Glory trying to take hostages to force Black Star to unseal the Scepter of All Gods?
As expected, upon hearing this, the expressions of the five men, including Sagman, changed, and their gazes toward Glory became hostile and wary.
They had no doubt about Kasuyi's judgment, not only because he was the leader of the group, but also because his guess was indeed somewhat reasonable.
The members of the Arcane Church already harbored prejudices against the Federation of Light. If the Glory Federation hadn't betrayed them during the Battle of Lighthouse Star, the Arcane wouldn't have lost Ninja and the Scepter of All Gods. Now that Kasuyi says the Glory wants to take hostages, Sagman and the others, recalling the Glory Federation's style of doing things, all deeply agree, feeling that this is exactly what the Glory is capable of doing.
The Arcane and the Glory had been arguing about the Scepter of the Scepter of All Gods for far too long. The reason they had been able to tolerate it was because they knew that the Scepter of All Gods was sealed, and the Glory could neither use it nor study it. Only then could they tolerate the Glory Scepter of All Gods of the Pantheon.
But if the Scepter of All Gods is unsealed, the Arcane will definitely not sit still.
--Compared to Hila's life or death, the Scepter of All Gods is clearly more important; we cannot let the Glory succeed!
Of course, this news wasn't something Kasuyi had guessed; it was told to him by the Mechanic Emperor.
Although Glory was the old master of the Mechanic Emperor, judging from Manison's plans, he naturally did not want the Scepter of All Gods, a powerful weapon targeting Beyond Grade A beings, to be used by any civilization. In his eyes, sealing was the best fate.
"If that's the case, then let's settle things with our fists."
Seraon's face turned cold, his aura erupted, and a powerful martial arts aura burst forth, his voice echoing like thunder:
"You guys go deal with Hila first. I'll handle Kasuyi; he's just an avatar. I'll come back to support you after I've destroyed him."
With that, he raised his fist, unleashing a powerful, scorching, and dazzling wave of External Wave, as bright as the sun.
Just like his nickname, Star Shatterer, his martial arts style is known for its head-on crushing attacks.
Both being Peak Beyond Grade A martial artists, Gorutan's style is Berserk and brutal, imbued with a savage bestiality. Seraon's style, on the other hand, is an unstoppable, overwhelming force. Compared to Gorutan, Seraon possesses a more dignified and upright strength. This strength is not the kind of ferocity that inspires fear, but rather like the turning of stars and the upheaval of heaven and earth, carrying a sense of irreversibility.
Not to be outdone, Kasuyi unleashed a powerful surge of psychic energy to meet the attack head-on.
Boom!!
The clash between the two was like the collapse of the heavens and the splitting of the earth!
A blinding light suddenly shone, and the world seemed to turn into a white expanse.
Bang bang bang bang!
Seraon and Kasuyi clashed once, then seemed to transform into two intertwined phantoms. Their martial aura and void mental power clashed hundreds of times in an instant, creating aftershocks from the collisions. As they fought, they ascended to the heavens, opening up another battlefield in outer space.
Meanwhile, the five members of Glory ignored Seraon and quickly descended to face the five members of Sagman. Han Xiao's Dominion clone stood to the side with Hila.
The forces in the arena have now become three-way, creating a triangular standoff.
The atmosphere was tense, and it could escalate into a three-way battle at any moment.
"Are these the five people who arrived...?"
Han Xiao surveyed Glory's lineup and nodded secretly.
He was well aware of the combat capabilities of these people, not only remembering their performance in their previous lives but also the detailed information collected from the Meeting of the Gods.
The five members of the Glory Five in front of them were mostly mid-level combatants. The strongest among them should be Crystal Soul, who possessed a Universal Treasure called the "Star Power Crown." His status was similar to that of the Arcane Sagman, making him a mid-to-high-level member. The weakest was Hedis, who had only joined recently, and whose combat power was only at the level of Tolain.
Of particular note is Mornisa. Han Xiao remembers that she was once a student of the Mechanic Emperor. Before she rose to prominence, she followed the Mechanic Emperor to learn mechanical knowledge. Later, she entered the realm of Beyond Grade A. He wonders if she is an actress now.
Just as Han Xiao was secretly making plans, on the other side, the five members of the Sagman were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to attack Hila first or the five members of the Glory.
Let's attack Hila first. The five members of the Glory will interfere from the sidelines, and the Glory might even succeed if we're not careful.
But if they were to take down Glory first, even though it would be a higher priority, the group felt it would be incredibly foolish to abandon Hila, who was already halfway through the fight, and turn around to help her fight someone else.
The Arcane beings were caught in a dilemma.
Just then, the Glory Hedis suddenly spoke in the wide-area channel:
"The five members of the Arcane Church, although we have different goals, none of us can come here for nothing. If you turn around and attack us, we will all become a laughing stock in the universe. It would be better to take down Black Star's Dominion Avatar first, then defeat Hila until she loses her ability to resist, control the situation, and then we can discuss how to deal with her."
