Hegemon and Arrival

Awakening in the meditation room, Lister instinctively gripped the Shadowless Blade at his waist.

Instantly, an unprecedentedly powerful force surged from within him and was activated on the blade.

A suffocating sharpness emanated from the blade, and at the same time, one's own soul immediately resonated with it.

Bloodshed, death, and a powerful, complex mix of emotions intertwined.

"Warning: The castle's energy shield has been activated and is being eroded... Energy is depleted."

The castle's shield was rendered ineffective by the mere initial release of its aura.

Entering the Fourth Advancement stage, the feeling is indeed different.

Even though Lister's passive skill for his Fourth Advancement job advancement is only level 20, his overall strength has seen a qualitative improvement.

Especially the improvement after the Fourth Advancement in the four-dimensional attributes, each point of attribute represents a geometric increase in one's own strength.

With his years of experience completely wasted, Lister felt better than ever before.

"Thump~ thump~!"

Suddenly, amidst the Killing Intent Wave, he sensed many soldiers approaching.

The entire Merrick Castle was completely surrounded, while Tim appeared on the edge of the core area with Colonel Sannand.

"Congressman Tim, are you sure there have been intruders breaking into the castle?"

"Uncertain! However, the shield has been activated and broken, so I would appreciate it if you could check it out, Colonel."

"Someone actually dares to break into the general's castle? They're truly fearless!"

"Everyone has one!"

Sannand was skeptical that there could be such a stupid thief.

However, given how seriously Senator Tim was taking it, he naturally preferred to believe it rather than risk it.

Just as he was about to give the order, Lister took a step forward and vanished from his spot in an instant.

The next instant, it appeared in front of the two.

"My lord?! You... you... already?"

Tim's eyes widened instantly as he stared at Lister in disbelief.

Since Lord Lister went into seclusion, Tim has been counting down the days.

Every day, as usual, he would come to inspect the castle's perimeter and give instructions.

They had already been maintaining close contact with the military region behind the scenes.

Today marks the 149th day that Lord Lister has been in seclusion within the castle, undergoing his transformation.

Upon discovering something amiss inside the castle, Tim immediately dispatched Sannand, who had just completed a mission, to investigate.

Unexpectedly, there was another surprise: the reclusive Lord Lister appeared before him.

Subconsciously, I used my limited senses to investigate.

Unfortunately, with his rank only at the sixth level, his perception was completely lost, and he couldn't detect anything, just like before.

All they could do now was watch with delight as Lister completed his evolution.

"Major General Lister."

Upon seeing that the visitor was a major general, Sannand immediately greeted him and saluted.

It had been several months since I had last seen Lister, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him again.

However, Major General Lister gave him a different feeling at the moment; his aura was somewhat terrifying compared to the past.

Even just standing in front of him, you can feel an invisible sense of oppression.

The oppressive aura, mixed with murderous intent and bloodshed, sent a chill down his spine.

He couldn't help but wonder. Although Major General Lister had an amazing aura, he was usually very reserved, and you couldn't feel any pressure from him unless you deliberately tried to sense it.

The current situation gives the impression that the person has just been promoted, but their aura has not yet been fully contained.

Thinking of this, Sannand suddenly paused, taken aback.

"Um...?!"

The next moment, his senses unconsciously probed over there.

The oppressive feeling instantly intensified, making him terrified and unable to breathe.

But there was one thing that Sannand was immediately certain of, and then he said with a hint of disbelief and surprise.

"My lord... you... you've completed your evolution?"

"Um."

Lister nodded with a smile.

This nonchalant demeanor immediately confirmed their suspicions.

For a moment, the look of surprise on his face deepened!

It not only completed four evolutions, but it should have become a brand new Hegemon.

"Let everyone leave."

"Tim, come with me to the government building first, and let the comrades from the Civilization Office prepare."

At Lister's instruction, the entire government building was notified within minutes that it would be closed for the day and no one was allowed to linger inside.

Meanwhile, Wang Yue and Quint were already waiting outside the Civilization Office before him.

Upon seeing Lister appear, their senses reached him first.

"Let's go, let's take care of business first."

Ignoring their attempts to probe his senses, Lister took the lead and entered the Civilization Office's specialized strength detection device.

Countless blue rays converged on him, just like back then.

