Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"What!? 8 million credits!? Are you out of your mind? That’s more than my entire company makes in a year!"

She lazily rested her head on her palm, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh? But didn’t you say you’d pay four times what I was offered? And now you’re crying about a meager 8 million credits?"

The man’s face flushed red with rage. "Gah! Fine! I’ll pay it! Just give me your bank number!" His trembling hands fumbled for the device on his wrist.

"Heh, here it is," Ys grinned, her voice dripping with mockery. "And don’t you dare send one credit less and call it a ’mistake.’"

With fingers shaking, the Black Horizon CEO transferred the 8 million credits, his breath coming in short gasps as if each zero added weight to his chest. "There! I’ve paid you. Now, keep your end of the deal... and let me go!" He jabbed a finger in her direction, his voice cracking with desperation.

But before he could finish, a thunderous crash sounded behind him.

"W-what was that?" Panic flashed across his eyes as he tried to turn his floating chair around, but before he could react, a sudden kick sent him flying from his seat. He hit the floor face-first with a sickening thud.

"Arghhh! Who dares—? Who dares to touch me!? I’ll wipe out your entire bloodline!" He screamed, blood dripping from the gash on his forehead. But when he saw who stood before him, his voice died in his throat. The words, the threats, everything, froze in the pit of his stomach.

Rex stood there, towering over him like a vengeful angel. His face burned with anger, yet there was a cold, terrifying beauty to him. It wasn’t just fear everyone felt; no, it was awe, as if they were in the presence of something beyond mortal reckoning.

Even Rex himself didn’t fully understand what was happening. The weight, the fire in his eyes, came from somewhere deep, something primal, something... divine. Far away, a little girl kneeled in prayer within the human encampment, her innocent heart pleading for Rex’s safety. Her faith, her belief in him, reached out like an invisible thread, tying her to him.

But she was no ordinary child. She was a natural-born psychic, and though her powers were still small, they surged through that connection like a spark to dry leaves. Her faith amplified, pouring into Rex, fueling the burning presence that now filled the room.

The bond between them was unique, akin to a hive mind, yet something more, something that would only grow in power. What this connection would mean in the future, none could predict.

Rex walked slowly towards the Black Horizon CEO, each step igniting the ground beneath him in white-hot flames. The very air around him shimmered with heat. His armored boots left smoldering imprints on the floor, like the weight of a god walking among mortals.

He knelt down, grabbing the CEO by the throat with a grip so strong, it felt as though he could crush the man’s neck with a thought. Rex’s eyes, glowing like molten gold, bored into the CEO’s very soul.

"You... you crossed a line you should never have dared to approach," Rex said, his voice low and deadly. "I don’t care about the fate of humanity... not really. But I won’t stand by and let scum like you treat them as playthings while I’m here." His grip tightened, the man wheezing under the pressure.

Rex paused for a moment, then added, almost to himself, "Funny, though. You and I... we’re not so different. Go ahead, call me a hypocrite. The galaxy doesn’t care. It’s a simple law: those who are strong survive.

The weak fall. And today, you’re the weak one."

With that, Rex’s wings snapped open with a sound like thunder. In one powerful motion, he launched himself into the sky, each beat of his wings breaking the sound barrier.

The shockwaves rippled through the air as Rex soared higher and faster, breaking the sound barrier with each powerful beat of his wings.

The strain of this speed would have torn any lesser being apart, but Rex’s half-Kaelzar body was built for it, his bones and muscles forged to withstand this kind of unimaginable pressure. But the same couldn’t be said for the Black Horizon CEO.

The man, still clutched in Rex’s iron grip, felt his bones begin to crack under the sheer force of their speed. White flames licked at his skin, burning through his clothes and flesh. The pain was excruciating, beyond anything the human mind could bear.

But, much to his own misfortune, the CEO was not human. His alien physiology kept him alive and kept him conscious, forcing him to endure every second of the agony of his body breaking, his skin blistering and peeling under the unrelenting fire.

Rex’s flight came to an abrupt halt in the sky, and all at once, the immense kinetic force built up from the breakneck speed needed to be released. Rex braced himself, his powerful frame absorbing the shock with only minor damage.

But the Black Horizon CEO... he wasn’t so lucky.

