Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"Haaaaaa…" Lyra let out a long sigh while stretching her glowing wings lazily before folding them back. Her face twisted into a manic grin as she tilted her head, her silver eyes locking onto the golem.

"There are only rude guys around! Seriously, are there no nice guys left in this galaxy? Or is everyone just this annoying?"

Her voice dropped into a low, sultry tone as she placed one hand on her cheek, her expression shifting into something unsettlingly adoring. "Oh, well… Rex is the only one. That's why I can't help but be crazy for him... Don't you agree?"

The golem, undeterred by her strange words, simply raised its remaining hand. Its last blue crystal flickered weakly, gathering energy for one final attack.

Lyra's wings folded neatly behind her as she straightened, while her body was slightly bent to the right with one hand still resting on her flushed cheek. Her grin widened, her eyes glowing brighter. "Hmph. Fine. Let's see what you've got, you shiny piece of trash."

The golem's crystal flared, the energy building slowly as cracks spread across its surface. But before the attack could be unleashed, a series of white flashes lit up the corridor.

The flashes were so fast, so precise, that they were barely visible to the naked eye.

The next moment, the golem frozen in place. Its body seemed intact for a split second, but then it began to fall apart. Its legs crumbled, its arms dropped to the floor, and its torso and head were all that remained intact.

"Mmm? Is it over this fast? Wasn't all-powerful a minute ago? What happened? Did you break down or something?" Lyra teased the golem with her voice laced with mock disappointment.

The golem, or what was left of it, hung limp in the air, impaled by Lyra's glowing white tentacles. The once mighty creature that had nearly killed both her and Gustav now looked like a pitiful husk, its body twitching faintly as sparks flickered from its shattered core.

Lyra tilted her head, her glowing silver eyes narrowing as she leaned in closer, inspecting the golem. "Mmmm… how weird… Its eyes are all dark now," she muttered while poking the golem's cracked torso with one finger. A playful grin spread across her face. "Don't tell me I killed it by accident... HAHA! Dumb me!"

She giggled at her own joke, hitting the side of her head lightly as if scolding herself for being careless. But as she made this ridiculous gesture, her white tentacles abruptly coiled tighter around the golem's shattered body, cutting it into hundreds of tiny pieces.

Bits of crystal and metal clattered to the floor, scattering like glittering debris around Lyra's feet. She didn't even glance at the mess she'd made, already turning her attention elsewhere.

One of her tentacles snaked toward the unconscious Gustav, coiling around his body like a lazy serpent. She dragged him across the ground toward her, his limp form bumping slightly against the debris-strewn floor.

"Mmm… you're heavier than I remember, Kitty," she said absentmindedly as she walked toward the blue crystal that had fallen from the golem's destroyed shoulder. It was cracked in several places, with faint streams of light leaking from its fractured surface, but it still radiated power.

Lyra crouched down and picked it up, holding it delicately in her hands as though it were a priceless artifact.

"Hehehe… I wonder if Rex would like this souvenir～?" She pondered while tilting her head and smiling sweetly as if she were talking to herself.

Lyra's tentacle lifted Gustav higher, dangling him in front of her like a ragdoll. She stared at his unconscious face, her smile widening. "What do you think, Kitty? Do you think he'll like it?"

Gustav, of course, offered no response. His head lolled to the side, his body still limp and unmoving.

"Ah… I forgot you were sleeping," Lyra said with a faux gasp, her free hand flying to her mouth as if she'd just remembered something terribly important. "Well, I guess I should take you to the doctors, huh? But then again… where was it? Mmm…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, the glowing crystal still cradled in her other hand.

After a moment of deliberation, she shrugged. "Well, I should ask my sister!"

Before anyone could blink, Lyra vanished. The spot where she had been standing just seconds before was now empty, the remnants of the golem and the destruction from their battle the only evidence she'd been there at all.

Meanwhile, Nyra was still coordinating efforts to maintain the defensive choke points. Her focus was razor sharp as she relayed orders to the militia and Blood Legion units holding the line.

The sound of gunfire and the distant rumble of explosions filled the air, but Nyra remained composed, her crimson power armor streaked with blood and dust.

