Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 361: Xylos Siege. {2} Virus.

Inside her powerful mind, Zynaria quickly began making complex calculations. She analyzed everything, from her remaining energy to the battlefield and even the enemy's movements.

When she found the solution she needed, she slowly started to rise into the air. As she floated upward, her living metal body began repairing itself, regrowing her lost arm and wing bit by bit.

The Blood Clan patriarch, watching her efforts, smirked arrogantly. He crossed his arms and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Why don't you just give up, child? It's clear I'm better than you at everything. To be honest, I have more important things to do than waste time here...."

"You know what? You're quite the beauty. Why don't you surrender now and become my personal slave? I promise I'll take good care of you."

He extended his hand toward her as if expecting her to grab it and accept her defeat.

Zynaria's crimson eyes glowed coldly. "Offer rejected," she said without hesitation. "It seems organic lifeforms have forgotten what it means to fear the mighty Kaelzar. It's time I remind you all why my kind were once the rulers of the galaxy."

Without another word, she activated a hidden protocol within herself.

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[Initiating Core X Integration Protocol]

At her command, the massive dragon mech began to melt, transforming into a river of shining, liquid metal. From within the swirling metal, a small red sphere appeared, pulsing with a strange energy. It floated toward Zynaria and merged smoothly into her chest.

The Blood Clan patriarch raised an eyebrow, a little surprised but still full of arrogance.

"Mmm? What are you trying to do now?" he sneered. "I've already told you, it's useless. You can struggle all you want, but in the end, your destiny is to kneel and serve me. This is the last time I offer you mercy. Refuse again, and next time... I won't just wound you. I will kill you!"

His voice was filled with growing irritation, but Zynaria's calm and silent determination hinted that the real fight was only just beginning.

But just as the Blood Clan patriarch was glaring at Zynaria, she suddenly vanished into thin air, disappearing so fast it was like she was never even there.

"Uh? What the hell? What just happ―" he started to say, but before he could even finish his sentence, his instincts screamed at him. He quickly threw up his guard just in time to block a massive strike.

Zynaria had reappeared behind him, swinging a gigantic axe with terrifying force. The blow landed with a deafening crash, sending the proud Tier 7 warrior hurtling into the ground like a falling star.

The earth trembled from the impact, and a massive crater opened up where he landed, dust and debris flying everywhere.

"Cough, cough... Shit!" he cursed while staggering to his feet. "A Tier 6 piece of trash dared to sneak attack me... ME!? Do you really think an attack like that could harm a Tier 7 powerhouse!? Keep dreaming, you bitch!"

But just as he was screaming in rage, he felt something strange... something wet dripping from his nose.

He reached up, touched it, and pulled his hand away to find it stained with his own blood.

"W-What!? How is this possible!? I was actually injured... by a Tier 6 tra―"

Before he could finish his angry rant, a new sensation froze him in place.

He felt a terrifying aura descending from the sky... an aura even stronger, wilder, and more dangerous than his own.

He looked up, and there she was.

Zynaria, now fully awakened, stood high above the battlefield, her body radiating unstoppable power. She was no longer just a Tier 6 warrior. She had ascended. She had become a true Tier 7 Virus Powerhouse, a force of nature reborn.

She was the real daughter of the last Kaelzar Emperor, the royal princess of a forgotten empire... and now, she had returned to the battlefield, more dangerous than ever.

Zynaria took a long, slow breath, and the very air around her seemed to hum with energy.

"Mmmm... It's been a long time since the firewall was lifted..." she said, her voice sounding both familiar and alien at the same time. "How long did I sleep? And why is my body in such a mess?"

Her words echoed across the ruined battlefield. It wasn't just Zynaria speaking; it was something else inside her.

A series of system messages flashed inside her mind:

[Order: Defeat the enemy marked on the HUD.]

[Order: Protect the Young Emperor at all costs.]

Zynaria tilted her head slightly, confused.

"Mmm? So there you are, my little firewall. And what's this... Young Emperor? Since when did my progenitor have a son?" she asked, speaking to the second consciousness inside her.

The truth about Zynaria was far more complicated than anyone could have guessed.

She was one of the ancient Kaelzar who had pushed their computational abilities to the maximum, focusing everything on war and battle.

But this made them vulnerable. Sometimes, a terrible Virus would appear, a corruption that took over their minds, turning them into unstoppable, uncontrollable weapons of destruction.

In Zynaria's case, the Virus had not completely taken over. The last Kaelzar Emperor had managed to protect her original consciousness, locking it away behind a powerful firewall.

Instead of being destroyed, Zynaria's true mind and the Virus lived together inside the same body with a delicate balance between logic and madness.

The original Zynaria acted as a firewall, holding back the Virus most of the time. But in times of desperate need, the firewall could be lowered, releasing the Virus's full destructive power.

This secret was why Zynaria had survived the Krhyssari invasion hundreds of years ago. It wasn't the original Zynaria who fought that terrible war; it was the Virus. That was also why she remembered nothing about those brutal battles.

Now, history was repeating itself. And this time, the Virus had been unleashed once more with Zynaria's will guiding its fury.

"Mmm, fine, fine, you win," Zynaria said with a little smirk. "But at least let me change this body's appearance to something I actually like."

As she spoke, her body began to transform. Her once fiery, feathered wings shifted and reshaped into massive dragon wings, strong and sharp.

Two elegant, curved horns grew out from her forehead, gleaming under the light. A long, powerful tail sprouted from her back, whipping through the air with raw energy.

"Mmm, much better," she said while stretching her new wings. "I can feel the power returning to me... and also, an annoying little fly buzzing nearby."

"You damn bitch!" shouted the Blood Clan patriarch. In a flash, he used instant movement to teleport right in front of her. His daggers, coated in lethal stellar energy, aimed straight for her heart.

But Zynaria barely seemed to care. She spun in place with incredible speed, her tail whipping around like a thunderclap.

It struck the patriarch squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. He crashed back into the crater, making it even deeper and wider than before. Dust and chunks of earth flew high into the air.

Still, the Blood Clan patriarch was not done. With another flash of instant movement, he reappeared outside the crater, wiping the blood trickling from his mouth. His face twisted in rage and humiliation.

"Fine! I guess I underestimated you!" he shouted. "But don't get cocky! That form you're using won't last long! It's common to use special methods to boost power temporarily, but they always come with serious side effects once time runs out! So I just have to—"

Before he could finish his dramatic speech, Zynaria casually smacked him back into the crater again with another swing of her tail, cutting him off mid-sentence.