The Noriosse Financial Group doesn't want to provoke either side, but it won't completely give in to their demands either. This move might cause conflict with Goddora again, but it's not that serious. It's a matter of degree. A little conflict is within acceptable limits. They are very flexible in their approach.
The consortium also intends to demand compensation from Goddora. The first reason is that important personnel from DarkStar have died, Goddora has gained an advantage, making it easier for them to compromise on other issues. The most important reason is that DarkStar is unlikely to pay compensation, while Goddora is a legitimate civilization and an orderly regime, which can be understood as a "good person" in a broad sense, and good people will abide by the rules.
Nagokin wanted to persuade him further, but Han Xiao reached out and stopped him, so he stopped talking.
Han Xiao had already realized that the conglomerate would not back down on this point, so he had no choice but to abandon the plan to besiege Ashes. The previous disguise and enticement had failed, which he found a bit of a pity. However, the situation was changing rapidly, and he was used to this feeling. Not many things could develop exactly as idealized.
"Since a fight isn't going to break out, this mission is pretty much over, and I won't be Pursuit anymore," Han Xiao thought to himself.
Looking up at the sky, a dark cloud hovered overhead, revealing the silhouette of Ashes. He had finally returned.
Ashes looked down at the devastated battlefield through the protective shield, his face filled with shock. After scanning the area, he suddenly noticed Anur's corpse, and his gaze was fixed on it. The shock on his face turned into horror!
"Perhaps bringing the Ashes back wouldn't be entirely useless; letting him see Anur's corpse with his own eyes would shock him and leave him with psychological trauma."
A few minutes ago.
Ashes remembered Anur's instructions and rushed to the battlefield, eager to join the fight and make up for his failure in the mission.
"With the mentor's speed, no enemy can escape his clutches, and Black Star can no longer run away as before. This time, we can finally eliminate him completely."
As the Ashes crossed his mind, he felt a surge of anticipation and exhilaration, his speed reaching 700 miles per hour, his heart filled with freedom.
However, the scene that unfolded before him was completely different from what he had expected. To his utter surprise, his mentor, whom he thought could never be defeated by the book, had not only lost but had even been killed in battle!
The moment Ash saw Anur's body, Ashes, a chill running down his spine and into his brain, turning into unbelievable fear.
Anur... how could he have been killed!
Ashes immediately took out his communicator and dialed Anur's number.
Beep beep beep...
The few seconds of waiting felt incredibly long. When the call connected, the screen displayed an image, but it wasn't the Anur he was expecting; instead, it was Han Xiao's face, accompanied by deafening laughter.
"Surprised? Unexpected?!"
Ashes exclaimed in shock, "How could it be you!"
"Oh, you don't like handsome guys?" Han Xiao chuckled, pressed his cheek, transforming into Anur's appearance, and mischievously blew a kiss. "How about this one then?"
Click!
The screen cracked.
Ashes nearly crushed the communicator, overwhelmed with shock and anger, his last glimmer of hope extinguished.
Anur is really dead!
A mix of emotions surged through me: disbelief, anger, panic, confusion...
His remaining rationality reminded him of his current predicament—if the other side could kill Anur, he would also be in danger.
"I'm the only one left. I can't stay and fight any longer. I can't let the whole army be wiped out here!"
Ashes his teeth, stepped on the black clouds and fled in panic, moving at lightning speed.
The situation here had to be reported. While fleeing, he contacted the DarkStar leadership and informed them of Anur's death in battle. This news immediately caused an explosive sensation within the DarkStar leadership.
The DarkStar leadership was expecting good news of the mission's success, but instead received devastating news.
No one expected that Anur would die in this operation, which was supposed to be a sure thing. The deployment of two Calamity Grade at once had made all the high-ranking officers feel that the mission was a sure thing when it was assigned. This news completely threw them into disarray.
The DarkStar's combat strength has been constantly changing. At its peak, it had eight Calamity Grade powerhouses, with varying strengths. Anur was one of them and a veteran member of the organization. However, due to the fighting over the years, some died and others were injured. Today, only two of the eight remain, and Anur is one of them. Apart from these two veterans, the other Grade A combatants are all new recruits.
The loss of a veteran is an extremely heavy blow to DarkStar, and the rate at which high-level combat power can be replenished cannot keep up with the rate at which it is lost. Calamity Grade superhumans are already very scarce in the organization.
Less than a minute later, the DarkStar leadership issued an emergency order to Ashes.
"Abandon this mission and leave Noriosse immediately. The fleet will come to your aid. We have already lost an important member; we cannot afford to lose another!"
Originally, he was the one Pursuit, but now the roles had reversed, and Ashes was unwilling to accept it. However, the situation was beyond his control, so he could only endure it. He turned off his communicator and ran as fast as he could, not daring to delay for even a moment. He was on tenterhooks, worried that the enemy would catch up at any time, as if there were countless pursuers behind him.
In reality, Han Xiao and the others couldn't leave the protective shield, and Noriosse's people couldn't wait for Ashes to get out of there. Ashes didn't know that no one Pursuit him; they were all hoping he would leave. He was just scaring himself.
One hour later.
Buzzing--
The protective shield dissipated, the metal pillars disappeared into the ground, and Noriosse was released from quarantine.
This also means that the consortium has confirmed that the battle is over. They have monitored the DarkStar Fleet's appearance, its taking of Ashes, and its subsequent warp-out. This has relieved the consortium, as it is best to avoid conflict, even though there are thousands of escort warships in Noriosse' outer space.
With the Pursuit forces retreating, Han Xiao knew that Nagokin's mission was complete. He only needed to wait for Goddora. Killing Anur was already a great deal for him.
The battle is over, but the effects are only just beginning to take hold. The death of a DarkStar Grade A member will be taken very seriously by Goddora, and even the entire Shattered Star Ring will be paying attention to this news. Although countless people die every moment, people are different. The death of a Calamity Grade powerhouse with a sensitive identity is naturally more eye-catching than the deaths of tens of millions of ordinary people on countless planets who go unnoticed.
Moreover, since he used Ames's abilities, she herself would probably be very curious.
However, these are not the focus right now. Dealing with the Noriosse Financial Group is the problem that needs to be addressed immediately. After Han Xiao and the others escaped, they were asked to meet with the consortium's top executives as soon as possible.
The conglomerate is preparing to settle accounts later, mainly regarding compensation, and is demanding an explanation.