Towering above others, the beacons of hope and guardians of justice embodied the essence of nobility and power.
Their physiques bore witness to countless battles fought in the name of righteousness, while their steps resonated with unwavering determination as their presence commanded attention and respect on the battlefield.
That was exactly what Michael felt while watching the 13 Paladins as they approached the Untamed Jungle. He was standing on the highest branch of the biggest tree at the border to the Zentika Empire’s plains, his eyes glowing golden.
It was noon the day after Tiara and her people returned from their mission, and it wouldn’t be long before he would encounter the 13 Paladins.
“No matter how I look at them, they look impressive,” Michael mumbled, continuing to stare at their meticulously crafted armor, forming a seamless fusion of protection and grandeur. The gleaming plates of silver steel, and intricate divine symbols that caught the light and reflected an otherworldly radiance were clear indicators of high-ranked Artifacts.
Their weapons shone with divine luminescence, giving Michael the chills.
He really didn’t want to fight the Paladins. They were Tier-3 Adventurers with exceptional Artifacts, great experience, and even better teamwork. The memories he obtained from the Twin Lions had given him enough information about the Sacred Paladins’ organization to make him think of running away.
Unfortunately, running away was not an option. Michael couldn’t afford to lose his territory. Even if he could afford it, he didn’t want to.
[They’re approaching the Untamed Jungle in a straight line from Xiltra. Finish your preparations and retreat once you’re done.] Michael told Sun Demos through telepathic communication before he continued to observe the 13 Paladins’ movements.
Five minutes later, Lilica and Tiara appeared next to him simultaneously. They looked at each other, and a faint smile formed on their lips seeing the exhaustion in the other’s eyes.
Ever since Tiara and the others returned from their mission, nobody in the territory had rested for more than ten minutes. Everyone had been given several tasks to complete in less than 24 hours – with some of them being weird and confusing.
By now, Michael’s territory exceeded a population of 25,000. That was a massive number for a young territory such as Michael’s. Yet, Michael felt that the number was too small. The workforce was simply not enough to complete the remaining tasks.
“We finished relocating the traps,” Lilica informed calmly, while Tiara added, “We’re almost done as well. What do you want us to do once everyone finishes their tasks?”
“The Elemental Mages will stay with me. Bring everyone safely back to the territory and activate the Storm Orb when Sun Demos gives the sign. I will tell Sun Demos exactly when to give the signal, so don’t worry,” Michael explained as calmly as possible. However, his heart was thumping wildly. He could barely hear the two women next to him.
Was he insane to think that four people were enough to deal with the 13 Paladins? Most likely.
Did he have another chance? Not really.
Michael didn’t have another choice. The only thing he could do was to use trickery in order to fool the 13 Paladins. He believed that their Artifacts were high-quality Tier-3 Artifacts, which meant that the external enhancements and enchantments on their Artifacts were strong enough to deal with Michael and his territory.
No living being inside the Untamed Jungle’s outer area could deal with the Paladins. Even if Michael was to throw all of his people at the Paladins, they would grow tired – at most. Michael was certain that he couldn’t even inflict a scratch onto their bodies now that he looked at them.
‘I have yet to advance to Tier-2. Why am I supposed to deal with a team of 13 Tier-3 Paladins already? Isn’t this a little bit over the top?’
Lately, Michael felt like the Origin Expanse was playing with him. It wasn’t a great feeling, but there was hardly anything he could do about it – unfortunately. He had to accept the events happening in the Origin Expanse and adjust accordingly. That was it.
“Don’t you think it would be better if the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer team stays with you? We can protect you from one or two attacks to ensure that your plan will work out!” Lilica offered, and Tiara was about to add something to convince Michael to let her stay as well.
However, Michael shook his head before Tiara could say anything.
“It will already be too dangerous for me and the Elemental Mages. I cannot even ensure our survival, so how am I supposed to pay attention to you guys?” He asked in all seriousness, “Everyone worked hard for the last few days, and I will make sure that we won’t give the Paladins the opportunity to strike us first. Don’t worry and leave!”
Lilica and Tiara looked at each other. They felt like trying again to convince Michael, but they could also tell that he was telling the truth.
Given Michael’s plan, it was truly too dangerous to stay near the border of the Untamed Jungle and the Zentika Empire.
