Omega's Doom

Iron Skull Omega's mechanical pupils suddenly contracted, and the lava-like patterns on his body surface burst forth with crimson light. The pressure of a 24th-tier Hegemon swept across the entire star field.

Although he was a mechanical engineer, there was no trace of rationality in his aura of pressure.

More than anything, it was violent, restless, and fiery!

His previously suppressed emotions erupted completely, and he laughed in extreme anger.

"Hoffman, do you think you can shake the foundations of our Steel Remains Star Alliance that have stood for hundreds of thousands of years with just a few newly emerged Hegemon?"

You will pay the price for your actions!

Even in his current rage, Omega's words did not contain any direct declaration of war against the Machine-Slaying Federation.

As a long-established Hegemon, he has witnessed the World Annihilation powerhouses of the original seven super powers.

The more you know, the stronger your awe of the World Annihilation becomes.

Unlike some remote Hegemon, many of them actually wanted to test their skills against World Annihilation powerhouses to gauge the gap between themselves and their opponents.

In his view, these were all extremely foolish ideas.

A World-Ending Level expert possesses immense power, just as the name suggests, capable of World Annihilation.

With their mere status as Hegemon, there's no need for comparison; in the eyes of the other side, they are nothing but ants.

Although Omega had a volatile temper outwardly, he was subconsciously incredibly measured.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Machine-Slaying Federation, but never expressed a desire to go to war with Machine-Slaying Federation.

From beginning to end, he only focused on Hoffman, believing that Hoffman was using the Machine-Slaying Federation to cause him trouble, or even to avenge some of his past enemies.

As soon as he finished speaking, the stargate behind him shook violently, and thousands of rusted warships leaped out of the void.

The active metal covering the ship's hull writhes like flesh and blood—this is the Steel Remains Star Alliance's "Living Fleet."

Modeled after one of the super powers Spirit Remains Star Abyss, it is constantly updated and strengthened by devouring enemy warships in battle.

Just as Omega's Living Fleet launched its attack, countless warp lights suddenly lit up behind the Machine-Slaying Federation's fleet—the players' arrival signal!

"Holy crap! The NPC cutscene is finally over, it's finally our turn!"

"Brothers, charge! Don't let the NPCs steal all the experience packs!"

"Looking for a heavy-armored team! Looking for a martial arts or mechanical expert to guide this newbie!"

The public chat channel was instantly flooded with shouts from players, as millions of the Scourge Legion players poured out of the warships like swarms of locusts.

They didn't even wait for their formation to unfold before charging onto the battlefield with the wildest ferocity.

"This is the army of the Machine-Slaying Federation?!"

"Low rank, utterly disorderly... is that all?"

As the fleet commander of the Steel Remains Star Alliance, Omega's adjutant Triv, suddenly narrowed his eyes, appearing somewhat surprised.

I thought that a World-Ending Level superpower would have warriors of considerable rank and combat strength.

But this horde of soldiers surging towards them... seems to be nothing special?

Those at ranks 15-16 are no match for their warriors.

And how can such a small-scale, dispersed combat mode be used for large-scale battlefield battles?

Suddenly, confidence surged through Triv, and the initial tension and fear vanished.

Suddenly, countless red dots exploded on the tactical screen.

Soldiers with no tactical discipline, even if driven by an almost manic desire to attack.

But it's a good thing for him!

His troops, under his command, immediately began a well-organized and comprehensive offensive.

Although the Steel Remains Star Alliance had not waged a war of this scale in its home system for tens of thousands of years.

However, the warriors of the core fleet are still quite formidable.

With order against disorder, and a certain advantage in combat strength at the same level, morale is high!

Of course, this surge in morale didn't last long before the warriors of the Machine-Slaying Federation began to overwhelm them.

The Scourge Legion of the Machine-Slaying Federation was truly ruthless in its attacks, far exceeding the expectations of Triv and all the Steel Remains Star Alliance warriors.

Unafraid of death, the heavily armored warriors at the front, upon being surrounded, directly rammed their bodies into the living warship, causing antimatter grenades to explode at the seams of the armor.

The mages in the back row chanted in unison, and frost and flames intertwined in the vacuum to form a Destruction storm.

Even as they relentlessly attacked, and were brought within striking distance by the Covenant warriors, even to the point of being killed, they did not cease casting spells until death.

Players specializing in mechanical weapons went even further, with some summoning massive numbers of mechanical soldiers in swarm tactics, and others having their mech warriors bravely charge into enemy encirclements alone.

Some players, who are more interested in data intrusion, directly hack into the enemy's warship system, forcibly seize control, and then turn their cannons to bombard the enemy.

"Report! Ships No. 3, 7, and 12 are out of control!"

"Ship No. 9's power compartment exploded! Those lunatics blew themselves up along with the warship!"

