Somewhere in the Ancient Star Desert, the fleets dispatched by the Crimson Dynasty, the Federation of Light, and the Arcane Church converged. Eleven Beyond Grade A warriors participating in the operation gathered in the tactical conference room of the Imperial fleet's flagship to discuss the tactics for this mission.
"According to intelligence, the Sorokin is currently located at this position."
A virtual screen displayed a star map of the Ancient Star Desert. A red dot lit up in a Desolate Universe Belt, representing the location of the Sorokin. The commander of the Imperial fleet stood beside the virtual screen, explaining the situation to everyone present with a serious expression.
The three fleets are tasked with dealing with the millions of warships that the Sorokin brings with him, and the commander's mission is to fully cooperate with the actions of the Beyond Grade A allies.
"Yes, that's an ancient battlefield. Many planets were destroyed in the Exploration Era War, and that area is filled with a large number of wandering meteorite belts."
Manison nodded. He was a big shot in the Ancient Star Desert system and familiar with the situation in the star field.
The only Beyond Grade A sent by the Federation of Light was Manison. He did not come in person; instead, a mechanical shell carrying three mechanical planetary fortresses was present, which stored a massive number of mechanical troops.
Although he was only one person, the armed forces he brought with him made Manison's fleet comparable to any other side's fleet, and he could almost be considered to have formed his own independent force.
A Beyond Grade A member of the Arcane Church tapped on the table and raised a question:
"We only had sighting reports from the Sorokin forces before. Where did this precise location information come from? Is it reliable?"
"This intelligence was provided by a supercluster-level civilization in the Ancient Star Desert. They deployed a comprehensive monitoring system in the Ancient Star Desert, and after receiving the sighting report, they began tracking the Sorokin forces. Based on the location they provided, we used a star-map telescope to verify it, and the result was correct. The accuracy of the intelligence can be guaranteed."
The imperial commander answered solemnly.
Four supercluster-level civilizations control the Ancient Star Desert and have deployed numerous informants in this star field. The appearance of the Sorokin is enough to attract their attention. At the Empire's request, they shared the Sorokin's tracking location and cooperated in the operation... but they are unaware of the details of the three-way joint operation.
Once the location is locked, the stargate transportation network can be used to reach the front and intercept the Sorokin.
Han Xiao glanced over and saw that the three Beyond Grade A sent by the Arcane Church this time were all people who had not participated in the Battle of Lighthouse Star. Their composition included Esper Class, magic, and gunnery. So, none of the eleven people had any superpowers.
Of particular note is the gunner, nicknamed "The Sun Hunter," a member of the Ancient Ones and the strongest of the three from the Arcane Church. He is an acquaintance of the Mechanic Emperor, Milizaus, and Ravenlaude.
This creature is tiny, only the size of a palm, but has an extremely high body density. It is a nearly extinct cosmic race, bearing some insect-like characteristics. At this moment, it is wearing a miniature mecha and sitting cross-legged on the table.
His body was tiny, but his weapons were mechanical guns and cannons thousands of times larger than him, creating a stark contrast.
Han Xiao remembered that Iso had once warned him that some Ancient Ones were secretly gathering information about him, and this Sun Hunter was one of them.
At first, he thought the gunner had approached him to ask him to forge weapons, but after thinking it over, he ruled out that possibility. The Ancient Ones didn't need a newly promoted Beyond Grade A mechanic to forge weapons for him.
During the meeting, Han Xiao kept observing the teammates sent by the other two countries. There was no need to talk about the Mechanic Emperor, as its mechanical bodies revealed nothing. However, the Arcane Church seemed to have an unfriendly attitude towards both the Imperial allies and the Mechanic Emperor.
Han Xiao is currently unaware that the Scepter of All Gods has been stolen by the Federation of Light. The Arcane Church is currently most furious with the Federation of Light, this traitor who took advantage of the situation. With Ninja missing, the Arcane's Beyond Grade A ally will naturally not be friendly to the Mechanic Emperor.
