Flames shot into the sky, chaos spread through the Aynia Hub, and a series of explosions occurred in different districts, seemingly caused by the detonation of portable high-energy bombs.
Raymond received a message from his companion and rushed to meet him. Fording and Aurora had no choice but to go with him. On the way, he secretly notified the other guards.
Because he needed to infiltrate the Punisher Alliance, it was inconvenient for him to take action, and the Royal Guards were his best helpers.
The situation has now exceeded initial expectations, and the Black Star Army can no longer stand idly by in order to stop this sudden upheaval.
Upon arriving at the military restricted area, they found it had become a chaotic battlefield. Garrison warships were converging from all directions, and due to concerns about the potential damage to the city from the aftershocks, they could only use planetary weapons to attack the enemy on the ground.
Gabura, the Guardian of Ainia, led a group of subordinates in a fierce battle against the gray forces. He also had Calamity Grade comrades by his side. In total, seven or eight Calamity Grade from both sides were fighting here, and the aftershocks had completely devastated the area. The garrison urgently activated the city's zenith shield to prevent the aftershocks from spreading to other areas.
In battles of Calamity Grade level, the members of the Punisher Alliance present were basically unable to intervene; they could only help deal with the large forces of various gray factions, and the battle was extremely fierce.
"Go help!" Upon arriving at the scene, Raymond joined the battle without hesitation.
Seeing Fording, Fording protected Aurora, only using his Grade B combat power to deal with the henchmen with ease, fighting while also keeping an eye on the situation.
"I never expected things to develop this way. These gray forces have joined together to seize the Evolutionary Totem; there must be an unknown force behind them."
Fording frowned, thinking to himself, "Going to such lengths to seize Evolutionary Totem within the Empire's borders is less worthwhile than plundering allied civilizations from other star systems. Such a risky endeavor shouldn't be undertaken just for a mere Evolutionary Totem."
While I was pondering this, another round of explosions occurred in various urban areas. Clearly, there were still enemies in the shadows, detonating bombs everywhere and causing constant unrest.
Gabura dodged a heavy blow from the Bishop Bloodhammer, glanced at the chaotic scene in the distance, and was instantly filled with rage. He roared, "Give me some men to maintain order and wipe out those bastards who are causing explosions everywhere!"
The order was given, and some of the warships dispersed to various urban areas to maintain order.
Boom!
Just then, a massive explosion suddenly erupted in a distant urban area, a tall building collapsed and shattered, the aftershocks shattered the streets, and an unknown, Calamity Grade aura appeared.
"Another enemy?!" Gabura glanced at it angrily, thinking it was enemy reinforcements.
However, the Calamity Grade in the distance showed no intention of approaching; instead, they were engaged in a battle with someone else.
"What's going on?" Gabura asked, puzzled. He couldn't leave now; in his view, the enemy's target was the Evolutionary Totem. If he left, the enemy would break through the defenses and steal the totem. He couldn't abandon his post.
After some thought, Gabura decided to temporarily ignore the unknown situation in the distance and focus on quickly eliminating this motley crew of Calamity Grade before he could deal with the situation further away.
Fording also felt the aftershocks in the distance, glanced back, and his pupils contracted.
If he remembered correctly, that seemed to be the direction they had come from... In an instant, Fording thought of the group of Calamity Grade he had discovered, and he could intuitively guess that they were probably fighting with the bodyguards of the descendants of high-ranking imperial officials.
"This seems to be the same conspiracy..." Fording had a sudden inspiration.
Meanwhile, in another urban area, a fierce battle was underway. The aftershocks of the Calamity Grade collision collapsed numerous high-rise buildings, turning many neighborhoods into ruins.
The two sides clashing were four wanted criminals of the Calamity Grade lying in ambush and two guards of Ludwell's grandson.
Four against two, Ludwell's grandson's ordinary bodyguards had all been killed or wounded, leaving only two Calamity Grade Guards desperately holding off the four thugs' attack, their wounds constantly multiplying.
"Who... who exactly is attacking me?!" Ludwell's grandson looked panicked. Although he was the son of a high-ranking official, he did not pursue a career in imperial politics but instead chose to become a businessman. He never expected to receive such treatment one day.
He was currently protected within a temporary energy shield, unable to move. Outside the shield, there were shockwaves powerful enough to crush him; stepping outside would mean certain death.
His two guards were high-ranking combatants trained directly by the empire, and they were loyal to their duties. Although they knew they were at a huge disadvantage, they gritted their teeth and resisted the four men's attack.
Bang!
Suddenly, a guard was struck by a Heavy Strike, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist. He was sent flying, crashing through more than a dozen tall buildings, and flying far away.
