The fleets were the absolute main forces of the civilizations. The efficiency of a Beyond Grade A could not compare with millions of official military battleships. However, individual power and collective power were different concepts. The individuals with great power possessed irreplaceable special effects on the battlefield.
Compared to whole fleets, Beyond Grade As were smaller and more mobile. They could both fight fleets head-on and easily penetrate the defenses of the fleets to achieve their goal, such as eliminating the enemy’s leader.
During battle, Han Xiao had already analyzed how the situation would play out. As long as the dynasty could hang on to the stage where they had to build stargates, the Arcane Church would undoubtedly attack the stargate.
At that time, the six enemy Beyond Grade As would very likely change their strategy from aggressively attacking to holding the four of them back while sending a few to attack the stargate.
This was the exact opportunity he was waiting for!
After fighting for so long, the agony of Promotion had gradually diminished, and Han Xiao had gotten used to the changes in his body.
He was given five Race Evolution options to choose two from and then one Racial Talent each from these two races from all their talents to add into the talents of the Black Star Race.
Compared to the previous Race Evolutions, the Race Evolution at the Beyond Grade A level was less random and gave more choices.
The two races Han Xiao chose this time were [Void Saint] and [Void Juggler].
Other than giving him the forty-five Endurance bonus, these also gave him bonus attributes of 266 Strength, 310 Dexterity, 454 Endurance, 537 Intelligence, 372 Mystery, 177 Charm, and 1,600 Energy!
With the Grade S Bonus, [Advanced Strengthened Life], [Eternal Body], and [Extraordinary Physique], Han Xiao’s health was now more than three million!
Other than the help of his teammates, the ten-percent bonus to all attributes given by [Advanced Strengthened Life] was an important factor that allowed him to hold on under the violent attacks of the enemies.
Things were the most dangerous at the start, and he had to use the Aurora Character Summon Card two times to get through it. When his attributes stacked higher, only then was he able to hang on.
His main class turned from [Emperor Mechanic] to [Lord Mechanic], and his Machinery Affinity increased once again. With the bonus of the [Perfect Mechanical Sense] Character Summon Card, the strength of his mechanical army increased visibly.
From the various talents of the two new races, Han Xiao chose two talents that would provide the most help to the current situation. From the way he looked at it, if he could snatch the opportunity, these two abilities were more than enough to turn the tables… And that opportunity was the moment when the enemy Beyond Grade As split up.
Dylan and Mercer penetrated the dynasty fleet’s formation like a drill and headed right to the stargates that were being built, while Sagman and the other three stayed to restrain Han Xiao and the others.
Milizaus could only watch the enemies split up. He tried to back up the dynasty fleet but was stopped by Sagman and the others.
Only Han Xiao was able to send a part of his mechanical army to chase after Dylan and Mercer.
The quantity of the mechanical army was too high; even Sagman and the others were not able to stop all of them. However, they were not too worried as two Beyond Grade As would definitely be able to deal with that.
Seeing Dylan and Mercer heading his way, Tarrokov immediately adjusted the fleet’s formation to continuously block the path of the two of them.
Although this was able to slow the two of them down, it was not able to prevent the fact that the distance between the two of them and the stargates was slowly decreasing.
“Black Star, this won’t last. Austin and my magic energy is still decreasing. We won’t be able to last forever. We can’t let the Arcane Church stop our reinforcements.” Milizaus was anxious.
“The enemies have the numerical advantage and are forcing us to be on the defensive side,” Han Xiao said with a deep voice. “The only way to reduce the pressure we’re facing to the largest extent is to make them lose one Beyond Grade A.”
“They have been maintaining their cooperation; we have no chance.”
“No, I have a way to deal with those two who have split up from the rest. Maybe it’s worth the risk.” Han Xiao’s tone was serious. “However, EsGod is only chasing after me alone. His ability can stop my plan.”
“What’s the success rate?”
“If EsGod interferes, maybe there’s only a twenty-percent chance of succeeding. However, if I’m willing to give it all, there’s more than seventy-percent chance to succeed!”
