The Legendary Mechanic, page 494
The storm of attacks crashed onto Heber’s protective shield, leaving clusters of explosions on the path behind him.
Facing the focus fire head-on, Heber dashed right into the formation of the mechanical army, penetrating the defenses of the mechanical soldiers layer after layer, heading right toward Han Xiao.
He decided to use his strength against the enemy’s weakness—to quickly defeat Han Xiao in close-range combat!
“Horrifyingly tanky, as expected for a Beyond Grade A Pugilist…”
Han Xiao glanced at the combat information and raised his brows.
Heber’s level, attributes, and health were all question marks. The interface showed that many of Heber’s Molding Abilities were triggered. There were [Low Damage Immunity], [True Damage Immunity], [Fixed Damage Reduction], and many other damage reduction abilities. These abilities and his Beyond Grade A Pugilist energy shield reduced the strength of Han Xiao’s attacks tremendously!
Heber was immune to True Damage as well as any damage that did not exceed a certain level, and only the portion that exceeded that level would be calculated. If the damage immunity limit was 100 and the raw damage was 110, Heber would only take 10 damage. A part of that 10 damage would then be reduced by his protective energy shield, and the remainder would be reduced once again by his resistance talents…
The damage would only count for Heber after so many layers of reductions!
The most terrifying thing was, Heber’s recovery ability was pretty good, too. Although not as powerful as Han Xiao’s, it still gave him a lot of sustainability.
This was the true Beyond Grade A Tank!
Han Xiao’s eyes focused. He had known long ago that this would be a tough battle.
Hadavy had True Damage Immunity and Low Damage Immunity as well, but as he was an Esper, his attack was not very high. In comparison, Heber was clearly more comprehensive as a Beyond Grade A Pugilist that excelled in both attack and defense.
Hence, Han Xiao had no interest in fighting a Beyond Grade A Pugilist with his body. Even though he was quite tanky, the difference in a Beyond Grade A’s main attribute and sub-attribute was way too huge; fighting Heber in close range combat was basically looking for a beating.
Seeing that Heber was heading right toward him, he immediately knew that Heber wanted to end this quickly. His lips curled up.
Although this was the right strategy for a Pugilist to use against a Mechanic, this also meant that the Tyrant was very confident in his offense and clearly ignored his ‘Indestructible Body’ nickname.
“You think it’d be this easy?” Han Xiao snorted. He casually threw a Luck Curse on Heber. Doesn’t matter if it works, use it first.
Different strategies had to be used against different opponents. Han Xiao quickly changed his strategy into moving around with his speed and surrounded Heber with his mechanical army.
The mechanical army was more powerful after receiving Beyond Grade A bonuses. With the bonuses that he currently provided with his Machinery Affinity, just a few thousand normal mechanical soldiers would be able to fight a normal Calamity Grade. Furthermore, he had the sustainability given by [Advanced Machinery Construction], so he was not afraid of the battle dragging on.
Most importantly, a huge portion of his mechanical soldiers could penetrate Heber’s defenses. Despite the damage dealt being reduced tremendously, given the sheer size of his army, they were able to deal rather considerable damage to even Heber. This was indeed the strength of the Army Style against any class—the Human Wave Tactic would always be a threat.
Han Xiao knew that there were no shortcuts against an opponent like the Tyrant, the only thing he could do was slowly reduce his health.
The energy of the mechanical suit flowed into the thrusters. Han Xiao turned into a stream of light and moved swiftly through the battlefield. The wide battlefield gave him more than enough space to distance himself.
Energy flames erupted with Heber’s every movement, like a Fixed Star exploding, shattering tons of mechanical soldiers. However, the shattered machinery quickly reformed under Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force and kept intercepting Heber in changing formations.
As a Beyond Grade A, Han Xiao had all kinds of devices that gave him mobility. His speed was higher. Although Heber was not slow, he was much bulkier comparatively, so he could not close the distance.
