Michael understood clearly that the Cursed Seals affected him and that they made it a thousand times more enjoyable to slaughter the Savannah forces.
They were merely fragile peasants, weak ants that dared to go up against him, but it was exciting to kill them nonetheless.
Michael broke into a menacing laugh. He continued spreading the True Extraction Domain until he couldn't control it. After Michael reached that point, he released countless Qi Swords, shrouded in various elements to increase their destructive power or velocity.
He didn't create any more Qi Extraction Swords and focused on the Qi True Extraction Sword that rested in his hands. Michael teleported all over the battlefield, crossing tens of kilometers instantaneously to behead and pierce the Higher Lifeforms, who were desperately trying to pin him down.
However, Michael was as slippery as an eel. Whenever a Soultrait was about to hit him, Michael used Cosmic Stride. Sometimes, the enemies' Soultraits were too weak to affect him. He compressed the Extraction around him to obliterate the effects of their Soultraits before they could reach him in the first place.
The corpses around him piled up. Michael had long since lost count. Time passed rapidly, yet it felt like every second was stretched long. Everything happened in swift succession, but at the same time, nothing happened.
Half of the Savannah's forces fell victim to the True Extraction Domain that continued to reap the lives of his enemies.
Something changed at one point. The four Cursed Seals that had pushed Michael to his mortal limit and beyond stopped listening to him. They stopped thrumming all over his body and turned dimmer. Their effect deteriorated rapidly, and they...disappeared...
Michael heard something crackle loudly in the depths of his being. It sounded like every bone in his body broke, but that was not the case. Something happened, but Michael was not sure what it was.
'Now that I need you...you leave me behind?!' Michael cursed at the Cursed Seals, gritting his teeth. He tried to activate them again, but it didn't work. It felt like the Cursed Seals retaliated against him.
They changed their tactic.
The True Extraction Sword shrouding the Aethyr Blade dispersed, whereas the True Extraction Domain's power exploded, erupting in all directions before dispersing as well.
Michael could instinctively tell that he could still use Extraction, but it was weaker than it used to be. Extraction entered a weakened state, leaving Michael exhausted with the remaining forces of the Savannah Region.
There weren't many enemies compared to before, but everyone could tell that Michael was exhausted and on the verge of collapsing. The first opportunity to kill Michael appeared in front of the Savannah forces.
'What the...'
Something like that never happened. Extraction had always been his strongest Soultrait. It was always overwhelmingly powerful, but that changed now.
Extraction was weaker than his other Soultraits. It was only a temporary state, but Michael could instinctively tell that he couldn't use Extraction to replenish his used-up energy and stamina for a few days.
The timing couldn't have been worse. Michael might have managed to kill the Higher Lifeforms and most powerful Lesser Lifeforms, but there were still hundreds of thousands of enemies for him to deal with. He was exhausted and couldn't refill his stamina rapidly anymore. The only advantage at his disposal was that his energy pool was filled.
Michael could also use Heavenly Beast Physique for a prolonged period if he consumed a bunch of SoulStar Fragments.
"This is a bit annoying," He mumbled, descending to the ground to save more energy.
He had to pay attention to his energy consumption now that he didn't have a near-infinite amount of energy.
Michael changed his stance and readied the Aethyr Blade. He took a deep breath and used Heavenly Beast Physique, enhancing his physical prowess drastically.
He was physically stronger than the remaining enemies, but there were too many for him to deal with alone.
Maybe he could kill a few hundred or a few thousand enemies before exhausting his stamina and energy reserves, but that was it. If he managed his energy reserves well and played some dirty tricks, Michael should be able to deal with a few more enemies.
'I can do it!' He thought, determination flickering in his golden eyes.
Before Michael could charge the masses of enemies, dozens of Summons near him collapsed to the ground. Their heads rolled over the ground, fountains of blood spurting out of their necks.
Invisible Wind Blades whirled around Michael, greeting him in all directions right before shooting.
Michael lifted his head to look at a youth flying through the sky.
"Don't keep all the fun to yourself!" Frederik laughed, diving to the ground to stand beside Michael, where he conjured hundreds of tiny wind blades. He released them in all directions and willed them to move zig-zag at a shocking velocity before piercing their targets' vital points.
"Didn't I order you to leave with the others?" Michael asked.
"You must not have noticed that you terminated the order a few minutes ago. I'm not the first to return to the battlefield," Frederik explained lightly. He pointed to the Untamed Jungle, where the Untamed Army was fighting with their lives on the line alongside the Untamed Awakened and the Valyrs.
"This is not your fight, Michael," Frederik said. He puffed his chest out proudly and shoved a finger into it. "This is our fight!"
Michael was a major – if not the most important – figure in the Regional War, but it was not only his battle. It was the combat of Arx and the Valyrs as well.
Stinger emerged next to Michael and vanished a moment later. He was replaced by the Forest Elves, Tiara, and Legion. Tiara and Legion charged at the incoming enemies, their spears glimmering in the afternoon sun.
They worked together with near-perfect sync and accelerated. Tiara executed Thrust while transforming into the Silvarean Tiger. She used Inner Force while Legion struck and changed her trajectory suddenly as an energy bolt was about to crash into Legion's head. She cut the energy bolt and pushed forward.
The Silverfang pair disappeared in the crowd of enemies. However, it was not long until they were visible once again. The enemies surrounding them collapsed lifelessly to the ground. At the same time, Hiraku and Frederik propelled forward. Frederik jumped on Hiraku's shoulder, where roots and vines coiled around him to hold him down.
Frederik could quickly pinpoint his targets at the elevated position on Hiraku's shoulder. He unleashed countless wind lances to kill the diminished forces of the Savannah. Hiraku did the same since almost no powerful enemies were left to deal with.
The Untamed Awakened caused havoc. The lack of powerhouses in the enemies' armies was taken advantage of. They were slaughtered like livestock, merciless and swift.
The Valyr Lordess and the Valyrs tried to keep up with the Untamed Awakened, but even the few Higher Lifeforms among them couldn't push any harder. They were exhausted from the earlier battle, and it was already surprising that they could keep up with the others.
No. Even more surprising that the Untamed Awakened were still overflowing with strength. Where did their stamina come from?
"Monsters!" Zira mumbled, a trace of envy contorting her expression.
The Regional War against the 106 Lords was about to end.
