Supreme Lord: I can extract everything!

1065  Escape

Michael had no idea how much time had passed, but he knew the cheers had subsided. Everyone was staring at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. However, nobody approached him because they were too afraid something would happen. Yes, the Rebels were afraid. Something about Michael was changing, and it was certainly not in the Rebels' favor or within their expectations.

How could they have expected that Michael's presence would slowly change until it felt eerily similar to Primal Xer's presence…the presence of a Primal.

Michael was not a Primal, but he was sure perceived as one. All that was missing were the fuel of Essences—Michael was still digesting the Primal Essence—and his connection to the weave. All gods were connected to the weave, some with a stronger connection, whereas others had a weaker connection. Under normal circumstances, a stronger connection indicated more power. In Michael's case, it wouldn't matter whether he was establishing a strong or weak connection with the weave. He was not yet a god but had already defeated a Primal. Yet, oddly enough, Michael looked like he was still in the middle of a fight. And maybe…that was actually what was going on. Maybe Michael was still battling the Primal.

Something about the surroundings changed. The Supreme Human Alliance's core planetary system had been integrated back into the weave but did not allow any other Primal to enter. The Rebels could see the Primal, the fear flickering in their eyes as their attention pulled to Michael and where Primal Xerx was supposed to stand. The presence of their brother was exactly where Michael was left, but Xerx was no more.

Primal Xerx's connection to the weave had been severed permanently. He was thus not a proper Primal anymore. No. The weave considered him dead, given the severed connection.

But if the Primal's death was already shocking, the interception of the weave was even more terrifying to the Primal. They considered the weave their parent. It was both mother and father to the Primal, giving birth to them at the beginning of time. Yet, this parent chose to keep them away from the monsters and gods who were at fault for Primal Xerx's death. They protected the murderer of their child!

Michael did not pay much attention to the surroundings. He finished extracting everything from the Primal Essence – every little bit of ill-intention left within the Primal Essence – and completed the insertion into the War Rune. Michael did not wish to integrate it into his body even if all ill intentions of the Primal Essence had been removed. He was unwilling to fuse the Primal Essence into him. That was how he acquired the presence of a Primal but not his body. Not directly, at least.

The Primal's last remnants of life, stored away in the Primal Essence, dispersed as Michael extracted them. He used the Law of Poison and Death onto the remnants, not knowing if it would help get rid of Primal Xerx once and for all. But it worked. Primal Xerx's presence dispersed slowly.

Michael was unsure if it was because of the Law of Poison and Death or if the Primal dispersed because he lost his last connection to energy. Maybe it was both, but one thing was certain. Primal Xerx didn't have the energy to stay in the realm. He dispersed, dying a true death.

At last, Primal Xerx died for good. He was the first Primal to die since the beginning of time. But would he be the last?

Time would tell, but the remaining Primal didn't seem like they were willing to find out. They sensed the destruction of Primal Xerx's presence and failed. Since the beginning of time none of the Primal had been severely injured, let alone killed. At most, they'd split into hundreds of Doppelgangers, and one or two of them had been damaged or killed. But that drained only one-hundredth of their power. However, even the loss of one-hundredth of their power had been terrifying to the Primal. They'd chosen never to split their bodies into so many Doppelgangers, and they never did. Instead, they would much rather hire gods to do their dirty work, even if it would be far less efficient.

But now, everything came crashing down on the Primal. They witnessed the last breaths of one of their brethren, the weave's approval of Michael's actions, and learned that the Primal was not omnipotent. They, just like anyone else, could die too!

For the first time since the beginning of time, the Primal were afraid. What if they died to Michae as well? Primal Xerx might have been one of their weakest, but the Primal Essence surging through Michael's body clearly indicated the power he had gained from killing one of them.

What if Michael was now strong enough to defeat them as well?

The Primal could have attacked Michael together, eliminating the Rebels in one go before bombarding Michael until he was worn out. However, their minds didn't work properly as primal fear filled them. They had never felt like that and didn't know how to react to it. They looked at each other and instinctively turned around in unison. Even the smallest trace of Essence residing within the Primal told them to leave. To escape as long as they still had the chance. They had to grasp it now, or they would die…just like Primal Xerx.

The Primal tore apart the fabric of space and reality, creating several fissures to split up.

And escape.

The Rebels saw this. They saw the fear in the Primal's eyes and how they escaped—how they ran away from Michael. And it filled them with glee.

The Rebels were over the moon. They were excited and shot toward Michael, pulling him into a tight embrace. The Primal had been defeated for the first time, and it was all thanks to Michael.

He was their savior!

But at what cost did it come? What was Michael now? Who was he?