In the Shattered World, the remnants of the Arcane Church were almost completely wiped out by the Empire, which seized a large number of spaceships and captured countless soldiers.
Motes and Heber fought fiercely, their battle raging until the sky darkened and the sun and moon disappeared. The two martial artists exchanged blows incessantly, their martial auras flying like sparks from clashing weapons. Their fists, imbued with explosive power, Heavy Strike each other's bodies repeatedly, sending ripples of impact through their muscles.
The Beyond Grade A martial artist embodied the true meaning of speed and power, moving like lightning and leaving endless afterimages. His superb close combat skills were a combination of strength and beauty. Milizaus and others rarely engaged in close combat, so watching from the sidelines was a delightful experience.
Finally, both men were exhausted and covered in wounds, their chests heaving violently. Heber was in better condition, his muscular arms like those of a strongman holding Motes firmly in place, and he brought him back to the spaceship.
Bang!
His heavy body was thrown onto the deck, and Motes, in a semi-conscious state, lay on the ground, unable to rise again.
Heber took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in his body, glanced around at everyone in the room, pointed to Motes at his feet, and said in a deep voice, "It's over."
Sparse applause rang out in the room. Tarrokov and the others clapped politely, their faces bearing only polite smiles and no extra expression.
With Black Star's miraculous comeback and swift defeat of Dilun as a precedent, they felt little admiration for Heber's deliberate creation of a one-on-one duel to defeat an already injured opponent. In fact, they thought it was too slow... but they dared not say it out loud and offend Heber.
Han Xiao was different; he wasn't afraid of Heber. Holding a drink and with a straw in his mouth, he mumbled, "So slow, Little Tyrant, why has it been taking so long?"
The two martial artists had been clashing for quite some time, and the battlefield had long since been cleaned up. The onlookers had relaxed and were now eating and drinking, looking like they were leisurely watching a show.
"Hmph." Heber didn't take it seriously.
Regardless of the circumstances, the achievement of defeating Motes already belongs to him. When the news spreads throughout the universe, no one will recount all the details. People will only know that he defeated a Beyond Grade A. With that title, the deterrent effect will be sufficient.
Tarrokov clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, and then said:
"Heber has arrived. Let's recount what happened earlier. I have already informed Urranrell of our results. His Majesty the Führer is very satisfied with our achievements. The attack force of the Arcane Church has been almost completely wiped out. The Empire now has two Beyond Grade A, Dilun and Motes."
With this leverage, the Empire has the upper hand. His Majesty the Führer will soon announce this event to the entire universe, informing all forces, large and small, of the Arcane Church's actions and showing the world the price they have paid.
The pursuit Shattered World has not lasted long; the Empire is still keeping the news under wraps, and the outside world is still in the dark. It's only a matter of time before it's announced to the entire universe.
If the Arcane Church had escaped unscathed after the attack, the Empire's prestige would have been damaged. But now it's different. The Arcane Church's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly, resulting in the loss of both their army and their personnel. Not only were their entire forces wiped out, but two of their six Beyond Grade A were also captured by the Empire. The Empire's deterrent power has not diminished but rather increased, and the Empire's high command is extremely satisfied with Han Xiao and his team's actions.
The Empire would not miss such an opportunity to promote its own Beyond Grade A, and Han Xiao was the focus of the Empire's propaganda efforts. The Empire planned to write extensively about his deeds in turning the tide of the situation.
Enhancing the deterrent power of imperial allies also enhances the empire's own prestige, creating a win-win situation.
While watching the Tyrant wrestle with Motes, Tarrokov had already spoken with Han Xiao, so Han Xiao simply raised his eyelids to indicate that he understood.
The Commander-in-Chief added, "On another front, four Beyond Grade A individuals have fled into the Shattered Star Ring a sorry state. The Empire will Pursuit as much as possible, but the situation in the Shattered Star Ring is different from that in the Shattered World. Gentlemen, the Empire hopes that you will temporarily go to the Shattered Star Ring to oversee the situation, so that we can react quickly. https://m. hetushu. com. com
The Shattered World is currently the territory of the Empire, and other forces have no foothold here. Therefore, the Empire is able to lay down an inescapable blockade to Pursuit enemies without interference from outsiders.
However, the environment of the Shattered Star Ring is different. The various forces are intertwined, and the Arcane Church has various spies in the Shattered Star Ring. The four Beyond Grade A members of the Sagman no longer only have the option of escaping by ship. They can split up and disguise themselves as citizens of some interstellar civilizations, making it easier to hide their tracks.
Moreover, using the entire star system as the tracking range would exponentially increase the difficulty for the Empire to track its enemies, making it akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Of course, Sagman and his companions faced constant Pursuit and danger, making them, as the prey, under far greater pressure.
