Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"Of course that's still working," Lyra muttered under her breath. Then, with a triumphant grin, she shouted, "But! That won't work twice!"

The bullets, suspended just inches from the golem's face, suddenly exploded. A chain of fiery blasts erupted around its head, shattering the invisible barrier that had protected it so far.

The golem staggered slightly, its shield no longer intact, but the damage was minimal. The crystalline armor on its head was scorched but far from broken.

"Nice! So at least this works!" Lyra cheered, ejecting her spent clip and quickly reaching for another.

But the golem, seemingly unfazed by the loss of its shield, turned its glowing red eyes toward her. The blue crystals on its shoulders flared as it unleashed a barrage of energy shots, each one crackling with deadly intensity.

"Hey! Wait! This is against the rules!" Lyra shouted as she bolted across the ceiling, her boots magnetized to the metallic surface. She zigzagged to avoid the blasts, her movements frantic but calculated.

"The villain's supposed to let the hero reload! That's how this works! THIS IS CHEATING!"

The golem's shots followed her relentlessly, each blast narrowly missing as she weaved between support beams and conduits. Sparks flew as stray bolts struck the ceiling around her, but Lyra kept moving, her face a mix of panic and determination.

On the ground, Gustav let out a guttural growl, his frustration boiling over as he watched Lyra dart around like a frantic rabbit. With a deep breath, he summoned every ounce of strength in his body and let out a powerful roar.

The sound wasn't just noise; it carried a concussive force that rippled through the air, slamming into the golem and momentarily disrupting its attack. The barrage of energy shots ceased as the creature stumbled back, its systems recalibrating in response to the shockwave.

"What the hell are you doing up there?!" Gustav shouted, finally managing to push himself to his feet. His fur bristled with irritation as he cracked his neck, his muscles loosening from the numbing effects of the lightning. "Can't you do anything besides RUNNING AWAY?!"

"I am doing something!" Lyra shot back, sliding into a new position and slamming her fresh clip into her pistol. "It's called staying alive! Try it sometime!"

Gustav let out a low, feral growl, his sharp teeth bared in a grimace. "Staying alive won't mean shit if we don't kill this thing first!"

Without waiting for a response, Gustav charged at the golem again, his body a blur of motion as he closed the distance. His roars echoed through the corridor, each one filled with raw fury. This time, he aimed lower, targeting the golem's legs. If he couldn't break its head, he'd bring it to its knees.

The golem turned its attention back to Gustav, its crystals crackling with renewed energy. But Gustav was faster this time. He ducked under a blast of lightning and slammed his claws into the joint of the golem's left leg.

The force of the blow sent shards of crystal flying, and the golem's movements faltered slightly."Got you now, you shiny bastard!" Gustav snarled, gripping the golem's leg and twisting with all his strength.

As the creature staggered, Lyra took the opportunity to fire another round of explosive bullets, this time aiming for the exposed joints in the golem's shoulders. The rounds detonated on impact, sending shards of crystal flying and destabilizing the creature's balance even further.

"Now THAT'S how teamwork works, furball!" Lyra shouted with a grin.

"Shut up and keep shooting!" Gustav shouted back while his claws teared into the golem's leg as he attempted to cripple it completely.

The golem, though damaged, was far from defeated. Its blue crystals flared again, and the electricity coursing through its body began to intensify.

But unlike before, where the golem unleashed targeted lightning strikes, this time its entire body became enveloped in a crackling storm of electricity. The arcs of blue lightning danced across its crystalline frame, surging outward and directly into Gustav, who had been gripping its leg.

"AHHH, FUCK!!" Gustav roared, his muscles locking up as the electricity surged through his body. Despite the pain, his instincts took over. With a feral snarl, he spun the golem around, swinging it like a ragdoll before slamming it into the wall with a bone-jarring crash.

The impact sent a shockwave through the corridor, shattering parts of the wall and leaving the golem temporarily dazed.

The force of the slam had severed the golem's leg at the joint, breaking it free of Gustav's grip and cutting off the electrical discharge that had been coursing through him. Panting heavily, Gustav stumbled back, shaking the residual sparks from his fur.

