Chapter 950: Appear, Enter!

Chapter 950: Present, Enter!

With the dissemination by numerous onlookers, the news of Black Star challenging the Tyrant quickly spread throughout the Shattered Star Ring and major star fields.

The past grievances between the two were once again dug up by onlookers everywhere, adding a savory gimmick to this battle and drawing widespread attention.

Conflicts between allies of advanced civilizations were not unprecedented in history; although they worked for the same civilization, the allied factions were not of one mind, each existing solely for mutual benefit, and since resources were ultimately limited, friction of interest would always arise.

Friction between allies, so long as it did not cross the line or cause serious internal strife, would not be mediated by the advanced civilizations; firstly, they had no intention of keeping every ally on good terms with one another, secondly, competition brought vitality, and thirdly, many issues regarding the distribution of benefits were difficult to mediate even for advanced civilizations.

And Black Star's challenge to the Tyrant sat right on a boundary where the Empire could either intervene or choose not to.

This matter also found its way onto the conference table of the high-level titans of the Empire.

Central Galaxy, Crimson Ring Star, high-level conference room.

"A few days ago, Black Star formally delivered a challenge letter to the Tyrant, appointing a battle twenty days from now, and the Tyrant accepted. Now this news is causing a huge stir. Everyone, what are your thoughts?"

At the head of the table, Urranrell tapped the surface with her slender, porcelain-white fingers, scanning the seated high-ranking officials around her, none of whose faces revealed their stance.

"Well, Black Star did not consult with us beforehand, acting first and reporting later. By doing this, he will cause fluctuations in the Empire's influence within the Shattered Star Ring. It is not a good behavior," a high official said solemnly.

"Indeed, the Empire's current external environment is worrying. For us, maintaining the stability of the star field is of the utmost importance. I believe we should step in to intervene in this matter," someone chimed in to agree.

On the other side, someone held the opposite opinion; this person was an official of the Ruler's faction: "That is not entirely fair to say. Black Star's actions are understandable. Several years ago, the Tyrant challenged Black Star who had just entered Beyond Grade A, which led to Black Star joining the Empire to seek our protection. Now that his wings have grown full, it is only normal for him to settle past scores."

Seeing this, a neutral faction official also spoke up, "Well said. We did not stop the Tyrant back then because Black Star joined us only after accepting the challenge. A Beyond Grade A's agreement cannot be easily rescinded, so we should not stop Black Star's current challenge either. That would be fair."

"Yes, and moreover, the recent actions of the Vanguard Directorate have affected the interests of the Black Star Army. If we lean toward the Tyrant, it will significantly damage Black Star's perception of the Empire."

"But the Tyrant's prestige..."

The seated officials split into two camps, one supporting intervention and the other supporting standing by, but those speaking were the daily active figures of each faction, the vanguard pawns whose job was to float ideas and indirectly convey the stance of their respective factions.

Meanwhile, the true faction heavyweights remained completely silent.

Urranrell listened calmly, glancing at the Commander-in-Chief of the Exploration Army, Tarrokov. "Tar, what do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room fell into a tacit silence, everyone knowing that it was now time for the giant to speak and make a decision, as their words carried real weight.

"Black Star, I am very familiar with him," Tarrokov smiled slightly. "I believe he knows the proper limits in his actions."

"Mm."

Urranrell nodded, then looked at Bekorodi, one of the leaders of the hardline faction beside her. "And you?"

Bekorodi's face was as deep as water. He cast an inadvertent glance at Ludwell across from him, who wore a half-smile, and said slowly, "I... support neutrality."

Hearing this, a subtle flash of doubt suddenly crossed Urranrell's eyes, catching her somewhat by surprise.

She knew Bekorodi had always been a staunch hardliner, finding Black Star disagreeable at every turn, acting as if his wife had been slept with by Black Star.

Asking him just now was originally intended to draw out a dissenting opinion, yet she had not expected Bekorodi to stand on Black Star's side at this moment.

Supporting neutrality now meant supporting Black Star, because everyone present knew that if the challenge were allowed to proceed, the Tyrant's prestige would be severely damaged, while Black Star's reputation would skyrocket.

What Heber did not know was that in the eyes of the Empire's high-level leadership, even if his opponent was just an avatar of Black Star, his winning probability was less than 10%!

Because not long ago, the Imperial Outpost had submitted the observation report of Black Star's advancement, and this report had already caused a sensation among the Empire's high-level ranks.

