Chapter 1051: The Real Body Descends (Thanks to Jin Jia's alliance leader 100,000 reward!) (Revised)

Chapter 1051: The Main Body Descends (Gratitude to Jinjia for the 100,000 reward!)(Revised)

Did Radiance intend to seize a hostage, forcing Black Star to unseal the Scepter of Ten Thousand Gods?

As expected, the moment the words left his lips, the expressions of Sagman and his four companions shifted, their gazes toward Radiance hardening with hostility and vigilance.

They harbored no doubt regarding Ksuye’s assessment, not merely because he led this expedition, but because his deduction carried undeniable weight.

The Void Spirit sect had long harbored grievances against the Radiance Federation; had Radiance not betrayed them with a sudden turncoat maneuver during the Lighthouse Star campaign, how would Void Spirit have ever lost Nika and the Scepter of Ten Thousand Gods? Now, with Ksuye suggesting Radiance sought a hostage, Sagman and his comrades recalled Radiance’s modus operandi and found themselves in deep agreement, convinced it was precisely the sort of move Radiance would make.

On the matter of the Scepter, Void Spirit and Radiance had bickered for far too long; their enduring patience stemmed solely from the knowledge that the artifact remained sealed, rendering it unusable and unstudiable by Radiance, which alone allowed them to tolerate its temporary occupation.

Yet should the Scepter be unsealed, Void Spirit would absolutely lose their composure.

—Compared to Hela’s life or death, the Scepter of Ten Thousand Gods was undeniably paramount; they could not allow Radiance to succeed!

Naturally, this intelligence was not Ksuye’s own deduction, but rather a revelation from the Mechanized Nation.

Though Radiance had once been the Mechanized Nation’s former patron, judging by Manison’s grand design, he naturally harbored no desire for a civilization to wield a super-A-class annihilator like the Scepter; in his eyes, eternal sealing remained its most fitting destiny.

“If that is the case, then let fists speak.”

Serion’s countenance turned icy, his aura erupting as a majestic martial flame surged forth, his voice echoing like rolling thunder:

“You lot, go handle Hela first. I shall deal with Ksuye; he is but a clone. Once I shatter him, I will come to your aid.”

With that, he raised his fist, unleashing a formidable wave of detached energy, scorching and fierce, blindingly bright as a blazing sun.

True to his moniker, the Shatterer of Constellations, his martial style was renowned for its head-on, crushing dominance.

As a fellow peak super-A-class martial artist, Gorutan’s style was furious and ferocious, laced with savage bestiality; Serion’s, however, was an unstoppable tide of crushing power, possessing a more upright and imposing dominance than Gorutan’s, a dominance not born of terrifying ferocity, but evoking the irreversible momentum of shifting stars and overturning heavens.

Ksuye refused to yield, unleashing a torrent of potent telekinetic force to meet him head-on.

BOOM!!

Their clash resonated like the collapse of mountains and the cracking of the earth!

A blinding radiance suddenly erupted, rendering the world a vast expanse of white.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

After trading a single blow, Serion and Ksuye seemed to dissolve into two intertwined phantoms, their martial flames and void telekinesis colliding thousands of times in an instant, detonating shockwaves of impact, until their battle ascended into the sky, carving out a new battlefield in the outer atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the five from Radiance ignored Serion, descending swiftly to face Sagman’s five from a distance, while Han Xiao’s Dominator clone stood beside Hela.

The forces on the field had fractured into three factions, forming a tense triangular standoff.

The atmosphere was taut, ready to ignite into a three-way brawl at any moment.

“Is this the five they sent…”

Han Xiao surveyed Radiance’s lineup, nodding silently to himself.

He knew their combat prowess intimately, recalling not only their past-life performances but also the meticulous dossiers gathered during the Council of Gods.

The five before him were largely mid-tier combatants; the strongest among them should be Crystal Soul, wielding a cosmic treasure known as the “Crown of Star Power,” placing him in the mid-to-high tier akin to Void Spirit’s Sagman, while the weakest was Haidis, who had only recently joined, her power barely reaching Toirenn’s caliber.

