A few minutes ago, the Shining Silver Arm appeared on the home planet of the Arcane Church.
Inside the Round Table Hall, the bishops gathered again, sitting in their respective places, eyes closed in rest.
In the Arcane Church sect, divine and royal authority are unified, and faith and politics are inseparable. The bishops' conference holds enormous power, and each bishop's robes are extremely luxurious, with different styles, colors, and patterns, representing the faith faction that each bishop is responsible for.
This operation had a significant impact, so the bishops' conference personally oversaw its implementation.
Some time has passed since the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter deployed the fleet. The Arcane Church lacks a quantum network communication network in the Shattered World and requires special methods to send back messages. Therefore, the Bishop Council is still waiting for good news from Sagman and the others.
A bishop checked the time and nodded, saying, "They should have succeeded."
"It's almost time, but why haven't we heard anything yet?" another bishop wondered.
"They're probably tallying up the profits."
Someone started a conversation, and the others whispered among themselves, remaining calm and not believing that anything unexpected would happen during the operation.
In their view, this collaboration between the Arcane Church and the Federation of Light utilized two Universal Treasure — the Scepter of All Gods the Pantheon and the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter —along with the support of Sorokin. Their fleet was more than twice the size of the Lighthouse Star Guardians, and their Beyond Grade A combat power was seven to three. Although the enemy had Milizaus, one of the three pillars of the Empire, their side possessed the outstanding "Photon" Sagman and "Divine Spell" Ninja, as well as the infamous Sorokin. Their quality and quantity far surpassed their opponent's, giving them a comprehensive advantage. There was simply no reason for them to fail.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened.
The dome of the round table conference hall was very high, and the door was also ten meters high. It was pure white, and its texture was not like metal, but rather like smooth and warm white jade. However, there were no gaps in the door, just like a wall. At this moment, the white door turned into foam from the center line and contracted to both sides, making a gurgling sound, like liquid churning. But it did not open completely, only revealing a two-meter-wide gap. A figure walked into the room with his back to the light, and the gap closed behind him.
The bishops stopped their conversation, stood up, bowed respectfully to the man, and performed a gesture of respect.
"Your Excellency, Headmaster."
This person is the supreme leader of the Arcane Church. The title "Cult Leader" is merely a common interstellar term. In the language of the Arcane Church, the title of the Cult Leader is "Osomida Trin," which means "Preaching Shepherd Holy Spirit."
The head coach grunted and walked to the main seat, which was a floating white sphere. He sat down, and the sphere seemed to sink in as if it were soft, automatically adjusting to his body shape and becoming the most suitable seat for him.
The bishops then took their seats, and seeing that the papacy had only come to wait for news and showed no intention of speaking, they did not continue the discussion.
After a while, points of light suddenly appeared in the center of the round table, converging to form a remote projection of the fleet commander—the fleet had finally sent out battle reports.
The fleet commander saluted, his face stiff. "Your Holiness, fellow bishops... the battle is over, we are withdrawing."
"Yes, bring back the Evolution Cube. We will send troops to meet you." A rather impatient bishop spoke directly.
Upon hearing this, the fleet commander opened his mouth, looking embarrassed and unable to speak.
Seeing this, everyone was puzzled. The commander sent out this time was also an elite member of the military, so why was he being so hesitant?
"Did something happen to you?" someone asked.
"... Yes, we failed in our mission; the operation was a failure," the fleet commander replied, forcing a smile.
The higher-ups had used so many resources to give them a huge advantage, yet despite all the favorable circumstances, they hadn't even completed a single task assigned by them. Not only that, but they had also lost a Beyond Grade A. The commander felt utterly humiliated, and he knew that his future was probably over.
"Failed?!" The bishops were immediately in an uproar, their anger rising. "With so many resources and such a huge advantage, how could you fail? You might as well just kill yourself!"
"Tell me the specifics. How exactly did you fail? We gave you two tasks: to steal the Evolution Cube and to kill Milizaus and other Imperial Beyond Grade A. You didn't fail to complete either one, did you?"
"... Yes, we failed to defeat Black Star and his two companions, failed to seize the Evolution Cube, and failed to kill or capture any Imperial Beyond Grade A..."
