Chapter 1054 Retrea
While the Arcane Church was tempted to retreat, Sierron, who was fighting intensely with the Mechanical Deity, received the same suggestion from his side.
“Your Excellency Sierron, we should retreat now. The situation will only become worse for us. There’s no point in fighting Black Star here while he burns his potential.” Hades’ tone was hasty.
“That’s right. Although more than ten of us being forced to retreat by Black Star alone will damage our reputation, by analyzing the current situation, this is the best plan for now. Since he’s paid such a huge price, it’d be best if we don’t continue to fight with him.” Mornisa agreed as well.
Sierron and the Mechanical Deity’s attacks clashed a few more times before he backed away with a long face.
Although he was not willing to admit it, the explosive power Black Star was displaying now was more than enough to match up to him. They would not be able to do much to each other any time soon. The Mechanical Deity’s energy consumption was terrifying, so normal Mechanics would not be able to make it last this long, but Black Star could keep it running for a very long time. This meant that even if the battle between the two of them came to an end, it would take a very long time.
The church’s side seemingly intended to retreat as well, so if they remained there to fight Black Star, they would receive all the pressure.
Sierron was not afraid, but he could not fight in multiple areas like a Mechanic could, so he could not help his teammates.
The federation never planned to fight Black Star head-on. Since the plan to capture Hila alive had failed, continuing to fight would only be a waste of effort. Sierron made the decision instantly and said with a deep voice, “Retreat. Preheat the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device.”
After he said that, he no longer continued fighting the Mechanical Deity and headed into the mechanical army. Using continuous Pugilist shockwaves, he created an empty area within the countless mechanical soldiers.
On the other side, Kasuyi stopped his act as well while helping his teammates to escape. His psychic energy swept all the mechanical army in his way to the side.
The escape routes of the two sides were different. The federation had brought their fleet along, so the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device was their way out. The church had a small team, so only the Beyond Grade As had to escape themselves. As soon as they left the area affected by the spacetime stabilization device, they would be able to escape with teleportation scrolls.
Han Xiao instantly noticed the shift in the targets’ goals. Both sides were heading out of the mechanical army in two different directions.
The federation and the church both hoped that the other side would hold Black Star back, so of course, they would not be helping each other. There was also no way the church would take the federation’s Uber, or they would basically be leaving the wolf’s den just to enter the tiger’s cave.
“Their alliance is broken.”
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled. He controlled the Mechanical Deity and chased after the federation’s people.
The mechanical army split in two, while the Apostle Weapons and Mysterious Energy Host left the church’s Beyond Grade As behind and focused on the federation.
Gathering all the combatants to focus on one side would have a better effect. One reason he chose to chase after the federation was due to Kasuyi’s favor, and another was because it would be too difficult to chase after the church.
If Kasuyi stopped acting, his ability to restrain him would be incomparable. If he headed to chase after the church’s people, he would most likely not be able to capture anyone at all. Kasuyi was just a doppelganger, so he could totally secure his teammates’ escape without having to worry about his own safety, and his psychic energy would be more than enough to stop his entire army for some time.
Comparatively, Sierron was just a Pugilist who was powerful as an individual but had very limited AOE skills. He was not good at protecting his teammates and was there as his main body, so he could not miss his ride. With these factors all adding up, the federation was clearly easier to deal with.
Once the target was decided, Han Xiao locked onto a federation Beyond Grade A and threw out an ability without hesitation.
[Virtual Paramount]!
‘Lone Ranger’ Jackornitz was using all kinds of mechanical weapons to fight the Apostle Weapons when his body suddenly became stiff, and his soul was trapped in the virtual world by Han Xiao. He had lost control of his body.
In such dire situations, even the slightest carelessness would be fatal, not to mention being defenseless for more than ten seconds.
As a Mechanical Pugilist, the defense of his physical body could not match a true Pugilist, nor did he have any True Damage Immunity talents. When the mechanical army and the Apostle Weapons swarmed toward him, his health plummeted.
Han Xiao had chosen him because he was paper according to his data from the Meeting of the Gods.
Swoosh!
The Mechanical Deity extended its arm and grabbed Jackornitz. It then absorbed him into its body.
When Jackornitz escaped from the control effect of Virtual Paramount and returned to his body, he instantly felt a strong sense of weakness. What he came back to was a body that was heavily wounded and completely controlled by the traps inside the Mechanical Deity, unable to move.
