The Battle and the Second Phase
The war in the NS Star Region intensified as the Mechanical Alliance clashed with the Blue Cluster Vanguard.
The Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird's Needle Storm tore through the Blue Fleet's outer defenses, while the Mechanical Giant's Crimson Ray pierced through several capital ships.
Thunder Oz Civilization warriors, using a teleportation bridge, stormed into the enemy ship, smashing down their warhammers and unleashing a burst of lightning that completely destroyed the ship's structure.
However, the fleet from the Blue Cluster Galaxy was not unprepared.
"Activate self-control mode!"
A chilling command came from the Blue Fleet.
Instantly, crimson energy patterns appeared on the surfaces of all the remaining blue-ship battleships, spreading like blood vessels to every part of the ship.
The next moment, the armor of these warships began to Twist and recombine.
The cracks that were originally torn apart by the Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even forced the wing needles that had pierced into the hull out!
"Warning: High-energy repair reaction detected. Enemy ship is undergoing mutation or self-destruction..."
The alarm of the mechanical guards sounded on the coalition's communications channel.
Hendeli Oz's pupils contracted, and he immediately roared.
"Retreat! Withdraw the enemy ships first!"
However, it was too late.
A blinding crimson light suddenly erupted from inside the Blue Group warship.
The walls of the ship's passageway writhed as if alive, their metal structures Twist into sharp spikes that instantly pierced through the invading Thunder Warriors.
"Ah--!"
Amidst screams, the elite warriors of the Oz Civilization were nailed alive inside the ship, their lightning yet to erupt before being swallowed by the crimson energy.
At the same time, the Blue Fleet's cannons lit up again.
This time, however, the cannon beams were no longer simple torrents of plasma, but were mixed with dark red energy ripples, Twist and surging toward the allied forces' formation like living things.
"Boom--!"
The moment the cannon beam struck the mechanical giant, its armor was not directly penetrated. Instead, it dissolved and disintegrated rapidly, as if corroded, eventually turning into a pool of metallic slag.
"They're biological warships! The warships possess the characteristics of living organisms, and their energy has a devouring property!"
Kavin's voice was cold and somber.
The warriors of the Blue Cluster Galaxy finally demonstrated their strength as a veteran cosmic Hegemon, dominating their region.
"Let the hunting party launch the attack."
A deep voice rang out from behind the Blue Fleet.
Immediately afterwards, countless dark figures rushed out from the fleet—these were the elite warriors of the Blue Cluster Galaxy, the Scarlet Hunters!
They were tall and slender, covered in dark red bio-armor, with sharp bone blades extending from their joints.
They moved like ghosts, their appearances accompanied by the fall of a coalition soldier.
[Target spotted: Scarlet Hunter]
[Level: Lv185~200]
[Health Points: 3341519/3341556]
[Strength:1132989/1132989]
[Attributes: Strength 302, Stamina 366, Intelligence 173, Agility 170]
[Skill: Scarlet Blink (S-rank): Short-range spatial jump, instantly closing in on the target to deliver a fatal blow...]
Erosive Dissolution Blade (Rank S):...
Hunting Instinct (S-rank):...
...]
[Overall Rating: B to A]
As expected of Overlord Tier force like the Blue Skirt Galaxy, their dedicated hunting teams consisted entirely of Fourth Advancement warriors, with each warrior possessing at least a B-rank strength.
Compared to the combined warriors of ordinary forces in the Babylon Galaxy, this was indeed a case of overwhelming force.
Even though the hunting team wasn't large, the situation instantly reversed once they joined the battlefield!
The Evil Shadow Mechanical Bird's wing needles were blocked by the Scarlet Hunter's bone blade, which even managed to sever its wings.
They evaded the mechanical giant's high-energy rays with blinking, then approached its core, Erosive Dissolution Blade pierced the energy furnace, triggering a chain of explosions.
"Hold on! Don't let them break through the defenses!"
With a furious roar, Hendeli slammed his warhammer down.
A burst of lightning barely managed to repel three approaching Scarlet Hunters.
However, more enemies came from all directions.
Even with Hendeli surrounded, he could not withstand the combined might of a well-organized elite force of Fourth Advancement warriors!
At that very moment--
"Buzz--!"
A silver-black blade of light slashed out from behind the allied forces, like a silver moon streaking across the sky, instantly cutting across the battlefield.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
The bodies of hundreds of Scarlet Hunters froze at the same moment, then their heads slowly slid off, their dark red blood freezing into ice crystals in the vacuum.
Lister's figure slowly emerged, his Shadowless Blade pointing diagonally at the starry sky, his Killing Intent Wave spreading like a tide.
Feeling this unbearable, soul-deep pressure.
