novelraw Chapter 223 : The Fall of the Calamity, the Chessmaster Bai Fu
Chapter 223 : The Fall of the Calamity, the Chessmaster Bai Fu
Chapter 223: The Fall of the Calamity, the Chessmaster Bai Fu
The pain of a severed arm made Centurion feel fear for the first time in a long while.
But more than fear, what surged in his heart even stronger at this moment was rage.
He had already figured it out.
The Bai Fu who had just come out to fight him wasn’t the real Bai Fu at all—just a decoy to deceive him, to draw his attention, all for the sake of creating an opportunity for that firebird that suddenly appeared to launch a sneak attack on him.
The tactic had been extremely successful—it had directly cost him an arm.
For someone at the level of a Calamity like him, even if his heart exploded, he wouldn’t die easily, let alone just losing an arm.
However, losing an arm still affected his overall combat strength.
Rage.
Boundless rage.
From the start of this mission to hunt Bai Fu, there hadn’t been a single moment that went smoothly. He had been led by the nose the entire time by Bai Fu.
Bai Fu was like a director whose word was law. No matter how great the tempers of the actors, in the end, they still had to obediently follow the script laid out by Bai Fu.
If nothing unexpected happened, then according to Bai Fu’s script, this asteroid would be his burial ground.
“Ha… haha, hahahahaha…”
Centurion swung his still intact left arm.
He, a dignified Calamity, had actually been driven to this point by Bai Fu. This was an unbearable humiliation.
Bai Fu wanted him to die here? No way!
He would shatter Bai Fu’s script—starting right here, starting by smashing apart this asteroid!
With his strength, blowing up a normal planet was difficult—he needed to find the right angle, maintain continuous power buildup, and have a bit of luck—but dealing with an asteroid like this was no problem. It would just take a bit more time.
Having made up his mind, Centurion directly transformed into a rampaging beast. Every punch, every palm strike came without any reservation. Terrifying forcefields rained down like a meteor shower, slamming relentlessly into the asteroid below.
Facing such reckless, berserk attacks from Centurion, Scarlet Leaf had no choice but to temporarily withdraw. Her durability wasn’t low, but it wasn’t exceptional either. Taking Centurion’s wild assault head-on would only mean suffering.
Relying on the racial talent she had unlocked after becoming the [Seer], Scarlet Leaf maneuvered with ease through the gaps between the forcefields.
If she really couldn’t dodge, she would temporarily slip into the void.
She wasn’t in a hurry to risk her life in a direct fight with Centurion. Time was on her side. The longer it dragged on, the greater her chances of victory once the Tiane Eye Alliance reinforcements arrived.
Time passed slowly. Centurion began to pant lightly. The continuous forcefield bombardment had consumed a great deal of his energy, but its effects were obvious.
Cracks across the asteroid’s surface grew more numerous, wider, and deeper, until eventually, a sudden massive explosion lit up the surrounding starfield.
Stones scattered.
Lava erupted.
To the vast starry sky, the explosion of an asteroid was a trivial matter. But to those present on the battlefield—Scarlet Leaf, Bai Fu, Cecia—as well as the Red Ring Star inhabitants nearby, it was another story entirely.
Within mere minutes, news of the asteroid’s explosion had spread throughout the Tiane Eye Alliance.
The Tiane Eye Alliance had originally intended to keep the matter under wraps and quietly assist Bai Fu in taking down Centurion. But the asteroid’s destruction had caught them off guard. To avoid greater unrest, they were forced to publicly acknowledge the events unfolding near Red Ring Star.
[The Savior Saint Bai Fu, together with the Tiane Eye Alliance, is currently surrounding one of the four major Calamity-level individuals from the Secret Tower—Centurion. Before the encirclement, Bai Fu had already successfully taken down the Abyss Stalker from the Secret Tower!]
This news shook the entire Gateway Cluster.
Damn, was Bai Fu really this badass? Not long ago she had blocked ship’s cannons on Shudun Star, and now she had gone to the Tiane Eye Alliance to deal with a Calamity-level psionicist from the Secret Tower?
Forget about NPCs—even the players were dumbfounded when they received the news.
No way—my Fufu, how are you this fierce?
