Chapter 1 The Encrypted Communication

"Di, di..."

Just then, Verina's encrypted communicator rang. The large face of Radiant President Louis appeared on the screen, wearing a displeased expression.

The heads of the three great civilizations were also watching the battlefield monitoring live broadcast, and they were quite dissatisfied with the results of the battle just now.

"What are you doing? I asked you to go there to support, not to get beaten up!"

"Sorry, I originally wanted to test the waters, but the difference between Black Star's strength and the intelligence was too great. There was a slight accident..." Verina had to walk to the side and explain in a low voice.

"...Don't be careless anymore. Oulu's loss so easily is detrimental to the prestige of Radiance. I don't want similar situations to happen again." Louis was silent for a few seconds, suppressing the shock and anger in his heart, and solemnly instructed.

"Okay."

Verina hung up the communication with a helpless expression.

They had only lost one battle, and the higher-ups were already questioning them. Generally speaking, the higher-ups wouldn't be so impatient. They must have been startled by the battle just now and couldn't sit still, so they quickly hinted to their direct descendants to increase their efforts.

She knew very well the intentions of the higher-ups in summoning all the direct descendants. They believed that with so many direct descendants joining forces, even if they couldn't kill Black Star, they could at least rely on their numerical advantage to beat back this upstart and suppress his arrogance. At first, Verina was full of confidence, but now she was a little unsure.

The higher-ups had such thoughts based on the intelligence records of Black Star's strength. However, Black Star's most recent public record was still from decades ago when he fought against Mannison. At that time, the two fought fiercely and it was difficult to determine a winner. Black Star spent a lot of effort to defeat the Machiniste's Sovereign Avatar.

So, in the eyes of the three great civilizations, Black Star was at the same level as Peak Mannison, with a slight advantage in strength, but there was no fundamental difference. Therefore, the three great civilizations felt that as long as they pulled out all their direct descendants, it would be enough to teach Black Star a lesson. After all, they had three Peak Super-A Grades, and the Chosen One was recognized as the strongest. Even the Machiniste would be defeated, so there was no reason to fail.

However, the strength that Black Star displayed just now refreshed the three great civilizations' understanding. Oulu, who was also in the first echelon, was defeated so embarrassingly. Black Star obviously didn't use his full strength, and even his signature abilities weren't forced out.

Although they knew that Black Star had been developing in a low profile for decades and the intelligence was outdated, the gap was too big!

"...What do we do next?"

Everyone suppressed their emotions and looked at each other.

Shocking as it was, the task assigned by the higher-ups still had to be carried out…

Verina pondered for a while and said, "The target's strength exceeds expectations. A one-on-one fight is just a waste of time. It seems we can only gang up on him. Let's discuss how to deal with him."

The group discussed animatedly, looking like they were facing a formidable enemy.

They were all shocked by Han Xiao's combat power. Even if they wanted to gang up on him, they didn't dare to act rashly before they came up with a reliable plan.

Urnos stood at the edge of the crowd, not participating in the discussion. He raised his eyes to look at the porthole, staring at Han Xiao suspended in the distant starry sky. The expression in his eyes changed, and he muttered to himself,

"The energy level is estimated to be above 110,000. At least one divinity metamorphosis route is complete… Very worthy of being enlightened."

…

On the other side, in the Machiniste's main ship, many crew members were encouraged by this crushing battle and cheered.

In front of the porthole, Mannison silently looked at Han Xiao's back in front of him. Although the avatar had no expression, a storm was raging in his heart.

"This guy is already so powerful?!"

Mannison was also shocked. His impression of Han Xiao still remained in the past, and he hadn't seen Black Star take action for a long time.

Although he knew that he was probably no longer Black Star's opponent, he didn't expect the gap to be so big. Even if he were to deal with Oulu, he wouldn't be able to do it so easily and freely. They would have to fight until the sky turned dark before a winner could be determined.

"Black Star is becoming more and more unfathomable. How did he train…"

Discovering that Black Star had left him far behind and he could no longer understand Han Xiao's limits, Mannison couldn't help but feel complicated and a little envious.