“What do you mean?”
“EsGod’s goal is evolution, and his alliance with the Arcane Church is definitely based on that. I know what he wants, and if I give that to him…”
“Got it. Do that then. This isn’t the time to hesitate. It’s better than dying a slow death.” Milizaus expressed his approval.
“Okay!”
Han Xiao clenched his teeth and made up his mind. He glanced at EsGod and suddenly opened his arms, using one of his new talents.
“Void Prison!”
All four Mages present noticed the large amount of Void Energy released from Han Xiao’s body that quickly filled the battlefield everyone was in.
The next moment, everyone felt that this part of cosmic space became viscous, and their movements became slower.
After sensing around, the four Mages all discovered that this was not just an ability that reduced their speed. The Void Dimension had descended on this part of the cosmic space and temporarily changed the space attribute of this area, forming a strange territory that slowed everyone down.
“He changed this space with the power of the Void Dimension?” Ninjia frowned and tried to get rid of Void Prison, only to realize that his magic energy flowed slower, too.
This type of ability was not rare, but the difficulty of getting rid of it differed based on the ability’s properties. The [Void Prison] talent from [Void Saint] formed a special territory using the power of the Void Dimension, which could last quite some time.
Beyond Grade A Mages could break this territory, but it was very troublesome. Even if Ninjia and Taylor worked together, they would need some time.
This ability even affected Milizaus and the others, as well as the mechanical army. There were only two people that could move freely—Han Xiao, who was very comfortable in this territory due to his Void talents, and EsGod, who had the Dimension Crack Esper Ability.
With another teleportation, EsGod appeared right behind Han Xiao with a mocking smile. His strength Esper Ability enhanced fist headed for Han Xiao’s back.
“This isn’t our first fight. You didn’t think that this kind of ability would work on me, did you?”
“Is that so? Then what about this?” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
EsGod’s fist was closing in on his back, but Han Xiao did not even look behind. Instead, he looked at the fleet battlefield faraway and focused on Mercer.
EsGod noticed a subtle space ripple on Han Xiao’s body. The next moment, with a flash, Han Xiao switched places with Mercer.
Before Mercer could react to how he suddenly appeared there, he was blown away by EsGod’s punch.
After being stunned for a second, EsGod immediately realized what had happened. He quickly looked at the fleet battlefield faraway. Mercer, who had previously been there, had been switched for Han Xiao—the location of the two of them had swapped instantly.
[Void Swap], a talent from [Void Juggler], used fifteen percent of his health and energy. It would forcefully swap his location with the target and had a 320-second cooldown.
[Void Prison] and [Void Swap] were two abilities Han Xiao deliberately selected to create this situation.
“Space swapping type ability…” EsGod was a little surprised. It was not that he had never seen an ability like this. In fact, he even had one. However, his Esper Ability could only swap him with objects and not someone who had the same Grade as him. It was not even as good as his teleportation.
Sagman and the others were shocked too—when did Black Star obtain this ability? There was no information about this anywhere!
They looked far away, and their expression changed slightly. The fact that Mercer had been swapped over meant that Dylan was now alone against Han Xiao!
The two of them were deep into the dynasty fleet’s formation and were very far from the others. With the restriction of the Void Prison, they could not assist Dylan immediately.
“Black Star has been hiding this ability all along.” Ninjia was shocked.
“We have to quickly break this ability and send people to assist Dylan,” Sagman said with a deep voice.
If Dylan was held back, the dynasty would be able to successfully assemble the stargates—in their eyes, this was Han Xiao’s goal.
However, none of them had guessed that Han Xiao’s true shocking goal was to reduce the Arcane Church’s numbers.
In their eyes, Black Star did not have the ability to defeat Dylan in a short time. Therefore, not a single one of them thought that Han Xiao had done this to defeat Dylan. Even if they did know Han Xiao’s goal, they would not think that Han Xiao would be able to do it. After all, Dylan was a Beyond Grade A who excelled at defense and control; he would not be defeated so easily.
