Hila is the newly appointed deputy legion commander and a newly emerged Beyond Grade A. She has recently received a lot of attention and is at the peak of her career. The higher her reputation is, the greater the benefit to the legion. At this critical juncture, Han Xiao will not damage her reputation.
Therefore, their sparring was purely private, and Han Xiao didn't need to defeat Hila to gain prestige; he didn't need to seek the limelight.
Quietly leaving the Black Star Army headquarters, the two found a desolate planet. Han Xiao used an anti-detection device to isolate himself from external energy detection, creating a secret battlefield.
"Let's do it here."
The two landed on the leaden gray earth. Han Xiao raised his hand and opened the Secondary Dimension Army Box. Groups of mechanical soldiers lined up and emerged, the dark mass of machines spreading like a tide.
With his physical presence, he could mobilize all his troops, creating an incredibly vast force. Even without Han Xiao all his legions, the land and sky were quickly covered.
A line of Apostle Weapon, including Dark Emperor, stood in formation. They had returned from the Shattered World and were now accompanying Han Xiao, serving as the top combat force of the mechanical legion.
Han Xiao summoned a Dominion clone, his consciousness descended upon it, and then he sent his main body away from the battlefield.
He was just sparring, but he had no intention of shortening his lifespan. His main body came to show his attitude, while sending a clone in person was a sign of caution.
Seeing this, Hila narrowed her eyes, said nothing, and tacitly agreed.
Although she hoped Black Star would go all out, she also knew that her abilities were somewhat strange and didn't want to cause any hidden harm to Han Xiao. Besides, even Black Star's clones were difficult to deal with, and there were also a bunch of Apostle Weapon nearby.
Having reached the Beyond Grade A, Hila was full of confidence, but she also knew that the possibility of defeating Han Xiao was extremely low. She was more interested in seeing how big the gap was between herself and Han Xiao.
Hila exhaled, her eyes suddenly flashing red. Streams of red death energy surged from her body, soaring into the sky and turning it into a blood-red haze. The red energy boiled and churned like a roaring sea, continuing to expand, its momentum rivaling the overwhelming mechanical army.
"Are you ready? I'm going to go."
Hila entered battle mode, her expression becoming calm and indifferent.
Han Xiao shut down the Secondary Dimension Army Box, manipulated his clone to twist its neck, released Mechanical Force to buff the entire army, then looked down at the ground beneath his feet and shook his head helplessly, "A perfectly good planet, about to suffer again."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Hila, without a word, pushed with both hands and launched a fierce attack!
Rumble!!
The death energy that had gathered in mid-air crashed down like an avalanche, as if the sky were falling, encompassing all the mechanical troops in front within its attack range!
The outer armor of each mechanical warrior reflected the crimson tide. Dark Emperor glanced up, slightly raised the Dark Emperor War Spear in his hand, and gently slammed it to the ground.
Snap!
Centered on him, a light blue Psionic Energy barrier suddenly appeared, its area rapidly expanding and completely enveloping the entire mechanical legion.
A tsunami of death energy crashed onto the Psionic Energy barrier, creating a deafening roar!
A flash of light, and a shockwave of energy, mixed with red and blue, swept out suddenly!
Rumble rumble--
The earth cracked open inch by inch, dust spewed out like fountains, rift valleys appeared, cliffs sank, tectonic plates collided, mountain ridges rose, and the terrain for hundreds of miles around changed drastically at an alarming rate!
Hila's expression changed; she was surprised that Dark Emperor could actually confront her head-on.
In her opinion, Han Xiao would use legion tactics to maneuver and win by sheer numbers. She never expected that Han Xiao's Apostle Weapon would be enhanced to this extent.
Hila's eyes narrowed, she leaped into the air, raised her hand and pressed down, the power of the death energy that was eroding and impacting the Psionic Energy barrier increased again, and the Psionic Energy barrier, which was already barely holding on, immediately showed large cracks.
Suddenly, with a deafening bang, the barrier shattered into a shower of light and dust!
Hila is not like Kohler or Beoni; her Apostle Weapon are still inferior to hers.
The mechanical legion suddenly scattered, each deploying Psionic Energy shields to prepare to withstand the impact of death energy while raising their cannons to launch a counterattack.
A dense barrage of energy cannons rained down on Hila, the blinding light seeming to tear through space, leaving trails of light in its wake. Few Beyond Grade A beings were willing to take the hit head-on from such a ferocious concentrated attack by the mechanical legion, Hila was no exception.
Her figure moved swiftly through the air, dodging attacks. A continuous stream of death energy surged from her body, forming layers of tight protective shields that enveloped her. Energy cannons would occasionally bombard these shields, blasting open gaps in them.
