You Think You're Worthy?

"Submission... or death..."

He looked at Hendeli Oz with an indifferent gaze, as if he were looking at an ant.

A lifeless voice delivered its ultimatum to him.

The tremor and fear that came from the depths of his soul ultimately made Hendeli lower his head.

"I am willing to submit!"

He quickly agreed, and the oppressive aura emanating from Hendeli suddenly dissipated.

The flow of energy and the gathering of power within my body became smooth again.

The giant hammer in his hand once again unleashed the Destruction power of lightning.

The assembled soldiers behind him collapsed to the ground, as if they had exhausted all their strength just to hold on until now.

Only a faint killing intent remained in the space.

Just thinking about what had just happened sent chills down my spine again.

"May I ask who you are, sir...?"

After a long while, Hendeli finally looked up again and mustered up the courage to ask.

"Lister Merrick, the new Hegemon of the Babylon Galaxy."

His gaze wasn't fixed on Hendeli, but rather on the soldiers behind him.

Lister assessed the overall strength of the Oz Civilization.

If we disregard his top-tier combat strength, the overall civilization is far stronger Merrick Civilization.

The warriors are generally at level 16, with combat power above level B, and there are quite a few level A Lord Tier powerhouses.

As expected, in general public star systems, although there is no Hegemon, there are still quite a few A-level powerhouses and S-level Quasi-Hegemon gathered.

They all secured their positions in advance, waiting to dominate after the final promotion.

Lister nodded silently and looked at Hendeli again.

"The Oz Civilization is now under the command of the Mechanical Truth Civilization."

"Kavin, come on over?"

Having said that, he looked at Kavin. In commanding this occupation campaign, Lister was not as capable as Kavin.

He was competent at commanding the Galactic Federation's army, but he didn't quite understand how to deal with a massive army dominated by mechanical forces and the warriors of the Babylon Galaxy.

"Issue the order: All warriors of the Oz Civilization, assemble immediately! Set out to war with Hegemon Lister!"

"Yes!"

Hendeli glanced at Kavin beside him, then finally lowered his head and left.

But a secret thought resurfaced in my mind.

Since it wasn't Kavin who ascended to the Hegemon, but rather this unfamiliar Lister Hegemon.

Joining at this point wouldn't necessarily mean their civilization would have a bad standing in the Babylon Galaxy.

He even has a chance to replace Kavin and become Lister 'Hegemon first right-hand man!

Suddenly, a glint of light appeared in his eyes, and he commanded the civilized army with even greater effort!

Soon, news that the Babylon Galaxy had been conquered by the Lister Hegemon spread rapidly throughout the entire galaxy.

The new Hegemon's army is mainly composed of the Church of Mechanical Truth and the Oz Civilization.

The combined forces of mechanical torrents and Thunder warhammers began to radiate outwards from the core of the Babylon Galaxy.

In just two days, 15% of the galaxy's central region had been occupied.

The Star Matrix Civilization, Council of Elders.

Eleven elders of civilization were sitting upright in the meeting room.

Compared to ordinary civilizations, the life forms of the Star Matrix Civilization look rather unusual.

They are generally not very tall, around two meters.

Their limbs are generally thin and weak with few bones, but their brains are extremely prominent and large.

It looks strangely top-heavy.

The talents of individuals within a civilization are relatively concentrated, belonging to the psychic power system, specifically the branch of mental psychics.

At this moment, various colors emanated from the tops of their heads, converging in the central elliptical energy body.

"What should we do? The new Hegemon's army is almost at our civilization!"

Should we submit to them?

"How can that be! Our civilization has only produced one genius in ten thousand years— Yata."

"What if we surrender and are then killed by the enemy?"

"That's right! Even if we don't stop them, it would be even more of a waste if they joined the Church of Mechanical Truth and became one of the lunatics!"

The elders communicated entirely through a special spiritual channel of civilization, which was in an absolutely encrypted state and could not be cracked by ordinary signals.

"What if they don't submit? Should we retreat? Or go to other common star systems?"

"That won't do. We've been rooted here for ten thousand years, accumulating so much wealth!"

"And what other public star system is as suitable for the development of our civilization as this place?"

"If only we could hold on a little longer, Yata could evolve and would soon become Hegemon."

"Really? They already have evolutionary awareness?"

"Really, it can evolve at any time!"

"Our Star Matrix Civilization has been around for so many years, we're really just one or two months away from being finished... How about it?"

"Let's give it our all!"

"Our Star Matrix Civilization's accumulation of ten thousand years, can't it withstand its evolution?"

