"My current combat style is very well-rounded, combining tankiness with high damage output, possessing formidable burst damage, and utilizing numerous control-type mechanical devices. My mechanical army is vast, capable of hundreds or even thousands of tactical maneuvers, and I also have advanced machines like Dominion clones and Apostle Weapon, providing strong crowd control. My mental resistance is also high enough, and I have skills like [Supreme Virtual]. Furthermore, my Void Bloodline grants me powerful mobility and unique control abilities..."
Han Xiao secretly analyzed the current fighting style, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was very strong, and that he was a well-rounded individual in terms of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor.
Among the Five Superpower Systems, the ability users are the first to develop and have the highest combat power in the early stages, while the mechanics and mages shine in the later stages. Compared to the other three systems, the mechanics and mages, whose power comes from knowledge, have very comprehensive qualities and few weaknesses. For the mechanics, their fragility and low mental resistance are the most prominent weaknesses.
However, the word "fragile" does not exist in Han Xiao's dictionary. His weakness in mental resistance has also been largely compensated for. Now he has no obvious shortcomings and is very well-rounded, almost a hexagonal warrior.
Now, with the [Charge - Endless Charge] skill, which deals extremely high burst damage to a single target, the combat style has become more complete. In legion battles, Han Xiao's main body or his Dominion clone usually roams around and doesn't immediately engage in close combat. Now, with this charge skill, the distance he roams can be converted into damage, giving his main body or clone an additional tactical role.
After admiring the dazzling skill for a while, Han Xiao finally closed the panel.
Back in his room, he suppressed his joy, took out his communicator, pondered for a moment, and then dialed the Empire's head of state's private line to sound him out.
After a few rings, Urranrell's exquisite and dignified face appeared on the screen, as if she had expected Han Xiao to call her.
"Black Star, you've arrived."
"Your Excellency," Han Xiao nodded in greeting, getting straight to the point, "Are you aware of the Bekorodi matter?"
"Hmm." Urranrell nodded.
Glancing at her calm expression, Han Xiao confirmed that the imperial decision-makers indeed wanted him to hand it over, and the head of state was on his side.
Han Xiao paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"
"I want you to hand over the Evolution Cube; it concerns a vital strategic issue for the Empire."
"Does your important strategy mean you're finally planning to sell the totems publicly? By handing over the cubes to you, I'm losing a huge amount of profit," Han Xiao probed.
Urranrell shook his head and slowly said:
"The Empire has no immediate plans to publicly sell totems. This decision is based on risk considerations, and the benefits outweigh the risks for you. The pressure from the Glory and the Arcane is increasing. Although the Empire has withstood most of the pressure, if you continue to hold onto the Evolution Cube, there's no guarantee that the Glory and the Arcane won't take another risk and launch a new sneak attack..."
I'm sure you understand that Evolution Cube in your possession always carries a risk. Dealing with you is much easier than forcing the Empire to compromise. If you hand it over to the Empire, then the enemy will have no chance at all.
"You don't seem to have much confidence in me?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "I thought you guys had high hopes for me."
"I do have high hopes for you, but you are, after all, just one person," Urranrell explained. "After the lesson learned last time, if Glory and Arcane were to make a move, they would definitely send Peak Beyond Grade A like Manison and Kasuyi. You are no match for the Mechanic Emperor right now, and with the addition of other Peak Beyond Grade A, the risk is too great."
"What you said makes some sense, but they haven't made a move all these years, so it's hard to say what the future holds." Han Xiao remained noncommittal.
"The situation is different now. Beyond Grade A are generally distributed across different star systems. Once they are mobilized, we can usually get wind of it and prepare in advance. However, the opening of the Shattered World is an excellent opportunity for Glory and Arcane. The vast majority of Beyond Grade A beings in the entire universe are heading to the Shattered Star Ring. With so many people gathered together, Glory and Arcane can easily assemble high-level combat power to quickly attack your base. Because they have a reasonable reason to gather, it will be difficult for us to guard against a sudden attack like we did last time."
Han Xiao stroked his chin. Indeed, due to the news that the Shattered World was about to open, all the major forces were gathering in the Shattered Star Ring, including many Beyond Grade A beings from other star regions, who were all rushing over.
Previously, those Beyond Grade A beings were scattered across other star systems, far away, making them difficult to deal with. But now, taking advantage of the opening up, Beyond Grade A beings from other forces have flocked here, getting closer, and his situation has indeed become much more dangerous.
It is foreseeable that in the period before the official opening of the Shattered World, the already chaotic Shattered Star Ring will become even more chaotic, with all sorts of outsiders everywhere. It's hard to say whether I, as the local strongman, can keep them in check.
Seeing that Han Xiao didn't speak, Urranrell advised, "Black Star, although the future profits of the Evolution Cube are great, it seems like a loss to easily give it up, but it's better than losing it."
