Thump thump thump--
The professional players who arrived with the airdrop pod raised their large-caliber armor-piercing cannons and opened fire on the surrounding cyan golems. A series of sparks exploded on the golems, spewing out clouds of thick gray-black smoke. In the endless storm of steel, these golems, which could withstand the charge of the knights, trembled and retreated continuously, unable to advance even a step further, their bodies constantly breaking into pieces.
Over the course of nine months, the group had engaged in dozens of combat missions, gaining extensive experience in dealing with these magical combat puppets. They were adept at it, and although their numbers were far fewer than those of an army, they had taken control of the battlefield.
Melos drew his ship-slaying sword, capable of smashing a golem with a single strike, his efficiency was extremely fast. Aroshia and the Volga Three Brothers stood beside Han Xiao, without making a move.
Han Xiao squinted as he observed the entire scene, standing still, not intending to take action himself. Melos and this group of expert players were more than enough to deal with the enemy. His subordinates were competent enough, and he was quite comfortable being a hands-off manager, preferring not to do anything.
In short, this incident involved a villain who wanted to cause trouble on a planet, so Han Xiao was invited to resolve it. At least hundreds of similar incidents occurred every day in the Shattered Star Ring, and the villains' targets were All Kinds of Oddities. Everyone had experienced this many times and was used to it. They were very familiar with the workflow: orbital airdrop landing, followed by clearing the area. Han Xiao didn't need to give any orders. He was proud!
Nine months have passed. He deliberately controlled the size of Black Star, keeping the same number of people as before. However, with his growing experience, he had earned a good reputation. He cooperated with large mercenary groups such as Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold on missions. Although most simple missions could be accomplished by simply brute force, he often showed reliable performance when faced with difficult tasks. Before long, he established the impression of a reliable partner. Originally, most large mercenary groups only sought to befriend him because of his Dragon Calm background, but they gradually recognized Black Star's capabilities. When the Colton Star Cluster needed external assistance, Han Xiao was often the first option to be considered.
Mercenary groups that accumulate enough credit points will receive additional benefits and will be added to the list of reputable teams in the region by the back-end system. This will automatically send some emergency hires in the region to Black Star. Those who are capable will be given more work, and that's how the support invitation from Planet of Dusk came about.
Actually, he had just completed a guard job with the Blade Legion two days ago. According to his usual practice, he should have rested for a while at the Juberly Hub, but when he saw the emergency on Planet of Dusk, he decided to cancel his vacation and come to do his work. This planet was one of the infected targets of the [Mutation Disaster] mission that had not yet started, so he came to take a look.
"The civilization of Planet of Dusk is at a low level of magical development, not yet at the stage of magical industry. It places more emphasis on individual strength. Although it has sent some 'ascended beings' who should be of Grade B to Goddora, the society as a whole has limited understanding of interstellar space, even less than that of Planet Aquamarine..."
Han Xiao thought to himself that each civilization has its own name for the starry sky. The Planet of Dusk is called "Upper Realm" and "Ascension", which reflects that their civilization is more focused on the individual. Moreover, most people do not understand the situation in the interstellar space. They only know that it is a higher level world. This is also because the kingdom does not popularize this common knowledge.
DarkStar also deployed the Mutation Source here. Now, nine months have passed, and the 1.0 version update is almost here. It's time to visit the other locations where the 2.0 Mutation Disaster occurred and prepare ourselves in advance.
"Black Star, I've long admired your name."
Linge walked over, his tone a mix of flattery and awe. With Black Star's people participating in the battle, he wasn't worried about the outcome at all. He took this opportunity to strike up a conversation with Han Xiao and get to know him.
"Hello." Han Xiao extended his hand and shook hands with him.
Linge was somewhat flattered; he had thought that such an industry leader would be rather arrogant, but he hadn't expected him to be so approachable.
The two chatted here, while on the other side, Rex got up from the ground, picked up his shield and spear, took a breath, and without time to communicate with the reinforcements, hurriedly joined the battle. His army had a chance to catch its breath, regrouped, and cooperated with the players in the battle.
One by one, the golems shattered, and with the help of a group of fresh players, the battle quickly ended. The remaining soldiers hurriedly bandaged their wounds and seized the time to recover their strength.
