With the utilization of Blink, Michael teleported behind the first Elite.

"...!"

Feeling goosebumps rise all over its body, the alien turned, ready to retaliate. Yet it proved too slow to react.

Slash!

With a horizontal swing, Michael beheaded the monster in a single strike.

[Dash activated]

Not wasting even a second, he pounced at the second foe and quickly dispatched it.

'Thankfully the aliens didn't expect anyone to sneak into the prison itself. The security is rather lax.' Michael mused.

Stealthily he got rid of any lone Elites that were unfortunate enough to be spotted by him.

Considering that even Masters couldn't afford to underestimate such monsters, it was a grand achievement.

Ten minutes later the entrance of the prison was laid with corpses.

Letting out a sigh, Michael rested the soul weapon on his shoulder and entered.

'Oh, this will be fun! I wonder how you will convince anyone from here to risk their lives for some civilians.' Devil's Tongue remarked.

"Just watch."

Unsurprisingly, Michael had been right. Inside the prison were numerous criminals that were still alive despite the aliens that were lingering around Celestia.

"Is that a human?!"

"Moron! It's obviously an alien disguised as one of us. How many times do they have to do the same trick for you to learn?!"

The inmates doubted their senses. Who in their right mind would expect that someone would come to the rescue of some criminals?

"I can assure you that I am human." Michael proclaimed calmly, observing the interior of the building. He was making sure that there weren't any threats inside.

"If that is the case, kill the one that holds the keys to our cells!" One of the braver troublemakers said, pointing to a small cabin.

"Since the city fell, there has been only a single Elite taking care of us!"

With an arched brow, Michael neared.

The locked humans watched him with anticipation. They knew he was just playing with them… But could he really be a human?

Knock Knock

Nonchalantly, Michael knocked on the door, announcing his arrival.

"...?"

Confused, the Elite opened the door. It had taken the form of a human in order to traverse better.

For a fraction of a second it made eye contact with Michael, struggling to comprehend how a human could have found its way inside.

Realizing this was a reality, the Elite was about to attack.

BOOM!

Yet before it could move, Michael extended his hand and summoned Heaven's Judgment. The double barrel of the shotgun effortlessly tore through the Elite's head, killing it on the spot. Since they were now indoors, Michael didn't have to worry about keeping quiet.

"..."

With mouths open wide, the prisoners stared at Michael and his nonchalant expression. The man before them had effortlessly killed an Elite despite being of the Expert realm, and he had a soul weapon to boot!

"HO! HO! HO!"

In unison they gripped the metal bars of their cells and began to chant in his honor.

A warm smile spread over Michael's face. 'This is more like it.'

He allowed the criminals to chant for several more seconds before silencing them with a simple gesture.

"Shhh."

Putting a finger over his lips was enough to make the people obey.

"I have seen what the aliens do with you prisoners. If you are lucky, they will simply drain your blood. If you are not… Let's say sometimes death seems like a sweet release."

Despite the large structure of the building, his voice traveled effortlessly, as everybody was dead silent listening to him.

"So I assume you all want to be free? To roam the streets and live as normal humans?"

He chuckled seeing how eagerly they began to nod.

"But there is a problem, you see… At the end of the day you are still criminals. If I release you and by some miracle you survive the deadly climate of Neptune and reach another settlement, the system would recognize you as criminals and lock you up."

A dangerous glint appeared in the inmates' eyes, proving that Michael was on the right track.

"But it seems that fortune has befallen upon you all! I am part of the military and have connections with several Grandmasters… As such, if you are willing to help me in my endeavor, your record will be wiped clean, giving you the chance to turn over a new leaf."

He began to explain their role of averting the attention of the aliens.

Of course, by obeying him, they would be risking their lives, but from their point of view, there were only positives.

They would either survive and get the chance to live a normal life or die in the hands of the aliens, yet even that appeared marginally better than waiting here to be tortured with all kinds of inhumane methods.

As for why Michael was willing to give them a second chance, it was simple. By risking their lives, they would have atoned for their sins, whether they were.

Naturally, some sins were unforgivable. However, in the most extreme cases of criminality, the army would carry out immediate executions. So, he wasn't freeing the most depraved individuals.

"I will follow you!"

"Whatever you say, boss! Even if the price is an arm or two, I will gladly pay it for my freedom!"

"BOSS! BOSS! BOSS!"

Quickly the entire prison was hailing Michael as their boss.

"This went well." Michael exclaimed, starting to let the inmates go.

'Sometimes I think that the name Devil's Tongue suits you better than me.' The soul weapon remarked, causing Michael to chuckle.

'Perhaps…'

In a timely manner the criminals were out. Michael's instructions had been clear enough. In 24 hours they were to cause as much havoc and destruction as possible. After approximately 30 minutes they were to head to the train meant to transport the civilians.

The ones that successfully made it would have atoned for their bad deeds and be treated as normal civilians from then on.

Wanting to gather as many as possible, Michael repeated this process numerous times.

'What number does this make it?' He thought tiredly, looking at the big building. He had been going for it for more than 18 hours, and exhaustion was starting to set in.

Remembering the promise he had made to the little girl. Michael shook his head, dispersing his exhaustion, and entered.

The procedure went smoothly, without any irregularities…

Until Michael noticed a cell that was unlike the others he was accustomed to.

Nearing, he realized the difference.

The cell contained a Master…

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