Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Their power armor whirred to life, the system responding instantly. Syringes hissed as the golden blood was injected into their veins. Fire roared through their bodies, a surge of raw power that burned away fatigue and fear.

Their vision sharpened, their reflexes heightened, and their strength amplified. But even with the golden blood, they were still outmatched.

The serpent lunged, its massive body uncoiling like a spring, its jaws wide open, ready to devour them whole.

Nyra and Lyra moved as one, their movements synchronized by years of battle and unspoken trust. Nyra's twin blades flashed, striking at the creature's scales, while Lyra's handguns barked, each shot aimed at the serpent's glowing eyes. Sparks flew as their attacks connected, but the beast barely flinched.

The serpent's tail whipped around like a blur of motion that sent Nyra flying. She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Lyra dodged the follow-up strike, her movements a blur as she unleashed a barrage of armor-piercing rounds into the creature's underbelly.

The bullets tore through its scales, drawing blood, but the wounds were still too superficial.

The serpent roared with a sound that shook the very air and lunged again. Nyra rolled to her feet, her blades slicing through the air as she met the creature head-on. She struck with everything she had, her attacks a flurry of precision and desperation.

But the serpent was relentless, its sheer size and power overwhelming.

Lyra's voice crackled through the comms, strained but determined. "Sis, we can't keep this up! We need a plan!"

Nyra grated her teeth while her mind raced. The golden blood was burning through their systems; the power surge was already beginning to wane. They were running out of time.

Then she saw it.... a glimmer of hope. The serpent's underbelly, where Lyra's shots had drawn blood, was slightly softer, less armored. A weak point.

"Lyra!" Nyra shouted while dodging another strike. "Aim for the underbelly! We need to hit it with everything we've got!"

Lyra didn't hesitate. She holstered one of her handguns, pulling a grenade from her belt. "On your mark!" Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Nyra charged, her blades a blur as she drew the serpent's attention. The creature lunged at her, its jaws snapping shut inches from her face. She ducked, sliding beneath its massive body, and struck upward with all her strength. Her blades pierced the softer scales, drawing a roar of pain from the beast.

"NOW!" Nyra screamed.

Lyra hurled the grenade, the explosive arcing through the air and lodging itself in the wound Nyra had created. The serpent thrashed, its massive body writhing in agony, but it was too late.

The grenade detonated, the explosion tearing through the creature's underbelly. Blood and meat sprayed in all directions as the serpent let out a final, deafening roar. Its massive body collapsed, shaking the ground as it fell.

Nyra and Lyra stood there, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling from the adrenaline and the effects of the golden blood. The battlefield was silent, the swarm of Harvesters momentarily stunned by the death of their monstrous ally.

But the silence didn't last....

The twins had no idea... no one truly did until they stood face-to-face with one, just how terrifying a Tier 4 creature could be.

Rex knew. He'd fought one before. An Oceanic Tier 4, a leviathan of the deep, a monstrosity that defied reason. Even with the Kaelzar Emperor Halo, an artifact of unimaginable power, it had taken a near-infinite surge of energy just to pierce its hide.

And even that hadn't been enough. It had required the combined might of the Human Empire's allied fleet, raining down relentless firepower, to finally bring the beast down. It had taken everything.... every resource, every ounce of strength, every shred of willpower.

So how in the hell could a grenade even scratch this one?

Tier 4 creatures weren't just mindless beasts. They were intelligent, calculating, and merciless. Their main power wasn't just raw strength; it was the ability to channel energy attacks with surgical precision, each strike designed to annihilate.

And the twins had just made a fatal mistake.

With their backs turned, the Leviathan stirred. Six luminous eyes snapped open, glowing like dying stars, locking onto them with chilling precision. In the span of a microsecond... faster than thought, faster than instinct... its pupils contracted.

Six concentrated laser beams erupted from its eyes, cutting through the air like blades of pure energy.

There was no time to react. No time to scream.

For Lyra, the world seemed to slow, the edges of her vision blurring as the attack unfolded. She barely registered the danger. But Nyra saw it.

Her breath hitched. Her muscles coiled. Move.

She didn't think... she acted.

With every ounce of strength in her body, she kicked Lyra out of the blast zone. The force of it sent her twin tumbling across the battlefield, barely escaping the laser's deadly reach.

But there was no time to save herself.

