Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Vortigan didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the titan, his mind oddly calm. He had known the risks when he activated the catalyst, but he had also known that allowing Pax to claim the planet would have been a fate worse than death.

Now, the only hope was to contain the entity before it could wreak havoc across the galaxy.

Pax, still bleeding and barely conscious, let out a weak laugh. "You… you've doomed us all, Vortigan," he said with his voice filled with bitter amusement. "The great Lord of the Planet… reduced to a destroyer of worlds."

Vortigan turned to him, his expression hard. "I did what I had to do. And if this is the price, then so be it."

With that, he raised his blade, its edge glowing with a fierce, determined light. "Rose," he said, his voice steady. "If you've ever cared about this galaxy, now's the time to join forces."

Madame Rose hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Her fiery aura flared back to life, her cane glowing with intense heat. "Let's finish this," she said with her voice filled with resolve.

Together, they charged toward the titan, their powers blazing like twin suns against the darkness. The battle that followed was unlike anything the galaxy had ever seen. Vortigan's blade clashed against the titan's massive limbs, each strike sending shockwaves through the air. Madame Rose's flames engulfed the creature, scorching its ancient hide and forcing it to recoil.

But the titan was no ordinary foe. Its strength was immense, its endurance seemingly limitless. Every blow they landed only seemed to enrage it further, its roars shaking the very stars.

As the battle raged on, the remnants of the Nexum fleet regrouped, their commanders realizing that their only chance of survival lay in aiding Vortigan. Ships that had once been enemies now turned their weapons on the titan, their lasers and missiles striking its massive form.

"No... no... NOOO!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! HAS THAT DAMNED OLD MAN LOST HIS MIND!? THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN DEFEAT THAT THING WITH OUR CURRENT FLEET!" Percival's voice thundered across the command bridge, raw with desperation and fury.

He hurled a datapad across the room, the screen shattering against the wall as sparks flew. His officers flinched, their faces pale as they watched their commander unravel.

"Order the fleet to retreat! NOW!" Percival shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. He stormed toward the exit, his boots clanging against the metal floor, but not before snatching a handgun from a guard stationed at the door.

The weapon gleamed ominously in his grip, a silent warning to anyone who dared challenge him.

One brave or foolish officer stepped forward, his voice trembling. "B-but, sir! If we abandon the beast now, it could unleash a catastrophe across the galaxy! We can't just—"

"THAT'S THE POINT!" Percival shouted while spinning on his heel to face the man. His eyes burned with a manic intensity as he leveled the handgun at the officer. "We retreat, let Vortigan take the fall, and rally the megacorps to clean up this mess. If anyone here has a problem with that, speak now."

The cold click of the gun's safety being disengaged echoed through the room.

The bridge fell deathly silent. No one dared to breathe, let alone speak. One by one, the officers turned back to their stations, relaying the retreat order with trembling hands. The fleet began to pull back, leaving the monstrous entity to roam unchecked.

Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, Pax staggered to his feet, his laughter echoing through the devastated city he was hiding. Blood dripped from his abdomen, where his regenerative abilities struggled to keep his organs intact. His skin sizzled as it knit itself back together, but the pain only seemed to fuel his madness.

"Heheh... so we're running away? What a joke!" Pax cackled, his voice dripping with fury. "All this time, all these resources wasted, and for what? That senile old fool thinks he can outrun this disaster? HAHAHAH!" His laughter turned into a guttural cough as blood spilled from his lips. "At least I get to watch this planet burn—"

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice was cold, deep, and laced with a fury that could freeze stars. Before Pax could react, a searing pain erupted in his chest. He looked down, his eyes widening in shock as a plasma blade erupted from his chest, its glowing edge burning through flesh and bone. The smell of charred meat filled the air.

"You... what do you th—" Pax choked, his words gurgling as blood filled his throat.

"This is for my sister, you motherfucker." Victor's voice was a low growl, his feline eyes glowing with a feral intensity. With a swift, merciless motion, he dragged the plasma blade upward, splitting Pax's chest and carving through his jaw. The once-mighty Tier 6 entity crumpled to his knees, his regenerative abilities useless against the searing plasma.

