Before Michael realized what was going on his arm was healed, and so were his ear drums.
Maria let go of his face and turned around to focus on the severely injured patients once again. Meanwhile, Michael stared at Maria, lost in thoughts.
He spent a second or two in confusion before he regained his senses. “Help you out? How?” Michael asked.
Maria didn’t look up from the patients and continued to tend to their wounds. “I cannot heal everyone simultaneously. I will focus on those who’re dying…,” She mumbled, gritting her teeth, “I want you to freeze the wounds of the severely injured to give me some more time. Once you’re done with that, move those with the worst wounds closer to me.” Michael had a few more questions that needed answers, but he could tell that Maria had no time to divert her focus from the injured. She was already sweating trying to tend to as many injured as possible in the shortest time.
Michael turned around and looked at the injured. He was not a medic and his medical knowledge was not exactly deep. However, freezing the wounds of the injured didn’t sound too bad. The only issue was that freezing the injured’s wounds for a prolonged time would destroy their cells, maybe even some of their body parts if he was forced to freeze their limbs to make sure that they wouldn’t die. However, losing a limb or two was better than dying.
It was not the best option, but it was certainly better than leaving the wounded to bleed to death.
Michael was just glad that Maria was around. With her presence, nobody complained as Michael began to follow her orders. But Michael was not too worried about that, in the first place. He would freeze their wounds even if they were daring enough to complain. All he cared about were the dying patients and the threat hovering above their heads. It was uncertain whether the attack from above was over, or if it had just begun.
However, that was something Alice and the other powerhouses would be taking care of. Therefore, Michael focused on the wounded around him. He froze most severe wounds with Glacicle before moving through the Colosseum with the Dome of Extraction unleashed.
Michael used the Dome of Extraction to pinpoint the location of the wounded but still alive people who were buried underneath debris and the collapsed walls. They were injured and not exactly in good shape so they could thereby be invaded by the tendrils of Extraction. Michael didn’t intend to extract their lifeforce or energy. Instead, he pinpointed their location as the tendrils of extraction searched through the remnants of the Colosseum.
It didn’t take long before Michael’s tendrils connected to several buried Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs. He found a group of humans that had been buried as well. Unfortunately, it was already too late for them. The tendrils of extraction didn’t sense any lifeforce within them. They were dead.
It was a shame that he couldn’t help them anymore, but Michael couldn’t resurrect the dead. As for Maria, she was already busy enough trying to keep the living alive. Even if she could resurrect the dead, it would probably consume too much energy and focus. Maria would tire out too quickly and be unable to rescue those who were still alive.
‘It has been too long since they died. Not even Maria can help them at this point.’ Michael concluded before extracting the rubble and stones all around him. He freed a few groups of Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, but he couldn’t carry all of them at once. There were too many and they were too injured to be thrown around mindlessly. Michael grit his teeth and picked up one of the most severely injured Warlock Centaurs. His legs were crushed and several rocks had pierced his chest. A long metal pipe had pierced his abdomen and there was a large hole in his shoulder.
Michael tried to be as careful as possible as he carried the Warlock Centaur to the center of the Colosseum. There he saw several humans crying their hearts out, their gut-wrenching cries filling the air with gloom and despair, and pure terror in their eyes. It was a pitiful sight, but all Michael could feel was anger.
“Are you going to stay here like pitiful bastards, or what? Get fucking moving and help out!!! Do you want everyone to die?” Michael bellowed, activating Spirit Gaze to use Spirit Disturbance on each of the crying idiots.
Two of them slumped to the ground as Spirit Disturbance impacted, but the rest turned their heads toward him. Their eyes widened and they were just about to say something when they saw the fury in Michael’s eyes. Michael was carrying a Warlock Centaur who was twice his height on his shoulders, the wounded’s blood drenching his clothes.