She didn't even have time to react when, out of nowhere, a flash of white light appeared in front of her.

"Wha—?!" Nyra barely managed to get the word out before Lyra materialized directly in front of her, throwing herself onto Nyra with all the grace of a deranged, hyperactive child.

Nyra staggered as Lyra wrapped her arms tightly around her neck and her legs around her waist, clinging to her like a Koala.

"W—What the hell?!" Nyra exclaimed, her voice a mixture of confusion and irritation as she tried to balance herself under her twin's sudden weight.

The nearby Aegis Units reacted instantly, their plasma rifles snapping to attention and aiming at Lyra. For a split second, the situation teetered on the edge of chaos. But as soon as Lyra's identification code was registered by their systems, the Aegis Units lowered their weapons and resumed their posts, as if nothing had happened.

The human militia and guards, however, were not as composed.

The sight of one beautiful girl clinging to another in such an intimate and affectionate way was… captivating, to say the least. Some of the guards froze mid-action, their gazes locked onto the scene before them as if it were a divine revelation. Others exchanged knowing looks, their eyes twinkling with approval.

One of the older guards muttered under his breath, "Truly… we are blessed to witness such a display."

Another nodded solemnly. "Men of culture, we are."

Meanwhile, Nyra was less than pleased. "Lyra! Get the hell off me!" she shouted with her face turning red, not from embarrassment but from sheer frustration. "We're in the middle of a battle, you idiot!"

"Aw, but I missed you, sis!" Lyra replied with a pout, tightening her grip around Nyra's neck. Her glowing silver eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in closer. "Besides, look! I brought a present!"

With one of her tentacles, Lyra raised the cracked blue crystal she'd taken from the golem, holding it up like a trophy.

Nyra's eyes widened. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a souvenir!" Lyra chirped. "Do you think Rex will like it? I think it's super shiny!"

Nyra groaned, her head tilting back as she tried to process the absurdity of her sister's behavior. "Lyra… this isn't exactly the time for this. The enemy is still attacking!"

"Oh, relax! I killed the big guy already!" Lyra said with a giggle, finally releasing her grip and hopping off Nyra. She landed gracefully on her feet, twirling once before looking around.

Nyra sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. If you're here, make yourself useful. Go reinforce the west choke point; those militia guys can't hold it on their own for long."

Lyra beamed and gave a mock salute. "Aye aye, captain! Anything for you, sis!"

As Lyra dashed off toward her new assignment, Nyra shook her head, muttering under her breath, "She's completely insane…"

"But then again... where have I seen that crystal before?" Nyra muttered to herself, her sharp crimson eyes narrowing as she tried to piece together the fragments of her memory. The glowing blue crystal Lyra had flaunted earlier tugged at something in her mind, a nagging sense of familiarity she couldn't quite place.

Her train of thought was abruptly cut off by the shout of a nearby communications guard. "Ma'am! Those slender golems are coming again! The scanner's readings indicate there are four of them this time!"

Nyra snapped out of her reverie, her expression immediately hardening as she shifted back into command mode. "Send the coordinates to the light artillery team," she ordered with her voice being sharp and commanding. "Blow them to pieces before they get any closer!"

As the guard relayed her orders, Nyra casually reached into one of the pouches on her armor and pulled out a small snack. It was a bar made of some kind of chocolate mixed with synthetic blood, a concoction Cleo had specially designed for the twins.

Unlike the organic beast blood or Rex's golden blood, this snack didn't provide any kind of insane power boost. However, it was enough to keep their bodies operating at optimal levels during long missions.

It was also an immensely popular reward among the other blood assassins in Cleo's employ, who considered it a rare delicacy.

Nyra unwrapped the snack with a practiced flick of her fingers, taking a small bite as she watched the distant artillery team prepare to fire. "Mmm… not bad. Sweet with just the right amount of tang. Master really does spoil us."

A few seconds later, the heavy explosive sounds of the light artillery fire echoed across the station. The guns fired a relentless barrage of explosive shells toward the approaching slender golems. The ground shook faintly with each impact, and the golems' silhouettes flickered through the haze of smoke and fire. Find more adventures on empire