Intergalactic conquest with an AI

But there are moments in life when death simply refuses to claim you. No matter how hopeless the battle may seem, no matter how overwhelming the foe, fate itself bends to keep you alive. And for Rex, this was one of those rare moments.

The black giant's cannon pulsed with growing darkness, ready to erase him from existence. Yet before it could fire, the heavens themselves split apart. Three presences descended upon the battlefield like falling stars, and the air grew so heavy that even the black giant faltered.

Two of the newcomers radiated power on the level of peak Tier Sevens, their auras blazing like suns about to go supernova.

But the third... their leader... was different. Her presence alone bent space and time, crushing the battlefield under an invisible weight.

Even the black giant, whose body dwarfed mountains and whose screams tore at souls, abandoned Rex and turned its full attention toward her. Its instincts screamed that she was the true threat, the one existence it could not ignore.

"Who the hell are they!? More enemies!?" Zorbag's voice broke under the pressure; his tusked face twisted in strain as he forced himself to stay standing. "It was already hard enough to breathe with this monster pressing down on us, and now someone even worse has shown up?!"

The mercenaries staggered under the suffocating aura, their knees buckling despite being Tier Six powerhouses. The sheer weight of the new arrivals pressed them toward the ground as if the sky itself had fallen.

Then, a childish yet familiar voice rang inside their minds.

"It's my mother… and my aunts!" The little fat firefly buzzed through telepathy, her tiny form trembling with excitement.

The words struck everyone like thunder. Even though most of the mercenaries had no idea who these towering beings were, they understood instinctively. These were not ordinary enemies or allies... these were monsters among monsters.

On Cleo's side, her hands froze mid-command. Her artificial pupils dilated as she recognized the one who led the war ten thousand years ago, the one whose name had once shaken civilizations to their foundations. The matron of the Hive Mind. A being beyond Tier Seven. A queen who had reached Tier Eight.

Her voice trembled, though she forced herself to remain calm. "Impossible…"

Meanwhile, Little Red could not contain herself. In a blink, her fiery virus form shifted into the shape of a crimson dragon, streaking through the air until she was behind the largest queen. Her solar flares burned so brightly they split the battlefield with pillars of flame.

Xytrallia, in her true form, turned lazily, her massive carapace gleaming with impossible resilience. She raised one claw, not in anger but in mild annoyance, as though swatting a child. "You again? Do you not see that I have far more important matters now than entertaining a little girl's tantrum?"

The flares struck her shell, only to be swallowed by a sudden distortion in space. A crack opened just above her body, redirecting the burning energy harmlessly toward the black giant instead. The sheer casualness of her act silenced the battlefield more than the flames themselves.

Another voice cut through the air; it was cold, commanding, and absolute.

"Xytrallia. Disable that child. We cannot risk her interfering while we face a Fallen Titan." Thryaxia's tone was devoid of warmth; her words were heavy with unquestionable authority.

To her, Little Red was nothing but a fly buzzing in the middle of a death battle. A fly with fangs, yes, but still a fly. Too dangerous to ignore. Too insignificant to tolerate.

"…Understood." Xytrallia's voice carried a rare hesitation. Even as a queen, she could only obey the matron. She shifted, her claw rising as she prepared to strike down the little red.

But before she could move, a silver light flashed between them.

The giant of silver light returned. Rex stood once more, his titan form dissolving into streams of radiant silver that wrapped protectively around Little Red. His enormous hands shielded her small body, his presence forcing Xytrallia's motion to halt mid-strike.

Her green eyes widened, not with rage but with disbelief. For the first time in countless years, her composure faltered. She recognized him. She knew that soul. The silver titan was no stranger... it was him. The one she loved.

"Impossible…" she whispered, her voice soft and trembling, so unlike the queenly authority she always carried.

But the matron's reaction was the opposite. Thryaxia's form shifted as she stepped forward, her towering insectoid body reshaping, streamlining into something less alien... more humanlike, and more fitting to confront this silver being face-to-face. Her aura surged, oppressive and divine, as she declared.

"Xytrallia, assist your sister. I will deal with this one."

Her command struck like a divine decree. For a moment, Xytrallia's body trembled with the urge to obey. Every fiber of her being screamed submission, yet her heart rebelled.

