Once the Golden Stinger Wasp had returned, Michael's energy storage was also filled to the brim.
Icarus and his mate ascended into the air. However, nobody was sitting on the Greater Eagles' backs. Instead, the Greater Eagles had become decoys for the guards of the border settlement.
By now, everyone should have been informed about the Greater Eagles, Michael, and the others. It made sense to travel quickly through the Savannah region on the Greater Eagles' back, but they were quickly exposed as well.
It was rare to find two Greater Eagles in the Savannah region, let alone that the Greater Eagles were headed to Beast Ranches, only to depart a few minutes later, leaving behind death and chaos.
Wherever they went, the Beast Ranches were destroyed at those locations. They were even present when the main settlement had been under attack. Therefore, it didn't require a genius to conclude that Michael was in control of the Greater Eagles.
The border settlement's watchguards should have found the Greater Eagles the moment they ascended into the air. That was reaffirmed by the sound of a loud horn reverberating through the border region and the commotion that ensued.
"Are you sure that you can handle it?" Michael asked the Elemental Empress for the hundredth time.
His words may feel like he was uncertain but the confidence in his eyes was a big contrast to his voice. The Elemental Empress was not sure what to think of Michael, but she nodded her head.
"As long as I don't have to teleport anyone other than this little wasp back and forth, I will be fine. I might not be strong yet, but I know what I can handle," The Elemental Empress responded, resulting in a nod from Michael.
He held his arm out and looked at the Golden Stinger Wasp.
"Go for it," Michael said, and the Golden Stinger Wasp stung him with an energy stinger.
Now that he was marked, the Golden Stinger Wasp could swap its location with Michael for the next ten minutes. The distance didn't matter.
Tiara, the Elemental Empress, Lilica, and the other Forest Elves were marked as well. This completed the first step of their plan, which was followed by the second step.
The Elemental Empress waved her hand, creating a swirl of golden energy in front of her. The swirl expanded and morphed into a fist-sized portal through which the Golden Stinger Wasp disappeared when it received Michael's permission.
In the meantime, the Greater Eagles had long since arrived above the settlement. They dove down to the settlement, their wings pressed tightly against their bodies. The two monsters screeched loudly and continued their dive until they reached the range of the guards' arrows. The guards standing on the walls released the first barrage of arrows. They aimed precisely at the Greater Eagles, certain to hit them with most arrows.
But just as the first arrows were about to hit, the Greater Eagles spread their wings wide open. Their descent stopped mid-way, and their fall slowed down to a minimum. The Greater Eagles flapped their wings and ascended higher into the air once again, their screeches loud and clear.
Less than 10 arrows had hit the Greater Eagles, and only one of them had been strong enough to push through the monsters' thick plumage. They continued to screech and mock the guards all while initiating a second dive to distract the guards and enrage them.
Michael sensed that the Greater Eagles were not injured, and sighed in relief. He didn't really like using his monsters as bait, but it would be fine as long as they didn't move too close to the settlement and the guards. Ordinary arrows shot from Tier-1 or Tier-2 Summons wouldn't kill them immediately even if some may hurt a little.
Less than a second after the Golden Stinger Wasp disappeared, Michael felt the space around him twist. Embraced by a golden membrane, the energy stinger lit up. His position was swapped with the Golden Stinger Wasp's position thereafter.
One moment he stood next to the others hidden from the sight of the border settlement's watchguards, and the next moment Michael appeared inside the border settlement. He had bypassed the settlement's walls thanks to swapping positions with the Golden Stinger Wasp, which appeared next to him again.
The Golden Stinger Wasp had jumped through the spatial portal created by the Elemental Empress. It switched locations with Tiara, who appeared next to Michael with a faint smile.
"Having someone with the Power of Space is quite useful. Having the Golden Stinger Wasp and the Elemental Empress work together was a good idea. The Elemental Empress can be helpful like that while she is Tierless," Michael said with a thin smile on his lips.
He gave Tiara a thumbs-up and added, "Your idea was great!"
Tiara's smile widened at the compliment, but her joy was disrupted by the interference of Lilica. She appeared next to Tiara, followed by the remaining Forest Elves, and the Elemental Empress, who arrived soon after.
In the meantime, the first guards and Awakened appeared in the small alley in the outskirts of the border settlement. That was where Michael and the rest had appeared, while the Greater Eagles endangered their lives to distract as many enemies as possible.