The remaining guard was targeted by concentrated fire, and his injuries rapidly worsened. After all, they were not elite Calamity Grade warriors like Gabura, and these thugs were no ordinary people either. Taking advantage of an opening, the guard's arm was severed cleanly by one of the thugs, and blood gushed out.
The man's face paled, but he only let out a muffled groan, gritting his teeth as he tried to retaliate. However, his resolute personality did not bring him any boost in combat power. His body was repeatedly Heavy Strike by concentrated fire, and as he moved through the air, blood splattered everywhere. His face grew paler and paler, and his momentum rapidly declined.
Both guards were severely injured, Ludwell's grandson, having lost the protection of his skilled protectors, was now a lamb to the slaughter, exposed to the claws of four enemies.
"Kill him!" The four men's faces lit up with joy, and they were about to join forces to take down their target.
However, the next moment, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, beams of intense light descended from the sky, hurtling towards the area and the Tu Shu. Several Calamity Grade seemed to have the word "danger" appear above their heads, sensing the danger and hurriedly scattering to avoid it.
Rumble!
The light beam blasted in front of them, shattering the ground and instantly crystallizing the soil with intense heat.
As the orbital bombardment began, several figures descended, their bodies radiating powerful, Calamity Grade energy fluctuations, blocking the path of the four thugs.
"Who are you?!" One of them immediately sensed something was wrong. This group of Calamity Grade who had suddenly appeared before them were not in the intelligence and were not the guards of the Aynia Hub. Moreover, the sense of oppression they felt was far greater than that of the two guards they had just fought. They were definitely high -Calamity Grade experts.
"We are the Black Star Army's guards. And who are you? How dare you cause trouble within the Empire's borders?" Hadavy said with ill intent, coldly surveying the group of thugs.
The thugs were stunned for a moment, then their expressions changed drastically!
Black Star Army?!
When did they arrive at the Aynia Hub?! How come we didn't receive a single word from them?!
Oh no, we've run into a brick wall this time!
The men felt a bitter taste in their mouths. If they had known the Black Star Army was here, they would never have dared to participate in this plan.
Of all times, we ran into them! What incredibly bad luck!
"Reinforcements have arrived!" The two seriously wounded guards, on the other hand, were overjoyed, relieved, and extremely grateful.
--Fortunately, Lord Black Star happened to be in the Aynia Hub, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!
As soon as the name of the Black Star Army was mentioned, the four thugs immediately had second thoughts and wanted to abandon the mission, but Hadavy would not give them time to think. He led his guards and charged forward, and the two sides instantly became embroiled in battle.
On the other side, the battle in the military zone had reached a fever pitch, with heavy casualties. Countless people had been blown to ashes, and one Calamity Grade had even had his head crushed by Gabura.
However, although the garrison at the Aynia Hub had the upper hand, Gabura could not eliminate all the enemies in a short time, and the chaos at the Aynia Hub could not be quelled in the short term.
The members of the Punisher Alliance assisted in one of the battlefields, and after a fierce battle, many members sustained injuries of varying degrees.
At this moment, they truly experienced Aurora's healing power. No matter how severe the injury, it could be healed in the blink of an eye. The group was immediately invigorated and, without any worries, launched a fierce attack, unleashing even greater combat power.
Even Seli, who was initially wary of the two, was won over by their charm. During the treatment, she kept a straight face and was too embarrassed to say thank you.
After so much growth, Aurora's life energy recovery speed is far greater than before. The life energy consumed in treating Grade B superhuman is less than what she recovers herself, and it puts no burden on her body.
In the midst of the fierce battle, suddenly, a projection of an adjutant appeared beside Gabura, sweating profusely and exclaiming in panic, "Lord Gabura, the Evolutionary Totem is gone!"
"What!" Gabura exclaimed in shock, then his anger flared up, and he roared, "How could it be lost? Find it for me!"
At this moment, how could he not understand that the enemy was using a feint to lure the enemy away from their base? The strong attack outside was just a pretext, while thieves were sneaking in and stealing the Evolutionary Totem while the garrison was tied down by this group of gray forces.
The Evolutionary Totem is kept in a heavily guarded location, but the reason why interstellar thieves have business is because they can infiltrate places that ordinary people cannot enter and steal valuable items.
As things have progressed to this point, even the rather arrogant Gabura couldn't help but be surprised by the sheer number of forces the enemy had mobilized, and wondered who had orchestrated this conspiracy.
All that effort, just for a totem? Gabura doesn't think so.
Protecting the totems was merely his duty; in reality, he didn't place much importance on the totems themselves, as they were also allies of the Empire and could purchase new totems from the Black Star Army at any time.
As he was pondering this, a hostile Calamity Grade launched a fierce attack, interrupting his train of thought. Gabura felt a surge of anger—the totem could be lost, but these people had to die.
