The challenge was sent privately, not publicly, but the wording was not as casual as their usual conversations; it was very formal, specifying the time and place of the challenge, asking him to meet him five days later on a desolate planet in the Goddora system.
The news was so sudden that Han Xiao was completely bewildered.
There shouldn't be any problems in their relationship. He didn't know why Ames hadn't given him any advance notice before challenging him to a fight, and why she was making it so serious.
What is she thinking?!
Han Xiao was negotiating the terms of the trade for the Evolutionary Totem with a representative of a civilization when he received Ames ' invitation. He immediately ended the communication with the civilization representative and contacted Ames instead.
He didn't want their alliance to be compromised.
The call connected quickly, but it wasn't Ames on the other end; it was Jenny, whose hair was thinning day by day.
"Why is it you?"
Han Xiao was a little confused; he had dialed Ames's private number.
Where is Ames?
"You accepted her challenge, didn't you?" Jenny asked back.
"Hmm, what does she mean by that?" Han Xiao frowned.
"It means exactly what it says. Before the fight, she doesn't plan to talk to you. She asked me to tell you that this time she's serious about fighting you."
"Why did she suddenly have this idea?" Han Xiao wondered.
"If you have any questions, ask her yourself on the day you meet her. Remember to be on time." Jenny snorted and hung up the phone.
Staring at the black screen of the communicator, Han Xiao couldn't help but scratch his head.
--It's normal for Beyond Grade A players to spar, but given our relationship, if we want to spar, we can just call out. Why make such a big deal out of it, like it's a full moon night at the Forbidden City?
Well, this isn't the first time Ames has been so capricious; that's just her free-spirited way of doing things. I'm used to it...
Han Xiao shook his head helplessly, taking this challenge as just another whim of Ames'.
Meanwhile, at the main hall of Floating Dragon Island.
Jenny put down the communicator, turned to look at Ames sitting on the floating dragon bone throne, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Ames had been listening in on the communication, and now she nodded slightly and chuckled softly.
"Thanks a lot."
"To be honest, I don't quite understand..." Jenny couldn't help but ask, "Although I dislike Black Star, his strength is undeniable. Forgive my bluntness, but I don't think your chances of winning are high. Why did you do that?"
"You don't seem to have much faith in me?" Ames' eyes curved into a smile, her tone teasing.
Iso, standing to the side, shook his head and couldn't help but interject:
"This has nothing to do with confidence. After the Battle of Lighthouse Star and the Sorokin incident, Black Star has proven his strength. Based on his demonstrated combat power, your chances of winning are indeed very low. Why launch a challenge that you can't win?"
Upon hearing this, Ames's smile vanished.
Whether we can win or not, we'll only know after we've played.
Then, Ames paused, stroked the armrest of the throne, and sighed softly:
"Perhaps I'm no match for Black Star now, but at least... we need facts to prove it."
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Planet G-S7058 in the second sector of the Goddora system.
This is a gas giant planet surrounded by a prominent asteroid belt. This planet is not far from the headquarters of the Black Star Army and Planet Aquamarine, which is the location of the agreed battle.
A streak of light approached from afar and stopped in the outer space of this planet, revealing the shape of a spaceship. The pilot was Han Xiao, who had come alone to the appointment.
"Large unknown target detected, matching database... Matching found, target is Floating Dragon Island."
Phillip's voice rang out in the spaceship, and without his prompting, Han Xiao also saw the view outside the porthole.
The massive Floating Dragon Island hovered in the outer space of this gas giant, the entire island enveloped in a golden planetary shield.
On either side of Dragon Calm stood ten enormous silver-black alloy satellites—weapons Han Xiao had specially gifted to Ames, ultra-high-grade "bricks."
With his Beyond Grade A eyesight, Han Xiao saw that Dragon Calm had already activated its armed mode, the buildings had all shrunk underground, and no one was moving on the floating island. Only Ames was standing on the Dragon Calm dock, looking at him from afar.
Upon seeing this, Han Xiao's lips twitched slightly.
They even brought Dragon Calm along; are they serious now?
He tried dialing Ames's private number, and this time Ames answered herself.
Ames's elegant and refined face appeared on the virtual screen, her expression serene.
"You've come."
"You invited me, how could I not come?" Han Xiao said helplessly. "If you wanted to spar, you could have just said so. I wouldn't refuse you. Did you have to make it so serious?"
"You've misunderstood. This isn't a simple sparring match," Ames said slowly. "I will use all my strength against you, and I hope you will do the same. If you're careless, you could die."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's smile faded, and he frowned, asking, "What are you trying to do?"
"... Ever since you entered the Beyond Grade A, there has been constant turmoil. I have fought alongside you, battling Tyrant and Sorokin, but we have never had a proper sparring match... So I want to have a real fight with you until one of us is unable to resist."
"Is it necessary for us to determine who is better in this way?" Han Xiao didn't understand.
Ames's expression remained calm as she softly said:
"During this time, you've accomplished many remarkable feats that resonate throughout the universe. In less than two years, you've grown from a freshman Beyond Grade A to your current status. I can see your progress every day... You know, being overtaken really doesn't feel good."
