Chapter 176 He's Already Lost His Cool

The sound of the building collapsing alarmed pedestrians. A crowd gathered in the distance, pointing and gesticulating at the ruins, discussing the scene with shocked expressions.

In the sky, passing commuter vehicles turned around and hovered in mid-air, overlooking the chaotic scene.

The destruction of an entire building was not on par with three Grade A powerhouses leveling city blocks. However, due to recent events, the residents of Nourios were highly sensitive to such incidents.

"How's Black Star doing? Who won?" Some mercenaries who detonated the explosives had already escaped the base and were flying in mid-air, eagerly searching for the two figures amidst the rubble and steel.

*Whirr...*

The mechanical arm slowly pried open massive chunks weighing several tons. Bio-muscles bulged, providing power. Han Xiao struggled out, supporting himself with his knees, panting.

"Damn, I think I broke a few ribs..." Han Xiao felt a dull pain in his chest. Having an entire building collapse on him was no joke. Even with the protective capabilities of the Void Dragon suit, the remaining durability, which was around 60-70%, dropped to about 30%. Bone-white armor was covered in gray-black scratches, and sparks flickered in some crevices, but the equipment passive [Unyielding Tenacity] was triggered, doubling the suit's resistance.

Some of the damage penetrated the armor. Han Xiao glanced at the panel. Terrain damage notifications flooded the screen. He lost over 4,000 health points and suffered from minor fractures and slight dizziness. The fall was quite a beating.

The main source of damage was the collapsing debris. Tons of heavy objects crashed down on him. When it fell, he was focused on outputting, letting Phillip take over the mechanical controls. He didn't need to be distracted. Upon landing, he and Ash were bounced to different locations. Phillip had the halo array form a shield, blocking most of the weight. Otherwise, the damage would have been more severe.

Due to the collapse, most of the machinery was buried under the rubble, but he still had more than seventy compression orbs, maintaining his combat capability. Aroshia separated from the armor, her glow dimmed significantly after Han Xiao used a lot of her energy. She floated beside him.

Thick smoke limited visibility. Han Xiao looked around, searching for Ash's whereabouts.

Disaster Grade powerhouses were not easy to kill, but this series of blows was enough to give Ash a hard time. Specialization existed in every profession. Ash did not have the strong physique of a martial artist or body enhancement ability of the same level. Without using his ability for defense, his resistance was not very high.

*Swish...*

At that moment, a familiar friction sound rang out. Han Xiao's expression changed, and he quickly jumped away. Three thick black spears slammed into the spot where he had been standing, piercing through the ruins and easily creating a hole over ten meters in diameter. These black spears were constructed of carbon particles.

The smoke and dust dissipated in the strong wind. Han Xiao focused his gaze and saw a black tide, several times larger than before, covering two to three hundred meters. Its shape was constantly changing and expanding. Outside, Ash could draw on an endless stream of carbon particles.

Suddenly, the black tide condensed into a single entity. Carbon particles formed a lifelike black python, twenty to thirty meters thick and a hundred meters long. It coiled its body, its head facing Han Xiao, flicking its tongue, as if it were truly alive. A figure stood on top of the snake's head, none other than Ash.

He should have appeared awe-inspiring, but Ash looked disheveled. His nano-material clothing was riddled with holes, giving him a very avant-garde look. Blood streamed down his forehead, half his face covered in red. The skin from the back of his head, nape, to the front of his neck was completely torn, leaving visible scars from twenty or thirty Void Ejections. Ash wore an expression of pain, glaring angrily.

Each of Han Xiao's attacks targeted his head. Ash had to concentrate on activating his abilities, enduring excruciating pain as if his brain were being torn apart. This affected his control over his abilities, making it difficult for him to perform fine manipulations. He had no choice but to continuously increase the scale of the carbon particles.

"That Disaster Grade is seriously injured!" In the sky, a few mercenaries were in disbelief.

They had witnessed Ash's strength firsthand, and one unlucky guy had even experienced it personally. Yet, not only was Black Star not at a disadvantage, but he had also seriously injured a Grade A Super who was considered a high-level combatant in the Star Sea.

He's pretty tough!

The surrounding crowd's attention was immediately drawn to Ash. In fact, with such a large black snake, it was hard to miss.

"Not good," Han Xiao knew the situation was turning unfavorable. The advance preparations were important to make it this far. Although he had heavily injured Ash, affecting his combat power, he was far from killing him. Now that they were outside, Ash could fully utilize his abilities, and the difficulty of inflicting further damage on Ash had increased several times. He would not have such a good opportunity as before.

"He's lost his cool. His attention is on me. I just need to stall him until Nagokin succeeds..." Han Xiao thought.

He would not lose his cool judgment of the situation just because of a temporary advantage. He knew very well that if he continued to fight, it would be his turn to suffer.

Without lingering, the Void Dragon armor deployed its mechanical propulsion wings, and Han Xiao shot into the sky, turning and flying away, running after gaining an advantage.

"Don't even think about escaping!" Ash roared. The black python under him rose into the air, carrying him in pursuit of Han Xiao.

