Chapter 159 Team Battles and Dueling

Both legion builds and summoning builds are swarm tactics. Summoning types burn mana and aren't expensive; even if the summons are destroyed, they can be summoned again next time. It can be said that learning summoning techniques can benefit one for a lifetime. The disadvantage is that it takes time to slowly build up the field.

Legion builds, on the other hand, are expensive, requiring pre-built legions that are immediately ready for combat. Losses equate to money, but the advantage is extremely fast field deployment. As long as you have money, you're the daddy.

The rebuilt mechanical legion uses psionic energy as its primary power source. Most of the machines have been modified by Han Xiao into psionic weapons. The original ion turrets and electromagnetic turrets have been discarded, replaced with psionic cannons with several times the attack power. Even the cannon fodder mechanical soldiers are equipped with psionic shields and small-caliber psionic lasers.

Advanced knowledge is worth every penny. Psionic technology is extremely cost-effective. The cost of building the machines hasn't increased much, but the combat power has skyrocketed.

Under the control of Phillip, the mechanical legion easily resolved Desolo's summons. Han Xiao focused on the legion's actual combat effectiveness. With the bonus of [Mechanical Truth Mastery], he was very satisfied with the individual combat power of the mechanical soldiers... He estimated that a single cannon fodder mechanical soldier could deal with four or five pre-advanced class soldiers of the same type.

Bang bang bang—

Explosions sounded continuously in the air as the battle became a one-sided碾压. Desolo's summons had already been completely annihilated, leaving him alone, surrounded by the mechanical legion. Various spells flowed out like water. Even without summons, he was still a powerful forbidden warlock with amazing spell intensity and seamless transitions.

The battlefield was an uninhabited wasteland planet. Neither side had any constraints, unleashing their power wantonly, causing destruction everywhere. Desolo constantly teleported, and the mechanical legion pursued relentlessly. The battlefield shifted constantly, stretching for thousands of miles. The aftermath of high-powered forbidden spells and psionic cannons bombarded the surface, leaving the earth in ruins, covered with explosion craters. If it were on a civilized planet, the surface buildings would have long been flattened.

Trapped in the encirclement, Desolo felt extremely strained, as if stuck in a quagmire, struggling to move.

With the pre-advanced class mechanical legion, a Calamity Grade powerhouse wouldn't feel too threatened even when surrounded. Stronger Calamity Grades, like the eight vanguard officers of the Overlord, could still move in and out of the legion with ease, only able to slowly grind down the enemy's health and stamina, like boiling a frog in warm water.

But the post-advanced class mechanical legion's lethality and control capabilities had exploded. Psionic cannons and psionic shields had raised the overall offensive and defensive capabilities of the legion by several levels. Now, it was more like stir-frying small field chickens.

Even a seasoned Calamity Grade like Desolo felt nervous. The psionic cannons had greater individual power, so the firepower didn't need to be too concentrated. As a result, the attacks became even denser. The psionic cannons seemed to weave a blue spider web, and danger was everywhere, causing the margin for error to plummet.

In terms of defense, specialized defense units connected psionic shields, forming combined barriers hundreds of meters in size, like giant bubbles. Sixth or seventh tier offensive spells could hardly shake them. Desolo could only use high-powered forbidden spells to barely cause damage, which consumed a lot of mana.

"He's completely passive, he's doomed to lose." On the edge of the battlefield, the other two forbidden warlocks watching the battle changed their tones slightly.

Before the battle, the two had also intended to observe Black Star's strength, but the scene before them surprised them. They knew Desolo's combat power and thought that even if Black Star could defeat Desolo, it would be after a fierce battle. However, the battle was now one-sided.

"He's stronger..." Laki felt complicated.

He hadn't known Han Xiao for very long. This was the first time he had witnessed Han Xiao's growth speed. When they first met, although Laki habitually underestimated his own strength, he still felt that he and Black Star should be evenly matched. A month ago, when Han Xiao earned the title of Undying Body, he felt that his chances of winning had become 70-30.

But now, he felt like trash.

"Such an incredible growth rate is the true Super-A Grade potential, isn't it?" Laki felt a mix of emotions. His negative energy level instantly exploded, and he immediately thought, *What am I even studying magic for? I might as well go home and raise pigs...*

Ignoring the thoughts of the three, Desolo entangled for a while in the battlefield and was almost disgusted to death by the tenacious mechanical legion. He lost the will to fight and couldn't help but shout, "I'm not fighting anymore, I give up!"

Han Xiao raised his finger, signaling the mechanical legion to stop fighting and retreat to the side.

With the pressure gone, Desolo immediately felt lighter all over. He took a breath and slowly floated in front of Han Xiao. After hesitating for a while, he said with a reluctant and helpless tone, "You won this spar. I'm no match for you."

If he continued to fight, he could actually last a long time, but he felt it was futile. Black Star's mechanical legion was very powerful and gave him almost no chance. Black Star was slacking off on the side, yet he was still fighting so hard. Even if he continued, he probably wouldn't have a chance to win.

"You're also very strong." Han Xiao smiled. "You should have tried to break through. Maybe you could have taken me down in one fell swoop."

Desolo's face darkened. He wanted to say, *Do you have no shame?* But after thinking about it, he decided to swallow the words back.

Black Star's title of Undying Body resonated throughout the Star Field. Everyone knew that the flesh was Black Star's strength. He wasn't some disconnected native who would be stupid enough to attack Black Star's face.

This was also one of the reasons why Desolo conceded; he couldn't see any chance to turn the tide.