However, after struggling for a few seconds, Mannison felt relieved and sighed softly in his heart.

Perhaps only such a person has the ability to lead the Super-A Class to the next level… Having such a leader is a blessing for the Super-A Grades of this era.

What Black Star lacks, perhaps, is only foundation…

Mannison's eyes moved, and he made up his mind.

He was not a stingy person. If Black Star needed it now, he wouldn't mind lending his mechanical creations to Black Star.

"Black Star's ability, plus my foundation, is estimated to be difficult to find an enemy in the universe."

Mannison's thoughts raced.

…

"I knew it, the three great civilizations were overconfident. How could they casually produce a guy comparable to Black Star."

Joey and the other four old otaku looked at the broadcast screen and revealed relieved expressions.

They had only fought Black Star more than a year ago and were currently the group of people in the entire universe who knew Black Star's combat power the best. At that time, their confidence was shattered and they hadn't completely recovered until now. They were still afraid of Black Star.

Just now, when they saw that the three great civilizations had only sent Oulu to fight, Joey and the others only felt extremely surprised. They thought that the three great civilizations were full of hidden talents and possessed experts comparable to Black Star, which made them feel uneasy.

However, after seeing the one-sided battle results, Joey and the others realized that they were overthinking it and it was a false alarm.

--They thought the one who took action was a big brother, but it turned out to be a stinky little brother.

"The intelligence of the three great civilizations is also too outdated. Just one Peak Super-A Grade is probably not enough for Black Star to fill his teeth." Joey shook his head.

"If they want to gain an advantage, they can only gang up on him, just like we did back then…"

Joey was a little embarrassed. "Black Star seemed to deal with the four of us very easily. I don't know where his limits are."

"He's hiding his strength so deeply… Do you think he might have expected this day to come, so he kept a low profile for decades?"

"Who knows."

The few of them whispered.

…

Machiniste's territory, the center of the battlefield.

After driving away Oulu, the three great civilizations seemed to be shocked and didn't immediately send a new person to fight. Han Xiao sat on the mechanical throne, and for a time, everything was calm again.

"It seems that the three great civilizations' expectations of my strength aren't high enough."

Looking at the silent fleets of the three great civilizations, Han Xiao secretly curled his lips.

He had been developing in a low profile for decades, accumulating strength silently during this period. Only the Holy Accord, the Worldly Wanderers, and Cthulhu had seen his combat power, while the outside world knew almost nothing about it.

Mainly, there really wasn't much opportunity to publicly fight. The Super-A Grade circle was still very small, and there were only a few who could fight.

When he beat up Joey and the others more than a year ago, Han Xiao had a rough judgment of his own strength. Without eleven or twelve high-level Super-A Grades, it would be difficult to pose a threat to him.

And now, not only were the effects of various growth-type talents steadily improving, but he also had [The Ancient One] and his first exclusive talent. At the same time, he had also derived some strange technologies from SWY-001. His previous judgment of his strength was no longer accurate, and the number of Super-A Grades he could deal with had to be increased.

Fighting an Oulu was just an appetizer for him. He came this time with the mentality of "killing everything," letting the outside world see what kind of strength deserved the title of Super-A Grade leader and trying to leech talents along the way. In such a big scene, standing out in his own name, he didn't believe there would be no chance to fight.

Seeing that the three great civilizations had no movement for the time being, Han Xiao didn't waste time and opened the panel. The challenge mission triggered by Oulu had already been completed.

He couldn't leave for the time being and had no chance to leech luck, so Han Xiao directly chose to settle the rewards, implementing the plan of supporting war with war to the end.

[Super-A Grade Challenge Mission - "Golden Ring" Oulu is complete!]

[You have completed all the mission requirements. You have gained 86 billion EXP!]

[You have obtained Character Summon Card - "Golden Ring" Oulu!]