It had only been a few years since Black Star entered Beyond Grade A. The battle of Planet Lighthouse and the fall of the Hetero-God had both shown his growth. The Empire originally thought he would remain quiet for a period of time, but Black Star was like he had drunk high-energy machinery oil, his backside shooting fire as he soared straight into the sky, actually growing again within such a short period.

Relative to the standard evolutionary speed of a Beyond Grade A, a mere few years was simply too short to be any shorter!

Although they did not yet know what level Black Star had reached now, according to the Dark Emperor's speculation, Black Star might very well have approached the level where peak Beyond Grade A's resided, decades or even a century earlier than expected. Even the Dark Emperor was startled by it, saying he had never seen such a freak.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Empire, the Tyrant's chances of winning were pitifully low, and they even suspected that Black Star sending only an avatar to issue the challenge was to infuriate the Tyrant, making him feel he had a chance of winning, thus luring him into accepting the battle.

And the outcome after this battle could be foreseen: Black Star would become the main spokesperson for the Empire in the Shattered Star Ring, and though the Tyrant's forces could still continue to grow, in terms of Beyond Grade A deterrence and status, he would forever be pressed down a head by Black Star, never again to stand on equal footing as in the past...

This meant that in the eyes of outsiders, Black Star would take the top seat among the Beyond Grade A's of the Shattered Star Ring!

Urranrell was naturally willing to see this scene happen, so the Ruler's faction was all leaning toward Black Star. She had originally thought someone would definitely jump out today to insist on intervening in the challenge, and she was prepared to suppress all defiance, yet she had not expected Bekorodi, the one she considered most likely to make trouble, to actually change his stance!

Frowning secretly, Urranrell looked toward Ludwell again.

"I also support neutrality," Ludwell's face was as calm as an ancient well. It was not out of gratitude to Black Star; he had always followed the Ruler's faction in expressing his stance.

Besides, he was not as radical as the hardline faction. Restraining Black Star was the worst option; he thought more about exchanging for or purchasing the Evolution Cube.

It really is strange today, why is every single one of them so easy to talk to... Urranrell muttered secretly.

Hearing this, Bekorodi slightly narrowed his eyes from the side, giving Ludwell a meaningful look.

Just a few days ago, Sorokin, who had an agreement with him, had sent a message privately expressing his hope that Bekorodi would stop the challenge. Bekorodi also knew the stakes; if Black Star's reputation continued to rise, Sorokin's plan would be harder to realize.

Under normal circumstances, he would have definitely insisted on a stance of intervention, yet the situation was different now. Ludwell had approached him for a chat more than half a month ago, his words laden with deep meaning, leaving him startled and uncertain.

Bekorodi could only ignore Sorokin's opinion, pulling back for the time being to observe the situation—scheming for the Evolution Cube was good, but self-preservation was far more important.

The conference room fell into a bit of silence, the atmosphere appearing eerie. Seeing that these titans had unified their tune, the high officials of other factions did not jump out to oppose either, chiming in one after another.

"Since no one has any objections." Urranrell only felt that things went smoother than imagined. Steading her mind, she said slowly, "Then it is decided. As long as Black Star does not go too far, such as beating the Tyrant to death or crippling him, we will not intervene."

"Understood."

Everyone harbored their own thoughts, nodding one after another.

...

"Black Star and the Tyrant are locking horns?"

In the group chat of the Crimson Empire's Beyond Grade A's, Beyoni spoke with great interest, instantly blowing out those who were lurking.

"I knew the two of them would fight sooner or later," the Old Dragon grunted.

"Say no more, let's open the betting pool," Beyoni rubbed his hands together.

"Small bets are a pleasant diversion. I bet on Black Star, 50 million Enas," Ravenlaude chuckled, not blushing in the slightest about selling out the Tyrant.

"Well, I am very familiar with Heber and know his strength very well..." Viru pinched his chin, "So I bet on Black Star, 10 million then."

"Black Star, 200 million," Milizaus said succinctly, his tone indifferent.

"Hey, you all bet on Black Star, how is the pool supposed to work then?" the Old Dragon was dissatisfied.

"Simple, you call all the Ones of Old over, and I will go call our allies from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church. It's only interesting with more people," the third strongest Pillar of the Nation who usually lurked bubbled up, joining in the fun.

"Wonderful, wonderful," the Old Dragon laughed out loud.