Heber broke a Giant Soldier into pieces and frowned. The battle will drag for too long this way.
There had been no Beyond Grade A Mechanic in the Shattered Star Ring for many years, so Heber did not have much experience fighting a Mechanic of the same grade, but he knew that the source of a Mechanic’s strength came from their knowledge and time.
It had been less than two months since Black Star became a Beyond Grade A, so he had extremely limited time to learn knowledge and did not have enough chances to expand his machinery. This was the time when he would be the easiest to deal with.
Therefore, what Heber wanted was an overwhelmingly one-sided victory, not a protracted battle.
I have to use more energy… Heber took a deep breath, not of air but the dark energy that was everywhere in the universe. Every single one of his cells absorbed the dark energy like a bottomless hole and quickly split open.
The next second, his mountain-sized body expanded, instantly destroying his armor and turning into a tall giant dozens of meters tall. He had entered the second stage directly.
He was a unique Beyond Grade A species. Furthermore, Pugilists Beyond Grade As basically all had one specialty—their Gene Limiter was removed.
In other words, his body strength ‘theoretically’ had no limits!
Heber extended his palm, aimed at Han Xiao far away, and shook his head.
“You’re talented indeed. If you had enough time, you might’ve become someone like Manison in the future… Pity.”
The next moment, everyone’s vision was filled with white light.
A blinding light sprayed out from Heber’s palm. This Shockwave Blast was extremely fast, and it was not just shot out but could be controlled remotely by Heber.
Han Xiao dodged dozens of times but was still hit by the beam. His entire body showered in the red-gold Pugilist flames.
However, this Shockwave Blast did not explode like expected but solidified into energy like a long tentacle, grabbing Han Xiao.
_____________
Judging Energy Level… Judgment failed.
Your Energy Level is lower than the opponent’s.
You have entered [Energy Locked] state. You can no longer use energy.
_____________
Han Xiao was shocked. The Pugilist flames around him formed a restricting force, making the Mechanical Force in his body entirely quiet and trapped in his cells. His link to his mechanical army was cut.
He tried to break away from the Pugilist flames but was faced with terrifying resistance. His body movements were extremely slow. It was almost as if he was fixed in the beam of light.
“This is…”
Han Xiao’s pupils constricted.
“Come here!” Heber quickly pulled with his hand. The red and gold light beam shrank and pulled Han Xiao toward him at a high speed.
Energy was the extension of the body for Pugilists. In terms of the strength of energy, Pugilists were the master among the five Super classes.
To Pugilists, the so-called abilities were just different techniques. There were trillions of Pugilist styles in the universe and countless abilities.
This ability was the compression of Pugilist energy, forming a special force field when hitting the target, suppressing the target’s energy with his own energy. It was like deploying a barrier around the target, forcing the target’s energy in his body.
This could only be avoided if the target’s Energy Level was higher or equal to Heber’s. Heber was a senior Beyond Grade A Super who had lived for many years; he knew many energy training techniques, and his Energy Level was unfathomable.
The mechanical army focused fire on Heber under the control of the artificial intelligence. However, without Han Xiao’s Mechanical Force enhancements, they could not even penetrate Heber’s defenses.
Han Xiao’s brain worked quickly.
I need to think of a simple method to get out of this. Heber will definitely use this more than once. The cooldown of Void Hyperdrive is too long. It will work once but not twice…
Suddenly, he had a flash of insight. He activated the talent that he had not used for a very long time—[Chaos Entity – Release]!
He turned into a cluster of gray fog and became a Chaos Body, then immediately followed it up with Void Hyperdrive, getting out of the red-gold light beam before returning to human form.
Void Race’s talent… Heber had read Han Xiao’s information before and was not surprised.
The intelligence showed that Black Star’s Void Travel could not be used for a few minutes. As he had used it now, it meant that he had lost one trump card.
However, what the intelligence did not know was that if Han Xiao used Void Hyperdrive type talents as a Chaos Body, the cooldown would be reduced to just more than ten seconds!
