Chapter 1033: Secret Master: I Have Never Seen Such an Unlucky Person (Revised)

Chapter 1033: The Secret Master: I Have Never Met Such an Unfortunate Soul (Revised)

Confronted by Han Xiao’s taunts, the Secret Master’s countenance darkened; too weary to retort, his gaze drifted past Han Xiao toward a fading trail of luminescence retreating toward the battlefield’s fringe.

Soon, the exposed mechanical legion detached a contingent to escort the Chaos Secret Energy until it vanished from sight.

The cooked duck had flown away; his spirits plummeted from a peak into a valley, leaving him thoroughly displeased.

He harbored thoughts of pursuit, yet Black Star’s Sovereign Avatar stood firm before him, radiating high-intensity energy fluctuations that instinctively tightened his nerves; any move on his part would undoubtedly invite a tempest of retaliatory strikes.

The Secret Master withdrew his gaze, refocusing it upon Han Xiao before him. He studied the man carefully, his tone laced with seven parts displeasure and three parts morbid curiosity:

“Black Star, I believe this marks our second encounter, does it not?”

“Counting the Council of Gods, it is indeed the second time.” Han Xiao nodded.

“Hmph. Then we are rather… fated! To cross paths!” The Secret Master inadvertently emphasized his words.

Though the theft of the Chaos Secret Energy rankled him, he recognized that they were all here to plunder; in this realm, strength dictated ownership, and there was little point in lodging complaints.

He had intended to play the role of the swallowtail waiting behind the mantis, but never anticipated Han Xiao’s presence, nor his deeper concealment; in the end, another had swooped in to snatch the prize, leaving his efforts in ruins.

He coveted the Chaos Secret Energy, and though Black Star had now seized it, it hardly warranted a blood feud… They were all towering figures in the cosmos; if one could not secure the prize, so be it. To tear off the mask of civility over such a matter would be undignified and entirely unnecessary.

Yet a quiet retreat was unthinkable; he had to mount some counterstroke. The Secret Master refused to watch Han Xiao slip away with ease, for it would make him appear as though he had been frightened off by Black Star… He was a man who valued his dignity, unlike the seven-eyed fellow beside him, who had long made cowardice a habit.

He secretly tested a teleportation spell, only to find his spatial magic stifled by the Void Prison.

‘Once this domain is shattered, I shall still have the chance to teleport, intercept the Chaos Secret Energy, and reclaim it…’

The Secret Master quietly steadied his nerves, focusing his mind on the immediate crisis. Suppressing his irritation, his expression regained its aloof composure as he spoke slowly:

“To be honest, I have long harbored a curiosity about you. Though we rarely crossed paths in the past, you have left a profound impression upon me.”

“In what manner?” Han Xiao had no objection to trading barbs for a while, buying himself precious time.

“Your deeds are sung throughout the cosmos. In my eyes, you are an ambitious schemer with grand designs, yet also a speculator. Fortune has played a considerable role in your rise; every gamble you have taken has yielded rapid advancement. You are, by all accounts, a fortunate man.”

Hearing this, Han Xiao could not help but cast the Secret Master an extra glance.

For the first time, someone called him lucky. You must have the wrong person…

He could understand how such an impression had formed. To the outside world, his ascent had been blisteringly swift and remarkably smooth, with so many opportunities falling into his lap that they seemed like mere strokes of luck.

Yet these “fortunes” were, in truth, opportunities artificially engineered through his intimate knowledge of the world’s trajectory and his monopoly on information.

Outsiders would never know this, of course.

“I shall accept that as a compliment, then.” Han Xiao replied with a teasing lilt.

“Ah, but from this day forward, your streak of good fortune ends.” Arcane runes materialized deep within the Secret Master’s irises. “You have likely heard my title. I hold the power to command a person’s destiny.”

Observing his boundless confidence, Han Xiao felt a peculiar amusement and decided to play along with the spectacle.

“Do you intend to permanently diminish my luck?”

“One must pay a price for stealing what is mine.”

The Secret Master let out a cold snort.

In truth, he harbored no desire to make enemies of Han Xiao. After the Council of Gods, Han Xiao occupied a peculiar standing within the Super-A tier; as a neutral faction, it was wisest to avoid provoking him if possible.