[No surprise, Fufu is always this fierce. Didn’t Treasure Digger say it already? Fufu is a member of the top-tier faction Quiet Garden, established by wanderers after the downfall of the universe-level faction Esper Garden!]
[Exactly. Fufu’s title as Dominator of the Ghostly Night isn’t just for show—she’s a real Dominator.]
[Don’t look down on Dominators just because they’re ranked below Transcendents. I’ve checked the data—even in universe-level civilizations like Titan Industries, Dominators are revered as top-tier combat strength. During the heyday of the Esper Garden, they only had 14 Dominators and above.]
Upon hearing how powerful Bai Fu was, the players who had joined Quiet Garden early were all full of pride.
Do you get it now? That’s what it means to have an eye for talent!
Players who hadn’t yet interacted with Bai Fu were tagging the official account nonstop, begging them to stop stalling and quickly release version 1.5 or even 2.0.
Amid the celebration, some were shocked and furious.
Yes, that would be the Master of the Secret Tower!
When he first got the news, the Master of the Secret Tower even doubted whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Bai Fu had taken down the Abyss Stalker and was now fighting Centurion, resulting in the destruction of an entire asteroid? What kind of myth was this?
Impossible. There’s no way Bai Fu was that strong!
If she really were that formidable, she would’ve already beaten the Secret Tower black and blue in all their past encounters.
What? You’re saying she only got this strong recently?
That’s even more ridiculous.
Going from A-rank to Calamity-level in just over a year—what kind of psionicist levels up that fast?
Though he suspected this was a smokescreen from the Tiane Eye Alliance, the Master of the Secret Tower couldn’t afford to ignore it.
If Bai Fu truly was this fierce and he did nothing, the Secret Tower would lose a major general.
Losing a Calamity-level was no less than losing an arm for the Secret Tower.
At this thought, the Master of the Secret Tower suddenly felt relieved.
Before the operation, the Chief Steward had sent Daken to await backup near Red Ring Star. That location wasn’t chosen randomly. In fact, the Secret Tower had secretly deployed a large number of parasites on Red Ring Star a month and a half ago. Back then, he thought the Chief Steward was overreacting, but now it was clear—this wasn’t overreacting, it was foresight.
If Centurion truly ended up in dire straits, Red Ring Star would be his only path to survival.
The Chief Steward really was something.
The Master of the Secret Tower sighed inwardly.
“I’ll go find the Dark Domain Insect Queen. If it’s urgent, go directly to the Chief Steward.”
At his command, the Secret Tower began operating at full speed to rescue Centurion.
……
“This should be enough.”
After blowing up the asteroid, Centurion took advantage of the chaos to flee swiftly toward Red Ring Star.
Destroying the asteroid served as a covert signal to headquarters that he was in serious trouble—and also created a distraction, giving him a chance to escape. That was his entire plan.
Fortunately, he had made a good start.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated Scarlet Leaf’s abilities. As a void lifeform, she was excellent at both fleeing and pursuing.
So even with the confusion caused by the explosion, she still caught up before he could reach Red Ring Star.
“You are…”
From the beginning of the battle until now, this was the first time Centurion saw Scarlet Leaf’s face clearly.
He would have preferred not to.
Because in the instant he saw her clearly, he was struck dumb with shock—so much so that Scarlet Leaf took the opportunity to step in and slash at his still-usable left arm.
Good news—his arm didn’t fall off this time. Bad news—the massive tear in it rendered him unable to move it freely.
Blood flowed from the wound, as red as his eyes.
“The Void War Princess—it’s you!”
Centurion never expected his opponent to be Scarlet Leaf. After all, she had been stuck at S+ rank for years. That was common knowledge in the Sea Lion Galaxy.
But now she had reached Calamity level—and upon entering it, had immediately made him feel immense pressure.
What the hell was going on?
Centurion hadn’t been this shocked in ten years.
Like how he still couldn’t figure out how Bai Fu had managed to lead him around this whole time.
Wait—now wasn’t the time to dwell on that!
At this point, he had no intention of continuing to fight Scarlet Leaf.
He was injured, had exhausted a lot of energy in blowing up the asteroid, and his chances of winning if the fight dragged on were less than twenty percent.
