Chapter 1019: Shortened Lifespan and Dark Clouds (Thanks to Feng Xue's alliance leader 100,000 reward!) (Revised)

Chapter 1019: Shortened Lifespan and Gathering Storms (Thanks to Feng Yi Xue, the Alliance Lord, for a 100,000 tip!) (Revised)

The words hung in the air, and the atmosphere instantly tightened into a razor's edge, poised to shatter at the slightest spark.

The fury in Gorutan's eyes nearly solidified into something tangible; energy fluctuations surged upward in relentless waves. His martial aura roared like a wildfire, radiating crushing pressure that made the surrounding metal walls hum and tremble, hairline fractures spiderwebbing across their surfaces.

"Ready to throw down?"

Han Xiao's eyes crackled with lightning, his body wreathed in sapphire-gold serpents of electricity that hissed and snapped in the air.

The stalemate held for a dozen seconds before Gorutan abruptly reined in his aura, the suffocating weight in the chamber vanishing as if swallowed by a vacuum.

The anger drained from his features, replaced by a cool detachment as he spoke softly:

"Black Star, you've certainly given me a pleasant surprise. You're tougher than I expected."

Han Xiao crossed his arms, his voice level. "We can debate toughness another day. What's your stance now?"

Gorutan's face remained a mask. He raised a finger, pointing distantly at the Overlord Avatar's head, and spoke slowly:

"I'll remember today's events. This isn't over between us."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, departing the compact floating fortress to ascend toward his own fleet.

"Threats, how quaint. I half-expected you to lose your temper and come at me." Han Xiao shook his head, stepping to the threshold to watch as Gorutan led his fleet away, dissolving into streaks of light until they vanished from sight.

The skirmish dissolved with Gorutan's retreat. Han Xiao recalled his mechanical forces and guided the Overlord Avatar back to the flagship, where Hela had been waiting for quite some time.

The moment they entered the command deck, Hela stepped forward to meet him.

"What terms did you agree to? Or did you force him to back down?"

Han Xiao shook his head. "Neither. He withdrew on his own accord."

"Gorutan took a loss. Do you really think he'll swallow that insult?" Hela asked, puzzled.

"On the surface, he hasn't lost much. He blew up Phiri, the planet we selected, slowing our exploration and forcing us to relocate our base. You killed a few of his subordinates, but he gained little from it. It's a rough draw."

"This won't just be swept under the rug, will it?" Hela frowned.

"Of course not. We've crossed paths with him now, and Gorutan won't let this slide."

Hela exhaled slowly, her voice dropping. "I escalated the conflict. I've brought a new enemy down upon the legion. I..."

"Don't blame yourself. I hold no grudge. You did exactly what I needed."

Han Xiao cut her off, waving a hand. "Gorutan's provocation was a probe. The legion has grown too conspicuous, and there are far too many who wish to test our mettle. There may be greater powers lurking behind Gorutan. Surrounded by rivals, if we aren't firm, if we aren't ruthless, if we don't make others fear us, then every stray dog will dare to sniff around. Besides, your raw power still falls short. His challenge was blatant bullying. I couldn't let you suffer a beating for nothing. If you were crushed, the legion's prestige would plummet regardless."

Hela fixed her gaze on Han Xiao, a strange light flickering in her eyes as she tilted her head.

"You don't mind that I've made you an enemy?"

Han Xiao brushed it off. "What I admire most is your ruthlessness. So what if Gorutan only intended to probe? Was I supposed to play along and let him walk away unscathed? Remember, he chose to make an enemy of me, not you. Mercy is a luxury that leaves you standing on shaky ground. I sent you to the Free Competition Zone to lead, not to play the doormat. If anyone blocks your path, show them no quarter. Never compromise yourself."

The Black Star Legion's standing had fundamentally shifted. Holding the largest territory in the Radiant World, tasked with holding the line for the Empire, their elevated status brought both privilege and duty. They had to be unyielding.