This was the talent of Chaos Observer. Back then, he had not been as famous as he was now, and he rarely showed this ability to anyone!
Han Xiao reconnected with the mechanical army and breathed a sigh of relief in his mind.
Initially, he wanted to fight the Tyrant with his own strength. Now, however, he realized that there was indeed some distance between himself and Heber. Given how tanky he was, his life would not be in danger, but the situation would definitely be bad for him.
Since this battle was witnessed by countless people, Han Xiao did not want to just have the lower hand throughout the entire fight.
I wanted to save this, but apparently, I won’t be able to…
Han Xiao licked his lips. He opened the interface and activated an item.
Character Summon Card—Reynold!
Perfect Mechanical Sense!
Han Xiao’s eyes widened instantly; his pupils were filled with lightning.
The Mechanical Force flowing inside the mechanical soldiers became blinding. Blue and gold light overflowed from the gaps of the machinery.
At this instant, Han Xiao’s Machinery Affinity rocketed. The 1.4 times increase made his mechanical army immensely stronger!
Heber’s movements paused for a second, and he looked confused.
It feels a little different.
…
“This is the power of a Beyond Grade A. Amazing…”
The audience stared at the two of them in shock. Many people only had an idea of what Beyond Grade As were, but never had they witnessed any battles between Beyond Grade As. They were all dazzled.
“His Excellency Tyrant is marvelous during battle.” Jorde’s face was filled with excitement.
Most of the Pugilist officers of the Bloodshed Land had personal admiration for the Tyrant. Seeing the Tyrant showcase his strength, the people of the Bloodshed Land were exhilarated.
On the other hand, the Purple Crystal Civilization and the ally organizations of Han Xiao were all nervous.
Ames did not interfere with their duel. As long as Han Xiao did not say anything, she had no need to fight the Tyrant.
Ames was not closely staring at Psyker. Han Xiao had told her that as soon as Psyker did anything, it was best to stop him instantly.
Psyker glanced at Ames then looked at the battlefield again, narrowing his eyes.
Black Star is stronger than when he fought me, but he’s still no match for Heber. The Tyrant getting the upper hand is certain…
Psyker shook his head in his mind. The current situation was within his expectations. He had a very clear idea of how strong the Tyrant was. Black Star being able to fight him evenly did not mean that he could do the same against the Tyrant.
Psyker was not afraid of Heber because psychic attacks happened to be the Tyrant’s weakness, just like how he feared the Tyrant’s raw strength. Hence, they minded their own business and never messed with each other. However, Black Star could not make use of the Tyrant’s weakness like he could, and the Tyrant’s raw strength was clearly stronger than a new Beyond Grade A’s.
If it was an ordinary new Beyond Grade A, the Tyrant might really kill him. However, having fought Black Star before, Psyker currently had the most knowledge of Black Star’s strength, but he did not share this with Heber.
Black Star also has a very tough physical body even among Beyond Grade As, not much worse than Heber’s. He should be able to last a very long time. They’re still not going all out. When they’re more worn out, only then it will be the time for me to make a move…
Thinking of that, Psyker glanced at the Arcane Church flagship behind him.
He knew that in the command room of the flagship, the commander of the fleet was waiting for his signal.
At this time, a meteor-like shadow flashed past the edge of his vision right into the Bloodshed Land’s formation not far away, shattering a few spaceships.
Psyker turned and looked over, soon becoming shocked.
The one that was blown away was the Tyrant‽
Psyker was a little stunned. As he quickly turned around and looked at Han Xiao, the look in his eyes gradually changed.
It seems I still underestimated you…
Chapter 777. Sudden |
The energy Han Xiao was giving off had become much stronger. The power of the mechanical army had increased instantly. Not expecting this, Heber had been blown away by the countless particle cannon attacks.
Heber’s continuously growing momentum was broken, which shocked countless spectators.
