Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Gustav charged toward Nyra like a rabid beast, his claws tearing into the earth with every leap. But Nyra wasn't scared.

She dropped her favorite crimson blade with an almost casual disdain, her crimson eyes gleaming with dangerous playfulness. From her belt, she grabbed a small black orb and hurled it into the air just as Gustav lunged to strike her.

Nyra, meanwhile, used Gustav's own momentum against him, grabbing his massive claw mid-swing and using it to launch herself high into the air. Her agility was unmatched as she twisted gracefully mid-flight, and the black orb Nyra had thrown moments earlier began to transform.

With a metallic sound, it unfolded into a two-meter-long scythe that shimmered ominously in the light.

Nyra grabbed the weapon with both hands and swung it downward in a deadly arc, aiming to cut through Gustav. But the beast's instincts screamed danger, and he dodged just in time, the scythe narrowly missing him by inches.

"Hahaha! What's wrong, little kitty?" Nyra taunted, her laughter echoing like a predator toying with its prey. "Not so brave anymore? Why are you running? Come on, let's play!"

Nyra charged forward, her movements like a deadly dance as she swung the scythe with a lethal elegance that was almost hypnotic. Each slash created arcs of crimson light, forcing Gustav to stay on the defensive.

He roared in frustration, backing further into the chaotic battlefield where the Mauler and Nexum's mecha suits were locked in their own devastating clash.

With stray bullets, laser beams, and explosions erupting all around them, Nyra's scythe swings became less precise as she focused on dodging the incoming chaos. Gustav, noticing her slight hesitation, smirked and bared his teeth.

"What's wrong, devil?" Gustav growled, his voice dripping with malice. "Not so tough anymore?"

As if on cue, a stray laser beam blasted the ground near Nyra, forcing her to leap into the air to avoid it. Gustav seized the opportunity, lunging forward with lightning speed. His jaws clamped down near Nyra's shoulder, teeth sinking deep into her flesh.

"Ahhhh!" Nyra screamed in pain as blood poured from the wound.

"Let go of me, you damn mongrel!" she yelled, her voice a mixture of fury and agony. Her hand shot to the laser handgun strapped to her thigh. In a flash, she aimed it at Gustav's abdomen, but he was quicker.

He released her shoulder just as she fired, dodging the shot with an almost mocking agility.

Nyra staggered back, clutching her shoulder. Her breathing was ragged, and her crimson blood dripped onto the ground, staining the dirt. Panic flashed across her face as she realized something was wrong.

"Wait... why am I not healing?" She muttered, her voice trembling. Her wounds, which normally were quick to close, remained open, the blood flow stubbornly refusing to stop.

Gustav stood a short distance away, his face twisted into a cruel grin. His mouth was smeared with Nyra's blood, making his already fearsome appearance even more grotesque.

"Hahaha! This is all you've got?" Gustav taunted her, his voice laced with mockery. "Where's that arrogant smile from before? Look at you now, bleeding like a scared little brat!"

Nyra's eyes burned with humiliation and fury as she struggled to steady herself. Before she could respond, gunshots rang out, aimed directly at Gustav. But the lion's instincts kicked in, and he dodged the bullets with a feline grace.

"Sister! Let me see the injury!" Lyra's voice rang out as she rushed to Nyra's side. Without waiting for permission, she tore open the clothes around Nyra's wound.

"F-fuck! Lyra, could you be gentler? That really hurts!" Nyra complained, her crimson eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, stop whining! You'll be fine," Lyra muttered, inspecting the wound. Her expression darkened. "But it looks like his saliva is slowing down your healing ability somehow." She tossed a blood pack to Nyra, keeping her gaze locked on Gustav in case he made a sudden move.

"What?! Ewww! I don't want that stray dog's saliva inside me!" Nyra cried, her voice laced with disgust. "You know what? Let me bleed it out! I'll just bleed until all that nasty saliva is gone!" She groaned dramatically, then added with a crazed grin, "The only saliva allowed in me is Rex's!"

Lyra's face turned beet red as she slapped her forehead. "W-w-would you stop shouting stuff like that, you idiot?" She smacked Nyra on the head. "Anyway, this isn't the time for your nonsense! That beast's ability is dangerous, especially if it bites a vital area. We need to suit up!"

With that, Lyra pulled a hand-sized ruby from her jacket.

"Tsk. Fine," Nyra grumbled, still pouting. She reached for a matching ruby from her belt. "But this little kitty is going to pay for infecting me!"

