Outside the Black Star Palace, the Traveler sat cross-legged in the air, his staff resting on his knees, gazing at the heavily guarded Black Star Palace. Before him stood the defensive fleet, ready for battle.
"I've arrived just in time." Upon seeing this, the Traveler narrowed his eyes slightly.
According to information provided by the Super Star Cluster Alliance, Black Star is a guy who enjoys challenges and Tu Shu, but he couldn't refuse at this moment. He wouldn't even use his Dominion clone to fight him. Sure enough, Sorokin's information was correct— Hila had been attacked, and Black Star had to maintain his Dominion clone to protect her, so he was unable to use his clone.
Apostle Weapon and mechanical troops can freely engage in multi-front warfare, while the Dominion's clones share the combat power of the main body, and only one clone can descend at a time.
"But Black Star didn't use Apostle Weapon to fight me. It seems Sorokin was right. Black Star took the main force with him. He may have been pretending to be at the main base all along."
The Traveler thought to himself, "Since I'm facing the Dragon Emperor, I need to finish her off quickly to force Black Star to intervene. Even if he only sends his mechanical forces to fight me, I've still achieved my strategic goal by diverting his attention."
If a quick victory is desired, then extraordinary measures must be taken, going beyond the scope of mere sparring, which would inevitably offend Black Star.
However, the Traveler didn't care much. His relationship with certain supercluster civilizations was special and went beyond personal interests. On the surface, he was being hired, but in reality, he would do anything as long as the matter was helpful to his civilization.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance hopes that the Arcane or the Glory Ones' actions will succeed smoothly and wants to see these Beyond Grade A beings fight amongst themselves. They are not willing to see the Beyond Grade A beings unite... This seems to cause headaches for the Three Universal Civilizations and appears to be more beneficial to the Supercluster, but the effect depends on the timing. As things stand, the Supercluster does not want to see this happen.
In the eyes of the Supercluster civilization, Beyond Grade A are important tools that can be utilized, but this era is too early, there are not enough Beyond Grade A, and even if they unite, their usefulness to them will be limited.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance hopes to find a more suitable time. If by then, enough Beyond Grade A have accumulated in the universe, they might even be able to foster unity among the Beyond Grade A beings—so they don't want to waste this "opportunity" prematurely.
Besides considerations of balancing power, another reason the Super Star Cluster Alliance thinks this way is that they worry that if the Beyond Grade A unite prematurely, it will invite a purge from the Three Universal Civilizations, resulting in another "Tragedy of the Pinnacle." If the Three Universal Civilizations start purging, outsiders will be the first to suffer, so their allies in the Supercluster civilization will be used as an excuse to massacre them again, and they themselves will be the ones who suffer the most.
The Traveler waited silently for a while, and finally, Ames flew out of the base and came to stand in front of him. The two faced each other from a distance.
"You want to challenge Black Star? What are you planning?" Ames narrowed her eyes.
"It's nothing more than admiring the strong and wanting to challenge the peak; what ulterior motives could there be?" The Traveler's expression remained calm.
"Is Hila's situation related to you?"
"I don't understand what you're saying," the Traveler shook his head.
"Hmph, keep pretending."
A green glint flashed in Ames' eyes, and a force field erupted as she manipulated several satellite bricks, smashing them down with a deafening roar.
The Traveler remained calm, gripping his staff with both hands. A misty stream of magical power erupted, transforming into numerous rune arrays of varying sizes. These arrays combined to form a massive runic shield, resembling the intricate and complex movement of a clockwork mechanism, blocking the path of the satellite brick.
Click!
Several satellites crashed into the runic shield, cracking it but stopping the attack. At the same time, Ames reached out and pulled the Traveler Traveler her with a powerful suction force.
Flying in mid-air, the Traveler's eyes narrowed, his body surging with power to steady himself. He then turned and unleashed a series of powerful spells. Multidimensional Energy Transformation dazzling magic, rushing towards Ames's location, only to miss its target.
