Chapter 655: Raw Power I
Supreme Lord: I can extract everything!
Michael didn't have to do much other than kill the Higher Lifeforms. The others were powerful enough to deal with the remaining Awakened and Summons in the camp.
If Michael had to rate the combat prowess of his enemies, he would probably consider it 'Lesser', or 'Ordinary'. It was average at best. If anything, the Awakened were a lot weaker than expected. It was almost like they didn't own a Soultrait, and that their Artifacts didn't amplify their strength at all.
On the other hand, Michael could consider the Untamed Awakened as entities with Superior combat prowess since their strength allowed them to fight one rank above their weight class without any difficulties. As their combat prowess increased, they may as well learn how to defeat enemies that ought to be much stronger than him.
In the meantime, Michael's combat prowess was ranked 'Mythical' because he could easily fight above his weight class, at this point. He was a Low Tier-3 Lord capable of fighting Higher Lifeforms. How many Awakened all over the Origin Expanse could do that? Not many.
"Is everyone alright?" Michael asked rhetorically after the last enemy fell victim to Lilica's Silent Reaper.
He knew that his people were doing fine and that there was no need to worry. As long as they didn't have to fight against the forces of the whole Council of Xylon simultaneously the Untamed Awakened shouldn't have an issue escaping fights unscathed.
"We're fine," Lilica answered for the Forest Elves.
Tiara agreed silently as well as she transformed back into her original appearance.
"This is boring," Frederik mumbled, and the Berserkers agreed not so silently.
They growled and bellowed loudly, voicing their complaints. Only Thaor and Lokai remained silent as the sibling duo saw a glimmer in Michael's eyes.
"If this is too boring for you guys…" Michael stopped mid-sentence and used Extraction.
More than 100 Extraction Tendrils burst out of the ground around him. They impaled the bodies of the deceased and plundered as much as possible.
The SoulStar Fragments, Soultrait Symbols, Summoning Scrolls, and other loot were stored in his War Rune at once. Only the Memory Orbs remained in his hands for a few seconds before Michael consumed them.
He digested the memories of the dead swiftly and broke into a smile. The Memory Orbs showed him some very interesting things.
"...we should alter our plans a little."
"It's time to make a big move!" Michael declared, his vibrant smile transforming into a devilish grimace.
As Michael shared the new strategy with his people, Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs stirred trouble in another area of the Savannah Region.
It had only been a few hours since they parted ways, but many things had changed.
The burning afternoon sun shone brightly upon Hiraku and his temporary followers as they passed through the vast, open grassland. Their view of the scenery was unobstructed. Tall grasses stretched across flat terrain with scattered trees and occasional bushes highlighting the beautiful scenery of the Savannah region.
The golden green grass swayed with the breeze as Mekhaz and the Warlock Centaurs traversed fast and nimble through the Savannah's plains, forcing Hikaru to speed up a little.
He glanced up to the wide and expansive sky where Stinger moved around impatiently. Despite being a small monster, the Golden Stinger Wasp was much faster than Hiraku and the rest as they jogged lightly to their next destination.
The landscape was beautiful, bathed in sunlight, and overflowing with peace. It was near-impossible to imagine that a large-scale Regional War hit the Savannah Region not too long ago.
Unfortunately, the peaceful sight was about to change as Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs were about to reach their destination.
They brushed past some herbivores such as Horned Zebras, Scaled Giraffes, and other weak monsters that added life to the serene and natural beauty of the Savannah, but they focused on something else.
Stinger descended and used his golden stinger to stab Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs. That was Stinger's sign, telling the Awakened to prepare for battle.
"We found a small army of Rievers two kilometers northeast. There shouldn't be more than 400 Summons and a small batch of Awakened. None of them seems to be a Higher Lifeform," One of the Warlock Centaurs reported, his attention on a small compass that levitated in front of him.
The compass didn't look special. It was made from argent metal and had three needles. However, only one of the needles was magnetized and pointed north. The other needles pointed toward nearby natural treasures and enemies. Another interesting factor about the compass was that it gave the user a rough indicator of the number and potency of his enemies. It was a perfect radar to use in times of war.
It was also the Warlock Centaurs' Soultrait, a Soultrait that had been deemed useless because it was only a 1-Star Soultrait before the Warlock Centaur joined Michael. The compass was now a 4-Star Soultrait and was far more useful than before, providing all the necessary pieces of information to prepare for battle.
Stinger hummed loudly, attracting Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs' attention.
Everyone readied their Artifacts and Soultraits for the upcoming battle. A few seconds passed before Stinger could tell that everyone finished their last preparations. Stinger disappeared, replaced by a small bird that chirped loudly in shock. It looked left and right and flapped its little wings to escape the grasp of the towering human and Warlock Centaurs.
Mekhaz cracked a faint smile, but he remained silent as a dazzling light blossomed from Stinger's golden stinger.
Hiraku and some Warlock Centaurs disappeared, their bodies replaced by Stinger, who switched position with one of the birds in the flock above the Rievers Army.
Stinger used his special ability several times to switch places with others. He scared the flock of birds, but that was of no importance. Important was only that Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs fell from the sky. They dived down and battered heavily into the center of the Rievers army.
The Riever Summons and Awakened didn't expect a bunch of towering Awakened to fall from the sky, but they regained composure quickly. And that was necessary because Hiraku and the Warlock Centaurs didn't waste much time observing their surroundings.
Hiraku pinpointed a large caravan filled with goods nearby, but he had to evade a spear thrust before he could take a proper look at the goods. His body expanded as he transformed into the Silver Titan. But instead of being in his basic form, Hiraku sensed something within the surroundings that allowed him to change his form slightly.
Strength filled his body and his humongous figure expanded further, crimson vein-like lines spreading all over his body, etching themselves deep into his skin.
'That is…new…' Hiraku thought, manifesting a large meteorite-steel shield and a large double-headed conflict axe to block two attacks and cleave one of the Rievers near him in two.
Blood and internal organs spilled all over the ground, but Hiraku didn't pay much attention to it.
He had to pay attention to his surroundings and ensure that the Warlock Centaurs wouldn't do anything stupid.
After all, he became the leader of the second strike force. Michael trusted him. That was a weird feeling.
Michael didn't know much about him. He never asked Hiraku about his past and didn't force him to do anything he disliked. If Hiraku didn't want to join the battle against the Council of Xylon, he could have uttered so. Hiraku was certain that Michael would have been disappointed, but Michael wouldn't have forced him to participate.
Michael never seemed to force anything. Yet, simultaneously, it felt like Michael had an odd presence around him. A type of presence that made it hard to reject him and stay away from him.
Michael pulled people close to him without forcing anything. It was weird.
However, it was also comforting. Nobody had to act in front of Michael. They could be their true self in front of him. He didn't judge anyone.
'Maybe, it wouldn't be too bad to jo–...' Hiraku thought, only for his thoughts to be interrupted as a group of Rievers rushed at him.
Mekhaz, coated in the Living Armor brushed past him, moving nimbly with a halbert in his hands. One of the Rievers fell victim to Mekhaz's first strike, while the others backed away.
Hiraku released a thunderous roar and rushed ahead, bulldozing his enemies.
Now was not the time to think about the future. Hiraku knew that he had more than enough time to think about his plans soon. There was no rush.
The present was more important. A large-scale Regional War was waiting to be won by the Lord of the Untamed Jungle!