"Well done, little kitty! Now move!" Lyra's voice rang out cheerfully, and before Gustav could even react, she opened fire with her explosive rounds, each shot aimed directly at the golem.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Gustav shouted while diving out of the way as the first round exploded against the golem's shattered leg, sending shards of crystal flying. "DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME AGAIN?!?"

In retaliation, Gustav grabbed the severed golem leg off the ground and hurled it at Lyra with all his strength.

"Catch this, you crazy bitch!"

Lyra, ever quick on her feet, smirked as she spotted the projectile hurtling toward her. With a fluid motion, she dropped into a wide-legged crouch, letting the leg sail harmlessly over her head.

She hit the ground with a theatrical flourish, her hands on her hips and her face beaming with pride as if she had just pulled off a daring acrobatic stunt.

"Hehe~! Nice try, but I'm too fast for you!" she taunted while sticking her tongue out at Gustav. "You'll have to do better next time, kitty!"

"KITTY, WATCH OUT!" Lyra shouted, her voice cutting through her moment of triumph.

But the warning came a second too late.

From the smoke of her explosive barrage, the golem emerged again, its glowing bluish eyes locked onto him. Cracks now ran along its body, and parts of its crystalline armor were fractured and scorched. But despite the damage, it was far from defeated.

Before Gustav could react, the golem lunged forward, charging straight toward him. Its body was still shrouded in crackling electricity, making it a deadly missile of energy and rage.

The instant it reached Gustav, it unleashed a flurry of punches, each blow landing with bone-rattling force. "Why you little sh—!" Gustav growled while trying to counterattack, but the golem grabbed him by the face mid-sentence.

With terrifying strength, the golem slammed Gustav's head onto its remaining knee. The impact echoed through the corridor as Gustav's body went limp, collapsing to the floor in a heap. Small arcs of electricity continued to spark across his body, his breathing shallow but still present.

"Gustav!" Lyra yelled, panic flashing across her face as she quickly scrambled to her feet. Without hesitation, she summoned her bloody tentacles, the nanomaterial-reinforced tendrils surging out from her back like writhing serpents.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent them whipping toward the golem, each tentacle aiming to grab and crush the creature.

The golem, however, moved faster than she expected. Its crystals flared, and it suddenly levitated off the ground, gliding out of range of her tentacles with unnatural grace. The sight made Lyra's stomach sink.

"Eh.... this… just became impossible, no?" She muttered to herself, her voice trembling slightly as she stared at the golem hovering above the corridor.

Her eyes darted toward Gustav's motionless form on the ground, the faint sizzle of electricity still sparking off his fur. He was alive, but barely. And if this fight continued, she wasn't sure she could keep herself alive, let alone him.

The golem turned its glowing bluish gaze back to Lyra, its presence radiating menace. It raised both of its arms, the blue crystals on its shoulders flaring brightly as it unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts.

"Shit!" Lyra hissed while her tentacles snapped into position to block the attacks. Each time the lightning struck one of her tentacles, it disintegrated instantly, the nanomaterial unable to withstand the sheer power of the energy.

She kept summoning more, but the lightning barrage was relentless, tearing through them faster than she could regenerate. Read chapters at empire

"This is not how I planned to die today!" Lyra shouted, diving to the side to avoid a bolt that tore through the floor where she'd been standing. She rolled across the ground, her power armor absorbing the impact, but her HUD was flashing warnings about system strain.

Her mind raced as she struggled to think of a solution. The golem wasn't just stronger; it was smarter, faster, and seemingly impossible to put down. The only reason she was still alive was because it hadn't managed to pin her down yet, but how long could she keep dodging?

"Come on, Lyra... think!" she muttered to herself, sweat beading on her forehead as she ducked behind a piece of fallen debris. "Nyra would never let me hear the end of it if I died here!"

The golem stopped firing for a brief moment, as if assessing the battlefield. Its glowing eyes scanned the area, searching for its prey. Lyra peeked out from behind her cover, gripping her pistols tightly. Her hands were trembling, but her expression hardened.

"Alright, you shiny asshole," she whispered, switching the ammo in her guns to something stronger, armor-piercing explosive rounds. "If you want me, come and get me."

The golem's eyes locked onto her position, and the blue crystals flared again, preparing another attack.

Lyra took a deep breath, steadying her aim. "Let's see if you can block this, you overgrown light bulb!"