As the news spread among many onlookers, Black Star quickly reached the Tyrant Shattered Star Ring and various star systems.
The past grievances between the two were brought up again by onlookers from all over the world, adding a fascinating gimmick to this battle and attracting widespread attention.
Conflicts between allies of advanced civilizations are not uncommon in history. Although they work for the same civilization, allied forces are not of one mind. They are only trying to benefit each other, but resources are always in different amounts, and friction between interests will always occur.
As long as frictions between allies don't cross the line and escalate into serious internal strife, advanced civilizations won't intervene to mediate. Firstly, they don't intend for every ally to maintain good relations; secondly, competition brings dynamism; and thirdly, many issues concerning the distribution of benefits are difficult for even advanced civilizations to resolve.
Black Star's challenge to the Tyrant is at a crossroads; the Empire can choose to intervene or not.
This matter also reached the meeting table of the empire's top leaders.
Central Galaxy, Crimson Ring Star, High-Level Conference Room.
"A few days ago, Black Star formally issued a challenge to Tyrant, asking him to fight in twenty days. Tyrant accepted, and now this news is spreading like wildfire. What are your thoughts, everyone?"
At the head of the table, Urranrell tapped the table with her slender, pale fingers, glancing around at the assembled executives, none of whom displayed any particular attitude.
"Well, Black Star didn't consult us; he acted first and informed us later. This will cause fluctuations in the Empire's influence within the Shattered Star Ring, which is not a good thing," a high-ranking official said seriously.
"Indeed, the Empire's external environment is currently precarious. For us, maintaining the stability of the star system is of utmost importance. I think we should intervene in this matter," someone echoed.
On the other hand, someone held a different opinion. This person was an official from the leader's faction. "You can't say that. Black Star's actions are understandable. Several years ago, the Tyrant challenged Black Star, who had just entered the Beyond Grade A, to a duel. As a result, Black Star joined the Empire and accepted our protection. Now that he Wings grown stronger, it is normal for him to want to settle old scores."
Seeing this, a neutral faction official spoke up, "That's right. We didn't stop the Tu Shu Tyrant back then because Black Star only joined us after accepting the challenge. The agreement between Beyond Grade A members can't be easily revoked, so we shouldn't stop Black Star's current challenge either. That's fair."
"Yes, moreover, the recent actions in the War Realm have affected the interests of the Black Star Army. If we side with the Tyrant, it will significantly impact Black Star's perception of the Empire."
"But the prestige of Tyrant..."
The officials present were divided into two camps: one supporting intervention and the other supporting inaction. However, those who spoke were the active figures of each faction, essentially pawns whose job was to elicit opinions and indirectly convey the factional positions.
The true faction leaders remained silent at this moment.
Urranrell listened calmly, glancing at Commander-in-Chief of the Exploration Army Tarrokov. "Tar, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent in unison, everyone knowing that it was time for the bigwigs to speak and make decisions, and that their words carried weight.
"Black Star, I know him quite well," Tarrokov smiled slightly. "I believe he's a man of principle."
"Um."
Urranrell nodded, then looked at Bekorodi, one of the hardliners standing beside him, "And you?"
Bekorodi's face was ashen. He glanced casually at Ludwell, who had a half-smile on his face, and slowly said, "I... support neutrality."
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Urranrell's eyes, indicating some surprise.
He knew that Bekorodi had always been a staunch hardliner, and he disliked Black Star in every way, as if Black Star had slept with his wife.
I asked him that question just now, intending to elicit opposing opinions, Bekorodi to side with Black Star at this moment.
Supporting neutrality now is supporting Black Star, because everyone here knows that if the duel is allowed to continue, the reputation of the Tyrant will be severely damaged, while Black Star's prestige will skyrocket.
Heber didn't know was that, in the eyes of the Empire's high command, even if his opponent was just a clone of Black Star, his chances of winning were less than 10%!
Not long ago, the Imperial outpost submitted its observation report on Black Star's advancement, and this report has already caused a sensation among the Imperial high command.