Death energy can be used for both offense and defense, and there are very few Beyond Grade A without a shield.
The [Power of the Dead] ability is actually at a disadvantage against the mechanical legion. Ordinary mechanical soldiers are inanimate objects, Hila's "Life Drain" attribute cannot be triggered, thus cutting off an important way to regenerate health.
Moreover, the mental damage from death energy is useless against the mechanical legion, which means they've lost another advantage.
Her special abilities can only be unleashed to their fullest potential when facing a living opponent.
Defense was not Hila's forte. The mechanical legion, having undergone multiple enhancements, had a completely different offensive capability. As soon as the legion began to fight, Hila felt the overwhelming pressure. Han Xiao's artillery fire continuously pierced through her shield and struck her body, causing her health to drop step by step and her injuries to gradually accumulate.
However, Hila's recovery ability is not bad either. Although it cannot compare to Aurora's, it is still quite remarkable. Even at a very low level, she possesses the [Rapid Healing] feat, where the Power of the Dead nourishes flesh and blood, normally increasing recovery by 500%, and increasing recovery efficiency by 1000%~2000% when using her own energy.
Now that she has reached Beyond Grade A, Hila has gained more recovery abilities. Even though her "Life Drain" attribute is useless, her health regeneration speed is still extremely fast. She is the kind of person who looks fragile but is actually very tanky—in this respect, she is just like Han Xiao.
For the time being, she could withstand the concentrated fire of the mechanical legion.
"Not bad, looks like I won't lose so quickly." Han Xiao smiled with satisfaction upon seeing this and continued to count his steps.
After the battle began, he activated [Charge - Endless Charge] on his clone, which started roaming around frantically, increasing its movement distance.
Activating this skill initiates a channeling and preparation phase. Only the movement distance during this phase is effective. The skill remains active until the attack is launched, at which point its cooldown begins.
Although the power depends on distance rather than speed, the skill name does contain the word "charge," so stopping and starting won't work. The "charge distance" mentioned in the skill description means that you must keep moving after the skill is activated. Speed doesn't matter. If you stop, you will start from zero. Even if you continue to move afterward, the skill will only calculate the latest movement distance between the last pause and the attack.
Once you start charging, it's best not to stop. With the mechanical legion holding you back, Han Xiao can do this easily. Moreover, [Charge - Endless Charge] only takes effect on the next melee attack, so it doesn't affect his ranged artillery fire.
Since his level was higher than Hila's, after the battle began, the combat information panel displayed Hila's complete attributes and abilities at a glance. Han Xiao kept her at bay from a distance while browsing the combat information.
"As expected of Grade S potential ability, the attributes are truly excellent."
After watching for a while, even Han Xiao felt a little envious.
Compared to herself, a "fake genius" who tries to master every skill imaginable, Hila is the real prodigy, possessing a multitude of unique skills, many of which are her own exclusive abilities, giving her the potential to be a super fighter.
Given time, as she grows and her basic attributes increase, the effects of these specialties will become increasingly extraordinary. However, she is far from her peak in her previous life. Even though she has finally become Beyond Grade A, she still looks incredibly young and inexperienced in Han Xiao's eyes.
Hila's Beyond Grade A- rank specializations were as Han Xiao had expected: one was [Supreme Power], which greatly increased the strength of her special ability, and the other was [Cellular Reactor], which greatly increased her stamina and significantly enhanced her endurance.
Although he wanted to go easy on Hila to maintain her confidence, Han Xiao didn't plan to go too easy and didn't want a protracted battle.
While the combined fire of the legion was a great threat, Hila wasn't afraid for the time being. What truly put her in Danger at Every Turn was a group of Apostle Weapon led by Dark Emperor.
Each of the Apostle Weapon was now capable of standing alone, and had been greatly enhanced since the battle against Ames. Now, they were all ganging up on Hila, immediately putting her in a difficult situation.
Bang bang bang!
One after another, the death energy rays were shattered midway, Red Fire Group, which was based on the turret, fired continuously, spewing out countless beams of dark energy, intercepting most of Hila's ranged attacks against the Apostle Weapon.
Heaven Suppressing Flag charged forward, occasionally catching stray bursts of death energy, which he shattered by constantly switching weapons, unable to stop him. He was equipped with countless high-tech melee weapons, a weapon master, and served as the chief instructor of combat skills for the mechanical civilization.
Having successfully closed the distance, Heaven Suppressing Flag immediately rolled and leaped, seamlessly switching between weapons such as the electromagnetic battle blade, high-frequency chain blade, and cutting axe, unleashing a combo reminiscent of a mechanical warrior. His mechanical body was incredibly agile, possessing a beauty akin to a battle dance.