If it weren't for the common enemy of the Sorokin, the two sides would probably have started fighting on the spot.
"Now that we have the location of the Sorokin, the initiative in the battle is in our hands. We need a tactic," Milizaus said.
"You're right. Although the Sorokin is a warlike madman, he's not a reckless fool. There's no reason he wouldn't run when he sees eleven of us. As long as he abandons the fleet and uses teleportation to escape, we won't be able to catch him, just like the results of countless previous encirclements."
The Sun Hunter responded, his small body behaving with a surprisingly loud voice, like a muffled thunderclap in his chest, its buzzing echo causing the room to tremble slightly.
Han Xiao composed himself, tapped the table, and said seriously, "With so many Beyond Grade A combatants participating in this operation, it's clear this isn't just a routine matter; we really want to eliminate the Sorokin. To succeed, two issues must be resolved. First, we can't let the Sorokin run away at the first sign of trouble. Second, we need to reduce the Sorokin's mobility, depriving him of the advantage of being able to fight or flee at will."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Although the Three Universal Civilizations in history have failed to defeat the Sorokin on several occasions, a joint operation of this scale is extremely rare. Some of the Beyond Grade A allies present here originally came only to accept the mission and did not care about the life or death of the Sorokin. However, if so many people working together fail to defeat the Sorokin, it would be a disgrace for them.
Therefore, everyone present wanted to complete this mission and truly eradicate the Sorokin, the mortal enemy of the Three Universal Civilizations.
With his Beyond Grade A mental fortitude and numerous past failures, he won't let others assume that he will fail again this time.
"The first problem is easy to solve," Manison said calmly. "The Sorokin won't be foolish enough to clash head-on with eleven Beyond Grade A beings. So we just need to split into two groups. The first group will engage the Sorokin in Head-On Engagement and try to hold Sorokin off, while the others will lie in ambush and wait for their chance to strike."
Han Xiao nodded in agreement.
The Sorokin isn't a headstrong fool; he wouldn't try to fight eleven Beyond Grade A opponents head-on. Although his side has a lot of combat power, he certainly can't all appear at once. Otherwise, if the Sorokin sees so many people, what's the point of fighting? He'll just use teleportation to abandon the fleet and run away, leaving the eleven people standing there helplessly.
"You're right. The initial force for Head-On Engagement must be strong enough to suppress the enemy, but not so strong as to scare Sorokin," Ravenlaude interjected. "Therefore, I think four or five Beyond Grade A would be a better plan."
"Ideally, there should be five. The Sorokin has undergone an evolution and its strength has increased. It will definitely want to test its strength, and five people should meet its expectations," Han Xiao said.
Normally, when besieging Sorokin, the combat power sent out is generally equivalent to three ordinary Beyond Grade A. The original combat power of the Sorokin is not a problem to deal with three ordinary Beyond Grade A beings, and he can also escape unscathed even if he fights four or five. As for higher-level Beyond Grade A powerhouses, that is another matter. However, as long as he wants to run away, basically no one can stop him.
With five people, they can both put pressure on the Sorokin and ignite the passion for battle, while also making the Sorokin feel that the risk is not high and there is no need to run away.
"The initial force for direct combat will consist of five people: three from the Empire and two from the Arcane. For now, we must prevent the Sorokin from discovering that the Federation of Light has also intervened."
The group quickly finalized the plan.
At this moment, Milizaus spoke again, "However, if we don't restrict the Sorokin's teleportation, there's no point in having others lie in ambush. Even if we launch a sudden attack, the Sorokin can escape at any time. Therefore, restricting his mobility is more important; otherwise, the operation will definitely fail."
Upon hearing this, the mage from the Arcane Church spoke up:
"That's right. The five people engaged in Head-On Engagement are holding back the Sorokin, while the task of restricting the Sorokin's mobility must be left to the people in ambush... This requires using spatial magic to envelop the battlefield area, severing the multidimensional and subspace channels within that area, temporarily 'stripping' this area away, thereby cutting off the Sorokin's Dimensional Crevice abilities, and also making spacetime more stable, rendering any teleportation or jump abilities ineffective, turning the battlefield into a spacetime-locked area... This is a huge undertaking."