"...Sincerely?"

"Absolutely." Han Xiao smiled, reaching out to pat Hela's shoulder.

You are my primary enforcer, and deterrence is precisely what I require. If I don't back you, should I advocate for our enemies? That would make me a complete fool.

Initially, Han Xiao had only intended to use Hela's prowess to inflict a quiet setback upon them. Provoking Gorutan was never part of the plan, but with the die cast, he felt no fear. If the other party chose to pick a fight, suffering the consequences was entirely fitting.

Hearing this, the tension in Hela's expression eased slightly. After a pause, she asked, "What exactly did you say to him just now?"

"I merely reasoned with him..."

Han Xiao briefly recounted his exchange with Gorutan.

Upon finishing, the corners of Hela's mouth twitched upward. She clicked her tongue in amazement. "You were that uncompromising, and he still didn't draw steel?"

"I am a Peak Super-A-Class, after all. I carry my weight." Han Xiao chuckled. "Besides, his restraint also owes something to you."

"Me?"

"We field two Super-A-Class fighters. The odds were stacked against him. Moreover, Gorutan isn't at his peak. Engaging would yield him little advantage," Han Xiao explained.

Had it been an ordinary Super-A-Class, Gorutan might not have cared. But Hela had recently devastated him with [Reaper's Harvest], her presence a profound deterrent. The damage left Gorutan below full vitality, his maximum health cap reduced by roughly ten percent. Facing two opponents under those conditions, one of whom was Black Star, carried considerable risk.

Han Xiao suspected this was precisely why Gorutan retreated. Martial artists might be stubborn, but they also read the room. When the terrain clearly favored the enemy, a tactical withdrawal was the wisest course.

He had no desire to force Gorutan to stay either. A Peak Super-A-Class martial artist possessed terrifying burst mobility, and as merely an Overlord Avatar, he couldn't hope to contain him. Furthermore, Han Xiao's reputation as an immovable tank was well-known, making Hela the obvious primary target. With her [Immunity to Instant Death] still on cooldown, a clash would be far too perilous.

Both sides harbored their own reservations, leaving them unable to truly harm one another.

After a moment, Han Xiao added, "Gorutan will undoubtedly return. Keep your guard up. The likelihood he targets you specifically is high."

"Perhaps we should strike first." Hela's mindset remained perpetually unyielding.

"Strike first? We'll see how it unfolds."

Han Xiao shook his head. It wasn't impossible, but it required a higher margin of certainty.

The Version 4.0 system had finally come online. He could finally return to the fast track of rapid advancement, allowing his long-stagnant level to climb once more.

With his current capabilities, handling Gorutan would not be straightforward. He hoped to complete one, perhaps two, breakthroughs before addressing the matter, ensuring a firmer footing.

Clashing with Gorutan lay outside his plans. Han Xiao had deliberately kept a low profile for decades, letting the outside world believe he too had hit a bottleneck. Engaging a Peak Super-A-Class would inevitably expose his true strength, and that old fox, Manixson, would surely leap out to celebrate.

'I must prioritize reaching the Level 320 breakthrough. That is the paramount task at hand,' Han Xiao thought to himself.

If his suspicions were correct, the worst-case scenario could trigger a cascade of severe repercussions...

He had to grow stronger to face it!

The conversation concluded. The Overlord Avatar slipped back into slumber, and Hela returned to her station.

Phiri was nothing but ash now. She directed the fleet toward a neighboring world to establish a new stronghold.

...

Elsewhere, Gorutan's fleet was making its way back to their home base.

Gorutan reclined against a towering throne, raising a massive goblet proportionate to his frame and gulping down a potent spirit native to a distant clan.

A dozen female offspring, varying in height, surrounded him. Some tended to his wounds with medical instruments, others trimmed the coarse hair around the injuries with shears, while the rest kneaded the muscles across his body.

"Father, does that feel pleasant?"

"Press harder."

