Kailo higher and higher.
call out--
While the other spectators were still in Tu Shu, Hunting Blade was the first to react. He suddenly jumped up and soared into the sky, catching up with Kailo, who had been knocked out of the arena. He scooped him up with both hands as if he were a chick, not giving Kailo a chance to shout "I will be back."
The two landed amidst a field littered with mechanical wreckage, raising a cloud of dust.
As soon as Hunting Blade released his grip, Kailo fell forward, one hand bracing himself against the ground while the other clutched his chest, coughing violently.
"Cough cough..."
Blood trickled from the corner of Kailo's mouth, and his face turned pale. Although he was wearing simple combat gear, the punch still caused him considerable damage.
However, he did possess a physique Calamity Grade. Even if he couldn't compare to a martial artist, he wouldn't be rendered incapacitated by a single blow. He only suffered a few broken bones and almost had a lung burst...
Although Han Xiao threw this punch without holding back, he also knew that Calamity Grade opponent protected by their Qi wouldn't be easily seriously injured. Moreover, this sparring was to be limited to a point; it was impossible to openly kill someone on the War Realm. Defeating his opponent openly and honestly was enough.
The virtual intrusion created an opportunity. Han Xiao has always been good at seizing opportunities and is very cautious. In order to avoid being caught off guard, he did not play tricks on Kailo, but directly Thunder knocked him away, thus securing the victory.
Kailo's injuries weren't too serious, and he still had the ability to continue fighting. However, he had been knocked out of the arena, and the machine he was controlling was temporarily paralyzed. Even if he could regain his fighting power after the system Restart, it was clear that he had been openly defeated by Black Star.
The battle is over, ending in his defeat.
"You..."
Kailo looked unwilling, clutched his chest and coughed a few more times, staring intently at Han Xiao, who had also landed not far away.
"Oh dear, that was close! I almost lost."
Han Xiao put away the Mad Ape, revealing his face, and shook his head with a tsk-tsk sound.
Bullshit! You're perfectly capable of handling it!
Many spectators were internally roaring with excitement.
Han Xiao glanced at the virtual intrusion interface. Time was running out, and the opponent's AI was about to Restart. He then looked around and said playfully, "You lost. With so many people watching, you're not going to renege on your debt, are you?"
Kailo noticed that all eyes were on him, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth, his mentality collapsing. He had a huge advantage in the arena, yet he was easily defeated by Black Star. This guy's fighting power was simply too strong...
The difference in their social status amplified the impact of his defeat.
Black Star is a current executive of Dragon Calm, but he himself is seen as a traitor by others. Now that the traitor has been defeated by Dragon Calm's people, it's a scene that the masses love to watch. Not to mention that he had just provoked Ames a few days ago, and today he was crushed by Black Star. With all these thoughts swirling in his mind, Kailo felt extremely ashamed.
Kailo instinctively looked in Ames's direction, only to find that Ames wasn't even looking at him, the loser, but was staring intently at Black Star, which made him feel even more upset and angry.
Outside the arena, in the "spectator stands," Ames let out a soft breath and revealed a relaxed smile.
Just as Black Star 'Thunder Strike sent Kailo, she felt all the pent-up frustration she had been holding in for the past few days vanish. With Han Xiao's punch, it all came out at once, and her mood instantly brightened.
For a moment, Ames found Han Xiao pleasing to the eye and kept staring at him intently.
As for Kailo, whom she had always "worried" about, Ames didn't want to look at him again. This traitor had become insignificant in her eyes, and she had already let him go in her heart.
"I've found someone better..."
"Ames murmured."
"The Dragon Emperor has really found a formidable opponent."
Not far away, Laifer sighed. He had only met Black Star a few days ago, and now Han Xiao's status in his heart had risen slightly.
If there's an opportunity in the future, perhaps we could outsource some sensitive missions to Black Star... Laifer pondered, the idea of hiring them arose. The Amethyst Civilization controls Colton, and the Black Star Army's base is also in Colton, so there's a natural basis for cooperation.
Rosoth rubbed the tentacles under his chin, remaining outwardly calm while thinking to himself, "I heard the Noriosse Financial Group invested in the Black Star Army. They certainly have potential... Hmm... seems worth investing in."
After socializing in the previous few days, he also got to know Black Star. Because the guests at the party were all very talented, he did not show any particular interest in Han Xiao at the time, but now he has the intention to invest.
The high-ranking official from Krent narrowed his eyes, a strange glint flashing across them, and suddenly spoke, "Black Star defeated the Tyrant in the War Realm. I wonder what Heber will do?"
The other two men's gazes sharpened.
Not far away, Mazaks and his Vanguard Officers were also pondering this question.
"Will His Excellency the Tyrant intervene?" someone frowned.
Mazaks shook his head and remained silent. "This is just a friendly spar, it shouldn't be..."
Kailo's defeat was a foregone conclusion. The Vanguard Officers, accustomed to battle, were not too surprised or shocked by the result, only expressing astonishment at the combat power displayed by Black Star.
Many Vanguard Officers were eager to try their luck and wanted to have a real fight with Han Xiao.
Their biggest concern right now is Heber's attitude.
