Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Meanwhile, Rex’s distraction worked a little too well. Even the leader of the Iron Teeth and his twelve minions had joined the skirmish, charging in like a storm, sending the Aegis units flying. Fortunately, the energy shields held, and there wasn’t too much damage.

"I am Kairos! Leader of the Iron Teeth! Face me, if you dare!" bellowed the quadrupedal figure, clearly enjoying the theatrics.

Rex, shaking his head, sighed. "Is this guy serious? What year does he think it is? Who shouts out their location and demands a duel these days?"

He straightened up, his voice calm but filled with obvious disappointment. "All units, focus fire on that big idiot."

Without hesitation, the Aegis units opened fire. A storm of golden plasma bullets rained down on Kairos. The would-be warrior yelped in outrage, trying to dodge, but there were just too many shots coming his way.

"You coward! Where’s your honor?!" Kairos roared, struggling to evade the relentless plasma fire. It wasn’t long before his energy shield fizzled out, leaving him wide open. His armor, clearly not designed to handle plasma, failed instantly as one of his legs was blown off.

"W-what are you all doing?! Get me out of here!" Kairos barked in desperation, ordering his lackeys to shield him and cover his escape. They scrambled to obey, buying just enough time to retreat out of the firing range.

Rex stood there, speechless for a moment. "This guy... he was talking about honor? Guess honor doesn’t mean much these days."

He tapped the communicator on his neck. "Ys, how’s it going on your end? You find the EMP weapon and the researcher?"

A cheerful voice crackled back. "Darling! Yes, I found what you wanted. The weapon’s powered down. But about the researcher... well, we’ve got a bit of a problem."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "What kind of problem? Did you kill him?"

"W-what?! No, I didn’t kill him! Why would you think that?"

Rex chuckled. "Well, the last mission was to protect a VIP, and you ended up gouging his eyes out."

"That was different! He was looking at me with lovey-dovey eyes! Only you can do that! I was being merciful by not killing him!"

Rex laughed. "I know, I know. I was just teasing. Honestly, if you hadn’t done it, I probably would’ve shot him too."

"Alright, send me your coordinates. I’ll meet you there," Rex said, bringing up a holo-screen.

"Okay, darling, one second!" Ys chirped, tapping away before sending her location. Rex received the coordinates, activated overdrive mode, and took off, rocketing toward her.

Meanwhile, in the dim warehouse, Ys heard the heavy creak of the old iron door being opened. Without hesitation, she turned invisible.

"Where the hell are the guards?!" Kairos stormed in, limping. "I swear, these worthless grunts are good for nothing!"

He glanced at his mangled leg, rage boiling over. "And what are you all waiting for?! Heal me! If a Rank 3 citizen like me dies, you useless slaves will be next!" His lackeys, scrambling in their cheap power armor, hurried to bandage his stump.

"I want to know who that savage was! When I catch him, I’ll torture him in every way imaginable, then make him my personal toy." Kairos continued spewing vile threats, clearly fuming about Rex, his words growing more obscene by the second.

Suddenly, a soft whisper floated by his ear. "Oh, you plan to do all that to my darling?"

Kairos jumped, terrified, his eyes darting around. "W-who’s there? Show yourself! Everyone, stay alert! Protect me!"

His remaining troops formed a defensive circle, trying to look intimidating, with Kairos at the center. But they were far from confident.

Then they heard the voice again, this time teasing. "How cute... you all really think standing in a circle will save you? So adorable. I wonder... can any of you see in the dark?"

On cue, the lights in the warehouse went out. The room was plunged into absolute darkness. Panic set in instantly.

"W-what?! Someone turn on a light! NOW!"

"AHHHH!"

"W-wait! No! HELP! AHHHH!"

"I was just following orders! Please! I—"

The next few minutes were filled with screams, the sound of flesh being torn, and bones snapping. Kairos stood frozen, trembling. "W-what... what is happening? WHO ARE YOU?! SHOW YOURSELF!"

A giggle echoed through the darkness. "You want to see me? How bold. Fine. I’ll humor you."

In an instant, two glowing green eyes appeared right in front of him. Slowly, more green lights flickered to life, outlining the massive silhouette of a creature, an unmistakable predator.

Kairos’ breath hitched. He recognized what he was facing. Being a Rank 3, he had access to more intel than the average citizen, and this creature... it was no ordinary monster.

"Y-you! What are you doing here?! Ha... ha... HAHAHA!" Kairos laughed, but it was the hysterical kind of laughter that came when terror set in. His laughter was cut short as Ys, now in her true form, lunged forward and devoured his head in one swift bite.

The crunching of bones and the wet, grisly sounds of a feast filled the now silent warehouse.

Moments later, Rex’s voice crackled through Ys’ communicator, muffled as it was still inside her body. "Ys, I’m here. Open the door."