With a flash of spatial fluctuation, she had already used Void Leap to teleport to a spot not far behind the Traveler. Raising her eyebrows, she stared at the Traveler's the Sight of Father's Back, and a shockwave of energy erupted from between her brows.
The Traveler's figure froze in mid-air, unable to move.
Force Field - Dragon's Gaze!
The moment she subdued the enemy, the black dress billowed up, and Ames' long leg lashed out like a whip, unleashing a force field that shot straight at the Traveler's back.
The force field emitted from her main body is the most powerful. This force field was highly compressed into a line, becoming a slashing force, which looked like a slashing wave thrown out with her leg.
Force Field - Blade Sweep!
Brush!
The cleaving force field swept across, actually cutting the Traveler in two.
However, the next moment, the severed Traveler suddenly shrank and with a bang, transformed into an alchemical puppet. Further away, a small puppet that seemed to be made of clay appeared out of thin air, rapidly transformed, and reverted to the Traveler's appearance.
"Puppet Substitution Technique, a simple little trick," the Traveler said casually.
Ames frowned slightly. She and Austin were old acquaintances, and she knew some things about magic.
The Puppet Substitution Technique is a niche spell in the Alchemy and Curses branch, and it has significant side effects. In terms of the visual representation, each time the Puppet Substitution Technique is cast, health and stamina will decrease by 50%, and all attributes will temporarily decrease by 20%, which is very damaging.
Because of its limited practicality, it is generally only used by low-level mages to save their lives, while high-level mages have various shields and numerous defensive means, so they basically have no need for such an uncommon spell.
The attack just now could have been dodged or blocked by a Beyond Grade A mage in dozens of ways. Even if they took the damage head-on, the destructive power would not be as great as the side effects of the Puppet Substitution Technique. As the saying goes, there must be something fishy going on when things are not normal. Ames felt that the Traveler must have a special purpose in doing this.
She observed carefully and noticed that the Traveler's demeanor seemed to have changed inexplicably. A faint, eerie smile appeared on his lips, and he exuded an aura of filth and evil.
"Tsk tsk, Force Field Manipulation is a common superpower. It's remarkable that you've reached the Beyond Grade A. You have a great talent for superpower manipulation. Maybe one day, you can develop this superpower into its ultimate form, turning it into an ultra-high-risk superpower— Force Control. Although it's only a one-word difference, the meaning is worlds apart." The Traveler's demeanor changed, and he suddenly became talkative.
"Something's strange." Ames became secretly on guard, her hand forming a claw, and she suddenly crushed a corner of a satellite tile. A large number of fragments shot out like a meteor shower under the control of the force field.
Force Field - Dragon Breath Meteor Fist!
As the Traveler used magic to defend against the counterattacks, he observed a faint purple brand on the back of his hand, a sinister purple light flickering in his crystalline yellow eyes.
"The life force is not enough; more must be sacrificed..."
The two fought fiercely outside the Black Star Palace. The Traveler's fighting style was unpredictable, and he would occasionally sacrifice his health, while Ames used the force field in a variety of ways, including pulling, squeezing, vibrating, exploding, and slicing. In her hands, the force field ability demonstrated formidable control.
While taking Hila on her training trip, Ames herself also improved, gaining a new level of control over her powers.
While the two were locked in fierce combat, Melos, who was watching from the base's watchtower, secretly directed his fleet to split up and form a huge encirclement.
"Everyone, perk up!" Melos said in a deep voice. "Preheat the stabilizing devices in the airspace and Tu Shu. At my command, activate them and trap the Traveler."
Since it involved the deputy legion commander, who cared about chivalry? They went straight for the fight, and even Ames didn't intend to have a proper one-on-one duel with the Traveler.
Regardless of whether it's a misunderstanding or not, it's best to take down the Traveler first. Ames went up to fight the opponent, mainly to distract them and make it easier for the fleet to secretly set up traps, in case they open a portal and escape.
At the same time, the Empire received Han Xiao's message and immediately mobilized. Beyond Grade A soldiers who were staying in the Empire's territory received missions and set off from their respective territories to travel by ship to the stargate station to jump.
