by <unknown>
Ravenlaude was certain that the mechanical troops could not escape. In a situation like this, the villain soul lying deep inside his body started to boil. He started to perform the signature move of a villain—explain!
“This is a forbidden-level sealing spell. It can absorb the energy attacks inside it and transfer it to its outside. At the same time, it prevents any material from passing through its wall. Your mechanical troops won’t be able to escape. Furthermore, this spell can also reduce the efficiency of energy transmission. Haven’t you noticed? The Mechanical Force you applied on them has become weaker.”
He was having a good time talking, but the mechanical troops ignored him and continued to physically attack the inside wall, getting repelled away time after time.
Seeing this, Ravenlaude shook his head and smiled. He slowly said, “Stop wasting your time, Black Star. I know you can hear my voice. Let’s discuss this.”
After a few seconds, the mechanical troops gave up trying, turned to look at him, and opened the area communication channel. Han Xiao’s voice appeared.
“Discuss what?”
“Black Star, I respect your strength, but your Lord’s Avatar isn’t here. If you fight me, you’ll only waste these troops. So, why not just give me the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy? I’ll remember this favor I owe you and give you enough compensation. You know, we’re allies; we don’t have to solve the problem with violence.”
Ravenlaude smiled faintly and felt that he was giving Black Star a lot of face.
However, only inexperienced youngsters would give up their own profit because of a few kind words. Although Han Xiao was considered basically a baby in terms of age among the Beyond Grade As, his experience in life was far from being this immature. He was completely unaffected and immediately ordered the mechanical troops to fire.
Tu tu tu tu!
The mechanical troops surrounded Ravenlaude and fired at him immediately. However, Ravenlaude was prepared. Multiple layers of arcane shields protected him while he moved at a high speed to dodge attacks. Offensive spells were thrown out from his hands continuously, bombarding the mechanical troops.
The size of this sphere was extremely large, giving Ravenlaude enough space to kite. In addition, his mobility provided by teleportation could keep the battle at medium range, so it would be a battle of cannon fires and spells.
“The goal isn’t to destroy the mechanical army. It’s best to leave after getting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.”
While shooting spells at the mechanical army, Ravenlaude noted the location of the mechanical soldier that was escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy.
Suddenly, the formation of the mechanical army showed a flaw. There was a gap in the protection of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy for an instant, and he noticed it immediately.
“Chance!”
Ravenlaude cast a spell that he had already prepared long ago. An invisible shockwave shot out and divided the mechanical army. He cast another teleportation spell, which was also prepared beforehand, immediately appearing beside the mechanical soldier escorting the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy. A purple hand formed of arcane energy grabbed toward the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy contained right before his eyes.
At this moment, a dark blue tint of light suddenly appeared at the edge of his sights. The sharp feeling it gave off made his hair stand on end.
In an instant, Ravenlaude hastily retracted his abdomen to dodge the light. A white spear covered in a gold pattern and surrounded by dark blue energy easily tore open all his shields, slipping right past his vital spot under his abdomen. He was suddenly covered in cold sweat.
That was close, almost lost my offspring.
Psionic Prime, who had been lying in wait among the army for a long time, twisted his spear, shooting out an energy wave and directly slapping Ravenlaude away!
The Psionic Prime Spear was his ‘Life Weapon’, which appeared when he became an Apostle Weapon. It had a silver-orange Grade, and it would become stronger together with the Apostle Weapon.
At this point, the Psionic Prime Spear had many new characteristics. When used by Psionic Prime himself, these characteristics would be enhanced. It was a terrifying close- to mid-range weapon in his hands that could easily penetrate most shields. Ravenlaude’s magic shield was like paper in front of the Psionic Prime Spear.
Psionic Prime shook his spear and chased right after Ravenlaude, not letting go of the opportunity that he had gained by suddenly attacking. As he caught up in no time, he immediately used a smooth Mechanical Pugilist combo on him, not giving Ravenlaude any time to catch his breath.
