The tremor from the Azure World reached the Dry Cradle of Heaven. Master Merlin’s aged face registered astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief. “What astonishing energy, to actually eliminate Hadrak of the Fourth Level. What kind of power is this?”

He had come to Uranus with Joseph to challenge Oushalie’s fleet to reclaim the Dual Kings Star defensive line. They had only fought two probing skirmishes before sensing the oppressive might radiating from Hadrak’s promotion to the Fourth Level.

At that time, the Ancient Legion’s morale had been soaring. Upon learning their main base was under attack and Pluto was engulfed in flames, they instantly transformed into a host of grieving soldiers, already showing signs of preparing a full-scale assault. Yet, less than half a day later, Hadrak was killed again.

Joseph, seated opposite Master Merlin, was so taken aback by the words that he dropped his coffee cup. “Hadrak is dead? Wasn’t it said he had just ascended to the Fourth Level not long ago?”

“Not dead. Annihilated,” Master Merlin stated with utmost seriousness. “For an entity of the Fourth Level, death allows for resurrection. However, complete annihilation of form and spirit permits no return.”

“Who could have destroyed him?” Joseph asked immediately, unaware at that moment that the Terran Mercenary Group had attacked Pluto, or even that Hadrak had died once before. Merlin’s connection to Hadrak was not as deep as Master Kongli’s; he only realized Hadrak had advanced when the Fourth Level pressure wave struck.

“I don’t know. There shouldn’t be such power existing in the Solar System,” Master Merlin replied. “I sensed Hadrak was struck by an attack of truly terrifying energy. This energy was so immense it actually shook the entirety of the psychic world. The resulting shockwave spread far enough to affect the whole Solar System. Based on my experience traveling through the Kepler Stars, a Third Level entity cannot wield energy that potent—not even Master Kongli. That strike had already surpassed what a peak Master could manage. It is not surprising that Hadrak, who had only recently reached the Fourth Level, was utterly destroyed.”

Joseph fell silent, needing time to organize his thoughts.

“This energy is so powerful, I imagine Oushalie must have felt it too,” Master Merlin added.

Joseph nodded. After a moment of deep contemplation, he looked up. “There must have been a major upheaval at the Ancient Legion’s Pluto base. Oushalie’s sudden aggressive posture is likely due to this. Now that even the Fourth Level Hadrak has been eliminated, Pluto has probably been reduced to ruins. He ordered his aide standing nearby, “Issue the command—prepare to launch a full-scale assault.”

“No! No! How is that possible? The Legion Commander has become a Fourth Level master! How could he be killed again! I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!!”

Oushalie felt the massive energy that made him tremble, and he sensed Hadrak’s presence vanish completely—a total erasure, unlike the last time when a faint trace of existence lingered.

He could not comprehend it. Hadrak, now a Fourth Level entity, should be invincible in the Solar System, sweeping all before him—that was the norm! There was no other Fourth Level master here; no matter how many Third Level masters there were, how could they kill Hadrak?

The psychic wave reached Earth. Master Kongli shuddered. “Gone! Such a powerful Hadrak, could he really be eliminated?”

Master Landon’s telepathic message reached his ears. He heard her ask, “Master Kongli, what happened? I felt an extremely powerful energy storm erupt in the psychic world, almost sweeping everything away. It seems Hadrak, now a Fourth Level master, was killed—but is that even possible?”

Master Kongli replied, “Though I am unclear on the specifics of what occurred on Pluto, Hadrak’s death is almost certainly true. I can sense the shadow in my heart has lifted. This time, Hadrak is truly gone, spirit and form destroyed.”

Master Landon said, “This is truly unbelievable. Is there anyone in the Solar System who could accomplish this?”

Master Kongli paused. “It must be the Terran Mercenary Group, or at least related to them. Yet, I sensed no other Fourth Level entity appearing in the Solar System. If you ask for the source of that immense energy, I cannot answer you.”

“Even you don’t know?” Master Landon asked. “Very well, Master Kongli. If there are any developments, please be sure to inform me.”

“I will,” Master Kongli agreed.

After the telepathic link ended, Master Kongli sighed deeply toward the sky. “The Terran Mercenary Group is shrouded in mystery. I wonder what their next target will be. We need to communicate with them more.”

Meanwhile, on Union Island, in her vast office within the Psi-Templar outpost, Master Landon had just concluded her contact when she received a message from the Kepler Embassy: Ambassador Jiayouna was urgently requesting an immediate audience.

The message had arrived only seconds before Jiayouna’s voice called from the doorway, “Sister Cecily, I’m here.”

