This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 729 - 379: The Path of Abel’s Wicked Fall_2

Chapter 729: Chapter 379: The Path of Abel’s Wicked Fall_2

Moreover, the Empire would not collapse over such a trivial matter. It was entirely insignificant. Abel found plenty of reasons to convince himself.

His expression finally smoothed out, convinced that it was a one-time thing.

"Hesitation, doubt, regret... maybe even a bit of fear?" Li Ming rubbed his chin, speculating on Abel’s mindset.

He was very familiar with this kind of psychology. His old friend Feder had walked a similar path.

The difference was that Feder had many people above him, so when faced with threats, he had no choice but to compromise. But there were hardly any people above Abel.

Pulling him into the fold wouldn’t be easy, but the rewards would be immense.

This path of corruption had already begun.

"Once you’re on this ship, there’s no getting off." Li Ming looked at the information Abel had given him. He wasn’t sure if it was Abel’s first time betraying his own people—it seemed clumsy, but the information was thorough.

Departure times, travel routes, the number of personnel, and the scale of operations—it was all meticulously detailed.

This ruled out the possibility of the information being bait. The entire journey spanned more than half a month, crossing over five or six thousand Dimension Worlds.

It was impossible for the Empire to have forces lying in ambush along the entire route.

"What do you want me to do then?" Li Ming’s eyes glinted. "Just ensure that the ambush fails?"

"Diaz..." He suddenly stood up, his eyes cold. "Then let’s collect a little interest first."

As he walked out of the room, Robbin glanced at him and said, "The nearest accessible Dimensional Outpost is the development site in the Mowis Star Cluster. It has a passage to the Main Universe."

"Not for now. I have something else to do." Li Ming adjusted the spaceship’s coordinates as he spoke. Robbin was somewhat surprised, but already accustomed to it.

...

Two months after the Polk Declaration, the deluge of related information ensured the topic remained fervently discussed, only becoming more intricate.

In the Sea of Stars, the wave of resistance against the Empire’s stationed forces grew ever more intense. These forces were officially positioned to protect the safety of smaller civilizations.

But in reality, they were the Empire’s beachheads for extending its influence over the Sea of Stars.

Moreover, the stationed troops’ military expenses were funded by these smaller civilizations themselves. Normally, no one deliberately publicized these facts.

But now, with certain parties intentionally fanning the flames, protests and resistance surged, and news of the stationed forces oppressing local citizens grew rampant.

While external chaos raged on, a secret fleet had already departed from the Central World. Inside a lavish development chamber aboard one of its ships, Diaz hovered in mid-air, his body radiating a faint glow.

Inside him, waves of energy surged relentlessly, battering every cell in his body. His body trembled slightly, and under the impact, his muscles and bones emitted cracking noises.

After a while, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and the light dimmed as his body returned to normal.

Descending from mid-air, he left the development chamber to find the mission’s nominal commander waiting for him—a middle-aged man with a deferential demeanor.

Glancing at the news, Diaz said in a low voice, "Those small civilizations’ farce is still ongoing? They have no idea what they’re courting. If not for the Empire’s stationed forces, they would’ve been devoured by nearby civilizations long ago."

The commander echoed him, "If not for those terrorists waving the banner of revolution, these small civilizations wouldn’t dare rebel, let alone criticize Prince Ryan."

"Once the Empire truly takes action, they won’t last even a few days."

Hearing the commander’s words, Diaz scowled in disapproval. "Do not underestimate them. The Holy Revolution Army has been active for this long without being eradicated. Do you think you’re in a position to look down on them?"

The commander quickly agreed, and Diaz took another document, scanning it briefly before narrowing his eyes in displeasure. "The expansion of the Mechanical Court hasn’t stopped?"

The commander helplessly replied, "After what happened in the Central World, the revelation of Azure Dragon’s Divine Craftsman status has spread. In just two months, their size has more than doubled."

"Everyone fears Azure Dragon as a Divine Craftsman, and no one respects the Prince’s authority?" Diaz was furious. "It’s nothing more than an organization under Li Ming’s control, yet they still fawn to this extent."

