Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Ys chuckled, clearly enjoying herself.

"Oh, Carlos, you hurt me～. This is me helping. If I wanted to have fun, I\'d let you flounder a little longer."

Carlos groaned again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "

Just... keep firing at the capital ship and keep your creepy hornets away from my fleet. And stop calling me bald!"

Ys ignored him, waving a hand dismissively at her ship\'s display.

"Yes, yes, fire again. I want that shield down before I finish my fruit."

Another barrage of biomatter erupted from the destroyer, slamming into the enemy ship with even greater force. This time, the shields collapsed entirely, leaving the vessel vulnerable. The pirates scrambled to regroup, their once-confident assault devolving into panic.

On the corridors of the Liberator, Carlos took a deep breath, trying to suppress his irritation.

"AI, status on the enemy fleet."

"Their capital ship\'s shields have been destroyed. Enemy fighters are in disarray. The Khryssari forces are overwhelming them."

Carlos glanced at the tactical display, then back at the communications channel.

"Ys, I hate to say this, but... thank you."

"Of course～,"

Ys replied smugly. "

I\'ll be sure to remind Rex that I saved you. Maybe he\'ll finally let me redecorate your dull little ship."

Carlos groaned, muttering under his breath.

"This woman is going to be the death of me."

As the Khryssari fighters tore through the remnants of the pirate fleet, Carlos turned back to his own crew.

"All units, keep pushing forward. The main cannon is almost charged. Let\'s finish this fight before Ys decides to \'help\' me even more."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

From her throne, Ys smirked, popping another piece of fruit into her mouth.

"You\'re welcome, Carlos. Try not to mess it up from here."

Carlos charged down the corridor, panting as he finally reached the defensive line outside the main cannon control room.

The scene was pure chaos; the Aegis units were holding back the golems, their plasma rifles lighting up the dark hallway, but the enemy\'s numbers weren\'t thinning fast enough.

"Royal Guard! Hold the line!

" Carlos shouted, his voice booming through the comms. "

Do not let those ugly bastards into the control room! If they get in, we\'re all screwed!"

Without missing a beat, Carlos activated the energy shield on his left arm. It shimmered into existence, wide enough to cover the entire corridor.

"Out of my way!"

he roared, barreling forward at full speed.

The golems, with their unnaturally beautiful yet grotesque crystalline forms, barely had time to react before Carlos slammed into them like a freight train. The impact sent several of them skidding back, crashing into walls, their bodies cracking under the sheer force of his battle suit.

"Fire! Shoot them down while I hold them!"

Carlos roared as the golems began to regroup, their glowing eyes locking onto him.

Plasma bolts whizzed past him, lighting up the narrow space. The Kaelzar units positioned behind him fired relentlessly, their shots passing harmlessly through the energy shield while obliterating the advancing golems.

Shards of their rocky bodies scattered like shrapnel, the air filling with the acrid smell of burnt minerals.

Just as Carlos began to think they might hold the line, the corridor trembled. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, louder and deeper than anything they\'d heard so far. From the smoke-filled end of the hallway, something massive emerged.

"Oh, no,"

Carlos muttered, gripping his hammer tighter.

"What now?"

The figure that stepped forward was a giant, even among golems. Standing nearly three meters tall, it barely fit within the corridor. Its massive body was made of darker, jagged stone, and faint red cracks glowed across its surface like molten veins.

When it moved, its every step sent vibrations through the floor. The thing wasn\'t just big; it was terrifying.

The giant golem stopped a few meters away and let out a guttural roar that shook the walls, then raised one of its massive fists and punched the air.

Carlos blinked, confused.

"Hah! What the hell is that? Is it blind? It\'s punching air, like—"

Before he could finish, the giant\'s fist detached from its arm and rocketed through the air like a missile, slamming into Carlos\'s shield with earth-shattering force.

The impact sent him hurtling backward, sparks flying as his suit struggled to absorb the blow. His shield flickered, barely holding together.

"What the—?!

" Carlos scrambled to his feet, his mind racing. "I

t can launch its fists like freaking boulders? That\'s cheating!" Stay tuned with empire

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the detached fist, now floating midair, flew back to the giant and reattached itself as if nothing had happened. The golem let out another roar, its glowing red cracks flaring brighter.

Carlos turned to see his Royal Guards staring at him. One of them tilted their head as if to ask,

"What did you do?"

