Victoria's eyes narrowed to the size of needles, and a cold chill ran down her spine as she heard Michael's words.

Becoming a Grandmaster had always been a dream of hers. Not just her, but most soldiers in the human ranks considered reaching the cultivation realm as the end goal of their lives.

Now there was a possibility she achieved such power.

"Let's go!" A beaming smile spread over her peerless face as she made haste.

Stepping over debris of destruction, they neared. Soon an overwhelming power began to assault their senses.

"This is…" Victoria was bewildered. Even on battlefields littered with the bodies of countless Generals, the spiritual energy in the air had never been so astounding as it was now.

"We are still far from the Overlord's corpse, yet I can almost see the spiritual energy with my naked eyes." She was stunned by the sheer sight.

Michael didn't blame Victoria for her reaction. It was only natural that a person that had never borne witness to so much energy would freeze in place.

"Come on." Michael urged her to continue.

She was about to obey… Until her eyes settled on ten figures sitting in a circular pattern in the far distance.

Each one wielded power far beyond her comprehension.

"I—I can't." Her lips trembled. "The Lords have killed the Overlord. I have no right to absorb the spiritual energy while they are still cultivating."

Michael heaved a sigh. 'Loyal and righteous to the very core. But thinking like this will not allow you to reach your full potential.'

"You aren't going to disturb them. Don't you see that even the ten of them are incapable of absorbing all of it into their bodies, and some of it gets leaked into the atmosphere?"

Victoria hesitated. There was merit to Michael's words. They had indeed sensed them from afar. So maybe cultivating a little will not hurt…

Seeing that Victoria was still hesitant, Michael opted to nudge her in the right direction.

Nearing her ear, he whispered.

"What would your faction, your grandfather, do in your shoes?"

"..."

Instantly her eyes sharpened to those of a fearless lioness.

Despite being seen as powerful by the common soldiers, Victoria had always felt weak in the presence of so many stronger individuals. Her grandfather, someone she had only met a few times in her life, played a significant role in her destiny, even though she had never wanted it.

'I wanted power, and yet now that it is presented to me on a platter, I dare have second thoughts?!'

She was furious with herself.

'Striving to do the honorable thing isn't inherently bad, but if it hinders my growth only to be passed around by the bigger players on the board, it would render everything I strove for meaningless!'

So what if she was absorbing the energy of another's foe? The Lords had never explicitly said that they forbade someone from doing it, not to mention that some of it was going to waste!

Her eyes had been opened. Missing such an opportunity would be an unforgivable mistake!

'And… all this somehow happened because of him…'

For a moment, her eyes softened as she glanced at Michael. He had guided her to this point, helping her recognize her mistakes. This didn't even account for the time he had provided her with the corpses of Generals, enabling her to achieve a breakthrough, or the countless times he had assisted her in her endeavors.

Regardless of how bleak things sometimes looked, how close death had peeked over the horizon. He always remained reliable, helping not just her but humanity as a whole.

'I don't get it. It's not like I am under the effect of an aphrodisiac like that time. So why do I feel so…'

Unable to control herself, her face moved upwards.

Smooch!

Her warm lips pressed softly against Michael's cheek, causing an intense yet pleasant sensation to spread over their bodies.

Several seconds later Victoria pulled back. Her finger trailed over her lips as she stared at Michael in a dreamlike state.

"..."

Realizing what she had done, her face instantly flushed red.

"Am!... Um!"

She tried to scrape for words yet failed miserably.

"T—Thank you!"

Managing to convey her gratitude, she stepped ahead, too embarrassed to look Michael in the face.

'Gods! Did an alien possess me or something?!' She panicked inwardly.

Trying to distract herself, she sat in a meditation position, her heart beating irregularly fast.

'I wish it lasted a bit longer…' Her genuine feeling surprised even herself.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and focused on cultivating. Michael had provided her with the perfect opportunity, and she wasn't going to waste it!

Meanwhile, in Michael's head, maniacal laughter echoed so loud he was having problems thinking.

'HAHAHA! This was so cute it almost made me blush!' Devil's Tongue remarked. 'But if she really wanted to show her gratitude, her lips should have been aimed lower—'

'Must you taint everything there is?' With a sigh, Michael ignored the soul weapon's words and headed in search of the other members of his crew.

They couldn't match his cultivation speed. Meaning it would be more beneficial in the long run to power them up now, rather than to hog all the power for himself.

"Boss!"

The second person he found was Richard. Thankfully the man had done his job and found Peter and the Adepts that had followed after him remaining in the city in search of more civilians.

"Do you know where the others are?" Michael asked.

"Sure thing, Boss!" With a nod, the Master began to lead the way. Seeing Michael's eager expression, he was able to deduce there was something to be gained.

Back at the Lords that had encircled the corpse of the Overlord. Victoria had quickly managed to calm down her racing heart and enter the cultivation mindset.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming spiritual energy in the air, the destruction around them, or a combination of other factors. Regardless, besides being on guard for aliens, the cultivators paid little attention to their surroundings.

That was why the Lords failed to notice a figure lurking in the shadows, its presence concealed perfectly.

"Easy money!"

Licking its dry lips, the figure focused on a particular Lord with a goal in mind…

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