'Let's do this.'

After taking a deep breath, Michael used Fade for the first time.

From an outsider's perspective, his figure blurred slightly. The light around him seemed to bend, and the spiritual energy began to move through his body. Like there was nothing capable of absorbing it.

Aside from feeling calmness, Michael didn't feel much different.

Deciding to test it, he took a stroll around the city.

Under normal circumstances civilians would have greeted him. Not because they knew him or about his abilities, but because they greeted any soldiers that entered their field of vision. It was only right considering that they were the reason the city was still standing.

"..."

Wordlessly Michael traveled undisturbed. Without a single gaze settling on him. Forget about civilians. Even the few soldiers he spotted didn't pick up his presence. The effect seemed to work flawlessly even on Experts!

"Truly worthy of being an Epic rank…"

From what he was seeing, as long as he stayed silent and didn't get too close, he was basically invisible to most Experts, and most likely the same would be true for Elite tier aliens.

Once his experiments were done, he went to rest. Exhaustion was slowing down his movements.

The next morning he received a call. It was Conor, the man wanted to meet.

"Sorry for calling you out of the blue. But as a proud member of the Sacred Order, I wish to express my utmost thanks for your help, once again!" The man said with a deep bow.

Intrigued, Michael observed the man's cybernetic arm. It appeared that Grandmaster Riley went out of her way to provide a metallic replacement.

From a simple glance it became apparent it was masterfully crafted. Conor's fighting ability might have even improved thanks to the implant!

"If you want to thank me, do it with your actions, not your words." Michael chuckled.

"Naturally! I swear on my soul that not a single strand of hair shall fall from Miss Jasmine's head as long as I am by her side!"

From gazing at the man's eyes, Michael knew that his resolve was unshakable.

'Good, I can rest easy knowing that he is guarding Jasmine.' Michael mused.

The safety of the young prodigy was so important that he couldn't neglect it.

After a moment of hesitation, Conor added. "And… The Miss has requested to meet with her sisters…"

Michael arched an eyebrow. A second later he realized she meant Ava, Victoria, and Claire. They had gotten pretty close the last time they met each other.

"I will talk to them."

Unsurprisingly, the three agreed in a flash. With the scout mission completed, they felt a breather was in order. As such, they went to play with her.

However, they couldn't waste too much time. Each second that passed was one that gave the aliens more time to prepare.

Thankfully the Lords knew about this too.

Several days later a massive convoy reached Azure's gates. Since the city was one of the closest settlements to Celestia, it was going to serve as a hub.

"Gods, looking at these people and their perfect skin makes me sick! A real warrior must be scarred by wounds all over!" Richard proclaimed as he glanced at the arrivals.

The forces that had initially come to Celestia's aid were nothing compared to what they saw now. Aside from the greater number of powerful forces, such as hundreds of Grandmasters and thousands of Masters, there were a few beings that stood above the crowd.

The air around them stirred out of its own volition, reacting to the sheer spiritual power they wielded.

'Lords… More than expected.'

Michael had expected for the Lords of Azure and Vespera to be the only ones that would join the battle. Yet from a sheer sight he knew he was wrong.

Still, witnessing Neptune's forces amass such overwhelming power so fast made one thing abundantly clear.

'The fall of Celestia was orchestrated. And the death of its Lord expected…'

In hindsight Michael knew this. But what frustrated him the most was that these figures, revered as godlike by mortals, didn't even attempt to conceal their true intentions. It was as if they believed no one would dare question them.

And the worst part…

"I—I can't believe it! Lords! So many!"

"The fall of Celestia must have come as a great shock! It is only natural that the forces of Neptune will unite to close the General portal and slay the Overlord!"

The worst part was that, with a few exceptions, no one even dared to consider the possibility that the Lords had sacrificed an entire city. Millions of civilians, children, and the elderly, just for their own personal gains.

Whatever, because they needed the Lords to represent perfect pillars to strive towards or due to the propaganda they had been fed since childhood. The very idea refused to enter their minds.

How can humanity move forward with so many rotten individuals holding it back? Scum that would look the other way if children were slaughtered just to improve their political standing or cultivation.

"Michael…?"

By now Ava had a habit of observing Michael. With time she found it a tad bit easier to guess what he was feeling, which was by no means an easy feat, considering how masterfully he could hide his state of mind.

"Yes?" He turned towards her with a warm smile.

She stared at him blankly.

'Did I imagine it? For a moment, he looked at the Lords the same way he once looked at the fighters in the arena before slaughtering them all. Like they were no longer part of our kind, but a threat to be exterminated.'

Even after all the time she'd spent with him, she doubted that he was unhinged enough to think of going against such monsters.

"N—Nothing." She decided to drop the matter.

With a shrug, Michael went back to observe the arrival of the troops. Soon after, he and his crew were called by Grandmaster Alice for a briefing.

Aside from Ava, there had been one other person who had caught a glimpse of Michael's true nature.

"I don't know what will happen next… But it will surely be fun." Richard smiled mischievously.

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