
"Good. If the Council wouldn't have killed him, I would have done it!!" She growled, faintly flickering flames coating her body. Her Morningstar tail swished departed and right, nearly knocking out a Doctor, who was passing by.
Michael had to flick her forehead again to calm down the Valyr Lordess' daughter. She glared at him, only to recall where she was and what had happened.
"Sorry. My emotions got the better of me," Zira whispered, getting hold of her emotions before she looked back at Michael, "How do you know that none of us are marked?"
Michael ignored how pitiful her attempt at changing the topic was and answered lightly, "I can see a lot more than others."
He turned a little bit more serious.
"Of course, it's possible that someone with a Tracking Soultrait can find y'all, but that doesn't really matter. A powerful Tracking Soultrait can also be used to find the reinforcements, which fought in the Savannah Region before," Michael shrugged, "Worrying too much about getting found out won't help anyone."
"But isn't the chance that the Council finds your territory much higher now that we're here?" Zira asked, realizing too late that she was part of the problem.
Michael frowned deeply, "Don't you think it's a little bit too late to worry about that? You do realize that you and your people fled to the Untamed Jungle to search for me, right? If you cared that much about my safety, you should have stayed in the Savannah or fled in another direction. Don't even try to act smart with me, hypocrite."
Zira noticed her mistake too late. Her lips parted, ready to throw out an apology, but Michael shook his head.
"It's too late now, either way. I brought you to Arx out of my own volition. My reasons don't matter. What's important is just that I did it and that the Savannah Regions belongs to the Council of Xylon from today onward," He pointed out, "Your mother and the others will survive, but I'm not certain how long it will be safe and sound in the Untamed Jungle. I doubt that the Council of Xylon will leave your people alone…or me, as a matter of fact."
One of the reasons Michael saved the Valyr Lordess and her people was that he might need their assist at some point. The Valyr Lordess and three of her subordinates – ex- subordinates – were Higher Lifeforms. They would recuperate faster than others and be ready to fight in a few days.
The Council of Xylon was previously aware of Michael's existence. That was another reason he decided to help the Valyr Lordess. Since the Council realized about him, they wouldn't leave him alone now that they gained control of the Savannah Region.
That meant Michael would have to make his shift soon.
He had to deal with the Savannah Region before the Council of Xylon could place their roots down throughout the entire Savannah region. The 106 Lords shouldn't be given any time to celebrate. They should feel pressured and tensed up, worrying about their safety and whether they could trust the other Lords of the council, or if the other Lords were their enemies as well.
Michael didn't know everything about the Council of Xylon, but he realized enough to know that the 106 Lords were at odds as well.
"The Zentika Empire won't bother us for the time being." He whispered, tilting his head as the cogs in his mind began to rattle.
The Zentika Empire might be annoying but they've lost too much to bother him again. The chaos-infested land was also on Michael's side, helping him keep the Zentika Empire at bay. They would have to use different means to solve their food shortage.
The Untamed Jungle's response to their invasion was crystal clear. The mythical serpent wouldn't allow them to make any gains.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Michael was still deep in thought, but he was pulled back to reality when Zira informed him that her mother regained consciousness.
Michael entered the infirmary where dozens of lethally injured Valyr were still being tended to. Michael used Archangel's Grace to take away a portion of their pain, but he couldn't do much more right now.
"Thank you for he–..." The Valyr Lordess tried to thank Michael but she was silenced by Michael's deeply furrowed brows.
Silence reigned through the entire room for a few minutes until Michael realized that everyone was staring at him.
He cleared his throat while suppressing another heavy sigh filled with frustration.
"There is no need to thank me. I just helped you because I hope that you guys can get back to your peak to fight later. I'm probably strong enough to deal with most of those Lords and their Awakened, but I'm only one person. My understanding of the Council of Xylon and the Savannah Region is also not that great."
Michael shrugged.
"I helped you because I need you. That's all it is. There is no need to thank me. Just get better and prepare for some fierce fights."
The corners of the Valyr Lordess' lips twitched. A thin grin formed on her lips.
"Right…the battle is not yet over."
Michael nodded, "Exactly. The real battle is just about to begin!"