Not long after, Ravenlaude once again felt a strong sense of danger behind him. A few more hidden Apostle Weapons charged toward him at close range. They were all good at close combat, such as Mad Sky Hunter, Purple Sky Spirit, and Heaven-Suppressing Banner. They forced Ravenlaude to not have the time to use teleport to increase the distance between them.
Other than Apostle Weapons that had usual sizes such as Giant King Kong, all the other Apostle Weapons were there and had been hiding among the mechanical troops. Now, they finally all struck. Psionic Prime led some of them to fight at close range while Silver Flash led the other ones to attack from a distance. They cooperated perfectly.
With the success of the surprise attack, Ravenlaude was stuck being passive.
With Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force enhancement, every single one of these Apostle Weapons had Beyond Grade A strength. Now that Han Xiao had gone through another Promotion, his machinery-related abilities were strengthened again, so the strength of his Apostle Weapons had increased as well. Even just one could fight with a normal Beyond Grade A for a long time… and it went without saying whom this referred to.
‘Dueling’ more than a dozen of Apostle Weapons with this kind of strength at the same time… Ravenlaude could hardly hold on.
There were no tricks to get out of this. It was a complete difference in raw strength. The situation quickly turned one sided.
I can’t even beat a medium-sized mechanical army without a Lord’s Avatar? Has his strength already grown to this level‽
Ravenlaude clenched his teeth and endured the fierce attacks from these more than ten Apostle Weapons. The magic energy in his body flew out like a broken dam. His heart was filled with disbelief and helplessness that sank deep into his bones.
Feeling the state he was in now, Ravenlaude could fully confirm one thing—Black Star had become stronger again!
At this time, he suddenly recalled his experience against the Mechanic Emperor many years ago…
This was how it felt!
So strong that even a Beyond Grade A like him was afraid!
Chapter 1035. Beat Up My Teammate |
This was not the first time Han Xiao had fought with a Mage. Every Beyond Grade A Mage had their own style and a different way of fighting.
Ravenlaude was one of the Ancient Ones. Although, due to his limited potential, he had already reached the top of his strength and would not be able to become a peak Beyond Grade A, in his long life, he had learned countless spells. The Arcane Institute under his command was an organization used to study and invent new spells for him. In this fight, he had showcased his extremely broad knowledge in the study of magic.
As an Ancient One as well, ‘Dragon King’ Milizaus’ style had very clear differences. Milizaus focused on the powerful dragon magic spells, fighting with raw strength in a straight forward style, while Ravenlaude had endless spells to swiftly deal with all kinds of situations.
Every Beyond Grade A had their specialty. Facing such a disadvantageous situation, although Ravenlaude was suppressed by the Apostle Weapons, he gradually used his ever-changing spell combos to give himself some breathing space, which was followed up by a combo he had prepared for a very long time.
With a flash of the gem on his staff, silk-like rings made of runes appeared around him. Purple arcane energy started spinning and quickly expanded into a to
rnado. The violent energy blew the nearby Apostle Weapons away, creating a short opportunity to cast more spells. Ravenlaude was in the storm eye. With the change of his hand sign, the arcane storm swiftly condensed into thousands of magic arrows hovering around him. The highly concentrated arcane energy almost looked solid as if they had turned into transparent purple crystals.
“Secret Ability—Arcane Nova Arrow Rain!”
The purple crystal-like arrows shot out in all directions into the mechanical army, causing clusters of bright purple arcane energy explosions.
Boom boom boom boom!
Impact wave rippled and expanded, blowing away tons of mechanical soldiers. At the same time, the vibration of magic particles caused many mechanical soldiers to become immobilized. This ability had both damage and control effects in a large range.
Ravenlaude did not stop there. He waved his hand, a magic book suddenly appeared and flipped open. All of its shining pages danced and turned into a circular turning light belt, creating a white secondary dimension entrance that expanded rapidly behind him. The entrance was expanding to several thousand meters wide.
