149. Crossing the Crossfire
Crossing a battlefield wasn't an ideal choice, but Li Aozi knew it was the best option available at the moment.
However, he had already decelerated, and returning to his previous speed was impossible.
Li Aozi calmed himself, weaving through the gaps in the laser beams, observing the battle.
From his memory, the Battle of the Eye of the Galaxy between the Crystal Spire and the Night Butterfly Federation was over the ownership of the planet "Korina." The war had lasted centuries, which, in the grand scheme of the universe, wasn't very long. But for two independent civilizations to engage in such a conflict was quite rare.
The Crystal Spire claimed Korina as a sacred land of their civilization, full of magical resources and natural beauty, perfectly suited for their magi-tech development. It was essential to their future, and they had invested heavily in its development, starting four hundred years ago with colonization and settlement.
The Night Butterfly Federation, on the other hand, believed that Korina was their cradle, the birthplace of their civilization. Though they had left their home and developed elsewhere for 20,000 years, Korina was a sacred ideological land for them.
After 20,000 years, the descendants of the Night Butterfly Federation returned to this region. Realistically, their longing for their homeland had faded, but upon seeing how the Crystal Spire had transformed Korina into a thriving, prosperous world, they began to covet it again.
The Night Butterfly Federation started by migrating large populations and buying up land, gradually eroding the Crystal Spire's control with development companies. Eventually, they escalated to military force, driving out the Crystal Spire's citizens.
Neither civilization was part of any recognized narrative-level interstellar organization, and thus, they held no respect for each other and didn't bother seeking allies—choosing instead to go to war directly.
Attacking civilian fleets was routine, poisoning each other's water supplies and resource depots was common, and sending high-level supers to commit terror attacks in the enemy's capital was a daily occurrence. Even orbital bombardments of populated areas were frequent.
As the conflict escalated, the hatred between the two sides seeped deep into every citizen's heart, becoming deeply ingrained. Both sides committed unforgivable atrocities.
If either civilization had joined a legitimate interstellar organization, both leaders would have been tried for war crimes in military court.
But history had no room for "what ifs." With no third-party intervention, the greater universe didn't care about two illegal civilizations butchering each other. It was merely a distasteful topic for idle gossip.
However, due to the unique status of these two civilizations, Li Aozi knew they possessed several unregistered teleportation nodes.
Most of these teleportation nodes were ancient structures built by the Abyss's main gods during the war against the external Destroyers. By now, very few remained functional, and using them came with uncontrollable risks. Normally, they were strictly prohibited.
During the Battle of the Eye of the Galaxy, the Night Butterfly Federation and the Crystal Spire used many of these nodes, leading to several collapsing and inviting Void energy to corrupt the area. The suffering fell on countless civilians.
Li Aozi knew the locations of two such nodes. He cautiously observed the battlefield and maneuvered through the combat zone.
At this point, the critical flaw of [Li Aozi's Armor] became apparent: while it provided excellent protection against radiation and pressure, offering solid adaptability to space—it was far inferior to regular starships in terms of physical defense.
Especially in a battlefield of this intensity, one stray breath of dragonfire from the golden dragon monk could kill him instantly.
As for using optical camouflage—both interstellar civilizations had far too many counters for that.
So, Li Aozi pushed his speed to the max and charged straight toward the golden dragon.
Golden dragons were the most orderly of all dragon species, while the Night Butterfly Federation was ruthless and strict. The latter had already fired at him as an unknown target, but the golden dragon would likely not attack something so small and non-threatening.
The neutron torpedoes continued to chase him, and despite Li Aozi's sharp evasive maneuvers, the photon-boosted torpedoes tracked his position relentlessly. The bio-pod attached to his back glowed like a lighthouse in the night, making him an easy target for the enemy's tracking systems.
"Damn! They just won't give up, huh?"
Li Aozi turned in mid-flight, using his gravitational control to grab two wrecked warships and pull them into orbit around him like satellites.
[Death Link]
He quickly linked the two warships to himself, sharing damage with them. The ships spun around him at high speed, intercepting one of the fast-approaching neutron torpedoes. It exploded in a shower of radiation, but the spinning wreckage helped deflect the neutron blast.
With the help of [Death Link] to share the damage, most of the impact was absorbed, and the rest was soaked up by [Li Aozi's Armor].
[Warning! You have suffered severe radiation damage, resulting in the negative status 'Genetic Damage.']
[Genetic Damage]:
Effect ①—While in this state, you will lose access to one of your abilities every 20 minutes, starting with secondary abilities and eventually disabling your core abilities until the status is removed.
Effect ②—Every 10 minutes, conduct a [Constitution] check. Failure will result in a 10% reduction in maximum health, and for the next 20 natural years, your reproductive ability will be impaired, preventing you from producing viable offspring.
Effect ③—You lose 1.5% of your current maximum health every second.
[Warning! You are in a high-radiation zone!]
Li Aozi quickly discarded the two radiation-soaked satellites. The bio-pod's ability [Blood Of Immortality] was disabled.
"Damn! They disabled Nomi's ability right from the start!"
The blast had reduced Li Aozi's speed. He gave up trying to outrun the remaining neutron torpedo, as magic beams were already crisscrossing around him. The accuracy of magical weapons was lower than tech-based ones, and he had no desire to be caught in the crossfire, so he darted toward the golden dragon.
The golden dragon monk sensed the disturbance and swatted away a nearby swordsman, glancing at Li Aozi.
[You have been subjected to a [Dragon's Gaze]. As your race is not draconic, you must make a [Will] check.]
[[Trait: Unyielding Command] activates! This check will be changed to a [Charisma] check.]
[Check passed! Your [Charisma] exceeds the minimum threshold (100 points).]
[Note: Due to the opponent's trait [Four Spirit Guardians], this check will be repeated four times.]
[Note: Due to the opponent's trait [Transcendent Body], you must also make a [Constitution] check.]
[[Trait: Unyielding Command] activates! This check will be changed to a [Charisma] check.]
[Check passed! Your [Charisma] exceeds the minimum threshold (100 points).]
[Note: Due to the opponent's trait [Four Spirit Guardians], this check will be repeated four times.]
In a split second, Li Aozi was hit with over 20 will checks, covering attributes like height, race, morality, faith, and nationality.
In that brief moment, Li Aozi's nerves were overwhelmed with information, nearly causing his mind to overheat.
Li Aozi wasn't surprised by this. Thanks to [Unyielding Command] and his specialized build, he wasn't worried about failing attribute checks—unless it was an extremely rare scenario like dealing with the Hidden Society.
The golden dragon monk hesitated for a moment, perhaps weighing whether Li Aozi posed a threat. This was, after all, a battlefield where lives were on the line. No one wanted to risk their or their comrades' lives due to hesitation or misplaced kindness.
[Notice: Your skill [Aura of Goodwill] has activated.]
[Until you display hostile intent, 'Atche Duke Monsir' will not initiate combat against you.]
Seeing the monk's hesitation, Li Aozi sped up. There was no sound in the vacuum of space, and he had no telepathic abilities, so instead of trying to communicate, he seized the opportunity to escape.
[King's Gambit]
Li Aozi created a decoy, sending it flying in the opposite direction. The neutron torpedo immediately locked onto it. However, since the decoy lacked his initial speed, the tracking system quickly saw through the ruse and turned back toward him after just a few hundred kilometers.
But it had given him enough time to escape.