Although the Arcane Church had wounded him, the other party had lost far more heavily, so he harbored no grudge in his heart.

The Beyond Grade A circle was only so big; though they belonged to different advanced civilizations, some individuals also shared personal friendships. The third strongest Pillar of the Nation happened to be on good terms with many Beyond Grade A's of the other two sides.

The allies of the Three Universal Civilizations plus that group of the Ones of Old basically encompassed more than half of the Beyond Grade A's in the explored universe; calling it a grand gathering would not be an understatement.

Regarding the challenge between Black Star and the Tyrant, not only were the crowd not worried, they were even eager to watch the excitement escalate—the status of an ally only restricted them to a certain extent, and only those truly direct descendants of the Empire would wholeheartedly consider things for the Empire.

They were all Beyond Grade A's, how could there be a good show without a fight.

...

A certain distant star field, a certain blood-red planet.

On the crimson land, a boundless beast tide was like a black ocean, continuously charging and killing toward a red figure in the center. Countless broken beast corpses lay on the ground, their blue blood seeping into the soil, leaving patches of blue blemishes on the red earth.

This kind of beast was a ferocious interstellar creature capable of hibernating and drifting in the universe. Once it fell into a planet, it would rapidly reproduce, eating everything edible on the surface, forming a disaster from heaven.

In prosperous star fields, this kind of interstellar creature had already been cleared out cleanly, while in some remote and savage regions, nests still existed.

At this very moment, dense clusters of deep crimson energy continuously detonated at the heart of the beast tide, sweeping through to reap lives and blasting the creatures into gory fragments.

Hela’s brows and eyes were cold as frost, reflecting nothing but the horde; she cast out death energy as if it cost nothing, and as each beast fell, wisps of soul energy drifted from their corpses, seeping into her body and steadily amplifying her esper ability.

Above, Ames hovered in midair, looking down as Hela single-handedly slaughtered the tide, making no move to intervene.

Training in the wild was no leisurely excursion; for Hela’s powers to surge rapidly, the swiftest shortcut was planetary genocide, though this time, the targets had been swapped for a menagerie of ferocious beasts.

No one knew how long the battle raged before the final beast collapsed, leaving Hela drenched in azure blood, panting heavily as she scanned her surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, corpses carpeted the wilderness, dyeing the earth a vivid blue; the dead stretched to the horizon, numbering in the hundreds of millions.

The creatures’ blood reeked of spoiled milk, sour and foul, while a choking stench of copper filled the air; Hela held her breath and dragged her exhausted frame upward to Ames’s side.

“Highly efficient,” Ames murmured, giving a slight nod.

Glancing down at the carnage below, Ames closed her hand into a grasp.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

The earth trembled as if a subterranean dragon were turning in its sleep; ridges of soil erupted from the ground, churning across the surface in a spectacular display.

After the force field tilled the land for a time, the dust gradually settled, burying every corpse beneath the soil as though the continent itself had been plowed.

Had Ames chosen to act, obliterating the beast tide would have been but a flip of her hand.

“The day you can reap hundreds of millions of lives with a snap of your fingers, you will have reached Beyond Grade A.”

Retracting her jade-like hand into a black sleeve intricately carved with openwork patterns, Ames spoke with a gentle smile.

Hela nodded quietly, her expression utterly blank, as though the sticky blood soaking her clothes simply did not exist.

“By the way, I just caught a news bulletin.” Ames drew out her communicator, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. “Black Star has issued a challenge to the Tyrant. They will be clashing in a dozen days, just like years ago; even the twenty-day pact remains unchanged. He really does have a twisted sense of humor.”

Having fought alongside Black Star during their last arranged duel, the memory was etched deeply in Ames’s mind.

“Hmm?” Hela’s brows furrowed slightly, a cold, murderous aura faintly bleeding through. “Should we return to assist him?”

“Heh, rest assured…”

Ames offered a faint, tranquil smile.

“As he is now, he no longer needs me to stand at his side.”

……

Factions across every star domain kept a watchful eye on the affair, and with certain interested parties fanning the flames, the attention of countless souls was drawn to the impending duel.

Gossiping citizens of the cosmos spun myriad interpretations from the clash; some deemed it Black Star’s war of vengeance, others believed it would crown the foremost Beyond Grade A of the Shattered Star Ring, and a few even claimed the two were fighting over Ames, weaving a melodramatic love triangle between titans that spawned millions of words of wild speculation.