In Hedis's view, Seraon would definitely be able to deal with Kasuyi's clone. As long as they also take down the Black Star Dominion clone, they would have Seraon, but the Arcane would be without their strongest link, and the balance of power would no longer be maintained. Then they could take control of the situation and take Hila away.
Upon hearing this, Sagman hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Kasuyi, who had just started a passionate fight with Glory, and glanced at Black Star's clone and Hila, who were watching the show from the sidelines. With a determined look in his heart, he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Alright, let's take down Hila first."
At that moment, he made a decision: he would not obey Kasuyi's instructions.
Just as Hedis said, he was fighting Hila a moment ago, and now he's turning around and helping her. He felt that this was really a bit silly and could easily make him a laughing stock in the universe.
On one hand, Sagman and Kasuyi had different opinions and he didn't want to come for nothing, so he wanted to take a gamble. If he could take the opportunity to kill Hila while joining forces with the Glory Ones, he would still have ruined the Glory ' plans—killing the hostages would mean he would never have to worry about being captured by the enemy again, perfect.
On the other hand, there was personal grudge. The feeling of being trapped in the Space-Time Amber was unbearable, and he still remembered it vividly. He felt deeply ashamed and was always thinking about giving Black Star a hard time. He was unwilling to give up the opportunity to kill Hila and make Black Star feel pain.
Hila just displayed a peculiar regenerative ability, which makes them unsuitable for a prolonged battle. If ten Beyond Grade A fighters joined forces, their explosive power would somewhat counter Hila's regenerative ability. Therefore, Sagman planned to find an opportunity to kill Hila during the joint attack.
He knew that both sides had their own agendas, and even if they joined forces, they would restrain each other both openly and secretly. But he was confident that he could create an opportunity to kill right under Glory's nose, and that was with a few powerful forbidden spell scrolls that he had not yet used!
In a few words, the two sides barely reached a consensus. The next second, the ten Beyond Grade A beings of Glory and Arcane turned their heads in unison, their unfriendly gazes focusing on Hila.
A terrifying sense of oppression swept over us like a tidal wave!
Hila's face paled slightly, but her expression remained indifferent.
Just then, a broad, mechanical the Sight of Father's Back stepped in front of her, blocking all the hostile gazes and all the pressure.
"Don't worry, I'm here for you."
Han Xiao's laughter rang in my ears.
Hila was somewhat lost in thought.
It was that familiar scene again, as if the Sight of Father's Back that had always protected her were overlapping in this moment, and her emotions surged uncontrollably.
"Black Star..."
"What?"
"... When will your true form arrive?"
Han Xiao turned and glanced at her, his tone meaningful:
"No rush, let me fly for a while."
In the main hall of the Beast Ancestor's stronghold, Gorutan drank wine while chatting casually with Sorokin's possessed body, awaiting good news.
After waiting for a while, Sorokin put down his cup and asked:
"Your Beast Ancestor, where are the troops you dispatched?"
"What's the rush? Don't you trust my men's abilities?" Gorutan said impatiently.
He was persuaded by Sorokin's silver tongue and agreed that, as long as he didn't personally take the risk, Gorutan would be happy to kick Hila when she was down.
Not long ago, he had issued an order for some officers to lead a fleet to destroy the surrounding stargate stations in an attempt to cut off the Imperial reinforcements' access and prevent them from arriving in time, thus ensuring that Hila would not receive support.
"It's better to ask. If Imperial reinforcements arrive, the situation will escalate again. Killing a Beyond Grade A member of the Black Star Army who isn't affiliated with the Empire is manageable if we can do it quickly and decisively. But if we have to fight the Imperial forces head-on, the Arcane and Glory might not be willing," Sorokin advised.
"Tsk, you always have so many tricks up your sleeve."
Gorutan, looking impatient, put down his wine glass, took out his communicator, and contacted the officers, asking in a muffled voice, "Where are you? Have you arrived at the stargate station?"
"Father... Father..." The cadre on the screen trembled slightly, "We've been intercepted."
"Huh?" Gorutan's expression changed, and he roared, "Who dares to intercept my people?!"
"It's the mechanical army of the Mechanic Emperor, led by their Apostle Weapon. We can't defeat them..."
Whoosh!
Gorutan suddenly stood up, knocking over his wine glass, spilling wine all over the floor, his expression one of surprise and uncertainty.
Why did he stop my people for no reason?
Both being Peak Beyond Grade A, Gorutan wasn't afraid of Manison, but their professional styles differed. He also didn't want to provoke the well-equipped and powerful Mechanic Emperor. And the fact that the other party intercepted his men without warning today didn't seem like a friendly gesture at all.