The bishops' faces twitched. They failed to snatch the Evolution Cube. Okay, after all, Black Star had neutralized Sisko's Beyond Grade A connection, so failure wasn't impossible. But even if they couldn't meet that minimum requirement, did they think they were cooperating with the Federation of Light and spending a fortune to borrow the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter just to send them there for a trip?!
One of the bishops couldn't help but question, "You brought the Scepter of All Gods this time, how come you couldn't even kill a Beyond Grade A? Didn't Sagman and the others use it?"
"No, they used..."
"How did it get like this?"
"It's Black Star! Sagman and the others originally used the Scepter of All Gods to severely injure Milizaus, but Black Star somehow managed to block the attack Scepter of All Gods!"
The bishops frowned immediately. The Scepter of All Gods wasn't undefendable, but most attacks could be penetrated by it. They had reviewed Black Star 'Black Star intelligence and understood his capabilities so far; he didn't seem to possess the means to block the Scepter of All Gods. Moreover, this was the first time the Scepter of All Gods had been used against him. Before this, Black Star didn't know the nature of the Scepter of All Gods's attacks, nor did he know they were going to use this weapon, so it was unlikely he had taken any precautions beforehand.
"There's one more thing... The Scepter of All Gods has been sealed by Black Star using unknown methods, and Sagman and the others say they can't break it. Here are the details..." As he spoke, the fleet commander pressed a button on the communicator, showing everyone the current state of the Scepter of All Gods.
The bishops' expressions changed. The Scepter of All Gods was their ultimate weapon for deterring Beyond Grade A, yet it had been sealed with some kind of substance, preventing any energy from penetrating it... Even Beyond Grade A mages couldn't neutralize it. What kind of strange substance was this?
A bishop, suppressing his anger, said in a deep voice, "Useless. Bring the Scepter of All Gods back for study."
At this moment, another person tapped on the table and questioned, "The Scepter of All Gods is unusable, but you still have seven Beyond Grade A who are capable of dealing with the enemy. Why retreat if the mission wasn't completed?"
The fleet commander's face was grim. He gritted his teeth and said, "Gentlemen, the enemy has more than three Beyond Grade A enemies. We didn't know beforehand. It turns out Black Star secretly cooperated with Austin. He's been waiting near Lighthouse Star and intervened in this battle. The Sorokin was bribed by Black Star and deserted, taking his troops with him. Dilun was also captured by Black Star. If this continues, the Empire's reinforcements will arrive soon. We are forced to retreat..."
After listening to the fleet commander's hasty description of the battle's process and outcome, the bishops could no longer sit still; their faces turned ashen, and they were filled with shock and rage.
The operation failed, which was frustrating enough, but not only did you fail to complete the mission, but you also lost a Beyond Grade A enemy while outnumbered?!
A bunch of useless trash!
If it weren't for saving face for the Beyond Grade A, several bishops would have almost cursed out loud.
At this moment, the leader, who had been listening silently, spoke up, his face expressionless.
"Dispatch troops to reinforce the Shattered Star Ring, prevent the Empire from destroying our local stargate stations, ensure the safe return of Sagman and his group to the Central Galaxy, and send reinforcements to prevent the Crimson Dynasty from intercepting them en route. At the same time, strengthen the border defenses of the Shining Silver Arm to prevent a retaliatory counterattack from the Empire, and notify all stationed forces in each star system to enter a state of military alert."
After saying this, the papacye stood up and left in a huff. Although he did not show any emotion on his face, the members of the bishops' conference knew his personality well and were probably extremely angry inside.
At the same time, the Federation of Light also received the news.
"The Arcane Church has failed?"
President Bader was somewhat taken aback. He glanced through the intelligence report and narrowed his eyes.
"I really didn't expect this..." The chief council elder tapped his cane, his tone strange, "Under these circumstances, the Arcane Church was actually repelled by Lighthouse Star. Aren't they utterly useless?"