Hila had no choice but to concentrate her death energy into her body, turning it into a weapon to deal with the attack of the Heaven Suppressing Flag. Unfortunately, her close combat ability was far inferior to that of a weapon master who had mastered countless weapon styles. She quickly found herself stretched thin and was basically left only to be beaten up.
Clang!
Hila blocked the vibrating Battle Axe, forged from alloy, leaving a shallow bloodstain. She suddenly raised her leg high and stomped the Battle Axe down. Then, her jade-like palm struck out from a distance, like a flower hidden beneath a leaf. A highly concentrated beam of death energy shot out from her palm, blasting the nearby Heaven Suppressing Flag far away.
Before she could even catch her breath, the space behind her rippled, and Heavenly Wild Hunt appeared, opening its massive maw full of sharp metal teeth, and viciously biting at Hila's neck.
"Get out of here!"
Hila reacted quickly, ducking down, raising her hand, and turning around to deliver an elbow strike.
The elbow struck Heavenly Wild Hunt's chin, and the death energy exploded, creating a shockwave that sent the mechanical beast flying.
Just then, a purple figure descended from above, enveloped in a distorted special force field, dragging an energy trajectory like a lightning arc, and slammed into Hila, sending her flying and crashing to the ground.
This is a robust, purple mechanical warrior covered in nano-biochemical tendons, wreathed in lightning-like energy. It is Purple Sky Spirit in an overclocked and berserk state, possessing formidable combat power.
Hila spun like a top, trying to stabilize herself while unleashing death energy to repel the Apostle Weapon, attempting to buy herself a chance to catch her breath.
But just then, a glint of cold light suddenly pierced through the red curtain and shone in Hila's eyes.
Brush!
Hila quickly turned her head away, the cold light grazing her cheek and leaving a faint bloodstain.
The cold light emanated from the spear tip, spewing out a deep blue, highly concentrated Psionic Energy blade; the one wielding the spear was the Dark Emperor.
Among the Apostle Weapon, the Dark Emperor is the strongest, and Hila has a hard time dealing with him. In addition, with the other Apostle Weapon interfering, she is becoming more and more passive in her fight.
The fierce battle raged for a long time, leaving the planet's surface unrecognizable, like an egg with a cracked shell. Lava flowed through the fissures, spewing out from time to time, and countless areas experienced crustal activity, plate collisions, and powerful earthquakes.
"Huff... huff..."
Blood dripped from the sky, Hila was covered in blood, her face was exhausted, and her specially made tight-fitting combat suit was full of holes, revealing large areas of her white skin. Melee weapons were stuck in her shoulders, abdomen, and thighs. Just by looking at her, you could tell how fierce the battle had been.
"That's too fierce." Han Xiao grinned to himself.
Hila always goes all out when she fights, and even when sparring with Han Xiao, she fights as if her life depends on it, showing no mercy.
Han Xiao held back a bit, ordering the mechanical troops to play more cautiously, thus giving Hila the opportunity to go all out. Only by maintaining an overwhelming advantage under this premise, allowing her to fight to her heart's content, could he truly convince Hila.
At this moment, Hila pulled the weapon out of her body, and the bloody wounds slowly closed up and healed. She looked around at the menacing Apostle Weapon, then suddenly took a deep breath and snapped her fingers.
After a long battle, all the Apostle Weapon, including Dark Emperor, were covered with 15 layers of [Death Erosion], which were then detonated simultaneously!
Rumble!
All the Apostle Weapon exploded with red light, and were all severely damaged.
The core of [Death Erosion] is the attached highly corrosive death energy. Detonating this energy is unrelated to vitality, so unlike the "Life Drain" attribute, this ability can be effective on any target, including machines.
The instant death of mechanical lifeforms is equivalent to the extinguishing of the spark source. The erosion of death energy can also achieve this, but Hila will not lose her mind in battle and will not harm Han Xiao's important combat force, so the instant death judgment was not triggered. Only the basic effect was triggered, evaporating a large amount of the life value of these Apostle Weapon.
Under heavy damage, the Apostle Weapon Dark Emperor and the other apostles revealed their weaknesses. Hila took the opportunity to break out of the encirclement and headed straight for the Dominion that had been moving around. Like a red meteor, she smashed into the mechanical soldiers along the way.
"The final blow, is it?"
Han Xiao's eyes flashed; he could see the battle information: Hila was already at her last gasp, her health almost depleted.