The commander of the Blue Fleet immediately changed color.
On one hand, there was fear; on the other hand, there was heartache for the hunters.
Even their Blue Cluster Galaxy is privately ruled by the Yatke Hegemon.
To win over all the geniuses of a galaxy, plus the limitations of the resources themselves.
Such a unit of soldiers numbered less than ten thousand!
The loss of hundreds of lives in a single incident now represents the accumulation of hundreds of years of losses!
"This must be the unfamiliar Hegemon."
A deep voice came from behind the commander.
"Grown ups!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to help."
"It's alright!"
From the rearmost warship, a formidable figure stepped out, Twist the surrounding space.
The Yatke Hegemon is nearly five meters tall, with dark gold bio-armor covering granite-like muscles.
A bronze staff engraved with star marks resonated in the void, humming loudly.
With each step he took, spiderweb-like cracks appeared beneath his feet.
[Target discovered: Yatke Blues]
[Level: LV226]
[Class: Shattered Star Battle Saint (Martial Arts)]
[Health Points: 8,876,453/8,876,453]
[Strength: 4152989/4152989]
[Attributes: Strength 452, Stamina 450, Intelligence 226, Agility 419]
[Skill: Shattered Star - Annihilation (SS-rank):???]
Star Mark Heaven-Collapsing Staff (SS-Rank):???
...]
[Overall Rating: S]
Lister Merrick.
A deep voice came from afar, like muffled thunder rumbling across the star field.
The next instant, a domineering aura also spread throughout the entire star field, contending with Lister's killing intent.
However, it wasn't long before Yatke was somewhat surprised.
The reason was simple: his own domineering and imposing aura was completely ineffective against the other party's killing intent.
Even though the opponent's rank was lower than his, their strength was clearly no weaker than his own.
Seeing this, Yatke's attitude softened somewhat.
With a few steps, he arrived in front of Lister through spatial Twist.
"The Babylon Galaxy is a hunting ground I marked 140 years ago."
"Isn't it inappropriate for you to come and seize it now?"
With a casual swing of the bronze staff, the ripples created by its tip instantly divided the entire battlefield of the allied forces, bringing the battle to a standstill.
"Now... take your toy team and leave, and I might consider giving you a few peripheral star systems."
Lister sized up his opponent, especially noting the opponent's recent move, which was indeed executed with perfect control.
He truly is the Hegemon of the universe, exactly as he remembered from his later years.
During the Fourth Advancement, the Overlord Tier combat power is mostly comprised of martial arts and mechanical types.
This one is probably Hegemon of staff fighting techniques.
"Just because you mark it doesn't mean it's yours, right?"
"Something from over a hundred years ago, and you're bringing it up now?"
He glanced calmly at Yatke opposite him, a martial arts type who was equally troublesome.
However, his strength was within his expectations; he might be much more difficult to deal with Vidal, but still far inferior to him.
Fingertips gently caressed the handle of the Shadowless Blade, occasionally producing a crisp "click" sound.
This subtle movement caused Yatke's pupils to shrink sharply.
If he wasn't mistaken, the dark red energy seeping from between the other person's fingers was the physical manifestation of their own condensed killing intent.
"How about this, let's each take a step back?"
"Now that you've learned most about this galaxy, the lion's share is yours."
"I only want one-third of the star field, but the Star Matrix Civilization's territory must belong to me!"
Even the Hegemon in Yatke was caught off guard.
He had never heard of this Hegemon, Lister, who was standing opposite him.
But judging from their current demeanor, they are certainly not weak.
Especially the fact that the opponent's killing intent could already be solidified and released externally, it was definitely the first time he had ever seen such a formidable person!
It would be best to avoid fighting such a formidable opponent.
Even if you're unwilling to accept it, you can only blame yourself for being too late!
"You've got a good plan."
"You really think I haven't discovered the secrets of the Star Matrix Civilization?"
"Oh? What secret?"
Yatke's face remained motionless in the starlight, but the star marks on the surface of his bronze staff suddenly began to swirl faster.
His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, and fine beads of energy sweat seeped from the gaps in his bio-armor—a physiological reaction unique to the Blue Cluster Star Clan when their emotions fluctuated.
"So what if they're a third-rate civilization!" A sneer escaped his nose as he casually flicked a meteorite with the tip of his stick. "I'm only interested in their way of using psionic energy."
"Oh?"
"It's really not for that soul-nurturing space?"
Lister had naturally investigated the Star Matrix Civilization's location.
Like the Milky Way Galaxy, the Babylon Galaxy also has this special spatial barrier.
Of course, compared to the Soul Barrier of the Galactic Federation, the Babylon Galaxy's is far inferior.
This so-called soul-nurturing space merely provides a quick recovery from soul damage and a very slight acceleration of soul growth.