"I'll think about it." Han Xiao shook his head, not giving a definitive answer yet.
"No need to rush to give me an answer." Urranrell didn't press the issue, then changed the subject, "By the way, there's something I need you to do."
"What's up?"
"The Empire is currently constructing a massive inter-stellar portal from the Shattered Star Ring to the Shattered World. Before it officially opens, numerous forces from across the universe will be stationed in the Shattered Star Ring, causing disruption to this star region. Therefore, I need you to maintain order, suppress all external forces and Beyond Grade A beings, and prevent them from causing trouble in the Shattered Star Ring."
Han Xiao said with interest, "I remember the Shattered Star Ring is nominally the territory of the Glory, right?"
"Yes, but the Empire has a stronger presence there, so maintaining stability is also in our best interest. Besides, I don't want any unforeseen events to affect the opening of the Shattered World."
You can ask Heber for this job.
"Tyrant doesn't have your intimidating power; only you are qualified to subdue all the outsider Beyond Grade A."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao couldn't help but smile.
He liked hearing that; he never expected that the high and mighty head of state would resort to flattery.
The panel also showed activity, displaying an additional faction mission in the main storyline of the Shattered World. The mission required maintaining the stability of the Shattered Star Ring before it was released. The rewards were decent, including experience and contribution points, as well as some money and resources promised by the Empire.
"Alright, I'll go and oversee the Shattered Star Ring. Hopefully, the other Beyond Grade A will give me some face."
Han Xiao agreed.
Even without this mission, he would have done it anyway. The Shattered Star Ring is the Legion's base camp, and stabilizing the rear is just as important to him. He wouldn't allow outsiders to ride horses across his vegetable garden.
Especially those freshmen Beyond Grade A, at this stage they need to make a name for themselves and love to cause trouble.
After hanging up the communication, Han Xiao exhaled and activated the Dominator's Descent, sending his consciousness to the planet of the mechanical civilization.
Since we need to go back to maintain order, the troops left at the Shattered Star Ring headquarters are no longer sufficient, and we need to mobilize a new wave of troops.
Just then, the mechanical civilization had been developing steadily for twenty years and was on the right track. He planned to bring a group of Apostle Weapon back with him.
The scene before him changed, and he found himself inside a mechanical palace, with the Dominion's avatar sitting on the palace throne.
Han Xiao has a long-term clone in the mechanical civilization, which occasionally descends to inspect it. Therefore, Dark Emperor and others built a towering palace thousands or even tens of thousands of meters high to enshrine his Dominion clone's body here.
Han Xiao controlled his Dominion to stand up, walk out of the towering palace, and look down at the earth. In his eyes was a continuous, undulating mechanical city, with countless mechanical life forms flying across the sky.
This is the home planet of the mechanical civilization— Planet Apostle, which is more advanced than it was more than a decade ago.
After more than twenty years of relentless development, the mechanical civilization has completely transformed this planet, establishing countless facilities on and beneath the surface, gaining immense productivity, and beginning to explore other surrounding planets.
At the same time, the population is expanding rapidly, increasing exponentially – all of which are the manpower reserves prepared by the mechanical legion.
From the perspective of civilization, the development speed of mechanical civilization is like boarding a jump ship, incredibly fast, while the development of the Black Spirit Race is not slow either.
After years of study, a number of scholars emerged from the Black Spirit Race, who began to integrate the knowledge taught by the Legion in various fields. Due to the characteristics of the Black Spirit Race, once someone learns a piece of knowledge, it can be quickly spread.
Moreover, with the generous resources and equipment provided by the Legion, the Black Spirit Race did not need to slowly accumulate productivity. As long as they learned the knowledge, they could obtain the tools to apply it. Thus, in just twenty years, they went directly from the tribal era to the electrical era, completing a three-stage leap with astonishing efficiency. The race's terrifying talent began to emerge.
In his view, if the Black Spirit Race had started on the same footing as the Glory and Arcane, the universe might now be ruled by four cosmic-level civilizations.
The Black Spirit Race's racial talents are almost entirely focused on learning and education. To exaggerate a bit, they are a race qualified to achieve a golden age where "everyone is like a dragon," which is truly impressive.
As for the Kunde Race, they are still undergoing cultural transformation, but Han Xiao also had some good things slipped into their culture.
Today, a trend of worshiping the Mechanic Faith has emerged within the Kunde Race. Although, due to the lingering impact of the defeat only a little over a decade ago, no formal believers have yet been converted, this trend is already underway.
Han Xiao gazed at the planet's scenery for a while. Soon, more than a dozen black dots flew in from a distance, rapidly growing larger in his field of vision, revealing the figures of Apostle Weapon.
Behind these Enderman, a massive shadow, as large as a mountain range, slowly approached. It was the Giant King Kong, known for its enormous size, its head positioned parallel to the entrance of the Tower of Babel where Han Xiao was located.