Meanwhile, inside the palace.
"Your people lost."
Austin's tone was sarcastic.
"I have eyes." Heber frowned slightly, waved his hand, and said, "I'm not watching anymore, turn it off."
"Hey, aren't you going to respond?"
"There's no need." Heber wasn't angry. Since it was a fair duel and Black Star won fair and square, that was his skill.
Upon hearing this, Austin had no choice but to end the broadcast, and the two stopped paying attention to the matter.
The Tyrant did not intervene, and no one present thought that Heber was unaware of the matter. Seeing this, they understood that Heber had tacitly approved the outcome of the battle.
In the War Realm, the strong are respected, and when Kailo was openly defeated, everyone else felt humiliated.
Many spectators shook their heads and turned to leave. Mazaks and his companions looked disappointed, glared at Kailo, and then disappeared from the spot.
Knowing the outcome was already decided, Kailo's face darkened, and he remained silent.
"Don't forget our bet," Han Xiao kindly reminded him.
"... What kind of blueprints do you want!" Kailo gritted his teeth. The Tyrant must know about the bet, and if he reneges, he will be tarnishing the War Realm.
He had no choice but to reluctantly give up his beloved and fulfill Han Xiao's request.
"Let me think. I'll take that mechanical fortress and that giant mech you had before."
Han Xiao chuckled.
"Fine!" Kailo's face twitched, his heart bleeding.
Next, Han Xiao gave his requirements for three more blueprints. He had peeked into Kailo's weapons depot and found many items he liked, but Kailo hadn't used them all in the battle, so Han Xiao couldn't directly specify them.
As a virtual mechanic, although he cannot fuse certain exclusive machines for different job changes, the knowledge of Mechanic Class is the same. If he obtains the blueprint, he can learn it directly. After all, when gambling on blueprints, a combination of knowledge can result in dozens of blueprint possibilities. Job changes only prevent some of the blueprints from being fused. However, if he has the blueprint first, as long as his knowledge meets the requirements of the blueprint, he can manufacture the machine based on that blueprint.
"I'll give you the blueprints tomorrow. Don't worry about me defaulting on the payment; I'm trustworthy."
Kailo looked frustrated. He left without even bothering to clean up the place, and slunk away, not daring to look at Ames again.
Han Xiao didn't take it seriously and looked at the panel prompt:
[[Ames' Wrath] is complete!]
[You gained 15 million experience points and your reputation increased by 15]
[Dragon Calm faction relationship +2500]
[Ames's favorability +30, current relationship: [Close Friend]]
[Heber's favorability +2, current relationship: [indifferent]]
At this moment, Ames floated down beside Han Xiao with a smile on her face.
"Well played."
"I can't just stand by and watch you get bullied." Han Xiao chuckled and offered an excuse for his actions.
"I know."
Ames smiled faintly, a sudden wave of emotion washing over her.
--Since becoming Beyond Grade A, she hadn't experienced the feeling of being protected for a long time, and she never expected to feel that way again today.
Even though I'm much stronger than Black Star, he ended up avenging me... Ames chuckled inwardly.
Aurora at Han Xiao, then at Ames, tugged at Hila's sleeve, and whispered, "Sister..."
"What are you doing?" Hila indifferently, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
"N-nothing..." Aurora shrank back.
After retrieving their machinery and placing it into the Blacklight Stealth, Han Xiao and his group returned to their room.
The challenge went unpunished afterward, but thanks to word of mouth from the spectators, the entire party soon learned of the battle between Han Xiao and Kailo.
In the War Realm, Black Star fought for Ames, openly defeating Dragon Calm's former traitor on someone else's territory, and the Tyrant actually tacitly approved of it. This can be seen as Black Star getting revenge for Dragon Emperor, which has attracted a lot of attention.
The duel ended, and the day passed peacefully.
The formal gathering finally began the next day.
Everyone had been waiting for several days for today's formal gathering.
All the guests, dressed in their finest attire, gathered in the main hall of Heber's palace, which had been prepared as a banquet hall, with all sorts of novel and precious foods and drinks, and musicians waiting on the sidelines.
Not only the main hall, but almost half of the palace is used as a gathering place, all of which has been set up and is open to guests for free tour. There are also many private rooms upstairs for guests who wish to have private conversations.
The goal of this gathering is to invite figures from the top forces of the Shattered Star Ring to come here to discuss various topics, expand their networks, exchange feelings, share intelligence, and outline the development prospects of the Shattered Star Ring, etc. It serves a similar purpose to a social gathering, but is more serious, pragmatic, and high-end.
The guests were chatting amongst themselves, while Ames stood to the side, ignoring everyone. Hila and Aurora were with her, didn't know what to say in this setting, so they also remained silent.
Han Xiao socialized on behalf of Ames, and people would often approach him to chat with him in a very enthusiastic manner. While dealing with the guests, he observed the others and silently gathered information.
Before long, Heber, the organizer of the gathering, finally appeared. The room immediately fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and looked at Heber, waiting for him to speak.
"I'm so glad to see so many familiar faces again this time."
Heber looked around and said slowly, "I hope that this time, as always, everyone will have a fruitful experience. So... let the banquet begin."