Darkness

Zzzaaaap!

A powerful blue laser beam traced a long line, transforming hundreds of androids into molten metal. Even shield drones proved powerless against the overwhelming force of the plasma beam.

The surface, once flat and covered in debris, now displayed an extensive pattern of grooves and protrusions, releasing a lot of black smoke.

This spectacle played out in every corner of the artificial island. If it weren't for the pressing need to evade the Guardians' attacks, the lasers would not have stopped until the ship cannons overheated, providing the opportunity to decimate countless androids.

Draylith witnessed one of these blue beams dangerously close to him. Instead of thanking for the help, his frustration grew as he saw his prey taken away.

"I don't need help!" he shouted in frustration to the air; he had previously told Zyrgon to stop treating him like a child, even.

Boom! Boom!

He continued firing, distancing himself further from his companion.

Meanwhile, Zyrgon kept his Magnetic Hunter in position, aiming without paying attention to the surrounding chaos caused by Draylith.

Clang!

Two kilometers away, a soldier was surrounded, with his weapons cooling down, resisting the relentless onslaught of the androids' biomass hammers. His standard armor, notably thinner than Xenotech technology, endured continuous blows at a frenetic pace.

Clang! Clang!

Each impact caused an intense vibration in his head, making his brain resonate with each hit. The overwhelming shock gradually made him lose consciousness.

Zzchhhuuumm!

Suddenly, an intense white light, which instantly blinded his eyes for a few brief seconds, flooded everything around him!

"...Huh?"

Regaining his vision, he found himself facing a landscape completely saturated with molten metal. The androids in front of him were reduced to unrecognizable scraps, but those behind and on the sides still stood.

He tried to make sense of the situation and immediately remembered the base's lone sniper, aware that he might be watching. He raised his hand in gratitude. Without hesitation, he took advantage of the cleared space to retreat, deciding to change location as staying alone was not very sensible; the enemies were simply too many.

Zyrgon observed the soldier raising his hand, immediately understanding his intention.

His sole purpose was to support soldiers in distress, whether by assisting those facing a large number of enemies or freeing those trapped in biomass tentacles and other critical situations.

At least, he played his role perfectly, the same role he should have played when he wasn't part of this battalion...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"...Is that thing coming this way?" Zyrgon said, watching as one of the eight huge robots began to move and approach his direction. The surrounding ships tried to attack, but thousands of shield drones were creating a constantly regenerating biomass barrier.

Only in this way had these primitive robots managed to stand tall so far, thanks to those biomass shields.

Looking beneath this rusted mechanical entity, he noticed how dozens of androids intermittently released a viscous green liquid from black compartments on their backs towards the barrier.

This caused the shield to regenerate any cracks. He aimed at one of those androids, waiting for his weapon to cool down before firing. For now, he hoped the others would realize what was happening with those few androids.

Unfortunately, the sea of automatons was so vast that no one besides him noticed this.

He wanted to communicate it through his HoloSync, but he didn't have the contact of any of those soldiers, as he had always been someone apart from everyone. He tried to communicate with the ship's AI, but it didn't respond.

He only had Draylith's contact, but it would be a waste of time; he was so crazy that he was even more marginalized than him.

Tsk!

Zzchhhuuumm!

He shot precisely at a perfect angle, instantly annihilating dozens of androids that were about to release more of that green liquid.

This caused the barrier to loosen for a moment, allowing a shot from one of the ships to pulverize one of its arms. Unfortunately, more androids appeared and continued the task of the destroyed ones, becoming extremely frustrating.

Zzshhwww! Zzshhwww!

While Zyrgon was busy with that, Draylith continued alternating between his two weapons, and when he didn't have time to switch them, he used his fists and legs to destroy everything around him.

He also noticed the huge robot approaching step by step to his position, but he didn't care and continued to have fun.

Splurch! Splurch! Splurch!

"What the hell is this?" he shouted annoyed, realizing how his vision turned green.

