The Free Competition Zone, another star cluster, the territory of the Federation of Light.
A fleet hovered in outer space, consisting of approximately two million warships. The largest flagship was an Eternal Light. Around the fleet, two enormous mechanical metal rings encircled the area where the fleet was located, one horizontal and one vertical, perpendicular to each other.
These two colossal mechanical rings, even larger than stargates, are the Federation of Light's strategic Universal Treasure: the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter.
The mechanical ring has very precise components, and a large number of engineering vessels are currently connecting to each section of the ring for debugging and maintenance.
Meanwhile, on the flagship's bridge, the assembled Federation of Light Beyond Grade A ships stood in a row by the portholes, gazing at the scene outside.
"They've actually used such strategic equipment. It seems the Federation's top brass really values this operation," remarked a muscular, green-skinned, bald man with a purple rune-covered turban.
This person is Wormur, nicknamed "Aura," Glory Beyond Grade A martial artist. He is extremely skilled in Qi attacks and is a mutated descendant of a Beyond Grade A inherited race. He possesses superior Pugilist Class talent. He stands with his hands behind his back, his posture profound and imposing, exuding the aura of a grandmaster.
"This concerns the unsealing of the Scepter of All Gods, so it's worth investing huge resources to activate the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter," Hedis said. "The Arcane will definitely make a move. Once they've taken action and held off the Black Star avatar, we can use the teleporter to directly enter the battlefield."
"Good, the fleet has brought another set of High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter. As long as we capture Hila, we can teleport back, and the operation will be complete."
The fleet commander, who was standing to the side, spoke up.
Unlike the Arcane Church, the Federation of Light's goal is to capture Hila and force Black Star to unseal the Scepter of All Gods. Because of the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter, the Glory has a natural advantage; once they succeed, they can quickly disengage from the battle.
The High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter can send people away, but it cannot bring them back. Therefore, this fleet brought a second set of teleporters, equipped with a self-destruct device. Once the teleportation is completed, the teleporter will destroy itself to prevent it from being used for research.
If the Scepter of All Gods could be unsealed, the cost of a High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter would be acceptable to Glory. Although it is expensive, a cosmic civilization is not short of money. With this technology, it is not difficult to build. There are countless High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter stockpiled in their warehouses, giving Glory a terrifying strategic deterrent.
"It sounds simple, but although the fleet brought another set of teleporters, the deployment, guidance, and charging processes all take a considerable amount of time, and there will definitely be interference during this period." A man wearing mechanical armor spoke up. This man was named Jack Gonitz, Beyond Grade A mecha warrior from the Federation of Light.
"So we brought a fleet, many of which are unmanned ships. This is partly to speed up the deployment of the teleporters, and partly to protect them from interference. With Lady Mornisa's mechanical legion also on the team, they can cover our retreat," Hedis said.
"Hmm." The robot on the side nodded in acknowledgment. This was the Dominion clone of Mornisa, Glory Beyond Grade A mechanic. She had brought a group of mechanical troops, making them the best candidates to cover the rear. Even if they were all wiped out, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"And don't forget, Black Star is a virtual mechanic; he can hack into our fleet."
"Rama and I will provide remote virtual defense assistance, and Glory's main AI will also invest a lot of computing power to strengthen the firewall. Although Black Star is Peak Beyond Grade A, he cannot break through our blockade while he is distracted in battle," Mornisa said.
The Rama she mentioned is another Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic from Glory, who guards the quantum network year-round to protect Glory's main intelligence database. He does not participate in the operation but provides remote virtual assistance.
"It's a pity that His Excellency of the Mechanic Emperor isn't participating in the operation. Otherwise, with him in charge, there would be no need to worry about Black Star's virtual invasion," Hedis sighed.
At this moment, Seraon, standing in the very center with his arms crossed, snorted and said indifferently, "Hmph, Manison isn't coming, and Oulu is far away in the Central Galaxy, so I'll lead the team this time. I don't care about anything else. Black Star is mine. If the Arcane also want to stop us, I'll deal with the strongest one."
"Star Shatterer" Seraon, Peak Beyond Grade A martial artist, is the Beyond Grade A leader of Glory's operation and a member of the Ancient Ones.
