Within the observation post of the Seoul Star Cluster stargate, the sentry on duty was slacking, turning a blind eye to the fleets entering and exiting the stargate. He held his communicator in his hand, intently concentrating like the typical lowered-head generation.
Since the end of the secret war, Klent and Purple Crystal had decided to recuperate, while the Black Star Army joined the Crimson Dynasty. There was no chance of war breaking out, so the mentality of the sentries gradually relaxed.
They could not be blamed for the lack of professionalism. The main reason was that the vast majority of transit spaceships were subjected to review by the artificial intelligence, and there were few opportunities for manual review, so most of the time, they usually had nothing to do.
“This virtual singer is awesome…”
On the sentry’s communicator was a virtual image of a beautiful Klentan, clad in a thin dress and dancing on the side while singing. Her voice was melodious and clear, like springtime.
The sentry on duty was fascinated, shaking his legs frantically while swiping his finger across the screen to send virtual gifts purchased with real cash.
This was an entertainment app popular throughout the universe. The user could customize their favorite avatar based on the aesthetics of different races. In addition to shape, they could also choose its personality. After creating the avatar, the user could interact with others in a variety of ways, such as asking them to sing, dance, or play Wayne Cards online, basically treating them like a real person.
One could also allow the virtual life to become a 3D life-size projection. If one had further needs, they could contact the website to buy a virtual sensory outfit, which would allow them to come into contact with it. This was divided into two categories: Children and Adult.
In this day and age, even with the high degree of interstellar integration, there were still many people that would prefer to have a virtual friend, brother, child, or partner than a real friend.
What was worth noting was that this popular app was developed by a sub brand of the Limitless Financial Group. The annual revenue obtained was terrifying, with their annual income already enough to purchase the entirety of Bloodshed Land.
The sentry on duty, whilst obsessed with admiring his dream lover, suddenly heard the cold voice of the artificial intelligence.
“Detected specially marked fleets in transit. Requesting manual review.”
The sentry got a shock and almost threw his communicator out of the window in fright before settling down. With annoyance at being disturbed, he turned to operate the manual review.
“Who is this idiot that… eh? Black Star Army‽”
In that instant, the sentry seemed to have had his soul knocked out and back into him. The party in transit was actually the Black Star Army!
Within the database of such public stargates, they were some specially marked characters, such as the galactic criminals. Because of the grudges of the secret war, Klent had also added the Black Star Army to this marked list. Personnel with the identity of the Black Star Army would be reported upward if they came into Klent territory.
The sentry on duty knew that he had no right to review and immediately notified his team leader. This was passed up layer by layer and sent directly into the mailbox of a senior official.
It did not take long for instructions to be passed down, allowing the Black Star Army to pass.
Soon, a small fleet marked with the emblem of the Black Star Army sailed out of the stargate and turned into a stream of light, leaving only a light trail reflected in the pupils of the sentry.
Although the Black Star Army was allowed to cross the border, the upper echelons of the Klent Kingdom did not know how to deal with this problem.
Normally, the Black Star Army did not have any dealings with them, and they normally would not come over to the Seoul Star Cluster.
But to suddenly visit with unknown motives… someone had to follow them to keep tabs on them!
…
Out of Klent’s expectations, the news that the Black Star Army had suddenly visited their territory spread out quickly, being known to many of the organizations and galactic residents of the Shattered Star Ring.
Klent knew that someone should be fanning the news behind the scenes.
Upon thinking about it, probably only the Black Star Army would want to do this. Klent did not understand their approach at first, but they soon realized what they wanted to do when they saw the Black Star Army moving toward Bloodshed Land.
Indeed, it should be the latest movements from the Bloodshed Land that had attracted the Black Star Army!
The truth behind the cooperation of Bloodshed Land and the Limitless Financial Group was not known to Klent, and they only knew that the organizations within the Bloodshed Land were advancing by leaps and bounds, robbing the businesses of the Black Star Army.
Heber was also an ally of theirs, and Klent originally wanted to use some means to hide it, but they discovered it too late.
The news that ‘Black Star Army was going to visit Bloodshed Land’ had long spread. Now, most of the Shattered Star Ring knew that the Black Star Army was prepared to take action against Heber.
This was to the point that the Black Star Army had even publicly announced their flight destination. Every day, the distance from the Bloodshed Land was constantly decreasing.
Under such a high-profile momentum, many galactic residents of the Shattered Star Ring were waiting to watch a good show and eagerly awaited the meeting between the two parties.
Public opinion had already been established, so Klent had their arms and legs tied.
After another half a month, the Black Star Army’s fleet finally arrived at the Bloodshed Land’s headquarters.
…
Above the skies of the Bloodshed Land headquarters, a fleet of spaceships spread all over like a cloud of steel. All the Vanguard Officials were called back to lead different fleets and wait in line.
Heber stood on the surface of the planet with his hands behind his back, looking up at the deep black sky with a poker face.
According to the itinerary announced by the Black Star Army, today would be the day when their fleet was due to arrive.
