Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 371: Xylos struggle. {3}

Behind them, marching in perfect, terrifying unison, came thousands of human troops. Their boots struck the earth in a thunderous rhythm, their rifles gleaming under the fire-lit sky. Some wore heavy exo-suits, their mechanical limbs whirring with every step.

Others carried flamethrowers, the fuel tanks hissing like angry serpents. This wasn't just an attack... this was a full-scale assault.

The squad leader's blood turned to ice. His hands clenched around his rifle, his mind raced with fear-filled thoughts. They had just taken down one tank... and now... how were they supposed to stop dozens?

"Fall back!" he screamed with his voice filled with panic. "Fall back NOW! We can't hold this position!"

The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. They grabbed their gear, sprinting toward the nearest cover. But even as they ran, the truth settled over them like a suffocating fog... there was no escape.

The human army was advancing too fast. The tanks cannons locked onto their position. The troops fanned out, cutting off every possible retreat.

High above the chaos and thunder of the battlefield, inside her living, breathing flagship, Ys lounged like a lazy cat in the heart of her strange throne room.

The walls pulsed around her with a soft, organic glow, like veins under skin, alive and watching. Her bed wasn't made of metal or cushions, but of soft, glowing tissue that shimmered with blues and purples, like moonlight caught in jelly.

She lay on her side with her beautiful green eyes half-lidded while a smirk danced on her lips as she gazed at the tiny firefly resting gently on her fingertip. Its little body glowed warmly, and from the light of its tail, a clear, magical hologram spread out in front of her.

But this wasn't just a regular image. No screens, no cameras. Ys saw everything below... every gunshot, every explosion, every cry for help through the firefly's own eyes.

The glowing projection showed it all, Lilla, her precious little girl, slicing through enemy lines with grace and fury.

Her white armor shimmered like starlight, streaked with crimson energy. Around her, human tanks rolled forward, shaking the ground with each step. Soldiers scattered in panic, some screaming, some falling. The battlefield was madness, but to Ys, it was beautiful.

"There you go, little Lilla~," she purred sweetly while tilting her head like a mother watching her child take their first steps. "See? Just a little push forward… and you'll get stronger much faster." Her voice was light and playful, but behind her green eyes was something sharper. "I told you, didn't I? My eyes never lie."

With a slow, elegant stretch, Ys stood from her glowing bed. Her long limbs moved gracefully, and the living floor shifted slightly beneath her bare feet.

She drifted toward the wide, membrane-like window that curved along one side of the chamber. With just a gentle touch of her hand, the surface rippled like water, then became clear, revealing the world below.

The battlefield spread out like a living painting of ash-filled skies, broken machines, and rivers of smoke.

Down below, thousands of worker drones swarmed across the ground like ants in a frenzy.

They carried chunks of broken metal, glowing minerals dug from shattered bunkers, and even pieces of destroyed human war machines that still twitched with dying sparks. The drones were tireless, moving with purpose, dragging everything back to the fleet.

The organic ships drank in the materials like hungry beasts. Wounds on their hulls closed slowly, pulsing and knitting together as if healing from within. It was strange but oddly beautiful.

"Mmm, well then…" Ys murmured while tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "If Lilla's making her move, then maybe it's time I push my side forward too~."

She turned from the window, her gaze shifting to the back of the chamber, where a figure had been silently watching.

It stood perfectly still, like a shadow given shape. Though smaller than Ys by a head, it was tall for its kind, slim and delicate, with long, spidery limbs ending in fingers that twitched slightly.

Its silver exoskeleton shimmered faintly, reflecting the dim light of the chamber. From its arms and legs hung strange web-like threads that moved gently, even though there was no wind.

Ys smiled, her voice turning sharp and sweet at once. "Since Mother sent you to help manage my swarm, I suppose it's time you earned your place." She flicked her wrist with a lazy motion. "Go down there. Find their general. Take over his head. And be quick about it."

The Khryssari said nothing. It didn't even blink. Instead, its body bent and stretched like a spider preparing to leap. Then, without a sound, it slithered across the floor and slipped into one of the living launch pods.