Run!
Even if he had to take more damage—he had to run!
While fleeing, Centurion also launched a verbal offensive.
This time, he activated a full-range broadcast.
"Do you know why I ran to Red Ring Star?"
"Because the Secret Tower has long released a massive number of parasites on Red Ring Star!"
"Bai Fu, if you dare to kill me, I’ll activate those parasites immediately and turn Red Ring Star into a living hell!"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire Red Ring Star was thrown into a panic.
Parasites?
Recently, news of parasite-induced riots had been erupting all across the Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster. Even the latest headlines from the Eye of Heaven Alliance were about parasites.
The terror of the parasites deployed by the Secret Tower was something the residents of Red Ring Star had long heard of and seen with their own eyes.
It was said that the Secret Tower had released parasites on Red Ring Star, and the Secret Tower’s Disaster-class Psionicist Centurion was rushing toward the star. Red Ring Star instantly plunged into chaos.
Countless people swarmed toward the starport.
Those with private ships fled immediately, while others desperately refreshed ticketing websites, hoping to purchase a ticket that could get them off Red Ring Star at once.
This was exactly the scene Centurion wanted to see.
He was gambling—gambling that Bai Fu wouldn’t dare act rashly because of his threat. Even if his move failed to intimidate her, the escaping ships would serve as his cover, buying him more time to flee.
“Born to cause trouble, huh!”
Bai Fu was furious.
This Disaster-class Old Deng was tough as nails—even after taking so many heavy hits from Scarlet Leaf, he could still stir up chaos.
Bai Fu quickly yanked out the Dark Domain Insect Queen, Cypris.
“You said before that you could command those parasites to kill themselves, right?”
Cypris nodded repeatedly, the two wing-like appendages near her ears trembling amusingly.
“No problem, but my power isn’t strong enough yet. I need to get closer to do it.”
“No big deal.”
With a confirmed answer, Bai Fu immediately piloted her ship toward Red Ring Star. On the way there, she received an in-game prompt informing her that she had triggered an emergency quest related to Red Ring Star.
These types of emergency quests could trigger anywhere, usually whenever a region experienced a crisis that required player intervention.
This Red Ring Star emergency quest involved the fate of the entire planet, so the rewards were significantly higher than usual.
The rewards would be determined by the damage caused by the parasite outbreak, but even the minimum reward for completing the quest was 25 million XP, 10 Attribute Points, and 100 Eye of Heaven Alliance Reputation.
Isn’t that a freebie?
Bai Fu was thrilled.
Full speed ahead!
With her ship at maximum velocity, she arrived at Red Ring Star even faster than Centurion.
Thanks to the Eye of Heaven Alliance having already coordinated with Red Ring Star’s law enforcement, no one came to bother Bai Fu during her landing.
“Bai Fu said she has a way to stop Centurion. Right now, all we can do is place our hopes on her.”
In the fleet that had rushed over to encircle Centurion after receiving Bai Fu’s message, Commander Mitchell was staring intently at the news livestream from Red Ring Star. Through the stream, he happened to see Bai Fu’s ship land, and soon after, Centurion appeared in the sky.
As Centurion began his attack declaration over the broadcast, all the available energy shields across Red Ring Star had already been activated.
As for weapons, a non-military zone like Red Ring Star couldn’t produce anything that posed a real threat to a Disaster-class enemy. Even if every cannon overheated from continuous fire, it would still only serve as a ceremonial salute for a Disaster-class Psionicist’s descent.
“Finally made it!”
Centurion’s eyes gleamed with excitement, a smile gradually replacing the fear and panic on his face.
Like Mitchell, he too saw Bai Fu’s ship.
But now, there was nothing to fear. Judging from earlier, his threats had been very effective.
In deep space, Bai Fu hadn’t dared to attack him recklessly, and she wouldn’t dare to make a move on Red Ring Star either.
Even if the Eye of Heaven Alliance arrived, he had nothing to fear. On such a densely populated planet, he could easily find a place to hide until the Master of the Secret Tower came to save him.
As fear vanished, fury took its place.
Centurion glanced down at Bai Fu on the ground and burst into laughter on the broadcast channel.
