by <unknown>
After that, a related Dungeon Crystal appeared. Stephanie was inside the dungeon as a hidden boss. There was a chance of obtaining an extremely rare reward by defeating her. In the later stages of Han Xiao’s previous life, with an extremely high 87.6% player repeat rate, she entered the list of top hundred hard workers and received the honorable title ‘Lady Stephanie’!
At that stage, the player count of Galaxy was dozens of times greater than the player count of Version 2.0. The number of players online at the same time was more than ten million. The fact that more than eighty percent of players had repeated Stephanie’s dungeon before represented its popularity!
It was a little embarrassing to mention, but Han Xiao had fought Stephanie with at least three hundred different accounts. He could not have been more familiar with her.
Han Xiao did not expect to recognize one of the enemies, so he was surprised.
Initially, he did not know who the mastermind was. Now that he had seen Stephanie, everything became clear, and he found the truth.
It was Thousand Shadows!
No wonder, no wonder, everything connects now… Han Xiao was excited. If the mastermind was indeed Thousand Shadows, he knew why the hunters were capturing Supers.
It was to provide ‘shadows’ for Thousand Shadows!
Thousand Shadows’ ability was very strange. He could absorb other individuals and turn them into his underlings, who were called ‘shadows’. The shadows still retained most of their personality, but they had a sense of belonging and loyalty toward Thousand Shadows that could not be erased. In this condition, their memories were slightly altered.
The shadows slept inside Thousand Shadows, but at the same time, they could act for him.
The abilities of the shadows were preserved, or even enhanced, after fusing with Thousand Shadows. Thousand Shadows had lived for too long. No one knew how many shadows were in his body. He was an extremely mysterious member of The Ancient Ones.
Han Xiao recalled a secret that a player had found in his previous life. In order to live longer, Thousand Shadows sought help from specialized people and gave his Esper ability vitality. He then gave up his body and turned into a strange ‘Esper Being’. Usual methods could not kill him. He had lived for close to a thousand years and was a member of The Ancient Ones.
Discovering the truth, Han Xiao was feeling gloomy. Thousand Shadows liked high-quality shadows, so he probably would not give up easily on Han Xiao. Han Xiao absolutely did not want to become a part of Thousand Shadows; he would lose himself and become a puppet!
Stephanie was Thousand Shadows’ shadow. Her life story was rather tragic, too. Before she died, her true self returned for a moment and explained her origins.
Back at the start of the exploration era, before the Primordial Ones had been born, when the war between the three Universal Civilizations extended throughout the entire universe…
She was born in an era of war, an Antarrian. Her civilization’s mother planet was dragged into the war. She displayed extraordinary talent from a young age, so she was chosen as a warrior, fighting for her home and quickly growing.
In a short period of a little more than ten years, she had already become the protector of her home, at the age normal Galaxy Human Race women were at their peak. At such a young age, she became the top protector of Antarr. She was so strong that even the three civilizations had heard of her.
However, a gigantic war broke out between the Crimson Dynasty and Federation of Light that used an entire Star Cluster as the battlefield. The Antarrians were affected. Their mother planet fell, and their colonial planets turned into ruins under the Crimson Dynasty’s iron hoofs. Only a handful of people escaped with spaceships used for migrationStephanie was one of the survivors.
People in wars were realistic. The survivors had no time to miss their mother planet and left the battlefield quickly, looking for a new home to rise again. However, an unwelcome guest had his eyes on Stephanie… Thousand Shadows.
Thousand Shadows was originally from a long-lived race and had already lived for many years. At that time, he had yet to give up his body and was not Beyond Grade A. He wanted Stephanie’s power, so he intercepted the spaceship that the Antarr survivors were in.
In the ending, the Antarr Civilization was another extinguished civilization, and Stephanie became one of Thousand Shadows’ shadows.