Because the enemy widened the distance by using the secret stargate, the Imperial Beyond Grade A were temporarily unable to continue their pursuit and had to choose to stay in the Shattered Star Ring. After all, the enemy would definitely be hiding, and they could only launch an attack once they discovered the enemy's whereabouts; otherwise, it would be a waste of energy.
Han Xiao smiled and said:
"The Shattered Star Ring is the Black Star Army's headquarters. I sincerely invite everyone here to visit the Black Star Army. During your stay, I will cover all your food and lodging."
Upon hearing this, Heber immediately retorted, "The Shattered Star Ring is also my territory. The Black Star Army has only been established for a few years; there's nothing to see here. Everyone, please come to my War Realm."
Those present were all Beyond Grade A with extraordinary influence. As local strongmen, both wanted to bring these people to their own territories as guests, both to win over the other and indirectly enhance their own territories' reputation.
Milizaus chuckled. "Since Black Star has invited me, I'll go to your place."
Beoni nodded. "Alright, you promised to treat me in the Central Galaxy last time, so let's take this opportunity."
The two of them had spent a month with Han Xiao on Lighthouse Star, and had recently fought side by side to overcome a desperate situation. With such a bond of camaraderie, their relationship naturally became much closer.
Maxiler, projecting remotely, interjected, "Black Star, I'll go to your place too. Let's take this opportunity to exchange some mechanical techniques."
"No problem," Han Xiao readily agreed.
Maxiler was a mechanic, so his interest in his peers naturally outweighed his interest in the big muscleman.
They all ignored Heber's invitation. Heber's face stiffened, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and he silently turned to look at the last one Ravenlaude.
Ravenlaude's lips twitched, he coughed, and said helplessly, "Then... then I'll go to the War Realm."
Although he didn't get along with Han Xiao, everyone else had gone to the Black Star Army, and he wanted to join in the fun and see if he could find an opportunity to use the Evolution Cube. However, he was being watched by Heber, which gave him a headache, so he had to say one thing and mean another.
Heber's expression softened a bit; at least not everyone was ignoring him.
Looking at the three people on Han Xiao's side, Heber felt a strange sense of frustration.
He had been running the Tyrant's Gathering in the Shattered Star Ring for many years and considered himself to have extensive connections. However, outside the Shattered Star Ring, other powerful figures of the same level in other star regions might not give him face. He felt that his ability to build connections in this area was inferior to Han Xiao's, and he felt uneasy about it.
Tarrokov coughed, interrupting the conversation, and continued:
"Due to the increased difficulty of the search, the Empire decided to cut off the enemy's retreat route in advance, which means attacking the Arcane Church's stargate station in the Shattered Star Ring, preventing them from quickly returning to the Central Galaxy."
The Imperial envoy, Suy, stationed in the Shattered Star Ring, is already mobilizing troops; they will launch the attack once the Empire issues a statement on the matter.
"It seems we won't make it in time." Han Xiao nodded. "Without Beyond Grade A assistance on either side, can the Empire's army in the Shattered Star Ring wipe out the Arcane Church's garrison?"
"You guessed wrong, we have Beyond Grade A combat power."
Han Xiao was taken aback. "Could it be that the Empire has invited other Beyond Grade A allies from other star systems? Won't there be enough time? The Arcane Church also has time to send Beyond Grade A combat power."
"No, our Beyond Grade A combatants are native to the Shattered Star Ring."
"Local? Heber and I are both in the Shattered World, Austin is on his way back and won't make it in time either, not to mention Sisko..."
As they were talking, Han Xiao suddenly realized something, his face darkened, and his tone became unfriendly:
"You asked Ames for help in my name?!"
"Black Star, you've misunderstood. It wasn't us. It was Dragon Emperor who approached Suy and asked to participate in the attack on Stargate Station."
Tarrokov waved his hand. "I only found out recently. Suy has already promised her that, with none of you around, she's the only Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring and can provide tremendous assistance. It'll be foolproof."
How did she know what happened here?
"Well... I don't know." Tarrokov shook his head.
Han Xiao frowned, walked to the side, and communicated with Ames.
Ames's projection appeared. Upon seeing Han Xiao, she looked him up and down, a half-smile on her face. "Oh, busy man, you've finally deigned to call me?"
"I'm asking you, did you contact the Empire, preparing to intervene in this turmoil?" Han Xiao didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
"What, you have a problem with that?" Ames raised the corners of her lips.
Han Xiao nodded and said in a deep voice:
"You shouldn't get involved; it's not a good thing for you."
"Is this the first day you've met me?" Ames asked calmly. "To me, there are only things I want to do and things I don't want to do. You're my ally, and you were attacked. What kind of ally wouldn't help you? Hmph, you even kept it from me. If Austin hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were in such danger in the Shattered World."
