Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 258 The last stand. {4}

Vortigan's gaze settled on Madame Rose, his expression unreadable. "So… even you have thrown in with that sissy? I have to admit, I'm surprised. Given your history with him, I thought you'd be the last to take his side."

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Madame Rose scoffed while brushing a hand over her long, feathered jacket, a rare treasure from a distant paradise world. "Hmph. Don't be ridiculous. I have no interest in that brat, the one who still reeks of his mother's milk. I simply have my own reasons for being here. That's all." With a swift motion, she shrugged off the elegant jacket, letting it fall behind her.

Vortigan sighed while shaking his head. "So it's come to this, then… What a shame." He raised his blade, pointing it toward an empty stretch of air. "And are you planning to keep hiding, Pax?"

A slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the battlefield as Pax shimmered into view, his presence distorting the space around him. His grin was wide, his black eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Well done. Not just anyone can see through my cloaking. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since Tier 7 powerhouses do live up to their reputation." His face tentacles curled behind his head as a dark, menacing helmet materialized over his skull.

"It's a shame things had to come to this, but don't worry. I'll make excellent use of your resources once you're out of the way."

Vortigan didn't even flinch. Instead, he slid his sword back into its sheath with slow, deliberate precision and turned his gaze skyward. He was looking for someone. "You're not worth my time. Move aside before I kill you both."

Pax smirked. "Did you hear that, Madame Rose? He just called you an old, decrepit woman. I didn't say it; he did." His voice dripped with mockery.

Madame Rose's fiery eyes snapped toward him. "Shut the fuck up, Pax." And then, before his very eyes, she began to change.

Her once-aged body shed its wrinkles, her skin smoothing, her frame growing leaner, stronger. Her once silver-streaked hair blazed into its true form, a cascade of vibrant, flaming red. Experience more content on novelbuddy

Pax's amusement vanished. His eyes widened with disbelief written across his face. "Wait... since when are humans capable of cellular alteration!?" His voice carried a sharp edge of alarm.

Madame Rose smirked. "As if I'd tell you, seafood!"

With a burst of heat, she shot forward like a meteor, flames trailing in her wake. She collided with Vortigan in midair, the impact sending a scorching shockwave across the battlefield, igniting the very sky.

Sparks flew as her cane, crafted from a rare metal resistant to her infernal heat, clashed with Vortigan's blade, a weapon forged from a material that absorbed and returned the force of impact. Every strike she landed was countered, every powerful blow redirected. She was strong, but he had the edge.

And then Pax lunged in.

Two against one. But even with the numbers on their side, Vortigan remained unshaken. His shield, made of the same rare material as his sword, absorbed most of their attacks, and those that slipped through were expertly deflected with swift, precise parries.

Then, in a flash, he struck.

His boot connected squarely with Madame Rose's stomach, the force of the blow sending her hurtling backward like a flaming comet. She crashed into a mid-sized warship with a deafening explosion, the hull crumpling beneath the impact.

Vortigan turned his attention back to Pax, his blade glowing with raw power. "Surrender now, Pax! You're no match for me!"

Pax barely had time to react as Vortigan's sword cut through the air toward him. He raised his own weapon in defense, but the moment the blades clashed, space itself bent around them.

A Tier 7's power was beyond comprehension; it could distort reality and fracture the very fabric of existence. And right now, all of that power was bearing down on Pax.

His instincts screamed at him to dodge. He moved... but not fast enough.

Vortigan's blade sliced through the air with a deafening roar, the sheer force of it distorting the space around them.

Pax's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of his mistake. He twisted his body, attempting to evade the strike, but Vortigan's speed was on a whole different level. The edge of the blade grazed Pax's side, tearing through his armor like it was paper and sending a spray of dark, shimmering blood into the air.

Pax hissed in pain, his tentacles writhing as he staggered back, clutching his side. His grin was gone, replaced by a grimace of fury and disbelief. "You—!" he snarled, his voice laced with venom. But Vortigan didn't give him a chance to recover.

"Surrender," Vortigan commanded with his voice cold and unyielding. "This is your last warning."

Pax's black eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a snarl. "You think a scratch like that will stop me? You're even more arrogant than I thought!" He raised his weapon, the air around him crackling with energy as he prepared to strike back.