Gorutan wiped his lips, tossed the empty vessel aside, and looked down at the Calamity-Class officers standing below the dais. "Has the casualty report been compiled?"

"It is ready for your review." A Calamity-Class descendant stepped forward, offering a communication slate.

Gorutan activated the holographic display, his gaze sweeping over the data before letting out a furious snort. "They actually killed five of my Calamity-Class. I will slaughter Hela myself, sooner or later! And that bastard Black Star, daring to stand so tall. If I weren't wounded and operating below my peak, I would have torn his Overlord Avatar apart!"

Witnessing Gorutan's wrath, the room fell into a terrified silence, each person treading as if on thin ice.

"Do not mistake my restraint for fear of Black Star. He lacks the standing to force me to yield. I destroyed Phiri, delayed their progress, and fulfilled the task Sorojin assigned me," Gorutan sneered.

His decision to temporarily avoid Han Xiao's sharp edge stemmed from three factors: his compromised condition, the presence of allies who meant he need not face Black Star alone, and a cooled perspective that reminded him of his original objective—to serve as a probe for others.

Thus, there were far better ways to settle the score. He recalled Sorojin mentioning that Radiance and Ethereal harbored intentions to eliminate Hela. He could simply borrow a blade, sparing himself the trouble.

Shifting the subject, Gorutan's voice grew grave. "We've lost a batch. Instruct the household to cultivate another generation of hybrid offspring."

"Will you return to sow them yourself?"

"The stockpiled reserves will suffice," Gorutan declared with a sweeping gesture of his hand.

His stronghold churned out pregnant vessels around the clock, for the inefficiency of natural copulation was an intolerable luxury; within its subzero vaults lay vast reserves of his own Super-A grade deoxyribonucleic material, brimming with formidable vitality and adaptability, typically deployed in artificial mass-procreation protocols, accelerated by gestational catalysts to hasten fetal maturation.

Years of meticulous crossbreeding experiments had yielded a compendium of optimal genetic pairings, granting him precise knowledge of which species could be woven together to birth offspring of extraordinary aptitude; thus, his fortress hoarded countless females of superior lineages, kept as living incubators for his progeny.

As for their origins... a being of his exalted Super-A stature would never squander his time on frivolous romances; some surrendered their bodies willingly, while others did not, for the architects of the interstellar black market were hardly creatures of pristine morality.

At that precise moment, Gorutan was struck by a sudden, unbidden cough.

"Lord Father, your wounds..." ventured an officer, his voice laced with apprehension.

"That Hela's ability possesses devastating lethality and terrifying explosive force; it actually managed to wound me," Gorutan muttered, his brow furrowing. "I felt nothing during the fray, yet now my flesh feels... unsettled."

With that, he shut his eyes and delved into a cellular inspection of his own physiology; among the five paradigms of supernatural cultivation, the martial artist's dominion over the physical form was absolute.

The assembly waited in solemn silence until, without warning, Gorutan's eyes snapped open, wide with horror; he surged to his feet, violently casting aside every female offspring that had been clinging to him.

"By the abyss, her ability degrades cellular vitality!!"

Gorutan's features contorted, his entire being erupting into a maelstrom of fury!

Not even when a legion of his elite progeny fell to Hela's blade had he raged with such venom!

Cellular vitality dictated the very limit of mitotic division, a profoundly concealed metric that even Super-A entities struggled to perceive; only now did the grim truth dawn upon him—he had been robbed of his years!

It was not merely his lifespan that suffered; reproductive potency was inextricably bound to cellular vitality, meaning his own generative essence had likely been compromised, the diminished vigor of his genetic material destined to degrade the quality of all future broods!

A thunderous resonance shook the chamber!

Consumed by wrath, his martial aura detonated outward, its crushing pressure forcing every descendant to their knees, trembling violently upon the floor.

"Such a treacherous, insidious ability..." Gorutan hissed, veins bulging across his brow as his murderous intent toward Hela surged like a riptide.