When Han Xiao first entered the Beyond Grade A, the two became equals, Ames was willing to help Han Xiao, who was still Beyond Grade A newcomer at the time, overcome his difficulties.
In just two years, Han Xiao rose to prominence at a visible speed, laying the foundation for his current success, far surpassing Dragon Calm.
Ames increasingly felt that the gap between the two of them in terms of status, position, and strength was widening, and their relationship was no longer equal, which caused a subtle change in her mindset.
Ames is carefree and easygoing, and doesn't care about many things, but she has an extraordinary persistence for the people she cares about, as evidenced by her persistent search for Iso.
Han Xiao was one of the few people she cared about.
When their statuses were vastly different, Ames calmly watched Han Xiao rise to power. But now things are different; their positions are being reversed. She doesn't want to just watch Han Xiao leave her further and further behind. Unsatisfied with only seeing Han Xiao's achievements in the news, she finally decides to issue a challenge and personally experience Han Xiao's fighting prowess.
--Look at Han Xiao, who has accomplished so many great things, and see just how big the gap between him and myself has become!
The next moment, an alarm sounded on Han Xiao's spaceship radar.
"A high-threat target with a surge in energy reaction detected!"
Han Xiao looked up and saw that it was Ames releasing her energy, her condition steadily improving.
Ames's deep eyes, seemingly holding the stars, shone with a faint light. She took a long stride, stepping off the dock and into the void. A force field supported her body, as if she were standing on solid ground.
A tight-fitting, high-slit black dress trailed behind her like a blooming black flower. As she walked through the air, her long, fair legs were faintly visible through the slits on either side of the dress.
Ames's energy level had risen to its maximum, and her voice became ancient and solemn:
"Don't hold back... Come on!"
The next moment, she raised her arms, and the powerful force field combined to make Dragon Calm and the ten satellite bricks start rotating from stillness and gradually accelerate, flying towards Han Xiao.
At this moment, a task popped up on Han Xiao's screen.
[You have triggered the Grade S quest ["Dragon Emperor" Ames]]
[Mission Requirements: Survive Ames for as long as possible (combat mode is not limited, each time you leave combat, you can only stay out of combat for a maximum of 30 minutes. If you exceed this time, the mission will enter the settlement phase. Infinite to the number of times you can leave combat)]
[Rewards: The rewards for this mission are phased. You will receive the corresponding reward for each requirement you meet (only 1% of the out-of-combat time is counted in the judgment time)]
The format of this mission is the same as when we challenged the Tyrant: the longer you persist, the higher the reward.
In addition to experience, there are also Legend Points, character cards, and the ultimate reward of drawing one of Ames' skills or feats after persisting for 20 minutes.
However, Han Xiao wasn't in the mood to look at the mission panel for the time being.
'How could I possibly hold back against you...'
Han Xiao sighed, but didn't say it aloud.
With his current strength, if he were to go all out, his destructive power would be terrifying.
She probably can't handle it...
Han Xiao shook his head. He had no intention of hurting Ames. After all, they were allies, and he couldn't go too far.
Seeing that Ames was determined to fight, and that things had come to this point, Han Xiao made a decision instantly:
"Let's fight a war of attrition. My physical strength is enough to exhaust her, leaving her unable to fight anymore. That way, we won't hurt her and ruin our relationship..."
The distance between the two quickly closed. Han Xiao no longer hesitated, steadied himself, activated his mecha, left the spaceship, then opened Secondary Dimension and summoned a portion of the mechanical army.
"Dominion."
The Dark Emperor lined up his various Apostle Weapon.
Han Xiao said in a deep voice, "Go, focus on attrition, don't go all out."
"Clear."
Dark Emperor nodded, and his back thrusters spewed out dazzling flames, transforming into an arc of light as he charged forward. The other Apostle Weapon, leading the mechanical legion, followed behind him, charging towards the approaching Ames.
The glint in Ames' eyes grew brighter and brighter as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest and slowly pushed them forward.
Force Field - Dragon Calm Starburst Hammer!
The force field superimposed on the Dragon Calm continued to increase, pushing the Dragon Calm to accelerate wildly, like an enormous meteor, crashing hard into the black tide of mechanical legions in front.
This scene is like hitting a swarm of ants with a brick!
If such a large lump of Dragon Calm were to crash into a planet, it wouldn't take long to shatter the planet's crust.
--The fighting style that uses force fields to wield weapons is the complete form of the Dragon Emperor!
The normal response would be to focus fire on and destroy the Dragon Calm, but Han Xiao couldn't possibly destroy the enemy's base. He was helpless against Ames's tactic of randomly targeting the base.
The mechanical legion did not fire at the Dragon Calm, but instead obeyed orders and dispersed to allow the Dragon Calm to pass through the defensive line.
The result is obvious.
The enormous Dragon Calm crashed directly into Han Xiao, whose size was as small as a speck of dust in comparison!
The shadow expanded rapidly, filling the entire field of vision.
Looking at the landmass crashing down like Mount Tai, Han Xiao wore a pained expression under his mecha helmet.
He had tricked Ames into using Dragon Calm to save him once before, but now he was going to experience the taste of Dragon Calm hitting his face himself.
Karma always comes back to bite you!