“Impossible…”
Jackornitz could not believe how quickly he had been defeated.
He would be able to last longer even against the Mechanic Emperor’s army. He knew that Black Star was extremely tanky, but why was his damage output so high too‽
Han Xiao was not surprised. The damage output of his mechanical army was definitely not low.
Being a Molding Talent, [Legendary Battle Technique] could tear through any Beyond Grade As without a True Damage Immunity talent once his mechanical army could penetrate the shield and focus fire on the target. Even with how much health Beyond Grade As had, they would still not be able to handle this much damage.
Jackornitz was sent beside Han Xiao’s main body inside the Mechanical Deity. Han Xiao turned and glanced at him. “You won’t be able to run now that you’re inside here. If you don’t want to suffer more, don’t resist.”
As soon as his sentence ended, countless barrels extended from the interior walls of the Mechanical Deity and aimed at Jackornitz.
Under the mechanical helmet, Jackornitz could not help but smile bitterly.
Alright then, I couldn’t beat Black Star to begin with, and now he’s even sacrificing his potential for all this. I’d better accept my fate.
At the same time, the federation’s Beyond Grade As outside witnessed the entire process, seeing Black Star easily capture Jackornitz like catching a newborn chick.
“Your Excellency Sierron, this…” Womre could not help but say.
“Leave him. We can’t save him.” Sierron’s expression was gloomy. He was seething with anger.
Unlike Kasuyi, his main body was right there, so he could not afford to ignore his own safety. If he tried to save his teammate, he would not make it in time for the federation’s teleportation. And when the dynasty’s reinforcements arrived, he would probably be done for.
Therefore, no matter how furious he was, Sierron could only put up with it.
…
At the same time, the church’s members who were fleeing from the mechanical army in another direction also saw this.
Initially, when Tolaen was captured, Sagman and the others were all quite unhappy. So, when they saw that the federation was suffering just as much, they felt much better.
Like a great man once said, when something unlucky happens to someone, the best way to comfort him is not to pity him but to make him see others just as unlucky as him.
This was exactly how the church was feeling.
This time, Kasuyi’s eyes flickered slightly. He contemplated for a while but suddenly stopped and said, “You guys go first. I’m staying to do something.”
“What are you going to do?” Sagman was curious.
Kasuyi turned to look in the federation’s direction, smiled faintly, and said, “The federation has yet to return the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter. This is a good chance to teach them a lesson and take some interest from them.”
The others understood immediately. This was something only Kasuyi’s doppelganger could do.
What Kasuyi wanted to do was restrain the federation’s people and help Black Star capture even more Beyond Grade As of the federation.
He hoped that Black Star would capture more captives to vent his anger and get more compensation from the Universal Civilizations. Plus, it would be best for him not to sell out his teammates. Hence, the federation was the best target.
Furthermore, this was a very justifiable reason. He had been acting the whole time, but the church would still compliment him for doing a great job, while at the same time, it would cancel out the loss they suffered through failing the mission and having one of them be captured. It was killing multiple birds with one stone. This was clearly the move of an experienced actor.
Having thought of that, Kasuyi left Sagman and the others and headed right toward the federation’s people. At the same time, he privately communicated with Han Xiao.
“Still remember the deal I suggested earlier? How about we work together?”
Han Xiao was chasing after the federation’s people when he saw Kasuyi charging toward this battlefield. He was initially planning on trying to stop him, but when he heard this, even he was stunned and almost speechless. He had tons of things he could say, but he did not know what to say, so it all fused into one single sentence.
On behalf of the federation, I thank you!
With Kasuyi joining the battle, the situation changed instantly. Kasuyi’s psychic energy swept past the members of the federation one after another. Having been hit by such powerful mind attacks, many of them trembled all over, allowing the mechanical army to create an even tighter encirclement around them. The speed of them pushing through the mechanical army suddenly slowed down.
Seeing this, Sierron was furious.
Kasuyi!
When I invited you to work together with me to fight Black Star, didn’t you say you were out of energy, you piece of sh*t‽
You goddamn actor!
He did not expect the Arcane Church to play this dirty and help Black Star.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Kasuyi’s tone was calm. “During the Planet Lighthouse battle, you also stabbed us in the back. The situation back then was so similar to now. I’m simply doing the same thing you lot did.”
During the Planet Lighthouse battle, due to the federation, the church had been left in a passive situation. The federation had even killed one of their Beyond Grade As and taken the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.
