by <unknown>
This sort of feeling… made him subconsciously remember the time when he first fought Han Xiao! He gritted his teeth.
Every time… it’s the same every single time!
This b*stard has all sorts of schemes!
The continuous series of explosions drowned whatever thoughts he had. The duo slammed into the ground, the impact jolting both to their bones. They lay prone, unable to muster the strength to stand due to the pain in their bodies.
At this point, a huge shadow rapidly expanded where they were situated.
The next second, the collapsed building slammed down on them.
Boom!
Dust billowed!
The earth shook!
Chapter 488. Retreat |
The commotion of the collapsing building startled the pedestrians and they gathered together at a distance, pointing at the rubble as they discussed about the chaos with shock.
In the skies, a large number of aircrafts stopped in midair and looked down at the rubble below.
While the destruction of this battle was not as bad as the battle between the three Grade A Supers, because of something similar happening a while back, the citizens of Noriosse paid close attention to the battle.
“How is Black Star? Who won?” A couple of mercenaries who ignited the explosives had long escaped from the base and were currently in midair within an aircraft.
Swoosh!
A mechanical arm pushed off a large boulder, and a figure could be seen climbing out of the rubble with difficulty. With his hands on his knees, Han Xiao panted heavily.
“Ouch… a few of my ribs were fractured.” Han Xiao felt a dull ache in his chest. An entire building had crashed down on him, and even with the powerful defense of his Void Dragon armor, its durability had fallen from the original sixty-seven percent to about thirty percent. Black crack marks could be seen all over the armor, and sparks could be seen coming out from some of the cracks. Thankfully, the equipment’s passive [Indestructible Toughness] was activated, and the resistance of the armor was increased many times over.
A portion of the damage penetrated through the mechanical suit’s defenses. Han Xiao looked at the interface in front of him, and it showed that he had lost more than 4,000 HP together with light fractures and slight dizziness effects.
The majority of the damage had come from the falling debris. Thousands of tons of debris had smashed down onto his body, and when he was falling, his entire attention had been placed on attacking. He had let Phillip take over the control of the machines so that he would not need to divert his attention. When he landed, both he and Ember had landed in two different regions. Phillip had immediately turned the Halo Array into a shield to block the majority of the falling debris. Without that, the damage that he had suffered would definitely have been much worse.
Because of the collapsed building, the majority of his machines were buried under the rubble. However, he still had over seventy compressed orbs on him and still had the ability to fight. Aroshia separated from the mechanical suit, and her glow was obviously dimmer than before. Han Xiao had used up plenty of energy.
The dust cloud spread, and his visibility was limited. Han Xiao looked around him to find Ember.
Killing a Calamity Grade Super was not that easy, but this series of attacks would definitely be enough to make Ember suffer. Ember did not have the powerful physique of a pugilist or any Esper abilities to strengthen his body. If he did not use his Esper abilities to put up a defense, his durability would not be very high.
Sha sha sha!
At that moment, a familiar grinding sound could be heard, and Han Xiao’s expression changed. He immediately jumped back, and three thick black spears shot down where he had been standing just a moment ago. Those black spears had easily penetrated through the rubble and created a pit over ten meters long.
The dust cloud was blown away by the strong wind, and Han Xiao could see a thick, black wave that was double the size of before. It spanned over two to three hundred meters and was still expanding. Now that he was not in a building, Ember was able to gain access to a never-ending supply of carbon.
All of a sudden, the black current condensed into a large, lifelike python, which was two to three meters thick and a hundred meters long. The body of the python stood erect with its snake head looking at Han Xiao, sticking out its tongue. It looked as though it was truly alive. On top of the snake’s head, Ember’s figure could be seen.
He should have been full of elegance and majesty, but he was currently looking a little pitiful. His clothes were torn all over the place and blood was seeping down from his forehead with half of his face dyed red. The skin at the back of his head all the way down to his neck was torn apart. Being shot by the Void Jet Spray twenty to thirty times had obviously left a scar. Ember’s face contorted in pain as he glared at Han Xiao furiously.
Every single attack that Han Xiao shot out was aimed at his head, and Ember had to focus all of his attention to control his Esper abilities. Thus, he was forced to endure a head splitting headache, which affected his ability to control his Esper powers. He was not able to perform any meticulous control and could only expand the range of his carbon wave.
In the sky, a couple of mercenaries gasped in disbelief. “That Calamity Grade Super is severely injured!”
They had personally witnessed Ember’s strength, and there was even one of them who had personally experienced it. However, Black Star was actually not on the losing end and had severely injured this Grade A Super who was considered a powerful figure in the galaxy.
He was truly formidable!
The gazes of those in the surroundings were very quickly drawn to Ember. In truth, it was difficult for them not to notice such a large black snake.
This looks bad. Han Xiao knew that things were no longer in his favor. For him to achieve such a battle result, it was because of his meticulous set up of the battlefield ahead of the event. While he had severely wounded Ember and affected his battle prowess, Ember was still far from death. Since they were on the outside, Ember would be able to make full use of his abilities, and it would be difficult for him to injure Ember any further. There would not be a chance like before.
