Once Hel stirred enough trouble using her Divinities in other Galaxies, Michael returned to the Novix Galaxy, where he anchored his Runic Gate. He teleported back to the Origin Expanse and was welcomed by his people.

Everyone was much stronger than they used to be. Daniel Fang, Hiraku, Frederik, Kaleb, and the like grew rapidly. They'd consumed a droplet of the Origin Liquid and wasted no time growing stronger. Their strength skyrocketed as they digested the Origin Liquid, but their progress continued to increase quickly, even after the Origin Liquid had been digested. Their bodies were cleansed of impurities, which wasn't necessary for Daniel, but it pushed his Tier quickly to a higher rank while the others profited from all of Origin Liquid's benefits.

Kaleb, Danny, and the others were not yet Divine Lifeforms, but they progressed fast enough to consider their chances of ascending to Divine Lifeforms fairly high within the next decade. As for their combat prowessthey were already on the same level as the average Divine Lifeform or would soon be pushed to that level. Michael would ensure that the Super Awakened would be pushed to a much higher level. They would be like Mythical Existences, capable of fighting beings of a higher Tier, if not stronger.

"Hello, everyone. I see nobody turned into a lazy bum after I left. That's good to know. Nobody here disappointed me!" Michael announced with a bright smile while Lucia came running his way. She sensed the energy ripples sweep faintly through the Untamed Jungle when he arrived and dashed to his exact location using the trace of the Nature Divinity left inside her body.

"Daddy!" She squealed and pounced into his embrace. Her hug was tight and would probably break the necks of all Normies and Tierless individuals, but Michael just smiled.

"You remember me, little one?" Michael asked with a vibrant smile. He had been afraid Lucia would forget him. Even though he visited the Untamed Jungle often since he left, Michael didn't have much time to play with his daughter. They saw each other often but only for short hours.

"Of course! You are the best and the strongest. Everyone~ is telling me about you and how much they love you! Mom brags the most about you!" Lucia exclaimed, which brought a smile to Michael's face.

He turned to Alice, who'd rushed behind Lucia, only to blush hearing what her daughter said.

"She is a little chatterbox," Alice said in a hurry, her ears fiery red. She cleared her throat, "Ignore what she said." "I don't want to," Michael smirked, carrying his daughter in one hand before embracing Alice tightly, "I love you." He kissed her, and Alice returned the kiss, though it was only a quick smoosh because she was embarrassed to act intimately in front of others. She hurriedly separated from him, but the corners of her lips were curled upward. Michael was still smiling while his daughter chuckled.

"Daddy and Mom sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" Lucia sang happily, "First comes love, then comes marriage...."

Alice covered her daughter's mouth in a hurry. She blushed, took Lucia from Michael, and ignored her daughter's pleas to stay with her father.

"I will leave you all alone. This is not something Lucia should have to hear yet," Alice announced in a hurry before disappearing. Hiraku and the others chuckled, but some of the Super Awakened looked at their Lord and his family in envy. They focused too much on growing stronger and being the first to ascend to a Divine Lifeform in Michael's territory and the Tritan Alliance to create a family. The issue with that was that those ready to ascend to a Divine Lifeform would have to leave the Tritan Alliance before ascending, or they would have to stay in the Origin Expanse for the coming centuries, maybe even millennium, before they could return. The Torn Firmament protected the Tritan Alliance but also forced those ready to ascend to Divine Lifeforms to make a choice. Leave the Tritan Alliance and return once the Torn Firmament was healed, or stay and be forced to spend their future in the Origin Expanse.

Some of them had a lover in the Tritan Alliance, forcing their lover to make a decision. If their partner ascended to a Divine Lifeform, they either had to break up, be together in the Origin Expanse, or spend their next few centuries together outside the Tritan Alliance.

Michael didn't have such troubles. Alice was anchored in the Nest, where she would be safe and sound no matter what Tier she reached. Considering the topic, Alice would probably be the first to ascend to a Divine Lifeform. She had also consumed an Origin Liquid droplet and was already a Tier-6 powerhouse when she returned to Michael's side. Alice might have been pregnant, but she received resources and even the Runic Vortex technique from Michael. Alice was closer to ascending than the rest even if she had yet to create an Energy Vortex.

Maybe that was also Lucia's effect. Since a tiny trace of Nature Divinity had been in Lucia, the same Divinity trace had to be within Alice for several months as well. Lucia grew in Alice's womb, providing tremendous energy, which was ridiculous given that the mother was supposed to provide energy to the childrennot the other way around.

