Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The blow connected, slamming into her side and sending her flying like a ragdoll. She crashed into the ground with bone-jarring force, tumbling end over end before finally skidding to a stop. Smoke and debris surrounded her, but she forced herself to her feet, pain radiating through her body.

Her glowing wings flickered for a moment before stabilizing as she steadied herself, coughing slightly. She turned her gaze back toward the creature, her eyes narrowing.

It was regenerating...

The massive stump where its head once was began to reform, sinew and muscle weaving together at an alarming speed.

The process was grotesque, unnatural, and impossibly fast. Within moments, a new head, if it could even be called that, had grown in place of the old one, its grotesque features snarling with primal rage.

Cleo stared at the creature in silence for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"Of course,"

she muttered finally, brushing dust off her armor as she prepared for round two.

While Cleo was locked in combat with the massive beast, Rex found himself in an equally dire situation. What had started as a two-on-one battle against the experimental soldiers had quickly spiraled out of control.

A third enemy, one of the massive, hulking creatures like the one Cleo was fighting, had entered the fray, its sheer size and power forcing Rex to the defensive.

Pinned between wild, unrelenting strikes from the monstrous creature and the rapid, albeit poorly-aimed, attacks of the two experimental soldiers, Rex had no choice but to activate his Overdrive.

A golden glow erupted from his armor as his Kaelzar core surged with energy, pushing his physical and mental capabilities to their peak. His wings expanded, glowing fiercely, their metallic feathers acting as both weapons and shields.

Each flap sent a shockwave through the air, and when the massive creature slammed its fists toward him, Rex brought his wings forward, shielding himself from the crushing blows. The impacts were deafening, the ground beneath him shattering with each strike, but Rex stood firm.

"Enough of this!"

Rex snarled, spinning out of the creature's reach. In a single, fluid motion, he severed the head of one of the smaller experimental soldiers with his claymore, its body crumpling before the head began its cursed regeneration process.

He turned, slashing at the other soldier with precise strikes, cutting through its arms and head repeatedly to keep it at bay.

But the larger creature wasn't so easily deterred. Its massive fist swung at him with terrifying force, sending shockwaves that knocked even the smaller creatures back. Rex barely managed to leap away, his wings carrying him higher into the air as the beast roared in frustration.

"Guys!"

Rex shouted, his voice booming over the chaos.

"Are you just going to stand there watching the show, or are you actually going to help me?!"

Below him, the general of the city military and his surviving soldiers stood near their crashed transport ship, watching the carnage unfold. The general's face was grim as he raised his voice to respond.

"I'm sorry, Captain,"

the general said, bowing his head slightly.

"While we don't understand why you're Nexum Dynamics' target, our orders are clear. We cannot intervene. All we can do is... nothing. Not help you, and not help them."

Rex's eyes narrowed, his frustration boiling over.

"Then get the hell out of here! Because things are about to get ugly!"

He flapped his wings once, rocketing into the sky, dodging the massive creature's wild swipes as it tried to grab him mid-air. Rex soared above the battlefield, taking a moment to assess the situation.

Below him, the ground was a war zone, with smoke, fire, and debris everywhere, with the massive creature wreaking havoc as the two regenerating soldiers regrouped.

But before he could formulate a plan, a sharp beeping from his HUD caught his attention. Rex's eyes darted to the incoming threat: a swarm of missiles, their glowing trails streaking through the stormy sky.

"Great. As if this wasn't bad enough,"

Rex muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on his claymore. He recognized the pattern immediately: swarm missiles deployed from the Wraith-class fighters.

"I hope this works,"

Rex said to himself, his voice edged with doubt.

"And I hope it doesn't kill me in the process."

The first missile closed the distance, mere meters from his back. Rex took a deep breath, summoning the golden artifact on his back, the

Radiant Circle

, a gift from the King of the Kaelzar during his time on that hellish first-wave planet.

The glowing ring materialized behind him, its intricate patterns pulsating with energy as it boosted his Overdrive even further. His senses sharpened, time seemed to slow, and his movements became almost impossibly precise.

As the missile came within centimeters of him, Rex twisted his body in mid-air, extending his hand. The Radiant Circle glowed brighter, its power allowing him to grasp the missile's trajectory with pinpoint precision. In one swift motion, he redirected it downward, aiming straight for the massive creature below.

The missile streaked toward the beast's head, and even as the creature raised its massive arms in an attempt to shield itself, it was too slow. The projectile hit its mark, exploding with devastating force. The shockwave rocked the ground, scattering debris and even knocking the smaller experimental soldiers off their feet.

But Rex wasn't done.

Five more missiles were closing in, their glowing trails weaving through the air like serpents. With each one, Rex repeated the maneuver, redirecting them toward the massive creature. Each missile found its mark, detonating with devastating precision.