Yet he could not swallow his pride, and his reputation demanded satisfaction. Thus, he resolved to deploy his signature art to deliver a measured reprimand.

So it would come down to fists after all… Han Xiao had anticipated this, never believing his opponent would simply walk away.

In the next instant, a dazzling azure light of spellcraft radiated from the Secret Master’s form.

“They say you are a formidable fighter. I shall take this opportunity to experience firsthand just how formidable you truly are.”

As the words fell, the hoarded magical energy erupted outward, crashing like a tidal wave in a violent detonation.

BOOM!

Han Xiao’s Sovereign Avatar was swept back by the surging spell energy, sent flying a considerable distance.

Seizing the moment, the Secret Master retreated to create distance, but the Void Prison, fortified by divine metamorphosis, had intensified its effects, rendering the air thick with stagnation. This domain ability spared neither friend nor foe, yet Han Xiao, blessed with void affinity, moved through it with unimpeded grace.

He soon realized that no amount of retreating would distance him from Han Xiao; seeing this, he abandoned movement altogether, transforming into a stationary artillery platform and unleashing a relentless barrage of spells.

In his haste to seize the Chaos Secret Energy, the Sovereign Avatar had used void displacement to swap places with the sealing vessel, leaving him isolated from the mechanical legion and deep in enemy territory. For now, he could only engage the Secret Master with a single avatar, while the mechanical forces raced to his aid.

CRACK!

Streams of azure magical energy, trailing lightning-like arcs, hammered continuously toward Han Xiao, shattering against the Sovereign Avatar’s shield into fragments of electric sparks and luminous dust.

Deprived of his mechanical troops, his firepower was plainly insufficient. Han Xiao simply deployed his floating cannons, charging headlong through the machine-gun-like storm of spells, and taking advantage of the Secret Master’s inability to retreat, broke his usual tactics to close in aggressively.

Following this breakthrough, Master Technician Han’s strength and agility attributes ranked exceptionally high even among Super-A tiers. Facing a spellcaster alone, the Sovereign Avatar found close-quarters combat far more advantageous than ranged engagement.

One stood his ground while the other closed in at breakneck speed, the gap between them vanishing rapidly.

In Han Xiao’s line of sight, the Secret Master’s broad face drew ever closer.

“Taste my rocket headbutt!”

Activating his critical strike ability, Han Xiao launched himself forward in a devastating collision.

CLANG!!

His metallic forehead, pressing through a layer of magical shielding, struck the Secret Master’s brow with brutal force.

The Secret Master’s skull rang instantly, as if a temple bell were tolling within his mind. Hastily focusing his will, every enchantment rune upon his body ignited, conjuring hundreds of mage’s hands around him that unleashed a sky-filling storm of phantom fists, trading blow for blow with Han Xiao in a frenzied melee.

—For a spellcaster, investing heavily in close-combat proficiencies was entirely logical.

“Such tremendous force.” Finding himself overpowered in the exchange, the Secret Master felt a chill of alarm.

He had previously sparred with numerous martial artists, yet now he discovered that the Sovereign Avatar’s close-range strikes carried even greater ferocity than those of certain Super-A tier warriors. The relentless tide of attacks began to wear him down, forcing him to marvel at Han Xiao’s true prowess.

‘I have a feeling Black Star is even more formidable than the rumors suggest…’

The thought vanished in an instant. The Secret Master steeled his focus, dividing his attention: parrying Han Xiao’s relentless close-range assault with one hand of his mind, while weaving mana into arcane geometries with the other to cast his signature occult magic, specifically designed to target fortune.

Luck was inherently ethereal and intangible, but at this very moment, within the Secret Master’s arcane vision, a hazy mist suddenly manifested around every living being, varying in density from faint to thick.

This was the Secret Master’s proprietary spell, synthesizing principles of soulcraft, mentalism, precognition, and divination to successfully quantify and observe a target’s luck; the density of the mist directly corresponded to a lifeform’s fortune.

The better one’s fortune, the denser the mist; protagonists, with their characteristic halos of luck, typically manifested the most profound concentrations.

“Let us see just how potent your destiny truly is!”

The Secret Master resolved to strip away Han Xiao’s luck.

