Boom!
Wild Thunder shot out and surged wildly, like raging dragons, swirling around Han Xiao.
The mechanical spear shifted direction, transforming into a thick bolt of lightning, and thrust out again, attacking another armored, shield-wielding red Deity Avatar.
The red Deity Avatar was restrained by the Apostle Weapon and couldn't dodge in time. It hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, and with a slap of its warhammer against the edge of its shield, the shield immediately shone with light, and a shield-like phantom appeared, magnified thousands of times, extremely thick, blocking in front of it.
Click!
The heavy spear crashed into the shield, which, seemingly indestructible, shattered instantly, revealing its fragility. The shockwave spread outwards, like a sudden, deafening explosion of shattering glass in everyone's minds.
The spear tip unleashed a beam of light, a streak of lightning flashing past, instantly severing half of the Deity Avatar's body in a single strike!
Just then, Urnos appeared from afar, concentrating his power on a single point, and deflected the spear tip with his elbow to avoid causing secondary damage. He then pulled the severely injured Deity Avatar aside and saved it in an emergency.
Urnos re-examined Han Xiao, sensing the energy fluctuations of the Mechanical Deity reaching new heights, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
"This is your full strength? It seems I underestimated you... No, I should say you're incredibly secretive. Just like the rumors say, no one knows how many trump cards you have up your sleeve, or where your limits lie."
"I've never heard of this rumor before," Han Xiao replied casually.
These past few days, he's been locked in fierce battles with the direct descendants of the Three Universal Civilizations. He's been suppressing his impulses and hasn't used his character cards yet, all to guard against Urnos.
Others can summon spirits to possess them, and he has character cards with similar functions; they're both philanderers, so who's afraid of whom?
At this moment, he had already activated dual Mechanical Sense and dual Ancient Ones, his strength surged, and he instantly entered burst mode.
If the character cards are activated ahead of time, the direct descendants of the Three Universal Civilizations civilizations probably won't be able to hold out for six days. Even if they can, the number of their direct descendants at the Beyond Grade A will be much greater.
"A hundred years is but a fleeting moment, at most adolescence for Beyond Grade A individual. Yet you, at such a young age, possess abilities unparalleled in the galaxy... In known history, no one has ever possessed such talent as you. I can hardly imagine how vast your future will be."
Urnos sighed, then took out his last few divine essences, molded them all into Deity Avatar, and scattered them to join the battle, using their respective abilities to fight against the mechanical forces.
He brought over a dozen divine statues with him this time, and originally didn't want to use the rest, but the current situation forced him to spend those divine essences.
"Only a few? I'm afraid that's not enough for me to kill." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
These Deity Avatar possess diverse abilities. Although they have High-level Beyond Grade A combat power, they also have weaknesses, namely, they are relatively fragile.
His combat power in his burst form has shattered the common understanding of ordinary people, overwhelming High-level Beyond Grade A. As long as the Deity Avatar does not have special abilities or expertise in defense, evasion, or recovery, he can kill one in no time, which is easier than dealing with those direct-line Beyond Grade A beings who have various Universal Treasure protecting them.
You'll only know if you try.
Urnos clasped his hands together, and his body suddenly swelled up, rapidly growing to enormous size, becoming a towering giant. Just moments before, his size was like an ant compared to Mountain when compared to Han Xiao, the Mechanical Deity, but now they were evenly matched.
However, the priest's robe on his body was not torn. Instead, it expanded and enlarged along with his body size, revealing a dense array of magical circuits on its surface. It was clearly an enchanted piece of equipment of Universal Treasure level, which prevented him from running naked in front of the entire universe.
This thing can get bigger!
Han Xiao's eyes flickered; this was something that hadn't been mentioned in the intelligence reports.
As if sensing Han Xiao's confusion, Urnos slowly explained, "My Divine Transformation has reached its peak, and my Giant Bloodline can now operate at its maximum. This is the first time I've used this ability."
He had been cultivating in seclusion in the Arcane Church Sect for many years. Because the Arcane National Treasure and his own abilities were related to "divinity," his Divine Transformation was countless times smoother than other Peak Beyond Grade A cultivators. He completed two Divine Transformation paths long ago, but he never told anyone.
Urnos himself possessed some Giant Bloodline, and the Divine Transformation of his race greatly enhanced his Giant Bloodline, transforming it into an optimized form, as if it had gathered all the advantages of the evolutionary path.
