Chapter 1 War

The flames of war raged in the outer space of Yun Ci Star. Two mechanical deities, one black and one white, were locked in a fierce battle, their weapons clashing and constantly erupting with energy shockwaves of astonishing magnitude.

Youneng (psionic energy) against youneng, metal against metal!

Surrounding them was a mechanical army like a flock of crows, tirelessly and relentlessly fighting. Molten metal, melted by high-energy rays, spewed out continuously, rapidly cooling and solidifying into irregularly shaped metal chunks. Some fell towards the planet's surface, while others became space debris orbiting Yun Ci Star.

The scene resembled two towering deities leading their respective servant legions in a divine war among the cosmic stars.

Han Xiao's burst of power significantly enhanced his combat strength. His Intelligence stat increased by roughly two-fifths, causing his Mechanical Affinity to skyrocket. The 20% Intelligence bonus from the [Ancient One] character card further amplified the effect.

According to his calculations, investing these tens of thousands of attribute points into Intelligence strengthened his mechanical abilities far more than during the Hela rescue operation. It could be said that his current state was his peak so far.

Due to the lack of time to familiarize himself with his suddenly increased combat power, Han Xiao's control over his strength wasn't as refined. However, he felt a surge of confidence. He seized the momentum, adopting a bold and unrestrained fighting style.

The light of the blade danced wildly as the Zhuxing Blade (Star Piercer Blade) spun like a whirlwind in his hands. Each strike was powerful, resolute, and filled with ferocity, reminiscent of Guan Yu's style. He was giving it his all, fighting with abandon.

The rapidly increased mechanical force controlled the Divine Body, making the Mechanical Deity's movements more agile and flexible. The Zhuxing Blade (Star Piercer Blade) was more powerful in his hands, repeatedly exceeding the white shield's damage absorption limit. The sweeping blade left hideous gashes on his opponent's mechanical body.

Although Manison was surprised by Han Xiao's boosted combat power, it didn't affect his performance. Enhanced by his six God-Tier Equipment pieces, he relentlessly countered with his trident, constantly creating large and small holes in Han Xiao's Mechanical Deity armor.

Both sides sustained damage and were evenly matched. The two figures spanning the starry sky shifted and maneuvered in the cosmic battlefield. The great guan dao (pole blade) and trident clashed dozens or hundreds of times in an instant, unleashing sparks of lightning in all directions.

What appeared to be a simple melee brawl was actually a clash of advanced weapon technologies. Force fields, electromagnetism, energy conversion, and other techniques were constantly employed. Beyond attacks, countless control-type mechanical devices were in effect, with various invisible force fields and radiation shrouding the opponent's massive body, restraining their movements like a spiderweb.

At the same time, both sides maintained constant ranged artillery fire, with countless gun barrels erupting on their surfaces, spewing a torrent of high-energy beams that caused each other's shields to crackle, spark, and flicker, like clusters of fireworks.

On the other side, the mechanical legions, while engaging in combat, unleashed a torrent of firepower upon their opposing behemoths. Multicolored beams of light formed a net-like light curtain. When the artillery fire struck the shields, it turned into a shower of light particles, as if a hazy, luminous dust floated in the battlefield.

The scene was beautiful, yet filled with earth-shattering energy.

The Mechanic Emperor's dozens of Apostle Weapons were powerful in combat, granting them a significant advantage on the battlefield. Han Xiao, entangled by Manison, could only continuously pull troops from the secondary dimension armory, using numbers to compensate for the difference in high-level combat power.

The battle was fierce, with countless mechanical bodies reduced to scrap every second. Yet, countless parts were reorganized under the omnipresent mechanical force and thrown back into the fray.

The battle approached its climax. Watched by countless excited and awestruck eyes, the two fought for a long time in the starry sky, locked in a stalemate.

*Whoosh!*

With a focused blade, the Zhuxing Blade (Star Piercer Blade) swept across, striking Manison's neck and cutting through three-quarters of its depth, almost beheading the opponent in one blow.

With swiftness, the trident pierced through Han Xiao's head, leaving countless shattered mechanical parts scattered in all directions.