It turns out it was that old geezer Austin...
Han Xiao sighed helplessly, "I'm not hiding it from you, I just haven't told you yet. I don't think I needed to notify you immediately..."
"... Sometimes I really want to kill you." Ames snorted, "Unfortunately, you've become too strong; I'm not confident I can beat you now."
Han Xiao scratched his chin and said helplessly, "Don't change the subject. Even if you don't get involved, the Empire can still attack Stargate Station. You don't need to go through all that trouble. You're not an Imperial citizen and don't have the Empire's protection. If you anger the Arcane Church, your situation will be very troublesome."
"Really? What about Austin? You don't seem to have considered him at all," Ames said sarcastically.
"How can that be the same?" Han Xiao shook his head. "Austin owes me a favor, but you don't. In fact, I owe you one. Besides, we're on the same side, so of course I'm thinking of you."
"Tsk, so you can still speak human language after all."
Ames joked, then her tone became slightly more serious, "Alright, you don't need to say anything more. You know, once I've made up my mind, even Iso can't change it."
"... All right."
Han Xiao felt helpless but also somewhat moved. When he was weak, Ames had supported him in the same way. Now, even though she had become a big shot at the same level, she still did the same. Those faded memories seemed to come alive again.
"Then be careful."
After hanging up the call, Han Xiao contacted Suy again.
"Haha, Lord Black Star, it's been a while since we last kept in touch."
Suy's face appeared, laughing heartily with eager anticipation.
"I've heard about your contributions to the Shattered World. Well done!"
It was Suy who introduced Han Xiao to the Empire. Now that Han Xiao has made contributions, he has received some praise and is in a good mood.
"Suy, I have a favor to ask of you..." Han Xiao explained his request.
"Is that all? Don't worry, I'll tell the garrison commander not to send Dragon Emperor on the most dangerous assault when they attack the Stargate Station."
"Alright, I'll be returning to the Shattered Star Ring soon. Come to the Black Star Army headquarters then, and we'll have a good get-together. Milizaus, Beoni, and Maxiler will be there too."
"They're all big shots." Suy's eyes lit up. With his position, he could only come into contact with the Beyond Grade A of the Shattered Star Ring at most. He usually didn't have the opportunity to meet these Beyond Grade A from other star regions. Making friends with them now would be quite beneficial for him.
After ending the call, Han Xiao returned to Tarrokov and the others. With their help, he used the Space-Time Amber to seal away the struggling and howling Motes.
Immediately afterwards, the fleet changed course and began its return journey. They would travel through the stargate passage of the Dawn Star Cluster back to the Shattered Star Ring, a journey that would take several days.
Han Xiao originally thought he would have to stay in the Shattered World forever, but unexpectedly, because of this little episode, he was able to take some time to return to the main camp.
However, it doesn't matter where they are; the Black Star Army continues to explore the Shattered World according to plan.
I checked the forum and found that the player's [Crimson Dynasty Recruitment Order - Full-Scale Pursuit] mission was not yet finished, and there were still many Arcane Church squads scattered in other locations, and the Fallen Ark still had a lot of troops that had not fled.
Compared to the remaining four Sagman, Han Xiao was more interested in dealing with the Sorokin, but the Empire's current focus was on the Arcane Church.
Without teammates' help, Han Xiao had no confidence in killing the Sorokin with his current strength.
"We can only try to persuade the Crimson Empire to adopt my previous counterattack suggestion after the Crimson Dynasty announces this to the entire universe and launches a large-scale counterattack..."
Han Xiao thought to himself, "Political Asset should be able to exert some influence in this regard..."
The day after Motes was captured, the Crimson Dynasty held a press conference during a break from its daily news. Urranrell, the leader of the Crimson Empire, personally appeared on camera and delivered a speech, announcing to the entire universe the cause, process, and outcome of the incident.
Countless interstellar media outlets broadcast the speech, instantly spreading the footage to every star system and every interstellar civilization.
Whether on official platforms, home televisions, or entertainment channels, the screens all switched to the Empire's pronouncements.
Captains in spaceships pulled out their communicators and stared at the broadcast. Bartenders and customers in bars looked up at the screens above them. Passengers in interstellar transit stations looked up at the dome projection in mid-air.
Countless interstellar citizens heard the Crimson Dynasty's statement at the same time.
The interstellar citizens only knew that the Shattered World was a newly developed star field, and knew nothing else. However, in this unknown star field beyond their sight, a major event occurred: a battle between eleven Beyond Grade A beings. The Arcane Church and the Crimson Dynasty Head-On Conflict, and the two cosmic-level civilizations simultaneously declared a state of wartime alert!
This statement dropped a Psionic Energy bomb on the entire interstellar community, causing a massive upheaval!