by <unknown>
“I’m still a Pugilist class that specializes in individual battles. What sort of expressions are you guys showing‽” Kohler was embarrassed and angry.
“We’re afraid of you embarrassing us,” Lotus Swordsman said straightforwardly.
Taking advantage of the people teasing Kohler, Han Xiao scooted over to Beyoni’s side, whispering, “How’ve you been doing recently?”
“How else can I be doing‽” Beyoni replied in a not-so-polite manner. “Thanks to you, the Modo Civilization is constantly trying to suppress my race. The other day, those idiots even fired a long-range galactic missile toward my Land of the Fire Core, ploughing the entire landscape for me. Are you paying for the damages?”
“Nope, speak to the dynasty for compensation. It was them who allowed me to do so.” Han Xiao dryly coughed.
Over the past few years, Lothaire had been making waves within the Modo Civilization, assassinating target after target. He had already thoroughly offended the entire civilization many times over.
Modo naturally vented his anger on Beyoni, who was an ally of the dynasty. In those few years, he had been beaten black and blue, an innocent bystander dragged into the affair.
While Lothaire was cautious in handling matters, it was not as if he experienced no danger. Treading the thin line between life and death had allowed him to grow rapidly. While there was some measure of luck involved, it was not as exaggerated as Feidin and Nero, and more of relying on his own skills to escape the situation.
His Assassin’s Society was developing quite well, having already nurtured a group of interstellar killers. On paper, it was a bounty hunter organization within the black market, but in secret, they were Han Xiao’s Shadowers.
After chatting for a while, Silver Shadow’s aura suddenly drew closer. Everyone instinctively knew that his talk with the Ruler had already ended and put on a serious expression.
Swoosh.
The doors opened, and two people walked in. One of them was Clotti with a passive expression. He walked up until he reached Han Xiao’s side, taking a seat at the head.
The other was naturally Silver Shadow. He stood in the middle of the room, surveying the area and the Beyond Grade As present. Finally, his gaze stopped on Han Xiao’s avatar.
“You’re Silver Shadow from the Sea of Star Spirits?” Viru was the first to open his mouth, pretentiously sneering. “You don’t seem to respect us much.”
“Why should I respect you?” Silver Shadow indifferently replied.
By the side, Kohler coldly laughed. “How arrogant. A pity, this place is the Crimson Dynasty. The dynasty does not allow such prideful characters to exist.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao immediately cast a glance at him.
Why does that sentence sound so familiar?
Silver Shadow turned to Kohler, and after being silent for a while, he finally said, “There’s someone like you in the dynasty? I’ve never heard of you.”
Kohler’s gaze turned frosty. He was originally only pretending, but having been insulted, the person in question could not suppress his rage.
“Within the Beyond Grade A circle, status and authority are earned by strength. I believe you understand this rule as well.” Kohler pushed his hands against his kneecaps, leaning forward. “You’ve come to the Ruler’s side as an ally of the dynasty, but you haven’t earned respect among us. Do you dare you spar against me?”
“You? Forget it, you’re not my opponent.”
Silver Shadow’s tone was calm, as though he had just spoken a fact.
Without waiting for Kohler to continue, he turned to look at Han Xiao, leisurely saying, “If I must spar, I will of course choose someone stronger. Black Star, do you have the guts to fight me?”
Han Xiao was stunned in place.
Why did it suddenly become my problem?
I only came here to support you.
The eyes of everyone present lit up, and a look of interest crossed their expressions.
There were people, who after stepping into the Beyond Grade A realm, felt that their strength had no limits and would like to leapfrog to directly challenge those at the peak. This sort of mentality often appeared in the Beyond Grade As, so people did not find Silver Shadow to be weird.
It was just like how a newborn calf might dare to challenge a tiger. The spirit of daring to challenge someone stronger was also a good mentality.
Han Xiao was about to decline, but he discovered a notification on his interface and immediately swallowed his words.
