Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 259 The last stand. {5} Beast awakened.

Blazing projectiles erupted from the destroyer's cannons, streaking through the darkness like falling stars. The explosive shells hurtled toward the energy station where Vortigan wasn't defending.

His expression darkened. "NOOOOO!!" His roar split the heavens as he vanished.

In an instant, he reappeared between the station and the incoming barrage. His sword ignited with raw, rippling energy, his movements fueled by sheer desperation. With precise, powerful swings, he carved through the air, his blade slicing the very fabric of space-time.

The shockwaves of his strikes detonated several of the shells mid-flight and seconds later, fiery explosions burst around him.

But it wasn't enough.

More shells broke past him, too fast to intercept. His teeth clenched as he teleported again, this time directly into their path. Raising his shield with one hand, he reached out with the other, grabbing an incoming shell.

The force of it threatened to crush his arm, but with a defiant snarl, he hurled it into another projectile, causing them both to explode before reaching the station; the final shell slammed into his shield.

A blinding explosion tore through the air, engulfing Vortigan in fire and concussive force. Even for a Tier 7 powerhouse, taking a destroyer's main cannon shell head-on was no small feat. The impact sent him hurtling backward, crashing through the energy station's shield, shattering it in a cascade of shimmering light.

The station still stood. But its last line of defense was gone. And Vortigan lay motionless in the rubble; the battlefield fell silent for a single, breathless moment.

Then, chaos erupted anew.

The defenders, witnessing their lord's fall, let out a collective cry of despair. The Nexum forces, emboldened by the sight, surged forward with renewed ferocity. The energy station, now vulnerable, became the focal point of the battle.

Soldiers from both sides clashed in a frenzy of gunfire, blades, and raw desperation. The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning metal and the cries of the dying.

Madame Rose emerged from the crater where she and Pax had landed, her fiery aura flickering but undiminished. She glanced at Pax, who lay sprawled nearby, clutching his bleeding abdomen. His laughter had faded, replaced by a grimace of pain, but his eyes still gleamed with a dangerous light.

"You…" she growled with her voice low and full of anger. "You're willing to destroy everything just to win, aren't you?"

Pax coughed blood, staining his lips as he grinned up at her. "Winning is all that matters, Rose. You of all people should understand that."

Her eyes narrowed, but before she could respond, a deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. Both of them turned to see Vortigan rising from the rubble, his body battered but unbroken. His armor was scorched, his shield cracked, but his eyes burned with an unyielding fury.

"PAX!" he shouted, his voice shaking the ground. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Pax's grin widened, though his face was pale from blood loss. "Oh, Vortigan… you always were so dramatic. But you're too late. The station's shield is down. Your planet is mine."

Vortigan's expression darkened, his grip tightening on his sword. "Not while I still draw breath."

With a burst of speed, he charged toward Pax, his blade glowing with raw energy. Madame Rose hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside, her fiery gaze locked on the unfolding battle. She had her own reasons for being here, and Vortigan's vendetta against Pax was not her fight.

Pax struggled to his feet, his weapon trembling in his hands. He knew he couldn't match Vortigan's strength, not in his current state. But he also knew he didn't have to. All he had to do was buy time.

As Vortigan closed the distance, Pax raised his hand, summoning a swirling vortex of dark energy. "You think you can stop me, Vortigan? You're a fool!" he shouted while hurling the vortex toward his opponent.

Vortigan didn't slow down. With a swift motion, he raised his shield, the dark energy colliding with it and dissipating harmlessly. "Your tricks won't save you this time, Pax!" he shouted while his blade sliced through the air.

Pax barely managed to block the strike, the force of it sending him skidding backward. His arms trembled under the weight of Vortigan's power, but he refused to back down. "You're too late, Vortigan! The station is already—"

Before he could finish, a deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. Both Vortigan and Pax turned to see the energy station engulfed in flames, its structure collapsing under the relentless assault of the Nexum forces. The defenders fought valiantly, but without the shield, they were overwhelmed.

Vortigan's eyes widened in horror. "NO!"

Pax let out a triumphant laugh, though it was cut short by a coughing fit. "It's over, Vortigan. Your planet… your people… they're mine now."

