"I said we would meet again sooner or later... I just didn't expect that day to come so soon."
The Sorokin spoke with a playful smile.
Han Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.
This body isn't just an empty shell?!
His first reaction was that he had guessed Gaud's identity wrong, and he had released the Sorokin instead.
But upon hearing the Sorokin's words, Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he retorted, "Are you so certain that I will release you?"
"Oh? You released me not to ask for my help?" The Sorokin raised an eyebrow. "Making such a big show of things, you couldn't just be opening the amber to see if I'm dead, could you?"
Help? That's it. That bastard Sorokin knew about the World Tree Civilization and left behind wormhole data. He probably figured that when an advanced civilization discovered the World Tree, they'd likely release him to question him, which is why he said they'd see each other again sooner or later?
The Space-Time Amber isolated everything. Although his soul was not frozen, it was trapped inside his body. The Sorokin knew nothing about the outside world over the past few decades, and his impression of the universe was still stuck at the time he was captured.
The mental exchange happened in the blink of an eye, and the two of them moved swiftly.
Call!
The Sorokin retreated abruptly, attempting to teleport without a word, only to find himself trapped in a spacetime-locked area, rendering teleportation ineffective. He quickly analyzed the strength of the encirclement, realizing he couldn't break through using conventional methods, and immediately changed his strategy, beginning to use his Dimensional Crevice ability to infiltrate the area... As long as he created a gap, he could teleport away.
Although it was unclear why the Empire had released him, breaking out and escaping was his top priority.
On the other side, Han Xiao also acted immediately, leading dozens of Apostle Weapon and numerous mechanical troops to surround and kill them. Regardless of what the Sorokin was all about, since it was not an empty shell, it had to be sealed again.
Imperial fleets from all sides began their attack, and various control weapons were launched in succession, instantly filling the starry sky with dark red energy light.
The flames of war suddenly broke out!
The Sorokin's figure was instantly engulfed by the endless barrage of fire, floating and sinking within it.
"It took eleven Beyond Grade A fighters to finally capture me back then. Black Star, now you're all alone. Do you think you can catch me?"
In the mental link, the Sorokin spoke with a playful tone, remaining calm despite being surrounded.
After evolving, his genetic load was greatly reduced, and his personal strength was undoubtedly among the top tier in the universe. Although he had just come out of the Space-Time Amber and his soul was in a weakened state, and he didn't have time to prepare dozens of Beyond Grade A clones, the Sorokin also possessed the ability to Health and Mana Conversion.
By relying on [Superpower: Black Hole] to convert enemy attacks and replenish his own energy, he can then use regeneration to maintain high-speed health regeneration. Han Xiao was able to enhance his Health and Mana Conversion ability by extracting it from the Sorokin.
If the Sorokin were given time to prepare dozens of clones in advance, he could probably solo all the worlds he had experienced in the Federation of All Stars. Currently, most of the Peak Beyond Grade A beings are no match for the Sorokin. In addition, with his various slippery spatial abilities, he is basically invincible.
If he hadn't been hit by Han Xiao's Superpower Silence, which stopped all his superpowers from functioning and instantly destroyed all his clones, even eleven Beyond Grade A beings wouldn't have been able to catch him.
Fortunately, Han Xiao and the Empire had made preparations in advance, which disabled the Sorokin's escape ability and froze his most troublesome ability, greatly reducing his threat. Otherwise, he could have broken through the encirclement as soon as he was freed.
However, this is not foolproof. Although the Empire has used various advanced spacetime locking devices, if the time drags on too long, the Sorokin will still have a chance to "drill holes" and escape.
"Just try and you'll see. I'm not the same person I used to be. I don't need any help to deal with you."
Han Xiao selected a portion of his warriors and combined them. In a flash of lightning, the Mechanical Deity descended upon the world and immediately began to relentlessly slash at the Sorokin, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning in its wake.
Although the Sorokin possesses many abilities, he cannot use too many at the same time. Therefore, he solves this problem by creating clones, granting some of his abilities to his clones. The more clones he has, the more abilities he can use simultaneously.
Creating clones requires a lot of energy, and since he can absorb energy, the number of clones will gradually increase as the battle progresses, making the Sorokin stronger the more he fights.
However, now that the enemy is caught off guard, the Sorokin has no pre-prepared clones and can only slowly create them during the battle. Meanwhile, Han Xiao's dozens of Apostle Weapon are not to be underestimated. As soon as the Sorokin creates a clone, it is immediately surrounded and killed by the Apostle Weapon, and the number cannot be accumulated at all.
So now it's clear that all factors are against the Sorokin, and he can only passively take the beating.
Although he also has Health and Mana Conversion, the losses are far greater than Han Xiao's. [Superpower: Black Hole] has a limit to its endurance and cannot withstand all damage. Furthermore, the maximum rate of regeneration is also limited. Han Xiao's destructive power is now far greater than before, and the Imperial Army is also providing fire support. The Sorokin's health loss rate is faster than its health regeneration rate.
