At the same time, hundreds of miles away, Ashes was still relentlessly Pursuit Owenn. After more than ten minutes of chasing, the two sides had moved far away from the battlefield where Han Xiao and the others were, and were about to reach the location of the teleportation mage.
After Anur's death, the situation on the battlefield reversed, and the DarkStar warriors became the prey. No one had time to pass on the message, so Ashes was completely unaware of the sudden change on the battlefield. In his mind, Anur was still toying with those troublesome mercenaries.
He wasn't worried about Anur's safety at all. Back when he first joined DarkStar as a child, Anur was already a high- Calamity Grade combatant in the organization. He had received Anur's teachings since childhood and knew very well how powerful his mentor Anur was.
Since Anur has chosen to stay behind to stall for time, he must have absolute confidence. Although his mentor seems to be somewhat disappointed in him lately, these are minor details that don't matter. Ashes, on the other hand, has full confidence in Anur —with Nagokin's speed, he can't even touch the hem of his mentor's clothes, how could he possibly lose?
Even if they really can't win, given the mentor's speed, he can just leave whenever he wants.
The fact that no news has come in yet means that everything is under control and there is no need to notify anyone.
Ashes thought so.
To avoid drawing attention, Ashes dispersed the massive black cloud of carbon particles, leaving only the particles around himself. Owenn was still piloting the aircraft and fleeing, keeping the two at a distance.
Owenn kept looking back, sweat beading on his forehead. "We're almost there. Once we stop, we only have about ten seconds to move, and then he'll catch up. If we can't complete the teleportation you mentioned within those ten seconds, we're doomed."
Aroshia tilted her head, thought for a moment, and corrected, "It's not us, only you will die."
"... Thank you for reminding me!"
Owenn gritted his teeth.
I'm so annoyed!
With the teleportation mage's shop in sight, Aroshia suddenly remembered, "Oh right, he got beaten up last time, he might have moved away."
Owenn: "..."
Bang!
The aircraft braked suddenly, and with its momentum, crashed into the bookstore wall, creating a huge hole that was completely open from front to back. All the bookshelves blocking the way were smashed to pieces, and shredded papers scattered all over the sky like exploding fireworks.
The two jumped off midway and landed in a messy bookstore. Time was of the essence, and there was no time to park the aircraft before knocking on the door.
The counter at the entrance was also knocked away. Yixuan was sitting in a chair holding a book, staring blankly at the scene in front of him, still in a daze. His face showed an expression of "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?" In a word, he was dumbfounded!
My shop collapsed the moment I closed my eyes and opened them again?!
Aroshia pointed at Yixuan, "It's him."
"Thank goodness, the person is still alive." Owenn breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at the large, open hole, and said awkwardly, "At least it's breathable."
Yixuan opened his mouth, saw Aroshia, and said, "I know you. You're with the mercenaries who beat me up last time."
"I need your help. Please teleport us to the northern airport quickly. Money is no object," Owenn said bluntly, not daring to delay.
Yixuan stared blankly at the scattered pieces of paper on the ground. Only now did he realize what had happened. His whole body trembled violently, and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his heart, causing him unbearable pain and a groan that was almost inhuman.
"This is my lifelong treasure!!"
Owenn panicked. What was the point of worrying about these worthless books at a time like this? He spoke rapidly, "We're being Pursuit by a ruthless killer from DarkStar. If you don't get us out of here, he'll kill you too. I'm from Goddora, and I'll pay you a hefty service fee and compensate you for all your losses. There's no time to lose, cast the spell now!"
Looking up at the sky through the hole, Ashes's figure was rapidly approaching. In two more seconds, he would be within his attack range, and Owenn would be instantly killed with a flick of his finger.
Owenn was sweating profusely, nervously watching the hesitant teleportation mage. They hadn't discussed it at all, and he didn't know if the mage would help him; this was their only hope of escape.
At this point, Aroshia said, "My friend said that if you don't help, he'll come looking for you again."
Upon hearing this, Yixuan opened the portal without hesitation, and a vortex of blue light bathed the surroundings in magical Glory.