The sisters crushed the rubies in unison, and within seconds, a swarm of crimson nanomaterial poured out of the shattered stones. The liquid-like substance crawled across their bodies, forming sleek, armored power suits that pulsed with energy.

Read latest chapters at empire

Nyra flexed her hands, feeling the surge of strength triple her physical abilities. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" she said with a wicked grin. "Let's hunt that mangy mutt. I want his head mounted on my wall!"

Her scythe, once a simple black blade, transformed into a long crimson sword crackling with energy. Nyra darted forward, faster than before, closing the gap between herself and Gustav in seconds. She swung the blade with terrifying precision, aiming directly for his head.

Gustav, sensing the danger, managed to dodge at the last second, but not entirely. The blade's edge grazed his face, slicing clean through his left eye.

"RAAAARGH!" Gustav roared in agony, clutching the side of his face as blood gushed from the wound.

"Gotcha, kitty!" Nyra said, her grin widening. She licked a stray drop of her own blood from her lip, her eyes burning with a sadistic glee. "Let's see how tough you are now, half-blind."

Lyra stepped up beside her, her twin pistols gleaming under the light. "Don't get cocky, sis. This isn't over yet."

The sisters faced Gustav, who snarled like a cornered animal, blood dripping from his ruined eye. The battlefield seemed to freeze for a moment, the air heavy with tension.

Inside the sleek, high-tech observation room of Nexum's facilities, one of the lead scientists adjusted his glasses as he delivered his report. "Lord Harlix, the vaccine was a success. The experimental subject is engaging two Tier 2 low targets in combat and holding its own."

Harlix, who stood at a safe vantage point away from the chaos of the battlefield, turned his attention from the titanic clash between the Mauler and his mecha forces to the footage now displayed on his holographic tablet.

He studied Gustav's movements with a critical eye, the sound of battle outside fading into the background.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Mmm..." Harlix hummed thoughtfully, his metallic fingers drumming against the side of his armored mech. "While the results are promising, it's far from ready for deployment. The subject is unstable; it uses its own allies as shields. That kind of unpredictability is too risky for widespread use in our forces."

He closed the footage with a sharp flick of his hand and turned his gaze back to the scientist. "Continue monitoring the experimental subject. Every scrap of data will be invaluable in creating a more refined vaccine. One that's... controllable."

Before the scientist could respond, a spear crackling with electricity came hurtling toward Harlix. With a screech of metal and sparks flying, one of his mech's tentacles snapped up just in time to block the projectile, though the force of the impact left the appendage visibly damaged.

"What do we have here?" Harlix said with his voice calm yet tinged with curiosity as he turned to face the new arrivals. His glowing yellow eyes locked onto the figure who had thrown the spear, a man whose weapon flew back into his hand through a chain of crackling lightning.

Harlix's gaze sharpened. "Only two of you?" he mused aloud, tilting his head in mock disappointment.

The spear-wielder stood tall, his aura crackling with the raw power of a storm. His weapon, now firmly in his grip again, glowed faintly with arcs of electricity that danced along its length.

The other figure beside him was a stark contrast, a woman with flowing blonde hair that whipped wildly in the strong winds around them. She stood poised and serene, her eyes closed, as if she had no need to see the battlefield to fully perceive it.

Harlix's lips curled into a smirk. "Ah, I see now. Humans. That explains the abilities. Fascinating creatures, your kind. You always manage to defy logic, pulling powers from the brink of death itself."

"I've spent years experimenting on your species, trying to unlock the secrets of your abilities. But... they always end up breaking." His voice rose with excitement, his words dripping with dark amusement.

"Now, to have not one but two specimens with awakened abilities standing right before me... Oh, the possibilities!" His metallic claws clinked together as if in anticipation.

"Surrender to me now, and I promise I'll make the experience painless," he said while taking a step closer, his towering mech exuding an aura of dominance.

The woman opened her eyes for the first time, piercing gray orbs burning with an icy fury that seemed to freeze the air around her. Her expression twisted into one of pure disgust.

"Brother," she said, her voice calm yet seething with barely restrained rage, "we must take this creature alive. The suffering he has inflicted on our kind... It's unforgivable. He deserves to be tortured until his wretched existence reaches its natural end."

The man nodded, gripping his spear tighter. "Understood, sister. Leave him to me."

Harlix chuckled, tilting his head. "Oh? You think you can capture me? What makes you think—"

He didn't get to finish.