Hence, Kasuyi felt no guilt doing something like this.
Sierron’s expression was raging. With a furious roar, he headed back. Highly condensed Pugilist flames appeared all around his body as he forced open a path. No mechanical soldier could stop him.
He blew away countless mechanical soldiers and made his way to Crystal Soul. He then grabbed him and turned around to leave instantly, not caring about his other teammates.
Sierron clearly knew that with Kasuyi helping Black Star, the federation would undoubtedly suffer a huge loss, so he could only take damage control measures.
Crystal Soul was a Crystal Life, so he was tiny. Plus, he had a Universal Treasure, so he was prioritized. Sierron brought Crystal Soul along and escaped right away. As for the others, there was nothing he could do.
Mornisa saw this and stopped fleeing. She controlled her mechanical army to secure the retreat instead. Although she could not match Han Xiao’s army at all, it still more or less slowed down Han Xiao’s mechanical army’s speed.
This way, those facing the most pressure became Hades and Womre, who were left behind.
“Damn it…”
Hades was bleeding from his every orifice. He was also a Psychic, but he was completely powerless in front of Kasuyi. He could no longer maintain his cool, and his face was filled with resentment.
At this time, the Mechanical Deity’s palm suddenly slammed down. Hades looked up. His vision was covered by this metal sky.
It had not been long since Hades became a Beyond Grade A, so he was not very clear about the strength levels of the Beyond Grade As. When he saw this, he only had one thought in his mind.
This is what true power looks like!
The next moment, he blacked out and lost all his senses as the mechanical palm landed on him.
“Third.”
Han Xiao absorbed the unconscious Hades into the Mechanical Deity, then looked at Womre.
At this point, all the Apostle Weapons were attacking just Womre.
This Pugilist’s style was different from Sierron and Gorutan. It did not look rough and powerful but very smooth and natural, like a martial arts master. Instead of melee combat, he seemed to be better at mid-ranged shockwave attacks. His Pugilist flames never stopped burning, as if they had no end.
The light-blue flames circled around him like a shield, continuously repelling the Apostle Weapons’ attacks. His movements were neither fast nor slow. Every move he made launched a shockwave. Even in such a dire situation, Womre did not look like he was being overpowered. However, with no chance of turning the tables, his defeat was just a matter of time.
Seeing that Sierron and Crystal Soul were escaping further while he had no way out, he decided not to escape and stay there to secure their way out with Mornisa.
The Mechanical Deity waved its hands, shattering tons of enemy mechanical soldiers and the unmanned fleet of the federation, quickly destroying Mornisa’s fragile Lord’s Avatar.
Womre was left alone, and not long after, he was also captured alive due to the attacks of the Apostle Weapons, Mysterious Energy Host, and Hila.
Nonetheless, them staying there was not meaningless. Sierron and Crystal Soul had already escaped into the Federation of Light’s fleet, and the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device’s preheating was complete.
Hu!
Two enormous mechanical rings span at an extremely quick speed, faster and faster, till the afterimages formed a sphere that shrouded the area around the fleet.
Sierron turned back one last time, glared at Kasuyi, and then looked at Han Xiao.
“Black Star, you captured our people. The federation won’t let this go easily! Just you wait!”
Buzz!
The speed of the two rings suddenly stopped, and the fleet inside the sphere area disappeared, leaving only the unmanned fleet and the mechanical army behind.
The next moment, the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device activated the self-destruction sequence and exploded.
As the federation’s people left, the atmosphere became much quieter.
“Only two escaped on the federation’s side.” Han Xiao stopped. His eyes sparkled as he looked in another direction, where the few Beyond Grade As of the church had already fled.
This time, Kasuyi’s voice sounded in his mind. “What, after capturing three federation Beyond Grade As and one church Beyond Grade A, are you still not satisfied?”
Han Xiao looked at Kasuyi and saw his calm expression.
“Thanks.” Han Xiao deactivated the Mechanical Deity and nodded at Kasuyi.
Without Kasuyi’s help, he would have captured three Beyond Grade As at most. He had managed to capture four and destroy two Mechanic avatars, meaning he basically defeated half of all the enemies.
The main reason he had achieved this was the Character Summon Cards he used, but other than that, Hila’s help and the Spacetime Amber were also crucial factors. That was especially so for the Spacetime Amber, which blocked a ton of long-range attacks, so he could put more effort into attacking, at the same time discouraging everyone from rushing his main body. Furthermore, he also had to rely on it to seal Beyond Grade As. Basically, at least twenty to thirty percent of the battle merit belonged to the Spacetime Amber.
