Chapter 1 Owen's Escape

Ta, ta, ta…

Owen fled in haste. He was the last known agent of the splinter faction, and DarkStar’s pursuers were like maggots on a bone, relentlessly following him. The one chasing him was Xie Man, the vice-captain of the Fozad team, a Class B Esper who had suddenly launched an attack not long ago, leaving him struggling for his life.

He had sensed that DarkStar was preparing to take action and notified Nagojin and others, requesting support. However, the reinforcements had not yet arrived, and Owen was secretly anxious.

Bang!

A beam of light, as thick as a bucket, pierced through the wall and struck Owen. A shimmering magical shield appeared, withstanding the main damage, but shattered and scattered the next moment. Owen was thrown off his feet by the aftershock, tumbling dozens of meters away.

Not far behind him, a stocky man wearing aiming goggles walked slowly, clad in a light, gray-iron mechanical combat suit. He carried a huge gun that seemed disproportionate to his body, intricately constructed with a thick caliber and numerous coaxial sub-cannons, clearly a multi-functional weapon.

This was Xie Man, rumored to have some dwarf blood, a Gunner.

"I only have three reactive defense shield badges left. I won't be able to run far. If reinforcements don't arrive soon, I'm finished. DarkStar will never show me any mercy…" Owen's face was grim, sensing impending doom.

Xie Man was expressionless, raising his gun with one hand and aiming at Owen, who was slowly getting up. "Don't move unless you think your legs are too long."

Before he finished speaking, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out from high above. Looking up, they saw someone in knight armor-like combat mech flying nimbly through the gaps between buildings, white cloak fluttering from his shoulders. He was rapidly approaching Xie Man from high altitude, holding a several-meter-long ship-slicing blade, an imposing sight. It was Melos, arriving to provide support.

Without a word, Xie Man raised his gun and fired.

Bang, bang, bang—

Thick beams of light came head-on. Melos' eyes were sharp as he slashed out blades of energy. Before the light beams could reach him, they turned into clusters of dazzling explosions, a constant roar. Passing through the searing barrage, Melos fiercely slashed at Xie Man's head the moment he landed. However, Xie Man had already begun to dodge a second earlier.

Boom!

The blade struck the ground, creating a gully along the direction of the slash. Silver-white energy flames erupted from the gully like molten lava, the crack extending dozens of meters forward.

"Reinforcements?" Xie Man was thrown back by the aftershock, crouching on the ground. He licked the corner of his mouth, tasting a sweet, fishy taste, and his killing intent instantly intensified.

At this moment, many recruited mercenaries also appeared, protecting Owen. Owen breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, someone had come…

Hundreds of mercenaries were on guard, but Xie Man remained unperturbed. He pointed at Melos, who had given him a slight disadvantage, then mimed a gun with his fingers, pointing it at his own head, a sinister smile on his face. The gesture meant, *I've got my eye on you.*

The next moment, DarkStar's people also arrived, in similar numbers, but perhaps with more elite soldiers. They were eager to attack. Anur stepped forward, scanning the scene and said in a deep voice, "Godora people, don't hide on the sidelines. You can't escape my perception."

Hearing this, Nagojin stepped out. The two Class A Espers were at loggerheads. His expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Where's the other one?"

Anur didn't answer, scanning the area and counting the number of mercenaries. He frowned slightly. Most of the recruited mercenaries were here, so no one should be in the enemy's base. He knew Ash would find nothing. But it didn't matter, Ash wouldn't need long to turn back. With a pincer attack, they could cut off the group’s retreat.

Each side was an enemy. Neither had any intention of sharing their plans. Without another word, they stared at each other, as if snapping a taut string. With a command, a fierce battle erupted.

The battle exploded!

Tear—

Anur's body swelled, transforming in the blink of an eye into a bizarre monster, four to five meters tall, with a triangular flat head and a streamlined beast body. His skin was rough, covered with small holes. He used these to control wind pressure. He had a long tail and his front and hind limbs became thick, powerful claws. Eight strange, angled skeletal limbs grew from his back, resembling wings, but they were special organs, like hollow jet pipes, extending from his ribs, allowing high-pressure airflow to circulate between his internal organs and the outside, enabling flight and balancing internal and external pressure to protect his body at high speeds.

This form was Anur's transformed state, nicknamed "Wind Demon," with the special ability to control air currents.

Bang!

Anur's eight jet pipes simultaneously spewed high-pressure airflow, accelerating suddenly, covering hundreds of meters in a flash, colliding with Nagojin.

With him as the tip of the cone, on either side behind his body were invisible, enormous wind pressure cannons, the airflow turning into a shockwave, sweeping across with a thunderous roar.

Rumble—

As the wind pressure cannons passed, the ground cracked, the windows of buildings on both sides of the street shattered, and steel structures bent. Everyone present felt difficulty breathing, as if they were in the middle of a storm.

Nagojin broke through the wind barrier, smashing a fist fiercely into Anur's body. Golden energy flames and invisible wind pressure exploded into shockwaves, and both of them were sent flying, the point of impact erupting in a cloud of gray dust, instantly creating a circular pit several meters in diameter in the ground.

When he looked up again, Anur's body had disappeared, leaving only the wind to continue raging. Nagojin had seen this ability before. The small holes on Anur's body controlled the airflow to cover his entire body, forming a shield and absorbing light in some way, so his body no longer reflected light, making it invisible to others.

Two Calamity Grades had to restrain each other, otherwise the others fighting on the side would be in danger. Nagojin was on full alert. Just Anur alone forced him to go all out. If he was joined by the other one, he would surely be defeated.

