Supreme Lord: I can extract everything!
chapter-1012

Everything was going south, starting with the appearance of the Primal.

Dealing with the Volcano God would have been a hassle, but it wasn't impossible. Michael was certain to defeat the Volcano God with the support of the three God Curses. He almost had the Volcano God where he wanted him to be when the Primal appeared. If he only had a few minutes longer, Michael would have had defeated the Volcano God and disappeared. The fissure in the fabric of space and reality wouldn't be able to block him and the Primal would have appeared in an empty planetary system.

Unfortunately, his plan didn't work out as intended. Nothing worked out like he wanted to. The worst about that was the danger level of the Primal. Michael knew he wouldn't be able to defeat the Primal, who showed him that quite clearly.

Michael tried blocking a few attacks with the Imperial Barrier once his limbs and chest had regrown, but the hail of Essences was too strong. They shattered the Imperial Barrier and poked holes into Michael's body. He looked like a piece of cheese after the barrage of Essences and ended up forced to use supreme healing serum to regenerate.

The Primal didn't even try killing him instantly. It felt like a game…with Michael being the toy everyone wanted to play with. That didn't feel great. It was annoying, especially with the God Curses' lackluster attempts to help him. It was almost like the God Curses had already given up.

'Try harder! Even if you have to tear my body apart, use more of your Divinities!' Michael roared in his mind in an attempt to motivate the God Curses. However, their reaction was far from motivated. They acted lethargic, almost like they were already dead and waiting for the butcher to take them apart.

"Your little friends abandoned you, didn't they? Isn't it funny how much you struggle while giving your utmost to survive while your lovely Curses have already given up. My arrival must have shattered their plans. A mere Divine Lifeform is trying to survive against a Primal while three God Curses are not doing anything. That is cute!" The Primal gaggled, his pitch-black eyes locking on Michael with devilish joy. The glint of excitement in his eyes sickened Michael.

'Do something!' He shouted, hoping the God Curses would do more when more Essences of the Primal filled the planetary system.

However, Michael was torn apart again without a response from the God Curses. It was almost like they weren't present in the first place. That was…weird. It didn't make any sense. Why would the God Curses disappear all of a sudden? They needed him, and at this very moment, Michael needed them as well. Right now, more than ever!

But they didn't respond. Why? Was the Primal doing something to cut their connection?

A glance in Primal's direction told Michael that the powerhouse wasn't doing anything other than enjoying the scene unfolding before him. After living for as long as the cosmos existed, the Primal had only experienced little joy. Torturing his enemies and watching them grow more desperate as they realized nobody was coming to help them was among the most pleasing things to watch as a Primal.

Of course, some Primal had other preferences, but most had the lack of exciting experiences in common. They had always been the strongest entities of the universe and encountered little to no problems. Of course, some Gods had been troublesome, but the Primal let most of them live until they transformed into proper issues to feel some more excitement running through their veins.

Fenrir had been difficult to deal with. He was a dangerous opponent as long as he unleashed his full power. The Primal standing opposite Michael had encountered Fenrir at full power and knew that Fenrir was powerful enough to harm the Essences of the Primal. That hadn't been as exciting because the Primal rarely felt pain. It fueled them with rage and confusion. It…showed them that they weren't invincible, which was what they had always been certain of.

However, feeling pain showed them that they were far from invincible. Thus, they started removing the most dangerous threats. Even if they weren't fortunate enough to experience many more exciting fights, they could find other things that excited them. Such as torturing those who could become dangerous opponents if they were given more time to grow.

But they weren't given any time to grow. On the contrary, the Primal would remove the roots of all those who were bound to become too powerful after attaining the powers of Godhood for an extended period. Michael was not a God yet, but he was already strong enough to kill one. That was dangerous. If he was given a few more years to grow…who knew how strong Michael was going to be?

[Stall more time.] Fenrir said suddenly in Michael's mind, which the Primal noticed even though Michael's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"They didn't abandon you yet? That is very interesting. Or maybe they're trying to find a way to turn you into their meatshield. They'll have to surrender a portion of their Essence; the Essence that fused with yours, but that is a cheap price in exchange for survival. I wonder how long it will take before they come back. They will fail again and again and again." The Primal laughed at the top of his lungs while releasing more droplets of Essence into the open space. Michael was riddled with more holes, which regrew rapidly. Still, the damage consumed lots of energy, nutrients, lifeforce, and supreme healing serum. Michael had enough of each, but after thousands of Essence droplets pierced through him, inflicting fist-sized holes even though the Essences were only the size of mere droplets, Michael ended up consuming much more resources than he'd wanted to.

The only advantage was that Micheal stalled for some time. Fenrir's comment had been short, but it filled Michael with hope. If they hadn't abandoned him, which the message suggested, Michael would have survived as long as the God Curses needed…for whatever they were doing.

He was unsure what was going to happen but struggled to survive nonetheless. The Divinities in his Soul Sphere were quickly used up, but the God Curses didn't replenish them. From that time onward, Michael struggled even more to survive. He managed it decently, but the Primal's joy transformed into annoyance. Michael wasn't dying, and his power level wasn't dropping either.

If his willpower had been crushed at this point, the Primal would have salvaged the desperation in Michael's eyes and the terror of realizing that he was going to die shortly. But Michael didn't think like that. His eyes were filled with determination and the desire to survive.

That frustrated the Primal after tens of minutes passed. He was going to rip Michael's Essence into shreds and kill him once and for all.

Fortunately, the Primal acted too late. The God Curses' plan succeeded.

The moment the Primal was about to act more seriously to kill Michael properly, hundreds of fissures tore through the fabric of space and reality.

[Good job, Michael!] Jormungandr praised.

[You can relax now. Your reinforcement is here!]