Chapter 916: Linked

Supreme Lord: I can extract everything!

Michael maintained his calm while wreaking havoc in the ranks of the Numbers. He tore some of them apart, pierced others with Qi Swords, and used other means to weaken the Numbers to snap their necks at once. Their bodies were stacked up into little piles, which Michael collected and stored en masse.

He was unsure how much time had passed, but the Divine Lifeforms protecting Claerus died. They killed a few Divine Numbers but still lost at the end of the day. A significant portion of Claerus had been destroyed from the bout of the Divine Numbers and Claerus' defenders, yet the planet stood strong. Michael was certain most planets in the Tritan Alliance would have collapsed. They would have shattered or damaged beyond recognition. However, the same didn't happen to the massive planet. It was infused with enough energy to strengthen everything. The planet was strong enough to endure full-blown battles with dozens of Divine Lifeforms.

That was nice, but it didn't matter to Claerus' residents. They were slaughtered like livestock, unable to escape their foes' claws. The Numbers were merciless. They killed everyone appearing before them and didn't hesitate to push further. Most Numbers had probably killed hundreds or thousands of innocent people since they arrived in Clearus. Thus, Michael did something similar. He killed the Numbers in the thousands. There were too many Numbers to kill, so Michael was pushed back occasionally.

Fighting several Tier-6 powerhouses simultaneously, alongside a bunch of Tier-5 and Tier-4 High Awakened, wasn't always simple. Fighting so many strong Awakened simultaneously cost a tremendous amount of energy, soul power, and lifeforce. Fortunately, Michael didn't have to hold back on using his Major Seals once it was obvious that Claerus was lost. If anything, Michael had even more reason to destroy Claerus now that it was bound to be conquered by the Numbers of the Supreme Human Alliance.

He unleashed the full force of his True Extraction Domain and stretched it as thin as possible to shroud the buildings of several blocks. He devoured everything using Swallow Domain and converted it into enough soul power, lifeforce, and perfectly purified energy to continue fighting the Numbers at full power. Michael went on and beyond using Seer's Domination and Perfect Prediction to knock out the weakest High Numbers before killing them with a simple Qi Sword or a fiery projectile released by the Red Dragon or the Elemental Empress.

Both the Elemental Empress and the Red Dragon gave their utmost to aid Michael. They dealt well with the Tier-4 High Awakened and many Tier-5 powerhouses. Combined with Michael's prowess and Soultraits, not even Tier-5 powerhouses could hold a candle against a mythical Tier-5 creature such as the Red Dragon and Michael. To be precise, the Tier-6 powerhouses were also at a gross disadvantage once the True Extraction Essence of a fully unleashed 8-Star Soultrait – augmented by Greater Enhancement, Soul Tear, Cursed Seals, and Fenrir's Essence – entered their bodies.

Michael imbued curse power – altered and poisoned by Jormungandr – into the Tier-6 powerhouses, diminishing the High Numbers even further as the curse power and poison triggered Blood Incursion's natural defense. Michael eliminated many enemies but was too weak to deal with the remaining Divine Numbers. Maybe he could hope for a miracle or wreak his body by asking Fenrir and Jormungandr for help, but Michael was unwilling to do so. Claerus was not important to him. The Numbers were more important to him. And they only because some of his friends had been among the Numbers.

However, now that Michael didn't find Alice and Lincoln, he left. Claerus had been conquered, and the Divine Numbers must have noted him. Some turned his way and were about to approach. Michael left all of a sudden. He used Cosmic Stride to teleport to Kaleb and Zeke, hurled their unconscious bodies across his shoulders, and used ten layers of Greater Enhancement with Soul Tear's potency augment on Cosmic Stride to teleport outside Claerus and to the opposite side of the planet.

It required a few jumps with Cosmic Stride and depleted his energy rapidly, but Michael did not care. He was somewhere in the middle of nowhere when he stopped.

"I hope the others are fine," Michael mumbled. He hadn't seen Lighno'vsh or Fera the whole time. True Vision located Fera's curse signature, but that was already there. He only knew that Hesta was doing fine. The High Numbers hadn't killed her. Whether the Divine Numbers would catch her or not…Michael didn't know.

[They have a Rescue Token just like you. No need to worry.] Jormungandr said, and Michael nodded.

"True that." Michael put his companions down and examined them.

"I cannot bring them to the Nest. The presence of more Curse Users would eat them alive. It doesn't look like GPS chips or the like have been put into their bodies, but you never know what the Supreme Human Alliance has done. How am I going to bring them with me? I cannot stay here forever if the Numbers continue conquering the rest of the planet. The Altors Union will probably give up on this planet. They will save as many people as possible but won't sacrifice their Divine Lifeforms…I guess…" [They might commence a counterattack before the Numbers recuperate, but losing the Galactical Plaza is a big loss. The Numbers can request reinforcement through the bridges, but the Altors Union cannot until they reclaim the Galactical Plaza. They must claim it or destroy the Galactical Plaza to retrieve Claerus.]

Michael nodded slowly.

[But that isn't your business. Let the Supreme Human Alliance and Altors Union fight each other until only a few Divine Lifeforms are left. You can get rid of both of them once they're exhausted.] Fenrir commented.

'I don't want to end the Altors Union, but I understand what you're trying to say.' He continued studying Zeke and Kaleb while nibbling on his lower lip.

"They…should have forfeit their territories, right?" Michael asked his Curses in a mix of uncertainty and curiosity.

[I doubt the Supreme Human Alliance allowed them to visit their territory while the Blood Incursion still influenced and altered them. Even after the Blood Incursion worked, the Supreme Human Alliance must have hesitated. After all, they don't know who's located near their territories in the Origin Expanse. I doubt they retained their territories this long. Our curse power shows no indication of an unusual amount of soul power or the connection to other Awakened.]

That was good. It may not have been for Kaleb and Zeke, but it would have helped Michael solve many problems with a simple action. If they were still Lords, this would be a little complicated. He would have to figure out where to bring them and how to check his companions often.

"Alright…"

Since they were unconscious, it was a little bit more challenging to establish a Link of Loyalty, but it was still possible – through cheating.

Michael used Insert and bend some of the Will's rules, nearly breaking them, but established the Links of Loyalty with Zeke and Kaleb nonetheless. The whole process took longer than usual, which was fine. No Divine Number was on their tail, or they would have caught up already. That was how two High Awakened got added to Michael's Untamed Army.