Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 360: Xylos Siege. {First contact}

In the northern fortress, the general rubbed his temple with a sigh. His voice was calm but firm, cutting through the chaos like a knife. "Silence the calls for a moment," he ordered. "I already heard it the first time."

He stood with the quiet confidence of a man who had survived dozens of wars. Like all the other generals of Xylos, he wasn't someone who had risen through politics or favors; he had earned every rank with blood, sweat, and hard decisions.

And among all the generals, he was known for being the most cunning.

As his officers surrounded him, helping him into his old but powerful battle armor, he issued his next command without hesitation.

"Send word to the land-to-air artillery teams. I want those ships shot down before they touch our soil. We won't let the enemy even think about setting foot on our land."

Almost at the same time, the general of the southern fortress gave the same order. Their minds thought alike, sharp, battle-hardened, and deadly.

Moments later, the ground beneath the fortresses rumbled as heavy artillery came to life. Cannons hidden behind armored hatches emerged with a hiss of steam and the low whine of energy cores charging up. Then, with a deafening roar, they opened fire.

Shells streaked through the sky, glowing with heat as they rocketed toward the incoming Kaelzar fighters. Explosions lit up the atmosphere like fireworks... but the Kaelzars weren't unprepared.

Each fighter was protected by a glowing energy shield, strong enough to absorb the first few hits from the defensive cannons. Some were forced to veer off course, spinning away with flickering shields. A few transports were nearly struck but managed to stay in formation.

Inside the Cleopatra Fortress, Cleo was fully connected to its vast cybernetic network. In her cyber mode, her mind was one with the fortress; her thoughts flowed faster than any human could follow. She could see everything: every shell fired, every unit deployed, and every life at risk.

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[Creator, the enemy is attempting to shoot down our fighters. However, I managed to reroute the damaged units to fall back and recharge their shields. If we continue our current strategy, their defenses won't be able to shoot down any of our ships.]

Cleo remained still, her eyes glowing softly as data streamed across her vision. She didn't speak; her thoughts were enough to issue thousands of commands at once.

The Kaelzars, unlike the Khryssari, couldn't empower their troops with direct mental projections. But they didn't need to. Their strength came in numbers, precision, and coordination.

And on the battlefield, when millions of perfectly synced drones descended upon a world like a mechanical storm, they were nothing short of terrifying.

"Very well," Cleo said calmly, her voice echoing with electronic clarity through the fortress's command systems. "Once the transport ships land, begin assembling the portal. I'll keep their armies distracted with my new unit."

The moment she finished speaking, her body vanished from the command bridge in a flash of digital energy. She reappeared moments later in one of the hangars deep within the Cleopatra Fortress.

The hangar stretched out like a metal valley, filled with millions of motionless Kaelzar troops standing in perfect formation, all awaiting deployment.

In the very center of the hangar stood four massive war machines, towering figures shaped like titans of ancient legend, armored from head to toe in white and gold plating. Cleo floated toward one of them, her presence activating a nearby control console.

She summoned a holographic screen with a wave of her hand, then entered a series of commands. The giant war unit before her trembled slightly, and a deep, golden light ignited in its eyes, piercing, beautiful, and utterly deadly.

Meanwhile, far away in the central command tower of the city, the old governor was seated in his private command room. From here, he could speak to all generals and view the entire battlefield through holographic projections.

"What are the movements of the enemy generals?" he asked calmly, activating the secure holo-transmitter and addressing all four defensive leaders at once.

A moment of static passed, followed by the responses:

"Nothing to report from the east, Governor."

"Same here in the west, sir!"

"Mmm, good, good..." the governor muttered, nodding. "And what about the north and south? What do you see?"

The hologram shifted as the southern general leaned in, sending a few images taken by long-range scouts.

"I'm not sure what they're doing, Governor. They landed their ships several kilometers beyond the range of our artillery and turrets. Right now, they're unloading what looks like large metal components from the transport ships."

"It's the same on my front," added the general of the north, arms crossed as he watched the enemy through a feed on his command console.

"They're staying just outside our effective range. That tells me they know exactly how far our defenses can reach. That can only mean one thing... either we have a traitor... or spies already inside the barrier."

He turned toward his aides and began giving quiet orders. "I recommend sending reserve troops to investigate. We need to strike first before they finish whatever they're building."

The old governor chuckled, the sound dry and raspy. "Hohoho, very clever. I like your thinking. We'll go with your plan, General. And since you still haven't paid me back for my wall, I'm giving you the task of poking the enemy. After all, an enemy that looks peaceful... is often the most dangerous kind."

The call ended with a flick of his hand, and the general of the north immediately activated his encrypted communicator. Within minutes, his officers had gathered, ready to follow his orders.

"Send out twenty thousand troops beyond the barrier. I want pressure on every angle," he commanded. "Coordinate with the central army. We'll get two hundred of their fighters to provide air cover."

The troops quickly mobilized, dividing into four separate groups of five thousand soldiers each. Their strategy was clear: spread out wide to avoid drawing concentrated enemy fire.

The soldiers moved with discipline, like a living tide of armor and steel, advancing step by step toward the enemy lines.

Crackling over the communicator, the voice of one captain came through.

"This is Captain of Team 3. No signs of enemy troops or fighters so far. They're just standing there. We're still advancing at a steady pace. We'll be within attack range in just a few more minutes. Over."

The silence from the Kaelzars was eerie. They didn't flinch. They didn't fire. They simply waited. But for what?

And for better or worse, the answer came the moment the northern assault force got just close enough to the Kaelzar army.

Without warning, as if it had always been there... hidden behind a curtain of invisibility, a colossal figure shimmered into existence.

It was a massive quadrupedal machine, its armor white and jagged like a mountain forged in a nightmare. The very ground trembled under its weight as the enormous mechanized Kaelzar unit revealed itself in full.

The silence shattered.

From its towering body, hatches opened with a sharp hiss, and from within, thousands of combat drones began pouring out like a flood of mechanical insects.

They swarmed into the sky and toward the advancing northern army in synchronized waves. At the same time, heavy laser batteries mounted on the carrier's back and flanks locked onto targets and unleashed blinding beams of golden plasma.

The northern general stood frozen for a second, watching in disbelief as his forces were swallowed by the oncoming tide of drones and energy fire.

"What... what the hell is that..." he whispered, his voice nearly cracking as his eyes widened in horror.

The soldiers he had sent forward were being torn apart in seconds... some vaporized by lasers, others shredded by the endless storm of drone fire. There was no warning, no mercy... only swift, overwhelming destruction.

And above it all, standing like a queen atop her war beast, Cleo's cybernetic form materialized at the head of the towering war machine, her latest creation, designed for one purpose: to crush resistance in the opening hours of any invasion.