A life form with the same appearance and body as his own was constructed from blue particles in front of him.

This time, the speed was much slower than Lister's previous two tests.

After a long while, the blue particle finally collapsed as expected.

The system's detection beeping sounded immediately afterward.

"Testing revealed that the organism belongs to the genetic race of Ancient Humans."

Development Direction: Ancient Martial Arts System

Standard level: LV200

Strength Rank: S-Rank (Overlord Tier)

Number of evolutions of life forms: four

Meets the criteria for a Level 4 'Advanced Life Form'.

Amidst the surprise of the core power structure of the Merrick Civilization.

Lister remained calm, looking at the data displayed outside the testing room, and made a decision in his mind.

Really!

The Galactic Federation's highest combat strength is only S-rank, making it impossible to measure against World-Ending Level.

So far, the only true measure of their own combat strength is the deduction made by Archbishop Sunflare during the last conscription.

"Notification: Hegemon life form discovered, belonging to the Merrick Civilization, currently being recorded..."

"According to the special regulations of the Galactic Federation, information about the Hegemon life form is highly confidential, and the test records stored in the testing laboratory have been erased."

"Notification: Advanced life form Lister Merrick, your message has been sent to a Galactic Federation specialist. Please check your inbox."

A true Hegemon is indeed different; he has special confidentiality regulations, and even the information from the strength testing device is erased for him.

"Sir, is our Merrick Civilization about to advance to a fourth-level civilization?"

Tim's voice came from behind them, and everyone saw the test results in the testing room.

Their expectations have now been fully realized. Their number one leader, Major General Lister, has successfully stepped into the realm of true Hegemon in just over a decade since becoming Quasi-Hegemon!

The thought that his civilization was about to become a Level 4 civilization, and that he was about to become a noble Galactic Noble in the Galactic Federation, filled him with immense joy.

In an instant, all sorts of wonderful futures began to appear in my mind.

Even Wang Yue was no exception.

In the past, he spent his days moving between several powerful families, appearing under various guises at different junctures, truly a master of time management!

Now that Lister has ascended to the Hegemon, all doubts have vanished.

Even though the gap in strength between herself and Lister has widened further, she finally has a place of inner peace within the Galactic Federation, a place where she can grow steadily.

"Don't rush, the advancement to a fourth-level civilization is different."

"Let me finish the procedures first. On the day of my actual promotion, Tim, you'll be in charge of hosting our Civilization Ceremony!"

There are fixed standards for advancement from level zero to level three civilizations.

The requirements are the most stringent, especially for advancement to the third level of civilization.

However, at the fourth level of civilization, there were no standard descriptions in the Federal Script Regulations.

There is only one universally accepted rule: becoming the Hegemon is equivalent to becoming a level four civilization.

Lister was waiting for a special notification, which was finally delivered quite some time later.

"Galactic Federation Notification: Congratulations, advanced life form Lister Merrick, you have been promoted to Hegemon."

The Merrick Civilization has met the criteria for advancement to a Level 4 civilization. Since a Level 4 civilization requires prior discussion and decision-making, please arrive at the Beta Civilization's First Governing Star (Restricted Area A2) within one week to discuss the civilization's advancement.

Meanwhile, within the forbidden zone of the Beta Civilization, a young man was conducting a holographic projection conference in a desolate place.

The young man, dressed in a federal standard military uniform with three large Galactic Federation insignia on his shoulder straps, was clearly Federation Military District general, and sat consciously in the far corner of the conference table.

At the same time, the other five people inside the holographic projection had also arrived.

Although they have different builds and appearances, and wear different clothes, they all share the same identity: a federal general.

"I never expected this Lister Merrick to be so talented!"

"How many years has it been? It hasn't even been a hundred years since he entered the Galactic Federation, yet he's already reached the Overlord Tier!"

The man who spoke was dressed in a dark black robe, with a young face, brown hair, and black eyes; he was quite handsome.

However, the only thing that seemed out of place was the tuft of white beard he had, which made him look somewhat eerie.

No one responded at the moment, but the man was not annoyed. Instead, he turned to a young man sitting in the center opposite him.

"Sailuo, are you sure you want to make a move on someone like him so soon?"

If anyone else were present, they would surely recognize that the young man called Sailuo is actually Sailuo Beta, the founder of the Beta Civilization and one of the generals of the Federation Military District.