Ohm!
An enormous quadrangle tower tip that looked like it was made of crystal extended out from the tunnel, slowly showing its full appearance. It was clearly a magnificent magic building.
High Grade Arcane Spell—Mage Pagoda Summoning!
“He’s summoning his Mage Pagoda. Stop him!” Psionic Prime’s eyes flickered. He stopped himself from being blown away and charged forward once again.
The Mage Pagoda was the core equipment of high-level Mages. A Mage with and without the Mage Pagoda would be on two completely different levels. A Mage would only reach full strength when fighting alongside the Mage Pagoda.
For example, Austin’s Palace of Hidden Spells was a gold Grade Mage Pagoda, which not only gave him extremely powerful enhancements but also exceptional mobility.
The cost of Mage Pagodas that could be stored in a secondary dimension and summoned anytime was extremely expensive. Usually, when a Mage summoned their Mage Pagoda, it meant that they had decided to stand their ground and fight on that spot. This was because most Mage Pagodas did not have as strong teleportation powers as the Palace of Hidden Spells.
A Mage Pagoda was a trump card. Since it had been summoned, it meant that Ravenlaude was no longer holding back. He was going all out.
“Black Star, you’re indeed stronger than me… but it won’t be that easy to defeat me!”
Ravenlaude bit his lip. His pride as a Beyond Grade A was harmed, and his will to fight was flaming.
The mechanical army immediately activated the space stabilization device. However, inside the Dark Purple Arena, the thick magic energy weakened its effects. Ravenlaude was also doing all he could to keep the summoning portal stable.
The Mage Pagoda extended out bit by bit. Silver Flash and the mechanical army shifted the target of the long-range attacks to the Mage Pagoda. Large defensive runes appeared on the Mage Pagoda to protect it, like a translucent purple light energy shield. It stopped the bombardment and vibrated nonstop as explosions and sparks erupted on its surface.
Ravenlaude used his magic energy at maximum capacity. Dark purple light glowed from his body. In the process of summoning the Mage Pagoda, his mobility would be reduced tremendously. The thick layers of arcane shields protected his casting from being interrupted.
Suddenly, the space behind him rippled. Mad Sky Hunter, who had a short distance teleportation ability, teleported right inside the shields. With his sharp blades and teeth, he pounced right at Ravenlaude.
In the blink of an eye, Ravenlaude hastily turned his body, and Mad Sky Hunter slid past.
The arcane energy slapped Mad Sky Hunter away. He then looked down. His ribs and the side of his leg were slashed right open with deep wounds. He could see his flesh moving inside, trying to close the wounds.
Before he could do anything else, Psionic Prime appeared. His spear stabbed forward as fast as a meteor, leaving only afterimages behind.
The Psionic Prime Spear’s ability to penetrate shields was a major counter to him. The summoning was near its end. In order to block this attack, he had to cast spells and stop the summoning. Ravenlaude clenched his teeth and decided to just not dodge it. He had to summon the Mage Pagoda even at the price of being injured.
Whoosh!
As usual, the shield was penetrated with ease, and the spear stabbed right into Ravenlaude’s chest.
The taste of blood gushed up his throat. Ravenlaude ignored it and completed the last part of the summoning spell.
“Descend!”
Boom!
The entire Mage Pagoda was finally summoned. It released an extremely powerful magic energy impact wave that stirred up a tornado, blowing all the mechanical soldiers away onto the inside wall of the Dark Purple Arena, including the Apostle Weapons, damaging them twice.
This was a tall crystal tower. Its base was an enormous disc. Overall, it looked like an enlarged chess piece. Colorful magic streams flowed within the crystal, and countless runes and magic arrays formed a slowly spinning sphere shaped barrier that shrouded the Mage Pagoda.
Ravenlaude coughed a few times, casually created a light green healing magical sphere, and stuffed it into the penetrating wound made by Psionic Prime to stop the bleeding. Then, he flew into the Mage Pagoda, connecting his own magic energy with the energy core of the Mage Pagoda. Only then were they fully linked.