The history only recorded what happened—the cold words could not record emotions. The motives, feelings, and the reactions of everyone back then became mysteries. In Han Xiao’s previous life, after Stephanie became a part of the dungeon, some players looked for her history out of curiosity. From a few descriptions in some history books, they came to know that some historians believed that if Stephanie did not ‘mysteriously disappear’, she might have become one of the [Primordial Ones).
However, during the exploration era, there had been way too many Calamity Grades that had a lot of potential, and most of them had died in battle. The Primordial Ones were the first group of Beyond Grade As that walked out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood alive. Thousand Shadows was not one of the Primordial Ones. He was always very mysterious, only appearing as a Beyond Grade A near the end of the exploration era.
In just one look, these thoughts flashed through Han Xiao’s mind. He took a deep breath. The true identity of the enemy had been discovered-it was definitely very stressful to be Thousand Shadows’ enemy, but that was something for later.
The most imminent problem was dealing with nine Calamity Grades.
Especially Stephanie.
With a push, a beam of (Psionic Impact-Whale) headed right toward Stephanie. The enormous mechanical army around Han Xiao started to move toward all the enemies.
Bang bang bang!
Countless Psionic Cannons crisscrossed, and mechanical soldiers approached the enemies with weapons and shields in their hands. Stephanie and the rest moved, too.
The battle erupted; the scene instantly became chaotic!
Han Xiao never overestimated himself. Although his mechanical army was much stronger than before, facing nine experienced Calamity Grades was still beyond his capabilities. Among the nine enemies, there were two Mechanics. One of them was a Cannon Master, shooting out large beams from extremely high caliber cannons, shattering mechanical soldiers one after another.
The other one used the Galactic Stronghold Style. A several-hundred-meter-tall fortress expanded from his hands. It had extremely strong firepower and its own guards.
Clank!
Metal clashed against metal nonstop, electrical sparkles replaced blood, and scrap metal and wires fell like rain.
Among the rest of the enemies, there were two Pugilists, one Mage, and four Espers. Stephanie was one of the Espers!
Stephanie’s ability was the most mysterious. Like a diving eagle, she headed right for Han Xiao in the middle of the army. Everywhere she passed, the nearly mechanical soldiers all shattered. The air around her looked like it was bent by high temperature. From very far away, she raised her hand and aimed at Han Xiao.
With just this one move, several notifications popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.
You have entered the (Slightly Slowed] state. -12% DEX. Duration: 8 seconds!
You have entered the (Slightly Weakened) state. -6% all attributes. Duration: 8 seconds!
You have entered the (Slightly Confused) state. +10% chance of being interrupted while using abilities. Duration: 8 seconds!
You have entered the [Abnormally Excited] state. Your attack is fluctuating at 80%-110%. Duration: 8 seconds!
You have entered the (Light Illusion] state. -10% accuracy, -10% perception. Duration: 8 seconds!
You have entered the (Slightly Tired) state. +8% expense in energy and stamina. Duration: 10 seconds!
Your Ability (Steel Body) is activated. All True Damage is nullified!
Chapter 673. Are You Surprised? Are You Shocked? |
Han Xiao felt his body become heavier and slower. A
ton of debuffs were applied to him in the blink of an eye.
It’s really still the same. Han Xiao’s mouth twitched, and he was not surprised at all.
Having completed Stephanie’s dungeon a few hundred times, he was extremely familiar with Stephanie. Even though the Stephanie inside the dungeon was a weaker version, her abilities did not change. Han Xiao knew her combat style like the back of his hand. Giving the enemies a bunch of debuffs at the start was exactly the same as what she would do in the dungeon.
Without hesitation, Han Xiao backed away with Void Travel. Stephanie was stronger in close range battles and had bonus damage against metal. He did not want his mechanical suit to be destroyed so quickly.
Luckily, I got rid of that Psychic called Zeglin, or things would be even tougher now.
