Chapter 297: Just a Few Humans, Easy to Defeat

It's not that I don't believe in the First Saint.

It's just that the surface of Alert Star no longer has any organized Imperial Troops.

This massive black stone array—how can we, with so few of us, get inside?

And even your divine power, no matter how great, cannot suppress this core array...

Uskail rationally pointed out the 'imperfections' in Xisi's plan.

Being able to speak only halfway at the end, without finishing, is already the most human‑like side he can display.

And that's because the one standing opposite is Xisi.

If the opponent were some other cat or dog, Uskail wouldn't even bother wasting saliva, and would reply with just two words:

"Seeking death!"

Of course, in Uskail's current state, there's no saliva to waste.

"I don't need to completely eliminate all Dead Spirits; I just need you to convert the black stone array at the Obelisk."

"And as for the troops..."

After speaking, Xisi looked at Sakan and Taitus behind him, then pointed at the two with a flat expression:

"No troops needed; these two are enough."

Uskail listened to Xisi's words, and his Prosthetic Eye clearly stopped flashing for a moment.

Until, after a good half a beat, it flickered back on, and he slowly spoke:

"If we add the underlying restriction that only the Obelisk needs to be reversed, without having to annihilate everything."

"And also... these two can successfully break in."

"Then I only need twelve Terra Times to complete the conversion."

After listening for just half a day, Xisi was rather startled and asked seriously:

"All these black stone Obelisks, and you only need half a day?"

Upon hearing that, Uskail slightly straightened his body; though his remaining skin showed no emotion, Xisi could still clearly sense a hint of pride on his side.

"Dead Spirits' creations are advanced, but after the Mechanical Church has studied them for so long, we have made some progress."

"Although we don't yet know the principle, we've found that if we do this first, then that, and finally this, the entire black stone array triggers a chain reaction."

"In other words, once we successfully convert one, the subsequent black stone arrays will convert automatically."

Watching Uskail's clearly fluctuating communicator, his words revealed a hint of emotion.

Xisi then gave Uskail a serious look, held his breath for a good half a day, and suddenly began to understand why Anna's research always seemed half‑baked.

The Mechanical Church feels like a somewhat clever child who suddenly picks up a high‑pressure gas canister.

Although we don't know the exact function of this high‑pressure gas canister, we discovered that placing a spark at its opening can blow up everything around it.

What?

You say this gas canister is essentially a fuel storage device?

Then stop overthinking it; just tell me whether my explosion is loud enough!

And Xisi finally felt a surge of insecurity toward Uskail, hesitating about the upcoming reversal operation.

While Xisi hesitated, Uskail, who was ready to act, radiated enthusiasm from head to toe.

His massive body immediately began directing the few remaining mech troops, loading some tangled equipment wrapped in countless cables onto the mech troops and onto himself.

Xisi, watching Uskail's reaction, instantly realized that the kid had probably been waiting for this day for who knows how long.

After all, to study black stone they'd even risk their lives and stay on Alert Star.

Now there's a chance to experiment with the newest black stone Obelisk and the perfect test subject, the First Saint—such a once‑in‑a‑lifetime situation, would Uskail hesitate?!

As Uskail finished preparing and faced the gazes of Uskail, Sakan, and Taitus, Xisi could only set aside his frustration with the Mechanical Church's unreliability and turned toward the largest black stone array.

With black stone expert Uskail, even without a map, Xisi knew which way to go.

Soon, the small squad trekked through the long expanse of Alert Star.

Along the way they also encountered a few training units of Dead Spirits.

But seeing only three or four opponents, the Dead Spirits actually showed a lazy, indifferent reaction.

Thus Xisi and his companions walked through the entire Alert Star without obstruction.

Until, in the distance on the glass ground, a sudden cluster of black mountain peaks appeared, and the guide Uskail finally halted.

He deployed a multitude of scanning devices on his body and scanned the distant peaks.

Without waiting for Uskail to speak, after seriously looking at the circle of peaks piercing the clouds, Xisi already knew they had reached their destination.

At the same time, he finally witnessed for the first time the might of Dead Spirits' technology.

Because those weren't mere peaks at all; they were the core black stone array of the Dead Spirits on Alert Star!

At this moment, an endless mirrored world.

The sky, bereft of its star, is a void of darkness; the spirit‑driven dead zone brings a soul‑level chill, suffusing the world with boundless deathly silence.

A faint emerald glow flickers on the distant horizon, accompanied by remote, ghostly green death‑light; the majestic black stone peaks, with their translucent reflections in the mirror surface, resemble a massive black sword plunged deep into the earth.

The once‑giant floating Obelisks, under these black stone peaks, now look minuscule as ants, not to mention the Dead Spirits infantry, which, compared to the Obelisks, seem like ants.

Although the distant black stone peaks were now visible to the naked eye, after Uskail retracted his targeting instrument and performed a calculation, his head gave an approximate arrival time.

"At our current speed, it'll take about another month to reach the destination."

Without a transport and unable to use teleportation recklessly, Xisi truly had to walk.

Of course, this 'walk' is highly cybernetic—a pair of supers, a Hundredfold body.

Yet even this 'walk' still takes a month to the destination, a literal embodiment of 'running a dead horse up a mountain.'

Hearing this, Xisi didn't waste any expression and simply pressed on toward the distant black stone peaks.

Only, as Xisi proceeded, the tops of the distant black stone peaks...

A ship that entered the atmosphere, a Dead Spirit tomb ship floating directly within the atmosphere.

Its Bridge's display silently showed the figures of Xisi and his party.

Across from it, a Dead Spirit Overlord raised his law‑king scepter, idly watching Xisi.

It's not that the Dead Spirits have been constantly watching Xisi; rather, given the situation with the Alert Star, only Xisi still dares to rush here.

In such a case, it's hard not to be observed by the Dead Spirits.

Yet faced with Xisi's approach, the Dead Spirit Overlord merely stared silently, not even considering dispatching troops.

Only when a Nobility below couldn't help but ask, did the Dead Spirit Overlord slightly lift his head and nod:

"Intercept?"

"Just a few humans—still need to intercept?"

"If it weren't for the Black Stone Array key, I'd actually like to see what they're coming here to die for."

After speaking, the Dead Spirit Overlord was too lazy to look any further, but based on his duty, he still turned and issued a command:

"Dispatch a patrol squad."

"But only four of them, easy to beat."