"You are truly blessed with good fortune; not only are your abilities a perfect match, but you have also received the strong support of the Arcane."
Han Xiao frowned.
This guy is probably a main character, and he likely possesses High-Level Lucky Halo. He has been developing in a low-key manner for many years, and he is also very unassuming, just like a hidden master.
He glanced down at Urnos's empty hands and said, "You intend to fight me hand-to-hand the whole time?"
Upon hearing this, Urnos remained silent for a moment, then sighed:
"... My weapon has been sealed away by you."
Han Xiao was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.
Damn, so the Scepter of All Gods was also this guy's equipment!
Specifically, Urnos only shared the right to use it; the Scepter of All Gods essentially belonged to the Arcane Church and was generally kept on the shelf as a strategic deterrent. Unfortunately, it was sealed by the Space-Time Amber.
That makes sense. The mechanism of this Universal Treasure is also compatible with Urnos's abilities, so it's not surprising that the Arcane gave it to him to use... but now he has no chance to use it.
Just then, the replica Mechanical Deity finally returned to the battlefield along the path smashed through the fleet formation, fearlessly charging forward again, relying on its regenerative abilities—a true iron-headed brat.
Han Xiao twisted his body, and the mechanical heavy spear rapidly transformed, as if turning into sections of whip. He swung it backward, unleashing a dazzling Thunder.
In his burst form, Han Xiao's speed and strength increased dramatically. With lightning speed, he struck the imitation Mechanical Deity in the waist, nearly severing it in half and knocking it aside before sending it tumbling away.
At that moment, a burst of scorching energy struck from behind. Han Xiao turned around and parried Urnos's fist with his spear.
Bang!
The shockwave erupted!
The two immense forces clashed, and Han Xiao's thrusters, operating at full power, gained the upper hand, slowly pressing down on Urnos.
"Your Giant Bloodline is quite strong. Your strength is no less than that of a martial artist." Han Xiao snorted.
"Same to you."
Urnos abruptly retracted his fist, gathering momentum, and in the next moment unleashed a barrage of punches—when the unrestrained punches reach their limit, they become the best form of all.
Han Xiao was not to be outdone. His mechanical heavy spear spun like lightning, accurately meeting each attack and engaging Urnos in a fierce battle, creating a series of shockwaves in the air.
At this moment, the replica Mechanical Deity flew back and joined the battle. It was constantly being knocked away, but it kept charging forward, relentlessly and endlessly.
Urnos is protected by the Arcane National Treasure, and the replica Mechanical Deity has inherited his super regenerative ability. The only breakthrough point on the field is the other Deity Avatar. Han Xiao also planned to do so, but he was blocked by the two giant bodies and had to withstand the attack to kill the Deity Avatar.
At this point, there's no room for trickery anymore. The two sides are locked in a fierce, head-on battle, the scene is explosive, and the aftershocks are astonishing. It has already reached a fever pitch.
Watching the news broadcast, countless interstellar citizens held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen.
"Such a powerful Beyond Grade A! He must be the ultimate master that the Three Universal Civilizations have been holding back!"
"God help us, we must defeat Black Star... This may be our last hope."
Many interstellar citizens couldn't help but pray quietly.
On the other hand, contrary to public opinion online, the player community was extremely excited.
"Oh my, I'm familiar with this area. The BOSS has entered the second phase!"
"Clear the mobs first, then fight the boss. Old Black made the right decision."
"Anyone betting? I'm betting on Old Black to win, 30,000 Enas, anyone want to bet?"
Many Legion players discussed it excitedly, and the forum was already flooded with recordings of the monsters on the scene. After flipping through more than a dozen pages, they found nothing but highlights from Han Xiao's battles over the past few days, like special effects blockbusters.
Among the main ships of the Three Universal Civilizations, many of the direct descendants of the Beyond Grade A silently watched the battlefield outside the window, and many of them had rather bitter expressions.
"I didn't expect Black Star to hold back against us... If he had unleashed this much power earlier, many people in this room would probably have stopped breathing by now." Velina smiled bitterly.
Hearing this, many Beyond Grade A turned to look at her, feeling even more uncomfortable.
They initially thought they were locked in a stalemate with Black Star, but it turned out they were just being delusional. Not only did they fight until they were exhausted, but they should also be grateful that Black Star didn't use his full strength...
The thought of this situation kept everyone in a low mood, and their confidence suffered a severe blow.
After hesitating for a long time, Oulu finally managed to utter a single sentence:
"Two monsters!"
