Dark purple blood mist sprayed out from every pore, like a firework exploding out of thin air, instantly interrupting the forbidden technique.
With a whoosh, Tolain flew out of the blood mist and retreated rapidly, his face filled with fear and horror, his body covered in blood, looking extremely gruesome.
Just a moment ago, he felt the shadow of death.
Since reaching Beyond Grade A, Tolain had never experienced the feeling of his life being threatened again, but this attack instantly awakened his memories, allowing him to feel that sensation once more.
This attack evaporated more than 20% of his life points. A Beyond Grade A character has at least two to three million HP, so this was a severe blow. It also inflicted several negative status effects, and the death energy that exploded inside his body almost caused his cells to completely collapse. This left Tolain feeling lingering fear and apprehension.
Hila's powers were more powerful than he had imagined!
At this moment, Tolain gazed at Hila from afar, his eyes filled with apprehension.
[Death Harvest] inflicted severe injuries on him, but the explosion of all the death energy also cleared away the layers of [Death Erosion]. Tolain's regenerative abilities immediately returned to normal, his injuries gradually healed, and his health slowly increased.
However, his maximum health dropped by about 10%, making it impossible for him to return to his peak condition.
Hila wouldn't stand idly by while her opponent recovered. Taking advantage of Tolain's stunned state, she immediately stopped her retreat and turned to approach Tolain, launching a Rainstorm attack, with death energy sweeping across the Long Sky.
Tolain was unfamiliar with Hila's abilities and was filled with doubt and hesitation. He was afraid to act rashly, so when Hila approached, he hurriedly retreated. He dared not attack head-on as before, and only dared to throw spells from a distance, while constantly casting layer after layer of shields on himself, unwilling to be hit by the death energy again.
The situation immediately reversed, becoming a chase, with Tolain fleeing like a rat with his tail between his legs, being chased around by Hila.
The power of this move also startled Austin.
"This newcomer is so amazing? Wait... why did I say 'also'..."
He was worried that Hila would be harmed by the Deteriorating Tainted Blood, but unexpectedly, at the critical moment, Tolain was instantly severely injured.
If it were me...
Austin couldn't help but put himself in the battlefield, only to find that the odds were against him. Although he had various spells to purify himself, the corrosive power of death energy was relentless. Even if he could purify himself ten or eight times, he would still be attached to it. The only solution was to try to avoid being hit by the death energy.
In this case, while some Beyond Grade A fighters might not necessarily lose to Hila, they would certainly fight hesitantly and fearful of harming others.
Tolain is currently in this state on the field. He's been intimidated by Hila's sudden outburst and has become extremely cautious, leaning more towards defense and afraid to take any risks.
If he engages in close combat, he will expose his true form and become vulnerable to being attacked again. If he tries to kite his opponent, he can't outshoot them, leaving him in a very passive and hopeless situation. So he is caught in a dilemma.
Tolain inwardly groaned; he had run into a brick wall this time!
Hila didn't care about her opponent's thoughts. Since Tolain was defending, she launched a full-scale attack, using Tolain was covered in thick shields, as a practice target and manipulating death energy to bombard him relentlessly.
Bang bang bang!
One by one, the magical shields exploded into countless fragments of light, peeling away layer by layer like an onion, making it look as if Hila was unilaterally tormenting Tolain, grinding him into the ground.
Although he looked disheveled, Tolain, this Beyond Grade A mage, was no pushover. With the support of a massive amount of mana, various magical shields were continuously generated, barely managing to withstand Hila's fierce attacks.
"This has turned into a war of attrition, a contest of who has more stamina. Although we're at a disadvantage, it's not without a chance of winning. It all depends on whether my superpowers drain her strength first, or whether I exhaust my mana first!"
Tolain's spirits lifted.
The True Name Liberation as a demon allowed his cells to generate more energy. As a newly born Beyond Grade A, he believed that his species undoubtedly had an advantage and greater endurance.
At this moment, Hila frowned slightly, realizing this as well.
"Hmm... a war of attrition is not in my favor."
The power of death is great, but it also consumes a lot of energy. Hila doesn't have many energy recovery skills, and her main way of recovering is to kill people and absorb their life energy. Since this is a one-on-one fight, there are no minions to nourish her.