Bader didn't answer, but instead swiped his finger across the virtual screen, bringing up Black Star's information. He slowly said, "Rather than saying the Arcane Church was repelled by the Lighthouse Star Guardians, it's more accurate to say they were defeated by Black Star. Tarrokov is a renowned commander of the Crimson Dynasty, skilled in defense. With less than half the enemy's fleet, he was able to hold out for a while, which isn't surprising. The real breakthrough was on the Beyond Grade A battlefield. Black Star turned the tide, which triggered the entire shift in the situation."
"The Arcane Church lost a Beyond Grade A, tsk tsk... they've really suffered a huge loss this time." The chief council elder gloated.
Bader smiled faintly. Although he was cooperating with the Arcane Church, he was actually hoping for a mutually destructive outcome. No matter how the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church fought, the Federation of Light would still benefit.
After all, they didn't send troops; they only lent out the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter once. Even if the Empire wanted to retaliate, it would mainly target the Arcane Church and wouldn't do anything too extreme to the Federation of Light.
"Your Excellency, what are your plans next?"
Bader clasped his hands together, rested his chin on them, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "The Crimson Dynasty will not easily let this Arcane Church raiding squad go... Mobilize our forces and allies in the Shattered Star Ring to intervene in the Empire's subsequent pursuit."
"Are you planning to help the Arcane Church escape back?"
"No, our cooperation with the Arcane Church was limited to borrowing the teleporter; it was just a transaction. And now that the transaction is over, there's no need to continue the cooperation..." Bader's eyes flashed. "Help the Empire intercept the Arcane Church fleet!"
The chief council elder shook his head helplessly.
That's awful, they betrayed their partners right away... But they and the Arcane Church were never allies; they were just taking advantage of the Empire's exploration of the Shattered World to target the Empire together. The three great cosmic civilizations have always been rivals. They cooperate when there's profit to be made, and fight each other openly and covertly when there isn't. Everyone's used to it.
The chief council elder recalled something and chuckled, "Speaking of which, the biggest winner this time seems to be the Sorokin."
"I don't think so. It's just a chance to use an Evolution Cube. What's the big deal?"
Bader shifted his gaze to Han Xiao's file and slowly said, "The Arcane Church is in the wrong, and the Empire will definitely issue a statement on this matter. Then Black Star's achievements in this battle will spread throughout the entire universe. Killing or capturing Beyond Grade A opponent of the same level has a completely different deterrent effect. Moreover, this time the Arcane Church was mainly targeting him, but he forced them to retreat, which is equivalent to stepping on the Arcane Church to rise to power. His influence will experience a surge. Not only that, he made a huge contribution in this battle, and his status in the Empire will be greatly improved, gaining him more say... Black Star is the biggest winner this time."
The battle had just ended, and as the high-ranking officials of the Three Universal Civilizations were receiving the battle report, Han Xiao flew into a Black Star Army warship, instructing Phillip to tally the losses and to gather the officers.
The Black Star Army didn't leave many fleets on Lighthouse Star; the Imperial Fleet was the main force during battles, so the loss of warships wasn't significant. On the contrary, all the Royal Guard officers, who were Calamity Grade, were deployed, and it's unknown whether they suffered any losses.
Upon entering the cabin, Aurora was already waiting there. As soon as she saw Han Xiao, she pounced on him, dribbling and charging at him.
Aurora stood on tiptoe and hugged him, her arms tightly wrapped around Han Xiao's waist.
"I'm so glad you're alright, I was so worried!" Aurora, still shaken. She buried her head in Han Xiao 'Han Xiao arms, nuzzling him as if she wanted to burrow into his eight-pack abs.
As Han Xiao smelled Aurora's fresh scent, his tense nerves gradually relaxed.
Facing seven Beyond Grade A simultaneously was extremely dangerous. Not only was he being beaten, but he was also constantly enduring the pain of advancing. Only when he relaxed did he feel a wave of fatigue. His body ached slightly, and the pain of the advancement transformation had not completely disappeared.
Looking down at Aurora and feeling her soft touch in his arms, Han Xiao felt much more at ease. He raised his hand and gently rubbed Aurora's head; her smooth hair felt incredibly silky to the touch.
"Where's your sister? Is she alright?"
"Yes, I transferred life force to her several times, and she's still alive."