Rex approached Han Xiao and Linge, his face solemn. Without any formalities, he said, "Destroy these golems, and the gate to the altar will open. Rezar's cult is gathered there, and many more enemies await us. We have no time to waste; please follow us and act immediately."
During a lull in the battle, Rex noticed the awe-inspiring look Linge gave Han Xiao, and knew that this newly arrived reinforcement was no ordinary person. His tone was respectful yet wary, as visitors from the upper realm had always seemed mysterious to him.
He couldn't help but glance at the airdrop pod, secretly wondering how the people from the upper realm used this thing to descend, and what the underlying principle was.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's get to work." Han Xiao nodded. Since it was the employer's request, let's get to work.
After a brief rest, the allied forces hurriedly entered the ruins to search for passages and soon discovered the entrance to the underground altar.
This was an abandoned underground city, which Rezar had converted into a secret base and used covertly for many years. The group filed in and went deeper into the city along the corridor. The underground city was not large and the passages were narrow. Rex's troops were numerous, so only a portion of them could be left on the surface to act as sentries.
Han Xiao and the others followed behind, detached from the army. The situation was serious in Rex's eyes, but to him, it was very simple—find the target BOSS, kill him, and the world would be at peace.
In the deepest part of the underground city, at the underground altar, a mirror displayed the scene of the army entering, and the hundreds of cultists' expressions changed drastically.
"Damn it, another group of warriors from the upper realms has arrived! Our plan has been ruined! The golems haven't killed enough people; the blood isn't enough to activate the altar! We're doomed!" the high cultist exclaimed in panic.
Rezar lost his composure, his expression turning serious as he stared at Han Xiao and the others in the mirror, a mixture of envy, longing, and jealousy rising in his eyes.
These people all came from the upper realm...
It'll be soon, very soon.
I am about to become a person of the Upper Realm.
Rezar always believed that people trapped on planets were pathetic. The cultists thought that Rezar was carrying out this plan to become the "strongest mage," but he scoffed at this idea. These ignorant cultists were unaware of the vastness of the stars, like frogs in a well, with narrow-minded and pathetic views!
Perhaps to interstellar citizens, the Galaxy is nothing special, but for those who gaze at the stars and can only imagine the universe, the ability to travel to interstellar space is an immense attraction. Moreover, they know for certain that there are other civilizations and races in the Galaxy, and their thirst for knowledge and curiosity burn like an unquenchable flame.
This is the exploratory instinct of intelligent beings. They want to make progress, to stand on the summit themselves, and to see the scenery they yearn for. When they have never had it, they often crave it immensely.
Rezar's goal from the beginning has always been to reach the Upper Realm, and he is willing to do anything for it, regardless of the consequences. However, the sudden arrival of Upper Realm mercenaries has changed the course of his carefully prepared plan.
Without these people, my plan would definitely have succeeded.
A deep madness appeared in his eyes.
"Master, what should we do?!" the senior follower cried anxiously.
Rezar looked down at the restless cultists below the altar. This was the organization he had spent decades building. A sinister look appeared on his aged face as he slowly said, "Lend me your flesh and blood..."
His staff glowed with a bewitching red light, the altar's stone pillars radiated Glimmer halo, and intricate, shimmering magic circles appeared on the ground. At that moment, all the noise vanished. The cultists' eyes bulged, their faces turned bluish-purple, and as if suffocating, they frantically clutched their throats, their limbs twitching uncontrollably. One after another, they collapsed to the ground, struggling wildly, their bodies contorted into countless bizarre postures.
The senior cultist, his face contorted in pain and eyes filled with disbelief, struggled up the steps to the altar. His trembling hand reached for the hem of Rezar's robe, but before he could even reach halfway, his eyes snapped open, blood gushing out and dripping onto the ground, forming thin lines of blood that, like long red earthworms, automatically "crawled" to the base of the altar and seeped in.
Hundreds of cultists died suddenly, their blood drained by the magic circle, turning them into mummy corpses with gaping mouths, sunken features, and skin and bones. The altar, having absorbed the blood, became exceptionally smooth, like gray jade.
The once noisy scene was now deathly silent.
The blood, finally enough.
Rumble...
The altar hummed, and the ceremony began.
A powerful magical force, imbued with the scent of blood, formed a unique magic circle.