The two Mechanical Deities seemed oblivious to their injuries, simultaneously reaching out and grabbing the weapons stuck in their bodies, then forcibly pulling them out. Immediately afterward, amidst the artillery bombardment, they simultaneously raised their legs and kicked at each other's groin. Their synchronization was at least 90%!

The enormous force created a static-like energy reaction on their shields, sending them flying backward together.

During their retreat, both sides simultaneously raised their hands and hurled their weapons.

The two massive weapons shot through the air, like two towering mountains flying through the sky. They collided in mid-air with a thunderous crash and bounced away in opposite directions.

The trident tumbled and fell toward the planet's surface, slamming into the wilderness with a deafening boom, leaving a deep imprint on the ground.

The Zhuxing Blade (Star Piercer Blade) spun and crashed into the mechanical legion battlefield, indiscriminately crushing countless mechanical war machines and creating a vacant zone.

At that moment, Manison's figure suddenly flickered and disappeared. He teleported, reappearing behind Han Xiao. A ray of light suddenly emerged from his waist.

A silver short blade was drawn, slashing upwards in an arc. The blade light passed over Han Xiao's lower back, instantly bisecting the Mechanical Deity at the waist, leaving an incredibly smooth cross-section.

Han Xiao reacted quickly, immediately rotating his upper body. An arm wrapped in youneng (psionic energy) and force fields lashed out like a whip, breaking through the shield and unleashing a massive burst of electricity. The fist struck Manison's head with tremendous force, blasting away most of his head and sending it flying toward the fleets of the three great civilizations like a baseball. It was blasted into pieces by the fleet's concentrated fire.

At the same time, Han Xiao's severed lower body immediately disintegrated, transforming back into countless mechanical war machines that scattered and reintegrated into the Mechanical Deity's body.

He raised his hand, and the flying Zhuxing Blade (Star Piercer Blade) stopped in mid-air. As if pulled by an invisible rope, it flew back, forcing back the opportunistic Manison and returning to Han Xiao's hand.

"Another cosmic treasure."

Seeing Manison produce another new weapon, Han Xiao felt a pang of envy.

His Emperor's Robes reinforced the Mechanical Deity's internal structure, yet this short blade had cut him in two. Clearly, it was a Gold-Grade Mechanical Deity-specific piece of equipment.

It was already frustrating enough to be outmatched in terms of resources. After fighting for so long, the Mechanic Emperor was still vigorous, showing no signs of weakening. His inexhaustible energy and endurance astonished Han Xiao.

Logically, after consuming a significant amount of energy, the layers of energy enhancement should drop, causing a temporary decline in status and attributes.

Han Xiao could maintain his peak condition thanks to his blood-energy conversion ability, but Old Manison seemed to have taken a spring aphrodisiac, allowing him to maintain his condition as well.

Although Old Manison had developed a damage-to-energy conversion battle armor, after fighting for a while, Han Xiao had somewhat figured out the limitations of this Gold-Grade equipment. Each absorption required a certain cooldown period and didn't take effect at any time like his own talent. Imitations were still inferior to the original.

So… perhaps Old Manison possessed a talent that allowed him to avoid reduced buffs when his energy dropped? This kind of ability was rare, but Han Xiao had seen it in his previous life.

But that wasn't the main point. Han Xiao was surprised to notice that Manison's strength not only hadn't weakened but was slowly increasing, becoming more courageous as he fought.

"I guess he's like me, with a talent that allows him to continuously gain buffs during battle… As expected of the universe's top powerhouse, he's as troublesome as I am."

Han Xiao secretly gnashed his teeth.

After fighting for so long, he could barely maintain a stalemate. He had repeatedly tried to further expand his advantage, but it was as if he had run into an indestructible wall, being repeatedly blocked by the Mechanic Emperor. It was as if the opponent was a spring compressed to its limit, unable to be compressed any further.

Fortunately, Manison was in the same situation, unable to suppress him any further, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

The virtual level battle line was very stable. He possessed [Intelligent Affinity], which reduced the opponent's AI's stats by 5%. Although the magnitude wasn't large, it was counted as a basic debuff. If the original attribute was 1, it became 0.95 after the reduction. If the buff was a hundred times, then the difference would also be magnified a hundred times. The greater the buff, the more significant this difference would be.

