Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Paladin Seris and her forces had managed to retreat a few kilometers from the relentless pursuit of the golems main force, but the Harvesters were still hot on their trail. The situation was still dire.

Seris now found herself staring down at two towering Golems, their hulking forms casting long, ominous shadows over the battlefield.

Her Zealots, though valiant, were running dangerously low on ammo, their suppressing fire growing sporadic as the Harvesters closed in, their metallic limbs glinting with deadly intent.

{What should I do?}

she thought, her mind racing even as her body screamed for rest.

{I'm exhausted, and these Golems... they're like mountains. My attacks barely scratch them. And they don't tire. They just keep coming... Shit...}

She clenched her teeth while her grip tightened on her weapon.

{At this point, the only option is to throw everything we have at them. If we can take down the Golems, maybe just maybe some of us can make it out alive}

Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the golems lunged at her, its massive fist carving through the air like a wrecking ball. Seris twisted her body, her instincts screaming at her to move, but the fatigue of two relentless hours of combat had taken its toll.

She managed to evade the worst of the blow, but the golem's fist still grazed her leg, the impact sending her tumbling across the broken ground. She rolled to a stop, her armor scraping against the dirt, pain shooting up her side.

{Tsk, I knew this was coming...}

She thought, wincing as she pushed herself to her feet.

{Well, there's no other choice now. I'll have to burn my holy energy. It's the only way to buy us more time.}

Seris was no ordinary warrior. Like all Paladins, she was a Tier 3 powerhouse, her physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary soldiers. But what set her apart were her two unique abilities.

The first was her passive: precognition. For three fleeting seconds, she could foresee her enemy's attacks, predicting their movements with uncanny accuracy. But it was a double-edged sword.

Precognition meant nothing if her body couldn't keep up. Years of grueling training had honed her reflexes to near perfection, turning what could have been a useless skill into a deadly weapon. Yet, even that wasn't enough to earn her a place among the Holy Saintess's ten Paladins.@@novelbin@@

No, what truly made Seris one of the elite was her second ability: the power to burn the energy within her body, amplifying her physical strength to levels that dwarfed even other Tier 3 warriors.

For a brief, glorious window, she could become a force of nature, her speed and power tripling as cosmic energy coursed through her veins. But such power came at a cost. After ten minutes, her body would give out, leaving her unconscious and convulsing from the sheer strain. It was a last resort, a gamble that could save her people or doom her.

As she braced herself, preparing to unleash her ability, the ground beneath her trembled. One of the Golems charged, its massive frame barreling toward her like a freight train. Seris gritted her teeth, her muscles coiling as she prepared to meet it head-on.

But before she could move, something streaked down from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the Golem with earth-shattering force. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, and when the dust cleared, the Golem lay in ruins, its form crushed beneath the weight of... something.

Before Seris could process what had happened, the second Golem lunged at her. But it never reached her. Two massive, black hands with glowing green claws emerged from the mist, seizing the Golem by its shoulders.

The creature let out a guttural roar as it was lifted off the ground, its crystaline body writhing in the grip of an unseen force. Seris's eyes widened as the mist parted, revealing a towering, shadowy figure, a beast of nightmare and legend, its eyes burning with an otherworldly light.

The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat, the air thick with tension. Seris stood frozen, her mind racing.

{What... what is that?.... hold on... isn't that...} she thought, her breath catching in her throat. The beast turned its gaze toward her, and for a moment, she felt the weight of its presence pressing down on her like a physical force.

Then, with a roar that shook the heavens, it tore the Golem apart like paper, its claws slicing through its tought as if it were butter.

From the sky, massive black warrior-like insects descended, their carapace gleaming with an eerie green light. They crashed onto the battlefield with the force of a falling star, sending tremors through the earth.

The creatures moved with terrifying precision, their razor-sharp limbs slicing through Harvesters as if they were mere paper. Bioplasma shots erupted from its form, each blast obliterating dozens of the enemy in a single, devastating strike.