"Yo wko ase yoh..." Pax's mangled mouth struggled to form words, his voice a garbled mess. But Victor understood. He stepped around to face Pax, his green eye glinting like a predator's in the dark.

"merdnfdis kng!" Pax's remaining eye widened in recognition. Standing before him was Victor, the Mercenary King, his black hood now pulled back to reveal his feline features. His ears twitched, and his green eyes bore into Pax with a hatred that could shatter planets.

Victor was far from unscathed. His right arm was gone, severed at the elbow, and his left leg was a mangled ruin, held together by a makeshift brace. Blood stained his armor, and his breathing was labored, but his resolve was unshakable.

He had fought his way through Isolde and the muscle midget, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, all to reach this moment.

"Heh, you even smell delicious now that you're roasted," Victor sneered, deactivating his helmet. His voice was laced with dark humor as he dropped the plasma blade and leaned in closer. "But you're not worth the effort it would take to eat you."

Pax's remaining eye flickered with a mix of rage and fear. He recognized the green eyes and golden hair, a rare trait shared only by Sharon and her mother, the woman he had killed years ago. The pieces fell into place, and a gurgling laugh escaped his ruined throat. "So... it was you... all along..."

Victor's lips curled into a feral grin, revealing sharp canines. "That's right. And now, you pay for what you did to my sister."

Victor coughed again, his body trembling violently as he spat out a thick, black substance. It splattered across Pax's face, sizzling like acid against his regenerating flesh.

"Heh… don't think I don't know what you are, you resilient bastard…" Victor's voice was weak, barely above a whisper, but it still carried that sharp edge of defiance. "Even in this state, you'll survive for hours… but I saved this just for you."

His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground beside Pax, his body convulsing as the venom took hold. Dark, veiny cracks spread across his skin like a spider's web, black blood oozing from his eyes, nose, and ears. The poison worked fast, eating away at him from the inside.

"That's my final gift to you…" Victor murmured with a bitter smirk tugging at his lips. "Some venom from that bitch, Isolde…"

His breathing slowed, each exhale heavier than the last. The world around him, the cacophony of war, the titanic beast's earth-shaking roars, the chaos of battle.... felt distant now, like a fading dream. It was all slipping away.

"I'm sorry, Sharon… my dear niece…" Victor's voice was barely audible now, his words tinged with regret. "I always wanted to tell you who I was. But by the time I found you, my path was already set. Vengeance had clouded my sight for too long… The best I could do was watch from the shadows, watching you grow strong, grow free… but now…"

A tired exhale escaped him, his body growing heavier as the life drained from him.

"Now I've avenged your mother's killer."

His body relaxed, the tension of a lifetime of rage and bloodshed finally releasing. After all these years... after all the planning, the fighting, the sacrifices... there was nothing left to do. And for the first time in decades, Victor felt peace.

A warmth covered his eyes, soft and comforting... while a familiar scent filled his fading senses, something sweet, something he hadn't smelled in years. His lips curled into the faintest smile.

"This smell… So, you've come for me… my dear sister…"

With those last words, Victor, the Mercenary King, a Tier 6 powerhouse, a legend in his own right... breathed his last.

Meanwhile, Pax was far from dead.

His body twisted and contorted, his flesh sizzling as Isolde's venom ate away at him. His veins turned black, his muscles locking in agony. His eyes bulged with panic, desperation clawing at his mind. He knew Isolde's poisons, knew they could kill even a Tier 6 powerhouse in minutes.

"Aasfgs… awjrn… curse you…" Pax's words were garbled, his mouth unable to form coherent speech. His mind raced with thoughts fragmenting under the sheer pain. He had to move. Had to find Isolde. Had to get the antidote.

His fingers clawed at the ground, digging into the dirt as he struggled to push himself up. His body spasmed violently, every movement sending waves of agony through him. But he couldn't stop. He couldn't die here. Not like this.

And then—

A shadow loomed over him.

"Mmm?" A voice, casual and unimpressed, broke the silence.

"…Eww. What the fuck is that?"