…
Han Xiao’s vision flashed as he swapped with Mercer and appeared not far from Dylan.
Although Dylan was surprised by Han Xiao’s sudden appearance, he did not panic. In his eyes, Black Star would not be able to do much to him alone.
However, Dylan had no idea how terrifying Han Xiao was if he did not hold back.
“This is the only opportunity!” Han Xiao’s eyes focused. Without the interference of other enemies, only now did he have an opportunity to go all out.
The next moment, Han Xiao aimed his hand at Dylan, who was covered in his water barrier, and activated his Ames Character Summon Card.
A powerful force field appeared and shattered the water barrier. To Dylan’s shock, he realized that he was restrained by the force field.
Ames Character Summon Card—Gaze of the Dragon!
Han Xiao had used Ames’ Character Summon Card once when he was at the Calamity Grade. He had obtained a new Blank Character Summon Card later and used it on Ames again. He had never met a situation where he needed to use it, until now.
This powerful control ability could not restrain someone at the same Grade as him for too long; Dylan could escape anytime.
Han Xiao was just about to continue his plan when EsGod arrived using teleportation again.
His Dimension Crack and Teleportation ignored the Void Prison. He was the only one who could break Han Xiao’s plan. However, he did not come to protect Dylan; Han Xiao’s Evolution Cube was the only thing that mattered.
“This guy…” Han Xiao expected this from EsGod. Having made up his mind, he activated the Evolution Cube and instantly shot out a beam of Evolution Energy at EsGod.
“Hmm‽” EsGod’s expression changed as he stopped midair.
However, his response was completely different from Sagman’s and the others.
Not only did EsGod not dodge it, he instead deliberately headed right toward the beam of Evolution Energy. The black Evolution Energy flowed into his body, and a black cocoon started growing on his skin.
The terms of him working with the Arcane Church were to help the Arcane Church obtain the Evolution Cube in exchange for one chance to use the Evolution Cube. Now, however, Han Xiao had directly sent him the Evolution Energy that he had been dreaming of. He immediately stopped bothering about everything else and directly took it in.
This was Han Xiao’s plan.
Isn’t this Evolution Energy the reason you’re targeting me? I’ll give it to you then. Will you continue to fight me or achieve your goal first?
EsGod was controlled by Han Xiao with this immediately and did not continue to stop Han Xiao.
While Dylan was still controlled by the Ames Character Summon Card, Han Xiao instantly arrived right in front of him using Void Hyperdrive. He threw a Luck Curse, grabbed onto Dylan’s shoulder, and activated the EsGod Character Summon Card!
Esper Silence!
This time, the force field had just disappeared. Dylan was just about to push Han Xiao away using his Esper Ability, but to his absolute shock, he realized that he could not sense the existence of his Esper Ability anymore. His expression changed drastically.
“You…”
Han Xiao activated all his explosive abilities including [Gene Liberation] immediately and yelled in the quantum network, “Fire!”
The next moment, the mechanical army around them fired right at the two of them, and beams of psionic attacks landed on their bodies.
Dylan was an Esper. Without his Esper Ability, he was nothing but a target that could not resist.
Furthermore, he was not immune to True Damage!
The blue cluster of light expanded and exploded!
As the light dissipated, Dylan became covered in blood and on his last breath. Nanoparticle tentacles extended from the mechanical soldiers around, forming a few enormous chains that locked onto Dylan’s arms and legs, controlling his body tightly.
All kinds of mechanical traps circled around Dylan and restricted his movements, while the barrels of all the mechanical soldiers aimed at him and were ready to fire anytime.
Han Xiao was right behind Dylan. His arms locked around Dylan’s neck tightly, and his eyes were coldly staring in the direction of Sagman. It was clear that he was threatening them with Dylan’s life!
Sagman and the others’ expressions changed dramatically!
This was beyond all their expectations!