On the other side, a multifaceted crystal floated in the air, its entire surface a deep blue, radiating a spiritual energy. "The task of capturing Hila is entrusted to me."
This is a crystalline life form named "Crystal Soul," a high-level combatant of Glory, and Beyond Grade A psychic.
Glory has deployed seven Beyond Grade A warriors this time: "Aura" Wormur, "Lone Walker" Jack Gonitz, "Mechanical Queen" Mornisa, Hedis, Crystal Soul, "Star Shatterer" Seraon, and "Guardian" Rama for remote assistance.
The lineup is very strong, and it even has one more combatant than the Arcane.
In the Shattered World Gaolu Star Cluster, at a branch of the Infinite Financial Group, Sorokin's possessed body stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the top-floor office, gazing at the dense meteors—the jump trails left by passing spaceships.
This is an interstellar trade transit station located within the Black Star Army's territory. Not far away is one of the stargate transportation hubs, a very bustling place that provides access to the vicinity of the Black Star Palace.
"The real show should be starting soon."
Sorokin squinted and muttered to himself.
As the intermediary who relayed messages between the Glory and the Arcane, he knew all too well how Hila's intelligence would provoke the two great civilizations. In his estimation, the Arcane and the Glory were highly likely to take action.
As he admired the scenery, he silently calculated the possible scenarios in his mind.
"The Glory possess the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter, giving them the initiative. They've always preferred to plan carefully before acting, and will most likely patiently wait for the Arcane to make the first move. The Mechanic Emperor probably won't participate, and Seraon is the most likely candidate. As for the Arcane, whether they're led by Kasuyi or the Sun Hunter, they'll probably just coast along... Heh, the Meeting of the Gods has really affected quite a few people, Black Star."
Just as he was deep in thought, a magical portal suddenly appeared in the room, and a figure walked out, stood behind Sorokin, and squeezed the portal shut.
Sensing the magical fluctuations, Sorokin turned around, looked at the man, and put on a polite, fake smile.
"You've arrived, Traveler."
The newcomer was a humanoid creature with grayish-white skin, no nose, crystal-yellow eyes with eerie vertical pupils, messy gray hair on its head, wearing a golden headband, only three fingers on its hands, holding a twisted tree branch-like staff, and wearing a brown hooded robe, looking somewhat travel-worn.
The Traveler, Beyond Grade A mage, spends most of his time traveling through Secondary Dimension and rarely appears in the outside world. On the surface, he is a neutral Beyond Grade A mage, but in reality, he maintains unclear relationships with multiple supercluster-level civilizations. He also attended the Meeting of the Gods, but he was taciturn and had almost no presence.
"The Super Star Cluster Alliance hired me to help you." The Traveler paused, his staff twitching, and stared at Sorokin with interest. "Interesting. What kind of deal did you make with the Super Star Cluster Alliance that you want me to challenge Black Star?"
"Something is happening. If I'm not mistaken, the Glory and the Arcane will attack Hila in the coming days. I hope you will go to the Black Star Palace and challenge Black Star directly." Sorokin smiled faintly.
He secretly contacted the Super Star Cluster Alliance, revealed a little information, reached a new deal, and prepared to get involved.
"Oh, you mean...?"
"That's right. If you challenge him, and Black Star accepts, even if he can use his Dominion clone, the clone's combat power will be severely reduced, making it difficult for him to protect Hila. If he doesn't accept, it means his main body might not be at the main base, and you'll need to fight Dragon Emperor Ames. As far as I know, he and Ames are very close, which means Black Star will need support from one more place... In any case, this will keep Black Star occupied."
The Traveler listened silently, then slowly said, "You seem very keen to facilitate the success of the two civilizations' actions. What benefit would that bring you?"
"Hila's existence is a threat, and I believe most Beyond Grade A wouldn't want to see someone like her alive," Sorokin chuckled. "Besides, even if she joins a civilization, she'll choose the Empire, making her even more of a threat to your Supercluster civilization."
"It's not just that," the Traveler said dismissively. "You've dragged the Supercluster Civilization into this; you must have a bigger goal."
"Heh, fine, it won't hurt to tell you." Sorokin narrowed his eyes. "You think the Glory and the Arcane's higher-ups went to such lengths just for Hila? No, no, Hila was merely a trigger. The other important reason was the recent Meeting of the Gods."