“Little Jiayouna, you are certainly impatient,” Master Landon said, gesturing with her hand. The door opened, and Jiayouna rushed in breathlessly. She had only brought one attendant, whom Master Landon immediately recognized as the military attaché from the Kepler Embassy, possessing near-Master cultivation. The distance between the embassy and her office was not short; arriving this quickly clearly meant they had used Spatial Folding.

“Seeing how rushed you are, it must be about Hadrak,” Master Landon said, inviting Jiayouna to sit down.

“Yes, Sister Cecily. What was that just now? Such a violent impact in the psychic world! That energy was so powerful…” Jiayouna asked the moment she sat down, speaking rapidly, clearly still reeling from the shock.

That energy had eliminated a Fourth Level master. As a Kepler diplomat, Jiayouna understood the implications far better than the Earth masters. Considering that Kepler itself possessed only one Fourth Level entity, the shock was profound for her.

Master Landon recounted the information she had received to Jiayouna.

“The Terran Mercenary Group possesses such strength? Amazing!” Jiayouna exclaimed, a mix of surprise and awe on her face. She suddenly slapped her forehead. “Oh dear, this is a problem. I sent a report back only half a day ago saying Hadrak had advanced to the Fourth Level, urging them to pay closer attention. They must have alerted Grandma based on that news. Now, just half a day later, I have to tell them Hadrak has been eliminated. Won’t they think I’m messing with them?”

“Heh heh,” Master Landon chuckled. “What’s the issue? Just report the facts as they are. If your superiors send an investigator over, I’ll speak with them.”

Jiayouna grabbed her hand, her eyes welling up. “I knew Sister Cecily was the best!”

The Legion Commander of the Ancient Legion, Ape King Hadrak, had long been the greatest enemy of humanity in the Solar System. With his death, many people breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of the circumstances, this was cause for celebration, perhaps even weeks of revelry.

They all saw the transformation this event would bring to the Solar System. Half a century of war had reached its endpoint.

Meanwhile, on Pluto, Yang Ying watched the towering blue pillar of light, initially brilliant, slowly fade. In the psychic world, he sensed the avatar piloting the carrier had burned its soul to ash—it could indeed be considered annihilation of form and spirit.

Yang Ying sighed softly. Although the blue energy mass created by the carrier's self-destruction possessed immense power, equivalent to a powerful Fourth Level strike, it was a double-edged sword. In hindsight, if even Hadrak’s Fourth Level soul was extinguished by the blue energy mass, what chance did his own soul have?

This was truly a suicidal attack, ensuring mutual destruction, leaving no opportunity to enter the shadowy side of the psychic world. If it hadn't been an avatar, Yang Ying would never have launched this strike; after all, one attack cost a life!

“In the context of the interstellar game, the High Templar Tassadar similarly self-destructed his flagship, achieving mutual destruction with the invincible Zerg Overmind, which also allowed the Queen of Blades the opportunity to usurp control of the Zerg. I recall Tassadar’s flagship, the Aiur, was a specialized type, once achieving the astonishing feat of destroying an entire Terran Battlecruiser fleet with a single vessel. The carrier I use now is only a standard model, perhaps enough to deal with a mere Fourth Level entity like Hadrak. I wonder how powerful an old monster like Karaghuniss, who has been at the Fourth Level for ten millennia, might be.”

Thinking of this, Yang Ying sighed again. “No matter how strong, they are beyond what I can speculate on now. Hadrak possessed such innate talent and trained for over a hundred years, bearing the suffering of his entire race for half a century, yet he reached the Fourth Level with unwavering will. My talent and willpower are far inferior to Hadrak’s; who knows when I might reach the Fourth Level.”

To definitively eliminate Hadrak this time, Yang Ying paid a heavy price: the self-destruction of a brand-new carrier, the soul of one avatar burned away, a psychic energy consumption of over twenty-two million, including prior battle costs, plus the death of six million Zerg forces.

Yang Ying did not regret the loss of one avatar; a new one could be manifested. The psychic energy expenditure was also manageable; as long as the mental links with the Protoss and Zerg remained, psychic energy could be replenished continuously, restoring him to full strength within days. However, the death of six million Zerg troops would lower his maximum psychic capacity.

Originally, the two races provided a total of twenty-seven million psychic energy; after this battle, only twenty-one million remained—a reduction of two-ninths.

Then there were the carriers. Each required at least nineteen months and two weeks to construct. The Protoss currently possessed only two, and this battle destroyed one outright. Although new ships had been supplementing the fleet every month since the first carrier was completed, the loss was still regrettable.

Nevertheless, despite the great cost, it could be recovered and surpassed over time. And since the Battle of Pluto ended in his victory, annihilating the Ancient Legion’s main base on Pluto, overall, it was well worth it.

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