1424 The Face of the Pugilist
In the next few days, the World Tree Army laid low and did not launch any attacks on the Flickering World border or the shallow layer dimensions. They did not exert any pressure, and the flames of war were briefly extinguished. However, the strategic command center of the three Universal Civilizations did not relax at all. The atmosphere was as though they were still fighting intensely, and they knew that this was only the calm before the storm.
The armies that were originally stationed in the various Star Fields for emergencies were put to use. They all entered war mode and patrolled the areas they were in charge of.
The encrypted particles had leaked the star maps of the entire explored universe, including countless spatial coordinates. There were too many routes that the enemy could choose, and they could invade from anywhere.
Han Xiao sent most of the Mechanical Oracles to the main universe to increase the number of high-level combatants. Originally, the three Universal Civilizations had the upper hand in terms of individual strength, but if the World Tree invaded all the territories, the effect of the high-level combatants would be completely different from a frontal battle. The high flexibility would bring about a powerful destructive force, and the battlefront would be split into countless sections. As the defending party that had no choice but to surround and intercept the enemy, their Beyond Grade As would not be enough.
In addition to dealing with the changes in the situation, Han Xiao had also been secretly searching for the spies of the foreign civilizations in the past few days. It was a pity that he was searching for a needle in a haystack and did not find anything. However, he did have some results from his investigation of the Super Star Cluster Alliance.
“So, they want to take advantage of the intense battle and escape from the control of the three Universal Civilizations when they have no time to deal with other matters. They want to head to the unexplored universe and find a place to develop freely…”
Han Xiao looked at the information on the virtual screen with a strange expression. How badly had they been bullied by the three Universal Civilizations that they wanted to leave their home?
He could roughly understand the thoughts of the Super Star Cluster Alliance. Staying in the explored universe would only result in endless suppression, and they would forever be constrained by the three Universal Civilizations. No matter how much they developed, they would never be able to exceed these three ceilings.
During the reshuffling of the structure due to the enemy invasion, the Super Star Cluster Alliance considered their future and made a decision. For their civilization to develop freely, they decided to take the risk and explore the unknown. This was understandable. After all, they were never on the same side as the three Universal Civilizations.
“This is bad. The World Tree’s invasion is their chance to escape. If they really do that, it would be the same as admitting the suspicion. This was akin to having mud on the back of one’s pants. Even if it was not sh*t, people would naturally assume it to be.”
Han Xiao massaged his brows.
He had already told the three leaders about the result of the third party causing trouble and even pointed out the existence of the Lore Civilization. However, as expected, the three of them did not say that they did not believe it, but only accepted that this was one of the reasons. Unless there was conclusive evidence, they still had to find traitors.
Only when the battle becomes chaotic would the three Universal Civilizations not be able to spare energy in this, and the Super Star Cluster Alliance would be able to carry out their plan. However, it just so happened that someone leaked the information at this time. Such a coincidence? To be honest, if Han Xiao did not know the truth, and looked from the perspective of the three Universal Civilizations, even he would have thought that the Super Star Cluster Alliance was resolute and fierce, and it was definitely because they wanted to escape that they lured the World Tree to invade all territories.
In his previous life, the Super Star Cluster Alliance did not do this but stood on the galactic society’s side and fought against the enemies together. This time, they made a completely different choice. Maybe it was because the time period was different, the upper echelons were different, and the logic of their decisions was different. Or maybe it was because their situation was slightly different from his previous life, most of it was because of the butterfly effect he brought. It was more likely that the Super Star Cluster Alliance had not seen the full power of the World Tree invasion like in his previous life and did not feel the true threat of this cosmic disaster, so they still felt that they could stay away from the flames of war and not die at the hands of the enemy…
In other words, they had not been beaten by the World Tree.
“I have to convince the Super Star Cluster to cancel the escape plan. Otherwise, the internal division will be right in front of us. However, no matter how great my reputation is, the Super Star Cluster will not be convinced by my words.”
