Masked Saber appeared behind the Twin Lions, his saber coated in dense silver energy.
He slashed through the empty air and released a crescent-shaped silver energy blade that cut through the Twin Lions' necks, beheading them with a single strike.
The intense white and golden hues and energy streams circulating around Michael dispersed in all directions as he saw the Twin Lions' blood gushing out of their necks like water fountains.
"Took you long enough to arrive…" He mumbled before he collapsed on the ground and stayed there, unmoving.
Masked Saber stared at the Twin Lions with a deep frown.
"Why would you fight them alone? Is the situation that bad?" Masked Saber asked himself, unable to understand why Michael would barge into the enemy camp without anyone's support.
Icarus shot down next to them, screeching loudly. The Greater Eagle wanted to show that Michael was not alone, but the monster's screeches did not awaken his master.
Meanwhile, Masked Saber dashed toward Michael and bent down to feel his pulse and the circulation of origin energy within his body.
"He still has some origin energy left, and his pulse is fine. That's good. He was just mentally exhausted," He mused to himself, picking up Michael to put him onto Icarus' back.
Afterward, he took a look at Michael's belt, where he found the spatial pouch.
Masked Saber didn't think long about what he had to do. He picked up the Twin Lions' corpses, injected some of his origin energy into Michael's spatial pouch, and accessed it to store the corpses inside. Afterward, he retrieved a few fist-sized stones from the inside of his tunic. Masked Saber stored them inside Michael's spatial pouch as well.
Once Michael was secured, Masked Saber jumped on Icarus' back behind Michael and they ascended into the air to return to the territory.
There was nothing else they could do. The entire camp had turned into a huge campfire, and Michael was not in a condition to fight anymore. Bringing him back to the territory before Masked Saber and Icarus would join the battle in the Untamed Jungle was the best option.
But what neither Masked Saber nor Icarus knew was that Michael was under the constant influx of energy shares. They entered his body, eased his tense muscles, and aided the refinement of his War Rune. Simultaneously, they provided support for the replenishment of his drained mental power.
Michael woke up less than half an hour after he collapsed in the camp. His head hurt like hell and he felt like he had been pulled into pandemonium, but he was awake.
'Where am I?' He wondered, feeling a familiar soft cushion beneath his head.
Opening his eyes slowly, Michael found a familiar wooden ceiling above him. He turned his head left and right and came to a realization.
"The wooden manor. I'm back in my territory."
He got up from the bed he had been lying in, ignoring his heavily aching head. Every step he took required monumental effort and pain shot up from every part of his body, but that was not important. Michael could still feel energy shares reaching him, and Links of Loyalty being cut, which worried him.
The war against the Jungle Expedition was not yet over!
His mission was not yet completed. Michael couldn't rest just yet!
Michael left his room, hurriedly climbed down the staircase, and left the wooden manor. Outside, he was greeted by dozens of Starless Summons. They saw their Lord's pale face and his unsteady steps and rushed over without hesitation.
"Lord, please return to bed. If you don't rest, you may have to face severe consequences!" One of them blurted out in worry.
"Your health is the most important, Lord! Take rest and leave the rest of the battle to us! We will take care of everything!" A young Warrior, who had returned to the territory earlier to receive medical attention, shouted out loudly.
He looked confident in his Lord's eyes, pride and reverence shining brightly inside his blue pupils.
However, Michael could only frown upon hearing what his people said.
Their war was not yet over, so how could he abandon his people to rest instead of joining them in a bitter fight until the very end?!
"Give me something to eat, and I will be fine," Michael ordered, his expression and tone making it clear that he wouldn't accept anymore attempts to convince him to rest.
The Starless Summons around him lowered their heads instinctively. Some rushed straight to the kitchen and began filling several plates with all types of food.
They rushed back once the plates were filled and handed them to Michael.
Michael, whose head was still throbbing in pain, sat down on a nearby chair before pointing at the table in front of him. The plates full of nutritious dishes were put down, and Michael began to devour them.
Ignoring the pain in his head, Michael spent the next 20 minutes finishing more than ten plates that had been filled to the brim. He could feel his body brimming with energy and the pain in his head slowly subsided after he consumed a large amount of nutrition.