Knowing that Hila could weaken regeneration, Han Xiao had not allowed his clone to take any attacks. He could have severely injured Hila with just the Apostle Weapon and the mechanical legion. But now, instead of moving around, he controlled his clone to turn around and charge towards Hila.
On the ravaged land, two meteors, one black and one red, collided with a deafening roar!
Han Xiao showed no mercy, channeling the full power of [Charge - Endless Power] into his fist, and slammed it into Hila's chest.
Bang!!
It was like a thunderbolt from the blue!
A powerful shockwave exploded instantly, scattering all the smoke and dust in the surrounding area.
A huge hole appeared in Hila's chest, running straight through her. All her organs were shattered into pieces, and her blood, mixed with fragments of flesh, sprayed out, leaving not a drop behind.
Hila's eyes instantly lost their luster, and she plummeted downwards, landing with a thud and creating a large crater.
"The target has lost vital signs." Dark Emperor glanced at it, somewhat surprised. "Dominion, you... you killed her?"
Didn't we agree it was just a friendly spar?!
Han Xiao glanced at him, dispelled the Dominator's Descent, and slowly descended to Hila's side.
"Did we go too far?" The numerous Apostle Weapon followed, looking at each other in bewilderment, and all lowered their heads, like children who had done something wrong, trembling with fear.
Han Xiao didn't speak. Just then, streams of gray energy suddenly converged from all directions and merged into Hila's "corpse." Her eyes suddenly regained their shape, but the dark red light turned gray-black.
The next moment, her ravaged body began to recover at a visible speed, with flesh and blood proliferating, organs regenerating, and wounds healing rapidly.
Her pale face slowly regained its color. Hila sat up, gasped for breath, then suddenly lost the light in her eyes and began to cough violently.
"Cough cough cough--"
Han Xiao had expected this. With a smile, he gently patted her back. "Does it hurt? Take a deep breath and ease the pain."
He had already witnessed Hila's [Instant Death Immunity] skill, and it was clearly written on the panel. He knew that Hila wouldn't die in one hit, and no matter how much damage he inflicted, it wouldn't matter. So he simply didn't hold back and relied on the burst of [Charge - Endless Charge] to bring her to the brink of death.
He had long since figured out Hila's personality; she was extremely strong-willed, and beating her up would actually make her feel satisfied, showing a strong potential for masochism.
After a while, Hila stopped coughing, looking helpless.
"You went too far, you almost killed me."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Don't you like it?"
Upon hearing this, Hila snorted but did not refute.
Despite nearly being killed, Hila wasn't dissatisfied. Since she was giving it her all, this was the kind of desperate fighting she wanted. She was satisfied that Han Xiao hadn't held back.
Moreover, after this exchange, Hila had a direct experience of Han Xiao's combat strength among the Beyond Grade A, and was secretly amazed.
Unexpectedly, even after reaching Beyond Grade A, he was still utterly defeated by Black Star; the gap in skill level remained so vast.
Hila was not discouraged or disappointed by this; instead, it fueled her fighting spirit.
"As expected of someone I want to catch up with, it won't be so easy. It's challenging and difficult, and that's what makes it fun." Hila secretly encouraged herself.
She has always respected the strong, and this only deepened her sense of awe.
"I lost, but it was a really enjoyable fight, so it was worth it." Hila smiled sincerely. She didn't have many hobbies, but fighting was one of them.
"Tsk, battle maniac." Han Xiao shook his head and chuckled, patting her head. "Can you still walk?"
"Don't touch my head, go back."
Hila shook her head to avoid Han Xiao's large hand, and tried to stand up by supporting herself on her knees. However, she had just recovered from near death and was in poor condition, almost exhausting her strength. Seeing this, Han Xiao put his arm around Hila's shoulder and helped her up.
Hila glanced at him, but didn't refuse. She let him help her onto the spaceship and even snuggled closer to Han Xiao.
After this fight, their relationship improved even more.
Although they had a past relationship, they were not on the same level. Now that they were on the same level and had equal status, they immediately had more in common, their feelings for each other warmed up quickly, and the awkwardness and estrangement from not seeing each other for twenty years were quickly eliminated.
Hila enjoyed this feeling. Before, she could only watch Han Xiao's the Sight of Father's Back, but now... she could practically stand beside him, right?
The private sparring match was kept secret from outsiders and therefore did not cause any stir.
The most intriguing phenomenon in the Shattered Star Ring right now is the increasing number of Beyond Grade A beings arriving here without any attempt at concealment, leading their respective fleets toward the Black Star Army headquarters.
The interstellar citizens of the Shattered Star Ring were on high alert, all focusing their attention on these Beyond Grade A and the Black Star Army, sensing that this was big news.