Han Xiao pondered.
On one hand, he did not want the Super Star Cluster to take the blame and allow the third party to go unpunished. On the other hand, the galactic society needed the Super Star Cluster’s strength to resist the World Tree’s invasion. As long as they were determined to fight, their combined strength could not be underestimated. They were also an important part of the combat power of the explored universe.
“I have to think of a way…”
While he was pondering, an urgent internal message from the three Universal Civilizations popped up on the virtual screen. “Primeval Star River, Ancient Star Desert, Sea of Star Spirits, Blackhole Edge, Endless Nebula, Shattered Star Ring, and other Star Fields have all discovered traces of the World Tree fleet! Requesting reinforcements! Requesting reinforcements!”
Han Xiao sat up straight, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
They’re here!
In the Ancient Star Desert, blue wormholes formed one after another, forming a huge oval-shaped space crack. It was like God had cut open the curtain of the universe, leaving behind a blue scar.
Immediately after, a green light appeared in the enormous space crack. It grew brighter and larger, and finally turned into an overwhelming green tide pouring out!
The seemingly endless fleet of the World Tree crossed the border of the Flickering World and descended directly along the wormhole. The dense streams of hyperdrive light condensed into pillars of light and shot in all directions like a plague virus in the enemy’s body, spreading in the blink of an eye.
Countless World Tree warriors revealed fanaticism on their faces as if they were holding a banquet. After being in a stalemate for so many years, they had finally made their way in and dismembered their prey! On the planets that the World Tree fleet passed by, there was a violent fluctuation in the space. The thick roots of the World Tree tore open space cracks like drilling through soil and extending out from the void into the planets like straws, drawing out dazzling energy visible to the naked eye.
The planet’s crust softened and flowed into the roots of the World Tree like a liquid. The material of the planet’s mantle and core was also swallowed in large mouthfuls. The planet slowly shriveled up and was rapidly approaching its end. Wherever the green tide passed, the stars slowly extinguished, and the planets gradually dissolved, leaving only death and desolation.
This reminded the World Tree warriors of the past. They roamed the endless universe, unrestrainedly tasting the delicious taste of the enemy’s territory. They cut off pieces of meat from their still struggling prey and ate everything. After all, they were the best hunters in the universe, or even the only predator!
The same thing happened in many Star Fields at the same time.
In a hurry, the Galactic Alliance Army launched a counterattack with the local Star Systems and Star Cluster Civilizations. The flames of war spread across the explored universe.
The battlefront was divided into countless areas, and the World Tree experts finally had a place to use their strength. They were scattered all over the place, fully displaying the flexibility of high-level combatants. The Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations could no longer stay together, so they could only leave Aurora and go to different areas.
The sudden change scared countless galactic residents, and the situation turned around instantly. The panic that was suppressed in their hearts was released, and it erupted like a volcano, burning away their remaining rationality.
The Ancestral Tree King looked into the distance. His vision seemed to have passed through the barriers of endless space and it locked onto the direction of the Central Galaxy. “Eat. Eat everything. Give us a feast, and we will give you despair.”
In a certain army base in the Shattered Star Ring, the Black Star Army’s guards were engaged in a fierce battle with the World Tree fleet. On the battlefield, there was a black tide formed by the mechanical soldiers, tearing apart the World Tree battleships one after another.
On a planet not far away, hundreds of World Tree Roots had already been inserted into the planet’s core, absorbing energy. In outer space, three Holy Tree Emissaries were chasing after two figures, and five streams of light collided time and time again.
Clang!
Lothaire held a dagger in each hand, and his slash was as fast as lightning. His body was agile, and he moved back and forth between the three Holy Tree Emissaries. They fought intensely, and the silver dagger clashed with the laser and magic. It looked like he was unstoppable, but in reality, his entire body was covered in wounds. In the intense battle, he had to divert his attention to take care of Karlot, who was slightly weaker. It was unavoidable for him to show flaws.