The sudden stop was too much. The man’s entire body detonated under the pressure, his torso and limbs exploding into a crimson cloud of blood and viscera. All that remained was his neck, still gripped tightly in Rex’s hand, his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

As the red mist rained down, covering Rex in a shower of blood, he stared at the severed neck for a long moment before casually tossing it aside.

The hot and thick blood clung to his armor and skin. Rex slowly looked down at his hand, now slick with the crimson stain. A bitter smile crept onto his face. "So in the end... you and I weren’t so different after all. Our blood is the same...

red."

His voice was low, almost lost in the wind. Was it remorse? Regret? Sympathy? The emotion behind his words was difficult to place. Only Rex knew for certain.

As he stood there, drenched in blood and lost in thought, two small, delicate hands suddenly wrapped around his bloody one.

"So this is where you’ve been hiding, darling," came a soft, teasing voice.

Ys stood behind him, her touch impossibly tender against the carnage that surrounded them. "I was wondering what was keeping you so long. It turns out you were just... admiring this rain of blood. Mmm," she tilted her head, her eyes glittering with amusement, "is this the CEO’s blood?"

Rex didn’t turn to face her, still staring at the crimson streaks on his hand. "Ah... well, this is a problem. He paid me 8 million credits to spare him, and yet... here we are. What should I do now?" Ys asked with a mock pout, her tone light and playful, as if the man’s brutal death were a trivial inconvenience.

Rex knew she didn’t care in the slightest.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Technically, you didn’t kill him. I did. He paid you to spare his life, but he didn’t pay me," Rex replied, shrugging his shoulders as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Ys laughed, her voice like the chime of bells, melodious and cruel. "You always find the loopholes, don’t you?"

Before Rex could respond, a voice crackled through his communicator, breaking the strange quiet that had settled around them.

"Rex, your energy levels are at 5%. I recommend deactivating Overdrive immediately and proceeding to the underground city for recharging," Cleo’s calm, mechanical voice interrupted, bringing a sharp dose of reality back to the moment.

Rex flexed his fingers, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in. His body was strong, but even a half-Kaelzar had limits. He glanced at Ys, her eyes still twinkling with amusement, and sighed. "Looks like the fun’s over," he muttered under his breath.

With one final look at the blood-soaked battlefield below, Rex spread his wings wide, their powerful span casting a dark shadow over the land. The flames on the ground where he’d stepped still smoldered, burning long after he had left his mark.

They descended gracefully toward the landing site where the Black Horizon transport ship lay waiting, its hulking frame silhouetted against the darkening sky.

As soon as Rex deactivated Overdrive mode, the adrenaline that had kept him going vanished, leaving him to crash beneath the weight of exhaustion. The overwhelming fatigue hit him like a tidal wave, and before he could react, his vision blurred and his knees buckled beneath him.

Ys, quick as a flash, moved to catch him. Despite the vast size and weight difference, her Khryssari strength made it seem effortless. She cradled him gently, her tiny frame supporting his enormous body, her wings fluttering softly as they both sank to the ground.

Minutes passed in silence, the only sound being the low hum of the transport ship’s engines. She held him there, patiently waiting for him to regain consciousness, her eyes never leaving his face.

Finally, Rex’s eyes fluttered open. His head felt heavy, as if lead had filled his veins. "Mmm... Ys?" His voice was groggy. "I’m not too heavy for you, am I?"

Ys chuckled softly, her voice light and teasing as she ran her small hands through his hair. "More than heavy, darling... I’d say you’re too big. Your head feels like a big balloon," she said with a playful smirk. Rex blinked, realizing he was resting his head on her lap, her fingers tenderly rubbing his forehead.

"Well, if you say so... then I guess it’s fine," Rex mumbled, trying to shake off the lingering haze. "How’s the human camp? Are they alright?"

"They’re fine," Ys replied confidently. "I commanded the Aegis Sentinels to return to the camp once the enemies were... well, exterminated. They’re already there. Everything’s under control, darling." She said this as if wiping out a force of enemies were nothing more than an afternoon chore.

Rex sat up slowly, groaning as he checked his HUD. His energy levels had plummeted to a dangerous level. "Tch... I’m down to 4% energy. I won’t be able to fight in this state, not even close. Yes, I need you to handle the aftermath at the camp.

Convince them to come with us to the underground city. I’ll take care of piloting this transport ship... once I figure out how."

He added with a wry smile as he struggled to stand with his shaky legs...