"Once the matter here is settled, and someone else is sent to replace me, I’ll have to take a good look at them."

The commander sighed, "Prince Costat has decreed that no actions be taken against this organization."

Recalling Prince Costat’s plans, Diaz frowned and said coldly, "Prince Costat has his strategy, and Prince Ryan has his own."

"Enough. Bring me the intel on the Holy Revolution Army obtained earlier for another review—"

Before he could finish, the ship suddenly jolted and abruptly came to a stop.

Bang!

The personnel on board staggered; some were even thrown to the ground.

"What’s going on?" The commander slammed a hand on the table, shouting loudly.

Quickly, an operator responded with a horrified expression. "Sir, the regional gravity has increased a thousandfold."

The crewman’s voice was filled with panic and terror. "The shield fields are about to collapse."

"An attack?!" The commander was enraged. "How dare they? Attacking an Imperial unit! Activate the alert protocols!"

The operators rushed back to their stations, furiously working as sweat poured down their faces. Given the peculiarities of the Dimension Worlds, building external communication networks quickly was no easy feat, leaving them unable to contact the outside.

Diaz turned to gaze out of the porthole. They had halted in a dim and quiet Dimension World.

"Who’s ambushing me?" Diaz muttered in suspicion. "The itinerary was supposed to be top secret. Only a handful of people knew about it."

Suddenly, his pupils shrank. Endless rays of light burst forth in the darkness, brighter than a million stars erupting at once.

In the next instant, a torrential downpour of radiant rainstormed forth, tearing through the Imperial fleet’s formation with brutal force, ripping through ship hulls like the scythe of death.

The thick outer armor warped and tore apart under the onslaught, emitting a metallic wail that chilled the bones.

In mere moments, one ship after another exploded, transforming into blazing fireballs and blooming into dazzling, despair-ridden flowers of death.

Powerful energy shockwaves rippled outward, stirring wave after wave of spatial ripples. Shattered parts and debris scattered like shooting stars in all directions.

Blurry flashes of light darted through the dark fog, slicing apart the remaining warships.

Whoosh!

Diaz’s expression turned grim as he shot out from the explosions, his entire frame enveloped by black scales. Staring at the fleet now reduced to a wasteland of ruins in mere moments, his heart churned with a mix of dread and fury.

It had to be the work of an S-level Life Form—no, something beyond an ordinary S-level Life Form.

His pupils constricted to pinpoints, turning jet black as his body expanded rapidly, growing close to ten meters in height. His head transformed into a snarling draconic visage, its beast-like eyes chilling. His body was covered in black scales, akin to meticulously forged Metal Armor—each scale glimmered with a frosty, oppressive hue.

Black luminescence flowed between the scales, forming raging flames. The surrounding air ignited with snapping crackles, exuding an aura of annihilation.

Diaz scanned his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the enemy, when a dreadful sense of peril surged toward him.

His pupils shrank dramatically as a pair of mechanical fists came barreling toward him, enlarging impossibly in his view.

Boom!

A tremendous force enveloped him like a star colliding with his body. The seemingly indestructible black scales shattered like brittle paper under the impact.

Fragments of the scales scattered like black meteors, reflecting a cold, hopeless light under the radiant glow.

Diaz’s body sagged under the pressure. Tendons snapped one after another with vicious "popping" sounds, sending shivers down spines.

His bones splintered one by one, each sharp crack distinctly audible in the silence.

Waves of searing pain surged through him like a tide, flooding every nerve. It felt as though countless blades were thrashing about inside his body, dragging his consciousness toward chaos. Every cell in his body seemed to be wailing in agony.

"It’s... you!?"

The moment Diaz laid eyes on the mechanical fists, he recognized the assailant—Li Ming!

"Surprised?" The Mechanical Sovereign emerged from the black mist like a storm, tearing through the air with another punch. This blow landed squarely on Diaz’s chest, reducing flesh to pulp and forcing his torso to cave in.

Two punches left Diaz gravely injured. His breath grew faint, and it became nearly impossible to utter a word. His pupils trembled uncontrollably.

One thought dominated his mind: Is there really a traitor among the upper echelons!?