"Black Star said that the enemy would most likely split their forces into two groups, and one of the Calamity Grades would rely on individual strength to attack our base alone. He chose to stay and restrain the enemy himself. Only by holding down one Calamity Grade will we have a chance to save the people.

"But he's just a Class B Esper. A Calamity Grade is too dangerous for him. Can he really do it…?"

Nagojin was secretly worried.

…

At the same time, in another location.

Ash slowly stepped into the mercenary stronghold, already prepared for a major slaughter. However, it was dark inside, seemingly empty.

"Did everyone abandon the stronghold and follow the Godora people? Looks like I came for nothing. I'll go find Anur and join up with him."

Ash was expressionless, turning to leave. Just then, with a *snap*, the lights turned on, and the stronghold's broadcast suddenly sounded.

"Don't go. I've been waiting for you."

Ash's eyes narrowed.

This voice was so familiar…

He looked up at the surveillance camera in the corner, his tone cold.

"Black Star?"

"Ash, that's the nickname DarkStar gave you, but you don't have a real name. When you were very young, DarkStar took you in. They valued your talent, treated you as a weapon, and subjected you to all kinds of harsh training. You weren't originally a Godora person, but you were instilled with hatred that wasn't yours. DarkStar cultivated your loyalty, but in their eyes, you were just a useful tool. Your faith is meaningless because it's not your true belief."

Han Xiao spoke to himself, his tone calm, but saying words that struck at the heart. Because of his knowledge from his previous life, he understood Ash's life, the countless killings, which were very hateful, but the hateful person also had something pitiable about him.

If he had lived differently, if he hadn't been adopted by DarkStar as a child, but had grown up normally, maybe he wouldn't have become the notorious Ash. Maybe he would have had his own name, maybe he wouldn't have given everything only to be regarded as a discarded piece after his usefulness had been exhausted.

Ash subconsciously clenched his fist, then released it, with no intention of arguing, and said indifferently, "The other mercenaries are gone. Why are you the only one left?"

"Of course, I'm waiting for you."

*Click…*

A metal door opened, and Han Xiao walked out, his eyes meeting Ash's.

A reunion after a brief separation, with added animosity.

DarkStar had sent two Calamity Grades. Han Xiao guessed that the other side would definitely want to maximize this advantage, so he had one of them act alone, which would make the strategy more flexible. Fortunately, he guessed correctly. One Calamity Grade powerhouse had indeed split off, relying on individual strength.

When he recruited the mercenaries, Han Xiao knew that he couldn't hide it from DarkStar. If the enemy wanted to break into the base alone, the most likely candidate was Ash, because his abilities were best suited for large-scale battles. As long as the carbon-based lifeforms were weaker than him in level and strength, they would be killed in seconds, making him very efficient. So, Han Xiao had most of the mercenaries help Nagojin save the people. Those people would only be killed if they stayed behind.

Only he could hold Ash back. The longer he held him, the higher the chance of Nagojin successfully saving the people.

He had complete confidence in a battle of attrition.

"Waiting for me?" Ash's expression was slightly different. "You want to hold me back alone?"

"Not exactly alone." Han Xiao shrugged. A flash of light, and an energy-form Aroshia floated beside him. In addition to her, there were a few other passerby mercenaries in another monitoring room, watching the screen intently.

Han Xiao had deliberately left these mercenaries behind. Their task was to detonate the explosives placed throughout the building at the appropriate time, to hold Ash back. At this time, their palms were full of sweat, their breathing rapid, their nervousness almost written on their faces.

Their nervousness was understandable. After all, the enemy on the monitoring screen was a Calamity Grade. Honestly, if they were standing in Han Xiao's place, they felt they wouldn't even be able to speak fluently. They couldn't help but worry for Han Xiao, their hearts in their throats, feeling that Black Star was going to be in big trouble when the enemy attacked.

If Black Star died, their plan to build connections would be ruined.

Ash moved his fingers, but his Esper ability didn't sense Aroshia. He shook his head and said, "So, your confidence comes from this energy lifeform. You think this can stop me?"

Han Xiao tossed a compression orb, smiling. "We haven't decided the outcome of our last fight. Are you afraid?"

Hearing this, Ash only found it funny. He had crossed the threshold into the next level and was no longer the same as before. He didn't understand where Han Xiao's confidence came from. Did he still think he was at his previous level?

"Overestimating yourself." Ash's tone turned cold. "Although you're the only one here, it's not bad to get rid of you. It's just to fulfill my previous little wish. After you're dead, it won't be too late for me to go and help."

A rustling sound rang out, as if countless particles were rubbing and colliding, but it quickly turned into a roaring sound like a flood. Around Ash, countless carbon element particles were like a fluctuating black cloud, spreading madly, almost filling half the stronghold.

Now, Ash's ability had a wider range, and his control was more free, able to make more flexible changes. Countless carbon element particles were attached to the surface and lining of his clothes, like weapons he carried with him, not afraid to fight in a carbon-free environment.

"This is the power of Class A…" The mercenaries in the monitoring room swallowed their saliva, feeling a pressure emanating from the screen. Their legs were weak, and they almost wanted to turn around and run.

However, the next moment, they saw Han Xiao's body sway, the electric current shooting in all directions, precisely connected to every compression orb on the ceiling, floor, and corners, with him as the center, as if spreading a spider web of electric wires!

*Ka, ka, ka—*

In an instant, hundreds of machines unfolded at the same time, a spectacular scale!

These compression orbs had been set up long ago. Han Xiao had completed the preparations before the battle!

The entire stronghold was the trap he had set!

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(Happy April Fools' Day. If Sargeras ever dies, it must have been done by the murlocs. Hehe, a new month has begun, please vote for monthly tickets)