'Looks like they have a hostility orb as well. Well…that is not surprising. They can easily locate and pinpoint us everywhere now.' Michael chuckled lightly at the thought.
It was quite obvious that the Kitsun Lord made ample preparations to protect every border settlement. The border settlements had to be protected, otherwise, the enemies of the Kitsun Lord would barge into his territory and destroy everything, just like Michael had done.
The Kitsun Lord committed a grave mistake by ignoring Michael's existence in the southern part of the Untamed Jungle. He didn't consider Michael a worthy enemy because he was only a Tier-2 Lord with a few dozen Tier-2 subordinates. Michael never expanded his territory quite like the Kitsun Lord either. He had only a single settlement, if one could consider it a settlement, in the first place.
Michael had a small town without thick and well-developed defensive walls to aid in the defense of his people. But that was also the most likely reason why the Kitsun Lord underestimated him.
Michael used the flora and fauna as a means to hide his territory and protect it. He focused on a single town to turn it into the core of his future territory and used his funding to strengthen his people, provide the best armaments, and much more.
The Orb of Hostility in his possession was of extraordinary quality, and always activated. It was configured at an output of 100%, and consumed far more monster cores than most Lords were willing to spend for 5-10 settlements. Even with the Orb of Hostility activated at its limit, Michael used his scouts to check for hostile activities before moving through the surroundings at all times. Every change in the surroundings would be directly reported to him and his people, allowing them to make plans for all kinds of adverse scenarios.
Michael didn't require walls to defend his territory because no enemy would be able to reach his town and citizens. The traps, his combat forces, and more than a hundred plans for various scenarios had been created to counter all kinds of problems and possible invasions. Furthermore, it was much better to make use of the Untamed Jungle's flora and fauna rather than cutting down everything. It was harder to find the territory as it was located deep in the wild and unruly jungle, and easier for him and his army to attack the enemies from all directions.
Michael was the Lord of the Untamed Jungle, and he wouldn't start neglecting the Untamed Jungle if he could instead use it to annihilate the threats from outside. He could eliminate the strangers, who never fought in the Untamed Jungle by exploiting the topography, and everything habituating in the Untamed Jungle, just like he did against the forces of the Jungle Expedition.
One way or another, the current threat was different from the time he fought against the Jungle Expedition.
Michael was not the same as before, and the same could be said about his allies. Not even the faintest glimmer of worry could be found in their eyes facing a large group of Kitsun Guards and Awakened.
The space around them was narrow. But Michael had expected that. He told the Elemental Empress to teleport the Golden Stinger Wasp to a secure place near the settlement's outskirts. A dark, and narrow cobblestone alley between time-worn, half-timbered buildings were certainly a secure place for a tiny wasp to appear. The alley was a quiet, hidden gem, shielded from the bustling main streets. It allowed Michael and the rest to arrive safely inside the border settlement without any obstructions.
Unfortunately, the defensive measures of the settlement were glaringly visible – which was also expected.
The cobblestone alley was uneven and speckled with moss and weeds, creating a slippery surface. But Michael's focus had long since moved to the crowd of Kitsun charging into the narrow alley. It looked like the Kitsun attacked without a shred of hesitation from a distance, but with Eagle Eyes and Spirit Gaze activated, he could see the hesitation and the tinge of fear that flashed through their eyes.
The Kitsun all over the Kitsun Lord's territories had already been informed about the attacks of the last 24 hours. They could gauge how strong Michael and his people were. Seeing the determination and fearlessness of the small group that had been insane enough to attack an entire settlement with a group that didn't even have 10 members didn't help either. On the contrary, it added fuel to the flames of fear that began to ravage inside the hearts of the Kitsun.
Nonetheless, they had to get rid of the invaders, otherwise, the wrath of the Kitsun Lord would be waiting for them. The Kitsun Lord wouldn't kill them. No, he would torture them until they wished that they'd died thousands of deaths.
Satisfied with how things were moving ahead, Michael smiled. The air was tinged with the scent of aged wood, earth, and the faint whiff of herbs from a nearby garden. However, the most apparent was the smell of fear permeating the dark alley.
Origin energy circulated through his body, and he kicked the ground all of a sudden.
Michael crossed a distance of ten meters in the blink of an eye, the Wyverntooth Spear manifesting in his hands.
In the next moment, Tiara appeared next to him, her body transforming.
Pure excitement flickered in her eyes and she accelerated, pushing past Michael to enter the horde of Kitsun in front of her without a shred of hesitation.
Today was going to be a bloody day.
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