Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The two colossal war machines stormed onto the battlefield, their towering frames dwarfing even the Aegis reinforcements that flanked them. Three hundred Aegis units fanned out behind the Maulers, their weapons primed and ready.

The Maulers plasma cannons hummed to life, the barrels glowing an ominous blue as they locked onto the crystalline giants.

The golems barely had time to react before the Maulers unleashed hell. A torrent of high-powered plasma rounds tore through the air, streaking toward the golems like comets. The first volley struck dead-on, the energy searing into the creatures crystalline forms.

For a moment, the golems glowed while their bodies attempted to absorb the immense power, but this time, it was too much. The energy surged beyond their limits, and with a deafening crack, they shattered.

Crystalline limbs exploded in a cascade of light, with fragments raining down like shards of broken glass. All that remained were their legs, standing like eerie monuments to their destruction.

But the battle was far from over.

The remaining golems, sensing the true threat, turned their attention to the Maulers. And then they charged... Brute force meets brutal engineering

One of the Maulers detected the incoming threat, its systems whirring to life.

[enemy in close proximity. Activating chainsaw module.]

The closest golem swung its massive fist, the blow colliding with the Mauler's left arm. But the war machine didn't falter. Instead, it countered with brutal efficiency, raising its plasma cannon to block the impact while its right arm transformed.

With a roar, a serrated chainsaw blade erupted from its forearm, spinning to life with a deafening growl.

The golem's arm came down again, but this time, the Mauler met it head-on. The chainsaw tore through crystal-like paper, carving through the golem's arm with terrifying ease.

The creature let out a haunting, unnatural screech, its body recoiling as it tried to retreat but the Mauler didn't stop. It drove the chainsaw deeper, shredding through the golem's torso in a shower of sparks and shards.

And when the blade finally reached the core, the golem collapsed, its body disintegrating into dust.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent, the air thick with the weight of what had just transpired.

Nyra exhaled sharply, her grip tightening on her swords as she watched the Mauler step back, its chainsaw still dripping with crystalline fragments. "Damn," she muttered, her voice now being a mix of awe and unease. "Remind me to never piss off one of those things."

Lyra let out a breathless chuckle while her hands were still gripping her handguns. "Agreed."

Lyra slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder, bending down to retrieve it from the debris, when a sudden, chilling realization froze her in place. Her blood turned into ice.

"Wait… Sis…" Her voice was low, trembling with dread. "Do you remember what attracted those ugly creatures?"

She took a cautious step backward, her eyes darting across the mist-shrouded battlefield, scanning for movement.

Nyra, still catching her breath, barely glanced over. "Mmm? Yeah, why?"

Then it hit her.

Nyra's eyes widened in horror, her grip tightening on her twin blades. "The sound—"

Before she could finish, the mist erupted.

A deafening, ear-splitting screech tore through the air as countless Harvesters surged forward from the fog. Their grotesque forms writhed and skittered in a nightmarish tide of razorsharp limbs and gnashing mandibles. The swarm was endless, a living wave of destruction.

"ALL UNITS, FIRE AT WILL!" Lyra shouted out, her voice cutting through the chaos. She raised her rifle, the barrel glowing red as she squeezed the trigger. A searing beam lanced through the first wave of Harvesters, dropping several in a single shot.

The Harvesters were fast and their movements were erratic and frenzied, but their bodies were fragile; plasma and laser fire tore through them like paper. Yet they had one overwhelming advantage: numbers.

Thousands of them poured forward, hissing and screeching, climbing over each other in a frenzied, unstoppable charge. The Aegis units held the line, forming a tight, three-layered circle. Their gunfire was relentless, like a storm of bullets and energy beams that ripped through the creatures in waves. But the swarm pressed on, undeterred.

The Maulers stomped forward, their massive frames crushing Harvesters underfoot, their plasma cannons roared, and chainsaw blades whirred, carving through the grotesque creatures with brutal efficiency. The Harvesters attacks glanced harmlessly off the Maulers reinforced plating, but the sheer volume of the swarm was overwhelming.

Then a sudden explosion of blinding light detonated across the battlefield, a flashbang effect that turned the world white. Nyra's vision burned, and she instinctively shielded her eyes, her balance faltering atop the Mauler's massive frame.

"LYRA! ARE YOU OKAY?!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of gunfire and screeching Harvesters.

