Chapter 424 - 424: The Only Thing That Matters
With the death of Eleanora and the Monarch, the grudges Michael had formed in the hollow valley had been paid in full.
Upon that realization, he felt weirdly relaxed.
"The felines along with the crew must have already evacuated by the tunnel." He mused, observing the hollow valley.
"Since I don't have to stress about them, why not just kill anything lingering in the chamber while I wait for Ruby and Robert to wake up?"
Given that the only entities he could encounter now would be either leftover cultists, ants, or Hreh'tar aliens. In other words, all enemies… he might as well do a quick cleanup of the place.
After all, with the dethroning of the Monarch, he was at the top. He might as well do what he wanted.
At that moment, Michael's figure blurred, starting to traverse the soil with staggering speed.
ROOOAAAR!
General and Overlord tier aliens still standing after their clash with the ants focused their sight on his quickly approaching figure.
Their tentacles and limbs surged in his direction, ready to retaliate.
With a flick of Michael's wrist, they were all split vertically, toppling to the ground.
Those who witnessed the scene shuddered at the difference in might.
Some tried to hide, only for Michael to find them without breaking a sweat.
Others with wings attempted to flee.
Michael caught them all by leaping high into the air, faster than they could react.
A few unfortunate cultists who had managed to survive until now were beheaded on the spot.
Whether normal ants or Royal Champions, all were dealt with.
"I think this is supposed to be everyone?" Michael murmured, the hollow valley turning eerily still with the loss of life.
At that moment, the ground behind him moved, several heads emerging from below.
Moles, the same mammals that had led the crew underground, starting off the whole fiasco.
Trembling, they came out of the ground, their heads bowing in submission.
Observing them more closely, Michael could tell that while they weren't spiritual beasts, not surprising given how rare they were, they still emitted a mysterious amount of spiritual energy.
Most likely, they had been force-fed spiritual crystals, making them tougher than usual… Only for the ant queen to take control of them and create connection, linking both the lower and higher branches of the cultists.
A smirk formed over Michael's face as he observed them in silence.
Having witnessed the slaughter, the moles had emerged out of fear. In essence, they were asking him whether he would spare them or hunt them down one by one, like the others.
"I permit you to live." He said in amusement. Considering the creatures had likely been forced into the cultist operations, he saw no reason to kill them…
At least not after they had recognized his might and properly asked him directly.
Showing that they understood he stood above them was essential.
Their noses twitched before the moles hid in the ground once more, eager to run away before Michael changed his mind.
Guessing that enough time had passed, Michael moved toward Ruby and Robert.
The Lord was still unconscious, yet to recover fully.
However, Ruby was awake, curled on her knees, sobbing with a piece of metallic head in her embrace.
"Little brother…" Her tears could hardly stop. She had seen Cyberfang's self-destruction to keep the ants off Michael's back, and the loss pained her greatly.
She was largely responsible after all.
Because the AI chip had been destroyed along with the body, there was no coming back from it.
Michael stopped next to Ruby, his bottomless gaze studying the ruins of what had once been the metallic beast.
'Strange…' He thought. 'I don't feel anything.'
All things considered, Michael should have felt some kind of compassion, grief, or regret…
Yet there was a void.
Such was life itself. Everybody's existence could be extinguished at a moment's notice.
It might appear overly cruel… But there was nothing that could be done.
"Let's go." Michael said calmly, walking away.
Ruby sniffed, her gaze shifting toward Michael's towering frame.
"I… want him back." She whispered softly.
Michael shook his head with a sigh. "Here we go…"
Reluctantly, he walked toward Ruby, crouching next to her.
"Look, sweetheart, there's nothing that can be done… Cyberfang is dead." He placed a hand on her cheek, wiping her tears away. "So instead of wasting time weeping, how about we do something more productive?"
"I know that my little brother is never coming back…" Ruby bit her lower lip, eyes trembling.
"What I want back is my Michael!" She roared.
Michael's finger stopped abruptly.
"You may resemble him in part… you may carry his name, but you are not him!" Ruby continued, her voice growing more fierce. "Michael isn't heartless like you! He thinks about others first and himself second! However frustrating he might occasionally be, that is him! The one I love! You… aren't Michael! Give him back! Give me my Michael back!"
"..."
Silently Michael gazed at his feline companion for a few short seconds.
Then he chuckled, placing both of his hands over her cheeks.
"Since you are tired, I don't blame you, Ruby." He squished her adorable cheeks. "But look at how powerful I have become! Power is the most important thing there is! Why would I ever want to go back to when I was held back by whatever useless principles I might have once believed in?"
A menacing smile tugged at his face.
"My new form is so much better than before! There is no equal to me anymore! Why would I ever give that away?"
Ruby didn't make an attempt to break free, her tears not stopping. "Please… revert back… give me Michael back."
It was quite a problem. Michael had made his best attempt to reassure Ruby, yet she still seemed reluctant.
Worse yet, she spoke as if she was giving him a command, not the other way around.
Considering how gentle and tolerant Michael had been all this time, he didn't take kindly to her clear disrespect one bit.
With his patience wearing dangerously thin. Almost to the point of exhaustion, his lips parted…
Only to be interrupted.
"I answered the call for reinforcements the moment I could… Imagine my surprise when I saw a giant hole opened in the ground where once the lava lake had been."
The feminine voice paused momentarily, observing the two-and-a-half-meter monster towering over a weeping Ruby, only to continue, now her tone laced with authority.
"So… what exactly are you supposed to be?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
Halting, Michael rose to his feet and glanced behind him.
His eyes settled on a woman with crimson hair and eyes, bearing a menacing aura.
It was Supreme Lord Nicole.