Chapter 1089 Helping Hands

Accompanying Han Xiao's arrival was the Super-A Grade energy fluctuation emanating from him. His entire being transformed into an energy source radiating an intense and dangerous aura, immediately attracting the attention of all the Void creatures engaged in battle.

"Ha! My backup has arrived!"

Kirkmond was reinvigorated, his spirits soaring. Taking advantage of Bagrada's momentary distraction, he spurred his mount, his blade flashing as he swept past his opponent. A dark light flickered, severing several of Bagrada's energy arms, which instantly evaporated.

Bagrada hastily retreated, keeping his distance from Kirkmond. He regenerated his lost limbs and then gazed warily in Han Xiao's direction, his earlier confidence gone.

Super-A Grade powerhouses from the main universe were not to be trifled with – a common understanding in the sub-dimensional worlds. He hadn't expected Kirkmond to have aligned himself with a foreign Super-A Grade.

"Who are you? I advise you not to interfere in Void Dimension affairs. I am a subordinate of Lord K'Suye!"

Without hesitation, Bagrada invoked a powerful name. Among the main universe figures he knew, K'Suye had the most resounding reputation.

"He's lying! He's just trying to scare you!" Kirkmond mercilessly exposed the falsehood.

"Hmph, don't believe him. Kirkmond is a liar. He's definitely using you!"

"You're the liar!" Kirkmond roared in anger.

"No, you are!"

Even at this crucial moment, the two couldn't resist bickering.

Han Xiao had no intention of engaging in a verbal sparring match. A flash of electricity flickered in his eyes, and countless mechanical troops surged forth. A web woven from machinery grasped every individual, pulling them toward him and rapidly merging.

The tremendous commotion caused the Void creatures in the battlefield to cease their fighting, all turning to observe.

A Mechanical Deity rapidly took form. Since the opponent was merely a Void Overlord, he hadn't summoned too many mechanical troops, resulting in the Mechanical Deity being relatively small, standing less than ten thousand meters tall.

Most conspicuous was the massive cloak of metallic material on its back. Unlike cloth, it wasn't smooth but consisted entirely of mechanical structures, appearing incredibly intricate.

It was none other than the Emperor's Robe, deployed for the first time in actual combat.

"Mechanical Deity?!" Bagrada, well-informed, reacted with wild fluctuations in his mental state, betraying his inner turmoil.

If he had a face, it would be etched with shock and panic.

Without a word, Bagrada turned tail and fled, instantly vanishing into Void Jump.

However, Kirkmond, having anticipated this, was prepared. As a Void Overlord himself, he possessed ample means to prevent his opponent's escape. He swung his long blade, striking the Void in front of him with the flat of the blade. Intense Void energy erupted, releasing ripples like shockwaves, easily locking down the spatial dimension of the Void.

In the next instant, Bagrada's form reappeared, knocked out of Void Jump by Kirkmond's strike.

"You…"

Bagrada was furious, but before he could attempt another escape, Han Xiao, showing no inclination to spectate, abruptly commanded the Mechanical Deity to charge.

Seeing this, he dared not expose his back any longer. He hastily manipulated Void energy, unleashing wave after wave of ranged attacks toward the Mechanical Deity, attempting to halt Han Xiao's advance.

The Mechanical Deity didn't decelerate. Raising its hand, it grasped a corner of the Emperor's Robe, using the cloak as a simple shield in front of it.

Buzz!

A matrix-like energy shield instantly materialized on the surface of the cloak, incredibly resilient and sturdy. Countless Void energy blasts struck it, like pebbles hitting a non-Newtonian fluid, creating only minor ripples and failing to slow down the Mechanical Deity's charge.

Furthermore, the Emperor's Robe itself significantly enhanced the Mechanical Deity's agility and speed. The edges of the cloak shimmered with spatial distortions, boosting the Mechanical Deity's velocity far beyond its original level, creating a stark contrast with its previously cumbersome movements.

"Don't come any closer!"

Bagrada was terrified, wanting to retreat, but Kirkmond blocked his path, unable to shake him off in the short term. He could only watch helplessly as the Mechanical Deity drew closer.

"Eat my fist, you old darkie!" Han Xiao was quite relaxed as he raised the Mechanical Deity's arm and punched forward.

Highly concentrated psionic energy mixed with various electromagnetic and vibrational force fields formed a light-blue energy shield, enveloping the Mechanical Deity's fist, containing astonishing multiple destructive forces.

