When Sisko led reinforcements from his home Planet Avitan, the Number One Sorokin avatar had already destroyed more than twenty cities, causing heavy casualties. It was still causing havoc on the planet, giving Planet Avitan's surface a makeover.
The warp beams of the mothership fleet, trailing long fiery tails, came to a stop in the outer space of Planet Avitan. Sisko flew out of his vehicle, his body floating at the forefront of the fleet, looking down at the ravaged planetary surface, his eyes blazing with boundless fury.
Normal Star Pupil Protoss have four arms, three eyes, and smooth, dark blue skin. Their internal organs are quite different from those of humans; they have two brains and five hearts. They don't have any fatal weaknesses. Under the influence of the Evolution Cube, their genes are excellent, and their skeletons, muscles, and blood vessels have all been optimized, making them extremely strong. Although they are not rare cosmic species, ordinary Star Pupil Protoss can barely survive in the universe with their physical bodies.
Sisko's appearance differed greatly from his race. He had awakened his ancestral genes, making him even more ferocious. He had seven eyes on his face, with six secondary eyes arranged in a diamond shape around the largest primary eye in the center. His pupils were like jet-black gems, shimmering with endless stars, as if they contained a galaxy.
He had a thick head of long white hair, but it wasn't real hair; instead, it consisted of countless tiny, hair-like sensory tentacles. On his forehead grew a pair of straight, snow-white horns made of jade. His shoulders, chest, elbows, knees, and back were covered with naturally growing white exoskeletons, resembling a simple suit of bone armor. His dark blue skin was covered with strange, deep purple patterns, and three pairs of bony limbs resembling jet pipes grew from his back, which, when spread out, looked like wing bones without wing membranes.
Of course, as a leader of a civilization, Sisko did not have the habit of streaking; he wore a magnificent robe tailored to his needs.
The next moment, Sisko swooped down to the ground. The Number One Sorokin avatar sensed this and stopped in a wasteland, looking up as Sisko landed in front of it.
"Sorokin, I know you can hear me. You've thrown your clone into my territory, are you trying to make an enemy of me?" Sisko's tone was chilling.
He had traveled to other star systems and knew the names of all the Beyond Grade A in the Galaxy in great detail. He had long recognized this as an avatar of the Sorokin.
The red dots on the face of the Number One Sorokin's avatar glowed brighter, and the main consciousness descended, controlling the avatar to communicate telepathically, and said with a faint smile, "You know why I've come."
"Do you think you can definitely steal my treasure just by luring me out?" Sisko said coldly, directly exposing the Sorokin's intentions.
As the leader of the civilization, his reaction was naturally swift. A notorious Beyond Grade A thug who roamed the Central Galaxy suddenly appearing in the Shattered Star Ring and causing chaos on his territory was certainly not for fun. The Evolution Cube in his possession was coveted by countless people. When Sisko saw the news on his home planet, he understood the Sorokin's intentions; the other party could only have come for the Evolution Cube.
Even though he knew this was a diversionary tactic, he had no choice. If he didn't come, no one could stop the Beyond Grade A Sorokin's avatar from destroying Planet Avitan.
"No matter how powerful a person is, as long as they have attachments, they will always have weaknesses." The Number One Sorokin avatar laughed faintly.
What's the point of being strong if there's nothing worth persisting in?
Sisko's seven eyes narrowed simultaneously, and a powerful surge of mental energy rose into the sky. His voice became majestic, solemn, and ancient, as if filling the entire world.
"I can't ignore your trap, but as long as I take you out quickly, it'll be pointless to distract you!"
Rumble--
As soon as he finished speaking, the Number One Sorokin clone threw out both fists, unleashing a devastating black-red energy wave. The earth cracked and shattered, and the landmass, riddled with holes, began to tremble violently and gradually tear apart.
Superpower: Destruction Dark Energy!
Sisko ignored the approaching energy wave like a tsunami, his seven eyes simultaneously emitting spiritual light, and invisible mental power rose up, transforming into countless needles to meet it.
BOOM!!
The energy wave exploded like fireworks, dazzling yet fraught with immense danger. The escaping energy blasted deep trenches into the earth, turning even the soil into dust in its wake.
hiss hiss hiss--
The telekinetic energy pierced through the Destruction Dark Energy, striking the Number One Sorokin clone. Its body suddenly exploded, scattering into a cloud of black mist. Within the black mist, a red dot flickered incessantly; this was the core of the Sorokin clone.