He sighed, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"Don\'t look at me! It already knew how to do that! It\'s not my fault!"

Before they could respond, the giant golem launched its other fist. This time, it struck one of the Aegis units dead-on. The soldier didn\'t even have time to react before the massive stone fist obliterated its upper torso, leaving nothing but a pair of lifeless legs that crumpled to the floor.

"Everyone, dodge those fists!"

Carlos shouted.

"If it hits you, you\'re done for!"

The golem\'s attacks grew faster, the fists flying like cannonballs down the corridor. One barely missed Carlos, smashing into the wall beside him and sending debris flying.

"Damn it! This thing just gets angrier the more I insult it!"

he muttered, gripping his hammer tighter.

Then came another fist, aimed directly at him. Carlos didn\'t move. He planted his feet, raised his hammer, and grinned.

"Alright, big guy. Let\'s see who\'s stronger and better looking!"

With a roar of his own, he swung his hammer into the incoming fist. The collision was deafening, a shockwave rippling through the corridor as sparks flew from his battle suit\'s damaged arms. The force nearly knocked him off his feet, but he held firm.

"Haaaaaa! Home run, baby!"

Carlos shouted as he swung with all his might, sending the stone fist hurtling back toward its owner. The projectile smashed into the giant golem\'s face, causing it to stagger and stumble backward.

Carlos seized the moment.

"Now\'s my chance!"

He charged forward, his hammer sparking as it powered up.

The propulsor on its back flared to life, and with a mighty swing, he drove the hammer into the giant golem\'s abdomen. The impact cracked its stony surface, faint fissures spreading across its torso.

But the golem wasn\'t done. It roared in defiance, swinging its massive arm at Carlos. He barely managed to block it with his shield, gritting his teeth as the force rattled his entire body.

"Try again next time, you oversized gravel pile!"

he taunted, spinning on his heel to deliver another crushing blow to its abdomen.

This time, the cracks deepened. The glowing red veins dimmed slightly, and the golem staggered again. Carlos didn\'t let up. He rained down blow after blow, each strike faster and more precise than the last.

"I\'m not done yet!"

he shouted, his voice raw with exertion.

Finally, with one last devastating swing, the hammer connected with the golem\'s abdomen, shattering it completely. The giant stumbled, its body crumbling as the light in its eyes faded. With a thunderous crash, it collapsed into a pile of rubble, lifeless at last.

Carlos stood over the remains, breathing heavily. His suit hissed and sputtered, sparks flying from its damaged joints. He glanced at the corridor, littered with debris and fallen enemies.

"Ha… Ha… Who\'s next?"

Then, almost as if to mock him, the ship AI chimed in. [Main cannon charging complete.] Target locked. [Firing in ten, nine, eight]

Carlos groaned, leaning on his hammer

. "AI... next time, maybe tell me before I almost get killed?"

[Understood, Admiral.]

As the countdown continued, Carlos straightened, wiping sweat from his brow. "Alright, everyone. Hold the line! We\'re not out of this yet!"

[Firing the main cannon.]

The AI\'s voice rang out with chilling precision as the dreadnought\'s massive plasma cannon came to life. A deep hum shook the entire ship, and a blinding light surged from the weapon\'s barrel as it unleashed a supercharged ball of plasma energy.

The beam tore through space, a miniature sun blazing with unstoppable force.

The enemy capital ship, already battered and weakened from Ys\'s relentless bioplasma bombardment, stood no chance.

The plasma ball hit its hull dead center, and for a brief moment, there was silence. Then the unthinkable happened.

The point of impact didn\'t simply shatter; it vanished. The hull around it dissolved into nothingness, as if erased from existence.

The plasma ball continued its merciless journey, tearing through the core of the ship like a fiery reaper, carving a glowing, molten path that melted metal and vaporized everything in its wake.

Carlos watched the destruction unfold on the main display, his eyes wide.

"Holy—Did we just... erase half their ship?"

The massive energy ball reached the heart of the enemy vessel, and then came the explosion. It wasn\'t just a regular detonation; it was an apocalyptic chain reaction. The ship\'s already fragile structure began to collapse in on itself, sparks and fire erupting from every corner.

Smaller explosions rippled along the remaining sections of the hull, tearing the vessel apart piece by piece.

And then it happened... the nuclear core went critical.