Bang!!

Bagrada's block was ineffective. The massive energy body was flattened, plastered against the Mechanical Deity's fist. The bronze spear of unknown material was shattered into molecular-level fragments, and his Void Worm mount instantly died, its ashes scattered.

Previously, Han Xiao had drawn [Mecha Mastery] from the Super-A Grade prisoners, greatly enhancing the power of mecha equipment in his hands and especially strengthening melee damage.

The force of this punch was something a Void Overlord like Bagrada couldn't withstand. He was instantly heavily injured.

Void creatures had an independent combat system, not included in the main universe's combat evaluation standards, so there was no clear comparison. But at Han Xiao's current level, he naturally had a good idea.

Void Overlords, relying on the home-field advantage of the Void Dimension, could exchange a few dozen moves with ordinary Super-A Grades, but that was all. Only High-Level Overlords and even higher-level Void Sovereigns and Void Ancestors could truly compare with Super-A Grades… As for Peak Super-A Grades, they far exceeded their combat power ceiling.

Based on this, Bagrada's combat power was roughly equivalent to his Apostle Weapons at levels 260-280, which was in the Quasi-Super-A range – crushing Calamity Grades below and being brutally beaten by Super-A Grades above.

With such a vast difference in combat power, Bagrada's survival was thanks to the Void Overlord's special physique, with its extremely high resistance to all sorts of attacks.

Bagrada's flattened body lingered on the Mechanical Deity's fist for a moment. Then, like a ball, it suddenly shot out, creating a blank path in the battlefield.

The Mechanical Deity remained in place, extending two fingers, aiming them remotely at Bagrada, who was flying further and further away. The fingertips deformed, turning into a nozzle, glowing with a dazzling light.

"Makankosappo!" Han Xiao was in a playful mood.

Shoom!

An energy beam shot out from the Mechanical Deity's fingertips, instantly catching up with Bagrada, piercing his body.

Bagrada's body suddenly stiffened, and he began to evaporate piece by piece from the inside, like snow melting under the hot sun, gradually disappearing.

Soon, only a gray sphere remained floating in place, the remains of Bagrada, the core essence of the Void Overlord.

"That guy is finally dead!" Kirkmond was excited, leaping over and grabbing Bagrada's core with one hand, feeling the lingering unwillingness on it. He couldn't help but laugh.

With the Overlord dead, Bagrada's army instantly collapsed. Most of the Void creatures scattered and fled, pursued and hunted down, while the rest surrendered on the spot. The situation immediately turned one-sided, from a fierce battle to cleaning up the mess.

Seeing this, Han Xiao deactivated the Mechanical Deity, smacking his lips with lingering enjoyment.

This Void Overlord isn't very durable. I wasn't even having fun yet…

At this moment, Kirkmond, holding Bagrada's core, returned to Han Xiao's side, his mental fluctuations filled with unconcealable joy:

"Haha, I knew I wasn't mistaken. You killed Bagrada with a few moves. You must be a big shot in the main universe!"

"So-so, third in the world." Han Xiao modestly downplayed his strength.

"According to our agreement, I'll give you half of the Void creature cores we collect. We're good friends now. If you need help with any battles, just call me. This is my energy imprint. You can notify me if anything comes up."

Han Xiao accepted Kirkmond's energy, which formed an imprint on his arm. He already had many enchanted tattoos, making him look quite like a gangster, so one more didn't matter.

Han Xiao glanced at the panel.

The mission was marked as completed, the reward was calculated, and a large sum of 12 billion experience points was obtained. Kirkmond's faction's goodwill reached [Revered], and he also received a character card, Kirkmond's, with the ability Void Imprisonment, which was a decent control skill that could be used five times.

Compared to the low difficulty of this task, the reward was quite generous. However, only a Super-A Grade like Han Xiao could easily solve this mission. With strength, everything was easy.

The milestone mission [Void Conqueror] was also activated, with the progress of destroying Void Overlord forces at 1/8 and the Void faction's revered progress at 1/4. If he could maintain today's efficiency, then the milestone should be activated soon.

At this moment, Han Xiao's eyes darted around, and he smiled, "Are you interested in continuing to expand your territory?"

"Oh, you plan to continue helping me?" Kirkmond paused, surprised rather than pleased, and hesitated.

In his opinion, Black Star was trying to subdue him, just like K'Suye, making Void Overlords his subordinates to conquer territory for him. Kirkmond didn't want to pledge allegiance to anyone, which was why he didn't go to K'Suye, and he felt troubled at this moment.