Black Star has only been Beyond Grade A for a few years. The battle of Lighthouse Star and the Sorokin's Fall have both demonstrated his growth. The Empire originally thought he would be quiet for a while, but Black Star is like someone who has drunk high-energy motor oil. He has soared to the sky and has grown again in a short period of time.
Compared to the evolutionary speed of the Beyond Grade A standard, a mere few years is incredibly short!
Although it is still unknown what level Black Star has reached, according to the Dark Emperor's speculation, Black Star may have already approached the level of the Peak Beyond Grade A, decades or even centuries earlier than expected. Even the Dark Emperor was surprised, saying that he had never seen such a monstrous figure.
Therefore, in the eyes of the Empire, the chances of the Tyrant winning were pitifully low. They even suspected that Black Star only sent an avatar to challenge the Tyrant, perhaps to provoke Tyrant into thinking he had a chance of winning and to lure him into accepting the challenge.
The outcome of this battle is predictable: Black Star will become the Empire's primary representative in the Shattered Star Ring, while the Tyrant's power will continue to grow, but in terms of the deterrent power and status of Beyond Grade A being, it will forever be overshadowed by Black Star Black Star, never again reaching parity with him as it once did...
This means that, in the eyes of outsiders, Black Star will take the top spot among the Beyond Grade A stars in the Shattered Star Ring!
Urranrell was naturally happy to see this happen, so the faction of the leader was all on Black Star's side. She originally thought that someone would definitely jump out today to insist on interfering with the challenge, and she was prepared to suppress all dissent. However, she did not expect that Bekorodi, who was most likely to cause trouble in her mind, would change his stance!
Urranrell frowned slightly and looked at Ludwell again.
"I also support neutrality." Ludwell's expression remained calm, not out of gratitude to Black Star, but because he always followed the Führer's faction in expressing his stance.
Moreover, he wasn't as radical as the hardliners; containing Black Star was a last resort. He was more interested in exchanging for or purchasing Evolution Cube.
"Today is really strange, everyone's so easy to talk to..." Urranrell muttered to himself.
Upon hearing this, Bekorodi narrowed his eyes slightly and gave Ludwell a meaningful look.
Just a few days ago, Sorokin, who had an agreement with him, sent him a private message, hoping that he would stop the duel. Bekorodi also knew the stakes; if Black Star's reputation continued to rise, Sorokin's plan would become increasingly difficult to achieve.
Under normal circumstances, he would have insisted on intervening. However, the situation is different now. Ludwell had spoken with him more than half a month ago, and his words contained profound meaning, leaving him uncertain and puzzled.
Bekorodi could only ignore Sorokin's advice, temporarily back down, and observe the situation—plotting to Evolution Cube was good, but self-preservation was more important.
There was a silence in the meeting room, and the atmosphere was strange. When the high-ranking officials from other factions saw that these bigwigs had reached a consensus, no one jumped out to object, and they all echoed each other.
"Since no one has any objections," Urranrell felt things were going much more smoothly than he had imagined. Composing himself, he slowly said, "Then it's decided. As long as Black Star doesn't go too far, such as killing or crippling the Tyrant, we won't interfere."
"Clear."
Everyone had their own thoughts, and they all nodded in agreement.
"Black Star and Tyrant are at odds?"
In the Crimson Dynasty's Beyond Grade A group chat, Beoni spoke with great interest, instantly drawing out all the lurkers.
"I knew those two would fight one day," Old Dragon grumbled.
"Stop talking, let's open the market." Beoni rubbed his hands together, eager to start.
"A little gambling is harmless. I'm betting on Black Star, 50 million Enas." Ravenlaude chuckled, not at all ashamed of selling the Tyrant.
"Well, I know Heber well, and I'm very familiar with his strength..." Viru rubbed his chin, "So I'll bet on Black Star, 10 million."
"Black Star, 200 million." Swordswoman Fu said concisely, her tone indifferent.
"Hey, you've all bet on Black Star, how are we supposed to open the betting market?" Old Dragon complained.