Glancing at the notification, he almost let out a cry.
Silver Shadow had initiated the battle, which directly triggered the mission for battling against the Beyond Grade A. Just as had happened against Heber and Manison, not only was the experience reward good, he even had the chance to draw a skill from the other party.
After so many years of research, Han Xiao was now more aware of the trigger mechanism for such missions. If the other party took the initiative to request a battle, then the rate of the mission appearing was insanely high. Right now, while there were only a few people within this room, they could all be considered big shots within the universe, so there was sufficient influence to activate the mission.
This newcomer is too generous, to actually give me a skill the moment he showed up… Han Xiao could not help shaking his head.
“Alright, no need to be aggressive. I can agree to that.”
Silver Shadow nodded before suddenly saying, “Just sparring itself is pointless. Shall we have a bet as well?”
Han Xiao was curious. “What do you want to bet?”
“I wish to borrow the Evolution Cube. If I gain the advantage or even win in this battle, please accede to my request. If I lose, I can fulfil any request you have of me, so long as it does not cross the line.”
“Done. It’s a small matter.” Han Xiao nodded. He did not lose out in any way.
At this moment, the cold-faced Clotti opened his mouth. “Go fight outside the Psionic Seal Ring. Don’t fight near the mother planet.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.
You seem to have also said this the previous time, and it was even the exact same wording. You just came here to be a referee, right?
…
Urranrell stood by the window at the office within Tarunamir Palace. She raised her head to see a group of Beyond Grade As rising like spaceships, disappearing beyond the horizon.
“Ruler, have Black Star and the rest left?”
There were several other upper echelons within that room, consisting mostly of advocates of the Evolution Cube being handed over. Among them was the hawk faction Bekorodi, as well as Ludwell, who previously owed Han Xiao a favor.
Urranrell turned around, indifferently commenting, “Hmm. It seems that Clotti said they went beyond the Psionic Seal Ring to battle.”
“That…” Bekorodi mused for a while before saying, “Your Excellency Ruler, what do you think of our plan then?”
Urranrell’s brow creased. “Gaud’s ability is indeed the first of its kind, but we can’t even do anything with our techniques. Are you sure of the success?”
“Right now, no.” Bekorodi shook his head. “He only told me that, as long as he reaches the Beyond Grade A level, his Esper ability will allow him to analyze the principle behind the Evolutionary energy. You also know how miraculous the powers of Espers are.”
“Beyond Grade A…” Urranrell shook her head. “He thinks that he will reach that realm for sure? Even so, how long does he even need?”
“Not sure. We can only wait.”
Hearing this, Urranrell could not help but fall into silence.
Seeing this Bekorodi could not help but push some more. “Your Excellency, this is a good chance. Black Star has already proved that it is nigh impossible for the dynasty to obtain the Evolution Cube from him. We cannot use any domineering methods against him, but if we can dissect and analyze the energy ourselves and replicate it, Black S
tar will have no excuses. This is not offending him, and he has no grounds to forbid us studying the Evolution Cube, so even if he’s dissatisfied, he can’t do anything!”
“I know.” Urranrell’s brows were still furrowed. “But Gaud’s request is for him to come into contact with the actual body of the Evolution Cube. If his goal is discovered by Black Star, this may anger him.”
“This is a small risk, but we’re not trying to snatch the cube, so it isn’t so serious. Furthermore, Gaud has always been someone our dynasty supports, so it is natural that we provide him the quota for the Evolution Cube.”
Urranrell was still hesitant. The Evolution Cube was Black Star’s, and the dynasty could not snatch it, but it would be a different matter if they managed to create one themselves.
From a personal viewpoint, Urranrell did not have any problems with Black Star and was even pleased with his performance.
However, as the Ruler, she had to consider the issue from the standpoint of the dynasty. The benefits of the Evolutionary Totems were too great, and they had to be recharged every decade or so. Allowing an ‘outsider’ to monopolize it was not something the dynasty was comfortable with.
