The two Valyr stared at Michael in confusion. They witnessed the gruesome death of dozens of Valyr over the last hour and were now offered freedom by the very same man.
It didn’t make any sense.
“You…are really not going to kill us?” One of them asked while the other continued staring blankly at Michael.
“We can leave?”
Michael answered with a light shrug, “You are free to leave. However, it would be great if both of you could join me here. I can deploy you to my other territory as well. It’s better suited for Valyrs than the Untamed Jungle. Still, I won’t force you to make a decision.”
One of the duo looked in the direction of the Savannah Region. He couldn’t see the outskirts of the Savannah Region through the densely grown jungle, but his imagination was going wild. He wondered what would happen if he returned to the Savannah.
“Though, I recommend not going back to the Savannah Region. While rummaging through your minds to find out if you’re bad guys, I saw how the Valyr treated you. I don’t think they’ll allow you to leave alive. Your life outside the Origin Expanse is basically over, and returning to the Savannah Region will be the last nail in your coffin.”
The Valyrs swallowed and looked to the ground. They understood that Michael wasn’t saying nonsense. However, that didn’t mean they liked what Michael said. Their lives had changed again, yet regaining freedom didn’t mean they would be accepted by their people any longer.
“I don’t like this, but I don’t think we’ve got another option,” One of the duo grumbled. He stretched his hand out, “My name is Kodas. The Valyr considered me one of their prodigies until one of the heads’ offspring decided it was a good idea to pounce on my sister and take her by force.”
Kodas took a deep breath, rage spreading rapidly through his entire body. His blood was boiling, but he felt he had to tell Michael what happened.
“I don’t know what you saw in my mind… Either way, my sister managed to run away from that bastard. She returned home, desperate and bawling her eyes out. That bastard and his bodyguards reached our home while my father and I tended to official business in the Origin Expanse. I don’t know what happened…” Silence ruled the vicinity for a few seconds as Kodas shut his mouth.
“…We found our family dead, their bodies mangled in the worst possible ways you could imagine. My father was the first to move. Fueled in rage, he demanded an explanation, but all he received was a slap in the face. Long story short, my father killed the clan head’s offspring and some elders who’d been supporting that bastard. He injured the clan head but was executed not long after.”
“I used my Soultrait on the day of my father’s execution to assassinate the injured clan head. I killed Ignas and obliterated everything he’d attained over the last 800 centuries. His clan is no more. The monuments he’d engraved into the history of the Valyr were removed the day my father died.”
Michael was aware of 90% of Kodas’ story. However, there were minor details he hadn’t known about.
“Why are you still alive after eradicating an entire clan?” Michael asked though he had a suspicion.
Kodas shrugged in uncertainty. It was the other Valyr who answered instead.
“They kept us alive because of you. Even though the Clans would have loved to execute us openly, it is a matter of fact that they’re lacking strong criminals. The Valyr didn’t kill us because they were having difficulty meeting the Savannah Contract’s quota,” The Valyr explained, his eyes drilling deep into Michael’s, “They’re afraid of you.”
“That makes sense,” Kodas nodded, eying Michael with a touch of vigilance.
Even though Michael said that he wouldn’t kill them, the grotesque scenes of him mercilessly murdering 40 Valyr flashed through his mind.
Kodas didn’t care too much about the Valyr because he was aware of the crimes they’d committed. Still, seeing how they died…them being effortlessly suppressed by a youthful man, wasn’t exactly comforting. If anything, it was incredibly stressful.
Kodas thought about fighting Michael for a moment before. Using his Soultrait to its limits before executing a surprise attack should be more than enough to take down a newly ascended Higher Lifeform. But he decided against it. Assassinating a clan head of the Valyr had been incredibly difficult, but it was possible. However, doing the same to the monstrosity of the Lord standing before him was on an entirely different level.
Michael shrugged, “They can fear me. I don’t really mind.”
“But if they fear me, they should have been trying to please me. Instead, they’re trying to take advantage of me,” He murmured, a trace of annoyance flashing through his mind.
“Whatever,” He shrugged, turning to the other Valyr, “What’s your name?”
