Herlous was a grade B Pugilist, and [Shattered Light] was a Super Equipment, tailor-made for him, enhancing his Pugilist abilities further. Many energy converting devices hid between the gaps of the armor, and the raging flames sent waves rippling through the air as he moved.

Grade B Pugilists had surpassed the early stage of a Pugilist—they were walking, living bombs.

Herlous' strength was not to be ignored even across the entire Shattered Star Ring. The Commander Class armor was a piece of top-class equipment, and its level was completely different from the Enlistee Class and the NCO Class. With the energy enhancing Battleship Slicing Blade, Herlous' damage was astonishing.

The thick light from the blade released shockwaves, creating trenches on the ground one after another. This level of strength was way higher than the normal soldiers, and there was no need for anyone else to join in. Herlous spun the rough looking Battleship Slicing Blade with ease, much more agilely than the King Predator. Having nowhere to escape, the King Predator's flesh was splashing all over.

Herlous' god-like power had lit fires in countless soldiers' hearts.

The Commander Class armor appeared again after disappearing for so many years!

Who is this armor user?

The Sunils had many questions in their minds.

Commander Class armor had a very special position in the Sunils' hearts. Many people knew that this was the display of the strongest single warrior in the entire race, and it was almost like a totem. Herlous' appearance awakened the buried memories of every Sunil.

Morale skyrocketed instantly. In gaming terms, all Sunils received the 'All Attributes Boost' buff!

Han Xiao was watching the show from the side, nodding. Herlous was very strong, much stronger than his current self.

Herlous starting to fight means that the Sunil have entered the storyline I'm familiar with…Han Xiao thought. With him existing, Herlous' actions should deviate from the original storyline, so he just needed the chance to 'abduct' him.

The Particle Cannon fired twice, heavily injuring the Mountain Beast and the Lava Lizard. This weapon was common in the galactic battle between high-class civilizations, and it was a scrap product. The Sunil could only burn lower grade energy with their energy technology level, and even with so many restrictions, its power was still enough to be a trump card for protecting a city.

During the charging period, Herlous successfully killed the King Predator and started to run around the battlefield. With his armor and energy protection, he did not fear being surrounded by the beast wave. The Battleship Slicing Blade slashed horizontally, unmatched in the beast wave, containing the disadvantageous situation in the area.

Herlous could not stop the entire beast wave alone, but his actions had an undoubted effect—the soldiers in this area finally had a chance to breathe.

On Planet Aquamarine, a grade C Super could go head-on with an army—Herlous was one grade higher. Even though the beasts at the last stage of the Catastrophe were strong, he could still deal with them easily. Furthermore, he was a tank-type Pugilist.

A single unit with extraordinary powers was more agile, like a sharp blade. Between the same technology level, high-grade combat powers and war troops differed in quantity and quality—a strong single unit was an army by itself!

Herlous jumped and moved around, becoming the center of attention on the battlefield. Looking at him raised the soldiers' spirits.

The situation gradually stabilized, and the wave of beasts ended. Just as the military was about to excitedly get in touch with this mythical man, Herlous dashed toward the forest and disappeared, clearly showing his intention of not wanting to expose his identity.

Herlous was somewhat conflicted. Getting in touch with the military meant his peaceful life in the past would be gone. He would have to walk the path of people like Fernas and become the guardian of the race. Although whether he did become a guardian or not depended on his choice, Herlous felt that he would not be able to leave himself out of it by then.

Furthermore, the superiors would definitely request him to give up his Commander Class armor to the race for research purposes. Herlous took it as a precious inheritance from Delvis, so he was very conflicted.

Although he stood out now to protect the race, and his buried responsibility was awakening slowly, someone this strong would not change his personality overnight.

…

In the following few days, Herlous was torn between the choices. While he appeared to help, the military kept trying to discover his identity, but every time that the battle ended, he left quickly and kept his mystery.

A few days later, the whisper in everyone's mind suddenly disappeared. The Catastrophe had ended.

The beast wave in the middle of attacking suddenly paused, and countless beasts awoke from their bloodlust, stopped running, looked around, and ran in all directions, disappearing.

"The Catastrophe is finally gone." Han Xiao took a deep breath.

Soldiers lay down in exhaustion one after another, unable to move. Their bodies had reached their limits, and the surviving soldiers were way too tired.