This bonus is negligible compared to the value of Soul Crystals.
The conversation abruptly ended.
Yatke's face contorted in Twist, and the star marks on the surface of his bronze staff suddenly burst forth with a blinding crimson light.
Since you know--
His voice was hoarse, like metal scraping, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Then don't blame me for silencing you!"
The bronze staff fell without warning, and the spatial ripples created by its tip instantly solidified into tangible cracks.
The spacetime around Lister shattered like glass, and countless spatial fragments reflected Yatke's ferocious face—this Hegemon of the Blue Cluster Galaxy had launched a sneak attack!
"Shattered Star - Destruction!"
Before the stick even arrived, the meteorite beneath Lister's feet had already silently annihilated into an atomic state.
The gravitational collapse effect accompanying the SS-level skill Twist the light across the entire star field.
"Attacked: Spatial Anchoring in effect, Starfall and Destruction in progress. Robust Soul, Saber Soul Mastery... in effect, Spatial Imprisonment has been exempted."
Lister's figure flashed the instant the stick struck him.
Yatke's seemingly inevitable strike only pierced through his Phantom; the spatial shockwave from the bronze staff striking empty air caused Hendeli was watching nearby, to bleed from his ears and nose.
"You..."
Yatke's pupils contracted sharply, a sense of unease rising within him.
Keep in mind that his movements were quite fast, not to mention the added spatial confinement effect.
In the past, sneak attacks of this caliber had never failed, but this time they were unsuccessful.
The other party dodged in advance as if they had foreseen the future, almost as if they were waiting for him to make a move?
Lister's true form had now appeared three meters behind Yatke.
The Shadowless Blade had been drawn at some point, and its originally transparent blade was inexplicably tinged with a dark red, a manifestation of killing intent solidified and covering the blade.
The blade flashed like a crescent moon, slicing through Yatke's nape.
"Clang--!"
At the critical moment, a bronze-like keratin layer suddenly grew on the bio-armor around Yatke's neck.
The blade clashed with the armor, sparking blinding sparks and producing a metallic clang.
Yatke then charged forward for several hundred meters, and when he turned around, his face was covered with spiderweb-like veins.
Touching the deep knife wound on the back of his neck, he seemed to have some kind of realization and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"So it was a soul injury..."
Attack: Deals a total of -2,491,742 points of true damage.
Lister's sword can be dodged or parried.
But real harm cannot be avoided.
Once the battle begins, every strike is a powerful move, requiring utmost attention.
Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, Yatke decided to face the enemy head-on.
The figure suddenly blurred in the starry sky, the bronze staff leaving a trail of energy that stretched for a kilometer.
"Take another hit from me!"
Before the sticks even arrived, the entire star field covered by the battle began to tremble.
The meteorite belts swept by the aftershocks instantly vaporized, and even the flashes of the explosions were torn to shreds by the Twist gravity.
Lister's pupils contracted slightly—the power of this attack far surpassed that of Vidal before.
[Under attack: Star Mark Heaven-Collapsing Staff has locked on,..., Spatial anchoring has failed...]
Seeing this, Lister was naturally not intimidated.
The crimson color on the Shadowless Blade in his hand intensified once more, and where the blade sliced, even the spatial rifts were stained dark red.
A horizontal slash followed by a clash.
"Clang--!"
The moment the blades clashed, the bio-armor on Yatke's arm suddenly exploded.
"How is this possible?!"
What terrified him even more than his equipment was his weapon—the "Staff of Star Shattering".
A huge gash was actually blasted open by this single strike!
This is a rare material that he collected from all over the universe, especially with the star-mark patterns on it.
A typical Overlord Tier attack wouldn't be able to damage the staff itself.
Before he could continue to wonder, an unbearable pain shot through his own soul.
Attack: Deals a total of -2,478,471 points of true damage...
"Attacked: Damage taken -713636 points..."
As a martial arts Class Holder, some of the damage from the opponent's staff was real damage, but fortunately the proportion was not high, and it was still tolerable for Lister.
After taking two hits, Yatke's health was less than half.
At this moment, the figure suddenly froze in the starry sky, and the star marks on the surface of the bronze staff burst forth like blood vessels.
Blue-gold blood seeped from the knife wound on his neck, but it solidified into crystals the instant it came into contact with the vacuum.
His eyes were full of defiance, as if he had been thoroughly enraged.
"You think... this is all I've got?"
With a low growl, the bio-armor on Yatke's body suddenly cracked, and a blinding scarlet light burst forth from beneath its dark gold shell.
His muscle fibers writhed and expanded like living things, his bones made a teeth-grinding cracking sound, and his body swelled from five meters to eight meters.