The gambling syndicates swiftly made their moves; originally, Black Star’s odds of victory stood exceedingly high, yet since he had not arrived in person, sending only an avatar alongside two million mechanical troops, the bookmakers adjusted the ratio to sixty-forty, favoring the Tyrant at six and Black Star at four.

Ordinary folk had no way to gauge the true might of a Beyond Grade A; to many, though Black Star’s recent exploits were formidable, a veteran like the Tyrant was no pushover, and a title echoed for so long had long since rooted itself in the hearts of the Shattered Star Ring’s citizens, leading many to assume an absent Beyond Grade A could hardly best one present in the flesh, so a surprising number still placed their bets on the Tyrant.

Amidst the roaring clamor, twenty days slipped by in a blink.

……

Klent Empire territory, Thor Star Cluster, Planet Tyrant-Black Star.

It had originally been a barren world known only by a numerical designation, but over ten days ago, when Heber selected it as his battleground, the Klent authorities simply renamed it on the stellar charts.

Perhaps the Klent intended to transform the planet into a future tourist attraction, though the onlookers gathering to watch the spectacle doubted the name would last long; after the fight, whether the planet would even remain intact was anyone’s guess.

Black Star’s indifference to hosting the battle on Klent soil projected an aura of unshakable confidence, while also ensuring the Klent could play no underhanded tricks, for mechanical armies feared no losses.

This was the maddening advantage of a Beyond Grade A Mechanic; so long as his coffers ran deep, he could gamble recklessly without consequence, leaving the Klent utterly powerless.

At this very moment, countless starships converged upon Planet Tyrant-Black Star, forming a veritable ocean of hulls and steel.

Having learned their lesson years prior, every spectator kept a wide berth, none wishing to become the next lucky bystander vaporized by stray fire.

War Domain fleets hovered in a perimeter on high alert, while Heber stood alone upon the surface, immovable as a mountain, eyes closed in meditation; his colossal frame rose straight as a monolith, a black greatcloak whipping violently in the wind, projecting an aura of overwhelming dominance.

“…Can he really win?”

Aboard a warship, a vanguard officer could no longer bear the silence, his voice trembling with apprehension.

“Are you doubting Lord Tyrant?” Frodes shot him a sharp, hostile glance.

“Aren’t you?”

Frodes clenched his jaw, glared fiercely, then turned away, offering no rebuttal.

In truth, his own palms were slick with cold sweat.

If the Tyrant fell to Black Star’s true body, disappointment would follow, yet he had long steeled himself for that possibility and would accept it; but this time, only an avatar had come, and if His Excellency still could not prevail…

“Impossible, it cannot be; in mere years, how could Black Star have grown so monstrously strong?”

Frodes shook his head violently, muttering to himself, unsure whether he was trying to convince the others or merely soothe his own fraying nerves.

Jorde glanced at the anxiety-ridden vanguard officers, his expression darkening.

There was a time when the Eight Vanguards held absolute faith and unwavering loyalty in Lord Tyrant, but now…

When exactly had that foundation begun to crack?

…Ah, yes; the moment Black Star ascended to Beyond Grade A, and the Tyrant’s first proactive challenge ended in failure, the seeds of doubt were sown.

Dwelling on this, Jorde’s heart grew heavy, laced with quiet remorse.

If only he had known, he would have defied the Tyrant’s orders back then and strangled you in the cradle during the secret war.

Black Star… truly a venomous scheme that struck straight at the core.

You must win, Lord Tyrant… otherwise, once morale shatters, the ranks will be impossible to hold together.

“Alas, the world holds no room for if only,” Jorde sighed inwardly.

Just then, Heber’s eyes snapped open, locking onto a distant vector.

Beep, beep, beep—

Every ship’s radar flared to life simultaneously; all eyes turned in unison toward the same coordinates, breaths instinctively held.

From the void, the Black Star Fleet emerged at a leisurely pace, unhurried and fashionably late.

“At last, he arrives.”

Heber’s gaze turned glacial, and the hands clasped behind his back suddenly clenched into fists.

————

(PS: Recommending a novel, Old Hutong, by the veteran master author Yin Weizhe.)

(Synopsis: In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic, Beiping stands on the brink of a war-torn upheaval; behind the prosperity, treachery lurks in the alleyways, and Chu Mufeng, a mere junior detective, harbors grand ambitions!)