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“Sun Demos and his Demon Monkeys finished their task. Leave with them once you’re done, and don’t forget about the Storm Orb!” Michael said, gesturing to the two women to leave quickly.
The two women sighed deeply and left together without saying another word.
Meanwhile, Michael retrieved a small marble-sized silverish gleaming pill from his War Rune.
“I hope they’re as powerful as introduced,” He mumbled to himself.
The small silver pill was one of many. It was the product created from the tireless effort of Masked Saber, Tiara, Blaire and the thousands of Starless Summons, who’ve given their best to collect the ingredients needed to concoct the silver pills.
The silver pill was not a healing pill, nor an energy rich pill. It couldn’t be used to strengthen the body either. No, it was a weapon – and an extremely dangerous and fragile weapon, which Michael would’ve never produced if not for the 13 Paladins. A single mishap, and the entire territory would have ceased to exist even before the 13 Paladins reached his territory.
In fact, even holding the silver pill was dangerous. A single droplet of sweat trickling onto the silver pill would be all it required to end Michael’s life miserably.
But it was exactly this silver pill, and many other silver pills that were the last hope for Michael and his territory.
Using Sun Demos’ memories, Michael found out about the existence of a certain monster type in the Untamed Jungle’s middle zone. Meanwhile, the memories of a few adventurers lead to the revelation of an ingredient that could be found in a small lake within the Untamed Jungle.
Masked Saber went alone, nearly dying multiple times to collect a handful of water source stones from the bottom of the lake, while Alice and her group returned with the living bodies of thousands of Chaos Ants.
Chaos Ants didn’t possess high combat prowess. As long as one paid attention to their mandibles and stayed away from them, the Chaos Ants wouldn’t even be strong enough to hurt an Unawakened. They weren’t larger in size than an adult’s fist either.
Despite their non-existent combat prowess, and size, Chaos Ants were considered as the most resilient pest of the Untamed Jungle’s middle zone. Not a single monster in the Untamed Jungle’s middle zone would be willing to fight – forget about eating – a Chaos Ant. They weren’t suicidal, after all.
The blood of Chaos Ants was corrupted by chaos. The presence of Chaos Ants was enough to destroy the origin energy in the surroundings. Killing a Chaos Ant would cause a horrifying reaction from within its body, making it explode!
The Chaos Ants would burst apart, spreading their blood parts everywhere, corrupting and decaying everything they touched, even the hide of Tier-3 Monsters!
Their blood causes irritation on the skin of the living, and it would cause chaos within the body if their blood was to enter other beings.
While that sounded interesting, it was not the point. The point was that the Chaos Ants’ blood and the water source stones were of immense value for Michael.
He spent the last 16 hours extracting the Chaos Ants’ blood. As long as the Chaos Ants were kept alive they wouldn’t burst apart. Thus, after extracting bits of blood from thousands of Chaos Ants, the territory’s Master Alchemist had enough to concoct the Chaos Pills.
However, the Chaos Pills alone were not enough to deal with the Paladins. Michael was certain that the Chaos Pills could kill Tier-3 Monsters as long as they were struck directly, but the issue was figuring out how to strike a Tier-3 Paladin with several Chaos Pills.
The moment they sensed danger they would retreat or dive to the side.
That was also why Michael’s 25,000 subjects worked tirelessly during the last 16 hours, and why he required the help of the Elemental Mages and the Storm Orb.
Michael’s attention remained on the 13 Paladins while waiting patiently for the right opportunity. At one point in time, he sent a signal to Sun Demos who then forwarded the signal to Lilica, and she triggered the Storm Orb immediately.
In the next few minutes, stormy clouds gathered above the Untamed Jungle’s outer ring, and it began to rain heavily.
The 13 Paladins tensed up at the sight of the storm. They’d received a report about the storm from the day before and understood that it had been created artificially.
Entering the Untamed Jungle, the 13 Paladins conjured a radiant aura that surrounded their entire being. The radiant aura emanated an ethereal glow that signified their divine connection, strengthening the bond to their allies, and enhancing their physical strength with the holy attribute.
The divine connection was a testament to the 13 Paladins’ unwavering faith and unyielding commitment to their Lord and the people their Lord wanted to protect.
With their unyielding spirit, the 13 Paladins stepped into the storm, ready to face the Unknown Lord.