When he discovered that the Black Star Army was coming to him, Heber knew that it was his premonition surfacing, but this was his territory. He could not run, nor would he run.
Thus, Heber stopped his roaming headquarters, waiting for the arrival of the Black Star fleet, and he intentionally showed that he was not panicking. This was to prevent people from mistakenly thinking that he was afraid of Black Star and thus manipulating his headquarters to run, delaying the time for them to meet.
In fact, Heber himself did not understand the goal of Black Star’s move. He did not think that Black Star would dare provoke infighting among the dynasty’s allies.
Could it be that this guy just wanted to use this method to deter him?
You are clearly still part of the dynasty, so should I be scared?
Humph, know the answer!
Yes, Heber was relaxed at this moment and wanted to see what Han Xiao had in stock.
While he did not think that Han Xiao would be serious, they still had to put up a front, so he commanded his fleet to be on alert.
As for whether the fleet would suddenly take a detour to trick him, Heber never considered this possibility. If they really did so, it would be the Black Star Army that was embarrassing itself.
After waiting for a while, specks of light lit up at the end of his sight and stopped in the blink of an eye not far from Planet Heber, revealing the appearance of the Black Star fleet.
The fleet size of both was incomparable. Heber had more than a million spaceships on his side, while the Black Star fleet only numbered dozens.
On the other side, accompanying the Black Star fleet was also the Klent fleet, along with many galactic residents and galactic media groups.
Heber snorted, taking out his communicator and s
witching on the wide area communication channel before speaking.
“Black Star, I didn’t invite you, you did not mention in advance that you were coming to visit me, and you are not even here in person… What’s the meaning of this?”
Hearing this, many of the spectators got excited. They could sense the gunpowder in this sentence, and they carefully awaited Black Star’s reply.
After a moment, a cold mechanical voice sounded, without greetings or politeness, going straight into the main point.
“Heber, still remember our unfinished battle?”
Heber suddenly narrowed his eyes.
Without waiting for his answer, Han Xiao’s mechanical host said, “When I first stepped into the Beyond Grade A stage, you challenged me to a duel, and because of the dynasty, I had to agree, but there was no victor.”
“Humph.” Heber coldly snorted. “So, you’re here to send a duel challenge?”
“That’s right,” Han Xiao coldly replied. “When I first reached Beyond Grade A, you wanted to bully me. Now’s a good time for me to settle this debt with you. In twenty days, I’ll fight with you in the Seoul Star Cluster. You can choose the location.”
“Twenty days, heh? Can you even make it back from the dynasty?”
“Relax, only the two million mechanical troops and one of the mechanic hosts in this fleet now will go against you,” Han Xiao slowly said. “I don’t think you’ll be scared, right? Where’s the confidence you had when you fought me? I just stepped into Beyond Grade A a few years ago, but you don’t dare duel me?”
His mechanical life forms were developing in the Flickering World, so Han Xiao did not bring them over this time. Thus, there was only one batch of mechanical soldiers as well as a host, all of which were the reserves of the Black Star Army headquarters. This batch was even manufactured before he hit level 300, so there was no manufacturing bonus at all.
Hearing this, Heber immediately grew annoyed.
After the battle of Planet Lighthouse, Heber suspected that he was not Han Xiao’s opponent, but that was if Han Xiao came personally. Now, he did not even bring a single one of his apostle weapons, and he only wanted to rely on a host and a batch of mechanical soldiers to challenge him?
He was showing Heber zero respect!
“Hahaha…” Heber’s expression was frosty. “You’re just afraid to come over personally, right? Are you scared that you’ll be cornered with nowhere to run? Humph, to use only a bunch of mechanical soldiers to challenge me, even if I destroy all of them, you’re still safe, right?”
“It’s up to you how you want to think. I’ve already issued the challenge. Do you dare accept?” Han Xiao did not bother explaining himself.
Heber thought about it and realized that Han Xiao had actually sealed off all his paths of retreat.
First of all, the matter had already blown up, and the Tyrant’s reputation did not allow him to admit defeat. Secondly, when he issued the challenge when Han Xiao first reached Beyond Grade A, the other party had agreed easily to the duel. If he tried to argue back now, it would be embarrassing for him.
Turns out, this was your plan all along…
Heber was furious.
Resolving this grudge was just an excuse to force him to be unable to refuse. In essence, this happened because of the recent undermining of the Black Star Army’s businesses. The other party struck into the core of the matter and openly issued a challenge, wanting to use fists to talk, to destroy his prestige.
Black Star, your timing is really good. I’m now riding on the back of a tiger and cannot get down!
Heber smiled through his anger. “Good, I’ll accept your challenge. Black Star, you’ve been too successful recently and have become arrogant. I’ll give you a free lesson in humility!”
If it was Han Xiao’s main body, it would be different. Heber knew that he was not Han Xiao’s opponent, but if it was just a mechanical host, Heber thought that he would not lose to him.