“Move!” Michael ordered, his voice commanding obedience. At this point, Michael couldn’t care less about the reason they acted like pathetic cowards. Some of these bastards were Descendants with Soultraits that didn’t require them to fight, while others could be considered merchants who used the Battle Exchange to establish multiple alliances and new trading routes. But so what? If they couldn’t even keep their calm in a disaster like this, how were they supposed to lead their families in the future? ‘Their parents must be proud of these fucking idiots. If any of them becomes the head of their family or business, I will shoot myself!’ Michael cursed in his heart, using the rage churning inside him to move the Warlock Centaur faster to Maria.
He saw Jirah Loar and Maria’s loyal fan club staring through the surroundings with great vigilance. Most of them had unsheathed their weapons as if they were waiting for some Invaders to charge into the Colosseum to attempt kidnapping, or killing Maria.
“Are you guys going to stand around doing nothing? Get the injured and bring them over. I removed some of the rubble burying some groups of Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs,” Michael told them when he saw that the Descendants circling around Maria had already overcome their shock. They looked surprised but they weren’t shaking anymore. It was quite obvious that they didn’t face a near-death experience for the first time in their lives. They were not like the sobbing idiots, who were too shocked to move. They were real Descendants.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean they were keen on helping him. The fan club didn’t move even after everything Michael said. Michael put the injured Warlock Centaur down near Maria’s feet, which received various complicated expressions.
“Maria will focus on healing humans. Don’t make her waste too much of her energy tending to them.” One of the Descendants said, pointing at the Warlock Centaur. “Waste energy?” Michael’s eyes narrowed, “Maria will heal everyone. So get your ass up and help the others!” Michael’s voice grew fiercer with every word that escaped his lips. The Dome of Extraction expanded, and the full power of the Legendary Ring’s Dragon Might was unleashed.
Michael’s Dragon Might and the Dome of Extraction seemed to merge and impact heavily on the group of Descendants. The pressure weighing down on them increased as Michael took a stride toward the Descendant who’d spoken against him.
Michael grasped the Descendant’s collar and stared into his eyes coldly, “We are allies and ought to rely on each other in emergency situations like this. If you were in their stead, you would want to be rescued as well. So you better stop spouting nonsense and help!”
The Descendant was only a 2nd-year student at the Peak of the 2nd Tier. He had a Support-type Soultrait and didn’t expect some nobody to confront him when he was still shocked by the incident that happened mere minutes ago.
Staring into the deadly cold eyes of the young man, whose presence weighed heavily onto him, the young Descendant felt as if he was suffocating.
“Michael is right. Let’s save everyone we can. Zayn, Lily, and Pierre will stay here to protect Maria and the injured with everything you got. The rest should get moving!” Jirah Loar intervened. He appeared next to Michael and looked straight into the enraged youth’s eyes.
Michael released the young Descendant who slumped to the ground with trembling legs. “Thanks,” Michael said half-heartedly to Jirah when he saw that the other Descendants began to move. They stared daggers at Michael since he was a mere nobody who confronted one of their people and gave them orders. However, Michael couldn’t care less. He had begun to hate the Descendants more and more. Some were entirely useless because all they cared about was their own comfort, safety, and establishing connections with other families, while others were too arrogant for their own good. Worse even, they cared only about their own kind. They would leave the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs to die if that meant that they could rescue one more of their Descendants from rubble and ashes.
“But what about Maria’s energy reserves? She won’t have enough to tend to all of them?” One of the Descendants asked, his eyes moving to a young woman who was being tended to by Maria.
The bright lights emanating from Maria’s hands had dulled and it was not difficult to tell that her Soultrait’s power began to dwindle. Maria didn’t have enough energy left to use her full power to heal everyone equally. Therefore, some Descendants wanted to ensure that their own kind would be tended to rather than the Berserkers or Warlock Centaurs. They had their own healers, after all!
Unfortunately, the medic team of the Colosseum had been struck and killed by one of the Perses Missiles. Maria was currently the only healer in the Colosseum.
‘Am I in the wrong here?’ Michael wondered at this moment. He strained Maria too much by bringing everyone who was severely wounded to her. She was only a Low Tier-3 Lord, therefore her energy reserves were highly restricted. 7-Star Soultraits required a tremendous amount of energy to be used at full power. The effects were grand, but the energy consumption was terrifying. Of course, Maria couldn’t heal everyone by herself.
