Chapter 143: A Sudden Turn of Events
According to Mole's estimates, Molcasar would need about half a month to completely excavate the Amethyst Core.
"By the time those Six-Horned Flies catch wind of this and rush over, there might only be a shattered planet left..." Kansa added mockingly. "Oh... right, and perhaps a few unidentifiable corpses."
"Can I make my move now?" Yujin finally lost his patience. Listening to Kansa deliver a premature victory speech was utterly meaningless to him.
"Do it..." Kansa finally stopped holding him back. The feeling of being a victor was intoxicating, but this brute who only knew how to fight and kill wouldn't understand a thing.
Li Yu listened from the sidelines without much of a reaction. Mole had his own plans, and Kansa was no fool either. It was completely normal for them to counter each other's moves.
A gust of scorching wind rushed forth as Yujin charged forward, swinging his Ship-breaking Blade. Clang!
Four Light Blades extended from his back, forcefully blocking the overhead strike of the Ship-breaking Blade, while another four mechanical arms shot out from behind.
Gathering around Li Yu's hands, an Energy Beam surged out. Azure energy poured forth, which Li Yu compressed into a sphere.
"You want to try that again?" Yujin sneered, fully unleashing his combat form. His speed became a blur. Against an enemy of this caliber, Li Yu's Bullet Time had completely lost its effectiveness.
The continuous clashing of metal rang out loudly as blinding sparks flew around him. The golden Light Blades were already beginning to warp under the pressure.
Snap. One mechanical arm was cleanly severed and crashed to the ground, its golden Light Blade flickering unsteadily. The next moment, the broken mechanical arm liquefied into liquid metal and merged back into Li Yu's facial Armor.
An instant later, a brand new mechanical arm extended out once more.
Yujin's pupils shrank. The automatic regeneration of this Nano-Armor was ridiculously powerful. It wasn't as if he had never seen Nano-Armor before.
Although most Nano-Armors boasted a higher level of Technology, their main selling points were portability and self-repair capabilities. In terms of combat strength, they weren't significantly stronger than normal armors of the same tier.
However, their manufacturing costs were outrageously high. Aside from a few wealthy tycoons, very few people used them.
Why was the self-repair speed of the God Slayer's Nano-Armor so unbelievably fast?
Li Yu's hands were currently compressing the Energy of the Cube Power. This was a slow process. Previously, the energy of those three Thunder Beasts had been right on the surface of his body, making it easy for Li Yu to control.
In contrast, the energy of the Cube Power could only be extracted slowly. Furthermore, this was pure energy, lacking the destructive and volatile nature of the Thunder element.
Replicating the explosive power from earlier would require some time. As for the dissipated energy in the Void, his current Superpower level wasn't high enough to gather it on a large scale just yet.
"Let's see how many times you can repair it!" Yujin shouted coldly. The Ship-breaking Blade moved as fast as lightning, severing mechanical arms one after another, leaving them scattered on the ground.
Li Yu's eyes were ice-cold. The next moment, sixteen mechanical arms extended from his back. As long as he had energy, the mechanical arms were truly endless.
And after taking this time to recover, the Cube Power had accumulated a significant amount of energy, even if it was only about five percent of its original capacity.
However, one had to remember that the initial Cube Power was slightly more than half as potent as the Stellar Furnace.
Yujin was left somewhat dumbfounded. With so many mechanical arms blocking his path, wouldn't it take time just to chop through them all?
His right arm rapidly transformed and reassembled, aiming a massive cannon barrel squarely at Li Yu. Purple energy violently churned within it. The two were in extremely close proximity as he prepared to blast Li Yu point-blank.
A blinding radiance erupted. Mole's expression changed drastically, while Kansa remained composed. Although Kansa had some dissatisfaction with Yujin, he never harbored much doubt regarding Yujin's strength.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion echoed through the sky, sending Li Yu flying backward. However, the surface of his body did not sustain much damage.
Instead, it was Yujin whose arm cannon barrel was horribly twisted, looking as if it had been completely ruined.
Meanwhile, the blue Energy Orb in Li Yu's hands had completely vanished. At the very last second, he had aggressively shoved the Energy Orb directly into Yujin's cannon barrel, causing it to backfire and effectively crippling Yujin's long-range attack capabilities.
Yujin lifted his cannon barrel, now mangled beyond recognition. The mechanical components were tangled together, making it impossible even to revert back into a normal arm.
He finally began to understand. With a hint of horror in his eyes, he was now absolutely certain. "It's actually an energy-type Superpower!" he declared in a deep voice.