"Take care of these troublemakers first, then deal with the stolen totem."
However, just as this thought flashed through his mind, several Calamity Grade suddenly descended from the sky. It was another Guard Squad who joined the battle without saying a word. With this fresh force, the balance of power was immediately reversed, and the stalemate was broken instantly.
"Reinforcements?!" Gabura was taken aback. Where did these people come from?
Together with a guard officer, they shattered the high-dimensional magical entity summoned by the Bishop Bloodhammer. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gabura grabbed the guard officer and demanded:
Who are you people?
The guard officer glanced at him indifferently. "Guard officer under the Black Star."
"It's you!" Gabura was overjoyed. He knew that Black Star had been running amok in the Empire recently, but he didn't expect him to come to his territory.
This is truly a stroke of luck!
Without a word, Gabura roared out, his voice booming and sweeping across the entire arena:
"Black Star Army reinforcements have arrived. If you don't want to die, give up the fight!"
Many of the guards immediately turned their attention to him.
We haven't even introduced ourselves yet, and you've already started? You seem more like a guard officer than we are.
However, this statement had an immediate effect.
The faces of all the opposing members present changed drastically. Everyone knew of Black Star's reputation and prestige, and their hearts sank to the bottom in an instant!
In contrast, the morale of the troops stationed at the Aynia Hub is greatly boosted!
The thought of an Imperial Beyond Grade A being standing behind them immediately put everyone at ease.
For Imperial soldiers, Imperial Beyond Grade A soldiers are a pillar of strength on the battlefield.
"Black Star Army..." The Punisher Alliance and others looked at the guards officer in the arena, their eyes revealing a strange meaning.
Such a powerful force that roams the universe is an unattainable existence in their eyes, and is simply beyond their reach.
Seeing the Black Star Army's renowned guards, everyone felt a sense of excitement, like seeing idols. To superhumans, such a famous Calamity Grade group was no different from superhuman celebrities.
"Got it! Let's get out of here!"
Meanwhile, in another area, several bandits wearing anti-detection cloaks stealthily escaped with Evolutionary Totem, moving away from the battle zone.
As planned, taking advantage of the garrison's distraction, they infiltrated the secret facility and stole the Evolutionary Totem. As a group of renowned interstellar thieves in the black market, these individuals not only possessed various high-tech devices specifically designed for theft but also matching special abilities. Before being discovered, they stole the totem at the last second.
Spaceships streaked across the sky, searching everywhere for the thieves' tracks. The group hid here and there, evading numerous manhunts.
Just as they were about to run out of a small alley, their shoulders suddenly felt heavy, and they were pressed to the spot by a tremendous force, unable to move.
A faint breathing sound appeared out of nowhere behind them, completely unaware of what was happening, and they were immediately filled with dread.
He stiffly turned his head to look, only to see two arms wrapped around the shoulders of several people, and a handsome face gradually emerging from the shadows.
"Where are you taking the goods I sold?"
His tone was calm, but to everyone present it was like a thunderclap!
This face is already a household name in the universe. Ordinary people may not recognize it, but every powerful and influential force would definitely recognize who owns it.
The Empire's Beyond Grade A ally, "The Undying Body," "The Enemy of the Arcane," "The Lord of Evolution," "The Dominion"—Black Star!
The space pirates froze, too afraid to move.
Han Xiao snorted, and nanoparticles flowed out from under his clothes, transforming into restraint devices that instantly controlled the group. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, a mechanical soldier emerged from the void and appeared beside him.
"Return the items to their original location," Han Xiao said, pointing to the Evolutionary Totem.
Just as the chaos erupted, Han Xiao, who was in seclusion training his strength, noticed the situation and tacitly allowed the guards to be dispatched to stop the turmoil. He also discovered that the Evolutionary Totem had just been stolen.
After so much practice, Han Xiao had already established a soul connection with the Evolution Cube based on the data left behind by the Evolutionary Civilization. The effect was quite similar to that of Sisko back then, and he could sense the location of the Evolution Cube.
Moreover, once a certain distance is reached, it can activate the connection to the totem, or more precisely, the connection to the Evolution Energy contained within the Evolutionary Totem.
In a battle of Calamity Grade, he didn't need to lift a finger; his guards were more than capable of handling the enemies. However, since the Evolutionary Totem had been stolen, he couldn't stand idly by. So, he used a Void Leap teleport directly from the spaceship at the airport to the back of the group of thieves.
With the Black Star Army involved, this chaos will soon be suppressed. When these people plotted this, they certainly didn't expect to end up here.
Watching the mechanical warrior return with the Evolutionary Totem, Han Xiao withdrew his gaze and looked at the group of thieves he had captured, a meaningful smile appearing on his face:
"Now... tell me everything you know."