Owenn was overjoyed and rushed in. Yixuan didn't dare to delay either; he didn't want to stay and use the mage's delicate body to meet the wrath of his Pursuit.
Buzz--
With a flash of light, the portal closed, and the three vanished without a trace.
The Ashes rushed in and saw this scene. His expression changed drastically, his face darkening with anger.
We've lost them again!
He thought Owenn was cornered, but little did he know that a powerful teleportation mage was hiding in the city.
If it weren't for Iso, Master Han wouldn't have known there was a hidden teleportation mage here, and this tactic wouldn't have been possible. Now, this intelligence is playing a crucial role. At the time, Han Xiao didn't expect to get involved in a traitor Pursuit by DarkStar.
Ashes clenched his fist as he stared at the empty room. Only a mage equally skilled in teleportation could track the traitor back in the opposite direction. Now that the traitor had escaped to another location and the trail had been lost, he had no way to pursue him.
He suspected he was having a run of bad luck lately, as he kept encountering unexpected situations. Even this task, which was almost a sure thing, had failed. Instructor Anur must be furious.
Ashes exhaled a sigh of relief, took out his communicator, and contacted Anur. The operation had failed, and they needed to send the intelligence back as soon as possible. Everything needed to be reconsidered.
Sizzle...
The communicator flashed, Anur's face appeared on the screen. He frowned and asked, "Did you succeed?"
Ashes shook his head and explained the situation.
"You're a complete waste!" Anur roared.
Ashes froze, somewhat embarrassed. This was the first time he had been so harshly scolded; it seemed his mentor was truly furious.
Where do you think the traitor escaped to?
"I don't know, I have no clue," Ashes replied.
"If they escape in a spaceship, we'll be saved trouble," Anur said.
Ashes nodded. DarkStar's fleet was already on high alert around Noriosse, ready to intercept at any moment. If the traitor tried to escape by ship, he would fall into the fleet's encirclement.
"How's things going on your end?" Ashes asked in return.
"Hmph, the situation is deadlocked. You'd better get back here right now. I've held off the enemy. As long as you get here in time, we can work together to eliminate Goddora and Black Star's mercenaries. If we can't catch the traitor, then we'll eliminate these enemies first."
"Good!"
Ashes's eyes lit up, and he turned back to head in the direction he came from, hurrying to meet up with Anur. The thought of taking down Black Star made his depressed mood clear up like the clouds clearing and the sky brightening again.
The protective shield continued to perform its function, isolating the area, but the situation had become one-sided, with the DarkStar warriors suffering continuous defeats and falling one after another.
In the center of the ruins, Anur ended his communication with Ashes, turned off the communicator, tapped his cheek with his finger, and a matrix-like circuit flashed across his face, his appearance rapidly changing to reveal Han Xiao's face.
Removing his Simulation Mask, Han Xiao rubbed his face, looked at Nagokin beside him, and smiled, "I lured him back, and there's good news: Owenn successfully escaped."
Nagokin laughed heartily, a look of satisfaction on his face, cracking his knuckles as he clenched his fists. "Great, my fists haven't had enough of a beating yet."
Han Xiao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Acting was tiring too. After Anur died in battle, he picked up the communicator and immediately thought of its use.
With DarkStar Ashes remaining as a Calamity Grade, the balance of power has finally shifted. Although Ames's character card has been used up, Nagokin equally strong. With himself added, they might be able to turn the tables and besiege Ashes, which is highly feasible. The only problem is whether Ashes knows what's happening here. If the other side finds out, they will definitely retreat.
Just then, Ashes requested a call through the communicator. Han Xiao immediately took out Simulation Mask, scanned Anur's corpse, impersonated him, and probed Ashes with a carefully chosen tone.
While acting, Han Xiao was really nervous, since he didn't know what Anur's usual tone of voice was like. So he carefully observed Ashes's reaction and finally concluded that Ashes respected Anur very much.
Ashes didn't doubt Han Xiao's words and didn't notice the minor differences. Upon reflection, it made sense; only if Anur had died could someone else have obtained his communicator.
In Ashes's eyes, this was impossible, so he was kept in the dark.
