?Oliver’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the pulsating Cursed Seals. He didn’t know what the grayish-black chain-like Cursed Seals were, or what exactly to think about the expanding activated Cursed Seals that showered his body in a golden glow.
However, he could tell that it was dangerous.
But Oliver was not the only one surprised. Alice and the others were flabbergasted as well. Kaleb had already seen Michael in a similar state in the Interdimensional Flag War, but today felt different.
The power that oozed from Michael was far more prominent than before.
Evalynn was star-struck. Her eyes bulged and the hair all over her body stood up to its end. She stared blankly at Michael.
‘He can get out of this…on his own?’
Evalynn swallowed hard, a faint memory of her oldest child resurfacing.
‘Even Hesta didn’t manage to do that after she ascended. Yet, Michael…’
Michael was also not certain about what was going on, but he hated losing control of his body more than anything. Nobody was allowed to control him in any way. NOBODY!!
He regained control over his body before it was too late, but the emotions ravaging his entire being were still present. They…strengthened him… 𝑖𝘦.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Oliver Zeus was about to end the battle because he sensed something that made him feel overly uncomfortable, but Michael was unwilling to end it like this. He wouldn’t go down like that. Not without delivering a few heavy blows.
The battle continued.
Michael used Insert to channel some energy into the Soultrait Shard of Archangel’s Grace to activate the Healing Soultrait. Humongous wings sprouted from Michael’s back, but instead of shining vibrantly in its usual white luminescence, the wings were black and golden.
Michael’s broken ribs were tended alongside the broken cheekbone. He recuperated near-instantly, and the black, golden wings disappeared right after.
As Archangel’s Grace was used to heal him, Michael spread out a bunch of Inferior Energy Stones.
“Since you got the advantage of being a Higher Lifeform and a Tier-5 Lord with a much bigger energy pool you surely don’t mind me using some external means, right?” He asked, grinning like he lost his sanity.
Michael didn’t give Oliver any time to answer the question. He devoured the energy within the Inferior Energy Stones in an instant using Extraction and conjured a dozen Qi Extraction Swords around him. 𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮
He raised his hand lightly and pushed his arm down in a straight line. The Qi Extraction Swords reacted without delay. They burst forth and shot straight at Oliver.
Oliver Zeus could instinctively tell that he was strong enough to crush the Qi Extraction Swords with brute force. However, upon crushing the first Qi Extraction Sword, he noticed something that bothered him.
His energy was drained the moment the Qi Extraction Sword came close to him and his arms, starting from his skin, were dissected as the Qi Extraction Sword grazed him. The Qi Extraction Sword didn’t even have to collide head-on with Oliver Zeus to drain his energy and dissect his body.
Oliver Zeus could restrain the power of Extraction, but that consumed a lot more mental power than he expected. A deep scowl appeared on his face, and he fused properly with the Thynuder Eagle.
His Soultrait was not only a Summon-type Soultrait. It was more like the Thynuder Eagle was a part of him. The Thynuder Eagle grew stronger as Oliver Zeus’ strength increased. More potential was unlocked as the Thynuder Eagle crossed the racial limit that restrained ordinary members of her kind.
Being able to fuse with Oliver Zeus was one of the unique abilities it had acquired. Large wings compressed from electricity currents spread out behind Oliver Zeus.
He was coated in flashes of lightning and meager electricity currents that intertwined and connected the lightning, creating the Thynuder Armor that granted Oliver Zeus the ability to conjure lightning bolts and thunder charges at will.
Oliver threw lightning bolts at the remaining Qi Extraction Swords, ensuring that they couldn’t get close enough to affect him.
From the start of the battle, Oliver Zeus didn’t hold back his strength. However, that didn’t mean he went all-out either. Oliver Zeus knew that the spar would be over too soon if he went all out right away.
Yet…fighting Michael was far more exciting than he initially thought. Oliver Zeus couldn’t help but move up to the next gear. It was about time to unleash some real power.
Once the remaining Qi Extraction Swords had been shattered, Oliver Zeus changed his tactic. He kicked the ground and flapped the Thynuder Wings to accelerate in an instant. He was even faster than before and appeared in front of Michael.
Michael could barely sense what Oliver had planned using Spirit Eyes’ Prognosis when Oliver was already right in front of him. He used Cosmic Stride instinctively and appeared above Oliver, whose head flicked upward almost instantaneously. Michael’s eyes widened, but it was already too late.