Hila hasn't been at Beyond Grade A for long and hasn't had much time to learn more Energy Training Method, so her maximum strength is the main limiting factor, and her endurance is a weakness.
With a flash of insight, Hila changed her hand gestures, and streams of death energy gathered in her palm, forming a vortex-like shape as she unleashed a new skill:
[The Abyss of the Dead]!
A strange mental fluctuation suddenly spread out, and everyone present saw a blur before their eyes, finding the scene suddenly changing.
Everyone around him had disappeared, leaving him all alone in a pitch-black space with only a faint light overhead, as if he were at the bottom of a deep well.
"Aaaaaah--"
Suddenly, countless piercing screams erupted from below. Everyone hurriedly looked down and saw that the space beneath their feet was filled with translucent gray creature faces of all kinds and appearances, crowded together and densely packed.
Every face was filled with pain and horror, their expressions extremely distorted and exaggerated. Their mouths opened and closed, emitting screams of different tones. The endless expanse of faces resembled an ocean, carrying an extremely eerie sense of terror. This scene shocked many people, causing their sanity to plummet.
These faces are all fragments of souls from those Hila killed. The essence of these soul fragments was incorporated into her powers, helping her grow, while the remaining dregs of the soul fragments accumulated and formed this abyss composed of the dead.
Just then, these faces suddenly stopped screaming, their eyes all staring straight at them, repeating the same sentence over and over again. Tens of millions, hundreds of millions of words overlapped, forming a magnificent sound wave with an ethereal echo.
"Become one with us..."
The next moment, countless tentacles suddenly emerged from the sea of grotesque and terrifying faces. These tentacles were composed of pale arms connected like chains, constantly merging, lengthening, and thickening. One by one, the hands clung to the legs of the crowd, gripping them tightly and pulling them downwards.
"Let me go!"
Help! Help!
Don't touch that spot!
The incredibly realistic feeling of falling overwhelmed many people, causing them to scream in fright and struggle frantically.
The next moment, the scene before them shattered into countless fragments.
Many people who had covered their eyes hurriedly opened their fingers to observe their surroundings through the gaps, only to find that they were still in the same place, and that everything just now was just an illusion.
Everyone was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
However, these spectators only suffered minor effects from the aftershocks. Tolain was the real target, and no one knows what terrifying sight he witnessed, but he froze, stopping all movement, as if his SAN value had been reset to zero.
Upon closer inspection, everyone was astonished to discover that a phantom had grown out of Tolain's body. This was his spiritual form, half of which had been pulled out by Hila from a distance and was struggling frantically.
If the status bar were visible, everyone would know that Tolain was simultaneously in multiple negative states, including [fear], [loss of control], and [confusion].
Death energy possesses spiritual attributes, Hila has also gained a special attack method that targets the mind. [Abyss of the Dead] is a mind control skill that can pull out the target's soul, resulting in a mental struggle between the two sides, causing the opponent to temporarily lose control of their body.
Therefore, without replenishment, countless death energies bombarded Tolain's body, instantly blasting it into countless holes.
"Stop!" Tolain's spiritual body, struggling to escape the [Abyss of the Dead], was filled with rage upon witnessing this scene.
This is my own body!
Unable to control the situation, he could only watch helplessly as his opponent brutally abused him. Seeing that he was about to be beaten into a mangled mess, he immediately panicked.
Hila ignored her, as if she was determined to turn Tolain into mincemeat on the spot.
Seeing this, Tolain was terrified and hurriedly shouted:
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting! I surrender!"
He just wanted to rack up some wins, but he didn't expect to fight so hard.
Hila narrowed her eyes, then suddenly spun around, unleashing a burst of death energy that sent Tolain flying. The effect of [Abyss of the Dead] was then canceled.
Tolain's spirit broke free of control and hurriedly returned to his body.
The next moment, a wave of excruciating pain surged through his entire body, and he became utterly listless, clearly having suffered a severe blow.
"This kind of injury will probably take several years to recover..."
Tolain's face twitched, and he hurriedly retreated, tending to his injuries while keeping a wary eye on Hila, fearing she might give chase.
Seeing this, Hila withdrew her death energy, glared at Tolain, and emitted a chilling mental wave, succinctly stating:
"Roll."