More noteworthy was Mornisa; Han Xiao recalled she had once been a student of the Mechanized Nation, studying mechanical arts under his guidance before her rise, and had since breached the super-A-class threshold, leaving him to wonder if she was currently playing a role.

While Han Xiao weighed these calculations, Sagman’s five found themselves paralyzed by indecision, torn between striking Hela first or engaging Radiance’s five.

If they attacked Hela first, Radiance’s five would surely intervene and interfere, potentially allowing Radiance to slip through their fingers.

Yet if they targeted Radiance first, though logically prioritized, they felt that abandoning a half-beaten Hela to turn around and fight on her behalf would make them look utterly foolish.

The Void Spirit contingent found themselves trapped in a dilemma.

At that precise moment, Radiance’s Haidis suddenly spoke over the wide-area channel:

“To the five of the Void Spirit sect, though our objectives differ, none of us should leave empty-handed. If you turn your blades on us, we shall all become the cosmos’s laughingstock. It would be wiser to first eliminate Black Star’s Dominator clone, then beat Hela into submission, secure the scene, and only then discuss her fate.”

In Haidis’s estimation, Serion would inevitably neutralize Ksuye’s clone; if they could also dispatch Black Star’s Dominator clone, Radiance would retain Serion while Void Spirit lost their strongest asset, shattering the balance of power and allowing them to seize control and carry Hela away.

Hearing this, Sagman hesitated, glancing upward at Ksuye, who had already passionately clashed with Radiance at the slightest provocation, then casting a look at Black Star’s clone and Hela watching from the sidelines. Steeling his heart, he gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Very well. We take Hela first.”

In that instant, he made his decision, choosing to disregard Ksuye’s earlier orders.

Just as Haidis had stated, fighting Hela one moment and turning to aid her the next felt genuinely foolish to him, a path that would easily reduce them to cosmic jests.

On one hand, Sagman’s perspective diverged from Ksuye’s; unwilling to return empty-handed, he was willing to gamble. If he could exploit their alliance with Radiance to assassinate Hela, it would still sabotage Radiance’s scheme—eliminate the hostage, and one need never fear capture again. Perfect.

On the other hand lay personal vendetta; the taste of imprisonment within a temporal amber was wretched, a memory still vivid and deeply humiliating. He constantly sought a chance to strike Black Star hard, and from the bottom of his heart, refused to relinquish this opportunity to slay Hela and wound Black Star’s pride.

Hela had just demonstrated a peculiar regenerative ability, rendering a protracted battle unsuitable for them. If ten super-A-class warriors combined their forces, their explosive power would sufficiently counteract her recovery. Thus, Sagman prepared to seize an opening during their joint assault to eliminate her.

He knew full well that both sides harbored hidden agendas, and even in alliance, they would subtly check and balance each other. Yet he possessed the confidence to create an assassination window under Radiance’s watchful eyes, armed with several unused scrolls of potent forbidden curses!

Within a few exchanged words, a fragile consensus was reached. The next second, the ten super-A-class warriors from Radiance and Void Spirit turned in unison, their hostile gazes converging upon Hela.

A terrifying pressure, like a mountain-toppling tide, crashed down upon them!

Hela’s complexion involuntarily paled slightly, yet her expression remained utterly impassive.

And at that very moment, a broad mechanical silhouette stepped forward to shield her, blocking every hostile gaze and every ounce of crushing pressure.

“Rest easy. I am by your side.”

Han Xiao’s laughter echoed in her ear.

Hela stood momentarily transfixed.

It was that familiar scene once more, as if every silhouette that had once stood guard before her now overlapped in this instant, her emotions churning restlessly.

“Black Star…”

“What is it?”

“...When will your main body arrive?”

Han Xiao turned his head to glance at her, his tone laden with unspoken meaning:

“No rush. Let me fly a while longer.”

...

Within the grand hall of the Beast Ancestor’s stronghold, Gorutan sipped his wine while exchanging idle chatter with Sorokin’s avatar, awaiting good tidings.