One hit its torso, tearing through its armored skin; another struck its leg, forcing it to kneel under its own weight. The remaining missiles created a cascade of explosions around it, sending flames and smoke shooting into the air.

The battlefield was a chaotic mess of fire and destruction. The massive creature was barely visible through the thick smoke, its bellowing roars echoing even as its body was ravaged by the missile barrage.

Rex hovered in the sky, his wings glowing faintly as he caught his breath. The radiant circle flickered behind him, its energy spent but its purpose fulfilled.

"Messy,"

Rex muttered, watching the ground below.

"But effective."

As the smoke began to clear, however, his confident smirk faded.

Through the fog, the massive creature's hulking silhouette began to emerge. Its body, though scorched and battered, was regenerating rapidly. The limbs that had been blown apart were already reforming, sinewing, and muscle knitting back together at an unnatural speed.

Rex's hands tightened on his claymore as he watched the creature stand tall once more, its regeneration complete. It let out an earth-shaking roar, its glowing eyes locking onto him with renewed fury.

"Of course,"

Rex said dryly, shaking his head.

"Because why wouldn't it still be alive?"

The two smaller experimental soldiers regrouped alongside the massive creature, their own wounds fully healed. All three stared up at Rex, their primal rage almost palpable.

Rex took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders.

"Alright,"

he muttered, his white wings flaring as he readied himself.

"Round two it is."

Below, the general and his soldiers could only watch in stunned silence as the battle raged on, knowing full well they had no place in a fight of this magnitude.

As Cleo tumbled across the pavement, her glowing wings flickering in and out of focus, Carlos stepped forward, shrugging off his suit jacket with a huff.

The tattered remains of his dress shirt clung to his shoulders, but he didn't care. He cracked his knuckles loudly, the sound echoing through the air as he stared down the hulking creature regenerating before him.

"Now it's my turn, ugly beast!"

Carlos yelled, slamming his fists together.

With a metallic sound, two fist-sized rocket launchers emerged from his shoulders, tearing through the fabric of his shirt in the process. The launchers clicked into place, glowing faintly as they locked onto their target.

"Let's see how you like this!"

he growled, and with a sharp hiss, eight missiles launched in quick succession, streaking through the air like fiery darts. The creature, still roaring in primal fury, charged straight at him, its massive body absorbing the hits head-on.

The missiles detonated on impact, releasing tiny bursts of flame and smoke that barely even scorched the creature's skin. The massive beast didn't slow down, barreling through the explosions like they were nothing more than firecrackers.

Carlos blinked, his bravado faltering for just a moment.

"Cleo… you scammed me!"

he shouted, activating the energy shields embedded in his shoulders. A shimmering blue barrier expanded around him just as the creature's massive form slammed into it, the impact sending a deafening shockwave across the battlefield.

Carlos gritted his teeth, bracing himself as the creature's claws raked across the shield, the force of its blows pushing him back slightly.

"Alright, big guy,

" he muttered, raising his right arm as it shifted and transformed into a sleek machine gun.

"Let's see how you like this!"

But before he could open fire, the creature let out a deafening roar, its body convulsing violently. From the points where the missiles had struck earlier, small black voids began to form, eight perfectly circular black holes that pulsed with an ominous energy.

Carlos's eyes widened as the black holes expanded, consuming chunks of the creature's massive body. Flesh and bone were sucked inward, vanishing into the voids like sand being pulled into a vortex. The beast let out an anguished howl, collapsing onto the ground as its massive frame was torn apart from the inside.

Carlos lowered his shield and gun-arm cautiously, watching the writhing creature with a mix of confusion and disbelief. As the black holes faded and the creature's pained cries subsided, he turned to see Cleo standing beside him, calm and collected as always.

Her glowing wings were once again fully extended, and her white and gold armor shimmered faintly in the dim light. She gave the regenerating beast a quick glance before turning her attention to Carlos.

"Cleo…"

Carlos began, his voice low and almost accusatory.

"I was carrying that kind of weapon inside my body this whole time?"

Cleo's gaze shifted away from him, her face obscured behind her mask, but the way she tilted her head made it clear she wasn't about to answer.

Carlos sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Unbelievable. You put black-hole missiles in me without telling me? What if I sneezed too hard and accidentally launched one?!"

"You didn't sneeze,

" Cleo replied matter-of-factly, her tone as neutral as ever.

"Not the point!"

Carlos snapped, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"Anyway, what is this thing?

" he asked, gesturing to the massive creature as its torn body began to knit itself back together.

He poked at one of its regenerating limbs cautiously with the barrel of his gun-arm. "Shouldn't we, like, kill it again before it's back on its feet?"

"There's no need,"

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Cleo said calmly, gesturing toward the road ahead.