Even as Peak Beyond Grade A, Oulu had to admit that these two were so strong that they terrified him. Not only was Black Star incredibly powerful, but Urnos was also stronger than he had been years ago. The two of them had surpassed everyone else and were in a class of their own in his eyes.
At this moment, Guzar frowned and spoke:
"The ultimatum only has two days left. Are we really going to let them fight it out one-on-one and just stand by and watch?"
Upon hearing this, Clottey solemnly spoke:
"Of course not! We'll swarm in when the ultimatum is almost up, ignoring Urnos. We must take down Black Star no matter what. Now, focus on recovering. If Urnos hasn't finished the battle by tomorrow, we'll have to strike again."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines and nodded.
Time flew by as everyone watched. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Han Xiao and Urnos fought fiercely for more than a day, and the situation gradually became clear.
Han Xiao finally eliminated all Deity Avatar except for the imitation Mechanical Deity, at the cost of a large mechanical army.
Although entangled with Urnos and the replica Mechanical Deity, Han Xiao's Mechanical Deity form, with its explosive power and significant advantage in single-target attributes, repeatedly broke through the encirclement and blockade, completely disregarding injuries, eliminating the Deity Avatar one after another, making the balance of power shift and the battle becoming increasingly easier.
Even the last few Deity Avatar were not eliminated by his own hands, but were surrounded and killed by the mechanical army and Apostle Weapon. Now the remaining mechanical army has freed up its hands to besiege the only remaining Urnos and the imitation Mechanical Deity.
Clang!
The two clashed again, Urnos suddenly retreated a distance, swatting away an Apostle Weapon was relentlessly attacking his eyeballs. He then sighed:
"You've killed all the Deity Avatar I brought; it seems I can't do anything to you now."
"What, you're out of ideas already?"
Han Xiao slapped the replica Mechanical Deity away again and snorted coldly.
"... Only the two of us are left. If we continue fighting like this, we won't be able to determine a winner." Urnos shook his head.
"Anyway, there's only one day left before the ultimatum deadline, so I don't care."
Han Xiao didn't take it seriously.
Although he had killed Deity Avatar, he couldn't break the Arcane National Treasure, nor could he kill the imitation Mechanical Deity. Urnos was also no threat to his life. Now it was just two big lumps of flesh rubbing against each other; I couldn't kill you, and you couldn't kill me.
Conservatively speaking, I and Urnos can keep going for another ten days to two weeks without a break.
"In that case, let's leave it at that," Urnos said softly.
"You think it's over just like that?" Han Xiao scoffed.
Urnos glanced at him, then suddenly chuckled softly. His giant form abruptly shrank back to its normal size, and he opened a wide-area channel, speaking crisply and decisively:
"I'm no match for you, I concede."
Han Xiao was stunned for a moment, not expecting Urnos to do such a thing.
For a direct descendant of a Beyond Grade A to stand up for the Three Universal Civilizations, wouldn't publicly admitting defeat go against their original intentions? Besides, no one has shown any signs of defeat yet; at most, it's a draw. What's the point of deliberately admitting defeat?
Urnos snapped his fingers, and the Mechanical Deity suddenly stopped, then exploded from the inside out, completely dismantling the Deity Avatar.
Han Xiao frowned, raised his hand to stop the mechanical troops' attack, and asked in confusion:
"... What are you doing?"
Urnos switched off the wide-area channel and reverted to telepathy, his gaze carrying a meaningful meaning.
"Black Star, you are the most gifted superhuman to date. You are the most likely to unlock the door to the next level. I said from the beginning that I didn't want to be your enemy."
"What do you mean by this? Admitting defeat in public? Aren't you afraid the Arcane Church will have a problem with you?" Han Xiao frowned even more.
"I've done what I could, enough to get by. As for my purpose... perhaps one day you'll find out."
Urnos gave a cryptic smile, then turned and flew towards the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations.
Han Xiao had the mechanized troops clear a path without blocking them, and silently watched Urnos's departing the Sight of Father's Back, realizing that he did not understand Urnos's personality and thoughts.
In his previous life, both the Dark Emperor and Oulu died in the World Tree War, but Urnos was the only one who never participated in the war. Han Xiao did not believe that the Arcane Church had not given the order. What was this guy thinking? He had no idea.
"... Never mind, I can't figure out what he's thinking anyway, I've got the mission reward."
Han Xiao let out a breath, opened the panel, glanced at it, and revealed a satisfied smile.
