Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Nyra took the device, tossing it between her fingers with a practiced ease before tucking it into her belt. She glanced at Lyra, who was still staring at the spot where the holo-screen had been, her expression was a mix of disbelief and resignation.

"Alright then," Nyra said, her tone brisk. "If everything's already been decided, we might as well get moving. The sooner we finish this, the better."

Before Lyra could respond, Nyra grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the gathered forces. Lyra stumbled slightly, her boots scraping against the rocky ground as she tried to keep up.

"H-Hey! I can walk on my own, you know!" Lyra protested, though there was no real heat in her voice. She quickly matched her sister's pace, falling into step beside her.

Ahead, rows of Aegis units stood in tight formations, their plasma rifles gleaming faintly in the mist. Nyra quickly selected two squads of 250 Blood Legion units per group and with their forces assembled, they marched into the mist.

As they moved, Nyra couldn't help but notice something unsettling... the fog was thicker than before... much thicker.

It clung to them like a living thing, reducing visibility to mere meters. The air felt heavier, colder, as if the mist itself was alive and watching. A bad feeling settled in her gut, a primal instinct warning her that they were walking into something far more dangerous than they realized.

Lyra must have felt it too, because she glanced at Nyra and talked to her in a low voice. "Sis… this doesn't feel right."

Nyra nodded while her eyes scanned the swirling fog ahead. "I know. But we don't have a choice. Whatever's out there, we need to find it before it finds us."

The mist seemed to close in around them, its oppressive weight pressing down on their shoulders.

"Sis… do you remember those horror movies we watched last month?"

Lyra's voice was barely above a whisper as she stepped closer to Nyra. Around them, their troops fanned out, cautiously searching the mist-covered lake, their silhouettes barely visible through the dense fog.

Nyra let out a slow breath, her fingers tightening around her blades. "Yes, I remember. But I'm pretty sure now isn't the best time to bring that up... especially when we're standing in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mist so thick I can't even see my own damn fingers."

Lyra swallowed hard. "I… I know, but I can't stop thinking about that one movie. The one where there's a serial killer lurking in a city covered in mist…"

Her eyes flicked in every direction, watching, waiting, then... they heard it.

In the distance, the sharp, rapid bursts of plasma rifle fire echoed through the fog. A moment later, the ground shuddered beneath their feet, sensing a deep, rhythmic tremor, as if something massive was moving toward them.@@novelbin@@

Nyra's instincts screamed.

"Lyra! Come on!"

She grabbed her sister's arm, yanking her toward the nearest vantage point of a large, jagged rock formation jutting out from the uneven terrain. With a single leap, they landed atop it, Nyra immediately started scanning their surroundings while Lyra activated her laser sniper rifle.

The mist swirled, shifting ominously around them.

Lyra's fingers flew over her arm-mounted comm device. "Squad One and Two! Suspend the search and regroup at my position! Now!"

But the response never came. Instead, a shadow loomed from the fog with a deep, rumbling sound filling the air as something massive emerged from the mist.

Then a crystallized fist, the size of a boulder, came crashing down toward them.

The rock they stood on trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. A towering crystal golem loomed before them, its enormous hands clawing at the rock, desperate to reach them.

Nyra's heart pounded as the crystal golem's massive fist slammed into the rock formation again, sending shards of stone flying in every direction. The ground beneath them groaned, threatening to give way at any moment. She tightened her grip on her blades, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.

"Lyra, we need to move now!" Nyra shouted out, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Lyra didn't need to be told twice. She slung her laser rifle over her shoulder and leaped off the crumbling rock, landing in a roll on the uneven ground below. Nyra followed, her movements swift and precise, her blades gleaming faintly in the dim light.

The crystal golem roared, its voice a deep, guttural sound that reverberated through the mist. It swung its massive arm again, this time shattering the rock formation completely. Debris rained down around them as the twins sprinted away, their boots pounding against the rocky terrain.

"Where the hell did this thing come from?!" Lyra shouted while glancing over her shoulder as the golem lumbered after them, its crystalline body glowing faintly in the fog.

"No idea, but it's not alone!" Nyra replied, her sharp eyes catching movement in the mist. More shadows were emerging, taller, bulkier, their forms unmistakable. "We've got more incoming!"

