Rather than feeling fear like any reasonable person would, Michael assessed the state of the General.

'It's trying to mask it, but its breathing is erratic. Also, its right hand is bleeding slightly. It has certainly taken some damage.' He concluded.

"Curious." The alien said, a smile spreading across its face. "I don't sense a trace of fear."

While the aliens came in many forms and races, those who attacked the train could mimic human appearances. But because the alien didn't have enough experience in the matter, its smile gave off an uncanny valley effect.

"Why would I feel fear from a mere insect?" Michael provoked, trying to distract the threat.

Yet the alien didn't mind the insult as it erupted into laughter.

"HAHAHA! Me? An insect? Quite the words for a person that is still in the Middle Expert realm. Not that I'm surprised people like you wouldn't know anything."

It was mocking humanity as a whole, since their power scale was known while the aliens still remained a mystery.

"I know many things. For instance, I know that your race specifically is called Etrox. You are able to take human appearances, and that psychokinesis is your main way of inflicting damage."

"..."

The laughter of the General instantly ceased. Slowly its aura turned more menacing as it assaulted Michael's body.

"How… How does a mere human know this much? Not just our powers but our name as well?"

This was unprecedented since every intelligent alien was set to die if they were about to reveal important information. In other words, such intel shouldn't have ever reached any human.

"Why should I bother speaking to inferior beings? Now don't make me repeat myself: Move." Michael sneered while inwardly deep in debate.

'The moment it spotted me, retreat wasn't an option. Since it's already exhausted, would I be able to beat it if I go all out? Will reinforcements arrive in time?'

Without hesitation, he spent the 1,000 skill points he had been saving for emergencies. At the same time, he activated Berserker to its limit.

Now the power coursing through his veins was equal to a Master!

Yet the gap between them was still wide.

'To bridge the gap I will have to rely on my experience, it seems.' He mused, dropping into a battle stance.

"I am going to force the information out of your throat!" The General roared in anger.

The nearby wreckage trembled, being lifted high into the air. With sharp metal edges pointed in Michael's direction, they shot forward like missiles.

Swiftly the General closed in, ready to torture Michael.

Michael's eyes narrowed to the size of needles. Making use of Parallel Sight and Perfect Vision, he witnessed countless paths the floating metal could take.

That wasn't the only thing to take into account, as each General strike would prove deadly.

[Dash activated]

Knowing that thinking would only slow him down, he stopped thinking entirely, relying on his instincts.

Swush!

The General was bewildered when it saw how effortlessly Michael squeezed around the flying metal chunks, getting ready to meet its assault.

Of course, with there being so many, he was scratched several times, but nothing life-threatening.

Clash!

Once his sword met the alien's attack, the ground beneath them cracked and gave in. They both fell to an underground cave that had been there all this time.

'It's dark.'

Pure adrenaline fueled Michael's movements even further.

[Perfect Vision has leveled up!]

Being forced to take so many things into account caused the technique to level up for the first time.

"You really ought to know your place!" The General's roar echoed across the cave.

"It's not fast enough." Michael subconsciously mumbled, barely dodging a metal shard that would have sliced his head off.

[Dash has leveled up!]

"Not strong enough."

His attacks weren't able to harm the skin of the General.

[Berserker has leveled up!]

Under life-or-death situations, his techniques began to level up at a staggering rate. Every pore of his existence was focused on staying alive and beating the General before him.

"Do you really think you have a chance against me?!" The alien entered a frenzy state.

Yet Michael didn't focus on its words. Slaying the monster was the only thing in his mind.

Nothing in this world was going to stop him from protecting his people and achieving his dream.

As the battle raged on and his techniques continued to level up, the inevitable happened.

[Berserker has reached max level!]

[Berserker has evolved!]

[Berserker → Warlock]

While Michael was still locked in his battle with the General, the troops that had been hiding from the alien threat didn't linger. Once the ground gave in, they came out of their hiding spots in search of help.

At the same time, Noah was the first one to beat a General, with Alice soon following him in second.

Not waiting even for a second, they began to search the area for the other threats, hoping to reach them before any more troops died.

"This is a disaster! We have to hurry and close that portal, or the planet really is finished!" Alice mumbled, seeing trails of corpses buried in the snow.

Focusing her senses to the limit, she quickly picked up on the sounds of fighting.

"There!"

Causing the snow around her to rise in the air, she hurried.

"...!"

Her eyes widened when she reached the commotion. She had expected to see soldiers barely keeping a General at bay.

Yet the opposite was the case; several people were still alive while a General was lying dead on the ground.

"W—We did it!" Ava shouted in the air.

"That was close." Victoria exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her face. Everybody was injured, and even Claire's mecha had taken damage, but they were all alive and the General was dead.

"Two Masters, one Expert, and a few Adepts beat a General?" Alice mumbled. For a second she wondered if what she was seeing was an illusion.

"Alice!" The Indomitable Alliance saluted once they saw her, breaking her out of her daze.

Shaking her head, Alice stepped forward. "Good work. Retreat to a safe area. We will deal with the rest—"

Still in the middle of giving her orders, a frightened soldier called out to them in panic.

"Please help! A General is being slowed down by a single Expert! His sword skills kept him alive for a while, but that won't last for long!"

Realizing who the soldier was talking about. Ava's feeling of triumph instantly vanished, replaced by dread.

"MICHAEL!"

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