Sorokin also somewhat surprised, tapped the table lightly, and immediately had a plan.
"I have a rough idea. Judging from the attitude of the Mechanic Emperor at the Meeting of the Gods, they definitely don't support the action against Hila. They probably took precautions long ago, since you were the first to release the information. You could say that this whole thing started because of you, so the Mechanic Emperor has been watching you for a long time. Their move now is probably to stop you from destroying the Stargate..."
Thinking of this, Sorokin frowned, a slight headache creeping over him.
The Mechanic Emperor also got involved in this turmoil, adding many unexpected variables. He had thought that the actions of the Glory or the Arcane were a sure thing, but now he was starting to feel uneasy.
Sorokin had known the Mechanic Emperor for a long time and knew that this guy was also an old fox. Once Manison decided to intervene, it certainly wouldn't be just a small-scale operation targeting only Gorutan's troops. So if he wasn't mistaken, the old man from the Mechanic Emperor probably had other plans.
"I initially thought he was just standing by, but it turns out he's secretly trying to thwart our ally Glory's actions. He's got some nerve. The success rate of this operation is probably..."
Sorokin hesitated. Of the hundreds of Beyond Grade A in the entire universe, only a handful were worthy of his fear, and the Mechanic Emperor was one of them.
While he was pondering this, Gorutan, the author of the book, directly contacted the Mechanic Emperor and questioned them.
"Manison! What do you mean by detaining my men?!"
Manison's face appeared on the screen, and he said calmly, "Have you forgotten the consensus we reached at the Meeting of the Gods?"
"Hila shortened my lifespan and killed many of my subordinates. You expect me to just let it go like this?" Gorutan said coldly. "You're all you talk about consensus. Do you think I, a Peak Beyond Grade A, am less valuable than Hila? You don't want others to offend Black Star, but aren't you afraid of offending me?"
"Because of you, she's already in danger. I hope you won't pursue this any further. If she dies, you won't get away with it either." Manison shook his head.
"Hmph, you think Black Star will retaliate? You think I'm afraid of him? Remember this, he's the one who provoked me. He said if he wants to play, he'll play along. Fine, now I'll see if he can afford to play. I'll get rid of his right-hand men and teach him a lesson first," Gorutan said coldly.
As the saying goes, the more you endure, the angrier you get; the more you back down, the more you feel cheated. Every time he thought about how much he had suffered and how Black Star had made such hurtful remarks to him, he became even angrier.
"I hope you'll consider the bigger picture," Manison said in a deep voice.
"I'm not the one making the main moves right now, and that's your overall strategy, not mine," Gorutan scoffed coldly. "I'm only playing the alliance card with you out of respect. This is between Black Star and me, it has nothing to do with you, yet you're here to offer unsolicited advice... What, do you really think you're the leader of Beyond Grade A, qualified to interfere in my affairs? Let me tell you, don't push your luck!"
Manison squinted, gave the book a deep look, and then hung up the call.
Gorutan snorted angrily, crushed the communicator in his hand, threw it aside, and strode towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Sorokin asked hastily, snapping out of his daze.
"Hmph, the Mechanic Emperor intercepted my people. I can't just sit here and wait for them to release them. I'm going to bring them back now. If I have time, I'll also destroy a few stargate stations while I'm at it." Gorutan walked straight out.
At the Black Star Army's front-line stronghold, the battle had been raging for quite some time, and the scene had completely devolved into a three-way melee.
After the Federation of Light fleet and the Mornisa mechanical forces arrived and joined the battle, they once again tied down the base's defense fleet. The two sides fought fiercely around the planet, with the lights of the ship's cannons flashing constantly, making the scene resemble an interstellar war.
Seraon and Kasuyi's clones were still fighting each other. Kasuyi was really fierce. Relying on his unfathomable mana, he was able to fight Seraon back and forth with one clone for the time being, while deliberately diverting the battlefield.
This Void Shadow Emperor was actually the strongest link in helping Han Xiao to hold back Glory. In this way, the balance of power shifted, which was of great help.
Han Xiao was secretly relieved. If both of them had targeted Hila, the situation would have been extremely dangerous, and he would have had no choice but to implement the final plan.
However, even with actors on the other side, Hila's situation was still dire. The combined forces of Glory and Arcane were ten Beyond Grade A enemies, and their offensive was overwhelming and terrifying.
Hela successfully connected with Aurora, the super healer, but Hila was completely powerless to resist... This had nothing to do with recovery ability anymore; it was a complete annihilation. No matter how many times she recovered, she was crippled again. If it weren't for being able to absorb Aurora's life energy, Hila would have already activated her resurrection armor.
And this was after Han Xiao disregarded the losses and relieved some of the pressure.
With so many Beyond Grade A units joining forces, the power was naturally not just the sum of its parts. Han Xiao's mechanical troops were destroyed countless times, and were already approaching the limit of the [Scrap Modification] skill. If they continued to fight, they would be unable to recover.