The next moment, the black mist re-condensed at the core of the red dot, reverting to the appearance of the clone, but much thinner.
Sisko's psychic power was precisely designed to inflict maximum damage on the core of the Sorokin's clone. Even the Sorokin's clone couldn't withstand the power of Beyond Grade A rank, let alone the fact that he had already consumed a considerable amount of energy.
Thump thump thump--
The moment the two clashed, it was like a thunderbolt striking the earth. Their battle, a clash between Beyond Grade A beings, caused the heavens and the earth to tremble. This was mainly because the Sorokin's clone disregarded destruction and fought with wild, sweeping movements, as if the plug had been pulled from a reservoir, allowing energy to surge out like a flood.
However, Sisko's abilities will not cause much of a ripple effect. Although the Sorokin clones seem impressive, they are actually no match for Sisko.
After all, it's just a clone, and can't compare to a true Beyond Grade A powerhouse with a full set of skills and specialties.
Bang!
After several minutes of fierce fighting, the Number One Sorokin clone was destroyed once again. It barely managed to reform and could barely maintain its shape. The red dot core flickered, as if it might go out at any moment.
Just as Sisko was about to press his advantage and eliminate the clone in one fell swoop, he suddenly sensed the appearance of a new Beyond Grade A energy source and abruptly looked up at the sky.
Just now, the Number Three Sorokin avatar, which had been lying in ambush outside Planet Avitan, finally appeared and is now launching a massive attack on the support fleet that is lingering in outer space.
"With just one clone, I certainly can't stop you," the Sorokin's consciousness controlled the Number One clone to speak. "But if there are two of them, they can hold you off for a short time, but if they destroy your fleet, you won't have a vehicle and won't be able to quickly return to your home planet."
"You talk too much nonsense!" Sisko's eyes narrowed. Not wanting to waste time talking, he directly used his telekinesis to rub the Number One Sorokin clone into the ground.
In fact, Sisko wasn't panicked. He wasn't too worried about the theft of the Evolution Cube. He figured the Sorokin only knew that the Evolution Cube Evolution Cube was a Universal Treasure, but probably didn't know what kind of item it actually was.
The Evolution Cube is very strange and huge. He has studied it for so long but cannot carry it with him. Unless forcibly taken, it is unlikely to be stolen. He dared to temporarily leave his home planet to provide support because he was confident in this.
Of course, Sisko also didn't know the Sorokin's true trump card.
The home planet of the Star Pupil Protoss.
While Sisko was entangled with his two clones, the Number Two Sorokin clone finally made its move, using its regional teleportation ability to instantly teleport Eklin, Orosen, and others to the location where the Evolution Cube were stored.
Glare!
An incredibly blinding light!
Once everyone's eyes had adjusted to the blinding light, they began to look around.
This was a strange space, filled with a viscous, incandescent liquid on all sides, isolated from the outside by a pale green protective shield released by the Number Two Sorokin avatar.
"Where is this place?" Orosen asked curiously.
"The outer core of the Star Pupil Protoss's home planet," the Number Two Sorokin avatar said calmly.
The Evolution Cube was hidden by Sisko within the Planet Core of their home planet, covered by Sisko's psychic barrier, which shielded it from most detection and perception capabilities. If the Evolutionary Civilization hadn't recorded the method for locating the Evolution Cube, the Sorokin avatar wouldn't have been able to teleport directly to its destination.
The Number Two Sorokin avatar identified the situation and used its psychic abilities to dissolve the barrier left by Sisko, removing the illusion.
The next moment, an enormous, metallic object appeared out of thin air before everyone's eyes.
The size of the object was unknown to the group; all they knew was that they could only see one plane of the Evolution Cube, and they couldn't see the end of that plane at all.
"This thing is huge." Eklin's pupils contracted.
Orosen looked on with curiosity and reached out to touch the Evolution Cube, but he couldn't feel anything solid. His palm went into the cube without any resistance, as if the Evolution Cube was just a projection without any substance.
The Evolution Cube has a strange material form, existing somewhere between matter and energy, and cannot be touched in a conventional way.
"The data shows that as long as a person walks into the Evolution Cube, they will evolve inside. This is the simplest way to use it." Orosen was eager to try it out.
