"FUCK YEAH!" Richard rose to his feet, his shout echoing across the whole area.

After what felt like an eternity being stuck at the Peak Master realm, he had finally become a Grandmaster. Instantly his senses sharpened. Even the way the blood flowed through his veins changed subtly.

With a wide grin, he met Michael's gaze in anticipation.

"Oh, come on!" He cursed out loud a second later. Despite reaching the Grandmaster realm, he didn't feel more confident when making eye contact with Michael. Quite the opposite, in fact. Only now did Richard truly grasp the gap in power between them.

Victoria and Claire were more reserved in their reactions, remaining silent as they inspected their bodies. They were still in shock they had achieved an enlightenment, especially so soon after becoming Peak Masters. The speed with which they were progressing was simply monstrous!

Meanwhile, Ava had puffed her chest in pride, officially becoming a Master. The best part was that it wasn't just her, but Enzo, Amelia, Leo, and even Bryce were of the same realm as her.

Overnight the prowess of the Indomitable Alliance jumped exponentially!

"See, you can do it if you try." Michael nodded in approval. Since the crew had all ascended to the next realm, they were going to benefit more from the Overlord's heart Michael had been gifted.

Once the crew was done celebrating their ascension, they met with the others.

"Dear god..." Evelyn exclaimed with wide eyes. It felt like yesterday Victoria was just a Master, and now the two were on par!

With a chuckle, Evelyn neared Victoria, inspecting her changes. "Your skin has become even smoother! How is this fair?! I didn't experience such a drastic change in my ascension!"

"Jealous?" Victoria giggled.

"You bet! I doubt that there is a man that would be able to overlook your charm now." Evelyn muttered, throwing an irritated glance at Claire. Bizarre enough, the White Angel also had experienced similar improvements, leaving Evelyn to wonder if something had gone wrong with her ascension.

Meanwhile, Grandmaster Alice and Noah stared at the crew with mouths wide open. Since the two were of the Late stage, they truly were able to grasp the drastic changes.

As for Grandmaster Stephen and Master Karson, they were so bewildered that they didn't know what to say.

After the soldiers caught up, they headed back to Azure City. Regardless of how powerful their mental fortitude was, no one found it pleasant to stay near so many human corpses.

The journey back was rather uneventful. Now that the Monarch Ro'trah queen was dead, that meant the swarm and the other inferior queens were left directionless. Reducing the chances of being attacked to virtually zero.

Finally reaching the city, the troops were met with celebration. By now the word of their victory had traveled far and wide, giving the civilians the idea to welcome them with open arms.

Michael immediately went to meet with Jasmine, the young prodigy, and Conor, the Expert tasked with protecting her.

"Uncle!" Jasmine didn't shy away. The second she laid her eyes on Michael, she jumped on him, latching onto him with a wide hug.

Apparently she had achieved her goal. Utilizing the resources of the Golden Goose, she had managed to elevate the status of the outskirts of the city to respectable living conditions. Now she had shifted her sights on helping the other struggling cities across Neptune.

According to Conor's report, the ex-criminals that they had taken in their ranks had done their job diligently without any sign of disobedience.

Michael judged the moment right to ask Conor about the token of the Sacred Order he had given him. However, the Expert didn't elaborate on its origins.

Since Michael wasn't about to force the information out of the man, he left the issue for another time.

The next stop was the workshop of Grandmaster Riley. Thankfully, she didn't object to fixing Cyberfang's condition.

Naturally Michael made sure to investigate the Lords that had been chosen as replacements. After the appearance of King Arthur, he had made sure to send Lords that he personally trusted to take charge of the planet's cities.

Had any other faction carried out this task, Michael would have been concerned. However, since it was the Golden Vanguard, and he was familiar with the chosen Lords from his past life, he knew they would do a fine job leading the cities, as they were inherently not driven by greed.

Neptune wasn't liberated just yet. The planet was truly massive, and there were numerous aliens lingering on its surface and portals yet to be sealed. However, with the biggest threats eliminated, it was only a matter of time until the planet was fully in human control.

Essentially, Michael had done his job. The ice giant wasn't going to cause trouble in the future.

Several days passed where Michael made sure to tie any loose leads. Once there was nothing more to be done, he and his crew boarded a space shuttle, ready to depart, their eyes fixed on Earth.

Bidding farewell to the soldiers that chose to remain, they set off.

"..."

Silence descended inside the space vehicle. Not the unpleasant kind, but one filled with a sense of accomplishment.

An understandable reaction, considering they had done the impossible.

[How long is the journey going to last?]

Cyberfang tilted its head, curious. Michael had made sure to register the metallic beast as part of their faction, ensuring that no one could complain about keeping it.

"It depends on the situation on the front line near Earth." Victoria reasoned. "Though I doubt it will be shorter than a month."

"Perfect for cultivation…" Michael took out the Overlord's heart, making sure to not reveal his ability to store it in his soul.

"Ready? Once it starts unleashing its spiritual energy, we would do well to cultivate the entire time, disregarding sleeping and eating."

Michael noticed that everyone nodded in agreement, even Bryce. The man who had once claimed he'd rather avoid becoming stronger was now ready to cultivate the energy of the heart. Thankfully, Claire had managed to change his mind.

Making sure that the crew had settled, he summoned Devil's Tongue and drove the blade right through the still-beating heart.

Swosh!

Instantly potent energy began to fill the shuttle.

Exchanging glances, the soldiers closed their eyes and began to meditate.

It was true that they had only recently achieved enlightenment. Still, that raised the question: What level of power could they reach with the aid of the Overlord's heart?

There was only one way to find out…

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