"Moreover, his reaction confirmed one thing for me: the DarkStar Fleet is indeed lurking in outer space." Han Xiao took out his communicator and, while trying to contact Aroshia, said to Nagokin, "I didn't expect to be able to take down a Calamity Grade enemy. This gives us more room to maneuver. The Pursuit force is almost completely wiped out, so we don't have to risk sending Owenn away."
Nagokin thought about it and agreed, finding it reasonable.
A rigid plan is never as good as adaptability.
At this moment, the Protector had been standing nearby stepped forward, looked down at Anur's corpse, sighed heavily, and said with regret, "You actually killed him. Alas, if I hadn't been attacked by him, I wouldn't have been a step too late."
The two of them immediately turned their heads to look at him.
This person is extremely vengeful!
Brilliant! Brilliant!
The Protector feigned regret for a moment, then turned to look at the two of them, focusing his gaze on Han Xiao, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise.
He paused, then remained silent, slowly retreating. The people from DarkStar were already dead, and he had no intention of interfering further.
He saw that Anur was on the verge of death, and if he intervened now, Goddora would interpret it as deliberate obstruction. So he improvised and abandoned the rescue.
Maintaining neutrality is damn hard.
Nagokin withdrew his gaze, looked at Han Xiao, and asked hesitantly, "Your ability just now... seemed to be related to the Dragon Emperor?"
This question had been weighing on his mind until now, when he finally had the chance to ask it. He knew his intuition was right; the power he had just witnessed was definitely at the Beyond Grade A. Why was Black Star able to use the Dragon Emperor's abilities? What exactly was their relationship?
If this intelligence is relayed back to the War Bureau, the Intelligence Department will likely have to reassess Black Star's position in Dragon Calm.
"It's nothing, I just did some small work."
Han Xiao waved his hand, looking humble.
Nagokin's eyes showed even greater concern. A few days ago, he felt that the chances of this mission were slim, and even with Han Xiao's help, his pessimism was not alleviated much. However, the role played by Han Xiao far exceeded his imagination.
If it weren't for Anur's corpse lying right next to him, he would never have believed that, facing an attack from two Calamity Grade enemies, he not only escaped serious injury but also managed to kill one of them.
Two against one and still got killed? Unbelievable!
The sounds of battle around them gradually subsided, indicating that the DarkStar warriors were dwindling in number, and the environment was in complete disarray.
Han Xiao said in a deep voice, "Stop talking. The battle isn't over yet. The people from DarkStar are still alive. We need to finish them off before Ashes returns. Don't leave a single one alive."
Brush!
The ship-slaying blade cleaved through flesh and blood, cutting the terrified Sherman in two, blood gushing out.
Melos took a deep breath, put away his weapon, and after a long and fierce fight, finally killed the dwarven gunner. With the enemy's morale and courage collapsing, he killed him in one fell swoop.
He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and went to Sherman's body. He picked up the massive gun that had fallen to the ground, weighed it in his hand, and muttered to himself.
"Black Star should like this kind of loot."
With the giant gun slung over his shoulder, Melos swaggered away from the scene.
Bang!!
Linhaisa's brain exploded into a pile of minced meat, and he collapsed to the ground, his body still convulsing instinctively.
Morning Star rubbed her hoarse throat from singing loudly, closed her eyes, and tried to heal her mental wounds. Her opponent was no weakling either, and she had expended a lot of energy.
"Fording, I saved your life, consider your body as payment," Morning Star scoffed.
Fording in his mind smiled helplessly and did not respond.
Morning Star glanced up at the protective shield, her eyes flashing, and muttered to herself, "We can't get out now, so we can only pretend that Fording is in contact with those mercenaries. As long as we don't get caught, we can escape when we have free time."
She wanted to conceal the fact that the body manipulator had changed. Impersonating Fording wasn't difficult; her senses were connected to Fording's Fording, and she knew his habits inside and out, enough to achieve a perfect imitation.
The thought of Han Xiao, the culprit, made Morning Star feel terrible.
But once she could fool this guy, she would be free.
She's very confident in her acting skills; after all, she's a great artist!