"Simple. You call all the Ancient Ones over, and I'll go and call our allies from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church. It'll be more interesting with more people." The third strongest Pillar of the Nation, who usually stays hidden, finally surfaced and joined in the fun.
"Brilliant! Brilliant!" Old Dragon laughed heartily.
Although the Arcane Church injured him, they suffered even greater losses than he did, so he held no grudge.
The Beyond Grade A circle is only so big. Although they belong to different advanced civilizations, some of them have personal relationships. The third strongest Pillar of the Nation has a good relationship with many Beyond Grade A from the other two countries.
With the allies of the Three Universal Civilizations plus the group of Ancient Ones, it basically encompassed more than half of the Beyond Grade A beings Explored Universe, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a grand gathering.
The crowd was not worried about the duel between Black Star and the Tyrant; in fact, they were eager to see it go. As allies, their status as allies only imposed limited restrictions on them, and only true imperial lineage members would wholeheartedly consider the empire's interests.
They're all Beyond Grade A; how can there be a good show if they don't fight?
In a distant star field, on a blood-red planet.
On the crimson earth, an endless tide of beasts, like a black ocean, relentlessly charged towards a red figure in the center. Countless mangled beast corpses lay on the ground, their blue blood seeping into the soil, leaving patches of blue on the red earth.
This beast is a ferocious interstellar creature capable of hibernating and drifting in space. Once it lands on a planet, it rapidly multiplies, devouring everything edible on the surface and causing calamities from the heavens.
In the bustling star systems, these interstellar creatures have been eradicated, but in some remote and desolate areas, their nests still exist.
At this moment, bursts of dense, deep red energy continuously exploded from the center of the beast tide. The energy swept across, reaping lives and blasting the beasts to pieces.
Hila's expression was icy cold, her eyes seeing nothing but the beasts. She unleashed death energy as if it were free, and the soul energy emanating from each dead beast merged into her body, continuously strengthening her powers.
In the sky, Ames hovered in mid-air, watching Hila single-handedly slay the beast horde without intervening.
This isn't a leisurely trip; Hila's fastest way to rapidly increase her powers is to slay planets. However, this time, the targets are various ferocious beasts.
The battle raged on for an unknown duration until the last beast fell. Hila, her body drenched in blue blood, panted heavily as she looked around.
As far as the eye could see, corpses littered the ground, turning the earth blue. The corpses stretched as far as the eye could see, numbering in the hundreds of millions.
The creature's blood smelled like expired milk, incredibly sour and foul, with a pungent, bloody stench everywhere. Hila held her breath and dragged her weary body to Ames's side.
"Quite efficient." Ames nodded slightly.
Looking down at the horrific scene on the ground, Ames gripped her hand tightly.
Rumble rumble--
The earth shook violently, as if a dragon were turning over, with earthen dragons bursting out of the ground and churning on the surface, creating a spectacular scene.
After the force field stirred for a while, the sand and dust gradually dissipated, and all the corpses were buried underground, as if the land had been plowed over.
If Ames were to intervene, annihilating the beast tide would be a simple matter of turning her hand.
"You'll reach Beyond Grade A when you can snap your fingers and reap the lives of hundreds of millions of people."
Ames chuckled softly as she withdrew her jade-like hand into her black, openwork sleeve.
Hila nodded calmly, her face expressionless, as if the bloodstains covering her body didn't exist.
"Oh, right, I just saw a news report." Ames took out her communicator, shook her head and chuckled, "Black Star has challenged the Tyrant to a duel. They're going to fight in about ten days, just like a few years ago. Even the twenty-day agreement hasn't changed. He really has a twisted sense of humor."
Ames remembered the last challenge vividly because she fought alongside Black Star.
"Hmm?" Hila frowned slightly, a cold, menacing aura subtly emanating from her. "Should we go back and help?"
"Hehe, don't worry..."
Ames smiled faintly.
"He doesn't need my help anymore."
