"That was unusually fast..." Michael tilted his head to the side. "Almost like you have been able to spot them for a while and have refrained from mentioning it."

The fox met his gaze unfazed.

"Of course."

She admitted it without any semblance of guilt.

"Currently, I am stronger than you lot, but would that remain the same if everybody of your kind were to reunite? Until I was certain that you wouldn’t turn on me, I was delaying leading you to those I sensed."

Honestly, Michael couldn’t blame her. He would have done the same in her situation.

Quite the opposite, in fact... He was relieved to see that the fox was capable of thinking rationally for herself. Without a doubt, she would be a reliable ally in the future.

"Hop on." The fox said, morphing into her motorcycle form.

Climbing aboard in the same formation, they sped off.

"Since the fox is officially part of the squad now, should we name her?" Elina proposed from the back seat.

"Name me? Why should we bother?" The fox was puzzled. Being an illusion, she saw little point in being labeled.

"It would be weird if you’re the only one lacking a name. Even my soul weapons have one... Plus, it’s going to make communicating between us easier."

The fox pondered for a few moments. Her wheels left a fiery trail in her wake.

"Then give me one." She exclaimed. Apparently, her imagination was quite limited.

Michael hummed thoughtfully. Naming things wasn’t exactly his specialty.

Considering the fox’s form, which was born of light and flame, an idea surfaced in his mind.

"How about Ember?"

The exhaust pipe tremored softly.

"Ember..." She repeated, testing the name. "It has a nice ring to it."

She found the suggestion acceptable.

"How does it feel to be a proper member of a group, Ember?" Elina smiled, showing her pristine teeth.

"Hmph!" Ember snorted. "No different than before... I only agreed because it makes conversing easier... You humans have weird customs."

"Tell me about it." Persephone scoffed, her eyes ignited with mischief.

"Act friendly with them long enough, and they may even forget we are members of rival factions."

Even in the hostile environment the Lords found themselves in, it was still vital to remember that they were all members of different factions.

One of the reasons the two deaths among their ranks up until now hadn’t been mourned much was because the reduction in potential rivals was considered a good thing... Even if no one spelled it out loud.

In fact, Persephone was taught to unconditionally dislike those of the Golden Vanguard, which the sister Lords belonged to.

"The Golden Vanguard is willing to cooperate with any faction regardless of past grudges." Eliza said coolly. "It’s the Immortal Legion... or more specifically, your leader, King Zaiden, that has it out for us."

Persephone grinned. "Yes, everybody knows about how rigorous you all are. No need to constantly repeat it."

Ember was confused by the absurd hostility that began to brew between the women. Unknown to her, human cultivators tended to take their factions very seriously.

Of course, Michael was more than aware of that fact. It was the primary reason he founded the Indomitable Alliance, unwilling to waste time on political warfare.

"There are other, more important matters to attend to. Refrain from bringing up your factions." He spoke in a commanding voice.

Even though the Indomitable Alliance had formed a partnership with the Golden Vanguard, that didn’t mean he would be taking sides.

Persephone chuckled. "Handsome, you couldn’t possibly grasp how long the rivalry between the factions has been going on. Temporarily teaming up to face a greater threat doesn’t mean we would be getting along."

Eliza’s eyes narrowed. "How come when Solomon, Emanuel, and Gloria were with us, you didn’t try to stir trouble? Maybe you were simply scared?"

"Me? Scared?" Amused, Persephone glanced backwards. "It’s called biding my time and waiting for you to die... Who knows, maybe with your superiors missing I can use the moment and get rid of you? It’s not like two mere Absolute Lords can challenge me."

In the next moment, Ember came to an abrupt halt following Michael’s command.

Screech!

The sudden deceleration caused the Lords to almost fly out of their seats, barely clinging on.

Letting out an irritated sigh, Michael dragged his hands over his face.

He had endured enough.

"The only reason I have come here is to fight for humanity’s sake and kill aliens."

He subtly turned around, his eyes piercing into the Lords indifferently.

"If for any reason someone tries to betray us..."

He paused, letting the silence settle.

"I will kill them."

He had seen enough of it in his past life. Humans would join forces under the pretense of defeating a greater threat, only to strike when their supposed allies were drained, delivering the killing blow.

Deception and betrayal were part of human history for as long as they had existed... and the primary reason they were pushed so far to the brink.

For better or worse, Michael could tolerate a lot, but if anybody tried to betray humanity for their own benefit... he wouldn’t show any mercy.

Even if they belonged to factions that despised each other, they would do well to think twice before putting their faction’s interests above the survival of their race.

Or they would be answering to him.

Persephone was surprised by the sudden change in Michael’s demeanor.

Though she had been instructed to stab members of the Golden Vanguard if presented with the chance, that didn’t mean she was planning to.

She was merely trying to stir the Lords... But she hadn’t expected Michael to stare at her with undisguised bloodlust.

’So he has these kinds of eyes as well...’ Persephone licked her lips before speaking.

"Don’t mind me. I was just bored and looking for a way to mess around."

Eliza nodded slightly. "Pardon my lack of manners. Bringing our factions wasn’t intentional."

"..."

Quietly shifting his attention back to the front, Michael made Ember continue forward.

Soon after, they spotted a single plume of smoke rising into the air. Just as Ember had claimed, they found more of their kind.