Eklin was also tempted, but remembering the mission, he snapped, "Don't waste time, quickly use the equipment to contain it and the Tu Shu!"
The group quickly took out a palm-sized silver cube and handed it to Eklin.
This is an Evolution Cube accessory device created by the Sorokin based on the data left behind by the Evolutionary Civilization. It is like a water container, and its only purpose is to hold the huge Evolution Cube so that it can be carried around.
This is a special technology of the Evolutionary Civilization, which has long been lost. Only the Sorokin who possess the information about this civilization can create such a device!
Without this device, stealing the Evolution Cube would be an almost impossible task.
Eklin lifted the silver cube and activated it.
Bite!
The silver cube suddenly lit up with a soft, shimmering light.
The enormous Evolution Cube seemed to sense something, and suddenly trembled, its surface resonating with some kind of particle resonance. The next moment, a black beam of light suddenly shot out from the plane of the Evolution Cube facing everyone, connecting to the silver cube like a pipe.
Next, the Evolution Cube began to transform itself into a pure energy form, and slowly "stuffed" itself into the silver cube through the established pipes, as if it had finally found a home.
The external Evolution Cube gradually shrank in size, and the silver cube seemed to have a straw inserted into it, leisurely drinking the Evolution Cube.
Seeing that the device was working correctly, Eklin breathed a sigh of relief. "The containment process should take a few minutes; we have plenty of time."
As soon as they finished speaking, countless pale white orbs of light suddenly appeared at the edge of their vision, rushing towards them at high speed. If they weren't all superhumans with exceptional eyesight, they would have been completely unable to spot these inconspicuous orbs of light amidst the bright light.
"What are those orbs of light?!" Eklin's expression changed, and a huge sense of alarm rose in his heart.
The Number Two Sorokin avatar suddenly spoke, "Sisko did indeed have a backup plan. This is all his activated psychic power. Each orb of light is equivalent to a Beyond Grade A psychic attack. This is a means to protect the Evolution Cube and will attack all intruders. You all focus on containing the Evolution Cube; I'll hold off this activated psychic power!"
Each of these activated psychic orbs is as powerful as the one-time psychic weapon Han Xiao endured. At this moment, more orbs are appearing continuously, seemingly endless, swarming towards this group of people.
The Number Two Sorokin's avatar deployed an invisible mental shield, enveloping everyone.
Bang bang bang!
One after another, the activated psychic energy orbs crashed into it, like Rainstorm downpour hitting a lake, creating countless ripples on the surface of the mental shield.
The red dot core of the Number Two Sorokin clone dimmed at a visible rate, its energy being consumed rapidly as it withstood so many Beyond Grade A psychic attacks.
"Hurry... hurry..."
Everyone was extremely anxious, staring intently as the silver cube slowly sipped the Evolution Cube through the straw, as if drinking milk, wishing they could just crumple the Evolution Cube into a ball and stuff it in.
They knew very well that if the Sorokin's avatar couldn't hold on, they would be doomed.
The waiting time felt like an eternity. Fortunately, although the Evolution Cube's form was strange, it was a single entity. Once the silver cube absorbed enough of the Evolution Cube's volume, it began to exert a tremendous attraction on the remaining parts, and the absorption speed increased dramatically, becoming faster and faster.
Finally, the last Evolution Cube was converted into energy and stuffed into the silver cube. The containment was finally complete, and the silver cube had turned jet black.
This is the fully Evolution Cube!
"It's done!" Eklin exclaimed hastily.
"Go!" The Number Two Sorokin avatar could no longer hold on. Using its last bit of energy, it teleported Eklin and the others back to the spaceship, and then hurriedly severed the teleportation portal.
The next moment, the clone could no longer maintain its shield and was engulfed by the endless stream of activated psychic energy orbs, and was directly destroyed.
But his mission was complete: to protect his men until they stole the Evolution Cube.
The clones have limited energy, and only by relying on these subordinates can they traverse the Desolate Universe Belt and bring the items back to the Fallen Ark. The true form of the Sorokin dares not leave the Central Galaxy at will, as the three major cosmic civilizations are always watching him. If the true form were to act, this operation would be impossible to conceal, and things would become even more troublesome.