The next second, rows of black holes appeared at the bottom of the Mage Pagoda. Tons of magic puppets and colossi swarmed out. Right after, teleportation tunnels appeared all around, and countless monsters were summoned, charging toward the mechanical army.
Psionic Prime swung and spun the spear in his hands, shooting out waves of light, easily slashing the colossi and monsters in his way in half, creating empty areas in the pile of enemies.
At this time, Ravenlaude’s voice sounded in the entire arena like thunder.
“Since you desire battle, enjoy it to the end. Come, Black Star!”
“A Beyond Grade A Mage at full performance… I can’t disappoint the lord’s trust!”
Electric sparkles flashed in Psionic Prime’s eyes. Unafraid, he led the mechanical army and charged forward.
The army of two slides collided!
…
Long after the dynasty’s fleet arrived at the scene, what they saw was a wreckage.
Shattered gems, flesh, and machinery floated in this area. There were also countless radiation reactions in the cosmic space created by high energy explosions. A heavily damaged Mage Pagoda floated, covered in burnt holes and cracks. The magic light around it dimmed completely. It had clearly experienced an extremely tough battle.
The dynasty fleet did not see signs of the mechanical army, so they sent people into the Mage Pagoda and found Ravenlaude, who was leaning against the wall. His clothes were tattered, and he was in a mess. His body was covered in wounds, and there were piles of dried golden blood marks on the floor. A magic staff that was broken into two lay beside his feet; the cut was as smooth as a mirror.
“You guys… ahem… finally came.”
Ravenlaude’s voice was weak. He stood up with the help of the wall. A few dynasty soldiers quickly approached to help.
“What happened? How have you ended up like this‽” Bekorodi, who was remotely commanding the troops, was shocked.
The opponent was just Black Star’s mechanical army. Even if Ravenlaude failed, as a Beyond Grade A, how did he end up this badly beaten‽
Bekorodi thought of a possibility and asked, “Was Black Star’s original body here?”
Ravenlaude shook his head, gasped for air, and said, “No, he wasn’t.”
“Oh… so you should have annihilated the mechanical army and obtained the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy, right?” Bekorodi asked. No wonder there were no signs of the mechanical army. He felt that this was the most likely outcome.
Ravenlaude shook his
head again with a complicated expression. “No, I was defeated.”
Bekorodi’s expression stiffened. “So, you’re saying, you, a Beyond Grade A, came personally and even used your Mage Pagoda, but you were defeated by one of Black Star’s mechanical armies that didn’t even have a Lord’s Avatar?”
Bro, what is this?
Aren’t you too weak‽
Seeing Bekorodi’s expression, Ravenlaude knew full well that he despised him. He felt embarrassed and said with a deep voice, “You know nothing about Black Star’s strength!”
Then, he repeated the process of the battle in detail and made an accurate analysis on Han Xiao’s current level of strength.
“I once fought Mechanic Emperor, and the impression he gave me is still vivid. Black Star has definitely touched the level of God’s Trait Transformation, which is why his Apostle Weapons and mechanical army have the power to defeat me!”
Unknowingly, while listening to the report, Bekorodi’s expression had become extremely serious.
After a long silence, he finally slowly spoke.
“Black Star’s strength hasn’t grown for about twenty years. I used to think he needed more time to get through that barrier. I didn’t expect him to have grown again this soon.”
During the version update, Han Xiao did not level up much, so it looked like he had run into a wall, which made the outside world relieved. They thought that he had finally reached his limit for the time being.
Bekorodi had thought the same. But now, seeing how beaten Ravenlaude was, he knew that Black Star had found the path forward again. Twenty years was not a short time, but compared to the growth of Beyond Grade As, this was way too quick!
With a deep exhale, Bekorodi said in a solemn tone, “Report what happened to Her Excellency and only put this intelligence in confidential documents. Do not leak it.”