The Mechanical Catastrophe Francisco deployed a layer of spatial stabilizing anchors and wormhole disruptors, and the Federation of Light fleet deployed a second layer after arriving, making the space in this area too stable. Han Xiao was unable to open the Dimensional Factory and the Secondary Dimension Army Box, and could not recruit any subordinates. The only troops he could use were those placed in the strongholds, so he could only use virtual intrusion to deal with the spatial stabilizing devices.
However, both the Glory and the Arcane have this trump card up their sleeves, especially the Glory, who not only has Mornisa, but also an additional Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic for remote assistance, guarding the main AI.
If the mechanical forces are wiped out, a single Dominion clone won't be able to withstand ten ferocious Beyond Grade A enemies.
"Fortunately, the other side isn't united either. The Arcane and the Glory are wary of each other, which somewhat affects their combined combat power. They can only exert seven or eight tenths of their full strength at most," Han Xiao thought to himself.
He turned his head and glanced at the scene. He and Hila were currently separated. Not far away, countless attacks were being thrown at Hila. The scene Danger at Every Turn. Hila was suffering huge damage every second, but the light of her life energy never disappeared, and she was constantly regenerating health.
"Even Calamity Grade Aurora can't withstand such a massive drain; she'll probably be exhausted from being drained by her sister's energy soon."
With this in mind, Han Xiao felt reassured.
Meanwhile, while Sagman and the others were attacking Hila, they were also giving instructions to their teammates.
"When the time is right, when Glory focuses its fire on Hila again and severely injures her, Taylor, use all those scrolls. Use some to hold off Glory's people and prevent them from interfering, while we attack with all our might. With the scrolls' effects, we'll finish her off before Hila recovers and shatter her soul!"
"I see."
Taylor nodded, ready to use the scroll at any moment.
Just as everyone was focused on the moment, suddenly, an incredibly massive energy source burst into their perception range, rapidly approaching at an astonishing speed.
"Someone else is here?!"
Everyone was startled, paused in their movements, and hurriedly looked up.
A streak of light flew swiftly from afar, all of it the trailing flames of mechanical warriors. It was clearly a mechanical legion, and its scale was incredibly large, at least dozens of times larger than all the mechanical divisions present combined!
At the very front was a figure enveloped in a dark blue flame, leading the way like a shooting star, heading straight for Hila's battlefield.
"Who's that? They're moving so fast! Are they here to help Hila?"
Sagman looked on in surprise and then glanced over, only to find that the five members of the Glory had the same puzzled expression.
Just then, everyone suddenly saw Seraon, who was fighting high in the sky, abandon his opponent and head straight for the rapidly approaching dark blue meteor, intending to intercept it and prevent it from joining Hila.
As the two figures collided, the crowd widened their eyes in disbelief at what they were witnessing!
Boom!!
A cloud of blood mist exploded!
The one who was knocked away was none other than Seraon. He was like a baseball hit by a bat, flying backwards while spitting blood. Along with him, a blood-soaked severed arm also flew out!
Seraon had four arms in total, and now one of them had been broken off!
"What?!"
Sagman and Glory were utterly horrified, their faces filled with disbelief.
Severing Seraon with a single blow?! Where did this formidable opponent come from?!
At this moment, the figure collided with Seraon and was forced to stop in mid-air. The light and flames enveloping his body disappeared, revealing a figure that everyone present recognized. He calmly looked down at the ten Beyond Grade A who were besieging Hila in the arena.
At this moment, apart from Kasuyi, all the Glory and Arcane Beyond Grade A beings present were stunned, their hearts filled with overwhelming shock, and their names blurted out:
"Black Star!!"
How could it be him!
Wasn't his main body at headquarters? How come he's actually on the battlefield!
Many of the Beyond Grade A present were unaware that the mere sight of Han Xiao's true form had eroded their confidence in this operation by more than half!
They dared to bully Han Xiao's Dominion, but when faced with Han Xiao's true form, many of them immediately became timid, like someone who only wanted to team up to fight an elite monster but suddenly encountered the final boss.
A person's reputation precedes them, and Han Xiao's formidable record has already proven his Peak Beyond Grade A strength; his prestige is all earned through battle.
Seeing Han Xiao arrive in person, everyone felt immense pressure and hesitated to move forward. Hila took this opportunity to break free of the encirclement and flew to the side, panting heavily.
"This is bad..." Sagman's heart skipped a beat, and he recalled the taste of the Space-Time Amber, and a chill ran down his spine.
Just then, under everyone's gaze, Han Xiao slowly spoke.
"I am coming."
He coldly surveyed the various Beyond Grade A individuals, whose expressions were extremely unnatural, his tone calm yet carrying an oppressive air of authority.
"Now... it's your turn to escape."