“This is not necessarily to snatch away the interests of Black Star but to prevent the outcome of Black Star losing the Evolution Cube some day. It’s better for the dynasty to study the mystery of the Evolution Cube in advance as a backup.” Bekorodi struck while the iron was hot.
“He makes sense,” Ludwell added.
Speaking of whom, Ludwell had owed Han Xiao a favor, but in previous years, he had taken the initiative to invest within the Shattered Star Ring, suppressing the Limitless Financial Group, which was in a way repaying his favor.
Today, he did not go against Bekorodi but rather supported this plan. It was not because he had issues with Han Xiao, but rather, from a professional viewpoint… the success rate of this proposal seemed quite high.
Urranrell thought for a while longer before sighing and replying, “Bekorodi, Black Star will come over later. You can use your name to invite him to discuss the matter of exchanging the Evolution Cube with something else one last time.
“If he still rejects, then put that plan into motion. Remember, the fewer people who know about this, the better. This is especially so for Black Star. If he finds out, he will definitely think of ways to prevent it.”
Hearing this, Bekorodi and the others in the room had expressions of joy and immediately nodded in response.
“Understood.”
Chapter 995. Exchange Three for One? |
It did not take long for the whole group of Beyond Grade As to arrive outside the Psionic Seal Ring, and the group chose an uninhabited area for the battlefield.
Han Xiao and Silver Shadow separately from the group, facing each other. The other Beyond Grade As stayed outside the battlefield and chatted animatedly, with Lotus Swordsman even building a mental network for them to communicate.
“To actually choose Black Star as his opponent, I’m not sure how long this Silver Shadow can last.” Viru shook his head.
“Even if he beat Kohler, his authority would be second last,” Lotus Swordsman indifferently replied. “Instead, he might as well choose Black Star. As long as he can pose problems for Black Star, the effect will definitely be better than fighting Kohler.”
Kohler frowned. While this is the truth, can you be less hurtful in your comments my friends!
Ravenlaude pondered, “Silver Shadow seems to have quite a lot of confidence. Maybe he has some special talent.”
“I heard he’s a pugilist, but he looks more like an Esper.”
“I’ve checked through his history, and his speed is the astonishing factor. I heard that he even has some special flying skills, allowing him to continuously accelerate to warp speed. It seems like he has a void bloodline.” Maximiler pointed to Silver Shadow in the distance. “Furthermore, look at his body surface using microscopic vision. The seemingly smooth silver surface is actually covered with extremely small mana circuits, which most likely come from the Beyond Grade A mages of the Sea of Star Spirits.”
Hearing this, the Beyond Grade As all adjusted their vision and entered their microscopic view, and they discovered that there was indeed a dense energy circuit covering Silver Shadow, much like a semi-invisible tattoo.
“There are several Beyond Grade A mages residing within the Sea of Star Spirits, but such an insane way of inscribing magic circuits should belong to the [Secret Master] of the Elderly Association. While the Secret Master is one of the controllers of behind the scenes of the galactic black market, he belongs to the neutral faction. Still, his fees are not cheap, so it seems like Silver Shadow must’ve bled quite badly.”
Ravenlaude got unhappy. “What Elderly Association? It’s called the Ancient Ones!”
Lotus Swordsman was focused on another point, and she squinted. “He has too many enchantments on his body. To be able to withstand such a load, his fleshly body should be quite strong.”
“Oh, this is indeed the case,” Beyoni said in resignation. “However, no matter how strong his fleshly body is, can it be stronger than Black Star’s?”
“Good point.”
With Han Xiao as a shining example, no one was surprised anymore when they saw any meat shields.
“Speaking of which, ever since his battle with the Mechanic Emperor, Black Star has not fought anyone in the past twenty years. After reaching this stage, he most likely won’t be able to maintain that startling growth speed.” Viru shook his head.