Behind the altar was a Source Water vein. The slowly flowing underground Source Water suddenly boiled, and Glimmer, like fireflies, floated on the surface. These were all materialized magic. The specks of light suddenly gathered into several light dragons, which were frantically absorbed by Rezar's face.
Five minutes later, Rex led his troops to the location. He could see the altar and the desiccated corpses in the distance. When he saw that Rezar was absorbing the magic power of the Source Water, his face turned pale with fear.
"Oh no, the ritual has started! We have to stop them immediately!"
Just as Rex was about to call for his troops to charge forward, a magical humming sound rang out around the altar. Defensive arrays appeared on the walls, and multicolored light enveloped the altar. It was covered with thousands of defensive spells, making it incredibly sturdy. Meanwhile, the ground rumbled, and twenty new golems crawled out from underground, blocking the altar's path.
Rex's expression changed drastically.
With so many defensive spells and golems, it would be impossible to break through in a short time. He had thought that finding Rezar would stop the ritual, but now he was being blocked outside.
Having planned for so long, Rezar could not afford to fail, so he naturally set up a large number of defensive measures. As long as he could hold off the enemy for a short while, he would be able to complete the ritual of absorbing magic power.
The Source Water vein, stretching for thousands of kilometers, contains immense magical power. This ritual, passed down from ancient times, involves building a magical source within the body to contain such power and thus break through the limits of strength.
"If we let him complete the ritual, the southern territory is doomed. Break through these defensive spells quickly and charge with me..." Rex said anxiously, but before he could finish, someone grabbed his shoulder and interrupted him.
Rex turned around and saw Han Xiao walk past him to the front of the group.
"You're too slow, let me do it."
Han Xiao's tone was unquestionable, carrying the confidence of a professional. Unlike the anxious soldiers of Planet of Dusk, he remained calm and composed, completely disregarding these protective measures.
Kerala--
The next moment, compressed spheres shot out and quickly unfolded, with hundreds of various m. hetushu. com•com turrets surrounding Han Xiao. The spewing cannon fire instantly tore through layers of magical protection. In front of him, these defensive magics were as fragile as paper!
Over the course of nine months, Han Xiao did not change the combat system, but he did enhance it, increasing the number of various machines and making them more powerful. In less than ten seconds, twenty golems were torn to pieces.
The interwoven flames illuminated the dungeon as if it were daytime. His sudden, terrifying power terrified the soldiers. Rex, his face filled with shock, murmured, "Such terrifying attack power! Even stronger than the legendary Ascended Ones! Even the Guardian Mage doesn't possess such strength. Is this the power of warriors from the Upper Realm...?"
He had heard secrets from the Kingdom Protection Mage Group; the warriors of the Upper Realm were completely different from warriors like them who only used magic, possessing all sorts of strange abilities. This time, he had finally seen it for himself.
The artillery fire easily shattered the defensive magic, destroyed the altar, and the ritual was immediately interrupted.
Rezar fell to the ground, shocked and furious, his face filled with disbelief. He never expected that the defenses he had set up over the years would be completely torn apart in such a short time. The strength of this mercenary from the upper realm far exceeded his imagination.
However, the next moment, Rezar's expression changed. He felt the surging magic power within him suddenly break through the shackles, and a new power was born within him.
His eyes widened, and suddenly tears streamed down his face.
"I did it... I did it..."
Although the ceremony was interrupted shortly after it began, the portion of magic he absorbed had already helped him break through the bottleneck and finally reach the standard set by Goddora, allowing him to travel to the upper realm he so longed for.
The increase in power gave Rezar the illusion that he could defeat all enemies with a wave of his hand, but he did not want to fight. He turned around and was about to activate the explosive rune to make the dungeon collapse, and then leave through the secret passage. He was filled with excitement, as his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.
However, plans often contradict reality.
Sensing the rapidly increasing energy response, Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, you've temporarily broken through to Grade B."
"But..."
The next second, the Void Dragon Mechanical Suit instantly possessed him, and Han Xiao appeared beside Rezar as if by teleportation, grabbed his head, and slammed it down.
Bang!!
Before Rezar could react, his head was buried in the ground, his staff slipped from his hand and flew far away. His newly enhanced strength was completely useless; the powerful feeling only lasted a few seconds before it was shattered!
Is it useful?