Vortigan's expression twisted with rage and despair. He turned back to Pax, his blade glowing with a blinding light. "You… you monster!"

With a roar, he lunged forward, his sword aimed straight at Pax's heart. But before he could strike, a sudden burst of energy erupted between them, forcing both men back.

Madame Rose stepped forward, her cane glowing with fiery energy. "Enough!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "This ends now!"

Vortigan glared at her, his chest heaving with exertion. "Stay out of this, Rose! This is between me and him!"

She shook her head, her fiery eyes blazing with determination. "No, Vortigan. This war has gone on long enough. If you keep fighting, there'll be nothing left to save."

Pax chuckled weakly, blood dripping from his lips. "She's right, you know. You've already lost."

Vortigan's grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles white. For a moment, it seemed like he would ignore Rose and strike Pax down anyway. But then, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"You're right," he said with his voice filled with bitter resignation. "This war… it's cost too much already."

Pax's grin faltered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you—?"

Before he could finish, Vortigan raised his hand, a glowing orb of energy forming in his palm. "But if I can't save my planet… then I'll make sure you can't have it either."

Madame Rose's eyes widened in alarm. "Vortigan, don't!"

But it was too late. With a final, defiant roar, Vortigan slammed the orb into the ground. The energy surged outward, engulfing the battlefield in a blinding light. The last thing Pax saw was Vortigan's determined face, his eyes filled with a grim resolve.

For centuries, the megacorporations had known of the existence of living worlds, planets that housed immense, slumbering entities within their cores.

These worlds were more than just celestial bodies; they were self-sustaining ecosystems with their resources regenerating year after year. Control over such a world meant limitless power, and the megacorps had done everything in their grasp to claim them.

Pax's world was one of them. But there was one rule, one absolute law that governed these worlds: no matter what happens, the planet's nucleus must never be disturbed.

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Deep beneath the surface, in the very heart of the world, the great entity slumbered... ancient... dormant... waiting...

And Vortigan had just broken the law.

The orb he had slammed into the ground was no ordinary weapon. It was a catalyst designed to trigger a chain of buried nuclear warheads, embedded deep beneath the planet's crust. The moment the detonations began, the earth itself trembled as if in agony.

Far above, the Nexum fleet stationed in orbit watched in stunned silence as deep cracks split across the planet's surface. The fractures spread like veins of molten fire, glowing ominously against the void of space. And then—

The world shattered from its very center; the land broke apart as something colossal emerged.

A massive head, covered in layers of earth and stone, pushed its way free from the planet's core, sending entire continents crumbling away like the fragile shell of a broken egg. Shaking off the debris, the beast lifted itself from its millennia-long slumber, its form stretching beyond comprehension.

Then it roared.

The sound ripped through the vacuum of space, a frequency so powerful that it resonated across the sector, warping signals and rattling starships in orbit. The very fabric of reality seemed to shake beneath its voice.

The Nexum fleet, once a formidable force, now seemed like a swarm of insects in the face of the awakened titan. Ships that had been poised for conquest now scrambled to retreat, their commanders shouting orders in panic.

But it was too late. The colossal entity, with its form still partially encased in the remnants of the planet, turned its gaze upward. Its eyes, glowing with an ancient, primal fury, locked onto the fleet.

With a single, earth-shattering motion, it raised a massive limb, a clawed hand that dwarfed even the largest warships, and then it swiped through the fleet. The impact was catastrophic.

Ships were crushed like tin cans, their hulls crumpling under the sheer force. Explosions rippled through the fleet as fuel lines ruptured and reactors overloaded, lighting up the void with a cascade of fiery destruction.

On the surface, the ground continued to fracture and collapse, swallowing entire armies and cities alike. Vortigan, still standing amidst the chaos, watched in grim silence as the world he had fought to protect was torn apart. His face was a mask of sorrow and resolve, his blade still gripped tightly in his hand.

Madame Rose, with her fiery aura flickering weakly, staggered to her feet. She stared at the rising titan, her expression a mix of awe and horror. "What have you done, Vortigan....?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction. Experience tales with novelbuddy