"Either way. Who here is confident in their ability to defeat the average Divine Lifeform at their current level?" Michael asked, to which Daniel and Hiraku lifted their hands right away. Other hands followed suit shortly, but they were more hesitant.

"Interesting. That's more than expected," Michael nodded slowly, "Attack me." The order wasn't a surprise to those who had known Michael for years, but the newer Awakened stared at Michael with wide eyes. They didn't know how much stronger Michael had grown in the last few years, but it hadn't even been a decade since he visited the Tritan Alliance last. He was probably a Divine Lifeform at this point, but that was about it. Was Michael strong enough to block the attacks of more than a dozen Super Awakened who were certain to be stronger than the average Divine Lifeform?

Hiraku was the first to attack. His body expanded to a massive Titan. He wasn't coated in vines and roots and grew scales from his body. The scales were fiery red and his body temperature was also shockingly high, but Michael ignored the charging Titan. After being part of the birth of two Undead Titans, Michael couldn't be shocked by Hiraku's transformation anymore. Hiraku's arms turned black as he intertwined his hands, shaped into fists, and smashed down on Michael's head.

Some couldn't even follow Hiraku's movements. He was too fast for them. The Awakened swallowed hard, but Hiraku cursed when Michael didn't budge. Hiraku's attack hit Michael on the head, but the Imperial Barrier enveloping him blocked the attack easily. The weakest form of the Imperial Barrier blocked Hiraku's first attack and what followed suit. A fiery wave of energy swept from Hiraku's fists after the impact. Under normal circumstances, it would have penetrated the defenses of most ordinary Divine Lifeforms and damage their insides, but none of that was a problem. The Imperial Barrier was a creation of multiple layers with different functions. It was a Soultrait created from ten different Soultraits. The best parts of those Soultrait Symbols, to be precise.

Hiraku pulled back, but Michael wasn't given much time to recharge the Imperial Barrier. He could have done it easily but didn't bother doing so when Kaleb attacked. A spear flung through the air, its tip filled with Frozen Nova Essence. It was one of Kaleb's newest creations and contained the strongest power of Frozen Nova. The Imperial Barrier released a creaking noise but didn't break.

Michael responded with a smile and gestured to everyone to keep going.

"Everyone can attack me simultaneously or in a row. I need to gauge your combat prowess, your ability efficiency, and more sooner or later either way," Michael declared before teleporting himself and everyone else to one of the unoccupied training grounds in the Untamed Jungle. Everyone looked around in shock. They didn't even sense Michael's energy enveloping them or that something was about to happen when Michael teleported them. "Everyone can attack me simultaneously or in a row. I need to gauge your combat prowess, your ability efficiency, and more sooner or later either way," Michael declared before teleporting himself and everyone else to one of the unoccupied training grounds in the Untamed Jungle. Everyone looked around in shock. They didn't even sense Michael's energy enveloping them or that something was about to happen when Michael teleported them. "I don't have all day to test everyone," Michael teased, but his expression remained dead-serious, "The more you impress me with your power and Soultraits, the more you might receive in return." He had yet to create a perfect rewarding system for the Super Awakened, but those who could do cause the most damage to him after some calculations that included their Tier, the star-rating of their Soultrait Symbol, the number of Soultraits, and much more Michael would give them whatever they needed to grow stronger and be ready to fight the Supreme Human Alliance on multiple frontlines.

Michael could teleport everyone with Slipstream across the Supreme Human Alliance's territories, and he would arm everyone with one or two means to escape from powerful enemies. But before that, the Super Awakened had to show him how strong they were and that they deserved several powerful Soultrait Symbols from him.

Kaleb and Hiraku were smiling, but they looked at each other, and the other Super Awakened with a trace of worry. They might be among the strongest, but their Soultraits were stronger than others. They had more Soultrait Symbols than most others and desired to obtain a few more Soultrait Symbols before attacking the Supreme Human Alliance with all their might.

Yet, to do so, they had to show that they deserved more Soultraits than everyone else. Their achievements had to be the greatest.

The Super Awakened's morale skyrocketed, and they charged Michael simultaneously, hundreds of Soultrait Symbols activating simultaneously.

Michael grinned at the incoming attacks. Shivers ran down his spine, and his grin widened until it hurt.

'That is exactly what I have been waiting for!'