The devouring ability of the Living Fleet, which was originally a strong characteristic for sustained combat, has now become a fatal weakness.

Nothing more!

The Steel Remains Star Alliance discovered that these "warriors" were not afraid of death at all; instead, they willingly allowed the warship to "swallow" them and then detonated bombs inside.

Something's not right!

"Why are there so many more soldiers joining the battle from the enemy fleet?"

Lieutenant Triv was indeed quite capable; he was the one who commanded the Steel Remains Star Alliance's large-scale external operations.

The experienced commander immediately sensed something was wrong.

Despite the fighting style of the Machine-Slaying Federation warriors, their numbers did not decrease at all, and more warriors kept pouring out from the fleet behind them.

He immediately recalled the basic information about the Machine-Slaying Federation in the universe, one of which was that it possessed an "Undead Legion".

"The Undead Legion?"

Upon hearing the message from his adjutant, a menacing slit of light appeared on Omega's metal skull.

He glanced briefly at the group of warriors who were fighting alongside him.

He had heard that the Machine-Slaying Federation had an Undying Legion, but he was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.

After those soldiers were blasted into pieces, a very small number were able to regenerate and revive in the light! The majority of them were revived inside the warships, replenished, and then rejoined the battle!

What's even more frightening is that they grew stronger with each battle.

"Warning! Enemy individual combat strength detected!"

"Tier 15... Tier 16... Still breaking through!"

The players were constantly flashing with upgrade-leveling light.

The ninth act has only just begun, and the shackles that previously limited the players' abilities have been lifted once again.

The current highest rank limit is 18, and among the leading top players, some have already broken through to rank 17!

In the center of the battlefield, Omega now turned its attention back to the battlefield.

The original plan was to rely on the fighting skills of the lower-ranking soldiers to teach Hoffman a lesson first.

Now that he knows it's an army of undead, that idea naturally falls through, and he'll have to take action himself.

In the mimicry of eyes, anger was at its peak.

The sense of awe and propriety within him was gradually stirred up by anger.

In a fleeting moment, Omega's gaze toward Hoffman completely changed.

The initial thought of teaching him a lesson had vanished, and his reservations about the Machine-Slaying Federation had been completely dispelled. Now, the aura emanating from him was filled with murderous intent towards Hoffman.

The metal arms suddenly overlapped, and the active shape memory alloy instantly reformed into two giant serrated blades, the edges of which emitted temperatures as high as those of a star's core.

He grinned maliciously and swung his giant blade, causing space to Twist and collapse under the intense heat, forming two crimson spatial slashes that hurtled straight at Hoffman.

The first wave of the spatial slash was blocked by the shield that Hoffman raised.

The next instant, the shield in front of him began to heat up and was gradually melted by the heat.

As the "Steel-Melting Hegemon," Omega's slashes are not fatal; what's truly troublesome is its molten-smelting properties during attacks.

It can even melt, Twist, and distort space, let alone Hoffman's personal shield, which has only just reached the 19th level.

As the shield disappeared, Hoffman's green hair gradually curled up in the scorching energy storm.

Her green dress was now burned to shreds, leaving her in a sorry state.

"Call out all the people on board!"

"Ten thousand years ago, I, Iron Skull, could fight three against one. It's been too long since I've shown my strength in the universe."

"Now even you new Hegemon dare to provoke me, heh...!"

"Today, I will make you pay with your life for your arrogance!"

While fighting, Omega kept his eyes fixed on the small group of warships that were still observing the battle.

There are also the auras of four newly ascended Hegemon, whose ranks are generally between 19 and 20.

As a long-established Hegemon, he certainly has that much confidence.

I wouldn't dare say I could take on five opponents at once, but I could at least maintain this stalemate.

They wouldn't be besieged and killed by several new Hegemon.

Furthermore, if these individuals do not appear soon, he could potentially kill Hoffman on the spot once he unleashes his power.

His inner reverence for the Machine-Slaying Federation and his bottom line had long since been disregarded before he even took action.

The only thing that makes him hesitate to go all out now is the sixth sense he's developed over the years of fighting.

He had a vague feeling that something was off about the aura of those new Hegemon.

Only then did they rein in their efforts, maintaining a high level of vigilance towards the other side.

However, upon seeing Hoffman's provocative face...

After careful consideration, they decided to go all out and hold nothing back.

The Iron Skull turned Crimson, its facial features completely disappeared, and its head gradually turned into lava, like a blazing star.

An endless power erupted from its skull, causing the temperature of the entire star field to rise sharply at that moment.

Hoffman, standing opposite him, showed no fear whatsoever.

Even after seeing Omega's behavior, a strange smile appeared on his lips.

His pupils shifted, and three triangles appeared in them.