A thought flashed through Han Xiao’s head. His attention is fully on me. As long as I can hold him back, when Nagakin succeeds on the other side…
He would not lose his cool just because he had the upper hand. He was very clear that he would be the one suffering if the battle continued.
He did not continue battle, and the thrusters of his Void Dragon mechanical suit began spewing fire. Han Xiao shot into the sky and began to flee.
“Don’t think of escaping!” Ember roared furiously, and the python under him shot into the sky to chase after Han Xiao.
Escape? This is a strategic retreat!
Numerous black spears shot over, and Han Xiao avoided them nimbly in midair. Turning around to take a look, Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Ember gave chase. That fellow was indeed infuriated.
Avoiding a head on confrontation and letting Ember chase him would allow him to buy the largest amount of time. Han Xiao did not feel that it was necessary to fight him head on.
With one person escaping and the other chasing, both of them weaved through the buildings. Humungous black python charged forward recklessly, and its size was constantly increasing. All the aircrafts along the way hurriedly avoided the python, and those that were not able to get out of the way in time were quickly reduced to shreds. Even the buildings that the python merely brushed past had large chunks taken out of them.
The commotion was shocking!
Compared to the black snake, Han Xiao’s figure was like a little bug.
Woo…
The ringing alarms could be heard from afar, and the Public Security Squad rushed over at high speed. The destruction that Ember had caused had affected the peace of the city, and the Public Security Squad would not ignore it.
“Di di di… You have an incoming c
all request…”
A notification sounded in his helmet, and Han Xiao accepted the call request. Nagakin’s face then appeared in front of him.
“Alvin’s doppelganger has been brought to safety. Anur destroyed two streets, but thankfully, a passing Calamity Grade tourist was dragged into the fight and decided to help out. However, Anur’s speed was too fast, and we could only force him back…”
A passing Calamity Grade Super‽
This piece of news was truly out of his expectations. Han Xiao had thought that he would have to stall for a while longer, and his face could not help but cramp up. At the same time, he lamented about how Noriosse was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
He could not help but think about the first time that he met Alvin. This fellow’s luck was probably even better than Herlous’, and he had truly gotten lucky this time.
“Black Star, hang in there. We will come back and reinforce you immediately!”
Nagakin’s voice was filled with anxiety. The way he saw it, it was far too dangerous for Han Xiao to be delaying Ember alone. He had been afraid that Han Xiao would already have beaten before he called.
Turning off the communicator, Han Xiao’s eyes glowed. With Nagakin fulfilling his part of the plan, there was no need for him to entertain Ember any further. He then turned around and turned on the speaker in his helmet.
“Do you really think that you can get rid of me? Have you forgotten about my other ability?”
As Ember heard that, his face turned color.
He suddenly remembered that when he was on Floating Dragon Island, Han Xiao had once displayed the ability to recover fully in an instant.
This meant that this battle would not end any time soon!
“The Public Security Squad is rushing over, and the Grade A Super hired by Noriosse will not allow you to act so unbridled. My comrades have already forced Anur back and will be here to reinforce me soon. If you still want to continue playing with me, I shall accompany you,” Han Xiao said in a tone filled with delight.
Ember had a look of hesitation on his face and was extremely reluctant. He was stuck in a dilemma where he could not advance or retreat.
Continuing the battle would only be a waste of time. Not only would he be unable to get rid of Black Star, he would end up being surrounded. However, he was reluctant to retreat like that! After being beaten up by the enemy, he had not settled the score with the enemy and still had to retreat! This was too much!
The sound of the sirens grew nearer, and Ember realized that Han Xiao had already reduced his speed, looking as though he had no fear. Ember’s expression was ice cold with a sharp pain coming from his wounds and the dizziness reminding him of the condition of his body.
The pride and arrogance that he had after entering the Calamity Grade had vanished during the battle.
Black Star’s name was even more deeply imprinted in his heart. Together with the pain, this impression had seeped into his bones.
“It is my mistake. I underestimated you too much. Next time, regardless of your strength and the machines around you, regardless of whether you are in your prime or severely injured, I will not be careless.”
He then calmed his anger with a complicated look in his eyes.
After one last glare at Han Xiao, Ember resolutely turned around. The black snake crumbled into a dark cloud and escaped with him like a black mountain demon.
“I’m finally safe.”
Han Xiao stopped moving and heaved a sigh of relief. While he seemed to be extremely relaxed on the surface, he was feeling a great deal of stress in his heart. If he did not fight Ember in a place that was to his advantage, he would definitely be on the losing end. If all of his machines were destroyed, even Aurora’s Character Summon Card would be completely useless. At the very most, he would only be able to make use of it six times, and he had already been forced by Ember to use it once.
He did not wait for Nagakin to return and surround Ember but warned him to escape. If Ember truly wanted to escape, it would be difficult for them to stop him. On the contrary, all of the other mercenaries would have to face the risk of being annihilated.
Looking at the incoming Public Security Squad, Han Xiao did not wish to be interrogated, so he hid from them.