The powers of all star systems are paying attention to this matter, and with the help of those with ulterior motives, more and more people's attention has been drawn to the duel between the two.
The gossipy interstellar public interpreted this battle in various ways. Some thought it was Black Star's "Revenge," some thought it would determine the title of the first Beyond Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring, and some even thought it was a duel between rivals for Ames, conjuring up millions of words of a love triangle between powerful figures.
The betting industry also began its own operations. Originally, Black Star's chances of winning were very high, but since he didn't come in person this time, only an avatar and two million mechanical troops, the betting industry adjusted the win rate comparison, setting it to 60/40, with the Tyrant 60% and Black Star at 40%.
Ordinary people have no way of knowing the actual combat strength of Beyond Grade A. In the eyes of many, although Black Star's recent record is impressive, a veteran like Tyrant is not weak either. Tyrant's name has been known for so long that it has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the citizens of the Shattered Star Ring. Many people always feel that Beyond Grade A who does not personally attend is not a match for another Beyond Grade A. Therefore, quite a few people have placed bets on Tyrant.
Amidst the uproar, twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.
Krent Empire territory, Seoul Star Cluster, Tyrant Black Star.
This was originally a numbered, desolate planet. More than ten days ago, Heber chose this place as the battlefield, so Krent simply changed the planet's name on the star map.
Perhaps Krent intends to turn this planet into a future tourist attraction, but the onlookers at the scene think that this name won't last long—it's uncertain whether the planet will even exist after the battle.
Black Star didn't mind choosing Krent's territory as the battlefield, partly because it showed his strong confidence, and partly because the mechanical troops were not afraid of losses, Krent couldn't do anything underhanded.
Beyond Grade A mechanics are a real headache; as long as their wallets are full enough, they can take risks without restraint, and Krent is helpless against them.
At this very moment, countless spaceships have gathered on Tyrant Black Star, a sea of ships.
Having learned from the lessons of a few years ago, all the onlookers kept their distance, no one wanting to be the next lucky spectator to be randomly killed.
The fleet hovered War Realm, on high alert. Heber stood alone on the ground, his gaze deep and unwavering, eyes closed in meditation. His imposing figure, as large as a small mountain, stood upright, his black cloak billowing in the wind, exuding a powerful aura.
"... Can we really win?"
On a warship, a Vanguard Officers couldn't help but break the silence, his face filled with apprehension.
"Are you questioning His Excellency the Tyrant?" Fosters gave him a hostile look.
"Don't you have any?"
Fosters gritted his teeth, glared at him fiercely, turned away, but did not refute him.
Actually, his palms were sweating.
If the Tyrant couldn't defeat Black Star himself, he would be disappointed, but he was already prepared and would accept it. However, this time it was only an avatar of Black Star. If the Tyrant still couldn't defeat him...
"No, that's impossible. How could Black Star have become so strong in just a few years?"
Fosters shook his head violently, muttering to himself, unsure whether he was trying to convince others or comfort himself.
Jorde turned and glanced at the worried Vanguard Officers, his face darkening.
Once upon a time, the eight Vanguard Officers held absolute trust and loyalty towards His Majesty the Tyrant, but now...
When exactly did they begin to waver?
... Yes, this trend emerged after Black Star entered Beyond Grade A and the Tyrant's first challenge ended in defeat.
Thinking of this, Jorde felt conflicted and secretly annoyed.
If I had known, I should have resolutely defied the Tyrant's will back then and strangled you in the Secret War.
Black Star... what a vicious scheme that hits right to the heart of the matter.
You absolutely must win, Your Tyrant... Otherwise, morale will collapse, and the team will be difficult to lead.
"Alas, unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs' in this world." Jorde sighed inwardly.
Just then, Heber suddenly opened his eyes and looked in one direction.
Beep beep beep--
The radars of every spaceship registered a signal, and everyone looked in the same direction, instinctively holding their breath.
The Black Star fleet slowly appeared from afar, arriving rather late.
"It's finally here."
Heber's eyes were cold, and his hands, which were behind his back, suddenly clenched.