Just as Han Xiao and Oulu were gazing deeply into each other's eyes, interstellar citizens watching the live broadcast from all over the world heard their brief conversation on the wide-area channel, and their spirits immediately lifted.
"I heard that. He'll consider compromising if he can defeat Black Star with high-level combat power."
"This is a turning point! If Black Star keeps his promise, then defeating him can extinguish the flames of war and prevent a full-scale conflict."
"Strive on, Three Universal Civilizations! The peace of the universe depends on you. Victory will be a great achievement!"
"I have a doubt about it. Black Star is Beyond Grade A figure, after all. Can the Three Universal Civilizations handle him...? Besides, his stats in the Veyne Cards are too high. I don't think Oulu can handle him."
"Is this the time to talk about playing cards? We'll only know if we can win after we play!"
"If we could decide the outcome using card skills, and conduct a kind of card-based diplomacy, that would be much simpler..."
Countless interstellar citizens once again felt hopeful.
Whether Black Star's statement is true or false, they can only pin their hopes on this claim now. No one wants war to break out and affect them; any turn of events is a good thing.
At this moment, in the eyes of many interstellar citizens, Black Star seemed to have become a major villain stirring up trouble. As long as he was taken down, world peace could be maintained. One by one, countless people cheered for the Three Universal Civilizations in their hearts, wishing they could see Black Star fall down in the next second.
On the other side, aboard the main ship of the Three Universal Civilizations' joint fleet, the other elite Beyond Grade A were all in the command room watching the two facing off in the distance, preparing to observe and watch from their sidelines.
"Do you think Oulu can handle Black Star?" someone asked.
"Our chances of winning are less than 50%. If Black Star were that easy to deal with, the higher-ups wouldn't have summoned all of us to come and provide support." Velina shook her head.
"Then why let him go alone? Although ganging up on him isn't good, losing a one-on-one fight is also embarrassing, isn't it?" Guzar wondered.
"I never expected Oulu to win," Francisco interjected. "With Oulu's strength, combined with Velina's enhancement, he's more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Black Star. This was mainly a test."
Velina nodded and explained, "That's right. Black Star hasn't made a public move in decades. Given his rate of growth, previous information is probably outdated, and nobody knows his current level. With Oulu's strength, we can force Black Star to reveal his true abilities, allowing him to gather intelligence for us and develop targeted countermeasures. Anyway, we have ten days; there's no need to rush. Knowing ourselves and our enemy will increase our chances of victory."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed.
As the saying goes, "A person's name is like a tree's shadow. "Black Star has roamed the universe for decades and is already a recognized formidable figure in the Beyond Grade A circle. Few people present dare to underestimate him.
Oulu is Peak Beyond Grade A powerhouse in the universe, one of the best among them. The fact that he was sent to test Black Star from the very beginning was seen by everyone as a sign of great importance.
Just as the many direct descendants of the Beyond Grade A were each harboring their own thoughts, Han Xiao and Oulu, who were facing each other in the center of the battlefield, suddenly clashed without saying a word, as if a thunderbolt had struck a prairie fire!
Oulu's eyes flashed with a bright light, activating the Golden Treasure Ship Dimension. The next moment, beams of dazzling golden light, like fountains, shot out from the dense rings behind him, creating a scene resembling a volley of cannons fired from the sides.
Han Xiao remained unmoved. With a jolt, his Mechanical Force lightning spread out instantly. The mechanical troops hidden within his body through [Compression Ball Innovation - Martial Body] were immediately launched out of his body along with the Mechanical Force, instantly unfolding into a dark, dense mechanical legion. They erected a thick Psionic Energy shield, blocking Han Xiao's path and forming a matrix barrier.
A barrage of dense golden beams bombarded Rainstorm Psionic Energy barrier, scattering golden particles like shattered jade, while blue-purple arcs of electricity leaped wildly.
Seeing this, Oulu immediately intensified his efforts, summoning more golden rings that endlessly spewed out scorching golden beams of light, bombarding Han Xiao's mechanical troops as if energy were free.
"His special ability is to communicate with the Golden Treasure Ship Dimension and borrow its energy. He also has an Infinite amount of mana and excels at large-scale, sweeping firepower attacks, often using his Infinite energy to wear down his opponents... The Golden Treasure Ship itself is a special Secondary Dimension with highly destructive energy and multiple functions."