Upon hearing this, Tolain was furious, but when he caught a glimpse of Hila's indifferent face, fear immediately overwhelmed his anger, and he dared not lash out.
"Hila, is it? I'll remember you!"
He gritted his teeth, turned and flew towards the fleet of the Arcane Church.
It's impossible not to feel frustrated. Tolain originally wanted to get his first Beyond Grade A victory here, using Ames as a stepping stone. But he didn't expect to encounter a formidable opponent here, and instead became someone else's stepping stone, giving someone else a victory that made them famous.
This trip yielded nothing but a defeat, and the emotional damage would take years to heal. It was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, which infuriated Tolain.
Having already lost, Tolain was too ashamed to say goodbye, and besides, he didn't dare to say anything harsh in front of Black Star —what if Black Star took it seriously? So he simply withdrew.
The Arcane Church fleet picked up Tolain, then slunk away via warp, their escape style remarkably elegant and practiced.
"Shouldn't we stop him?" Ames glanced at Han Xiao.
"He lost, so we won't make things difficult for him." Han Xiao shrugged.
This oddball, Tolain, is both arrogant and impulsive, giving Han Xiao no reason to make trouble. Moreover, the damage Hila caused was enough to give Tolain a hard time; the lifespan reduction alone was a huge loss for Tolain... When he learns the truth, he will regret his decision today.
Since the other party was the one who was unlucky, Han Xiao was in a good mood and didn't bother to argue with them.
Watching Hila slowly fly back, Han Xiao smiled and said to Ames beside him:
News of this battle will spread quickly, and other forces will soon know that another new Beyond Grade A has been added to the universe.
"Now it's your turn to have a headache," Ames chuckled.
What's causing my headache?
"Heh, you went independent after becoming Beyond Grade A. Now, what do you think your chances of keeping Hila are?" Ames's lips curled into a smile. "People's thoughts change with their strength and status. Can you really get a Beyond Grade A to willingly serve you?"
"Let's be fifty-fifty," Han Xiao said noncommittally. "Even if she goes independent, our relationship will remain the same—we'll still be allies. The worst outcome is still a good thing."
At that moment, a portal appeared beside them, and Austin flew out of it with a smile on his face:
"Black Star, congratulations! Your officer has been promoted to Beyond Grade A. There are now six Beyond Grade A officers in the Shattered Star Ring. I think Sisko is going to be depressed."
"Hasn't he been withdrawn for a long time?" Ames smiled gently.
After chatting for a few minutes, Hila landed on the dock and walked over. Austin's eyes lit up, and he took the initiative to strike up a conversation; he loved meeting new people.
Hila and Austin knew each other, but before today, due to the difference in their strength, they only had a vague impression of each other. Now, they were finally communicating on equal footing.
She responded briefly, as indifferent as ever. Austin didn't mind. After establishing a basic relationship, he bid farewell to everyone and leaped away with the Palace of Hidden Spells.
The onlookers finally left... Han Xiao stared at the ever-shrinking portal, unable to help but grumble to himself.
At this moment, Hila turned to look at Han Xiao's clone, paused, and slowly said, "When I get back, I'll have a good talk with you."
"I'll be waiting for you at headquarters." Han Xiao nodded.
He knew that Hila's discussion was related to her estimates and future plans, and it was not appropriate to discuss such important matters with an old friend from the earliest days of their lives using a doppelganger.
Hila nodded and then walked away. She felt there was nothing to say to the clone, after all, a lump of iron wasn't as handsome as the real person.
Meanwhile, Bennett, who was waiting for news at the government building on Planet Aquamarine, finally received a report that the enemy had been defeated by Hila, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
After reading the battle report, Bennett's relaxed expression gradually turned into one of gratitude and satisfaction.
Hila has also become Beyond Grade A?
Does that mean our Planet Aquamarine has produced two Beyond Grade A?
What an extremely low probability event!
"This is a blessing for Planet Aquamarine!"
Bennett sighed deeply, unable to help but think of his old rival with whom he had been entangled for half his life, his feelings a complex mix.
"Although you've done many wrong things, you bastard have nurtured two protectors for our planet; your merit is immeasurable..."