"It's a good thing I didn't have a conflict with him." Desolo couldn't help but be grateful for his rationality, giving up the idea of forcing him early on. In his opinion, even Austin's top three disciples would find it difficult to defeat Han Xiao, and he would only be trampled on the ground by Black Star.

As expected of a Super-A Grade seed, his reputation is well-deserved... Desolo was convinced. There was indeed a big gap between himself and a Super-A Grade seed.

Han Xiao encouraged Desolo a few words. As the victor, he had the right to speak with such an attitude. Desolo didn't think there was any problem. Losing the battle only made him feel frustrated for a while. Then he threw it to the back of his mind, but he put away his sense of superiority as a Super-A Grade subordinate and respected Han Xiao even more.

Respecting the strong is an unchanging rule. Super-A Grade subordinates understand this principle even more. They are full of self-awareness.

[You have gained 6 Trial Points. Current progress: 6/50]

After chatting for a few words, a panel notification popped up. Han Xiao's spirits lifted, and he nodded secretly.

"As expected, he's twenty levels higher than me. Is the standard for winning a spar that the other party concedes? Hmm, each person can only be brushed once. There are three people left."

Han Xiao was overjoyed and turned to face Laki and the other two, inviting them to spar.

Since he was challenged to spar, the other two forbidden warlocks wouldn't be cowards and avoid the battle, even if they knew they couldn't win. It was just a spar anyway.

Desolo felt strange. In his opinion, Han Xiao had already defeated him, yet he still wanted to deal with two colleagues. He was undoubtedly establishing his dominance.

"It seems that although Black Star doesn't say it, he's actually very reluctant for us to take Laki away, so he deliberately invites us to battle, showing his strength and beating us up." Desolo felt that this was the truth, and he felt depressed.

These two forbidden warlocks were not summoning type players. Their combat power was similar to Desolo's. One of them specialized in mental magic. Mental attacks could ignore Han Xiao's blood-mana conversion and couldn't be absorbed into stamina, causing him a little trouble. This was one of his few weaknesses at the moment, but Han Xiao didn't show it.

He himself had the [Advanced Mental Toughness] trait, so he wasn't completely defenseless against mental attacks. Even if he couldn't absorb mental attacks, his own durability was scary enough, so he didn't panic at all.

Moreover, as long as he was willing, he could hit himself and replenish his stamina. However, there was no need to be rogueish at this time. The spar would end when they had made their point. The mental type forbidden warlock quickly conceded.

Laki was simply a walking dead fish. He conceded directly after only fighting for a minute.

After sparring with all four of them, Han Xiao had a rough comparison of his own combat power level.

"I now have two trump cards: first, my durability, and second, my legion playstyle. As long as it's not a Peak Grade A+ that is only one step away from Super-A Grade, I can maintain a win rate of more than 50%. When facing multiple enemies, I can probably threaten three Calamity Grades at the same time. If I simply want to hold back the enemy, ignoring the enemy's initiative, I should be able to hold back six or seven people..."

"The enemies that threaten me, mental types are one, the second type are virtual mechanics, the third type are legion mechanic types who also master psionic energy. The same playstyle will turn into a battle of attrition, but my durability is a huge advantage, and the fourth type is those Espers with strange abilities."

After summarizing in his mind, Han Xiao didn't space out and continued to chat with Desolo and the other three.

The sparring had ended, and Desolo expressed his intention to leave. This time, Han Xiao didn't stop him.

"Austin is a good person. Although I was kicked out by him, I still have feelings for him. He won't make things difficult for me. Black Star, I'll definitely come back."

Before leaving, Laki was serious for once and made a promise.

"Alright."

Han Xiao smiled slightly. "When you come back, you'll be my vice president."

Laki had only joined the Black Star Army for a short time and was still in the probationary period. He was only a high-level thug and had not yet held a position. With his ability, he was undoubtedly qualified to sit in the vice president's position. No one would object to an A+ Esper becoming the vice president, and he also had an amazing resume. Although he was a bit of a dead fish, he was indeed a talent.

The Black Star Army had developed to this point and indeed needed a second expert to hold the line.

Laki was stunned for a moment and hesitated. "Does that mean I'll have more work to do?"

"... I'll give you a honorary position, okay?"

Only then did Laki smile again, like... no, he was just a grinning dead fish, making Han Xiao angry.

"Your Excellency Black Star, then we'll be leaving."

Desolo and the other two nodded, taking Laki towards the spaceship. Han Xiao thought for a moment and gave Laki a surveillance mark.

Advancement was imminent, and the racial talent would change at that time. The current surveillance mark could only be used once less. Although Austin could discover the surveillance mark, this was not a problem. He wasn't really trying to spy on Austin—could the old Austin, who looked like a little kid, be more beautiful than Ames?

He didn't stop Laki from going back. Putting a surveillance mark on him was to show Austin his attitude, representing his importance to Laki. Austin was different from the Overlord. He had no conflict with him and had a good relationship with him. He seemed to be quite optimistic about him.

The spaceship ascended and left.

After watching Desolo and the others disappear, Han Xiao looked at the panel.

At this time, the progress of the advancement mission had become 24/50, almost halfway there.

"Nice, very efficient. There are still twenty-six points left. If I challenge someone twenty levels higher, it's only a matter of five people. If they are the same level, it will take at least seven people..."

Han Xiao was calculating the numbers when a new notification suddenly popped up on the panel, which was unexpected.

[You have triggered the third stage of the [Prey] mission!]

"Huh?!"

Han Xiao was suddenly shocked, his expression changed drastically.