Not stopping at all, Han Xiao controlled the mechanical army to execute the stalling strategy in Phillip’s database, preventing Stephanie and the others’ momentum of rushing toward him. Meanwhile, he used the army as a barrier and moved within, approaching the Mage and two Mechanic enemies occasionally, trying to deal some damage.
In front of nine experienced Calamity Grade, the mechanical army was under a great deal of pressure. It became a tough fight very quickly. Machines fell broken one after another and flew back up after Han Xiao used (Waste Modification) on them, returning to the battlefield.
The battlefield was chaotic. The tactical screen in Han Xiao’s helmet displayed the various data as Han Xiao calmly analyzed the situation.
Stephanie disrupted the electromagnetic waves over a large area, so Han Xiao could not contact Wilton and the others. Out of caution, the Phillip sub-program that he had left for Wilton came in handy. Although he could not receive the location information of the reinforcements, he was certain that they were heading over. His current mission was not to fight them head-on but stall them and wait for the reinforcements to arrive.
Boom!
The impact from ten Calamity Grades fighting shook the mountains and the ground.
Even the weather changed. It was initially bright and clear, but the sky was filled with dark clouds and lightning bolts. Han Xiao kept shifting the battlefield away from the populated areas on the Northern Continent and toward unpopulated glaciers. Everywhere they passed, ice that had formed over millions of years cracked open, mountains shook, avalanches occurred, and the landscape was in a mess.
The impacts of the fight between Calamity Grades were bringing disasters to this planet. With the battlefield as the center, earthquakes spread out to the entire Northern Continent. Near sea areas far from the battlefield, the sky darkened, and the sea was filled with violent waves. Tsunamis and tornados collided with cities near the sea.
“It’s a tsunami, run!”
“Wh—What’s going on?”
The residents of the cities near the sea on the Northern Continent were horrified by the natural disasters and ran for their lives.
Of course, Han Xiao could not see the reactions of those people. However, he did not need to see to know that the aftershock of their battle was already creating disasters on Planet Aquamarine.
“This is why they purposely chose here to be the battlefield.” Han Xiao’s expression was hostile. He dodged an invisible tornado-shaped impact wave from Stephanie once again, and the mechanical soldiers behind him were broken into pieces.
They had shifted the battlefields many times, and the battle was reaching the climax.
The blue light in the sky started burning again. It was another Psionic Sky Cannon attack controlled by Phillip!
Boom!
The mechanical army quickly avoided the bombardment area. Stephanie and the others did, too, but the fortress of that enemy Mechanic moved very slowly and could not get out of the attack range. Its shield shattered, and the fortress turned into broken pieces.
This was the enemy’s second fortress that had been destroyed.
Using this opportunity, Han Xiao retreated slowly while fighting. They were already at the edge of the north side, and he started to shift toward the sea.
“Problematic Sky Cannons.” Stephanie frowned. She looked up, pointed at one of the Pugilists, and said, “You, go up there and destroy Black Star’s Sky Cannons.”
The Pugilist nodded. Flames shot out from under his feet as he rose up like a rocket, turning into a black dot in an instant and heading toward outer space.
“Don’t waste time. Long duration battles are Black Star’s strength. Quickly restrain him.”
Stephanie’s tone was impatient. She led the other teammates and dashed toward Han Xiao once again.
She knew that Black Star was difficult to kill, but her plan was not to kill him but capture him. However, Han Xiao was too swift. She did not have a chance to close the distance on Han Xiao. Only close-range combat would maximize the power of her Esper ability.
After chasing for a while, they clashed once again above the sea. The impact created waves thousands of feet high. Energy waves shot into the sea and formed enormous vortexes.
As the mechanical army’s numbers kept decreasing. Han Xiao started to show signs of fatigue. Suddenly, Han Xiao showed a flaw in his defenses. Stephanie’s eyes sparkled. She caught the opportunity and turned into a black shadow, appearing behind Han Xiao instantly as if she had teleported, then pressed her palm toward Han Xiao’s back.