He got up and began telepathic communication with Sun Demos to find out the position of the enemies, and the situation on the battlefield.
Sun Demos responded instantaneously, providing Michael the information he needed. Michael listened to the intel while rushing to the battlefield.
'The traps have been triggered, killing close to 3000 enemies, and the Beast Rampage allowed us to reap the lives of more than 20,000 invaders…that's decent, but it leaves more than 27,000 invaders who are rampaging the Untamed Jungle…'
[Guckuck!!]
'Hmm? Masked Saber and the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer team killed more than 4,000 Adventurers and Mercenaries in the last hour? Good. Very good.'
[Fight passively. Make kills whenever the opportunity arises. However, don't even think about attacking mindlessly!] Michael ordered Sun Demos, who responded with silence.
A frown appeared on Michael's face. He knew that Sun Demos had to listen to his order because of their Tamer–tamed monster relationship, but Michael could also tell that the Demon Monkey King didn't want to heed this kind of order, not anymore.
[If you can ensure your survival, go ahead and attack head-on then. But, if you and your underlings die, don't even think about cursing me in your afterlife!] Michael thus changed his order after a while.
If the Demon Monkeys and their King desired to sacrifice themselves, who was he to deny their request? Michael didn't know much about the Demon Monkey kind, but it was pretty obvious that they weren't noble Samaritans. On the contrary, he was pretty sure that the Demon Monkeys were one of the biggest nuisances in the Untamed Jungle's middle zone.
They wouldn't die that easily.
[Guckuck!!!]
'Don't thank me for that, idiot!' Michael cursed in his mind, accelerating further to reach the battlefield faster.
By now, the battle had spread across most parts of the Untamed Jungle's outer ring, trampling several plants and bushes. That meant Michael couldn't help everyone in need of help. He was only one person and couldn't split himself into thousand parts to fight alongside every single subject across the several-kilometer-long battlefield.
But what he could do was pretty simple. He could ensure that his people were safe and sound wherever he was!
'Since Masked Saber came back already, he must have finished his mission,' Michael thought, recalling that Masked Saber appeared in front of him when he needed him the most.
Initially, Michael ordered Masked Saber to join the battlefield once he brought back the items from the deeper parts of the Untamed Jungle. However, it seemed like Masked Saber had instinctively realized that his Lord had been in grave danger.
'Without him, I would be dead now.' Michael realized.
It left a bad taste in his mouth, but Michael had to acknowledge that he would be dead without Masked Saber. The Twin Lions might not be the strongest on their own, but their techniques and powers hadn't been weak either.
However, the biggest issue was that Michael couldn't continue using so many Soultraits while fighting simultaneously. Fighting and killing several Tier-2 Natives in the camp using the same tactic had already been a nuisance. Clashing with the Twin Lions shortly after worsened his condition further.
'I cannot use too many Soultraits right now, otherwise, I will collapse again…' Michael thought, feeling a headache creeping up his brain at the mere thought of utilizing the full power of four Soultraits simultaneously.
In his current condition, utilizing the full power of two Soultraits simultaneously was already a far cry, forget about three or four.
Fortunately, the Siltang Bow and Enhancement were everything Michael needed to aid his people in the remaining part of the battle.
Drained and exhausted, the Jungle Expedition members feared to face an attack from all directions wherever they went.
Their opponents sometimes appeared next to them, sometimes they charged ahead, and sometimes they arrived from above. There were even times when a small group of people appeared from behind, cutting down a few invaders before they disappeared in the Untamed Jungle's dense undergrowth.
It was hard to stay calm and composed facing ghost-like enemies in the Untamed Jungle, especially after the seeds of fear and terror that had been planted in their hearts from the happenings of the night before had taken root.
However, the situation grew more and more tiresome after the Demon Monkeys changed their approach from a passive stance into an aggressive attack tactic. They dived down from high up in the trees and squashed an invader beneath them. After that, they began wreaking havoc amid their opponents, using all of their limbs, and their lengthy tails to massacre everyone in their way.
Not long after, the downpour of poisoned arrows began once again.