After waiting a considerable while, Sorokin set down his cup and posed a question:

“Lord Beast Ancestor, might I inquire where the forces you dispatched have reached?”

“Why the haste? Do you doubt the competence of my subordinates?” Gorutan replied, impatient.

Having tasted Sorokin’s silver tongue, he had been persuaded; provided he need not risk himself, Gorutan was more than willing to kick Hela while she was down.

Not long ago, he had issued orders for several cadres to lead fleets and sabotage the surrounding star gate stations, attempting to sever the Empire’s reinforcement routes, prevent their timely arrival, and ensure Hela received no aid.

“It is better to verify. Should Imperial reinforcements arrive, the nature of this affair will escalate. Eliminating a super-A-class warrior under Black Star’s legion who has not joined the Empire is manageable if we act swiftly and report afterward, but if we are forced into a direct confrontation with Imperial forces, Void Spirit and Radiance may well refuse.” Sorokin advised.

“Tch. You always complicate things.”

Gorutan’s expression grew impatient; he set down his wine glass, retrieved his communicator to contact the cadre, and asked in a rumbling voice: “Where are you? Have you reached the star gate station?”

“F-Father…” The cadre on the screen trembled visibly. “We have been intercepted.”

“Huh?” Gorutan’s countenance shifted, and he roared in fury: “Who dares intercept my men?!”

“It is the Mechanist Nation's mechanical legion, led by his apostle armaments. We stand no chance against them...”

The glass shattered!

Gorutan rose abruptly, knocking over his goblet as wine spilled across the floor, his expression clouded with shock and suspicion.

“What possible reason could he have for intercepting my forces out of nowhere?”

Though both stood at the zenith of the Super A-class, Gorutan harbored no fear of Menison; their combat doctrines simply diverged. Yet he had no desire to provoke the Mechanist Nation with its vast armies, and this unannounced interception of his troops was hardly a gesture of goodwill.

Sorokin, equally startled, tapped the table lightly, a calculation swiftly forming in his mind.

“I suspect I know why. Judging by the Mechanist Nation's stance at the Conclave of Gods, he certainly opposes the campaign against Hela. He likely prepared long ago. Since you were the first to leak the intelligence, one could say this entire affair stems from you. The Mechanist Nation has been watching you closely, and this strike now is undoubtedly meant to stop you from destroying the stargates...”

At this thought, Sorokin's brows furrowed, a quiet headache blooming behind his eyes.

With the Mechanist Nation now entangled in the turmoil, countless variables had materialized from thin air. He had believed the Radiant or Void Spirit operations were foolproof, but now a cold doubt settled in his chest.

Sorokin had known the Mechanist Nation for ages, well aware that the entity was a seasoned fox. Once Menison chose to intervene, it would never be a mere skirmish aimed solely at Gorutan's troops. If his instincts were correct, that old relic undoubtedly harbored further schemes.

“I assumed he would merely stand aside. To think he intends to secretly thwart our ally, the Radiant Federation... His audacity is staggering. Our certainty for this operation must now be...”

Sorokin hesitated. Among the hundreds of Super A-class entities across the cosmos, only a handful warranted his caution, and the Mechanist Nation ranked among them.

While Sorokin weighed his options, Gorutan directly opened a channel to the Mechanist Nation, his voice sharp with accusation.

“Menison! What is the meaning of detaining my forces!”

Menison's visage materialized on the screen, his tone placid. “Have you forgotten the consensus we reached at the Conclave of Gods?”

“Hela has shaved years from my lifespan and slaughtered countless subordinates, and you expect me to let it pass?” Gorutan's voice turned icy. “You speak of consensus so easily. Am I, a zenith Super A-class, worth less than some Hela? You fear angering Black Star to the point of death, yet you dare not fear provoking me?”

“Because of you, she has already been driven into peril. I urge you to cease your pursuit. Should she truly perish, you will reap no sweet fruit from it.” Menison shook his head.

“Hmph. You claim Black Star will retaliate, and you think I tremble at the notion? Remember this: he provoked me. If he wishes to play, I shall play until the end. Very well, I shall see if he can afford the game. I will sever his right hand and left arm first, to teach him a lesson he will not forget.” Gorutan's words cut like steel.