He had felt it just a moment ago; his Energy Cannon had triggered a reaction with the opponent's energy, detonating right inside the barrel. That was the only way it could have produced such massive destructive force.
Coupled with the fact that his enemy had just casually forged a nuclear bomb by hand earlier, he was confident in his deduction.
The surrounding crowd was quite surprised upon hearing Yujin's words. An energy-type Superpower? No wonder he could craft a nuclear bomb barehanded.
That was one of the absolute highest-tier Ability Sequences. Any Superpower involving the manipulation of energy undoubtedly possessed immense potential.
Upon hearing this, Kansa's face immediately showed signs of hesitation. He stared at this so-called God Slayer. If he were just a Genetic Evolution Body, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But this guy was an Esper, and one with an energy-type Superpower at that. This was a truly talented person.
"What a... uniquely blessed bastard!" The killing intent in Yujin's eyes intensified. As a Mechanical Cyborg, this struck a nerve.
He had sacrificed the sensation of warmth and the desire for enjoyment to obtain his strength. How could someone stand on equal footing with him simply because they had better luck!
"Yujin, spare his life..." Kansa instructed. He had taken a liking to Li Yu. This was a talented person; if Li Yu could be put to use for him, it would bring tremendous benefits.
As for the dead Eagle Vulture and Sals... sorry, he wasn't familiar with them.
As for whether he could successfully make Li Yu work for him, that wasn't an issue at all. Power, women, wealth... he could provide it all. If all else failed, there were always control chips or injecting a miniature bomb into his heart. He had plenty of methods.
"Haha..." Li Yu suddenly burst into loud laughter. He looked at Yujin and shook his head. Though he didn't speak a word, Yujin perfectly understood his meaning—'Look at your boss, he still wants you to spare my life.'
Yujin coldly turned his head. His sinister gaze startled Kansa, who forced himself to remain calm. "What are you trying to do? Don't forget your Identity. Remember who it was that fished you out of prison."
"Heh..." Yujin let out a cryptic sneer. The Amethyst Engine on his chest began to spin at an extreme speed, causing his entire body to erupt with blinding purple radiance.
Electric Arcs shot outward as the Ship-breaking Blade extended layer by layer, ultimately surpassing ten meters in length. This was his Overload Form, a state he hadn't even revealed when fighting the Purple-Winged Tiger.
"I want him dead!" Yujin glared coldly at Li Yu. Perhaps it was because of the deaths of Sals and Eagle Vulture, perhaps it was jealousy toward Li Yu, or perhaps it was simply his dissatisfaction with Kansa.
At this moment, he was determined to kill Li Yu, and no one was going to stop him!
"Die!"
Scorching flames spewed from his back as the Ship-breaking Blade tore through the Camp's metallic Ground. He leaped high into the air, his eyes focused solely on the God Slayer!
Li Yu's expression turned grave. He hunched his body slightly, one hand already reaching into his jacket.
Boom!
A massive white Light Beam plummeted from the sky, ruthlessly smashing into Yujin.
Even while suspended mid-air with nowhere to leverage his strength, Yujin relied on his Overload Form and his back Propulsion Engine to hold out for over ten seconds before finally being blasted away.
He tumbled several times in the air before landing with an ashen face. His body emitted a sizzling sound; patches of his armor glowed faint red and plumed with smoke.
The crowd was stunned by this sudden twist. Li Yu turned his head to look.
The clouds in the sky parted to reveal the arrival of a massive fleet. Its defining feature was its chaotic mix of styles. It seemed to encompass all sorts of battleship models, looking very much like a ragtag army hastily thrown together.
One vessel among them was particularly eye-catching. Its exterior was rough and unrefined, bearing numerous patch jobs across its hull, and a wolf fang Emblem painted on its side.
It was this very Spaceship that had just attacked Yujin. Its Main Cannon was still smoking, shrouded in a mist of liquid coolant.
Kansa's expression instantly darkened, but Mole was filled with joy because the first to arrive were actually his reinforcements.
Unlike Kansa, he didn't have a massive civilization acting as his backing.
He had to pull strings and offer various compensations just to cobble together a fleet. Then, it took time for the fleet to assemble, and he hadn't received any prior notice of their advance.
Because of this, Mole hadn't expected his support to be the first to arrive at all.
Kansa internally cursed the Patrol Fleet for being slower than a ragtag militia. Even if discreet mobilization took time, the Molcasar civilization was right next door to the Amethyst Civilization.
"Son of a bitch, they didn't even notify me in advance..." Mole cursed with a smile. At the very least, there was now room to salvage the current situation.