Ys, still chewing on what was left of Kairos, hesitated before replying. "Daaaaarling! Give me a minute. It’s all dark in here. I can’t see."

Rex sounded skeptical. "You can literally glow, Ys. Also... what are you eating? I can hear you chewing something."

"N-nothing! I’m eating nothing! You’re imagining things!" She panicked, trying to cover her tracks. The last thing she wanted was for Rex to see her like this, in her monstrous form. She didn’t want him to think she was... well, disgusting.

There was a pause. "Ha! I know what you’re doing!" Rex’s voice was smug. "Don’t think I wouldn’t figure it out!"

"W-wha...?" Ys froze, her heart racing. Did he know? Was she caught?

"Yep! You found some kind of dessert and didn’t want to share with me! Just so you know, I’m not into sweets anyway. I’m more of a spicy food guy." Rex said this with such pride, it left Ys speechless.

She stood there, torn between relief that he hadn’t figured it out and disbelief at his completely off-the-mark deduction. Shaking her head in exasperation, she quickly reverted to her human form.

"I’m already at the door. I’ll open it now," she called, making sure there were no traces of blood or flesh on her. She even double-checked her breath, making sure it didn’t stink. After all, she had a special organ to handle bad smells whenever she shifted back to her human form.

"Oh, finally!" Rex said with a smirk. "And here I was, thinking you were going to keep me locked out until you had your fill of dessert. Did you at least leave some for me?"

"Hmph!" Ys huffed, turning her head away, clearly still pouting as she wandered deeper into the warehouse.

"Eh? What did I say? Come on, don’t be mad!" Rex chuckled as he quickly caught up to her. Without a second thought, he scooped up the small Ys from behind, holding her like she was a teddy bear. This was nothing new for them; after all the missions they’d done together, this kind of playful closeness had become a regular sight.

"Come on, don’t be like that. I was just teasing you a little," Rex said, playfully poking her cheeks.

Ys tried to stay grumpy but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips.

"Hmph! Well, you’re not getting off that easily. Anyway, I told you there was a problem with the researcher. It’s... complicated. Depends on how you look at it." She gestured toward a large, sealed door ahead of them.

"He’s behind that door. But... the smell coming from him is something special. You’ll understand once you open it."

Rex, still in his overdrive mode, was glowing with a soft, white light that filled the dark warehouse, giving everything a ghostly glow. Without missing a beat, Rex swung one of his powerful wings and knocked the door clean off its hinges. From inside, a panicked voice yelled out.

"What the hell?! Who destroys a door without knocking?!"

Rex stepped inside the room, and the moment he laid eyes on the man inside, both of them froze, completely paralyzed. For Rex, this was an earth-shattering moment. The man standing before him was... human. The first other human he had ever seen. For the researcher, the shock was even greater since he thought Rex was an angel.

The researcher’s mind was racing, trying to process what he was seeing. His life had always been driven by the curiosity of his origins. As a former slave, he’d never known much about where he came from, but after earning his freedom, he became obsessed with knowledge.

He worked as an assistant in a library, and once he learned to read, he dove into ancient texts, hungry for information. It was in those texts that he first stumbled upon records of the human race... and its tragic fate.

The galaxy was filled with stories like theirs, civilizations that had been snuffed out or scattered to the winds. But there was something different about humans. One day, purely by luck, he stumbled upon a half-destroyed document detailing myths and legends from Earth, including a being of pure light, a creature said to be born from light itself, destined to stand as the final defense of humanity.

The texts were incomplete and barely readable, but they spoke of a hero who would shine like a beacon in the darkness.

And now, standing before him, bathed in a radiant glow, was what could only be that mythic figure. To the researcher, Rex wasn’t just a human... he was a living legend, the last hope of humanity.

The researcher’s voice trembled, caught between awe and disbelief. "You... you’re real. You’re the Champion of Light, aren’t you? The protector of our race... the one who will make humanity shine again!"

Rex blinked, still processing the gravity of what he was hearing. Champion of Light? Protector of the human race? He looked down at himself, glowing faintly from his overdrive mode. "Uh... well, I wouldn’t go that far.

I just... tend to glow a little when I power up."

But for the researcher, there was no doubt. His eyes shone with hope, a hope he hadn’t felt in years. "You’re more than that. You’re proof... proof that humans can still rise again!"

Rex, scratching his head and looking somewhat embarrassed, glanced at Ys, who was standing off to the side, arms crossed, watching the whole exchange with an amused smirk. "Uh, Ys? Help?"

Ys chuckled, clearly enjoying Rex’s discomfort. "You heard the man, Rex. Looks like you’ve got a fan."

Rex sighed. "Great. Now I’ve got to deal with being some kind of galactic savior. This day just keeps getting better."