As the old adage went, restraint only bred deeper resentment, and retreat only magnified the sense of loss. Each time he recalled the grievance he had suffered, coupled with Black Star's brazen threats, his fury only burned hotter.

“I implore you to consider the greater scheme.” Menison's voice grew heavy.

“I am hardly the one wielding the blade now, and that 'greater scheme' belongs to you, not to me.” Gorutan sneered, his tone frigid. “My participation in your so-called united front was a courtesy. This matter now lies solely between me and Black Star, and concerns you not. Yet you dare to lecture me... Do you truly believe your status among the Super A-class grants you the right to meddle in my affairs? Let me make this clear: do not mistake my courtesy for weakness!”

Menison's eyes narrowed. He held Gorutan's gaze for a long moment before severing the transmission.

Gorutan let out a furious snort, crushed the communicator in his hand, tossed the fragments aside, and strode toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Sorokin snapped back to attention, his voice urgent.

“Hmph. The Mechanist Nation has seized my troops. I will not sit here and wait politely for their return. I am going to reclaim them myself. If time permits, I shall also reduce a few stargate stations to rubble.” Gorutan marched out without another word.

...

At the forward outpost of the Black Star Legion, the battle had raged for some time, devolving completely into a chaotic three-way melee.

Upon the teleportation arrival of the Radiant Federation fleet and Mornisa's mechanical divisions, the outpost's defensive armada was once again drawn into the fray. The two sides clashed fiercely around the planet, their broadside cannons flashing incessantly, elevating the skirmish to the scale of a full-blown interstellar war.

Serion and Ksuye's avatar continued their brutal exchange. Ksuye proved remarkably formidable, leveraging an abyssal well of mana to trade blows evenly with Serion using a single projection, while deliberately dragging the combat zone away from the center.

This void-born actor was, in truth, aiding Han Xiao by pinning down the Radiant faction's strongest asset. By shifting the balance of power, he provided invaluable assistance.

Han Xiao felt a quiet surge of relief. Had both of them focused their wrath on Hela, the situation would have been nearly fatal, forcing him to enact his final contingency.

Yet even with an actor among the opposition, Hela's position remained dire. Ten Super A-class entities from the Radiant and Void Spirit factions pressed down upon her, their assault sweeping across the battlefield like an inescapable tide, utterly terrifying in its scale.

Though she had successfully linked with Aurora, that supreme restorer, Hela could barely mount a defense... This had long ceased to be a matter of regeneration. It was a complete, overwhelming domination. Every time she healed, she was shattered anew. Were it not for her siphoning of Aurora's vital energy, Hela's resurrection armor would have already been triggered.

And this dire state persisted even while Han Xiao, disregarding casualties, drew away a portion of the pressure.

The combined might of so many Super A-class warriors was far greater than a simple sum of their parts. Han Xiao's mechanical legions had been obliterated countless times, pushing the limits of the [Scrap Reforging] ability to its absolute threshold. Any further engagement would render them irrecoverable.

The Mechanical Calamity, Francesco, had deployed a layer of spatial stabilizers and wormhole disruptors, followed by a second layer upon the Radiant fleet's arrival. The resulting spatial rigidity prevented Han Xiao from opening his Dimensional Factory or secondary dimensional barracks, cutting off reinforcements. Left only with the troops stationed at the outpost, he was forced to initiate a virtual intrusion to dismantle the stabilizers.

Yet both the Radiant and Void Spirit factions anticipated this tactic. The Radiant, in particular, not only retained Mornisa but had also requisitioned a Super A-class virtual mechanic for remote assistance to guard the primary intelligence core.

Should his mechanical forces be entirely annihilated, a single Dominator avatar would be utterly incapable of withstanding ten Super A-class predators.

“Fortunately, they are not of one mind. The mutual suspicion between the Void Spirits and the Radiant dampens their combined might. Of their full strength, they are likely only exerting seven or eight parts.” Han Xiao murmured inwardly.