"Greetings, Dominion."
Dark Emperor, accompanied by more than a dozen Apostle Weapon, flew into the gate and stopped in front of Han Xiao to pay their respects.
Over the years, Han Xiao has used up all his Apostle Weapon slots to expand his Apostle Weapon team. Because of a series of specialties and skills that enhance the upper limit of mechanical skill levels, such as [Perfect Mechanical Sense], he has far more than twelve Apostle Weapon.
Han Xiao glanced around and noticed that the weapons and armor of these Apostle Weapon were much more abundant than they had been twenty years ago. At the same time, he sensed that the fire source energy of the Apostle Weapon had also grown considerably.
Mechanical life forms all have the potential for growth and know how to actively strengthen themselves. In particular, the first generation of mechanical life forms contained the purest Mechanical Force fire energy and had excellent growth potential.
With his current Mechanical Affinity, each of these Apostle Weapon is a formidable force, capable of fighting even more fiercely against ordinary Beyond Grade A (referring to Kohler and Beoni).
"Dark Emperor, Silver Flash, Heavenly Wild Hunt, Red Fire Group, Golden Supreme, Formless Ghost, Heaven Suppressing Flag, Purple Sky Spirit... You will each take a group of troops and return to the Shattered Star Ring headquarters. I may need you to fight." Han Xiao issued the order.
"Understood." Dark Emperor replied. To him, Han Xiao's words were divine decree, and he had no choice but to obey completely.
At the Shattered Star Ring boundary stargate, a fleet bearing the insignia of the Arcane Church slowly sailed out of the stargate.
Currently, Beyond Grade A from all over the world are flocking to the Shattered Star Ring. This fleet is specifically escorting a newly recruited Beyond Grade A who joined the Arcane Church a few years ago to this star system.
"Red Devil" Tolain, Beyond Grade A born in the Shining Silver Arm several years ago, was a wanted criminal for a long time. He was recruited by the Arcane Church and his criminal record was wiped clean. Now, with the support of the Arcane Church, he has a place in the Shining Silver Arm.
In the main ship's conference room, a number of the Arcane Church's Beyond Grade A members were present, with only Tolain being the actual body; the others were all remote projections.
"Haha, looks like I'm the first one to arrive. When did you guys get here?" Tolain looked around and said casually.
"Soon, you stay with us at Sisko's." The Sun Hunter was short in stature, but his voice was like a cannon.
"Hmph, what's the point of just waiting?" Tolain's eyes flashed. "Since we're just idling around anyway, we might as well find someone to spar with."
He was recruited by the Arcane Church not long after he entered the Beyond Grade A. As a newcomer, he had no outstanding achievements. Now that he had arrived at the Shattered Star Ring, he couldn't help but have his own ambitions.
"Don't cause trouble in the Shattered Star Ring," Kasuyi said calmly, his voice ethereal and otherworldly. "That's Black Star's territory; give him some face."
Previously, the Shattered Star Ring only had four Beyond Grade A: Heber, Ames, Austin, and Sisko. It was extremely remote and weak, and wouldn't have been taken seriously by Peak Beyond Grade A like him.
But things are different now. Black Star has risen to prominence and become a representative figure of the Shattered Star Ring, representing the Empire in this region.
The reputation of Peak Beyond Grade A still carries some weight. Most Beyond Grade A are willing to give Black Star face and behave themselves in the Shattered Star Ring, avoiding trouble. Even fellow Peak Beyond Grade A don't want to provoke Han Xiao.
Upon hearing the name Black Star, several Beyond Grade A members present became uneasy. They were all members who had participated in the Battle of Lighthouse Star and had all suffered losses at Han Xiao's hands. They had come with great momentum but retreated in disgrace.
The feeling of being trapped in the Space-Time Amber was unpleasant, especially for Dilun. Now, just hearing Han Xiao's name made him recall that feeling and he couldn't help but shudder.
"Haha, you're so scared after being defeated once? Lord Kasuyi, you wouldn't happen to be Black Star too, would you?"
Tolain knew about this too, and couldn't help but sneer. As a former wanted criminal, he wasn't one to hold back.
These words embarrassed many Beyond Grade A students, who all scoffed.
"I'm not afraid of him," Kasuyi said calmly. "It's just that it's not the time for me to meet him yet, so I advise you not to provoke him either."
"Hmph, I'm not stupid." Tolain waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'm not arrogant enough to choose Black Star as my target."
"So, who would you like to spar with?"
"Hey, I can't beat Black Star, Heber is from the Empire and he's not easy to mess with either, and although Sisko is weak, he's one of our own, so all that's left for me are those two neutral guys."
A flicker of excitement flashed in Tolain's eyes.
"Austin is hiding in the Palace of Hidden Spells; I'm probably no match for him. But Ames... ha, she's easy to deal with. I'll just use her as a stepping stone to make it my first Beyond Grade A victory!"