"This Hegemon we've never heard of must have just been promoted. With our strength, we should be able to hold out until that day!"

The eleven elders quickly determined the final direction of civilization's development.

Arrange for the first genius to evolve immediately, and at the same time make all preparations for defense.

The scales of fortune seemed to be tipped in their favor.

The Star Matrix Civilization is located in the upper left corner of the Babylon Galaxy, not because it lacked the strength to develop in the central region.

In fact, the civilization that the Babylon Galaxy currently considers itself the most powerful is the Star Matrix Civilization.

This area possesses unique spiritual growth substances, suitable for the development of civilized individuals.

Now that the mechanical alliance has occupied the central area, they are clearing out the lower right area first, just the opposite of what they intended.

Time was on their side, and the number one genius Yata, had already begun his fourth evolution.

The members of the Elders Council have positioned these recent days as the final chapter before the dawn of a new era—a great crisis accompanied by great opportunities.

A month and a half.

The metallic sheen of the mechanical torrent and the thunderclouds of the Oz Civilization finally appeared on the border of the Star Matrix Civilization.

Eleven suspended rhomboid Mental Matrix have formed a pale purple barrier around the star field.

At the top of each matrix sat a Star Elder, whose swollen skulls constantly emitted ripples of brainwaves, turning the entire star field into a translucent gel-like state.

"It seems there's no point in negotiating. I never expected the Star Matrix Civilization to make such a foolish mistake."

"Does he really think he can resist the Hegemon?"

Hendeli Oz looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but shake his head sarcastically.

He was unhappy because the Oz Civilization had always been suppressed by the Star Matrix Civilization.

Now the situation has finally reversed, and he has taken the lead in boarding the ship of Lister's Hegemon.

Fighting alongside the combined forces of the Church of Mechanical Truth, many of the Oz Civilizations that were originally stronger than them either withdrew in advance or stubbornly resisted until they were killed.

Today, the Oz Civilization's stubborn resistance stirred something within him, and a desire for revenge rose within him.

We must crush this old rival, whose civilization was once superior to our own, and destroy him!

"Marching!"

With a hoarse roar, Hendeli charged forward, leading the charge.

The combined energy cannons of the mechanical torrents bombarded these purple barriers first.

The energy cannon failed to shake these barriers; instead, they seemed to be dissolved and eventually disappeared without a trace.

Even the Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird's Swift Shadow Wing Needles were ineffective, as all attacks were blocked by the purple barrier.

"Those old fogies, it's always the same old trick!"

Seeing this situation, Hendeli became even more displeased.

The elders have all completed four evolutions, with ranks ranging from 20 to 23, and their combat power is naturally all at the A-level.

At the same time, countless Stardust Psionicists launched an attack from behind the barrier.

The surface of the brain was almost transparent, then an unusual color appeared.

The warriors of the Oz Civilization were instantly pulled into a dreamlike state, and their attack came to a standstill.

Meanwhile, a large number of mechanical warriors in the mechanical army have stopped advancing, having become living beings.

While the spirit of mechanical life may be purer, it is still subject to temptation and desire.

Hendeli's giant hammer slammed heavily against the barrier, finally creating a ripple.

Unfortunately, one of the elders suddenly opened his eyes at that moment, and his gaze immediately locked onto Hendeli.

In an instant, a Destruction energy beam struck him from within the purple barrier.

Hendeli seemed to have anticipated this, immediately shifting to the left and then retreating, leaving the attack range.

That barrier was rather special; it wasn't just a simple energy shield for resistance.

Instead, it absorbs and even transforms the rebound; the Destruction energy just now was caused by Hendeli's own hammer blow.

At this moment, swathes of mechanical troops began to fall, and even the warriors of the Oz Civilization could not escape this mental attack.

Fortunately, Lister's pirate ship finally began to slowly approach.

A familiar yet long-lost killing intent descended, Hendeli looked at the elders, a smile that was hard to describe appearing on his face.

This overwhelming pressure was so intense it seemed to reach right to the soul.

At the same moment, all eleven elders opened their eyes and stared intently at Lister.

The elder in the white robes immediately sharpened his gaze.

As if it had been prepared all along, an imperceptible, transparent energy shot towards Lister at an extremely fast speed.

"Attacked: You have entered the 'Star Matrix Mental Network', 'Robust Soul' has taken effect, 'Steadfast' has taken effect..., 'Star Matrix Mental Network' has been logged out."

Fourth Advancement Class Holder with only A-level combat power is useless, no matter how high their rank is.

They didn't even have the means to attack Lister.

Seeing that his soldiers had suffered countless casualties, Lister immediately prepared to take action.