Dylan had been captured by Black Star so quickly!
How could Black Star possibly have such combat capability‽
“Im—Impossible!” Psyker’s eyes widened with disbelief.
Sagman was shocked. Only now did he understand that Black Star’s goal was not to stall Dylan but to eliminate him to reduce their numbers!
This time, the two Mages of the Arcane Church finally broke the Void Prison. Be it friend or foe, everyone looked at Han Xiao with shock.
How did he capture a Beyond Grade A in such a short time‽
Sagman and the others did not dare continue attacking Milizaus and the others; they were afraid that Han Xiao would kill Dylan instantly.
Milizaus and the other two were also shocked and did not move.
“Sh*t…” Sagman was troubled. Dylan was clearly heavily injured, and his life was in Black Star’s hands. If they continued fighting, not mentioning whether they would still be able to complete the mission after losing one Beyond Grade A, Dylan would definitely die.
Dylan was a Beyond Grade A, not someone they could just give up.
Afraid of the repercussions of their actions, both sides stopped fighting, and the situation seemed to have come to a stalemate.
Sagman clenched his teeth. He secretly gave Ninjia a look. Ninjia understood his meaning and sent a psychic message to EsGod.
“EsGod, continue moving and destroy the dynasty’s stargate!”
It was not that Sagman did not want to save Dylan, but Dylan had already been captured, and if they wanted to break this stalemate and have a chance at completing the mission, the only way was to let go of Dylan.
However, he did not want to express his decision of giving up his teammate, so it was best to let EsGod do the work. EsGod did not belong to the Arcane Church. If Black Star killed Dylan because of that, they would have nothing to do with it. This was the only solution.
However, EsGod ignored him completely and left the battlefield via teleportation, returning to the main ship of the Fallen Ark fleet where Fakisen was waiting.
Hearing movement, Fakisen turned around but was shocked by EsGod’s appearance. Black lines were swimming on EsGod’s body like snakes under his skin. It was somewhat horrifying.
“Your Excellency EsGod, are you injured‽”
“Injured? No, no… I feel amazing!”
EsGod forced out a smile. He had temporarily suppressed the Evolution Energy in his body, which was why he did not turn into a cocoon on the spot.
“Send my order, retreat immediately!”
“Ah? Are we not continuing the battle?” Fakisen wondered.
“The goal is achieved. Let the Arcane Church restrain the dynasty’s fleet. We’ll retreat!”
Having received the Evolution Energy, EsGod had already achieved his goal. There was no longer a need for him to continue working together with the Arcane Church.
Right now, he could not wait to find a peaceful place to complete his evolution and did not care about helping the Arcane Church at all.
EsGod knew that this was Han Xiao’s plot, but he did not mind falling for it if he could achieve his goal.
His combat capability would be affected while suppressing the Evolution Energy. To him, completing the evolution was much more important than dealing with Black Star.
As for trustworthiness… when did he have that?
The Fallen Ark fleet stopped firing immediately. Now matter how much the Arcane Church commander roared, their retreat out of the battlefield could not be prevented.
Seeing this, Han Xiao’s mouth twitched.
EsGod’s reputation did not disappoint him.
Han Xiao had no choice but to satisfy EsGod’s need. EsGod was the strongest of everyone present. As long as he was there, Han Xiao would always be at a disadvantage. EsGod’s teleportation was too great a threat to the stargates; he had to find a way to make him retreat from the battlefield.
“Get through this danger first, find a way to deal with EsGod later… He participated in this attack and worked with the Arcane Church. The dynasty won’t let him get away with it easily.” Han Xiao did not dwell on it.
On the other side, EsGod’s retreat shocked the people of the Arcane Church.
“EsGod!” Sagman was furious.
In such a short period, the upper hand that they had firmly held disappeared completely. One of them was captured, and another fled. The seven Beyond Grade As that they originally had become five in the blink of an eye!
And the root of all of this was Han Xiao!
Sagman gritted his teeth so hard to the point his teeth almost cracked.