Yet upon closer inspection, he suddenly froze in utter bewilderment!

Normally, Super-A tier beings possessed formidable fortune; to rise to cosmic prominence required a baseline of luck, however meager. In his imagination, Black Star’s destiny should have been overflowing, cloaked in impenetrable fog.

Yet reality stood in stark contrast… The mist surrounding Black Star was so thin it was nearly transparent!

Having observed countless individuals, the Secret Master had never before encountered someone with such abysmal luck; he could scarcely believe his own eyes!

It made no sense; a Super-A tier’s fortune could not possibly be this low!

How could such an unfortunate wretch have ascended to the ranks of cosmic magnates?!

The Secret Master’s face was a portrait of utter stupefaction.

He had intended to cripple Black Star’s fortune, but now that he looked…

Could this wretched thing's fortune possibly sink any lower?!

Many of the Secret Master's signature spells wrought catastrophic soul damage by sapping his foes' luck, yet against Han Xiao... he found his trump card growing remarkably dull.

A fleeting lapse in his composure bared a fatal opening; Han Xiao, utterly indifferent to his inner turmoil, seized the moment and unleashed a relentless barrage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!!!

Metallic fists, swift as lightning, hammered against flesh, driving concussive force deep into his frame.

Beaten within an inch of his life, several reactive defense runes etched into his skin shattered under the assault; wincing in pain and daunted from further distraction, he fell back on a defensive stance, barely holding his ground against Han Xiao's blistering offense.

While the two traded blows with fierce relish, Ravendell, likewise trapped within the Void Prison, found himself paralyzed by hesitation.

By all rights, he ought to aid his Imperial allies, yet Black Star had now become a rival in the hunt for the Chaos Secret Energy...

'Only by snatching the Chaos Secret Energy from Han Xiao's grasp can I fulfill my mission and claim the cosmic treasure.'

After a moment's deliberation, his resolve hardened; he cast his spells to unravel the Void Prison's effects, dissolving the domain around them.

"Hmm?" Sensing the shift, Han Xiao turned his head and fixed Ravendell with a gaze of pure, lethal intent.

"Don't look at me like that; I'm merely carrying out an Imperial directive."

Acutely aware of Han Xiao's stare, Ravendell forced out the reply, then silently joined forces with the Secret Master to dismantle the remaining bindings of the Void Prison.

In the next instant, the domain fell; space snapped back to normal, and while the two remained locked in combat, Ravendell wasted no words, tore open a portal, vanished from the spot, and gave chase to the mechanical vanguard escorting the Chaos Secret Energy away.

Seeing this, the Secret Master attempted to follow suit, but the Dominator's clone clung to him relentlessly, anchoring him in place.

The mechanical troops arrived just then, activating spatial stabilizers and mana disruptors; their overlapping fields blanketed the area, once again rendering teleportation useless and stripping the Secret Master of any hope of pursuit.

"Damn it!" The Secret Master's countenance darkened further; this turn of events meant he was all but eliminated from the contest.

Moreover, he could plainly see that Black Star possessed the means to intercept Ravendell as well, yet had deliberately let him slip away, leaving only him behind.

Was this a personal vendetta?!

The sheer audacity was unbearable!

Observing the Secret Master's sour expression, Han Xiao let out a low chuckle. "Figured out that I deliberately let Ravendell slip away? I'm not targeting you; I'm targeting him."

By granting Ravendell the chance to pursue, he had simply chosen him as the canvas upon which to display his might.

Stung by past grievances, Han Xiao wished to demonstrate greater strength to the Empire, yet feared that word of his renewed growth would draw the Mechanic Kingdom's wrath once more; thus, he shifted the battlefield, striving to eliminate all witnesses.

And an Imperial ally proved the perfect vessel for such a demonstration.

After all, striking a comrade seemed far more effective for establishing dominance than beating an enemy; a thrashing delivered to an ally would inevitably be buried in classified reports.

Though the Dominator's clone remained to pin down the Secret Master, every single Apostle weapon had been deployed within the escort contingent.

With such an arrangement, bolstered by the mechanical troops, the force possessed formidable combat prowess even in his absence!

Dividing forces, waging war on multiple fronts—this was precisely the modus operandi of a Super A-Class Mechanic.