A lightning bolt struck Michael square in the chest.
He roared loudly and unleashed True Extraction amplified with a Soul Tear and further reinforced with 10 layers of Enhancement. The lightning bolt was quickly dissected, its energy absorbed at once. A huge, compressed Qi Extraction Sword coated in lightning currents conjured next to Michael as he was flung back.
He didn’t crash into the arena walls once again. Instead, Michael used Cosmic Stride while he was still hurled through the air. His vision turned black for a quarter of a second and he lost control of his body for that short period. The next thing Michael recalled was that Oliver Zeus was surrounded by Qi Extraction Swords and that he stood firmly on the arena lines.
‘Fuck.’ Michael groaned, angry about his incompetence and the inability to keep his physique under control.
Oliver Zeus discharged electricity currents in all directions. A thunderous screech resounded through the surroundings, breaking the arena tiles and Qi Extraction Swords simultaneously.
Michael exerted Cosmic Stride again, but Oliver Zeus was already prepared for that. It looked like he’d analyzed Michael’s combat style in their short exchanges.
Michael changed his tactic instantaneously using his vast memories that contained thousands of strategies and combat styles, but Oliver Zeus was already next to him. He grasped Michael’s arm and hurled him high up in the air.
Michael’s vision was about to turn black again as the activated Cursed Seals tremored, but Michael withstood it. He didn’t lose control of his body this time.
However, the focus he had to use to keep in charge of his physique made it nearly impossible to keep tabs on Oliver Zeus. Oliver Zeus appeared above Michael, his hands clasped together.
Michael had a bad feeling and instinctively used Cosmic Stride. But just as he reappeared at the other end of the arena, Michael realized that it was too silent.
Oliver Zeus hadn’t released his attack just yet.
Michael looked up and was just about to use Cosmic Stride once again when he noticed that Oliver Zeus appeared in front of him, unleashing a giga charge of thunderbolt energy straight into Michael’s body.
A terrifying roar escaped Michael’s lips. It was almost like the roar of a…beast.
Oliver Zeus’ discharge of thunderbolt energy dispersed all of a sudden, Michael’s vibrant golden eyes turned crimson red and blood oozed from his eyes, nose, and ears.
“Knock him o–….” Alice shouted all of a sudden, but Oliver Zeus had already reacted.
His hand turned into a thunderclaw with which he could easily slash Michael’s throat. However, instead of doing so, Oliver Zeus tapped Michael’s forehead lightly, discharging a highly compressed mass of electricity currents straight into his brain.
Michael’s terrifying roar turned into a whimper. His eyes rolled up until only the white in his eyes was visible. He collapsed to the ground.
The commotion of the fierce fight turned into silence. Nobody uttered a single word.
Alice appeared next to Michael and glanced at Oliver Zeus’ arm in surprise.
It was only now that Oliver noticed that he was bleeding.
‘He…managed to injure me?’ Goosebumps spread all over his body.
“I don’t think that I could defeat him if I was a newly ascended Higher Lifeform. No. Even at the Mid Ranks of Tier…I wouldn’t be able to defeat him…I think,” Oliver mumbled, his thoughts flipping over to his nephews.
‘Killian has a terrifying rival. But…well. Killian is also a monstrous genius. There are too many monsters in this generation.’
Evalynn Fang had seen everything, and she was shocked, to say the least. Even without the Cursed Seals, Michael was extremely powerful.
“7 Soultraits? No. It felt like he used more than 7 Soultraits. What…No. How?!”
Michael regained his senses after he was knocked out for a few seconds. He groaned and got up slowly, only to see someone familiar in the corner of his eyes.
‘Mother?’ He nearly called out, taking a step closer to his mother.
There were still a few more things he wanted to know from his mother. That included information about the Geas and the Nest.
The Geas shouldn’t restrain her from acting freely and apologizing for whatever his parents had done, but they made it more difficult to explain a few things.
Michael understood that hating his mother wouldn’t help him or Daniel. Instead, treating her like she was dead might be harmful to his brother. And harming Danny was the last thing Michael wanted to do.
He turned a deaf ear to the voices around him and stared intently at his mother. Maybe, it was time to talk with her again.
However, upon seeing Michael approach her, Evalynn turned around and disappeared on the spot.
She couldn’t face him right now. Not while the presence of the Curse residing within Michael lingered on him.
The Nest should never find out about Michael.
[Volume 10 End]
𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