Decades have passed, and the level gap between Han Xiao and the Sorokin has narrowed considerably. He opened the panel and looked at the battle information, where more information about the Sorokin surfaced.
He quickly glanced at it and didn't see [Superpower: Rebirth] or the Book in the Sorokin's skill list. He didn't know if they were among the few remaining "question marks".
However, Han Xiao noticed something unusual in the status bar.
[You are in a state of [Moderate Soul Weakness]. Your mental resistance is reduced by 30%, and your intelligence and mystical attributes are reduced by 15%. Duration: Unknown]
[You are in a state of [Soul Tear]. You have lost a significant amount of Intelligence and Mystic attributes, and your base Mental Resistance has been reduced by 60%. Duration: Constant]
"This..." Han Xiao immediately narrowed his eyes.
Soul Weakness is likely a side effect of being imprisoned in the Space-Time Amber, and there's still a chance to recover. However, this [Soul Tear] state is clearly unrelated to the Space-Time Amber, and its effect perfectly corresponds to Gaud's excessively high attributes.
So I wasn't wrong, the Sorokin and Gaud are indeed connected?
It can be ruled out that Gaud is an avatar created by the Sorokin using superpowers, because under the effect of Superpower Silence, all superpowers cease, and Gaud's existence can only continue to be preserved because its nature is unrelated to the Sorokin's abilities. At that time, when he was captured, the Sorokin did not have the opportunity to create an avatar. In the short time he could do, all he could do was manipulate the soul.
Therefore, the Sorokin's soul transfer was not a simple matter of transference. Rather, it was a ruthless act where the god used some kind of supernatural power to tear apart its own soul, sever its tail to escape, and merge into Gaud's body, while the remaining part of its soul remained in its original body...
The Space-Time Amber isolates everything, so it couldn't be a remote control operation like the Dominator's Descent. And since Gaud has existed outside for so many years, the main consciousness of the Sorokin should be inside him.
At this time, none of the Imperial Fleet's various detection devices detected any abnormal soul fluctuations, indicating that this "Sorokin" body was not being remotely controlled.
So, these two souls are now completely separated, becoming two independent individuals?!
In other words, the "Sorokin" currently active might not be the Sorokin you know, but rather a new personality or consciousness created based on your remaining soul and brain memories, like a clone. And the true main consciousness of the Sorokin might actually reside within Gaud... or perhaps the opposite?
In that case, the Sorokin is the Sorokin, Gaud is Gaud. Even if their personalities and memories are almost identical, they are still different people... Could this be the meaning of [Superpower: Rebirth]?!
"His original body was Beyond Grade A, and Gaud also trained to Beyond Grade A. This guy's actions turned him into two different Beyond Grade A individuals... If the main consciousness is really in Gaud, then he's truly ruthless."
Han Xiao considered various ideas.
If the two souls maintain a connection and share perspectives and memories, this becomes an obvious flaw. Given the nature of the Sorokin, if he were determined to clear his name, he shouldn't have left such a loophole. Therefore, it's possible that he completely severed the connection between the two souls.
Not only did he abandon his old body, but he also didn't mind having another "self" in the universe, handing over all the strength he had accumulated to "others"—his courage was astonishing.
If that's the case, it's estimated that all of the "Sorokin's" memories about Gaud were deleted by the Sorokin's main consciousness during the "separation," in order to prevent the Empire from excavating related information from the brain's memory neurons when it dissects the "Sorokin" one day.
As expected of the "God of Esper Abilities" with a bunch of bizarre abilities, his methods are truly outrageous.
While mentally considering various possibilities, Han Xiao focused all his efforts on controlling his troops to gang up on the Sorokin, engaging in a fierce and continuous battle.
At this moment, the situation was completely one-sided. The Sorokin was bathing in Psionic Energy, his flesh and blood Dissolution and regenerating time and time again. Under the massive firepower, he struggled to move and adopted a completely defensive posture. He dared not stop regenerating health for even a moment, and suffered enormous damage every second.
His health regeneration relies on constantly catalyzing cell division. Each time he repairs his body, he consumes cell activity and burns his lifespan. If it weren't for the Evolution Cube replenishing his health before, he would have had difficulty sustaining this level of combat intensity.
Sensing the terrifying military might of Han Xiao, even the Sorokin was taken aback.
He remembered that when he was frozen, Black Star wasn't even Peak Beyond Grade A, but the strength Han Xiao was showing now was such that even Sorokin wouldn't dare say how much of a chance he had. Even if he were at his peak, in a fair one-on-one fight, it would most likely end in a draw.
How many years has it been? Black Star has caught up with my level, and even seems to be showing signs of surpassing me!