In Kant's vehicle, the several Beyond Grade A who had been urgently assembled gathered here via remote projection, holding a meeting and discussing matters while traveling.
"The Arcane really don't learn their lesson. More than twenty years ago, during the battle on Lighthouse Star, they were taught a lesson by me... and Black Star. They've been quiet for less than thirty years, and now they're causing trouble again." Beoni curled his lip, a few sparks flying between his teeth.
"The enemy's move was sudden, and their target is Hila. We're the only few who are closest right now, so we should get there to provide support as soon as possible." Kant also became serious.
Most of the Empire's allies have been allocated territories in the Shattered World, and many are engaged in free competition outside, too far away to provide timely support.
Currently, the only Beyond Grade A remaining within the Imperial territory who can reach the Black Star Army's front-line stronghold battlefield the fastest are Kant's Dominion clone, the injured Ravenlaude, the slacking-off Beoni, and the idle Kohler.
"I heard that Kasuyi's clone went too, isn't that a bit dangerous...?" Kohler muttered under his breath.
Kant's large, bright eyes glared at her. "Useless! With me here, what are you afraid of? I can take on all the Arcane by myself!"
"Really?" Kohler looked doubtful.
"Nonsense, of course it's fake. You already know, why ask? Can't I even have a moment to vent?" Kant rolled his eyes. "If I had that ability, the Dark Emperor would be my follower."
Ravenlaude remained silent, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
He had just been beaten up by Han Xiao not long ago, so he was actually reluctant to help.
However, each time they provided support, the Empire offered very substantial rewards and honors...
We need to make a living, after all.
"Forget it, I heard the Black Star Army is in dire straits this time. If I help them through this crisis, they'll owe me a favor, and then I can ask Black Star to get me a Universal Treasure..."
The thought of this possibility energized Ravenlaude, and his fighting spirit instantly ignited.
At the same time, after the empire dispatched reinforcements, the high command also paid close attention to this matter.
In the conference room of the Imperial Mother Planet's government building, President Urranrell watched the frontline battle footage transmitted back by the Black Star Army with a stern expression. The high-ranking Imperial officials on either side also turned their heads to watch the footage remotely, without saying a word, creating a solemn atmosphere.
"The Arcane haven't given up their treacherous intentions; they're trying to persecute our allies again." Urranrell swept his gaze coldly over them. "Any opinions?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances. After a moment, Bekorodi raised his hand and slowly said, "Your Excellency, intelligence indicates that the Arcane are targeting Hila, and Hila is not one of our Beyond Grade A allies."
"Hila is the vice commander of the Black Star Army, so the Black Star Army is naturally our ally."
"But she herself has consistently refused to join the Empire... Your Majesty, I suggest we keep things separate. Black Star is Black Star, Hila is Hila. Now Black Star is asking for help in her own name, and we are helping out of our alliance. But this is tantamount to her using the Empire's power for free, benefiting her own faction. My thought is... We can help our allies, but we cannot be used without cost. Protecting Black Star is what we should do, but protecting a Beyond Grade A who is not our ally? No, I think we need to set conditions. We cannot provide aid without compensation." Bekorodi spoke righteously.
"So what are your thoughts?" Urranrell frowned slightly.
"If Black Star was able to overcome his difficulties by accepting our aid, I think we should make one request: Hila must join the Empire... Of course, she can continue to serve in the Black Star Army, but her status must become an ally of the Empire, and an alliance must be signed."
"Hmm... that makes some sense." Urranrell pondered for a moment, "What if Hila is killed?"
"It's a loss for the Empire, but there are still other benefits. If Hila dies in battle, Black Star will inevitably stand against the Arcane, the Meeting of the Gods be essentially null and void, the Beyond Grade A will be unable to unite, and a threat will be eliminated. At the same time, having an external enemy will help to bring the Empire closer to Black Star, and his loyalty will be consolidated. So regardless of whether the Rescue is successful or not, the Empire will definitely gain something," said Bekorodi.
Many high-ranking officials nodded in agreement; rationally speaking, they felt that Bekorodi's analysis made sense.