"Old Ninth, are you surprised..." A gruff laugh boomed from the wolf-headed battleship. Li Yu also found this laugh somewhat familiar. It was Old Six.
He truly lived up to the name Old Six. Not only had he caught the enemy off guard with his reinforcement, but he had even managed to surprise his own people.
"Mr. Yujin, please do not make any sudden moves. Otherwise, out of all these battleships, there's bound to be someone who can't resist opening fire."
Yujin indeed had a bit of a reputation. Even Old Six had heard of his name.
Old Six's warning caused Yujin's Energy Engine to whir rapidly, but he was forced to suppress his rage. He cast a cold side-glance at Kansa.
The Lord was absolutely right. This Kansa was nothing but a useless piece of trash!
He didn't care whether this was actually Kansa's fault or not. All that mattered was that their current situation was highly disadvantageous.
"The Interstellar Network in this area has been locked down. Old Ninth, just do whatever you need to do," Old Six's voice provided Mole with a tremendous boost in confidence.
Looking at the sullen-faced Kansa, Mole—being an Old Fox who had weathered many storms—did not display the same arrogance Kansa had shown earlier. The smile on his face gradually faded as he calmly stated, "I believe we can have a proper talk now."
The sullen expression on Kansa's face suddenly shifted, a mysterious smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "That's right, we can certainly talk now."
Mole secretly sighed, a faint sense of sorrow washing over him.
This was the tragic helplessness of Molcasar. Even with Mole currently holding the upper hand, he couldn't just resort to immediate violence like Kansa did. He was still forced to 'talk'!
He couldn't even do anything to Kansa, as that would draw the retaliation of the Amethyst Civilization.
It was precisely because Kansa understood this clearly that he remained completely fearless due to his backing.
The surrounding Molcasar soldiers had no idea what had just happened. They couldn't understand why their own Archon and these powerful lifeforms were suddenly on the brink of war.
The negotiations officially began. No matter how unwilling he was, Kansa had no choice but to reluctantly sit down. Just because Mole didn't make a move didn't mean he couldn't actually kill him; he simply didn't want to bear the consequences.
If Kansa refused to adopt a more accommodating attitude, this old Captain absolutely wouldn't hesitate to take action.
A long metal Table was brought out, with Kansa and Mole sitting on opposite sides. The setup was extremely simple, purposefully done to save time.
Li Yu hadn't expected the situation to experience such a sudden turn of events. With a faint smile, he took a seat beside Mole.
Behind them, nearly a hundred battleships hovered in the sky. Their imposing presence was undeniable.
Yujin sat beside Kansa with nothing but a sneer on his face. His right arm was still stuck in the shape of a cannon barrel, unable to transform back for the time being.
Turning a blind eye to the battleships in the sky, Kansa spoke first. "Molcasar signs a vassal agreement with me. In return, I'll let you keep a portion of the Amethyst Core, and I will sponsor you with some Amethyst Technology."
Mole sneered. "And then you'll gradually initiate immigration, divide the Molcasar people, and in two to three hundred years, Molcasar will exist in name only?"
If that had been his goal, he would have taken the Amethyst Core directly to the Amethyst Emperor ages ago. Why waste time squabbling with Kansa?
Li Yu rested his hands behind his head and gazed up at the sky, lost in his own thoughts. Opposite him, Yujin stared fixedly at Li Yu like an obsessed madman, looking as though he had already imagined torturing him in a hundred and eight different ways.
While Molcasar was negotiating here, far away on one of the other Life Planets within the Molcasar Star System, an incredibly luxurious castle stood proudly on the edge of a cliff.
Its rustic exterior looked as though it were built from gray stone, but in reality, it was constructed from a material unique to this planet.
Boom!
Two dazzling Light Beams pierced through the stone walls, dissipating into the distant horizon. Looking through the holes they created, one could see the interior of the castle littered with the corpses of guards. The spilled blood was still steaming.
"Kel... Kelly, I even held you when you were a baby! What are you trying to do?!"
A neatly dressed, white-haired old man was trembling uncontrollably. He stared in terror at the young woman opposite him, barely able to stand straight.
"You old pervert..." Kelly spat on the ground. "You don't have a single bone of courage in your body. Do you really not know what I'm here to do?"
"Haven't you received the news about the deaths of the other Councilors? If you sell out your own civilization, you should be prepared for death."
The old geezer was sweating profusely as he desperately tried to explain himself. "Your father is far too delusional! Where is there any room for us to grow in this Universe? Latching onto a powerful civilization is the only correct path!"
"And so you sought out that so-called Kansa?" Kelly sneered. "Kansa snuck in here without leaking a single bit of information. He never had any intention of giving Molcasar a way out!"
