BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A terrifying wave of energy erupted outward violently. The surrounding forest instantly collapsed under the pressure alone as black light swallowed everything nearby. The attack surged directly toward Michael with horrifying destructive power.

Yet facing the incoming attack, Michael merely narrowed his eyes slightly. "...I was expecting this."

From the very beginning, Michael had remained cautious toward the Third Prince. An imperial prince backed by a massive empire possessing life-saving treasures was hardly surprising. This had even been the case for Prince Rui, a lower-ranking prince he had killed in the secret realm.

The black wave instantly devoured Michael completely. The Third Prince’s face twisted with savage hope.

However, BOOM!

The black energy suddenly exploded apart from within. Michael calmly stepped out through the collapsing attack almost entirely unharmed. Only faint black flames flickered briefly across his body before disappearing.

The Third Prince froze.

Michael looked at him and suddenly smiled. "...Do you have more?"

The prince’s expression became ugly instantly. Then without hesitation, CRACK!, another pendant shattered. A blood-red spear suddenly condensed in midair before firing toward Michael with enough force to split apart the earth below.

Michael raised an eyebrow before casually slapping it aside.

BOOOOM!

The spear exploded violently in the distance. Yet before Michael could even finish speaking again, CRACK!, another treasure shattered. A massive golden bell phantom instantly descended from above and crashed toward him.

Michael was genuinely caught off guard this time.

BOOOOOM!!!

The surrounding sky trembled violently from the impact. Far away, even the crippled Master Veyl stared blankly.

Michael still remained completely unharmed. Even after being struck repeatedly by treasures capable of unleashing peak Rank 3 attacks, his expression only grew more cautious. After all, this was still an imperial prince. No one knew what other ridiculous life-saving treasures he might still possess. Last time with Prince Rui, he had needed to summon multiple undead to break through his defenses quickly.

However, just as Michael prepared himself for yet another hidden attack, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

"...Hm?"

The Third Prince’s condition had become horrifying. The once-proud imperial prince now looked almost like a walking skeleton. His face had sunk inward violently while his skin turned pale and dry. Even his hair seemed to have lost some of its luster within moments.

Most shocking of all, his life aura had weakened drastically. It was obvious now that activating those treasures did not come freely.

Michael’s expression became thoughtful. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Those attacks from earlier had all reached the absolute peak of Rank 3 power. In this entire region, there were honestly not many people capable of surviving repeated attacks like that head-on. As life-saving trump cards, such treasures were naturally worth their cost, but that cost was evidently severe.

Looking at the Third Prince’s expression, it was clear that even he had not expected the consumption to be this terrifying.

Yet despite noticing the prince’s miserable condition, Michael still did not lower his guard completely. Without hesitation, a pressure exploded outward from Michael’s eyes as he sent out a mental attack.

The Third Prince’s body froze instantly. His consciousness shattered apart from the mental impact. The prince collapsed unconscious directly onto the broken forest ground.

Immediately afterward, Michael turned his gaze toward the distant crater where Master Veyl still struggled weakly. The old man’s expression changed drastically.

BOOM!

His eyes rolled backward instantly. The crippled guardian collapsed unconscious as well.

Only after both figures completely lost consciousness did Michael finally relax slightly. Even then, he still did not approach carelessly. The Third Prince had already pulled out too many ridiculous treasures tonight. Michael genuinely would not have been surprised if the man suddenly exploded after death or activated some final hidden protection the moment someone touched him.

Without hesitation, Michael first checked both bodies carefully from a distance. His senses swept repeatedly across the Third Prince and Master Veyl until he finally confirmed neither of them possessed any remaining hidden tricks capable of threatening him.

Only then did he begin accessing their memories.

Michael started with Master Veyl first. Compared to ordinary people, the old man’s mental defenses were naturally far stronger. Unfortunately for him, Michael’s spiritual strength had long surpassed ordinary Rank 3 existences. The old man’s resistance collapsed.

Fragments of memories began flowing into Michael’s mind afterward. However, after several minutes, Michael slowly frowned. The knowledge was useful, but not enough. Master Veyl clearly did not possess access to the empire’s deepest secrets.

Eventually, Michael withdrew his senses before turning toward the final target.

The Third Prince.

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then his spiritual senses directly entered the prince’s mind.

The next instant, BOOM!

Michael’s expression changed abruptly. A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted before him.

Inside the prince’s mental world stood a dignified middle-aged man dressed in black imperial robes. The man stood with both hands behind his back while an overwhelming royal aura spread from his body naturally. His gaze alone carried indescribable pressure.

Even though this was clearly only a spiritual mark left behind inside the prince’s soul, the surrounding mental space still trembled faintly under its existence.

The moment Michael saw the figure, recognition appeared within his eyes immediately. From the countless memories he had absorbed recently, he already knew exactly who this person was.

The Emperor of the Black Serpent Empire.

The moment Michael recognized the figure, the emperor’s eyes suddenly opened completely. An overwhelming pressure instantly descended upon the entire mental space.

"Bold!"

The low shout exploded like thunder. "Do you wish to die?!"

BOOOOOOM!!!

The emperor suddenly raised his hand. The next instant, a terrifying mental attack surged directly toward Michael like an ocean. The surrounding mental space distorted violently.

Michael’s expression changed slightly. Fast. Too fast.

Before he could fully retreat his senses, the attack had already reached him.

BOOM!

A sharp pain instantly exploded within Michael’s mind. His spiritual senses shook violently while his head throbbed painfully for a brief moment. Even the real-world Michael outside the mental space frowned slightly afterward.

This was the first time in a long while something had managed to directly affect his mind this way.

However, that was all. The emperor’s attack ultimately failed to break through Michael’s defenses completely.

Michael slowly steadied himself afterward.

Meanwhile, opposite him, the emperor’s expression finally changed slightly for the first time. Surprise. The middle-aged emperor stared directly at Michael now, no longer carrying the same dismissive indifference as before.

"Who are you, and how dare you attack an imperial prince?"

His deep voice echoed slowly throughout the mental world.