Even Clotti who was usually silent could not help but say, “Upon reaching the limits known to man, climbing further will require one to break through the limits into a whole new path. Throughout history, there were many who tried and failed. It’s more difficult than it seems.”
As they chatted, Han Xiao and Silver Shadow also began their battle.
The mechanical host carrying avatar floated in the universe with a small mechanical army. Its dark armor flickered constantly with blue and gold Mechanical Force.
He, the mechanic, stood still while the Pugilist Silver Shadow was the one who took the initiative to put some distance between them.
This sort of situation was rarely seen, but everyone shared a glance, their eyes twinkling with laughter. In the entire universe, it was probably only the Mechanic Black Star that no pugilist dared to face head on.
From afar, Silver Shadow circled around Han Xiao, looking for openings and opportunities to attack.
Looking at him making circles around him, with no intention to attack, Han Xiao could not help but open his mouth.
“How long are you going to circle me? Come and attack!”
Silver Shadow did not reply, only continuing to circle around. He gradually accelerated, flying faster as his body began to blur. He was akin to a silver comet, leaving behind a series of silvery afterimages like a flaming tail of a meteor.
Through his Void Vision, Han Xiao could clearly see that the speed of Silver Shadow was not only fast—the space around him had distorted slightly, constantly warping at the rear to form the shape like a tidal wave, which allowed him to ride the waves to provide additional acceleration.
At the same time, there was a familiar Void Energy fluctuation coming out of Silver Shadow, which proved that the other party also possessed some Void Genes.
Han Xiao was quite clear of the general abilities of Silver Shadow. At the Beyond Grade A realm, Silver Shadow had a few obvious characteristics. One of them was speed, or his ability to maintain near warp speed for prolonged distances. At his peak, he could even reach actual warp speed.
The second was that his body was extremely tough and nearly indestructible.
The third was a rare racial talent.
And his fourth was the ‘whore’ effect.
Silver Shadow did not have a high HP count, but his defense was extremely exaggerated, to the point that even Heber could not compare with him. This was related to his attributes as a living Universa
l Treasure.
Due to his various special abilities, Silver Shadow’s actual combat capability was pushed up to the level of Heber or Viru despite him being a new Beyond Grade A, above the likes of Kohler and Beyoni. He was probably only weaker than Maximiler, Ravenlaude, and Lotus Swordsman, who belonged to the middle ranks, as he had a great shortcoming in his spiritual attributes.
As one of the dynasty’s allies with the strongest combat capabilities, Han Xiao carried himself calmly and did not mind allowing Silver Shadow to display all his means. After all, the other party was someone who had a special role. It was worth it to allow the other party to play his own style and obtain more authority to speak within their circle.
It was not that Han Xiao was arrogant, but he knew his baseline. He had already calculated the entire battle scenario time and again in his heart, and the conclusion was set.
Just with his current strength, he had enough ability to control the entire battle situation. He did not need any fancy moves to deal with Silver Shadow, he just needed to F2A[1], and everything would be settled.
With such an overwhelming advantage, how could he lose‽
No matter how flowery the opponent’s skills were, a raise of his hand would be enough to annihilate them.
Thus, Han Xiao patiently waited for Silver Shadow to speed up, only occasionally letting his machines shoot from a distance.
Finally, Silver Shadow felt that he was sufficiently warmed up and suddenly turned around, shooting like a beam of light straight toward Han Xiao’s mechanical troops.
With permission from Han Xiao, the battle AI Sparta immediately responded, opening the spacetime stabilizer to lock down the area.
With the increase in spatial stability, Silver Shadow’s speed was affected as part of his speed came from the distortion and warping of space. Even so, his speed remained quick, to the point that Calamity Grades would not be able to discern where his true body lay, only seeing a silver streak.
Relying on his high speed, Silver Shadow started to clash against the machinery. The psionic cannons’ shots mostly went wide, and the few that contacted were stopped at the psionic energy matrix shield that was formed from his silver pugilist flames, unable to penetrate.