Lyra's voice crackled through the comms, shaky but determined. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine.... but I think I'm blind! And... oh no.... I hear metal being torn apart! Sis, the horror movies weren't lying!"

Nyra gritted her teeth, forcing her vision to clear. "Get to higher ground!"

But that was easier said than done.

The Harvesters, blind by nature, were completely unaffected by the flashbang. The Aegis units, however, were not so lucky. Their targeting systems continued firing, but their accuracy was severely impaired. Openings appeared in their formation, and the Harvesters exploited them mercilessly.

The sound of metal screeching and bending filled the air as the creatures tore into the weakened units. Armor plating was ripped apart, exposed circuits clawed at, and entire units devoured like prey. The battlefield was a nightmare of chaos and destruction.

The ground shook violently beneath them, and Nyra's head snapped up just in time to see them.

More golems.

They emerged from the mist, their hulking crystalline forms glistening in the eerie light. Without hesitation, they charged, their massive fists colliding with the Maulers. The war machines energy shields absorbed the brunt of the attacks, but the force behind each blow was monstrous. The Maulers were being pushed back, their titanic frames struggling to hold their ground.

Nyra's vision finally cleared and her stomach dropped.

The Mauler she stood on had been forced deep into the lake. Cold water lapped at its half-submerged frame, rising higher and higher. And beneath the surface something moved.

The water churned, dark and ominous. Nyra's instincts screamed at her to move, but there was nowhere to go. The Mauler was sinking, its systems struggling against the weight of the water and the relentless assault from the golems.

"Lyra!" Nyra shouted, her voice desperate. "We've got a problem! Something's in the water!"

Lyra's response was cut off by a sudden, guttural roar that echoed from the depths. The surface of the lake erupted as a massive, serpentine creature burst forth, its scales glistening like polished obsidian. Its jaws were lined with rows of jagged teeth, and its eyes glowed with a malevolent light.

The creature lunged at the Mauler, its massive body coiling around the war machine. The Mauler's chainsaw blade roared to life, slicing through the creature's scales, but it was like trying to cut through steel. The serpent tightened its grip, and the Mauler's frame groaned under the pressure.

Nyra leapt from the Mauler's back, landing on a nearby rock. She raised her twin blades, her eyes locked on the creature. "Lyra, we need to take this thing down! now!"

Lyra, still partially blind, fumbled for her handguns. "I'm trying, but I can't see a damn thing!"

The Harvesters continued to swarm, the golems pressed their attack, and the serpent tightened its grip on the Mauler. The battlefield was a maelstrom of chaos, and Nyra knew they were running out of time.

But as she stood there, blades in hand, a grim determination settled over her. They had faced impossible odds before, and they had always found a way to survive.

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This time would be no different...

Or so she thought.@@novelbin@@

The massive serpent's jaws clamped down with bone-crushing force, shattering the Mauler's shield as if it were brittle glass. Its fangs, long as daggers, sank deep into the reinforced plating, the metal groaning and bending under the pressure until nothing remained but mangled scraps.

With terrifying ease, the beast lifted the ruined Mauler from the lake, its coils writhing, its sheer size expanding before their very eyes.

Nyra's breath hitched. Her fingers tightened around her twin blades, the weight of the situation pressing down on her like a suffocating fog. "Oh, damn..." The words barely left her lips before the cold, mechanical voice of her scanner confirmed her worst fear.

[Scan complete.]

Threat Level: Tier 4 (Middle).

[Warning: Enemy vastly exceeds your power level. Distress signal sent. Recommended course of action.... RUN.]

{Run? Theres nowhere to run!}

The Mauler's power was Tier 3 Middle. Nyra and Lyra, even together, barely scraped the peak of Tier 2. Against a Tier 4 Middle beast, they weren't warriors, they were just prey. Even if they injected the golden blood, their max limit was Tier 3 Middle. Not enough.... not even close.

The serpent's piercing bluish eyes locked onto them. Hungry. Calculating.

Water surged as it coiled, it muscles rippling beneath its glistening scales. The ground beneath their boots trembled. It was toying with them.

Nyra swallowed hard while her mind raced. "Lyra, we're not getting out of this easily. Reinforcements are coming, but we need to buy time." Her voice was steady, but her pulse thundered in her ears, each heartbeat a drum of impending doom.

Lyra met her gaze, jaw clenched while her hands tightening around her handguns. No hesitation. No fear. Just resolve.

Nyra exhaled sharply, then shouted out a sharp command. "Golden blood! NOW!!"