"Your growth is truly incredible! I have never seen such a gifted individual as you!" the Sorokin exclaimed sincerely.
Don't think that praising me will make me cut you less.
Han Xiao maintained his attack without expression. He was least afraid of superhumans now, as fighting them provided him with additional attribute and damage bonuses.
There's also the ability [Elderly Killer], which is incredibly useful for beating up elderly people like Sorokin...
While the evolved version of the Sorokin was powerful, I am no less formidable now!
Round after round of artillery fire rained down on the Sorokin, creating a scene of utter carnage. The Sorokin's path left behind a trail of exploding orbs of light, resembling a long, serpentine chain.
After continuing his output, Han Xiao estimated that all his specialization bonuses had been stacked to the maximum. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he unleashed a burst of Mechanical Force.
Kara kara!
Suddenly, the armor on the Mechanical Deity's forehead slid open, and a bunch of mechanical structures emerged, transforming into an exquisite mechanical crown that was embedded on its head.
The next moment, an invisible wave, seemingly capable of penetrating the soul, erupted from the crown, condensing into a ripple that instantly struck the Sorokin.
The Sorokin shuddered, as if struck by Heavy Strike, as if a giant hammer had slammed into his consciousness.
This is Universal Treasure -level equipment that Han Xiao learned from Jess's technological treasure trove, the exclusive equipment of the Mechanical Deity— [Soul Breaker Crown]!
It sounds like a magical item, but it is actually a mechanical creation. The principle is to reverse the decomposition of Psionic Energy and extract spiritual energy from it. In the state of Mechanical Deity, the Soul Breaker Crown can provide the mechanic with extremely high spiritual resistance, and at the same time, it can also launch spiritual attacks.
The weaknesses of a typical mechanic are their physical body and mind, and they are extremely lacking in mental attack methods. However, the effect of this golden equipment can make up for this weakness to some extent... Although Han Xiao is not a proper mechanic, the Soul Breaker Crown is also helpful to him.
The negative state of the Sorokin made his spirit his greatest weakness, and Han Xiao, who was used to attacking the enemy's vitals, would naturally not let such an opportunity pass him by.
Before the Sorokin could recover, Han Xiao immediately activated his Virtual Soul, easily passed the judgment, dragged the Sorokin's soul into the virtual world, and gave it a good beating.
The Sorokin was hit in a series of critical blows to its vital points, and immediately suffered tons of damage.
Taking advantage of the Sorokin's dizziness, Han Xiao's main body detached from the Mechanical Deity, grabbed the Sorokin by the neck, activated the Space-Time Amber, and immediately began to create a prison.
The Sorokin quickly came to his senses and tried to struggle, but Han Xiao, seeing this, used a powerful lock to pin him down in his broad chest and spoke in a deep voice.
"Don't move! Do you remember how I caught you? If this happens again, your fate won't just be jail time, it'll be death!"
Upon hearing this, the Sorokin paused in his counterattack, immediately recalling the psychological trauma of being hit by a Superpower Silence.
He was unaware of the character card's details and didn't understand why Black Star would use this move, so he couldn't help but assume that Black Star still possessed this ability.
"Why shouldn't I fight to the death when there's no end to my sentence?" The Sorokin narrowed his eyes.
He was out of luck, facing a life-threatening situation. After the battle, the Sorokin knew that there was no way to break through. If Black Star used his Superpower Silence, he might really die here today.
"Are you sure you want to deliberately seek death?" At this moment, Han Xiao's eyes darted around, and he whispered, "Don't you want to see the day the World Tree descends?"
"!!!"
The Sorokin's body suddenly froze, and a look of shock finally appeared on his face.
He had always thought he was the only one in the entire universe who knew about this, never expecting to hear it from Han Xiao.
When did Black Star find out?!
"Could it be that you've already figured out that set of data?!"
A sharp glint flashed in the Sorokin's eyes.
Han Xiao didn't answer, but instead said meaningfully, "If you obediently surrender, you'll still have a chance to be released and witness everything. If you die here, then there's no hope left."
"..."
The Sorokin's expression shifted between light and shadow, as if he were engaged in a internal struggle.
But after only a few seconds, he realized his situation, relaxed, and stopped struggling.
He raised his head, looked directly into Han Xiao's eyes, and slowly said:
"I don't believe you'll let me out... but I'm willing to go to the gambling table, since I have nothing left to lose."
I've fallen for you for the second time. Perhaps you really can reach the level I aspire to, and show me the scenery there...
Just then, Han Xiao silently stepped back, completing the manufacturing process.
The next moment, the Sorokin's body froze, and he was once again trapped in the Space-Time Amber.
The only difference is that the position has changed...
Seeing this, Han Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head.
"If you struggle, I might not be able to hold you down... Sorry, all's fair in love and war."