He glanced over his shoulder. He and Hela had been separated. Not far away, a storm of attacks rained down upon her, the scene fraught with peril. Hela endured catastrophic damage every second, the glow of life energy never fading from her form as she continuously regenerated.

“Even a Calamity-tier entity like Aurora cannot sustain such drain. It will not be long before her sister siphons her to exhaustion.”

With this realization, Han Xiao's resolve hardened.

Meanwhile, as Sagman and his comrades besieged Hela, he issued quiet instructions to those beside him.

“Watch for the opening. When the Radiant focuses their fire to cripple Hela next, Taledi, unleash all those scrolls. Use some to block the Radiant forces and prevent interference, while we strike with everything we have. Combine our assault with the scrolls' effects, and before she can heal, we will end her, shattering her soul!”

“Understood.”

Taledi nodded, his hands hovering over the scrolls, ready to deploy them at a moment's notice.

Just as they held their breath in concentration, a colossal surge of energy abruptly breached their sensory perimeters, closing the distance at a breathtaking, almost impossible velocity.

“Another arrival?!”

Startled, their movements faltered as they hastily raised their heads to look.

A river of streaking light descended from the distance, composed entirely of the exhaust trails of mechanical war machines. It was unmistakably a mechanical legion, and its scale was staggering, easily outnumbering every mechanic force present by dozens of times.

At the vanguard rode a figure shrouded in deep azure flames, leading the charge like a falling star, heading straight for the battlefield where Hela stood.

“Who is that? Such impossible speed! Could they be reinforcements for Hela?”

Sagman's suspicion deepened. He glanced sideways and saw the same bewildered expressions on the faces of the five Radiant commanders.

At that precise moment, they watched as Serion, who had been fighting in the upper atmosphere, abandoned his opponent and surged directly toward the approaching azure meteor, intending to intercept it and prevent it from reaching Hela.

As the two figures collided, the very next instant, everyone present stared in utter disbelief, their eyes widening as they struggled to comprehend what they were witnessing!

CRASH!!

A geyser of crimson mist erupted violently!

It was Serion who was sent flying. Like a baseball struck by a mighty bat, he spun backward through the air, vomiting blood, and trailing behind him... was a severed arm, dripping with fresh gore!

Serion possessed four arms, and one of them had just been cleanly shattered by the impact!

“What?!”

Sagman and the Radiant commanders were struck with sheer horror, their faces pale with disbelief.

To grievously wound Serion with a single strike? Where had this monster come from!!

The incoming figure, having struck Serion, was forced to a halt in midair. The azure flames dissipated, revealing a silhouette instantly recognizable to everyone present. He looked down calmly upon the ten Super A-class entities besieging Hela.

In that instant, save for Ksuye, every Radiant and Void Spirit Super A-class entity froze, a tidal wave of shock crashing through their minds as a single name escaped their lips:

“Black Star!!”

How could it be him!

Was not his true form stationed at the main base? He had actually reached the battlefield!

Many of the Super A-class warriors present had not realized it, but the mere sight of Han Xiao's true form descending stripped away more than half of their confidence in this operation!

They had dared to pick on Han Xiao's Dominator avatars, but facing his true form, many instantly felt their courage drain away. It was as if they had only intended to party up for an elite mob, only to stumble upon the final dungeon boss.

A name casts a shadow. Han Xiao's brutal record had long since proven his zenith Super A-class prowess, a reputation forged entirely in blood and battle.

Upon witnessing Han Xiao’s personal arrival, a crushing weight settled upon the crowd, freezing them in hesitant stillness, while Hela seized the moment to slip beyond the encirclement, darting to the sidelines to gasp for breath.

“This bodes ill…” Sagman’s heart gave several heavy thuds, the memory of the space-time amber’s bitter taste flooding back as an involuntary chill traced his spine.

And then, meeting the collective weight of their stares, Han Xiao finally broke the silence.

“I have arrived.”

His gaze swept coldly across the Super A-ranks, whose faces betrayed profound unease, his voice deceptively calm yet laced with a suffocating, imperious authority.

“Now… it is your turn to run.”