Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 358: Fortress. {6}

The weapon started to hum and glow, its energy building up with a rising whine that echoed through the void. A pulse of ominous red light flickered along the surface of the cannon, aimed squarely at the retreating fleet that had dared to attack the planet under the captain's watch.

"Sir, the main cannon is fully charged!" one of the officers announced while rushing to his side with a sleek data pad in hand. On its screen was a single large button, cold, glowing, and deadly.

With an almost lazy sigh, the musician captain reached out, brushing his fingers through his silver hair before pressing the button. "Farewell, my sweet dissonant melody…"

At that moment, the dreadnought fired. A thunderous beam of destructive energy shot out from the massive cannon, splitting the space between stars as it roared toward Lilla and Ys's fleet like a lance of pure destruction.

But just before the beam could strike its target, space itself cracked open.

A gigantic wormhole suddenly burst into existence between the two fleets, swirling with brilliant blues and violent purples. And from that cosmic gateway, something unimaginable emerged, a structure so enormous it blocked the path of the beam entirely.

The energy blast collided with a shimmering shield that covered the surface of the incoming entity. The shield flared briefly with radiant energy but held firm.

[Alert: High-powered laser impact detected. External shield integrity at 99.8% and rising. All systems nominal.] The young AI's calm voice echoed from within the mysterious fortress as she calmly assessed the damage through countless holo-screens inside the command center.

Cleo narrowed her eyes, her digital avatar adjusting a strand of her black hair as she issued orders. "Deploy the main frigates to assist the allied fleet. Send out the destroyers and fighters. Initiate counterattack protocol immediately."

Her voice was cold and composed, but behind it was the fury of a mother defending her children.

And then, from the wormhole's mouth, it fully emerged, not a ship, not a weapon, but a fortress floating in the cold emptiness of space.

Its size was overwhelming. Massive white walls lined with glowing golden veins, spires reaching into the stars like iron towers of judgment, and massive turrets hidden beneath layers of armor.

It looked like it had been pulled from a myth, a relic of a long-forgotten empire reborn.

The musician captain's smug grin faded as he looked at the display, his usually smooth voice cracking ever so slightly.

"W-What the hell… is that?" he whispered, frozen in awe and confusion.

For the first time in decades… he felt fear.

"Forgive me for my late arrival," Cleo's calm voice echoed through the holo-screen, her face appearing in a soft blue hue. Her expression was gentle but serious.

"It took longer than expected to gather and organize the entire army onto the fortress. For now, allow your vessels to enter through hangars six and seven inside the fortress."

"There, they will receive first-aid repairs, fresh ammunition, and rare materials to help regenerate damage."

She paused for a moment, scanning the battlefield through multiple feeds. "Rest your forces. I will take over the battle for now."

Ys let out a dramatic sigh of relief and rolled onto her side, collapsing onto her bed inside her private quarters. Her energy was drained, and her tone still held a hint of playful sarcasm.

"It's about time you showed up. I was starting to think you sent us to our deaths because of that whole drama in the past～."

Cleo didn't reply to the teasing.

Lilla, on the other hand, stood near the reinforced window of the bridge, her face pale and strained but composed. She placed a hand over her chest and made a gesture of blessing with her other hand, forming the sacred symbol of her faith.

"Yes… please don't say such things, Ys," she said softly. "I'm truly glad you arrived when you did, Lady Cleo. This enemy… he is no ordinary foe. He fights with purpose and overwhelming force. I will send you the combat data from our battle so far. May it assist you in what comes next."

"Affirmative," Cleo replied with a nod. "The data will be valuable in forming a successful counterattack. You have my thanks."

With that, Cleo's image disappeared, and the transmission ended. She had chosen to ignore Ys's teasing for now, focusing on what needed to be done.

Inside the towering command bridge of the massive Cleopatra Fortress, Cleo turned to the Young AI, a smaller, younger construct that handled system reports and internal coordination.

"Young AI," she asked, her voice firm, "since the Cleopatra Fortress's main weapons are still offline, do we have the fleet support systems online at the very least?"

"Yes, Lady Cleo," the young AI replied promptly, her soft voice carrying a tone of innocence and clarity.

"Fleet-wide shielding assistance and coordination protocols are active. Targeting guidance for our allied ships is online as well. However, internal reactors are still under construction. Main and Sub weaponry will remain offline."

Cleo silently watched the screens showing the battlefield. The defensive fleet was hammering at the fortress's shields with relentless firepower from turrets, cannons, and missiles.

But Cleopatra's shields were holding strong. Despite the constant bombardment, the enemy's attacks were doing minimal damage. The advanced shielding tech, paired with the fortress's vast energy reserves, made her nearly untouchable for now.

Meanwhile, Cleo's four destroyers, sleek, fast, and deadly, were darting between the enemy frigates like wolves among sheep.

Their plasma cannons roared with golden fire as they targeted already damaged vessels, making quick work of several enemy frigates. A few enemy destroyers, already weakened from earlier battles, were torn apart in precise, coordinated attacks.

Cleo's eyes narrowed as she watched the growing list of enemy casualties. "Good… they will learn soon enough that I do not forget those who attack what is mine."

"Captain! Our weapons aren't doing anything to that massive fortress!" one of the musician captain's officers shouted, his voice rising with panic.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

"Its shields are just too strong! they're on par with a super capital ship, maybe even stronger! Meanwhile, we're losing too many of our own forces."

"Dozens of fighters and frigates have already been destroyed… and two of our damaged destroyers just exploded under heavy fire! What are your orders, sir?!"

The officer's panic was understandable, and under normal circumstances, the musician captain would've scolded him for losing composure. But this time, even the captain himself had no words. He stood silent, eyes fixed on the giant structure ahead of them.

It was more than just a ship. It was a moving fortress. A castle in space. An unknown monster that had appeared from a wormhole and was now calmly absorbing all their attacks without even blinking.

{What is this thing?! Who do these people belong to? Another megacorporation? No... even the biggest ones don't have anything like this! I've never heard of a fortress-class ship of this scale! And that bastard... he's just toying with us… It hasn't even fired yet...}

Gritting his teeth, the musician captain clenched his gloved hand into a fist and turned toward his officers with renewed resolve. He may have lost the upper hand, but he would not lose his pride.

"Send out the order! All ships, prepare to make multiple warp jumps as soon as the wormhole drive is fully charged! Transmit these coordinates to the fleet. We're pulling out!"

Though his heart burned with frustration, the captain remained a professional. He had seen enough wars to know when to fight and when to retreat. And right now? Fighting something that could swat away his fleet like flies was suicide.

He needed to regroup, analyze the data, and strike again when the time was right. Back inside Cleopatra Fortress, the young AI turned toward Cleo with bright, curious eyes.

[My creator, the enemy fleet is preparing warp jumps. Shall I deploy an EMP pulse to shut down their escape systems? We can catch them now.]