With a single hand raised, the Shadowless Blade at his waist instantly flew into his hand.

The next moment, all the elders' expressions became extremely solemn.

An extreme killing intent, far surpassing what had just descended upon their hearts, instantly brought a feeling of suffocation.

Before they could react, a wave of murderous intent seemed to erupt, exploding deep within their souls.

My intuitive sense of crisis grew stronger, but thankfully it didn't cause me any harm in the end.

A sense of joy couldn't help but rise in his heart; after all, he had fought back and forth with the Hegemon, a truly glorious moment.

But when I actually looked back, I realized something was wrong.

Behind them, the psionicists of their own Star Matrix Civilization fell one after another like weeds.

There was no longer any trace of life in his body, only the terrified look in his eyes, which remained indelible even after death.

The millions of elite psionicists who gathered early on represent the true foundation of the Star Matrix Civilization.

But at that moment, with the death rate suddenly dropping to 70%, a strange sense of grief and resentment surged within me.

Then, his emotions surged instantly, and in a fit of extreme anger, he stared intently at Lister.

The effect of the Killing Intent Eruption is even more powerful now that the Robust Soul and Saber Soul Mastery are both thriving.

Those psionicists who had not yet reached level 18 all died instantly.

Hendeli to the side, was completely dumbfounded.

For more than a month, he followed the Hegemon Lister on his campaigns, trying his best to demonstrate the strength of his own civilization in order to attract Lister's attention and gain the trust of the Oz Civilization over the Church of Mechanical Truth.

The battles went quite smoothly, and naturally, they never witnessed Lister make a move.

This is the first time I've experienced such Overlord Tier methods.

The lingering resentment that had been lurking in my heart was completely dispelled!

This incomprehensible, never-before-seen power extinguished any desire in him to resist.

The next instant, a sense of relief welled up inside him, along with the thrill of revenge.

They've even submitted to their own Oz Civilization, do they really think their Star Matrix Civilization is the master of the Babylon Galaxy?

Is it downloaded now?

The Hegemon Lister didn't even attack; his mere aura and oppressive power were enough to sweep everything away.

A strange sense of vengeful pleasure quickly rose in Hendeli's heart; it felt incredibly good!

But before he could be happy for long, Hendeli's brows furrowed again.

Nothing more!

At the center of the Star Matrix Civilization, an incomparably powerful aura erupted and rose.

He far surpassed these eleven elders, and naturally, he far surpassed himself.

That unparalleled pressure, though much weaker than that of Lister, certainly surpassed his level.

As a young man rapidly approached, an unacceptable truth was laid bare before him.

No wonder the Star Matrix Civilization didn't retreat; it turns out their own civilization was about to give birth to Hegemon... No!

Hegemon has already emerged!

Lister silently observed the young man in front of him.

With a large head and narrow body, no matter how handsome the facial features are, it's impossible to judge; it's just an eyesore.

[Target Found: Yata]

[Level: LV182]

[Occupation: Mental Calamity (Psychic)]

[Health Points: 6740302/6740302]

[Stamina: 2198173/2198173]

[Attributes: Strength: 182, Stamina: 182, Intelligence: 364, Agility: 364]

[Skill:...]

[Overall Rating: S]

"Hegemon Lister, if you are willing to withdraw now, I will not pursue your crime of slaughtering my civilized race."

"We can even cooperate to conquer the Babylon Galaxy and resist the Yatke Hegemon!"

The energy emanating from Yata's head was constantly radiating.

Through perception, one can sense that he is communicating with several elders.

Soon, the white-robed elder, who was already at level 23, also rose from the rhombus-shaped Mental Matrix.

The grief on his face had vanished, replaced by an uncontrollable surge of joy.

Flying closer to Yata, after carefully examining him, he seemed to gain confidence and spoke to Lister.

"Hegemon Lister, our Star Matrix Civilization is quite sincere."

"This entire Babylon Galaxy —ten times the size of the original region, the rest is yours... How about it?"

"Afterwards, we can also work together to seize other valuable public star systems."

The elder felt he had been magnanimous enough not to pursue the matter of the elite forces of his civilization that the other party had just annihilated.

If it weren't for the fact that Yata had just entered the ranks of Hegemon, which led him to propose cooperation despite past grievances, and that this cooperation was extremely unfair.

No matter how you look at it, Lister probably has to give the Star Matrix Civilization some face.

Unfortunately, reality often doesn't meet their expectations.

Lister's smile gradually turned into one of disdain.

A calm voice rang out at that moment.

"Just an ant that has only just stepped into the realm of Hegemon..."

So... you think you're good enough?