The first beam tore through her leg, slicing clean through flesh and bone as if they were paper. A second and third punched into her chest, burning through armor and skin alike. Another ripped into her abdomen, searing through her core.

Agony. Unbearable, searing agony.

Lyra hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her senses. For a moment, she couldn't process what had just happened... then she saw it.

"NYRA!!!"

The scream tore from her throat, raw and broken, echoing across the battlefield.

Far away, on the plateau, Rex sat in his command tent, scanning reports from Cleo about the creatures lurking in the mist. Everything was routine until a sudden, unbearable pain lanced through his heart. It was so intense, so visceral, it nearly brought him to his knees.

{What the hell…? What is this feeling?}

His mind reeled. This wasn't physical pain. It was something else. Something deeper.

Mini Cleo instantly reacted, running a full-body scan. Since her senses were linked with his, she felt it too.... the sharp, suffocating pain in her own chest.

"Master! There's no sign of damage to your organic or bionic systems; could it be a temporary bug?" Mini Cleo's voice came through, her holographic form flickering as a full 4D scan of Rex's body displayed all green. No abnormalities. No malfunctions.

But he knew better.

His fingers curled into fists, his knuckles white. His breath came in uneven gasps. The feeling didn't fade, it only got worse. A creeping, suffocating sense of dread settled over him like a storm cloud, heavy and unrelenting.

His eyes snapped toward the mist... toward the direction where the twins were supposed to be.

He didn't need confirmation. He knew.

A single name formed in his mind, cold and sharp like a dagger to the soul.

{Nyra...}

Without hesitation, Rex activated Overdrive Mode. His body surged with energy, his systems roaring to life as he launched himself into the sky, streaking toward the last place he could feel them.

No. Not them.

Just Lyra.

Nyra's presence was fading.

The battlefield was a nightmare frozen in time. The air hung heavy with the acrid stench of burning metal and organic matter, the ground littered with the shattered remains of Aegis units and the grotesque bodies of Harvesters.

The Leviathan loomed over it all, its six luminous eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence, its massive form coiled like a predator ready to strike again.

Nyra lay crumpled on the ground, her body broken and bleeding. The lasers had torn through her with surgical precision, leaving gaping wounds that pulsed with searing pain.

Her leg was nearly severed, her chest and abdomen riddled with holes. Blood pooled beneath her, dark and glistening in the eerie light of the mist. Her twin blades lay scattered nearby, their edges dulled and chipped from the battle.

But even as her vision blurred and her strength faded, Nyra's mind was clear. She could hear Lyra's scream, distant and muffled, as if it were coming from another world. She wanted to call out, to reassure her sister, but her voice wouldn't come.

All she could do was watch as the Leviathan turned its gaze toward Lyra, its eyes narrowing with predatory intent.

The creature's massive body shifted, its scales scraping against the ground like a thousand knives. It was preparing to strike again, and this time, Lyra wouldn't be fast enough to escape.

Nyra's heart clenched. No. Not Lyra. Not like this.

With the last of her strength, she reached for the golden blood injector strapped to her wrist. Her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the mechanism, her vision swimming in and out of focus. She had to do something. Anything. Even if it killed her.

The injector hissed as it released its final dose of golden blood into her veins. Fire erupted in her body, a surge of power that burned through the pain and exhaustion. Her vision sharpened, her muscles tensed, and for a moment, she felt alive again.

But it wasn't enough. Not to fight. Not to win. Only to move.

Nyra's body screamed in protest as she forced herself to her feet. Her leg buckled, but she caught herself, leaning heavily on one of her blades. Blood dripped from her wounds, staining the ground beneath her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't.

The Leviathan's eyes locked onto her, its gaze cold and calculating. It knew she was no threat. It knew she was already dead. But Nyra didn't care. She raised her blade, her grip tightening despite the pain.@@novelbin@@

"Hey!" she shouted, her voice hoarse but defiant. "Over here, you overgrown worm!"

The Leviathan's head tilted, almost as if it were amused. Then, with a speed that defied its size, it lunged.

Nyra didn't flinch. She couldn't. Instead, she threw herself forward, her blade aimed at the creature's nearest eye. It was a desperate, suicidal move.... but it was all she had.

The blade struck true, piercing the Leviathan's eye and sinking deep into the soft tissue beneath. The creature roared, its body thrashing as it recoiled from the attack. Nyra was thrown away, her body slamming into the ground with bone-jarring force.

She didn't get up....