“Pierl…”
“Pierl. Do you want to stay in my territory, or do you want to become a Rogue? I’m not killing you, but I will have to ask you to leave in a few days if you don’t join my territory. Or I can offer you a Soul Contract. You can stay in the Untamed Jungle if you sign the Soul Contract, though I doubt you’ll like it here. The Untamed Jungle is not compatible with Valyrs.”
“Is it okay if I think about it for a few days? I accepted my death already…staying alive was not exactly an option for me anymore…”
Michael nodded lightly, “Take your time. You too, Kodas. There is no need to rush anything.”
After saying everything that had to be said, Michael ordered an attendant to treat Kodas and Pierl as esteemed guests. They were given the same treatment as the Untamed Awakened and were given living quarters near the Untamed Awakened’s homes. Michael wished they would run into each other within the next few days.
Both Kodas and Pierl were strong. If Michael had to make a guess, Pierl was only slightly weaker than Hiraku but stronger than Lokai. He was, however, stronger than most Valyrians Michael had encountered.
Kodas, on the other hand, was stronger than Hiraku. In fact, Kodas was probably the strongest right after Michael. If he unleashed Kodas upon the Savannah Region, he might accidentally obliterate a portion of the Savannah. That wasn’t what Michael desired, though the Valyr Clans had been getting on his nerves. Michael’s opinion of them had been flushed down the toilet.
Either way, he gave the two Valyrs enough time to consider their future. In the meantime, Michael was going to do something long overdue.
It was time to use his SoulStar Fragments and the massive stock of Soultrait Symbols.
He utilized Cosmic Stride to return to the wooden manor, where he sat on the edge of his bed. Michael’s eyes lingered on the back of his right hand where his War Rune, altered through Maria’s Mark of Fate, was located.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
[Are you feeling sorry for Maria? That poor girl fell in love with you and lost her Primal Amplifier because you are never around when she needs you. If you had to inquire me, she is probably the most miserable girl around you.]
Michael frowned deeply, but he didn’t say anything. He would be able to remove the Mark of Fate with True Extraction – augmented with 51 Cursed Seals, ten Enhancement layers, and a Soul Tear – but his instincts told him it would take days. His Cursed Seals didn’t contain enough curse power to supply True Extraction for days. The same applied to origin energy. He had the means to procure enough energy, but it wasn’t worth extracting Archangel’s Grace’s Soulshard just yet.
“I will return the Mark of Fate in the future. It’s not my fault I’ve been chosen as her Primal Amplifier…” Michael groaned.
[Oh my! How responsible of you!! You are almost a good guy… but only almost. You really know how to get on other people’s nerves. To think you would pick your teacher over a beautiful maiden in love.]
Michael would be able to feel his brother shaking his head. He frowned deeply and cursed Danny.
“Sometimes, it’s better to keep your mouth closed, you know? If you continue spouting nonsense, your vessel will be a mouse or something like that. I will throw you into a mouse maze and make fun of you as you desperately try to escape the maze’s walls!”
[You are so cruel~. If I had known that my brother would turn out like this, I would have disciplined him better!]
Michael continued cursing his brother. He threw Danny out of his consciousness by shoving him back into the confinements of the Soul Grimoire. After that, his attention pulled back to his mission.
‘I never planned to hurt my friends…’ Michael grit his teeth, his eyes lingering on the War Rune’s Mark of Fate.
He ruffled through his hair and slapped his cheeks to return to his senses.
It was time to get his hands on a better Healing-type Soultrait Symbol. Archangel’s Grace was only a Pseudo 6-Star Soultrait when Michael utilized it at its full potential. That would have been more than enough for others, especially since Michael had only a shard of Archangel’s Grace.
However, it was far from enough for Michael. He managed to injure himself far too often. Even Archangel’s Grace’s Soulshard had been too weak to heal some of his injuries fast enough.
If he wanted to use all means possible to grow stronger, Michael would have to create his own Healing-type Soultrait Symbol.
Michael had to create another Empty Soul Socket to achieve that.
After all, he never planned to remove one of his other Soultrait Symbols. Not yet, at least.