“You gave me such a generous gift just now—now it’s my turn to return the favor. I hope you can handle this one!”
Raising his brow, Centurion tried to activate the parasites inside the bodies of those around Bai Fu.
However, several seconds passed, and still—nothing happened. The runners kept running, the cowering continued trembling, and the only change was Bai Fu.
Bai Fu raised her right hand and flipped him the middle finger.
Old bastard, I’ve got hacks!
The moment her middle finger went up, Scarlet Leaf transformed once again into a firebird, drifting like a dragonfly across the water to appear right in front of Centurion.
Still the Ship-cutting Blade.
Still a vertical slash.
This time, Centurion didn’t even have time to show a terrified expression—before the Ship-cutting Blade cleaved through his skull.
A single downward cut!
Even someone of Disaster-class like him couldn’t withstand such a split-down-the-middle fatal blow.
And Scarlet Leaf, with the upper hand, would never stop at just one slash.
The ten-meter-long blade danced in Scarlet Leaf’s hands like a fruit knife. In an instant, she unleashed dozens of strikes. The blade light interwove through the air, resembling a blooming crimson lotus.
When the flurry of blade light finally vanished, Centurion’s figure was nowhere to be seen in the sky.
Boom!
The Master of the Secret Tower, who happened to witness this moment, smashed the electronic device in front of him with a single punch.
“Kill her—she must be killed!”
He roared with madness.
A Disaster-class had died—and in front of so many people, slain in such a fashion. The morale of the entire Secret Tower would instantly collapse. Once unity was lost, an organization like the Secret Tower would be doomed.
“Relax. She’s just a newbie who just stepped into the Disaster-class.”
The Dark Domain Insect Queen, summoned by the Master of the Secret Tower, coldly glanced at Scarlet Leaf.
Her voice echoed beside the Master of the Secret Tower, but the next second, she appeared inside the virtual screen in front of him.
This technique had been used before when Cersia was dispatched to support Tianshu Star—only this time, it was the Dark Domain Insect Queen herself who flashed in.
She came with intent to kill, full of confidence, ready to send Scarlet Leaf to her doom.
But the moment she appeared, she suddenly sensed a terrifying presence that filled her with dread.
Below!
Hidden in the void, the Dark Domain Insect Queen suddenly looked down and locked her gaze on Bai Fu—more precisely, on the box Bai Fu was carrying.
Her sight couldn’t penetrate the box, but she was one hundred percent sure—Cypris was inside!
Bai Fu had been collecting Dissociative Agent Base Samples—she really did know that gathering those would revive Cypris!
How did Bai Fu know?
How far had Cypris recovered?
Could she already be fully restored?
Could Red Ring Star be a trap targeting her?
What was Bai Fu’s true identity? Was she plotting something grand together with Cypris?
A thousand questions swirled through the Dark Domain Insect Queen’s mind.
If Cypris truly had made a full recovery, she wouldn’t stand a chance—Insect Swarm hierarchy respected bloodlines, and Cypris’s bloodline completely suppressed hers.
She was scared.
She didn’t dare gamble—if this was really a trap, her centuries of scheming would come to nothing.
Run!
The moment fear took hold, the Dark Domain Insect Queen vanished again.
Just as she disappeared, Cypris poked her head out of the box Bai Fu had been carrying.
“I felt it!”
“What?” Bai Fu blinked.
“That traitorous sneak who ambushed me—she was just here. She must’ve sensed my aura, and since she couldn’t determine my current strength, she withdrew!”
Cypris ground her teeth, seething with rage, her usual adolescent power fantasy demeanor gone.
“Help me. If you can help me regain my strength, I’ll tell you the greatest secret of the Dark Domain Insects!”
At that moment, another mission prompt sounded in Bai Fu’s ear.
[You’ve triggered the main quest: ‘Conflict of the Dark Domain Insects (II)’]
[Quest Description: …… ]
[Quest Objective: Help Cypris recover to Disaster-class level]
[Reward: 30 million XP, 3 Cypris Skill Cards, 1 random skill of Cypris]
Draw a skill?
Accept!
This quest was a must-take!
“I, Bai Fu, love helping others most!”