His temples suddenly exploded, and countless alchemical runes crawled up his neck along with the green blood flowing from his temples.

This strange commotion caused many players and Steel Remains Star Alliance warriors to slow down and gather around to watch.

Even Omega, who was gathering his strength, sensed something strange.

Just as he was about to launch his attack, he saw Hoffman's index finger pressed against the ruptured wound on his temple, plunging straight in!

The next instant, Omega felt the power within him begin to stagnate.

"Alchemy Thought Deconstruction"

Hoffman's most proficient and most terrifying skill.

This was also a prerequisite for turning most powerful individuals into puppets.

The light on Omega's liquid, molten metal head gradually faded, and the liquid head suddenly solidified.

The crimson slit on the top of his head was frozen stiff, as if it had been frozen in time.

He was horrified to discover that the scorching Mechanical Energy flowing within his body was reversing course, and the active metals that should have surged according to his will were now turning against him like traitorous soldiers!

This was the first time he had ever lost control of his body during a fight.

The feeling of being perfectly conscious yet unable to control his body made him abandon his contempt for Hoffman, and a sense of unease and fear began to rise in his heart.

"You... what kind of trick is this... when did you..."

Before Omega could finish speaking, he suddenly felt his thinking become somewhat rigid.

A crisp cracking sound began to ring out, and his supposedly indestructible Iron Skull began to crack like glass, with green liquid seeping from the cracks.

Through the shattered metal skull, one can see that the brain's core processor has been dyed an eerie emerald green, attempting to execute completely unfamiliar instructions.

Unfortunately, none of these commands ultimately worked.

A hint of regret appeared on Hoffman's face... and he murmured to himself.

"I guess I'm not strong enough after all. What a pity! I can't make a doll out of it!"

"Crimson Archbishop, please intervene. I can't hold out much longer."

The sound wasn't loud, but Omega could still hear it completely.

Hearing these words, Omega's sluggish mind began to stir again.

Fear and unease kept welling up inside him.

Crimson... As a veteran Hegemon, he naturally knew of the other party's terrifying strength.

That bizarre method of attack made him one of the enemies he least wanted to fight.

Could it be that Crimson is here today too?

That shouldn't be! He clearly didn't detect any Crimson aura...

Omega, still deep in thought, now focused entirely on the warships that had been observing from the beginning to the end.

Suddenly, he realized something was wrong.

Or rather, the aura of the newly crowned Hegemon on the warship began to shift.

Ultimately, these auras seemed to converge at one point.

The familiar aura of the Blood Magic Church was finally revealed.

The figure of the Crimson Archbishop slowly emerged from the void, with the enormous dark red book hovering in front of him.

The pages moved on their own without any wind, and thick beads of blood seeped out as they turned.

His signature wicked smile became even more sinister at this moment, and his withered fingers gently stroked the pages of the book, the sound like the friction of rusty metal.

"Omega, it's been a long time!"

"Your blood... I've been thinking about it for a long time."

"I finally got my chance today, haha!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the dark red book suddenly shot out thousands of lines of blood.

These blood vessels intertwined in the vacuum, instantly piercing through Omega's solidified metallic body.

The once indestructible active alloy now crumbled like rotten soil, and the blood vessels, like greedy roots, frantically sucked up the liquid metal essence inside the Steel-Melting Hegemon.

"Crimson! You actually..."

"No... why... why it have to be you..."

Omega's mechanical vocal cords emitted a piercing electronic sound, and until this moment he did not believe that the Machine-Slaying Federation wanted to kill him.

He thought he must have offended Crimson in the past, but upon closer reflection, he couldn't recall it at all.

His words abruptly stopped, and his Iron Skull suddenly exploded, pulling out a blazing red blood core condensed from blood and Mechanical Energy, wrapped in blood threads.

This is a custom of the Blood Magic Church, or rather, his personal custom.

They like to melt and forge the other person into a blood core and store it in a book.

The surface of the blood core was covered with lava-like patterns, and it was still struggling violently.

Suddenly, the Crimson Archbishop bit his fingertip and drew Twist runes on the page.

"Blood Erosion - The End"

The dark red book suddenly closed, sealing the blood core within.

The entire book trembled violently for a few seconds before returning to calm, but a scorch mark resembling lava appeared on the cover.

The Steel Remains Star Alliance warriors who were engaged in battle froze—the active metal within their bodies, connected to the Covenant Leader, synchronously turned into rust, and the fleet stood still in space as if its soul had been ripped away.

Hoffman's temple wound had long since healed, and he was now shaking his head regretfully.

What a waste of such good material.

"Hehe~! I gave you a chance!"

"It's because you didn't seize the opportunity!"

Sensing the aura of Omega's blood core within the Chinese book, the smile on his Crimson face deepened.