To actually dare look down on me…
Do you think that my title of Tyrant was obtained through nothing‽
“Very well, I’ll wait for the details.”
Seeing that Heber had accepted, the Black Star fleet turned back and went away, quickly disappearing from the eyes of everyone present.
“Disperse.” Heber snorted, waving his hands and commanding his fleet to retreat.
He coldly swept his gaze across the spectators before walking back into his palace.
The galactic residents who watched the whole journey became excited immediately.
Many of them had seen the battle between the two men many years ago, and now history was repeating itself before them.
This time, however, the roles were reversed!
“There will be a nice show to watch!”
“Last time, the dynasty came forward to mediate, so there was no clear winner and loser. This time, I don’t know if the dynasty will mediate.”
“I doubt so. They have no reason to intervene. Last time, they didn’t prohibit the Tyrant from issuing the duel, so they cannot do the same for Black Star.”
The countless galactic residents began to chatter and discuss the fight among themselves.
Within the headquarters of the Bloodshed Land, Sorokin sat there with a frown as he watched the Black Star fleet leaving.
Black Star’s move was bold, and there was even a suspicion of infighting. Sorokin had guessed that this situation was a possibility, but he did not expect Black Star to really carry it out.
If he could defeat the Tyrant, Black Star would have the pressure on him alleviated somewhat, but the price of that was that the prestige of the Tyrant would plummet. The Crimson Dynasty was unlikely to sit back and watch this happen, as the deterrent power of their Beyond Grade A allies was equivalent to a bargaining chip of the dynasty.
If you really succeed, then my plan will again rise in difficulty. Sorokin was lost in thought, his brow tense.
Chapter 950 - Showing Oneself, Entering the Scene!
With the bystanders spreading the word, the news of Black Star’s battle against the Tyrant quickly spread throughout the Shattered Star Ring and even to other major star fields.
The grievances of the two were dug out like melons by the crowd, adding an extra gimmick to the battle and attracting widespread attention.
It was not like conflicts between allies in the advanced civilizations had not occurred before. Although they were working for the same civilization, their alliance was not bound, and it was all for mutual benefits, with the resources ultimately divided. This would inevitably create a conflict of interests.
So long as the friction between allies did not cross the line and did not result in any serious internal strife, the advanced civilizations would not come forward to mediate. They did not plan to make sure all their allies had a good relationship with each other. Furthermore, competition would bring forth vitality. The issue of resource distribution was also too troublesome for the civilizations to mediate.
As for the challenge Black Star issued to the Tyrant, this was at the very edge of their limits. Thus, the dynasty could choose whether they wished to interfere or not.
This incident was brought up to the upper echelons of the dynasty.
“A few days ago, Black Star officially issued the Tyrant a challenge for a battle in twenty days. The Tyrant has accepted, and now the news is spreading like wildfire. Everyone, what are your views?”
At the head, Urranrell tapped her slim fingers on the table, surveying everyone present.
“Well, Black Star did not discuss this with us first, moving before he asked for permission. This will affect the dynasty’s influence in the Shattered Star Ring, which is not good for us,” a senior official said seriously.
“Indeed, the external environment of the dynasty is now worrying. For us, maintaining the stability of the star field is the most important. I feel we should intervene in his matter,” another echoed.
Some others had a different opi
nion. “We can’t put it like this. Black Star’s approach is justifiable, as the Tyrant proposed the duel years ago to Black Star when he had just entered the Beyond Grade A realm. Black Star wishing to resolve this grudge now is completely understandable.”
Hearing this, an official from the neutral faction added, “It’s true. At that time, we didn’t stop the Tyrant because Black Star had only joined us after accepting the duel invite. A Beyond Grade A’s promise cannot be taken back easily, so we cannot interfere with Black Star’s duel now, or it would be unfair.”
“Yes, not to mention that the recent actions of the Bloodshed Land have affected the interests of the Black Star Army. If we are biased toward the Bloodshed Land, this will greatly affect Black Star’s perception of the dynasty.”
“But the reputation of the Tyrant…”
The officials present were divided into two sides, one supporting interfering and one supporting standing by to watch. However, those that were talking were only the pawns in charge of conveying the intentions of each faction.
As for those leaders of the factions, none of them had spoken up till now.
Urranrell listened quietly before gazing at the Chief Commander of the Exploration army, Tarrokov, and asking, “Tarrokov, what do you think?”
Once this remark came out, the audience tacitly quieted down, knowing that it was the time for the bigshots to display their stances.
“Black Star… I’m very acquainted with him already.” Tarrokov smiled. “I believe he knows his limits very well.”
“Hmm.” Urranrell nodded before gazing at Bekorodi, who was representing the opposite end. “And you?”
Bekorodi’s expression was calm like a mirrored lake, and he only smiled before slowly saying, “I… choose to remain neutral.”
Hearing this, a flash of doubt passed through Urranrell’s eyes, along with some surprise.
She knew that Bekorodi had always been against Black Star, as though that guy had cuckolded him.
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