Urranrell remained noncommittal, tapping his fingers on the table. Seeing that no one else had anything to say, he said in a deep voice, "In any case, let's focus all our efforts on supporting the Black Star Army first; we can discuss the rest later."
"Yes."
The remote projections disappeared one after another.
As Urranrell left the meeting room, Dark Emperor Clottey, who had been waiting outside the door, draped a presidential coat over her shoulders and followed behind.
After walking for a while, Urranrell suddenly spoke up, "Clottey, what do you think the chances are that Hila will be safe and sound this time?"
"Very low." Clottey said expressionlessly.
Even with the Empire's help?
"That's right."
"What's the reason?"
"Glory will not stand idly by."
How did you know?
"The Mechanic Emperor told me."
Urranrell was speechless for a moment.
Yes, that's a very good and compelling reason; I have nothing to say about it.
"It seems the Mechanic Emperor really values Beyond Grade A battlefront."
Urranrell stopped and turned to look at Clottey.
"You're also Beyond Grade A, don't you have any thoughts on this?"
Clottey remained calm. "My first identity was that of a citizen of the Crimson Dynasty, my second was the captain of the Imperial Head of State's personal guard, and only my third identity is that of Beyond Grade A."
Urranrell shook his head and turned away.
She was silent for a moment before speaking softly:
"You've been my bodyguard for too long. Take a break from your duties for a while, go out and kill a few Beyond Grade A enemies, then come back. Don't let this universe forget the name of the Dark Emperor."
"Good."
Clottey answered calmly.
Meanwhile, at the stronghold of the Beast Ancestor.
"Hahaha, they really did make their move!"
Inside the main hall, Gorutan laughed heartily, his powerful lungs unleashing sound waves that almost solidified, causing the entire base to tremble uncontrollably.
Just now, he learned from Sorokin that the information he had leaked had put Hila in a desperate situation.
The plan succeeded, and he avenged himself, making Gorutan extremely happy.
Sorokin's possessed body stood before him, a smile on its face. "Your Majesty, the Beast Ancestor, your territory isn't far from the battlefield. Would you like to join the fun?"
Upon hearing this, Gorutan stopped laughing, his sharp gaze fixed on Sorokin, and he roared in a rough voice, "Are you trying to bewitch me again?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Sorokin hurriedly waved his hand.
"Hmph." Gorutan snorted coldly, casually picked up the specially made large wine glass next to him, and gulped it down in one go. "Anyway, I'm just going to watch the show here and wait for news of Hila's death. I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't worry, I'm not encouraging you to join the battle. The Empire has definitely sent reinforcements, and they're on their way. If the Imperial reinforcements arrive, Hila might be able to escape this predicament. So instead of just sitting here doing nothing, why not secretly lend a hand?"
What mischievous ideas do you have this time?
"Hehe, according to my calculations, the first step in the Arcane' attack on the Black Star stronghold will definitely be to destroy the stargate stations, activate the space stabilization devices, and cut off Hila's retreat. Therefore, if Imperial reinforcements want to come, they can only go through the nearby stargates... Your Beast Ancestor, if the nearby stargate stations are shut down or dismantled, the Imperial reinforcements will have to take a long detour. In this way, Hila's isolated and helpless situation will be prolonged for a long time, and the success rate of the plan will increase significantly."
A glint of light flashed in Gorutan's eyes as he put down his glass. "Hmm, what you said does seem to make some sense..."
Sorokin smiled gently.
The Ancient Star Desert, the territory of the Machine Race.
Manison slowly opened his eyes and opened an encrypted communication channel.
"Mornisa, have you set out?"
"Teacher, the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Device has begun its initiation and could depart at any moment."
"Knew."
Manison nodded, switched channels, and spoke to the Apostle Weapon Force:
"Keep a close eye on the Beast Ancestor; he might take action. Whatever he intends to do, stop him."
"Clear."
After issuing a few commands, Manison closed his eyes again and muttered to himself.
"Black Star, this is all I can do for you today, don't let me down."