The logistics team cleaned up the battlefield, pulling soldiers out of their armor and sending them into the medical room one after another.

The military was recovering and resting, as countless people in the city triumphed over the broadcast from their television.

The end of every Catastrophe was like surviving through a disaster. As per tradition, there would be a celebration a few days later, appreciating the army's contribution and morning the lost soldiers. This kind of celebration filled with the feeling of a ritual was beneficial to increasing a race's unity, relaxing their tightened nerves, making the people laugh and cry, getting rid of the negative emotions, and once again feeling hopeful for the future.

However, this time was completely different. Only one hour after the Catastrophe ended, Fernas' cold face appeared on the television everywhere.

"My fellow men, I'm Fernas. I believe many people know me. I want to make an announcement. From today, on behalf of forty percent of the Supers, the people you call guardians, we will be leaving Planet Sunil and never return…"

The words he used were very firm, saying that they had done enough and were now going to search for freedom, not giving their lives to the race anymore.

The Sunils felt like a bucket of ice had been poured over them. The happiness and passion from getting through the Catastrophe vanished, and they were all stunned.

What is this? Why is it so sudden‽

The superiors of the military were shocked—they had absolutely no idea about this beforehand.

Far away in the forest, Herlous saw Fernas' announcement from the internal terminal in his armor, and he mumbled in disbelief, "Why not leave quietly‽ This way, the people will…"

With the announcement, the whole of Planet Sunil was shocked. The people felt confused and lost; they did not know the reasons behind it. All they knew was that the guardians whom they had always relied on were abandoning them!

Why? Why‽

No one kept silent.

Despair, desperation, hopelessness.

Howling, wailing, growling.

This was the collapse of belief! Even the minority that was unsatisfied with the Supers felt endless panic when they saw this!

This shocked the entire race!

Fernas appeared with the other Supers that decided to leave and walked outside. The Sunil soldiers looked at them in disbelief, yet they still opened a path for them.

This time, another group of people swarmed over with rage and shock, including Lerden.

Sunil Supers were divided into two groups, one announcing their leave from the race, another shocked and furious. They stood against each other from far away with clear separation.

The anticipation of a good show appeared on the faces of mercenaries, who were waiting for their reward.

Han Xiao leaned his back against a tank, looked at this scene, squinted his eyes and thought,And so it begins.

He had only read about the Sunil Supers splitting up from the news. This time, he could witness it happening.

The report had referred to the people including Fernas who were leaving the Independence Faction, and the ones protecting the race Guardian Faction.

"Why are you doing this‽" a person from the Guardian Faction said furiously.

Fernas gave him a cold glare and said, "I explained it very clearly, don't feign ignorance. I know you people must have thought about long ago. In the past many years, how many of our brothers were sacrificed? How many of our brothers became disabled? We have done enough."

The people of Guardian Faction's expressions changed a bit. Indeed, similar thoughts had crossed their minds before in most of the people present—few people could stay firm from the start to the end. Furthermore, they had been traveling in the colorful galaxy and had seen how alluring it was.

Some people escaped their expanding desires; some people let it grow.

"But…" Lerden clenched his teeth and said, "If you want to leave, you could have just left quietly. Why announce it openly? You are destroying the hope of the rac…"

Fernas cut Lerden off. "so what?"

The people of Guardian Faction were shocked. They felt that the once firm and reliable Fernas had become a stranger.

The two parties were in a stalemate, and the Sunil soldiers gradually surrounded them. Further away, the mercenaries took out snacks and focused on this show with excitement on their faces.

Han Xiao casually grabbed a strange cigarette that looked like a cigar, took a deep breath, and shrugged. "See, this is the ending of a long-distance relationship."

"Brilliant." The other mercenaries laughed. Mercenaries were a group of cold and unsympathetic people.

Han Xiao had a very open mind. The split of the Sunils was fated, opening the curtain of the end of the Sunil Civilization and the start of Herlous' story. He was just a spectator for now—only when the Sunils split up and chaos fell would he be able to take part. Until things unfolded naturally, he could only wait.

Furthermore, with him taking part, splitting up might not lead to the tragic ending in the original storyline but a new start instead. Since he could also benefit from it, this was a win-win.

Smoke rose up and covered Han Xiao's narrowed eyes.