"The time limit of the character card is limited after all. I can't maintain this state forever, and Manison's attributes are still slowly increasing. If we continue to fight, the situation that I managed to stabilize will be reversed by him again… Heh, I'm usually the one who grinds down enemies with a war of attrition. Now I've finally met someone more enduring than me."

Han Xiao analyzed the situation, feeling relaxed.

It was a lonely thing to not find an opponent. It was rare to encounter a formidable enemy who required his full strength. He was fighting with great satisfaction, wishing he could vent all his energy on the Mechanic Emperor.

Moreover, he had gained a lot from witnessing Manison's frontal combat strength and figuring out the difference between them.

In fact, the sudden face-to-face decapitation tactic was still effective against Manison. Although the other party's clones were a bit tough, their durability was still far inferior to his own. The problem was that they were hidden inside the Mechanical Deity. Without shattering the Mechanical Deity, he couldn't hurt the other party's clone. He had to pay attention to this in the future… Speaking of which, this could be considered accumulating experience in dealing with the Mechanic Emperor.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Han Xiao spoke in the wide-area channel:

"Mechanic Emperor, we're evenly matched. Fighting like this for ten days or half a month won't produce any results. Do you want to continue?"

"Wishful thinking. You won't last that long," Manison replied calmly. "This should be your peak level right now, but it's only enough to maintain a tie with me at best. How long can your burst state last?"

"Never counted, but it should be no problem to last until the end of the battle."

Since the other party didn't know his secrets, Han Xiao simply made it up.

"So, you want to fight a war of attrition with me?" Manison let out an emotionless laugh, as if marveling at Han Xiao's overestimation of his own abilities. "How many mechanical troops do you have to spare? Is it even enough to be a fraction of mine?"

"Tch, look at how capable you think you are. It's just money, right? As if I don't have any."

Han Xiao curled his lips.

But even though he said that, Grand Technician Han had to admit that Old Manison's financial power was stronger at the moment.

He wanted to compete with Manison, but he didn't plan to reveal all his resources here.

Moreover, Han Xiao hadn't forgotten that Manison had some Super-A Grade "collectibles" in his possession. He wasn't using them now, probably because the occasion wasn't right, not wanting to take them out in front of the three great civilizations.

In other words, what he had seen so far probably wasn't Manison's full strength.

Although their growth patterns were vastly different, Han Xiao agreed with one thing, which was that resources had a significant impact on mechanics.

The Mechanic Emperor's attributes were several levels above his? That might not necessarily be the case, but the other party simply had too many and too powerful machines, all good things accumulated over the years.

After all, the Mechanic class was different from other classes. When everyone reached a bottleneck, mechanics could continue to increase their combat power by manufacturing and developing machines, ignoring the bottleneck—so, spending money was the root of a Mechanic's power!

The gap was still quite large…

Han Xiao secretly shook his head.

He was considered wealthy, but compared to Manison, who was decked out in divine equipment, he suddenly seemed quite shabby.

‘From this perspective, it's still too difficult for me to win against Manison right now. Manison wants to defeat me and get back at me, and I at least have to fight him to a tie. There's no way I can escape, or else it would be a bit embarrassing…’

Han Xiao's self-awareness came online as he pondered what other cards he had up his sleeve. At that moment, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

Various mechanical troops suddenly broke into the battlefield, simultaneously attacking the Mechanic Emperor's troops, separating the battlefield and stopping the fighting between the two sides' troops.

A dozen streams of light flew from afar, stopping between the two, facing Manison and protecting Han Xiao behind them.

Han Xiao and Manison immediately stopped and looked at the dozen figures. They were the other Super-A Grade mechanics' clones, who had been watching the show from the sidelines.

"Mechanic Emperor, let's stop here," Kant said.

Manison scanned the crowd and said slowly, "You're going to help him?"

"Black Star doesn't need our help. He and you are evenly matched. Even if you fight for a month, your battle won't end." Kant spoke in the wide-area channel, chuckling. "Our and the three great civilizations' fleets can't possibly watch you fight here for a month, so let's just call it a draw today."