The exclusive Beyond Grade A challenge mission for Urnos is shining brightly and is marked as "Completed".
He recalled his mechanical forces, deactivated his Mechanical Deity, ascended a new divine throne, surveyed the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations, opened the wide-area channel, and slowly spoke:
Who else?
After he finished speaking, the entire channel fell silent, completely still.
On the other side, as soon as Urnos returned to the main ship, many of his direct subordinate Beyond Grade A soldiers surrounded him, their expressions quite unfriendly.
"How could you admit defeat in public?!" Clottey shouted in a deep voice.
"If you can't beat them, you have to admit defeat," Urnos replied casually.
"Do you think we're blind?" Velina retorted angrily. "You clearly show no signs of defeat and can continue to hold your own against Black Star for a long time!"
Urnos glanced at her and said indifferently, "And then? Just keep fighting until the ultimatum expires? I remember I said I wanted to fight Black Star one-on-one, but you're not going to heed my request anymore and are ready to gang up on me, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's momentum faltered.
"I could guess what you're thinking with my eyes closed."
Seeing this, Urnos shook his head, pushed through the crowd, and walked away, leaving only his the Sight of Father's Back.
He never wanted to participate in the war from the beginning and originally intended to remain neutral, but the leader of the Arcane Sect gave him a death order, so he had no choice but to take action.
However, Urnos's mindset was not to defeat Black Star, but rather to see and experience Black Star's true combat power, and to do his best to fight and barely pass muster.
He wasn't lying; he genuinely admired Black Star. However, his motive for conceding wasn't based on admiration, but rather on another reason...
Urnos had no intention of preventing the war between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Beyond Grade A Association; in fact, he was happy to see it happen!
This is the core issue!
For so many years, Urnos had been stuck at an invisible bottleneck, finding that no matter what he did, his own strength could hardly improve, as if there was some kind of limitation in the dark preventing him from touching a higher level of power.
He has always believed that competition and pressure are what give rise to the strong. Just like the exploration history of that time, superhumans fought fiercely, and only then did the Super Beyond Grade A emerge. The appearance of the first the First Ones was like a signal, and more Beyond Grade A appeared one after another afterward.
In his view, the advancement of individual power may require a pioneering figure, a chosen one, to break through the barriers so that others can follow suit and reap the benefits.
Black Star, whose rise to prominence broke historical records, thus came into his view and was seen as the most likely figure to become a pioneer.
Urnos disliked the harmonious atmosphere of the Beyond Grade A Association. He preferred to see Beyond Grade A members fighting each other every day, like breeding poisonous insects to create stronger individuals. Now that the Three Universal Civilizations were attacking the Association, it suited his needs even better.
In this respect, Urnos shares the same obsession as the Sorokin, but they follow different paths. Compared to the Sorokin ' selfish approach, Urnos prefers that all the strong beings in the universe work together... To use a more fashionable phrase, he hopes to see an era where everyone is like a dragon, and let others be the pioneers.
After all, given his ability mechanics, doing this would actually be twice as effective; the more powerful beings there are in the universe, the higher his peak combat power will be.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Urnos lowered his eyes.
"Today I'm giving you my reputation; let's see how far you can go."
At the same time.
The image of Urnos publicly conceding defeat was broadcast on the news and witnessed by countless people.
At that very moment, the hope that countless interstellar citizens had finally managed to ignite was extinguished as if by a bucket of urine, leaving them feeling utterly chilled to the bone.
All the interstellar citizens who had been expecting Black Star's defeat suddenly deflated, slumped in their seats, and looked utterly hopeless.
The Three Universal Civilizations couldn't find a single strong individual capable of defeating Black Star. They even resorted to shameless gang attacks and were still defeated and lost.
How embarrassing!
The despondency didn't last long before countless interstellar citizens tensed up again, because today was the last day of the Three Universal Civilizations' ultimatums. If neither side yielded, war would most likely break out!
Seeing no hope, many interstellar citizens stopped dwelling on it and, with a "what's the use" attitude, began venting their anxiety, fear-induced anger, and resentment that Black Star had not been defeated "according to their wishes" online.
In an instant, public opinion supporting the Three Universal Civilizations surged again, no longer calling for an end to the war, but instead veering to the other extreme, to some extent reversing into a fervent support for war. The core argument was just one thing... strongly supporting the Three Universal Civilizations to defeat the Beyond Grade A Association and eliminate the destabilizing factors in interstellar society!