‘No. I’m not wrong…’ Michael grit his teeth. He didn’t prioritize any of the Descendants. If anything, he treated every patient the same. They were all allies and should thus care for each other.
“Ah fuck off. Just help everyone. I will make sure that Maria has enough energy to heal everyone!” Michael cursed the Descendant before turning to Jirah.
“Trust me, please.” He told Jirah, looking at him hopefully.
The resolve and determination in Michael’s eyes caught Jirah by surprise, and the corners of his lips curled upward.
“It looks like my research about you was completely wrong. I owe you an apology,” Jirah said, clearing his throat before he waved to the other Descendant, “Get moving everyone! We got to save everyone!” The Descendants followed Jirah’s command. They didn’t trust Michael, but they knew that they could trust Jirah. If Jirah said that everyone would be tended to, it was a fact. “We will help as well!” A familiar voice from nearby resounded. It was Fernando Jochez, whom Michael had met only once.
Michael raised an eyebrow but nodded his head without saying anything else. He then headed to Maria, whose clothes were drenched in sweat. He caught himself looking at her beautiful form for a moment before regaining his senses in the next.
“Don’t reject it,” Michael said as he pressed his right hand against Maria’s back. Once his palm connected to her back, Michael used the Power of Energy Imprint stored in the Legendary Ring Artifact.
A tremendous amount of energy swirled through Michael’s right hand right before traversing to Maria. Sensing the cold energy that traversed from Michael’s hand and seeped into her back, Maria gasped. She let out a startled gasp and looked back at Michael, her eyes wide open.
“Better?” Michael asked gently, hoping that the Power of Energy Imprint stored in the Legendary Ring Artifact would be enough to last for a while. Maria’s complexion improved drastically. Her cheeks turned faint pink and her labored breathing slowly returned to normal.
“Thanks,” She mumbled, ignoring the heat that rose to her ears.
Her clothes were drenched in sweat and sticking to her body. It was uncomfortable to be looked at by many in such a state as Maria would never allow anyone to see her exhausted like this. But now a young man pressed his hand against her drenched back; against the clothes clinging to her body like a second skin. Maria felt like there was no gap between Michael’s hand and her back, almost like she was naked.
‘So warm.’ Michael’s warmth pressed against her. It filled Maria with energy and vigor.
Staring into the dark eyes of the young man, who supported her without any complaints, Maria felt reassured. She thought that everything would be alright and that she could save everyone.
“Are you at your limit?” Maria asked right after finishing healing the female Descendant in front of her. The young woman got up and thanked Maria several times for tending to her wounds, but Maria’s full attention had already returned to Michael.
Maria could feel that the crimson ring was the source that allowed Michael to provide her with so much energy. However, she didn’t know how much energy the ring stored and if the Artifact’s output was already at its limit.
“Not yet. I can channel more energy into you, but that will strain your body further. I don’t think your body can handle more,” Michael said, only for a corner of Maria’s lips to tilt upward.
“Don’t underestimate me. Increase the output and witness Heaven’s Descent!” Maria declared loud enough for the Descendants around her to hear.
The three Descendants who had been ordered to protect Maria were already stupefied at her abrupt change of personality. Maria Seraph was calm and composed. Her majestic appearance highlighted her gracefulness, and the lack of emotions created a hue of enigma around her.
But the same graceful and emotionless beauty they had worshiped as the Saintess was now staring at Michael with flushed cheeks and shouting in excitement like a little girl. That was already enough to shock the Descendants to the heart since none of them had ever been able to change the way Maria Seraph looked at them emotionlessly, but that was not everything.
Maria was about to use her Inheritance Technique, Heaven’s Descent. “Are you ready to take on responsibility for what you said before?” Maria asked, staring at Michael with a dead-serious expression.
“What I said before? You mean earlier when I shouted at these idiots?” Michael asked, only to narrow his eyes.
“And what do you mean ‘bear responsibility’?! We’re here to safe everyone, not to sleep with each other!”