Han Xiao's mind flashed through Oulu's information, but his hands didn't slow down. He opened the Secondary Dimension Army Box, and even more mechanical troops rushed out in droves.
The Psionic Energy barrier instantly became many times thicker. No matter how fiercely Oulu unleashed his firepower, the guards blocking Han Xiao's path remained unmoved, leaving Han Xiao with no need to dodge. He simply summoned the Mechanical Divine Throne, sat down on it, and stayed in place to command his troops.
Meanwhile, the ranged units of the mechanical legion began to retaliate, while the melee units, led by the Apostle Weapon, charged towards Oulu from all directions.
The next moment, the two sides engaged in fierce combat, the scene was intense, and they unleashed their firepower without restraint, with all sorts of beams of light filling the battlefield.
The combined fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations had to retreat a distance and set up shields to avoid being affected.
Han Xiao sat upright on the mechanical Throne, his gaze following the sweeping movements of Oulu, his eyes gleaming.
While Infinite mana is one of the characteristics of Beyond Grade A qualitative leap, in his view, this ability has a weakness that is not a weakness: no matter how much energy is stored, there is a limit to the output power, and the energy level is the upper limit of Oulu's output.
Oulu's energy level is firmly in the top tier, comparable to Kasuyi. After receiving Velina's boost, it has increased even further, but it is still quite a bit lower than Han Xiao's current energy level.
After decades of low-key development, all those special skill bonuses weren't for nothing. Their combat power is already incredibly formidable, allowing them to maintain a stable advantage without even needing to activate character cards—that's the advantage of raw strength.
Han Xiao only took out ten Apostle Weapon, and seized Oulu to unleash a fierce attack. With his exquisite teamwork, he made Oulu look quite disheveled. Under the enhancement of his Mechanical Force, the combat power of the Apostle Weapon has now reached the Beyond Grade A, and they can even fight against High-level Beyond Grade A weapons.
With such a huge advantage, there's no need for fancy maneuvers; just use F2A and you're good to go!
One word sums up the current situation: a crushing defeat!
"This guy poses little threat to me; he's no match for me. It's only a matter of time before he loses... Hey, if I have trouble even beating you, what's the point of me having so many specialties?"
After looking at it for a while, Han Xiao smiled, shook his head, and casually opened the panel for a glance.
Shortly after He-Tu- Oulu launched his challenge, the long-awaited Beyond Grade A challenge mission finally reappeared. A one-on-one duel in front of so many people clearly had enough influence to trigger the mission.
The task type remains the same, continuing for a certain period of time, with the best reward still being the drawing of a character card and one of the opponent's abilities.
"A fat sheep delivered right to my doorstep! My favorite thing is a one-on-one fight, this is forcing me to fight to sustain my war effort."
Han Xiao smiled inwardly.
He remained calm and composed, patiently directing his legion in battle. His various specialties continued to be effective, constantly improving his condition and making the battle increasingly easier.
On the other side, Oulu was having a very difficult time.
To outsiders, the mechanical legion resembled a swarm of Bee Swarm, constantly surging and attacking Oulu. While Oulu's freely unleashed golden beams of light could occasionally destroy groups of mechanical units, the empty spaces were quickly filled by other mechanical soldiers, and the damaged machines would be rapidly reassembled and put back into the battlefield.
It seemed that Oulu was like an insect caught in a spider web, struggling in vain, breaking through again and again only to fall back into the encirclement, being defeated step by step by sheer numbers.
Oulu's expression had changed, now only showing solemnity.
He had faced Peak Beyond Grade A mechanics before, and this level of firepower would usually have created openings in the opponent's mechanical legion. But until now, Black Star's mechanical forces were like an impenetrable net, tightly covering him, and incredibly resilient, seemingly impossible to tear apart.
These ten Apostle Weapon, in particular, were ridiculously powerful, making it quite difficult for him to work and requiring him to remain vigilant.
Attrition warfare was his forte, but now he's been outmaneuvered.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Oulu couldn't help but look at Black Star behind the swarm of machines, as if he had an idea. He happened to meet Han Xiao's expectant gaze.
With just one glance, Oulu felt a chill run down his spine and quickly abandoned his intention to suddenly behead her.
... I almost forgot, this guy isn't a normal mechanic. If he really charges in, who knows who will beat whom? He doesn't want to get hit by a "girl-embracing kill" move.
