'What is wrong with you?' Alice nearly blurted aloud when she saw that Michael had avoided her.
'Did I do something wrong? No. He would confront me in that case. He isn't shy, either. Why is he ignoring me?'
Michael didn't blush or anything like that, but it wasn't hard to tell that Michael was awkward and nervous. That was abnormal for Michael. Alice had never seen Michael like that. She had to know why Michael acted like that!
Alice was just about to say something when Michael cleared his throat. He avoided Alice's intense stare and smiled lightly at the other professors.
"I'm sorry for barging into your meeting. I noticed my master's energy fluctuations and didn't realize that he was not alone in the room. I hope that I didn't startle anyone," Michael apologized profusely. His eyes lingered longer on the representatives of the Berserkers and the Warlock Centaurs, who responded with a curt nod.
"If something like that was enough to startle us, we wouldn't have lived this long. The battlefield would have consumed our corpses already!" The Berserkers said sternly.
"That's good to know," Michael said, his attention pulling to Kraft Viton. He had no idea what kind of meeting this was, but it was helpful to have everyone gathered.
"I have a proposal to make," He told Kraft Viton. It's about the Flag War."
Kraft Viton raised an eyebrow upon hearing what his student said, but he gestured him to proceed, "Today's meeting is held to solve a few issues between the members of the Tritan Alliance. Either way, someone would have mentioned the Flag War sooner or later."
"I want to close the Dimensional Portal. I will destroy the Dimensional Pillars and remove the threat of the Tekur's invasion," Michael announced, "My only condition is that I want to enter the isolated dimension alone."
Kraft Viton was the first to raise his hand, ready to say something, but he recalled how much stronger Michael had grown. He glanced at Oliver Zeus and Alice Zenovia. Rumors said that Oliver Zeus was injured in a spar with Michael. The rumors mentioned that Oliver Zeus went all out and that Michael managed to scratch him despite that.
A Low Tier-3 Lord managed to injure a Tier-5 powerhouse. That is definitely not something that should be possible. Maybe, if the Tier-5 powerhouse was rusty from not fighting for several decades, or if they had been crippled, thus losing the majority of their combat prowess, but Oliver Zeus was a Descendant—a powerful one at that.
Michael was overflowing with confidence as he endured the intense stares of the room's powerhouses. He smiled calmly and made eye contact with all of them. The only one he skipped was Alice, which was even more reason for the daughter of the Zenovia household to think that something was wrong.
"I think that's a good idea. The last Flag War was troublesome. We managed to eliminate some traitorous households but didn't find all the Descendants who betrayed the Tritan Alliance. I'm not comfortable about sending my students into the isolated dimension where more traitors might surface," Oliver Zeus acknowledged reluctantly.
He didn't want to accept the bitter truth, but Michael was powerful. To put it simply, Michael Fang was a monstrosity. He could easily solve their problems with the Tekur race.
Alice agreed, too. "We can search for the remaining traitors while Michael clears the isolated dimension."
Michael glanced at her for a moment. He smiled lightly, attracting Alice's attention. She stared intently at him once again, her eyes speaking to Michael. 'What the hell is wrong with you? Are you sick?'
That was impossible for Michael to answer. He didn't know what was going on either.
"Our Awakened will become weaklings if they cannot even care for the Tekur. They need the isolated dimension to refine their bodies, minds, and understanding of their martial arts. Those who survived the Flag War came back stronger and more mature. I will recommend that the Chieftain reject your proposal," the representative of the Berserkers proclaimed.
Michael groaned inwardly, but his smile prevailed. He gained the others' attention with a simple gesture and pointed out the obvious.
"This year's Flag War will be more dangerous than all Interdimensional Flag Wars. Last year was already more dangerous, but the Tekur were beaten. Their Elite was killed, and the Dimensional Pillars were destroyed—some of them, at least. If they're truly interested in conquering the Tritan Alliance, they will deploy more Elite Tekurs this year," he said, all while turning more serious toward the Berserker's representative.
"Do you want to be responsible for the annihilation of your youngest generation? Do you want to be at fault for the death of all prodigies? If that's really what you think, you are more foolish than I expected."
Michael intentionally provoked the Berserker. The colossal Berserker jumped up from his large chair, hurling the massive chair through the room. He glared at Michael, his presence growing heavier by the second.
"How dare you underestimate my students and the teachings of the Berserkers just because you are a little bit stronger than your peers?! Since your parents did a miserable job teaching you manners, maybe I should take care of that now. Better late than never!"
Michael endured the presence. He didn't back off. Instead, Michael's eyes began to glow. The Cursed Seals manifested all over his body, unleashing the Extraction Aura. Michael focused the Extraction Aura to coat his body in a thick layer of True Extraction. Simultaneously, the Serpent Seals were unleashed. The World Serpent's presence burst out of him explosively, taking the powerhouses around him by surprise.
Michael's body cracked and crunched as if the bones in his body were smashed into oblivion, but his expression didn't falter. A vicious expression plastered his face as True Extraction merged with the heavy presence that flooded out of him like a broken dam.
"The Berserkers will never become truly powerful if they sacrifice their kin like their replaceable tools," Michael snorted, the pressure around him intensifying, "Dare to say another word about my family, and I will break your neck, Berserker!"
[Yup. A troublemaker. You're exactly like I remember you.] Danny declared.
Alice appeared next to Michael and grasped his left arm tightly.
"Calm down," She whispered, her gaze widening in shock when she sensed something ominous within Michael. The thing she sensed inside him was terrifying.
Alice Zenovia couldn't grip what she saw, but the thing…no. The being was terrifying. She swallowed hard and mentally prepared herself to jump into action if necessary. Something was not right.
However, Michael calmed down. He retracted the Extraction Aura and stopped using the Cursed Seals and Serpent Seals.
He glanced at Alice for a moment.
"Thanks."
"No problem," She sighed in relief, "It's good that you didn't go further. I don't want to fight you."
It was barely audible to the others, but Michael heard her clearly. Unfortunately, Danny also heard her.
[Michael~ What is going on there? Is that my future sister-in-
law? Good choice!]
'The moment you get your form back, I will punch you!'
Michael turned to the Berserker while blending out his brother's voice in his head.
"As much as we have to adjust to the ways of the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, you will have to adjust to our traditions. Humans won't forfeit their prodigies to train them. Some might do that, but we're not in a time that requires us to weed out the 'weakest' prodigies to create monsters. I won't allow you to sacrifice and endanger our people just because you want to use the Flag War as a training ground and graveyard for your kind," Michael declared, ignoring that the Berserker's representative held a higher position.
Michael couldn't care less about positions and social status at this point.
"If you, or anyone else, has a problem with that, send your strongest fighters to the arena and fight me," Michael's gaze glowed dangerously. I know your rites, and I'm aware of the War Goddess' Blessing. I'm also knowledgeable enough about your costums to know that you won't run away from a battle."
Michael seemed to grow as he stood before the towering Berserker representative. He didn't budge a single inch.
"I can fight the other participants of the Flag War simultaneously. As long as I defeat them without help, you will have to accept my condition. The proposal was my attempt at being polite," A fiendish smile tugged on Michael's lips, "But I can be impolite if you dare me!"