Just then, the hatch opened again, Hila led a group of guards in. Everyone was injured, but no one was dead. This was all thanks to the life-saving potions made by Aurora. Each guard was equipped with some Aurora Potion, and their effects were so strong that they were enough to save the lives of these Calamity Grade guards.
Aurora her head and peeked through the gap in Han Xiao's arm. She saw that Hila was injured and bleeding. She quickly broke free from Han Xiao's embrace and ran over to her.
"Oh, sister, you're injured. Let me treat you."
Hila waved her hand in refusal, saying calmly, "The battle is over. This minor injury will heal in a while. Don't waste your life force."
As she spoke, she turned to look at the guards behind her, "None of you are allowed to use... well, except for Fording."
Hadavy and the others had been hoping Aurora would give them some milk, but after hearing Hila's words, they had no choice but to give up.
Why am I an exception?
Fording looked helpless and pointed to his head. "Don't get me wrong, Morning Star told me to ask."
"Black Star said you're lucky, so we get to mooch off you whenever we want," Hila said truthfully.
Then, Hila turned to look at Han Xiao, looked him up and down, and seeing that he was not missing any limbs, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her red lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing and just nodded in greeting.
At that moment, Hadavy suddenly asked, "I just heard you captured a Beyond Grade A, where is he?"
Upon hearing this, everyone became curious. It was the first time their legion commander had defeated a Beyond Grade A prisoner in a direct confrontation, and they all wanted to see the Beyond Grade A prisoner.
Han Xiao smiled and had the mechanical troops bring Dilun in. Dilun was completely bound by machinery, like a steel mummy, with only his face showing.
This restraint was insufficient to limit the actions of Beyond Grade A, but Dilun knew he had been abandoned, trapped in enemy territory, with his teammates fleeing. Resistance was pointless, so he had no choice but to accept his fate and become a prisoner.
The guards crowded around to look him over, commenting and gossiping about him.
He was defeated in one move; he's so weak.
"Can't you speak properly? It's clearly because the legion commander is too strong!" Hadavy roared.
"Yes, yes, you're so insightful!"
Dilun's face was grim. A dignified Beyond Grade A being treated like an animal on display, he couldn't help but want to use his superpower to teach these Calamity Grade a lesson.
Even if a tiger has fallen into the plains, it's not their place to humiliate it!
"You want to resist?" Han Xiao sensed the energy fluctuations and his expression turned hostile.
"Get your men out of here!" Dilun growled. "Don't think you can humiliate me just because you've captured me. Even if you control them, I can easily take them down."
"Oh, you've reminded me. Tying you up like this still doesn't seem safe enough."
Han Xiao smirked, took out the Space-Time Amber, and with a flick of his other finger, made Dilun levitate in mid-air.
Knowing the effects of this contraption, the guards all wore mocking expressions and stepped back.
Seeing the amused expressions on everyone's faces, Dilun suddenly had a bad feeling and asked warily, "What do you want to do?"
"Don't worry, you're already a prisoner. I won't harm you; I'll protect you."
Han Xiao chuckled, "Trust me, I will absolutely not let you get hurt."
After activating the Space-Time Amber, the frozen area finally enveloped Dilun completely. Han Xiao immediately cut off the energy supply— Dilun was now a prisoner and had enough time to create the amber sphere.
The next moment, the mutated spacetime materialized, and the amber sphere instantly took shape, freezing Dilun inside. His surprised and uncertain expression froze.
"That way we won't have to waste manpower watching over it," Han Xiao chuckled.
Hadavy tapped the amber ball and chuckled, "Can you easily kill me now?"
Dilun was frozen in place, but still retained his ability to perceive and think about the outside world. He was shocked to find that his body could not move.
So this is the power that seals the Scepter of All Gods? This isn't Black Star's own power!
Besides the Evolution Cube, does Black Star possess another Universal Treasure?!
After teasing the immobilized Dilun for a while, the guards dispersed. After a fierce battle, everyone was exhausted and went back to rest.
After watching everyone leave, Han Xiao's smile faded, and he opened the control panel.
Only now does he have time to tally the losses and gains of this battle.