She would not allow the matron to harm him... not her beloved. The resolve within her surged so violently that she was ready to bare her fangs against the Hive Matron herself, even if it meant death.

But the matron did not spare her so much as a glance. With slow, deliberate movements, she drifted to a safe distance from Rex. Her multifaceted eyes studied him, her gaze ancient and cold.

She reached out and plucked a thread of silver light from the air, letting it dance between her fingers like spun starlight.

"Greetings, young titan," the matron said, her voice echoing across the battlefield, sharp and resonant, filled with terrible majesty. "Tell me… Why are you wandering alone when you are still so young?"

Rex stared back with his golden eyes, unflinching, uncomprehending. "Who are you talking to?" he asked simply, his voice a rumble that shook the earth.

The matron paused. Confusion flickered in her expression, a rare crack in her otherwise flawless composure. Her lips curled slightly as if tasting the meaning of his words.

"You mean… You do not even know what you are? Could it be… you are a rogue titan?" She whispered to herself, her tone thick with both disbelief and calculation.

Her aura suddenly swelled, heavier than mountains, sharper than blades. The weight of her killing intent descended like the fall of a world. As her body twisted and reshaped back into her true insectoid form, it became clear she was preparing to strike.

Before she could unleash her power, Xytrallia lunged forward in desperation. Her claws blazed with wrath, and her wings thundered with defiance. She would not allow this.

But the matron did not even look at her. With a mere flick of her will, a shockwave erupted from her body. Reality itself tore like paper, and Xytrallia was hurled away, her body swallowed by cascading space cracks that flung her millions of light-years into the void.

The battlefield shuddered in silence. The matron's focus returned to Rex. Her aura sharpened into a spear of intent... until something made her still her hand.

"What do you think you are doing, guardian?"

The voice was like spring itself, soft yet unyielding, carrying the scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth. The entire battlefield was suddenly bathed in a vibrant, living fragrance. Mist turned into pollen, and dead ground stirred with the illusion of green growth.

And the next instant, a figure appeared beside Rex. It was another titan, but unlike Rex's raw, unshaped form, this one radiated beauty and completion. Her body was formed of green and blue energy, flowing like rivers.

Her hair cascaded down her back like an endless waterfall, strands shimmering with leaves and vines. Around her form bloomed flowers of countless kinds, their colors shifting with every breath. Behind her head floated a radiant circle, a rainbow-like halo that crowned her presence.

The sight alone made the stars seem pale.

And she was not alone.

To the far edges of the battlefield, more beings emerged. Another humanoid titan walked from the horizon, every step shaking the skies. Two primordial beasts, huge and incomprehensible, forged from the raw essence of creation, appeared, their howls echoing with ancient authority.

Together, they surrounded the battlefield, forming a cage around the Fallen Titan and those who dared to oppose them.

The matron's eyes narrowed. For the first time since her arrival, her aura wavered, not with fear, but with acknowledgement.

"…So, the punitive force has finally arrived." Her voice was cool and dismissive, but the tension in her gaze betrayed recognition. Slowly, her form shifted once more into a humanoid shape, sleek and elegant, standing tall beside her sister queen.

The green titan said nothing. She did not need to. Her silence was a blade pressed against the matron's throat. Her eyes remained fixed on her, unyielding, demanding.

The meaning was clear.

She had seen the matron's intent. She knew the queen had planned to devour Rex, to strip him down and consume his essence to grow her own power.

After all... It was not the first time she had done such a thing. It was the very reason she had broken away from the collective will of the Khryssari Hive Mind. By devouring what was forbidden, by feasting upon what should not be touched, she had shattered their biological limits and risen to Tier Eight.

And now, she wanted Rex.

But even under the suffocating pressure of the female titan's presence, the matron did not falter. Instead, her lips curved into a mocking smile, and from deep within her chest came a low, scornful chuckle.

"I wonder… why are you questioning me now?" Her voice rang like venom wrapped in silk, cruel and deliberate. "Could it be… because of that so-called misunderstanding thousands of years ago, when you believed I had devoured a young titan?"

The words fell like poison into the air, and the battlefield itself seemed to react.