This was the first time that she had used this ability in this battle. It was so she could surprise Black Star. As long as she managed to hit Black Star, his strength would decrease by at least ten percent temporarily!
However, the next moment, as if Han Xiao had expected this, he avoided her palm with a weird movement. Then, psionic energy appeared between his hands as he patted her chest.
Bang!
The light blue Psionic Impact ring exploded. Stephanie was blown close to one thousand meters away. She rubbed her hurting chest and frowned, surprised by Han Xiao’s reaction speed.
This sudden attack had no signs at all, so Black Star only had microseconds to react.
On the other side, Han Xiao was secretly relieved. Stephanie was a boss-type character. Just like him, she had many abilities other than her Esper abilities. If one was unfamiliar with her, it would be very easy to be tricked. However, he knew Stephanie’s abilities all too well, so there was no chance that he would be tricked. He did not farm that dungeon hundreds of times for nothing.
He’s stronger than I thought. Stephanie squinted. Just as she was about to attack again, she suddenly noticed that there were a few high energy individuals approaching very quickly. Her expression changed as she stopped in place and did not act recklessly.
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled. He looked up and saw six shooting stars landing from the sky, hovering above.
The flames extinguished, revealing Wilton and the others. Looking at the shocked and confused expressions on Stephanie and the others’ faces, Wilton snorted. He raised his hand, and the others finally realized that he was holding a person.
Stephanie looked closer, and her face suddenly changed.
The person that Wilton was holding was the Pugilist whom she had sent to destroy the Sky Cannons. He now had no signs of life at all. It was clear that he had been beaten to death.
These six people are enemies… The expressions of Stephanie and the other six Calamity Grades all turned bitter.
Wilton let go of the corpse, letting it fall into the sea and get swept away by the waves, disappearing.
“Black Star, we’re late.” Wilton nodded.
Han Xiao smirked.
The reinforcements had arrived!
He looked at Stephanie, shrugged, and chuckled.
“Are you surprised? Are you shocked?”
Seeing that Black Star looked like this was completely expected, Stephanie could not remain calm. She was completely dumbfounded.
He sought help long ago?
And he called six Calamity Grades?
Why would he ask so many Calamity Grades to settle a surface ci
vilization internal matter?
Unless…
Stephanie’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Black Star knew that we were planning to ambush him?
How is that possible?
Chapter 674. Intense Battle and Disasters |
Boom!
As the reinforcements had arrived, Stephanie and her colleagues had no time to react as Wilton and the rest instantly joined the battle.
It was a battle of seven against eight. The average level of the enemies was higher than Wilton and the rest, but the numbers now matched.
For a short time, Wilton and the other five were able to deal with one enemy each, making things so much easier for Han Xiao. He could concentrate on dealing with Stephanie and the enemy Mechanic.
Swoosh!
Like bolts of lightning, fifteen Calamity Grade Supers fought above the sea, stirring up the tide.
While Stephanie fought the mechanical army, she suppressed the shock in her heart. As a Calamity Grade who had experienced hundreds of battles, she was able to quickly adjust to sudden situations.
She could not figure out how Black Star had discovered their ambush, but it was the reality, and the only thing she could do was deal with it.
Stephanie’s brain worked quickly as she analyzed the situation.
They have six Grade A Supers. Even with me being here, we won’t be able to defeat Black Star’s helpers within a short time. It will take a lot of time to capture Black Star…
Stephanie frowned.
Meanwhile, two mechanical armies collided midair. The colorful lights from the energy lit up the dark sky.
Using the army as cover, Han Xiao used Void Travel and appeared right in front of the opponent Mechanic. With a short combo of Mountain Ape Throw and Psionic Impact, Han Xiao broke a few of the enemy Mechanic’s bones. The enemy Mechanic endured the pain and backed up. Han Xiao activated his Psionic Shield to block an invisible wave coming far away from Stephanie, making the sound of suppressed thunder.