He had never imagined that this single expedition would cost him his very lifespan.

A catastrophic, unforgivable loss!!

Gorutan's chest heaved with ragged, heavy breaths, the urge to turn back and slaughter his way to her nearly overwhelming his restraint.

"L-Lord Father..."

Several weaker offspring, battered against the walls by the torrential martial pressure, cried out in desperation; witnessing this, Gorutan forcibly stifled his rage, coaxing the tempestuous aura back into submission.

"All of you, get out!"

The assembled officers scrambled to flee the chamber, each well aware that lingering in the presence of a wrathful patriarch was a death sentence.

Left alone in the hollowed room, Gorutan sat motionless upon his throne for a moment before seizing his comm-unit and dialing Sorokin.

After three rings, the connection stabilized, and Sorokin's visage materialized, a polite smile gracing his lips.

"Lord Beast Ancestor, how fares the situation?"

Gorutan fixed him with a glacial stare, holding the silence for a long while before speaking slowly. "The matter is concluded. I have reduced Phiri Star to ash and completed my probe of Hela. The cost was steep: many of my progeny perished, and the Black Star faction left me thoroughly exasperated."

"Splendid. Your reliability, Lord Ancestor, remains unparalleled. I shall recompense every loss you have sustained. Pray, tell me, what were the findings of your probe?"

"Hela's ability is profoundly dangerous, possessing a terrifying capacity for explosive output..."

Gorutan recounted his observations from the battle, pausing at the end before his voice dropped to a grave timbre:

"It harbors another dreadful trait: upon striking a living being, it siphons cellular vitality, directly shortening the target's lifespan. Uncovering this truth has cost me dearly!"

Sorokin froze, his smile vanishing instantly as a grave solemnity washed over his features.

"You speak in earnest?"

"I ought not to have told you at all. Let the agents of Radiance or Phantom strike first, let them discover their own stolen years, and then blame your faulty intelligence for their plight," Gorutan replied coldly.

"...I comprehend." Sorokin's eyes narrowed to slits.

"I expect you to relay this truth to Radiance and Phantom without embellishment. Do not play games, or I will break you myself, shareholder of the Infinity Consortium or not," Gorutan warned, his gaze frigid.

"Rest assured, I maintain strict professional integrity in such matters." Sorokin nodded gravely before severing the transmission.

Gorutan tossed the comm-unit aside, his expression impassive, his eyes gleaming with a razor-sharp, wintry light.

Revealing to Radiance and Phantom that Hela's power could steal lifespans would inevitably yield one of two outcomes.

First, paralyzed by dread, they might abandon their schemes against her entirely.

Second, driven by that same dread, they would deem her survival an absolute impossibility.

Given his intimate understanding of both factions, the odds heavily favored the latter.

Should Hela truly possess such a gift, neither Radiance nor Phantom would ever permit her to mature.

In his past life, Hela had belonged to the chaotic evil alignment, indistinguishable from a rogue deity, bearing no allegiance to any faction; consequently, most avoided provoking such a deranged, violent woman, unwilling to sacrifice their years for nothing.

Now, the circumstances were entirely reversed. Hela belonged to the Black Star Legion, a poisoned dart with a master, no longer chaotic evil; this dart would only strike at designated foes.

This reality meant that every faction and powerhouse arrayed against the Black Star Legion would feel an acute, visceral threat.

When confronting apex combatants, Hela functioned as a dread-inducing slow poison; the shadow of shortened lifespans loomed over every adversary, and none were willing to barter their lives so readily!

No side wished to see such a perilous figure entrenched within their opposition, nor would they tolerate her continued ascension.

Certain ultra-lethal abilities were original sins by mere existence, demanding immediate and ruthless eradication!

Gorutan was certain that once the news spread, the vast majority of Super-A entities would fervently hope to see such an ability purged from the cosmos!

It would only serve to harden Radiance and Phantom's resolve to execute her without hesitation!