"A draw?" Manison's tone lowered slightly.

"Isn't it?" Kant asked with a chuckle.

Manison glanced at everyone. "What if I want to continue?"

"We're people who care about face. We always have to fulfill our words," Kant said with a chuckle. "If you don't give us face, then sorry, we can only play a few hands with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Super-A Grade clones present stepped forward simultaneously. Although they didn't say it explicitly, their intention to protect Han Xiao was obvious.

You want to touch Black Star?

Then we can only have a righteous gang fight!

Seeing this scene, Manison fell silent.

The battlefield was the Mechanical Faith. He naturally wanted to suppress Han Xiao. Black Star's burst mode was powerful, but it was only temporary. As long as they continued fighting, he was confident of victory.

But this situation had thwarted his plan.

A group of people had intervened to stop the battle between the two. How could Manison not understand what these Super-A Grades meant? They wanted to create a draw, not give him a chance to win in a one-on-one fight, forcing him to accept this fact.

After thinking about it for a moment, he understood the reason.

Manison raised his head and looked at Han Xiao, his tone somewhat complicated.

"You really are… blessed by fortune."

After saying that, Manison left without any hesitation, stuffing all his troops back into the armory, retrieving his clone without saying a word, canceling the Overlord Descent, and leaving directly.

Even if he was confident, he had no intention of challenging all the Super-A Grades present.

Seeing this, Kant chuckled twice and turned to look at Han Xiao.

"Alright, the matter is settled."

Han Xiao was a bit surprised. "I thought you would keep watching the show. Why did you suddenly help me?"

He could understand the Empire's ally helping, but why had the mechanics of the Crimson Dynasty and the Void Duchy stepped forward as well?

Could it be that his heroic demeanor when he destroyed the virus core had also captivated these guys with grudges?

Alas, my bad, my bad. I carelessly failed to restrain my inner personal charm and spread it too enthusiastically.

"Don't be so sentimental. We're not helping you."

Mechanic Disaster Fransesco snorted.

"You guys would have been fighting for at least ten days or half a month. The leaders of the three great civilizations couldn't possibly keep staring, so they gave the order for us to intervene and end the battle."

"That's strange. Couldn't you have done this earlier? Why did you have to wait until we were halfway through the fight?" Han Xiao clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Hehe, it's not just the order. We're all very happy to see the Mechanic Emperor eat dirt."

Kant replied, his tone filled with schadenfreude.

Alright, I get it…

Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood.

Most of the people present had been bullied by the Mechanic Emperor before. They had no choice but to swallow their anger because they were inferior in skill. But now, seeing Black Star's valiant performance, they felt that they could take the opportunity to strike at the Mechanic Emperor, so they decided to intervene.

Deliberately publicizing the result of a draw was their little act of revenge. Who told the Mechanic Emperor to hold onto the position of Main God of the Mechanical Faith and not let go? This was to create momentum for Black Star, happy to see the Mechanic Emperor suffer.

As long as the record became fixed, Black Star would be able to divide the Mechanical Faith's beliefs and cause the Mechanic Emperor to suffer losses… Of course, the premise for doing so was that Black Star could withstand the Mechanic Emperor. If Han Xiao had been getting beaten all along, these people wouldn't have deliberately chosen this best moment to help him.

Intervening in the battle was not just because of orders, but also a decision made from the bottom of everyone's hearts, to push Black Star and the Mechanic Emperor into a ring and make trouble for Manison.

…As for whether or not there was an element of admiration for Black Star's destruction of the virus core, only each individual knew.

Understanding this, Han Xiao was relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, if these bystanders hadn't given him a hand, he really wouldn't have had a way to force back the Mechanic Emperor. The result would have been hard to say.

As expected, having more connections has many benefits.

Don't look at how long Manison has lived and how extensive his connections are, but in the eyes of fellow Super-A Grade mechanics, the Mechanic Emperor's image isn't very good—he has offended too many colleagues in the Super-A Grade industry!

This is what it means to be supported by many and opposed by few!