Eklin and the others were teleported back to the spaceship in a flash. Before they could even speak, they were drawn to the spaceship's beeping alarm.
"Damn it, our ship has been discovered! The Star Pupil Protoss's homeworld has sent a fleet to attack us!"
Everyone's expression changed.
The three "Light Fox" ships were surrounded by a large number of Star Pupil Protoss warships, and their shields were being bombarded by light cannons.
Sisko sensed their theft of the Evolution Cube and immediately ordered the army stationed on their home planet to conduct a thorough search of the surrounding space. Since the Number Two Sorokin avatar was destroyed, the three ships lost their concealment barrier and were finally discovered by the Star Pupil Protoss, who immediately launched a fleet attack.
"Run!"
Eklin, without bothering to observe the Evolution Cube, hurriedly piloted his spaceship to evade the attack.
The three spaceships fled in different directions, and soon one of them was destroyed in mid-air.
The remaining two spaceships, relying on their powerful engines, managed to escape at the last minute through high-speed warp, though their hulls were severely damaged and their external armor was riddled with holes.
Eklin was panting heavily until he entered warp mode, at which point his tense body finally relaxed.
"We've escaped. At our speed, the enemy can't catch us."
Eklin said in a deep voice, "Initiate the spaceship's self-check and assess the damage."
The spaceship's AI responded intermittently.
"Buzz... Self-checking in progress... 63% hull damage, shield generator nearly destroyed, energy reactor moderately damaged, power output reduced by 42%... Buzz... Cluster thrusters 38% damaged, engines four and six nearing failure, automatic repair system malfunctioned... Immediate repairs recommended. The ship's current condition cannot sustain prolonged jump travel."
Orosen grinned, "Stealing a Beyond Grade A item, that's really exciting."
"Regardless, we've got the goods."
Eklin glanced at the Evolution Cube, which had shrunk to the size of a palm. "The spaceship is currently unable to travel across star systems. We just need to find a safe place to repair the ship, and then we can go back and report."
"Hmm, I know a planet where we can repair spaceships. It's not controlled by any civilization, so it's very safe. Plus, it's located on the edge of the Shattered Star Ring. If we repair the spaceship there, we can leave this star system along the way. I escaped from the Shattered Star Ring from there sixty years ago," Orosen mused.
Upon hearing the name of the planet, Eklin checked the star map and nodded.
"Okay, that place is far from the Star Pupil Protoss. We can use our speed to shake off our pursuers for a long distance, which will give us enough time to repair our spaceship."
Only after the spaceship was repaired would they dare to travel across star systems; otherwise, if the spaceship malfunctioned in the Desolate Universe Belt between star systems, they would be helpless.
The "Light Fox" spaceship immediately changed direction and disappeared into the other side of the universe as a streak of light.
Planet Avitan.
The last Sorokin's avatar was destroyed, turning into a cloud of black mist and dissipating.
Sisko withdrew his telekinetic energy, dusted off his clothes, looked up at the sky, and stared intently.
"They really stole the Evolution Cube Evolution Cube. I didn't expect the Sorokin to have such detailed information about it. We miscalculated..."
The three Sorokin clones were equivalent to three Beyond Grade A beings working together, while he was only one person and couldn't manage to be in multiple places at once. It was understandable that the Sorokin succeeded in attacking him, which was quite helpless.
This is also what makes the Sorokin so troublesome.
Sisko, however, remained calm and did not become enraged. He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Although you succeeded, don't think you can take the Evolution Cube from me so easily."
Although Sisko didn't have the instruction manual for the Evolution Cube Evolution Cube, he had figured it out over the years, much like Austin had control over the Palace of Hidden Spells. Sisko had been guarding the Evolution Cube Evolution Cube so many years that he had practically turned it into his own "magic weapon."
He established a mental connection with the Evolution Cube, allowing him to remotely borrow Evolution Cube to enhance his psychic abilities even when Evolution Cube wasn't physically present.
At the same time, he left his mark on the Evolution Cube, so that he could sense the location of the Evolution Cube even when it was far away.
In his perception, the coordinates of the Evolution Cube were moving rapidly, marking the coordinates of Eklin and his group.
You think you can just steal something and run away?
It's not that easy!
Sisko tapped his forehead with his finger, telepathically communicating with his subordinates.
"Get me the fastest spaceship; I'm going after those thieves!"