The old man looked somewhat confused. "What Kansa? We contacted Prince Saster! He's a powerful Prince of the Amethyst Civilization, and Yujin's squad was sent by him."
Hearing this, Kelly frowned. She had exchanged some intelligence with her father, and there had been absolutely no mention of this Prince Saster.
A strong sense of foreboding suddenly washed over her. She pulled out a Molcasar Communicator, only to find that there was no signal at all. Her expression instantly shifted...
.........
The hair-pulling negotiations were still underway. This kind of bargaining wasn't entirely useless. Given Kansa's Identity, any agreement he signed would carry substantial weight—provided it could be transmitted into interstellar society.
Mole was growing anxious. Time was incredibly precious to him, as the fleet of the Amethyst Civilization could descend at any moment.
On the other hand, Kansa was completely relaxed, unhurriedly nitpicking over Mole's wording. He was intentionally stalling for the Amethyst fleet.
Time ticked away, minute by minute. After a grueling five hours, Mole's face had become incredibly grim. He fiercely slammed his hand onto the Table.
"This is my absolute Bottom Line! We sign the Equal Mutual Assistance Treaty. You can station troops to guard the Amethyst Core, and we split it seventy-thirty!"
"Eighty-twenty," Kansa unhurriedly spat out a counter-offer. Mole took several deep breaths before letting out a long sigh and gritting his teeth. "Fine!"
The formal written documents were quickly printed out. Mole signed and stamped his seal. Despite such harsh conditions, Kansa still seemed somewhat reluctant as he signed and stamped his seal as well. The documents were produced in duplicate, with a copy scheduled to be uploaded to the Interstellar Alliance.
There were no strict regulations enforcing it; even if the Amethyst Civilization violated the treaty, no one would punish them. However... Unspoken Rules were still Rules.
The Amethyst Civilization didn't just have an agreement with Molcasar; they had treaties with many civilizations. If they tore up the agreement with Molcasar today, they might tear up other agreements tomorrow. The damage to their reputation would far outweigh the gains. After all, they weren't the Star Glory Empire.
"Brother Six, turn on the Interstellar Network. I need to upload this to the Interstellar Alliance for notarization," Mole said, his face far from pleasant. Kansa looked equally dissatisfied; both of them felt that this shouldn't have been the outcome.
"If you ask me, what's the point of all this whining? We should just blow him to hell with a single shot and then go live freely..." Old Six's booming voice broadcasted over the battleship's loudspeakers, echoing far into the distance.
Mole forced a bitter smile and shook his head, choosing not to say anything. A long time passed, and Mole glanced at his Smart Terminal. There was still no signal.
"Brother Six... what's going on? There's still no signal," Mole urged.
"I've deactivated the jammers. Why is there still no signal...?" Old Six's voice sounded genuinely puzzled.
Mole's pupils shrank violently. Kansa's face became visibly excited, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
Right at that moment, a massive purple Laser suddenly pierced completely through the wolf-headed battleship, blowing it up into a spectacular firework in the sky.
The fiery explosion was etched into everyone's eyes, the deafening roar still ringing in their ears. In the next instant, the rest of the battleships were thrown into panic.
Bolts of purple Lasers rained down from the heavens, skewering battleship after battleship as fiery explosions continuously blossomed in the sky.
A massive fleet descended from Outer Space. The uniformly purple standard battleships formed a tight formation around a dazzling Amethyst Main Ship.
"Brother Six!" Mole's face flushed crimson, his eyes filled with disbelief. Li Yu was also slightly taken aback. Had Old Six... really just died like that?
Just then, Small Aircraft detached from the Amethyst Mothership one after another. Like a dense swarm of purple insects, they began to hunt down the resisting ragtag battleships.
"I'm not dead yet! I'm not an idiot. Knowing we might go up against the main Amethyst battle fleet, why on earth would I come in person..."
Old Six's voice rang out from a smaller battleship. As expected of Old Six.
Mole instantly let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't angry that Old Six hadn't come personally; instead, he felt extremely fortunate.
Kansa's grin was splitting his face. Another sudden turn of events! Eighty-twenty? He didn't even want to give a ninety-ten split to this measly civilization anymore!
"Old Ninth, watch yourself! Brothers, light them up!"
The next moment, that small battleship was also blown into fireworks.
Although they were a ragtag militia, these battleships still possessed impressive combat power. They had just been caught off guard and lost a few vessels as a result.
But now, they were organizing a counterattack. Battleship Shields flared up as various energy attacks crisscrossed the sky, erupting into a dazzling array of multicolored lights.
End of Chapter