Lothaire crossed his daggers and slashed out a bright light blade, forcing back the Mechanical Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary. A flash of light appeared in the corner of his eyes, and he dodged without hesitation. In an instant, a gorgeous high-level Arcane Light penetrated his waist, leaving a burning mark. “Protected your vital point? Your reactions are quite fast.”
The Mage Holy Tree Emissary spoke with regret.
Among the three Holy Tree Emissaries, two of them had never appeared on the battlefield before. They were all experts from other races who had been restraining themselves. It was not until they entered the territory of the three Universal Civilizations and split countless battlefronts that the World Tree activated the foreign experts to increase the size of their high-level combatants.
On one hand, they were agile enough to move alone. Even if Black Star had the method to awaken the foreign experts, he would not be able to catch them all in one swoop. On the other hand, the World Tree was already desperate. As long as they could speed up their invasion, they did not care about losing some of their manpower. They were already mentally prepared for a portion of their experts to be wiped out by Black Star’s (Information Form Obliteration).
Lothaire’s expression was tense. He pressed on the wound and used his energy to quickly heal it. The wound quickly formed a scab. He looked at his three opponents and felt a chill.
His style of martial arts focused on dexterity, stealth, and assassination. He was not strong in a head-on battle, and it was even more disadvantageous when he was surrounded. At this point, he could not take it anymore.
“Are you alright?” Karlot, who was on the side, also came over. He was also covered in wounds, and he was leaning back to back with Lothaire, and staring at his enemies. It had only been a few years since he entered the Beyond Grade A realm, and he was still in the process of activating (Everlasting Martial Path). His combat strength was still at the level of a new Beyond Grade A, and it was extremely difficult for him to fight. He might not even be able to defeat any of the enemies in a one-on-one battle.
The two of them were originally training here, but the World Tree suddenly attacked and dragged them into the flames of war. “I can still hold on for a while.” Lothaire adjusted his breath, and the Pugilist flames climbed up his daggers again.
The five of them locked onto each other. Their bodies paused for a moment before suddenly bursting out at the same time. They charged forward and clashed again. Blade light, flames, and magic power shot out. The five streams of light were like five silk threads tangled together.
All of a sudden, Lothaire’s body paused, and he slashed out with his two daggers, shattering the Arcane Charge of the Mage Holy Tree Emissary. However, amidst the shattered light, the Mechanical Pugilist suddenly appeared, and he was thrown toward Lothaire by a hand formed from magic. Eight spider legs-like mechanical spears suddenly extended from the back of his mechanical suit, and the spears pierced through the protective flames and into Lothaire’s body.
Crack!
The silver daggers flashed, and the eight mechanical limbs were all cut off.
Lothaire retreated rapidly, controlling his muscles to squeeze out the broken spear tips in his body, leaving eight shallow wounds. These were nothing more than superficial wounds to him.
However, just as he was about to continue attacking, his body suddenly stiffened. A dark green color suddenly appeared on his wound, and the flesh that was originally recovering suddenly began to fester. “Biological toxin ?”
eco
Lothaire’s expression changed. He looked up and saw that the broken spear tips were leaking green liquid. He looked at it with his microscopic vision and realized that the green liquid was a group of dark green tiny molecular robots that carried powerful toxins.
Waves of intense pain exploded like a tsunami, and Lothaire’s senses were suddenly messed up. It was as though he had lost control of his body, and he began to tremble uncontrollably. The cells in his body were being eroded. With a flash, the last Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary took the opportunity to join the battle. He held a sharp blade made of anti-regeneration alloy and stabbed Lothaire’s neck from behind, wanting to remove his entire spine. Right at this moment, Karlot charged over from the side to stop this Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary. Unfortunately, he was a step too slow and could only throw a punch in an attempt to save him.