Han Xiao understood his thoughts from his hesitation. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You can rest assured that I don't intend to follow K'Suye's path. Since you're willing to be my helper, then strengthening your forces is also indirectly helping myself. The stronger the ally, the greater the help."

The Void Dimension was K'Suye's territory, and developing forces here would undoubtedly offend the Void Shadow Emperor, so Han Xiao planned to support some Void Overlords in the form of signing mercenary contracts.

As long as the other party agreed to become his spare tire… cough, helper, he would help them annex the Void Overlord forces, which would both facilitate the completion of the milestone mission and gain new troops.

"That's not bad." Kirkmond relaxed.

Having witnessed Han Xiao's combat power earlier, he knew that he was no match. If the other party intended to subdue him, he would be unable to resist if they simply forced the issue, so he felt that Black Star didn't need to deceive him.

After a brief exchange, Kirkmond went to enjoy Bagrada's essence, while Ames, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but shake her head, sighing:

"You really don't forget to expand your forces at any time."

"It's a habit. After all, I'm a qualified faction leader…"

As he spoke, Han Xiao glanced at Ames, the meaning self-evident.

"…What kind of look is that?" Ames raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Admiring your beauty."

"Heh, silver tongue."

…

In the following days, Han Xiao took Ames around the Void Dimension, constantly looking for new collaborators and annexing Void Overlord forces one by one. With the Peak Super-A Grade combat power paving the way, the [Void Conqueror] milestone progressed very quickly.

Such frequent actions also attracted the attention of more Void Dimension big shots. When the news reached K'Suye's territory, the subdued Void Overlords reported the news to him.

Main Universe, somewhere in the Shattered Star Ring, in a spaceship.

"Black Star ran to the Void Dimension and is helping Void Overlords annex their opponents?"

Looking at the Void messenger crawling in front of him, K'Suye frowned slightly, narrowed his eyes, and became wary.

Could it be that Black Star has set his sights on the Void Dimension's troops, wanting to gather Void creatures like me, cultivate a force, and occupy a region?

In his opinion, Black Star also had Void blood and had reached the Peak Super-A Grade, his divinity had transformed to a certain extent, and it was very likely that he had developed new abilities related to the Void.

K'Suye didn't actually care what Han Xiao did with the Void Dimension, because the Void Dimension was big enough, its energy was endless, and it didn't matter if one more person shared it. It had no impact on him and couldn't be considered competition.

But he cared very much about outsiders interfering with the Void Legion. The Void Dimension was his base camp, and all the Void creatures were his compatriots in his eyes. Now, Black Star's behavior made K'Suye a little unhappy – it's okay if you dig some soil in my garden, but stealing vegetables is going too far.

The entire universe knew that the Void Dimension was under his protection, that it was his hometown and his backyard. Black Star, you bastard, you didn't even say hello before running to my house to make trouble. Are you looking down on me?

K'Suye thought for a moment and slowly said, "Go back and convey my meaning to those Overlords. Let them contact Black Star, probe his intentions, and test the other Void Overlords he has helped."

The messenger received the order, shook his body, and returned to the Void Dimension, disappearing without a trace.

With K'Suye's status, it would be most convenient to call Han Xiao directly, but that would leave no room for maneuver. He hoped to take a more moderate action and ask Han Xiao's meaning through an intermediary.

Now that the so-called Super-A Grade Association was about to be established, he didn't want to provoke the leading Black Star.

"Speaking of which, Mannison seems to be very active recently, constantly trying to build relationships. It seems he really wants to be the spokesperson…"

K'Suye's eyes darted around, his expression amused.

K'Suye himself had no ideas. He didn't care about the Super-A Grade Association in the first place, but he saw that the Super-A Grade alliance would become a trend in the future, so he just wanted to get a veteran qualification. As for the position of president, he wouldn't even want it if it was given to him for free. Sitting in this position would be like standing in the eye of the storm, and it would receive the focused attention of advanced civilizations.

Some Peak Super-A Grades had the same idea as him. There were only a few people trying to run for president, including Mannison and Black Star. In total, there were only four interested candidates.

"Well, the association can only have one person in charge, and it can't be a direct descendant of the three major civilizations, otherwise it would go against the original intention… I wonder if Black Star has any ideas. Although his qualifications are a bit shallow, as the local tyrant of the Shattered Star Ring and the main initiator of this action, he seems to have a chance…"