At the same time, Nagakin arrived with the mercenaries. The moment that they saw the destroyed building, those hired mercenaries were completely dumbfounded.
Along the way, all of them had been extremely pessimistic about Han Xiao’s chances of survival. For Black Star to delay a Grade A Super alone, they all felt that he would definitely be trampled upon and were extremely worried.
However, they witnessed the rubble created from an intense battle, and everyone, including Nagakin, was dumbfounded.
Just what had happened‽
Where did Black Star go‽
Chapter 489. Anur |
As the mercenaries who had stayed behind saw the returning Nagakin and the others, they hurriedly landed, and both parties met up. The hundred or so mercenaries who had gone out to rescue Alvin then heard those few mercenaries excitedly describing what had happened.
Apart from Herlous and those from the Black Star Mercenary Group, looks of disbelief could be seen on the others. Black Star was actually able to fight a Calamity Grade Super evenly and had even severely injured his opponent. This was completely different from what they had expected!
Everyone was shocked into silence.
Even Herlous was in a slight daze. “Is he so powerful?”
Nagakin was immediately overjoyed. He had not felt confident, and never had he imagined that Black Star would be such a reliable ally.
At that moment, Nagakin received a message. Han Xiao asked them to dig out all the machines buried under the rubble before meeting up with them at another place. He also reminded them not to attract too much attention.
Nagakin turned around and realized that more and more people were gathering over to watch the show. The Public Security Squad and construction team were also rushing over. Too many regions of Noriosse had been damaged by battles recently, and the Noriosse Financial Group was probably extremely frustrated. Nagakin did not wish to be tied down by them and hurriedly instructed everybody to quickly dig up all the machines before they escaped.
After waiting for a while, Han Xiao arrived.
The hired mercenaries looked at Han Xiao with more respect in their eyes and made way to let him in.
Walking over to the middle of the crowd, Han Xiao slapped Herlous on the shoulders and said with a smile, “Ember was injured by me, and he is definitely suffering a headache right now.”
Herlous was stunned for a while, and he stroked his mechanical arm. Every time that he thought about Ember, the nerve connection to his mechanical arm would begin to ache dully. Hearing that, Herlous broke out in a wide smile and felt his anger vented.
“Good brother, fantastic!”
After chatting casually for a while, Han Xiao collected all the recovered machines back into their compressed orbs. After counting all of his machinery carefully, Han Xiao concluded that he lost about thirty machines, and many of his machines had dropped in quality. Apart from injuring Ember, he did not receive any material gains. The biggest gain would be completing their mission objective and saving Alvin’s final doppelganger.
“We meet again, friends.” Alvin greeted everyone. His complexion was pale, and his lips white. It was obvious that he was not very healthy.
“Seeing a mixed blood Godoran again, nothing good will happen for sure.” Han Xiao shook his head. “Where is the Grade A Super who helped?”
“He left.”
“Leaving without leaving his name behind, he is probably a Superhero.”
Han Xiao did not find the matter strange. The more powerful someone was, the greater their responsibilities. At the very least, there were some who still adhered to such principles. Superheroes were a common occurrence, and there were many powerhouses who did not mind playing the
role of a hero occasionally.
After saving their target, Han Xiao and the others began discussing their next move.
“If DarkStar want to have any progress, they only have two choices. First, search for Alvin’s main body, which will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Second, snatch his final doppelganger from us. Thus, we have the initiative, and DarkStar is on the passive side. They will be anxious. Nagakin, how much longer will it take for your reinforcements to arrive?”
“The War Bureau sent the fleet nearest to us, but even if they make use of the stargate, they will take twelve days at least.”
“DarkStar won’t ignore the incoming reinforcements and will definitely send their fleet to hide near Noriosse. I have a few ideas, but we should first find a new base before discussing them in detail.”
…
On the other side of the city, the injured DarkStar troops found a concealed location to rest and recuperate. While the battle had been short, it had also been extremely intense. The number of Grade B Supers on both sides added up to about fifteen, and with the mercenaries being well trained, the battle had been intense.
Herlous’ Battleship Slicing Blade and Sherman’s cannon had clashed with each other ferociously. Wilsander had also joined the battle and found the most powerful enemy, Forsyth. Sylvia’s strength was far too weak, so she had not entered the battle. Since Feidin was only a customer, he was not willing to be dragged into the battle.
Anur’s expression was extremely ugly, and his mood was very bad. The battle had initially been in their favor, but another Grade A Super had jumped in from nowhere and resulted in all of his efforts going down the drain. How was he to know that a Grade A Super would suddenly pass by that region? He had already tried his best to reduce the collateral damage.
For the majority of Calamity Grade Supers, as long as they went all out, they would definitely have the ability to change the very geography of a planet. For their strength to grow to such a level, they could be considered a walking weapon capable of wiping out a civilization. However, they had to restrain themselves when fighting someone of the same level. The more restrained they were, the more concentrated their attacks would be, and the more easily they would be able to break through the enemy’s defenses. If they only tried to spread out the range of their destructive abilities, it would not threaten an opponent of their level.