He had to say, Ravenlaude’s should-be treasure was really very useful.
Although two of the four Beyond Grade As captures were newborn noobs and the other two were not particularly strong, they were still Beyond Grade As. They all had Molding Talents, so it all depended on Feidin this time.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind. As Han Xiao saw that Kasuyi had been staring at him, he retrieved the mechanical army that was chasing after the church’s people.
The spacetime stabilization device was already gone by this point, so he directly activated the secondary dimensional army box and stuffed his remaining mechanical army in. He then used Dimension Factory to collect the parts all over the place to do repairs.
While doing this, Han Xiao casually asked, “What are you going to do next, continue to escort the church’s people out?”
“Hmm, when they arrive at a safe place with teleportation scrolls, I’ll release this doppelganger. You won’t chase after them anymore, will you?”
Kasuyi smiled faintly while sighing in his mind.
When was the last time anyone achieved something this incredible in this entire universe?
When the results of this battle spread, god knows how much of a sensation it will cause.
“I’ve promised you, so I won’t go back on my word… By the way, let me show you something.”
Han Xiao waved and called Hila over.
“Are you okay?” Hila stared at Han Xiao’s face and did not bother looking at Kasuyi at all.
Although Kasuyi had come to help earlier, from the way she looked at it, the people of the church were still enemies. She did not know this was an Oscar-winning best actor.
“I’m fine.” Han Xiao shook his head and said with a serious tone, “Ames is being attacked in Black Star Palace. Go back to help her and then send Silver Shadow over.”
Hila was confused. “What do you mean? How am I going to go back to help her?”
“I have some new technology that can teleport you back.”
Han Xiao’s entire body started to glow. The King left his body with loud clanks and attached itself automatically onto Hila while still being connected to Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force.
After many private tests, Han Xiao knew the mechanics of the King like the back of his hand. The King itself was a Mechanic-only equipment, and the teleportation function of the Throne was targeted at the user who was wearing the mechanical suit. However, if he maintained his Mechanical Force link to the King through the Quantum Infinite Distance Transmission Channel, even if someone else was in the mechanical suit, Han Xiao would still be able to activate this function and teleport the wearer of the mechanical suit to a fixed location.
The Throne was about to arrive at the Black Star Palace, so Hila would be teleported right back to his base.
Han Xiao turned around and realized that Kasuyi was looking at this with interest. Hence, he purposely activated a spacetime stabilization device to cover the area.
Then, Han Xiao snapped his fingers, and the King disappeared without a trace right under Kasuyi’s nose.
Kasuyi’s expression suddenly changed into shock. “This is… Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation? When did you learn the federation’s technology?”
“It’s not Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation. It’s another technology, but the results are similar. It can also penetrate the restrictions of spacetime stabilization devices and disruptors,” Han Xiao said calmly.
“Why didn’t you use this earlier?” Kasuyi said with resignation. If we knew you had this technology before, why would we even come to attack Hila?
“I only recently obtained this technology.” Han Xiao nodded. Looking at Kasuyi’s expression, he knew that he had achieved his goal.
He deliberately showcased the teleportation ability of the King to let others know that he had this technology. Otherwise, if the federation and the church did not give up, they might attack Hila again in the future, and he could not possibly always keep Hila hidden.
Showing this trump card at this time would let the outside world know that Hila could escape anytime when attacked by enemies she could not win against. This way, the federation and the church would give up on this plan, and this incident would not repeat itself.
In that case, Hila would be in a much safer situation, and no one would want to target her.
Swoosh!
At this time, the King appeared once again. The mechanical suit opened, showing Silver Shadow, who was still lost.
“Hmm? Black Star? What is this place?”
Silver Shadow was still confused as to what was happening.
“Stop talking. I don’t have much time, and I need to borrow your body. When I’m done, I’ll let you use the Evolution Cube.”
Han Xiao patted Silver Shadow’s shoulders, dragged him away, and was about to leave.
Kasuyi was a little surprised.
“It’s all over. Where are you going now?”
“It’s not over for me yet. While my explosive powers are still here, I have another target I need to deal with.”
“Who?” Kasuyi was curious.
Han Xiao turned his head sideways and said with a deep voice, “Beast Ancestor, Gorutan.”