Everyone nodded in agreement. This was an effective way to trap the Sorokin, a method proven in history, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to implement.
First, this takes a lot of time. The larger the battlefield, the more work is required to modify it with spatial magic. Even Beyond Grade A mage cannot complete it quickly. Second, the Sorokin are quite vigilant and will usually escape before the spacetime locking zone is fully formed.
Even if the Sorokin falls into the trap, he is not without a way to escape. He can break out in the conventional way, or use some supernatural ability to slowly crawl out a spacetime rift and escape the spacetime locked area.
In this limited time, it's practically impossible to capture or kill the Sorokin Sorokin. He's not fragile; his powerful Self-Healing and defensive abilities are enough to stall for a long time.
Manison slowly said, "I have a space stabilization device that can be activated quickly. It can reduce the Sorokin Sorokin 'Dimensional Crevice ability to teleport and create an opportunity for ambushes to enter."
He could drive away the Sorokin by himself, but the Sorokin was too slippery, and it was difficult for him to catch it. The various mechanical devices that locked space in his hands required a guiding time, and by then, the Sorokin would have already disappeared.
Moreover, Han Xiao rejected his deal, Manison was unwilling to put in the effort. The Federation of Light's request didn't hold much sway over him, and he planned to simply cooperate with his teammates.
To put it simply, in this team fight, Manison positioned himself as a controller or support, not a carry.
Milizaus said slowly:
"To create a spacetime-locked zone, the five people directly engaged in combat must first keep the Sorokin confined to one area, preventing him from wandering off. We have three mages on our side, all hidden in the shadows. Two will use spatial magic to modify the battlefield, and one will conceal the flow of magical energy to reduce the Sorokin's chances of detection... The people directly engaged in combat also need to cooperate, keeping the Sorokin focused on the battle. We also need a psychic to attack his mind and confuse his senses."
"We have enough manpower, so doing this shouldn't be difficult, but it's far from a success..." Ravenlaude hesitated for a moment, then spoke frankly, "If the Sorokin falls into the trap, we need to eliminate him before he escapes, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain. Given the Sorokin's abilities, this will be very difficult."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Everyone frowned.
Although this is the largest number of people ever besieged against the Sorokin, if this key problem cannot be solved, it will only be a repetition of historical events and another defeat.
Even during the pre-battle discussions, they already sensed the difficulty of the situation and were somewhat at a loss.
The Sorokin are difficult to deal with; everyone knows they need some variables.
Just as everyone was racking their brains for a solution to this problem, Han Xiao took a deep breath.
He holds two variables in his hands.
Space-Time Amber and Superpower Silence!
Both of these capabilities can have a decisive impact on the situation, which is what distinguishes this operation from historical failures.
Han Xiao pondered for a moment, then stood up, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
He looked around and slowly began to speak:
"I have an idea..."
More than ten days later.
In the Ancient Star Desert, in a Desolate Universe Belt.
After lingering near a star for a few days, the Sorokin fleet resumed its journey, proceeding along its predetermined route.
After sailing calmly for some time, the fleet's radar detected something unusual.
An Imperial fleet appeared directly ahead. By the time the Fallen Ark forces spotted them, the two sides were already very close. The Imperial fleet approached stealthily, only revealing its camouflage when it got too close.
Instead of turning to flee, the Fallen Ark forces, under Harkison's orders, went to meet them. The two sides quickly came into each other's field of vision and stopped simultaneously, facing each other from a distance.
"Woo-woo-woo--" The alarm sounded, echoing throughout all the Fallen Ark warships.
In the main ship's hall, the Sorokin awoke from its slumber, opened its eyes, and its gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of bulkheads.
A hint of anticipation flashed across his face as he slowly rose from his throne.
"It's finally here... I hope I can have a great time."