Unable to find a way out, Oulu grew increasingly anxious and had no choice but to adopt a relentless bombardment strategy, unleashing a barrage of firepower. However, his injuries continued to worsen over time.
The battle lasted for a long time, and the scene remained simple, brutal, and utterly unpretentious.
Just then, Oulu suddenly erupted, his golden energy surging forth and repelling the surrounding mechanical soldiers, allowing him to break free of the encirclement once again.
However, instead of charging towards Han Xiao, he fled in the opposite direction, rushing into the formation of the Three Universal Civilizations' combined fleet, using the warships as cover to quickly escape the battlefield.
Seeing this, Han Xiao raised his palm, signaling the mechanical troops to stop and not pursue the combined fleet.
After watching Oulu flee into the flagship, Han Xiao then spoke over the wide-area channel, his tone ambiguous:
That's it?
As soon as he finished speaking, Han Xiao waved his hand and recalled the mechanical warriors in the arena, without a trace of arrogance, as if he had only done a trivial matter.
After doing all this, Han Xiao continued to sit calmly on the Mechanical Divine Throne, one hand supporting his chin, tilting his head to look at the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations.
"Next one, please send someone who can give me a warm-up."
Upon witnessing this scene, the many interstellar citizens who had placed high hopes on Oulu were suddenly doused with cold water, their small flames of hope instantly extinguished, leaving only dejection.
"You... you lost?"
"Black Star doesn't seem to have gotten up at all?"
"Isn't this too easy...?"
Countless interstellar citizens felt a tightness in their chest, unable to breathe, as if they were about to vomit blood.
They had expected a fierce battle, but Oulu was eliminated so easily. It was truly incompetent, and their enthusiasm was wasted.
Because they weren't powerful superhumans, most people couldn't understand the details of the battle. They only knew that Black Star sat still and Oulu was routed by the enemy's mechanical forces, losing face utterly.
Throughout the entire process, the two main bodies never clashed once. Oulu's side was humiliated, while Black Star's side was completely outmatched at full strength.
Since the crowd was unaware of the strength of Beyond Grade A and could only judge from their performance, a question immediately arose in the minds of many interstellar citizens...
Is Oulu too weak, or is Black Star too powerful?
On the other side, aboard the main ships of the Three Universal Civilizations.
The direct descendants of the Beyond Grade A who were watching the battle fell silent upon seeing this result, their eyes flashing with surprise and uncertainty.
As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details. Only these Beyond Grade A knew what information was contained in this seemingly one-sided battle, and they felt a chill run down their spines.
Black Star's Mechanical Force strength has elevated the performance of the mechanical legion to a higher level, it's simply an energy-level crushing victory!
"The difference is so huge?!"
Velina's eyes widened in disbelief.
She knew Oulu's chances of winning were slim, but she didn't expect Black Star to win so easily, defeating Oulu with a traditional legion-style strategy.
They had hoped that Oulu would force Black Star to reveal his true strength so they could gather intelligence, but to their surprise, Oulu couldn't even complete the probing mission. He was completely crushed by Black Star, and they didn't even manage to extract any of his trump cards.
This feeling is like going up to bait out your opponent's skills, only to be taken down by a simple, straightforward basic attack...
No matter what, Oulu is a top-tier powerhouse, not some nobody, yet he suffered such a humiliating defeat, never gaining any advantage from beginning to end.
Just how powerful is Black Star now?!
"... He wasn't this powerful before," Clottey said gravely. "The only explanation is that his strength has improved over the past few decades, and he's kept it well hidden."
"This is troublesome." Guzar's expression was grave. "I doubt you'd be a match for Black Star even if you went up there."
Kro and Tushudi remained silent, offering no rebuttal, having also lost confidence.
If he hadn't known Oulu's character so well, he would have almost suspected that Oulu had gone easy on him.
'I underestimated this guy; his Wings have already grown strong enough...'
Clottey slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, her heart heavy.
Just then, the hatch opened, and Oulu walked in.
Because he was really Black Star would scatter his ashes, he ran away as soon as he saw the situation was bad. His injuries were not very serious, but he looked dazed and couldn't accept that he had lost so easily.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes filled with mixed emotions, unsure of what to say.
Brother, you asked to be the first to go, so thanks for clearing the way for us...