As for the other young man who spoke first, it was Zion Kelf, the second-generation inheritor of the Witchcraft Civilization, currently the number one person in the Witchcraft Civilization, and one of the generals of the Federation Military District.

Unsurprisingly, the other four present were all generals from Beta and the Witchcraft Civilization.

"Zion, this is the compensation we Beta Civilization agreed on. You're not going to renege on your promise, are you?"

"No way! Our Witchcraft Civilization has always championed equivalent exchange!"

"And what's agreed upon, will never be taken back."

"I'm just expressing my opinion from the perspective of your civilization, and I find it a bit of a pity!"

Zion said with a smile, his gaze already fixed on the young man who had arrived earliest but remained silent at the far end of the conference room.

"Our Beta Civilization's internal affairs are none of your business."

"You don't need to stir things up. As is customary, Vidal will be in charge of this Lister Merrick."

Upon hearing this, General Vidal, the young man on the far side, finally showed a slight change in expression.

A few flashes of excitement crossed his face, but he quickly suppressed them and remained silent.

Lister Merrick was already incredibly excited. He had been keeping an eye on the Mechanical Civilization's Kavin for three years, during their mission.

Even the number one person in the Federation's Quasi-Hegemon thought it would be hundreds of years before he had a chance to be promoted.

Who would have thought that in just three years... the other party's talent would be so extraordinary, and they would directly rise to the Hegemon.

Therefore, Vidal was somewhat nervous attending the meeting today, fearing that the allocation might change Lister's talent.

Fortunately, the final outcome was as he wished; it was finally his turn to end Lister's reign!

"Alright... since we've reached a distribution agreement, let's stop here."

"General Vidal, good luck!"

After saying that, General Zion disappeared from the room, and at the same time, the other two generals from the Witchcraft Civilization also left the projection group chat in the next instant.

Only then did Vidal express his gratitude to Sailuo Beta with a hint of excitement.

"Lord Sailuo, thank you for your guidance!"

"No need for such talk. These are rules that were set long ago, and I won't break them for anyone."

"But you have to seize this opportunity. I don't want what happened to He'er to happen to you!"

The thought of this Sailuo's expression turn sharper.

This happened more than 7,000 years ago, and it remains a thorn in his side to this day.

Back then, He'er was just as excited as Vidal is now, and he coaxed Boren Leviathan into entering the Soul Barrier.

In the end, it was Boren Leviathan who emerged from it all.

Furthermore, this gave the other side the means to contend with the two great civilizations, ultimately forcing them to allow the Leviathan Civilization to truly advance to a level four civilization.

"My lord! I will not let you down."

Upon hearing this, Vidal quickly assured him.

Only after Sailuo left did he finally begin editing the message for Lister.

"Wang Yue, if I don't return from this trip, you're no longer welcome to develop your career in the Galactic Federation."

"These are Kavin's cosmic coordinates. Remember them."

Before leaving, Lister had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Although he didn't think the major Hegemon of the Galactic Federation would attack him now, he still gave Wang Yue his final instructions.

Lister was still thinking about continuing to acquire Level 4 upgrade resources from the Galactic Federation through military merits.

He planned to coordinate with Kaven from within and without while Kavin's revenge was still underway, ultimately overthrowing the entire Galactic Federation.

Considering his current strength, unless attacked in a coordinated manner, he was not afraid of these established Hegemon.

In addition, there are extra resurrection opportunities, so the final step is to remain vigilant and proceed to the designated location.

The First Governing Star of the Beta Civilization.

As the true capital of a long-established Level 4 civilization, even ordinary areas are not open to the public on ordinary days.

The planet is not densely populated with buildings and people. Under his powerful perception, most areas shielded by energy could not escape his detection, except for a very few.

The entire planet, apart from the ruling district and the military district, consists only of family settlements.

Notification: Lister Merrick, permissions being retrieved...

"Notification: You have obtained new permissions: S-level permission for the Beta Civilization's ruling planet. The map is 100% open, and you have obtained permission for all restricted areas!"

"Permissions granted successfully. Guidance to your destination is in progress. Spatial Twist tunnel preparation in progress. S-level permission, highest level response..."

Before Lister, a surge of energy followed by the appearance of a unique spatial portal appeared.

Step in.