Utilizing Blink, Michael teleported in front of Claire just in time. With his right hand he wielded Devil's Tongue. Tilting the sword vertically, he positioned it to act as a shield.

Simultaneously his left hand held Heaven's Judgment. Pointing the shotgun backwards, he activated its hook.

Swush!

The chain extended until the hook connected to the ground. Then beginning to retract, Michael was pulled backwards, taking Claire with him.

'You imbecile, what the hell are you doing?! It's almost like you have suicidal tendencies!' Devil's Tongue remarked.

Michael remained unfazed, meeting the blast of the Spiritual Shredder full force.

'I do whatever I want.' He answered calmly before the blast reached him.

BOOM!

For a few seconds the surroundings turned pure white under the intensity of the explosion. This was the result of turning the power of an Overlord into a bomb.

"W—What the hell was that?!"

"Retreat, we don't want to anger whatever is happening at the center!"

"Nonsense! Our leaders are there! We must check if they are alright!"

The troops that had been busy clearing the rubble across the city were taken by surprise by the force of the explosion.

For a moment they had thought that a second sun had appeared in the middle of the city. Once they got their bearings under control, they split up, some going to check the danger while others decided to evacuate.

Slowly the surroundings calmed down. At the center the 8 alive Lords stood with heavy injuries running across their bodies. They had managed to make some distance from the blast, saving their lives.

However, the two dead Lords, the body of the Overlord, and the enemy Lord that had attacked them were nowhere to be seen.

"FUCK!"

The Lord of Azure roared in anger. He was so frustrated that he didn't bother to hide his appearance with the abysmal darkness.

Not that anyone could blame him. The other Lords reacted in similar fashion.

How couldn't they? This had been their opportunity to achieve a breakthrough! A feat incredibly daunting among cultivators in their realm.

That opportunity had now slipped through their fingers, as they hadn't had nearly enough time to cultivate.

Even worse, two of them had perished. Their bodies, as well as the Overlord's corpse, had been swallowed by the blast, taking the spiritual energy with it.

Despite winning against the alien forces, Neptune was in a worse position than it was before they liberated Celestia!

"Uh…"

Eventually, Claire's consciousness began to clear.

Her limbs ached with exhaustion, and her head felt like it was about to split apart. Nevertheless, she had managed to come out of the explosion almost unscratched… practically a miracle.

Still a bit disoriented, an unpleasant smell flowed through her nostrils. She recognized it immediately. It was the scent of burned flesh.

"...?"

Weakly she glanced upwards at the figure that was still casting a shadow over her. The one responsible for making the miracle a reality.

"...Michael?" She mumbled slowly.

With a sigh, Michael cracked his neck, rested Devil's Tongue over his shoulder, and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Are you alright?"

Claire's eyes narrowed to the size of needles once she observed his front.

His sword had somewhat protected his face and torso, but his limbs were crimson with the upper part of his skin burned out.

"You… you…" Her lips parted, yet she was at a loss for words. The man in front of her looked moments away from death.

Even more bizarre, he seemed calmer than normal!

Michael chuckled internally. While it did hurt quite a bit, he had never felt stronger in this life. With the Warlock technique activated and his recent breakthroughs to the Peak Expert realm, he was now overflowing with power.

"I am fine. It will heal on its own. I am more worried about you." He said, gently grasping her hand, helping her stand on her feet. "Even if there is a realm separating us, you aren't the type to fare well against frontal confrontation."

In a daze, Claire stared at him in silence, her heart filled with relief and gratitude that she wouldn't have to leave her grandfather alone.

Yet, at the same time, she couldn't shake Richard's words. About how there was something irreparably broken in Michael. The way he effortlessly endured pain that would have shattered even the most fearsome soldiers only seemed to confirm the truth of that statement.

'What kind of past could he have that would make injuries of this magnitude barely affect him?' She wondered, concern starting to spread across her heart.

After making sure that Claire was fine, Michael's gaze focused on Victoria in the distance. There were burn marks all over her armor, but she was far away from death. Fortunately, his assessment had been correct.

Seeing that Cyberfang had done its job and that Richard had taken Ava gave him peace of mind.

'Everything was going so well. If somebody had died today from unaccounted variables such as this, I would have gotten really mad,' Michael thought, shaking his head in dejection.

"W—Wait! Don't move!"

Fearing that touching him too harshly could worsen his state, Claire softly took his hand, using all the healing syringes she had.

"This is not nearly enough. You need immediate medical attention!" She insisted. Even if Michael wasn't concerned for his condition, she for sure was.

He was in this state because he had saved her life. If he were to perish due to her own incompetence, she would never forgive herself.

While the Lords were still in the middle of their rage, the ruler of Vespera was the first one to get her emotions under control.

'If I were a bit slower, the enemy could have gone for my throat too…' She realized, ashamed of how much she had lowered her guard.

'Now that I think about it, if it wasn't for the warning of the Expert, I could have perished as well…' Intrigued, she scanned the surroundings, searching for the man, wondering if he was still alive.

"...Oh?" She mused, a mischievous smile spreading across her breathtaking face.

To her surprise, the man stood tall, despite looking like he was at death's door.

Swush!

Claire, who was in the middle of lecturing Michael about the importance of his life, froze, sensing a Lord appear dangerously close.

"What do we have here?" The Lord of Vespera giggled, putting her slender hand below Michael's chin.

Faster than one can blink, his skin regrew, all of his injuries disappearing as if they were never there.

"Here… Good as new." The Lord said, tilting her head to the side.

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