“Black Star hid such power…” The look in Psyker’s eyes slightly changed.
The energy that Han Xiao was giving off surprised him. He was certain that Black Star had not been this strong when he fought him more than a month ago.
Is this his trump card?
Ames could not help but glance at Han Xiao. A tint of shock flashed through her eyes.
Seeing their own boss penetrating their formation, Jorde’s expression changed for the worse. The excitement of the Bloodshed Land officers was instantly extinguished.
Although Heber had merely taken a small hit, the Bloodshed Land officers had initially thought that the Tyrant would have the complete upper hand as the opponent was just a new Beyond Grade A Super. The current turn of events shocked them.
The mechanical army chased after Heber. By this time, Heber had already stabilized himself. His face was grave. Having been taken by surprise, he was a little angry.
His fist charged forward, shooting a thick Pugilist impact wave toward the mechanical army.
The mechanical soldiers responsible for defenses moved from the back to the front, forming an enormous psionic protective shield in front of the army.
The Star Shaking Fist crashed onto the shield. The blinding red and gold light quickly expanded, exploding like a supernova, filling everyone’s vision with white light.
As the mechanical army was stopped by the Star Shaking Fist, Heber took the opportunity and dashed out. He made a turn and pulled the battlefield away from the Bloodshed Land’s forces. Han Xiao followed right behind and chased him with his mechanical army.
With the enhancements of Perfect Mechanical Sense, the mechanical army was tremendously stronger be it in terms of offense of defense. The millions of mechanical soldiers surrounded a single person, the light of psionic energy flashing nonstop within the battlefield.
Suddenly, Heber slowed down. He endured the focus fire and explosions with his body and launched another [Energy Lock] Shockwave Blast toward Han Xiao.
However, this time, Han Xiao had experience. He quickly escaped from it with his Chaos Body and Void Hyperdrive. Heber was astounded—he had thought that Han Xiao’s Void Hyperdrive was still in cooldown.
“The same ability won’t work again on me.”
Having realized that he had judged it wrong, Heber frowned. Now that this ability no longer worked on Han Xiao, he had no choice but to patiently deal with the mechanical army while thinking of another way.
With every punch, kick, and Shockwave Blast, tons of mechanical soldiers were heavily damaged or even instantly destroyed.
Heber, however, was not unharmed. Wounds gradually started to appear on his mountain-sized body.
With his energy increasing his cell vitality, the old wounds kept recovering, but new wounds kept appearing as well. The mechanical soldiers that he had destroyed were repaired time after time by Han Xiao’s [Waste Modification] and [Advanced Machinery Construction].
Feeling the flowing Mechanical Force in his body, Han Xiao was thrilled. Perfect Mechanical Sense is really a god-like ability…
The 1.4 times total Machinery Affinity multiplier was a powerful Molding Talent. The damage the mechanical army dealt to Heber was clearly on another level. More than half of the raw strength difference between him and the Tyrant was mitigated by Perfect Mechanical Sense.
Sadly, this Molding Talent came from Reynold’s Character Summon Card and was not yet his own. He only had three chances to use it; this was the second.
After fighting for quite some time, Heber’s expression gradually became graver.
Initially, he had thought that no matter how talented the new Beyond Grade A was, his combat capability would not be too high. Yet, Han Xiao’s current combat capability had shattered this thought directly.
The situation suddenly became even. Heber’s plan to quickly end the battle was instantly broken, and he was forced into destroying machinery with his bare hands in a long battle.
Long battles were the strength of Army Style Mechanics. Heber knew full well that the combat had fallen into Black Star’s control. If this carried on, it would be bad for him.
What he wanted was to make an example out of Black Star, but if the battle became even, it would be the other way around.
Not only would he fail to build more reputation, he would even lose it and become a stepping stone for Black Star’s name. Black Star was a new Beyond Grade A who lacked fundamentals. Being able to fight him, a known senior Beyond Grade A, evenly would definitely be beneficial for Black Star.