Lyra cursed under her breath, her fingers flying over her arm-mounted comm device again. "All units, this is General Lyra! We're under attack by crystal golems! Converge on my position immediately!"

But the comms remained silent, the mist seemingly swallowing their transmissions. Lyra's heart sank. "Sis, I think the mist is blocking our signals. We're on our own."

Nyra gritted her teeth while her mind raced. "Then we'll have to handle this ourselves. Stick close to me."

The first golem was nearly on them, its massive fists raised high, ready to crush them into the ground. Nyra darted to the side, her blades flashing as she slashed at the creature's leg. The strike sparked against the crystal, but it barely left a scratch.

"Damn it, these things are tough!" Nyra growled while dodging another swing.

Lyra, meanwhile, had taken cover behind a boulder, her laser rifle aimed at the golem's glowing core. She fired a concentrated beam, the energy searing through the air and striking the creature's chest. The golem staggered, its core flickering, but it didn't fall.

"It's not enough!" Lyra shouted, her voice tinged with frustration. "We need more firepower!"

Nyra's eyes darted around, searching for anything they could use to their advantage. Her gaze landed on a cluster of plasma grenades strapped to the belt of a fallen Aegis unit nearby. "Lyra, cover me!"

Without waiting for a response, Nyra sprinted toward the fallen soldier, her blades deflecting a swipe from the golem as she moved. She grabbed the grenades, her fingers working quickly to arm them.

"Lyra, aim for its core when I say so!" Nyra shouted, her voice carrying over the golem's roars.

Lyra nodded, her laser rifle already aimed at the creature's chest. Nyra hurled the plasma grenades at the golem's feet, the explosives detonating in a blinding flash of light. The force of the blast sent the golem stumbling backward, its core exposed.

"Now!" Nyra yelled.

Lyra fired, her laser beam striking the core with pinpoint accuracy. The golem let out a deafening roar as its core shattered, its massive body collapsing to the ground in a heap of glowing crystal shards.

But their victory was short-lived.

More golems were closing in, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground. The mist seemed to thicken around them, reducing visibility even further.

Nyra and Lyra stood back-to-back, their weapons at the ready.

"This is bad," Lyra muttered, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yeah," Nyra agreed, her grip tightening on her blades. "But we're not going down without a fight."

The golems charged, their crystalline forms glinting in the dim light. The twins braced themselves, their resolve unshakable.

And then, a familiar voice crackled through their comms.

[Generals, reinforcements are en route. Hold your position.]

Nyra's eyes widened. "X-7? How the hell—?"

[The mist's interference is sporadic. I managed to establish a brief connection. Reinforcements will arrive in approximately two minutes.]

Lyra let out a relieved laugh. "Two minutes? We can handle that."

Nyra smirked, her blades gleaming as she faced the approaching golems. "I hope so."

The twins charged forward, their movements synchronized as they met the crystal golems head-on.

Nyra moved like a wraith, her form a blur of darkness as she danced between the crushing blows of the two towering golems. Their massive crystal fists hammered into the ground with earth-shattering force, fracturing stone and sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.

But Nyra was a tempest, swift and untouchable. Her twin blades flickered like lightning, striking against the golems crystalline bodies with surgical precision. Yet, for all her skill, her attacks barely left a mark. No blood. No nerves to sever. The golems were relentless, unfeeling but that didn't matter. Nyra wasn't trying to kill them.

She was buying time.

Across the battlefield, Lyra had abandoned her sniper rifle, her hands now gripping dual handguns loaded with armor-piercing rounds. She moved like a phantom, her every step calculated, her every shot a masterpiece of precision.

The golems swung at her, their fists carving through the air with bone-crushing force, but she was always just out of reach. Her bullets struck true, each round punching nearly 10 centimeters into the crystalline bodies of the creatures. But the problem was that the core was buried 30 centimeters deep. Her shots weren't enough.

But they didn't need to win. They just needed to hold the line for three more minutes.

And then... A deep, mechanical voice boomed across the battlefield, cutting through the chaos like a thunderclap. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

[Unidentified enemy detected. Proceeding to exterminating.]

The Mauler Juggernauts had arrived.