A second later, the pod shuddered and sealed itself around the creature, then shot it into the sky, hurling it toward the battlefield in a cocoon of muscle and tissue. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Now alone, Ys let out a long, drawn-out sigh and collapsed back onto her bed like a bored queen. "Ha… darling~," she whispered softly, almost to herself. Her voice lost its sharpness, turning gentle. "I miss you… What are you doing right now, I wonder?"

She stared at the ceiling, then at the hundreds of tiny glowing lights built into the top of her chamber. They weren't stars, not really. Just biolights carefully arranged to mimic a night sky she barely remembered. But for a second, as she looked up at them, something in her expression changed.

The cunning, teasing warlord disappeared. In her place was a quiet, lonely woman, staring at the false stars with a heavy heart.

But the moment didn't last.

With a snap of her fingers, the firefly's hologram flickered out. She rolled onto her side, her grin slowly returning, being sharp and full of secrets.

The battlefield was pure chaos, filled with a roaring, endless storm of gunfire, screeching Khryssari, and the heavy thuds of armored boots slamming into rubble.

But through the madness, the Eastern General moved with purpose, like a conductor guiding a violent orchestra. Every move was sharp. Every decision was fast.

One moment, he was in the thick of it with his exo-armor glowing with power, his vibro-blade carving a path through insectoid monsters like they were made of paper. The next, he was back at the mobile command post, panting slightly as he downed a bitter energy drink and shouted out fresh orders.

"Reinforce Sector Two now!" he shouted while sweat dripped from his jaw as he leaned over the tactical map. "They're hammering it with everything they've got. They're not clever, but they're strong, and if that line falls, the whole eastern flank collapses!"

One of his elite guards, a scarred veteran with soot on his face and grime on his armor, nodded and slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle. "Could be worse. At least we're fighting bugs and not those cursed robots. Word is the Southern General got wiped on day one..."

The room went quiet for a second while the general's face twitched.... Just for a moment.

Then he let out a rough, dry laugh. "That reckless bastard... Even when we were kids, he never knew when to quit." He stared off into the distance, his eyes foggy with memory, then took another gulp of his drink. "Guess it was only a matter of time. He probably died swinging, the old fool."

He smirked, just a little. "He always liked to show up first. Probably got himself a good seat in the underworld and is saving us a spot."

The guards chuckled, tired, with quiet laughs full of respect and sorrow.

"You better be the last one to join him, General," one of them said while thumping his chest. His voice was firm. "We're not letting you fall anytime soon."

The general grinned while a flash of fire appeared in his eyes. "Talk big. Just make sure you back it up with bullets!" He crushed the empty can in one armored hand and tossed it aside.

"Now move! By now, the bait's pulled another swarm into the trap. Time to remind these alien freaks what it means to mess with us!"

The Khryssari were terrifying... fast, brutal, and seemingly endless. But they were also wild. They charged without thinking, fought without fear, and didn't understand tactics. The Eastern General knew how to use that.

His troops pretended to retreat, falling back step by step through the wreckage of the bridge. They left behind trails of blood and smoke, baiting the enemy toward a narrow stretch of ruined mechanized units... a perfect kill zone.

The Khryssari didn't hesitate. They poured in, claws scraping, shrieks echoing through the shattered streets.

Right into the jaws of the trap.

"NOW!" the general shouted.

Suddenly, the ground exploded.

Heavy machine guns opened fire, pouring hot lead into the swarm. Flamethrowers lit up the streets like napalm, turning the air into a wall of fire. Grenades blasted apart alien bodies, scattering limbs like broken toys. Screams from both human and inhuman echoed into the smoky sky.

The general charged in at the front, his exo-armor shining in the firelight. His vibro-blade roared to life with a high-pitched hum as he carved a bloody path through the panicked enemy. At his side, his guards fought like wolves, firing in tight bursts, never wasting a shot.

The Khryssari never stood a chance.

And just like before, the plan worked.

The last few bugs fell twitching in the rubble. The street was quiet again, smoking, cracked, and littered with corpses, but for now, the general had won.

He took a breath and looked over his shoulder.

Then his comm crackled to life.

"General! Something's coming—through the smoke! It's not like the others! It's—"SSSSKKKT—"

The signal cut off.