[Character Summon Card - "Golden Ring" Oulu: [Golden Treasure Ship·Ram] - Condenses the energy of the Golden Treasure Ship dimension in the body to perform long-distance charging and ramming. The charging process is in a霸体 (ba ti - unstoppable state), immune to any control skills, and causes high melee damage. Usage limit: 0/3]

"Oh yo, a charging skill. Good stuff."

Han Xiao's eyes lit up, and he directly accepted it.

Unfortunately, Oulu didn't use this charging move just now, otherwise he could have warmed up his muscles and given the other party a round of Ora Ora.

"If I have the opportunity in the future, I'll see if I can get a taunt-type skill. I feel like this functional weakness is missing in my combat system…"

Han Xiao was lost in thought.

If he could shout "Come at me," and make the enemy take the initiative to throw themselves into his arms, he would feel great just thinking about it.

Shaking his head, he put away his distracting thoughts and looked at the subsequent ability extraction prompt.

[You have obtained the reward: Extract one of Oulu's abilities (skill/talent)]

[Tip: Oulu is an Esper. Some extractable abilities have been automatically adjusted according to your profession]

[Randomly extracting… Extraction complete!]

[Please select one of the following five abilities as a reward]

[1. Energy Fine Control - Talent: Greatly strengthens energy control, increases energy resistance by 10%]

[2. Sub-Dimension Affinity - Talent: Increases the chance of you establishing contact with certain sub-dimensions, and comprehensively improves the effect when borrowing the power of sub-dimensions]

[3. Active Leap - Skill: Stimulates cells, temporarily increases cell activity, max health, max energy, and max stamina +10%~20%, basic recovery rate +50%~100%, lasts 15 minutes]

[4. Exquisite Taste - Talent: Charisma +15%, you are more likely to gain the favor of a certain type of person]

[5. Phase Blink - Skill: Uses sub-dimensions for phase movement, can briefly dodge most attacks, cooldown 6 minutes]

"No divine touch, my luck is still so-so."

Han Xiao clicked his tongue.

After all, his profession was different, and most of the Esper's core abilities couldn't be extracted. Surprises like Goth were not always available.

Scanning through the options, Han Xiao quickly made a choice.

[You have obtained the new talent [Sub-Dimension Affinity]!]

He currently had links with the Void dimension and the Netherworld dimension, and his racial talent was also related to the Void dimension. Choosing this talent could also indirectly strengthen his talent ability. As for the other options, they were either too average or had replacements. He was picking the tallest among the dwarfs.

In comparison, the ability of this character card was actually better. After all, it was a 霸体 (ba ti - unstoppable state) that was immune to control. If used well, it could have miraculous effects.

After settling the rewards, Han Xiao saw that the three great civilizations still had no movement, so he simply browsed the forums.

After waiting for most of the day, when the deadline was only eight and a half days away, the three great civilizations finally took action for the second time.

Thirteen direct descendant Super-A Grades stepped forward, coming to the front line. Only then did Han Xiao close the forum and take a look. He saw that Krotie and Oulu were also among them, obviously leading the way.

Such a lineup was already quite exaggerated. If it was a head-on battle, no one in the universe except for the mysterious Chosen One could handle it. And unlike the Hela defense battle, where there were many actors, this team had a unified goal and would not hold back in any way.

"Yo, no more one-on-one fights?"

Han Xiao's tone was teasing.

Oulu's expression was embarrassing. He had been beaten silly just now and had now adjusted. He felt ashamed in his heart and only felt that he had lost face to his grandmother's house.

If he had known, he wouldn't have said so much. He really couldn't hold his head up…

At this time, Krotie took over the conversation and slowly said, "Black Star, your strength is indeed outstanding, but since you took the initiative to challenge us, you shouldn't mind being outnumbered, right?"

"Whatever, no matter how many Super-A Grades you send, as long as you can defeat me, the previous agreement will still count." Han Xiao didn't care.

Krotie nodded, then suddenly changed the subject and said, "His Excellency the President asked me to ask you a question… Goth, did you actually kill him?"

