Chapter 1083: Creating Distance
Since the female angel had taken the liberty of using Detect on him, Michael felt no need to be polite. In the first place, the reason he hadn't used any of his detection skills on anyone was to avoid revealing his location.
[Light Mage Level 75]
What surprised him was her reaction.
The female angel's expression, which had remained cold and indifferent from the beginning, finally changed. Her brows furrowed ever so slightly. There was unmistakable displeasure in her emerald eyes.
"You dared to use Detect on me?"
Her voice was still calm. Yet the anger beneath it was impossible to miss.
Michael blinked in surprise.
"…"
Who exactly did she think she was? The hypocrisy was astonishing. She had just openly used Detect on him moments ago without asking for permission. Now she was angry because he had returned the favor?
If it had been the four-winged angel, the sword cultivator, or that terrifying phoenix, Michael might have understood. People standing at a high level naturally possessed a certain pride.
Even he himself, if curious about the identity of someone weaker than him in several ways, might use Detect on them without permission.
It was the thought process that came with power, and whether it was good or bad couldn't be easily judged by supernaturals.
But what about the female angel? Was he supposed to politely lower his head simply because she happened to be an angel?
Michael couldn't understand the logic.
The female angel slowly raised her wand. Golden light gathered around its tip. Her gaze remained fixed on him.
"It is indeed impressive for a human to reach the Fourth Layer while only at Rank Three…" She paused. "But do not mistake that achievement for equality. You and I are not the same."
Michael simply looked at her.
Then he ignored her completely.
Instead, he silently calculated the time. Almost exactly three minutes had already passed since he had activated Echoed Bestowal.
Which meant that if everything went according to plan, the Heavenly Enlightenment Incense would finally stop emitting its cursed light within a few more minutes.
Once that happened, he could immediately store it away and disappear.
That was all he wanted.
Michael truly had no interest in fighting the female angel. He just needed to stall for time.
Unfortunately, the angel clearly wasn't thinking the same thing.
Without another word, the golden light surrounding her wand suddenly condensed. A spear of brilliant radiance shot toward Michael. Its speed exceeded ordinary spells by several times.
Michael's figure blurred as space folded. The spear pierced nothing but empty air before exploding hundreds of meters away.
Boom!
A massive sphere of light blossomed across the sky. Michael reappeared several kilometers farther away. His eyes instinctively shifted toward the distant battlefield, where the High Drake was still fighting.
Black flames clashed against endless sword light while the phoenix's inferno filled half the sky.
Lord Seraphiel remained at the center, calmly defending and counterattacking with one skill after another. Yet none of the three even spared him another glance.
Michael's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is…"
They truly weren't interested in him. At least, not yet. As long as the High Drake continued holding their attention, they apparently considered him insignificant enough to leave to the younger angel.
A faint look of contemplation appeared in Michael's eyes. The next moment he teleported to another location and didn't stop.
The female angel frowned, then immediately gave chase. Her six wings beat once, and her body transformed into a streak of white light that pursued him relentlessly.
To an outsider, it looked exactly like Michael was desperately trying to escape. But only Michael himself knew the truth.
He wasn't escaping. He was creating distance. It would be a shame if one of the peak Rank Four experts shifted their attention toward him before the timer finished.
"Since I just need to stall for time, let me play with this angel for a bit. Though Wisdom's new skill is a bit of an energy black hole, it's quite handy. I just need to be patient."
To Michael getting something without a big cost out of this was his desired result.
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, the clash had only become more terrifying.
The transformed High Drake fought without the slightest intention of retreating.
Every sweep of its claws ripped apart the surrounding area, while torrents of black flames continuously erupted from its jaws, forcing the three peak Rank Four experts to remain fully focused.
Lord Seraphiel's skills collided endlessly against the drake's attacks. Fairy Sword Immortal Qing Yue's countless spiritual swords descended like a heavenly river, each strike capable of splitting mountains apart.
The phoenix's flames transformed the battlefield into a sea of fire, constantly crashing against the drake's own scorching aura. Every exchange shook the heavens, and every collision distorted space itself.
Farther away, the hidden Rank Four awakeners silently observed everything.
Naturally, none of them had failed to notice that the younger angel had forced someone else out of the void. And that the newcomer was somehow Rank Three as well.
All of them were surprised.
"A second one…"
"So it wasn't just the angel."
"A human…"
"…Interesting."
Though this human didn't quite seem fully human somehow, that was the extent of their reaction. No one moved or showed the slightest intention of following the two Rank Threes as they disappeared farther away. Their attention quickly returned to the battlefield.
To them, those two were certainly monsters among Rank Threes. Perhaps even unprecedented geniuses. But what did that have to do with them? No matter how abnormal a Rank Three was, they were still Rank Three.
Wasn't it clear enough from the fact that neither of them could involve themselves in the current battle?
Even if they possessed strong Rank Four combat power, they couldn't possibly fight the several hundreds of awakeners gathered here alone.
Compared to those two, the battle taking place before them was something else entirely. It was a confrontation between existences standing at the absolute peak of Rank Four.