Yet, amidst the chaos, Seris noticed something that sent a chill down her spine... the insects weren't attacking her soldiers. It was as if they were invisible to them.

"Everyone, stay calm! Don't attack them!" Seris shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos while her eyes remained locked on the towering black beast before her, its glowing green aura casting an otherworldly light across the battlefield.

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to remain steady.

"W-what are you doing here?" Seris asked while her body tensied as the beast Lykos began to move toward her. His wolf-like form loomed over her, his glowing eyes piercing through the mist and smoke.

He stopped mere inches from her, his breath hot and heavy against her helmet. The sheer presence of him was overwhelming, like a primal force that made her instincts scream to run. But she stood her ground, her voice trembling only slightly.

Lykos tilted his head, his voice a low-like guttural growl that seemed to reverberate through her very bones. "I'm here to feed myself. But that's not the question you should be asking. Instead, it should be me asking you, What is someone as weak as you doing here?"

Seris bristled at his words, her pride flaring even as fear gnawed at her. "What else would I be doing here? I'm fighting these things!" She shot back while trying to step away from him.

But Lykos was faster. His clawed hand shot out, gripping her hips and pulling her close until his face was almost touching her helmet. She could feel the heat of his breath, the raw power radiating from his form.

"You? Fighting?" Lykos sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Know your place, woman. Your body belongs to me. What would I do if someone or something ate you first?" His claw traced the edge of her helmet, the sharp tip scraping against the metal with a sound that made her skin crawl.

Seris's anger flared, overriding her fear. "Who are you to say I'm yours!?" she shouted while shoving against him with all her strength. For a moment, it seemed to work since Lykos released her, stepping back.

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But then, in the blink of an eye, he transformed. His humanoid form melted away, replaced by the towering, monstrous werewolf she had seen earlier. His roar was deafening, a primal sound that shook the air and sent shockwaves rippling through the ground. Seris was thrown off her feet, landing hard on her back as the force of his roar battered her senses.

The human soldiers raised their weapons; their faces paled with fear, but Seris quickly raised a hand. "Hold your fire!" she commanded, her voice strained but firm. She didn't know what Lykos was planning, but attacking him now would be suicide.

To her surprise, Lykos didn't press the attack. Instead, he turned away from her, his glowing eyes fixed on the mist that shrouded the battlefield. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound that sent a shiver down her spine. Something was out there... something even Lykos seemed wary of.

Seris pushed herself to her feet while staring at the same place Lykos was watching.

Seris's eyes narrowed as she peered into the mist, the eerie green glow of the insect warrior's bioplasma shots illuminating the chaos within. But it wasn't just the green light that caught her attention.

Streaks of red laser fire sliced through the fog, and the unmistakable hum of a red laser blade echoed in the distance. The clash of forces was unlike anything she had ever seen; it was a battle of titans, hidden within the veil of mist.

"What is that, Lykos?" Seris asked with her voice tensing as she drew her sword. Her fingers moved swiftly, replacing the energy cell and igniting the plasma edge of her blade. The familiar hum of her weapon brought a small measure of comfort, but the sight of the red laser blade sent a chill down her spine.

Lykos's growl was low and menacing, his glowing green eyes fixed on the mist. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice a gravelly rumble. "But it's stronger than everyone here. Even me." His claws flexed, the green glow intensifying as he crouched low, ready to strike.

Seris's grip tightened on her sword. "Then... shouldn't we retreat instead of waiting for that thing to come and kill us?" She asked, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her. The plasma edge of her blade flickered, casting a faint blue light across her armor.

"Yes, you should run," Lykos said with his tone, leaving no room for argument. "I'll keep it occupied while you and your people retreat. Otherwise, it will keep chasing us." His growl deepened as the enemy drew closer, the red laser blade cutting through the mist like a beacon of death.