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As Michael sensed Alissia get further away and Tymon reached Damien, he tried to continue healing Damien and Naomi to completion. However, doing this split his attention as he faced the twins. Their tenacity forced him to realize he couldn't defeat them and heal the others simultaneously, so he settled for Damien and Naomi being mostly healed to the point of not bleeding out.
"There," he said as he dissipated the threads attached to the others. "Now you have my undivided attention."
"Mm, this time I'll take a nice big chunk outta you," Claeg claimed with cocky confidence as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "The girl was stronger than we expected, but she's not stronger than a Supreme Primordial. That makes you a bigger threat and one worthy of devouring down to the bone."
"Don't be too reckless, Claeg," Kaila said as she eyed Michael curiously. "The girl was definitely holding back a lot more power than what she showed, remember? We don't know how powerful she really is. And Michael could be the same."
In the next instant, they each felt an incredible amount of energy be fired toward where Avarice and the others were. It was only a fraction of Avarice's power, but Michael knew the power was Alissia testing the waters.
Kaila's eyebrows raised with a slightly wide-eyed look.
"I didn't think she was holding back that much..."
"If you're shocked by that display, wait until she gets serious," Michael stated calmly, then corrected himself. "Oh, I suppose it's unlikely either of you will be conscious by then."
"I've got a bad feeling. I hate surprises..." Kaila hissed as blood left her body. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to hunt you properly. Luckily, you can't heal and aren't at your best, so let's end this quickly and skip right to the main dish."
Kaila used Crimson Coffin to abruptly wrap Michael in blood that cut him and forced its way into his body. Kaila smiled wickedly as she succeeded in taking over Michael's body. It was a disturbing feeling: not being able to control his motor functions. He felt his body twist against her influences as she and Claeg drew closer, their mouths eagerly awaiting his blood to flow into them.
"I can't wait anymore," Claeg said, his feet tapping the ground as he bounced impatiently and then rushed toward Michael.
Just before he reached him, Michael abruptly released all his gathered energy and transformed into his hybrid form, breaking free of Kaila's hold. His power grew tenfold as the ascension mark on his forehead glowed beneath his fallen hair, and two extensions of light grew from the edges of his face. His eyes became those of a phoenix, shining bright with white pupils, and a pair of beautiful, white wings with a 12-foot span emerged from his back.
Michael hovered slightly and looked down at the siblings with disgust and anger as his body gave off a powerful, white aura.
"You two, who have feasted on hundreds of humans' flesh, are a scourge on the world. There will be no mercy for you," He declared contemptuously as he activated Bright Talons.
While Kaila tensed and became wary, her brother remained steady and even more eager.
"It's warm. Almost tranquil...I bet he tastes like a good night's sleep..." Claeg commented as he looked up at Michael.
"Claeg, shut up!" Kaila yelled, infuriated, as she readied for the fight to come. "This should've been an easy kill for us. Why are you all even stronger?!"
Michael saw her hand inching closer to Claeg's and shot off a blast of light that burned a small hole in the ground between them before he appeared standing there.
"To defeat you all, of course," he answered as they both tried to attack him simultaneously. Michael proved much faster than both of them and effortlessly dodged their attempt, followed by a rotating spin of luminous threads that cut and pushed the twins apart.
Upon inspection, Claeg's cuts weren't deep, but Kaila's were. However, they were slowly mending themselves already.
"Hm. Regeneration..." Michael commented.
"You thought you were the only one who could heal?" Kaila called out cockily.
"This is a surprise," Michael admitted. He looked at her wounds closer. "Even garbage can be blessed, I suppose. Still, the fact that your wounds are still in the process of healing means your regenerative powers aren't like mine once were. Enough damage will overload it."
Kaila gritted her teeth in barely contained anger as her wounds finally closed, and her eyes glowed with hatred.
"I'm going to enjoy sucking you dry," she hissed as her skin turned slightly red and the whites of her eyes became bloodshot. Then, she and Claeg attacked together.
When Claeg approached, Michael didn't bother trying to defend against his attacks. They were far too heavy, and he determined his energy should be focused on the sister instead. So, Michael casually dodged Claeg's clumsy strikes and positioned himself behind him.
Claeg spun around to see Michael's hand raised.
"You'll never hit me like that. You have strength and speed, but you lack any technique," he said, releasing a burst of light from his palm that shot Claeg in the face. Claeg was sent a few dozen feet across the dirt until he skidded to a stop but remained standing.
"You're quite durable," Michael commended as he dodged an incoming swipe from Kaila. He caught her wrist and grabbed the other before placing his Bright Talon against her chest and extending his leg while still gripping her wrists tightly. "Then again, it always takes a little more effort to kill a cockroach," Michael insulted as he prepared to rip off her arms.
He saw blood start to seep from her skin and immediately let go before it could touch him.
"You've grown bloodthirsty," Kaila stated as she backed away, rubbing her wrists. "We heard you didn't kill—that you valued life or whatever. I guess that's changed."
"Your siblings thought so too when they attacked me," Michael replied.
"My what?" Kaila said.
"The only siblings we have are each other," Claeg clarified, aggravated. "Avarice may have given us this power, but that doesn't make him or any of them our family."
"Truth be told, we're only going along with them because we know we can't beat them," Kaila shrugged.
"Hm. Not that either of you deserves this, but why not stand down? Aid us, or at the very least, stay out of the way. You seem like survivalists. You've noticed how much stronger we are. Surely, this is a tantalizing offer."
Kaila and Claeg laughed at him.
"Seriously?" Kaila spoke. "You're right; we are survivalists, which is why we'll remain obedient to Avarice. For now, at least. Do you not sense the ridiculous amount of power being emitted by him? Sure, you've all gotten stronger, but it's nothing compared to that monster. How can even you make an idiotic offer like that with a straight face?"
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