“A new Beyond Grade A wants to… hmm?!” The Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary originally wanted to kill Lothaire even at the cost of getting injured. However, just as Karlot’s fist approached, a strong sense of danger exploded in his heart!
The flames around Karlot’s body flowed like water, condensing at the tip of his fist. His strength was contained but not released, but the power of his fist rose steadily, like the Milky Way was turned upside down, the stars were shattered, and an intense sharpness burst out.
At this moment, a thunderous roar containing spiritual fluctuations exploded!
“Martial Deity Fist—Galaxy Severance!”
The fist suddenly landed on the Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary’s hastily raised arm, and a bright light burst forth, stealing everyone’s vision!
Time seemed to freeze for a moment before it started to flow again.
The other two Holy Tree Emissaries regained their vision and hurriedly looked over, only to see that Karlot had already retreated to the side with Lothaire in his arms. Meanwhile, the Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary remained in place, still in a parry position, but did not move.
However, the next moment, the body of the Pugilist Holy Tree Emissary cracked like porcelain and fell into pieces, eventually turning into dust and scattering in the galaxy.
Instant kill!
“What move is this ?”
The two remaining Holy Tree Emissaries were shocked. They could not believe their eyes. One of their comrades was killed just like that.
It would be understandable if the other was a peak Beyond Grade A, but was this the power of a new Beyond Grade A ? Lothaire had a chance to catch his breath, and he suppressed the poison with difficulty. Seeing this, he could not help but widen his eyes. “You’ve already created that kind of fist technique?”
“Phew… Phew… No, I only created two stances. I’m still far from perfecting the Martial Deity Fist.”
Karlot had expended a lot of energy. This punch contained all of his essence, energy, and spirit, and its power far exceeded his level. At this moment, his entire body was sore, and his stamina was almost depleted. He did not even have ten percent of his energy left.
When he stepped into the Beyond Grade A realm, Karlot had some special insights, and he had an idea. He wanted to create a Pugilist style suitable for himself and named it ‘Martial Deity Fist’. He did not use this name because it was arrogant, but because it contained his expectations for himself, hoping to create the most amazing Beyond Grade A Fist Style.
All these years, Karlot had been exploring and integrating all the knowledge he had, and he had only figured out two scattered stances. The power was extremely exaggerated, but the consumption was equally frightening. Even with his Beyond Grade A Pugilist foundation, he could only execute three to four moves. Lothaire looked at the enemy’s corpse and said, “What a terrifying move. You’ve already surpassed me.”
“Do you want to learn? I can teach you.”
Karlot smiled shyly.
The two of them thought that this Martial Deity Fist was very powerful, but if Han Xiao was here, he would be able to tell that although the Martial Deity Fist was very magical, it would not be able to unleash such great power when used by others. The truly powerful one was Karlot himself.
This was because the process of creating the Martial Deity Fist was also the stage where Karlot was able to master everything he had learned. During this process, he could almost comprehend a new talent every few days, three of which were extremely powerful.
[Martial Saint’s Strength]—When using any Pugilist skills, base power increased by 80% to 240%!
[Martial Deity Fist’s Ancestor]—When you use the “Martial Deity Fist” series, your base strength will increase by 100% to 300%!
[One Punch Martial Deity)–Every time you use the skills of the “Martial Deity Fist” series to hit your opponent, you will be able to trigger a severe injury judgment / instant death judgment (the success rate depends on the power of the skill, the difference in level, energy level, attributes, and so on). If the judgment fails, an additional 50% to 150% damage will be dealt!
With so many Pugilist talents, although Karlot was only a new Beyond Grade A, his explosive power was unbelievably strong. As long as he was lucky, it was even possible for him to instantly kill the enemy.
Bang! Bang!
Karlot clenched his fists and looked at the two Holy Tree Emissaries. He said to Lothaire, “I still have some strength left. Continue, don’t let them escape.”
“Alright.” Lothaire gripped his daggers tightly.
While many people were unaware, the face of the Pugilist was quietly forming.