Han Xiao curled his lip. Escape? Bullshit. This was called a strategic retreat!

Black spears shot out, and Han Xiao dodged and weaved at high speed, avoiding them all. He glanced back and breathed a sigh of relief—luckily, Ash was chasing him. The guy was indeed enraged.

Avoiding direct confrontation and having Ash chase after him would buy him more time. Han Xiao did not have a habit of insisting on head-on collisions.

The two chased and fled, weaving through buildings. The hundred-meter-long black python rampaged, attracting attention. Its size continued to grow. Commuter vehicles quickly dodged, and those that failed were caught and crushed. Even buildings that were grazed had large chunks of their structure bitten off.

The commotion was astonishing!

Compared to the black snake, Han Xiao's size was merely that of a flying insect.

*Woo-woo—*

Sirens sounded in the distance as the security team's airships quickly arrived. The damage caused by Ash had seriously affected the stability of the city. The security team would definitely not sit idly by.

"Beep-beep... You have an incoming call..."

A notification sounded in his helmet. Han Xiao accepted the call. Nagokin's shiny golden face appeared on the built-in tactical screen.

"O'Brien's clone is safe. Anul blew up two blocks. A Disaster Grade traveler happened to be passing through this area. He got caught up in it and helped out, but Anul was too fast. We could only force him back..."

A Disaster Grade Super who happened to be passing by?!

The news was unexpected. Han Xiao thought he would have to stall for longer. His face twitched involuntarily, sighing with emotion—Nourios was truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; you could find all sorts of people here.

He couldn't help but think of when he first met O'Brien on the train. This guy's luck seemed even better than Merlot's. This time, he must have struck gold.

"Black Star, hold on. We're coming back to support you right away!"

Nagokin's tone was urgent. In his opinion, Han Xiao was holding Ash back single-handedly, which was too dangerous and was probably being crushed by the enemy.

Hanging up the call, Han Xiao's eyes flashed. Nagokin's side was done. He did not plan to get further entangled with Ash. He turned his head, suddenly turned on the helmet's loudspeaker, and shouted loudly at Ash:

"Do you really think you can kill me? Have you forgotten my other abilities?"

Hearing this, Ash's expression suddenly changed.

He remembered that Han Xiao had once demonstrated the ability to instantly recover to his peak state back on Dragon Tahn.

This meant that the battle could not be ended in a short time!

"The security team is on its way. The Grade A Guardians hired by the Nourios Consortium won't allow you to run wild either. My companions have already repelled Anul and are coming to support me right away. If you want to continue playing, I'll keep you company," Han Xiao said deliberately in a smug tone.

Ash's expression was uncertain, his teeth clenched, extremely unwilling. He was in a dilemma.

Continuing to fight was a waste of time. Not only would it be difficult to get rid of Black Star, but he would also be surrounded. But if he retreated just like that, he would be frustrated. He was beaten up and couldn't get any advantage. He had to retreat. It was too much!

The sound of sirens grew closer and closer. Ash discovered that Han Xiao had reduced his flying speed, acting as if he was luring him into a trap and had nothing to fear. Ash's expression was like ice. The scars on his back and neck throbbed, and the dizziness in his brain constantly reminded him of how bad his physical condition was.

The self-confidence and arrogance he had when he entered the Disaster Grade had completely disappeared after this battle.

The name Black Star was imprinted more deeply in his heart than ever before. Accompanied by pain, this impression was almost ingrained in his bones.

"I was wrong. I underestimated you. Next time, no matter what level you are, whether you have machinery or not, whether you are at your peak or seriously injured, I will never underestimate you again."

His anger subsided, and his expression became complicated.

Taking a deep look at Han Xiao, Ash decisively turned around. The black snake shattered, turning into a black cloud, which was like a black mountain monster rolling up a gust of wind and scurrying away.

"Finally safe."

Han Xiao quickly stopped and let out a long sigh of relief. He seemed relaxed on the surface, but in reality, he was under a lot of pressure. If he had a head-on battle with Ash in unfavorable terrain, he would be at an absolute disadvantage. If all the machinery was blown up, Aurora's Character Summon Card [Life Returns] would become a poisonous remedy. He could only use it six times at most, and he had already used it once before, which was when he was forced out by Ash.

He did not wait for Nagokin to return and surround him, but instead used a warning to force Ash back, because if Ash wanted to escape, it would be difficult for them to keep him. On the contrary, other mercenaries and cadres would be at risk of being instantly killed.

Scanning the approaching security team, the Great Technician Han did not want to be questioned, so he accelerated, bypassed the building, and avoided the security team.

At the same time, Nagokin arrived at the base with his men. They immediately saw the building that had turned into ruins. The group of recruited mercenaries suddenly stared with wide eyes.

On the way, the mercenaries had taken a pessimistic attitude. Black Star was holding back a Grade A Super alone, so he would definitely be ravaged and abused. They were very worried.

However, when they returned, they saw the ruins that were obviously the result of a fierce battle. Including Nagokin, almost everyone was stunned.

What happened here while we were gone?!

Where did Black Star go?!