But before he could make his move, a fiery explosion erupted behind Vortigan. Madame Rose emerged from the wreckage of the warship, her body wreathed in flames, her red hair blazing like a living inferno. Her cane glowed white-hot as she shot toward Vortigan with terrifying speed.

"You're not the only one who can play rough, Vortigan!" She shouted with her voice echoing like thunder. She swung her cane in a wide arc, the heat radiating from it scorching the air itself.

Vortigan turned just in time to block the strike, his shield absorbing the brunt of the impact. The force of the collision sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, the ground cracking beneath them.

Vortigan's expression remained stoic, but his eyes flickered with a hint of respect. "You've still got some fight in you, Rose. I'll give you that."

Madame Rose smirked, her fiery eyes locking onto his. "You haven't seen anything yet, old man."

The two clashed again, their weapons meeting in a blinding explosion of light and heat. Each strike was a cataclysmic event, the sheer power of their blows threatening to tear the battlefield apart.

Pax, still recovering from his wound, watched from a distance, his mind racing. He knew he couldn't take Vortigan alone, not even with Madame Rose's help. But he also knew he couldn't afford to retreat. Not now.

With a growl of frustration, Pax raised his hand, summoning a swirling vortex of dark energy. "If you won't surrender, then I'll just have to end this myself!" he shouted, hurling the vortex toward Vortigan.

Vortigan's eyes flicked toward the incoming attack, but he didn't flinch. With a swift motion, he raised his shield, the dark energy colliding with it and dissipating harmlessly. "Is that all you've got?" he taunted, his voice dripping with disdain.

Pax's face twisted in rage. "You arrogant—!"

But before he could finish, Vortigan was already moving. In a blur of motion, he closed the distance between them, his blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. Pax barely had time to raise his weapon in defense, but the force of Vortigan's strike sent him flying backward, crashing into the ground with a bone-jarring impact.

Vortigan stood tall with his blade gleaming in the light of the flames. "This is your last chance, Pax. Surrender, or I'll end you here and now."

Pax struggled to his feet, his body trembling with pain and fury. He knew he was outmatched, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. "You think you've won? You're a fool, Vortigan! This war is far from over!"

Vortigan's expression hardened. "So be it."

He raised his blade, the air around him crackling with energy as he prepared to deliver the final blow. But before he could strike, a sudden explosion rocked the battlefield, drawing his attention. In the distance, a massive warship was descending from the sky, its hull bristling with weapons.

Madame Rose's eyes narrowed as she recognized the ship. "Reinforcements?" she muttered, her voice tinged with suspicion.

Pax let out a dark laugh, his grin returning. "Looks like the game's not over yet, Vortigan."

Vortigan's gaze shifted between Pax and the incoming warship, his expression unreadable. For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual steely resolve.

"Fine," he said, his voice calm but firm. "If you want a war, I'll give you a war."

The battlefield erupted into chaos once more as the reinforcements joined the fray. Vortigan, Madame Rose, and Pax clashed again, their powers shaking the very foundations of the planet.

"Sir Pax! The main cannons are now in range of the energy station. Should we proceed?" The captain of the destroyer, newly arrived in orbit under Pax's command, spoke through the communicator, his voice sharp with anticipation.

But before Pax could answer, "Puahh!"

Vortigan's blade plunged straight through his abdomen. The world tilted while pain moved through him as the steel bit deep. Blood spilled, but instead of a scream, Pax threw his head back and laughed.

"Fire! FIRE!! AHAHAHAHA!" His voice echoed wildly, his manic grin widening.

Vortigan's eyes flashed with fury. "WHAT!? PAX! HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!?"

With a snarl, he wrenched his sword free and swung Pax's impaled body like a ragdoll, hurling him straight into Madame Rose, who had been lunging in for an attack. The collision sent them both careening toward the ground, their impact unleashing a massive flaming shockwave that tore through the battlefield, incinerating defenders and attackers alike.

Above them, the captain of the destroyer hesitated only a moment before confirming, "Understood, Sir Pax! Main cannons loaded! FIRE!"

A heartbeat later, the sky screamed.