"Oh?" The Traveler's eyes flickered.
"Think about it, if Glory and the Arcane send out Beyond Grade A to do something like this and succeed, how will Black Star react? Another intention of Glory and the Arcane is to incite infighting among the Beyond Grade A beings. If they succeed, the Meeting of the Gods be a mere formality..." Sorokin's lips curled into a smile. "I even dare to guess that Glory or the Arcane would love to spare the lives of one or two Beyond Grade A allies during this operation, using the animosity between Beyond Grade A to prevent them from uniting."
The Traveler frowned. "No way, the situation can't be that bad."
"Ha, who knows? I've learned a lesson from my long life... Don't ever think you're irreplaceable to an advanced civilization."
Sorokin remained noncommittal.
The Traveler stared at him and said slowly, "And what about you? You're also a member of the Beyond Grade A class, yet you're not on their side."
Aren't you the same?
"My situation is understandable, but you're a neutral party."
"Hehe, if I had to say, I don't like the idea of prioritizing individual power. I'm a businessman; I believe in the collective, and I believe in the market."
Sorokin smiled enigmatically, "Even the strongest Beyond Grade A beings are still just individuals. Only diverse civilizations can make the cold universe prosperous. Civilization is the cornerstone of society and the protagonist of the universe. We, these extra-standard individuals, are merely dispensable parts of interstellar society. If it weren't for us, the world might be more peaceful and prosperous."
Beyond Grade A beings already possess enough privileges. If they don't know when to stop and insist on reaching into areas we shouldn't touch, it will only cause new turmoil in the universe. I don't want that to happen. The fewer Beyond Grade A in the universe, the better.
The Traveler was somewhat surprised, "I thought you only cared about making money, I didn't expect you to have this side to you."
You can think of me as a guardian of the universe's balance.
Sorokin turned around, paused abruptly, and then added:
"... Of course, we still need to make money."
Somewhere in the Emerald Star Cluster, in the mechanical workshop of the hidden spaceship where Han Xiao was hiding.
"Chaos Mysterious Energy Carrier, Seventeenth Test."
A silver and red mechanical shell stood on the test platform. The cylindrical container for Chaos Mysterious Energy was fixed above the mechanical shell by four mechanical arms, and a dense array of transmission wires connected the container to the carrier.
Perched on Han Xiao's shoulders, Phillip reported in a childish voice, "Carrier self-check complete, buzz, excellent condition, Chaos Mysterious Energy in good condition, connection activated, begin energy conversion?"
Han Xiao nodded. "Let's get started."
As soon as the words were spoken, the instrument started up, and the Chaos Mysterious Energy inside the container became active, rapidly surging into the mechanical carrier along the transmission wires.
Buzz!
The mechanical carrier suddenly shuddered, its eyes flashing a bright red light that grew increasingly glaring. The body was vibrating at a high frequency, bearing the load of the Primordial Esper Ability Entity.
Han Xiao stared intently at the mechanical carrier, fully unleashing his Mechanical Sense to observe every detail of the test.
In his eyes, the Berserk Chaos Mysterious Energy was gradually restrained by the carrier and began to merge with the special conversion component in the body. This component was similar to the host's cells, used to contain and refine the Chaos Mysterious Energy.
After a long time, the last bit of Chaos Mysterious Energy merged into the vessel.
Call!
The machine suddenly released a ring of pale red shockwave, stirring up a gale in the room.
"Fusion complete, hum, synchronization rate 72%, compatibility 75%, body load 41%..." Phillip reported a long list of parameters.
"Finally, we succeeded." Han Xiao's face lit up with joy.
Previously, the carrier couldn't even complete the first step of fusion, but now it has finally merged with the Chaos Mysterious Energy. Although further optimization is still needed, it has made a good start and can be put into combat.
Creating a mechanical vessel for Primal Esper Ability differs from creating other mechanical combatants; the technical requirements are extremely precise. It not only requires the integration of Chaos Mysterious Energy but also the prevention of the ability to seize control of the body.
Fortunately, Han Xiao obtained Evans ' cell sample, saving him from 99% of the detours.