Michael jumped through space with Cosmic Stride like crazy, churning through his energy pool as if he had unlimited origin energy to use.
He unleashed the Cursed Seals and allowed the Extraction Aura to expand. Michael didn't even think about restraining the Extraction Aura. He unleashed its fury, allowing the Extraction Aura to consume whatever it wanted, ensuring that his energy reserves remained filled to the brim.
Using spatial-attributed origin energy to supply Cosmic Stride alongside ten layers of Enhancement, Michael managed to cross a distance of dozens of kilometers with every use of Cosmic Stride. He added one of the Soul Grimoire's Soul Tears to amplify Cosmic Stride's potency as he invaded the enemy's territory.
Michael didn't hesitate to slaughter everyone who obstructed his path, though that was hardly necessary. He leaped across the settlement walls and dashed to the settlement center where the Summoning Gate seemed to await Michael.
True Extraction Aura obliterated any potential threats in its range within seconds, granting Michael enough peace to approach the Summoning Gates calmly.
Once he reached the first main settlement's center, Michael focused the True Extraction Aura on the Summoning Gates to extract the Summoning Cores without wasting his precious time destroying the Summoning Gates.
The Summoning Gates resisted his attempts to extract the Summoning Cores at first, but 10 layers of Enhancement alongside a Soul Tear's amplification was enough to reinforce True Extraction. True Extraction's tremendous power impacted, damaging the Summoning Gate barely enough to extract the Summoning Cores.
The corner of Michael's lips tucked upward once he held the Summoning Cores in his hands.
"Stupid fools," He murmured, turning around to set the wooden manor on fire.
Following the destruction of the wooden manor and the removal of the Summoning Cores, the Lord Power linked to the anchors dispersed. One of the Lords lost his power. That was apparent when Michael's eyes landed on the citizens, whose terror and confusion he could sense throughout the entire settlement.
"That's one," He mumbled, teleporting out of the settlement with a single stride.
Michael didn't waste any time looting the treasure trove of the Lord whose power he had just taken away. There was no time for that.
Instead, Michael accelerated. He moved faster and faster, unleashing the Heavenly Beast Physique alongside Cosmic Stride, hoping that he would move a little bit faster.
Michael accelerated a lot, but he somehow doubted that it was related to the Heavenly Beast Physique. It felt more like his body adapted to the changes made by the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs' Essences. He got used to them and sensed that they resonated with Superior Constitution and Spirit Eyes.
He could see much more about his surroundings, including the faintest details that had been hard to point out before. However, it was even more apparent with the origin energy that permeated the air. Michael felt like he could grasp the origin energy around him and that subtle changes in his stance could improve Cosmic Stride's efficiency. He kicked the ground where most origin energy congregated as he unleashed Cosmic Stride, propelling him more than 15 kilometers ahead.
'Interesting,' He mumbled in his mind as he reached the next territory and main settlement faster than expected.
He pushed ahead, leaped across the walls, and killed everyone in his path to reach the wooden manor and Summoning Gate. The wooden manor was set on fire without a second thought whereas the Summoning Gate became a victim of True Extraction.
Michael moved through the Savannah Region rapidly. He managed to take away the Powers of more than seven Lords in less than an hour and he was certain that he could deprive even more powers in the next hour.
However, there was something that forced Michael to halt in his tracks. He discovered a huge crowd of Summons and Awakened travel through the Savannah Region.
At first, Michael presumed that more Soldiers had been deployed to the eastern part of the Savannah, but he couldn't be more wrong.
The forces he saw belonged to the nine Lords of the Westerner Alliance, who didn't join in the final battle. The nine Lords and their armies weren't headed to the eastern part of the Savannah Region. They headed straight to the main settlements of the territories adjacent to the Westerner Alliance.
'I thought that you guys had a truce. They signed a Soul Pact, or am I mistaken about something?' Michael nearly blurted aloud while hovering in the air far away from the nine armies. He tilted his head and realized not long after what was going on.
'Maybe not all Lords of the Westerner Alliance signed the Soul Pact. They sacrificed some of their people to rally the forces of the Centrals and Southerners to backstab them when they're busy dealing with….me…'
Michael chuckled lightly. The Savannah Region was filled with dirty, disgusting betrayals.
He scoffed, feeling the anger bubbling deep within him.
The Westerner's scheming worked out perfectly fine since they managed to convince the other Lords to attack the Untamed Jungle. They were the reason many soldiers of Arx would die in today's battle.
However, what enraged Michael the most was the fact that the Westerners not only betrayed the Centrals and Southerners but also that they sacrificed their closest allies to backstab their contracted allies. It was messed up and fueled Michael with rage.
It was weird. He shouldn't be this angry, but it consumed him.
Yet, instead of shoving the anger aside by suppressing it with brute force, Michael decided to accept it. He let the boiling anger to sweep through his body, unleashing the true fury of the Cursed Seals. They grew across his upper body palpating like crazy, amplifying the rage that filled his heart.
Dozens of chains, created by miniature Cursed Seals that were tightly interlocked, manifested all over his body. They creaked and trembled as the golden Cursed Seals expanded. The activated Cursed Seals raged wildly, but the links of miniature seals never broke.
Michael experienced immense pain surge through his entire body, but he could tell that the pain caused by the Cursed Seals let him to tap into a bigger pool of power.
Dealing with the nine Lords and their armies wouldn't be that difficult, Michael could tell. They didn't expect a powerful enemy to appear before them, after all. No. Even if they expected him to attack, it wouldn't be an issue.
Maybe, it was arrogance, or just the unbending confidence in his Soultraits, but Michael was 100% sure that the Westerner Alliance wouldn't be an issue to deal with.
The entire Savannah Region wouldn't be an issue to deal with at this point. They were nothing but insignificant enemies. They were mere prey.
He was more than them. Better. Stronger.
As the thoughts ravaged through his mind, the Cursed Seals continued to expand. One of the seals crackled. Cobweb-like cracks spread across the Seal, unveiling what was hidden underneath.
The pain surging through him intensified.
At the same time, one strand of his black hair changed.
It turned silver, coated in star-like sparks.