As soon as he said this, the other direct descendants looked sideways, and even many spectators were stunned.

The Goth incident had once caused a stir, and many people still had vague memories of it. Now that the old matter was brought up again, many people remembered it again.

"Oh? I'm warning you, we may be enemies, but if you try to smear me, I won't admit it." Han Xiao's face didn't change.

Krotie persisted and said in a deep voice, "You were originally an ally of the Empire, and we didn't suspect you, but there were too many doubts about what happened back then. In recent years, you have become more and more excessive, and the suspicion has become greater and greater. There is sufficient reason to attack Goth… Sorokin may not be the murderer, but the target of a frame-up!"

Han Xiao waved his hand, interrupting him, and said casually, "You have to have evidence when you speak. I have never had the intention of killing Goth."

"Do you think you can clear your suspicion?"

"Hey, my conscience is clear."

Han Xiao didn't care.

Of course I didn't have the idea of killing Goth, I just sealed him up. I spared his life, so that doesn't count as a lie.

Moreover, apart from himself, probably no one else knew that Goth was an Otherworldly Deity. He had never regretted capturing this guy, but it was a pity that no one knew his contribution.

As he spoke, Han Xiao stood up from the throne. The doors to the sub-dimension armory opened on both sides of him.

Faced with such a formation, Han Xiao didn't dare to be careless. These thirteen direct descendants were not simple people. It was estimated that the three great civilizations had equipped each of them with Universal Treasures, and who knew what trump cards they had. Moreover, when they cooperated, the power they unleashed was not a simple addition.

However, while he valued his opponents in his heart, he wouldn't show it on his face.

"Thirteen Super-A Grades… Not bad, at least it will make me use a little more strength."

As he spoke, the dense mechanical legions descended again. This time, they gathered around Han Xiao and quickly merged, using the Mechanical Deity right from the start.

Seeing this, Krotie and the others dispersed, forming a semi-encircling formation, all of them emitting energy fluctuations and colliding with Han Xiao's aura from afar. The energy readings in the field were rising rapidly, and the space-time stability rate began to fluctuate greatly.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, another Mechanical Deity suddenly appeared in the Machiniste fleet. It was Mannison, and it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The next moment, Mannison suddenly threw the Machiniste Emperor Trident in his hand toward Han Xiao. A pile of Universal Treasure-level equipment on the Mechanical Deity's body also disintegrated and flew toward Han Xiao.

Han Xiao reached out and caught the Machiniste Emperor Trident entwined with electric arcs. Mannison's Mechanical Deity-exclusive equipment also loaded onto his Mechanical Deity's body, completing the combination seamlessly. Control was transferred to Han Xiao, and the appearance immediately became much more gorgeous.

He looked back in surprise, only to hear Mannison speak in the channel.

"Since they are ganging up on you, I'll lend you my weapon."

“…Although I don't need it, thanks.”

Han Xiao weighed the Machiniste Emperor Trident, feeling complicated.

Old Man Mannison had always valued technology secrecy, treating these Universal Treasure-level equipment like wives. Usually, I could only steal them quietly, but now he was actually willing to lend them to me… Damn, I'm touched.

Han Xiao turned to look at Krotie and the others who were waiting in formation. He skillfully twisted the trident pole, and streams of bleak psionic energy flowed on the trident blade, leaving water-like afterimages on the viewers' retinas as it swayed.

"Old Man Mannison, since you're being so generous this time, I'll show you some new tricks of the Mechanic."

As soon as he finished speaking, streams of sanguine energy exploded violently, quickly covering the Mechanical Deity's body, and the appearance underwent subtle changes.

These endless streams of sanguine energy seemed to be weaving flesh and blood on the Mechanical Deity!

A strange energy fluctuation spread out, bringing an even stronger pressure to the Super-A Grades present.

Krotie and the others, as well as Mannison, felt a jolt in their hearts and stared in surprise at Han Xiao, whose appearance was changing rapidly.

"This guy's Mechanical Deity… How is it different from others?"