Without him noticing, as his Xenotech armor detectors reported absolutely nothing, a rain of small green spheres fell towards him.

Although he could have dodged them, he thought they were just simple grenades, things that wouldn't do anything to his armor.

"I can't see anything!" who would have imagined that, instead of an explosion, they would release a strange dark green and sticky liquid that completely soaked his armor, every corner literally, plunging him into total darkness and greatly reducing his mobility.

He tried to remove the substance with his arms, but it was terribly sticky!

With no alternatives, Draylith activated his HoloSync to communicate with Zyrgon. "What are you doing? Help me!"

Initially, he perceived a buzzing, as if interference were hindering the connection, but this noise dissipated in a matter of seconds. Draylith found the situation suspicious; he was certain someone was trying to disrupt his communications. Realizing this, he smirked mockingly. He knew that not even a Type Two civilization, like his own, could block the quantum network of his race, let alone some simple primitive robots.

"What's happening now?" Zyrgon inquired with an annoyed tone. He was genuinely busy dealing with those androids; that damn robot was about to reach his location.

He aimed at his companion, surprised to see him completely covered in green liquid.

"I guess it must be biomass you have on you," he murmured quietly, recognizing that the liquid was surprisingly similar to the substance the androids were using to feed that annoying barrier.

He hesitated about what action to take; he couldn't shoot, as the power of his weapon could easily damage even a Xenotech armor without problems.

"I don't care what I have on me, just help me get rid of this!" Zyrgon heard Draylith's annoying voice resonating in his head. Sometimes, he was deeply bothered that these interfaces were connected to their brains.

Thud!

Swooosh!

With no other choice, he headed towards his companion, but just when he was close, that robot finally reached his position and, as if its target were Draylith, attacked him without hesitation!

"Move!" he shouted, but unable to see anything, Draylith didn't understand what was happening.

Bam!

Zyrgon watched as his companion was thrown dozens of meters, falling alongside a group of androids that were torn apart by the strong impact.

"That... hurt a bit," he complained, and his lament echoed in Zyrgon's ears.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

But that wasn't all; another blow sent him flying again, followed by another. It seemed as if they were playing with him.

"I've had enough!" annoyed, he cut the connection with his helmet, causing it to detach from the armor. Determinedly, he tore it off, stretching the biomass until it cut. Regaining his vision, he skillfully avoided the next blow from the robot as he distanced himself from the growing crowd of androids around him.

His helmet, entangled in biomass, fell somewhere without him caring.

He aimed his BlasterX at the robot, skillfully dodging the rapidly approaching green spheres; he definitely didn't want more of that biomass sticking to his face!

Zyrgon observed this and instantly warned him: "Are you stupid?! Put the helmet back on!" he wasn't exaggerating in warning him; their bodies could have great strength, resistance, and regeneration, but they weren't invulnerable. They could die if they weren't careful.

"I threw it somewhere, so stop bothering. No one here can do anything to me. Just let me have fun!" he shouted with a vengeful yet excited expression.

He was about to fire his BlasterX, with his three eyes reflecting the huge robot.

"Fool! Behind you!" heard the alarmed voice of Zyrgon warning him of something.

Swoosh!

Slaash!

"Behind...?" he whispered to himself, but his attention shifted as he noticed something unusual on his neck, at the same time hearing a cutting buzz filling the air. Lowering his gaze, he witnessed in slow motion how a blurry green shadow slid out of his neck from the left and disappeared to his left side.

He felt the sensation of controlling his body disappear; after that, he confusedly watched as his vision descended to the ground without wanting to.

Plaff!

His vision rolled until it stopped; now he was looking at a huge Xenotech armor without a helmet, suspended in the midst of the starry sky, bathed in the soft light of the moon.

Spuuuurt!

An instant later, a violent jet of blood gushed from the neck, violently staining the armor and the surrounding ground red!

"What's happening...?" he tried to articulate more words, but it was extraordinarily difficult, as if his throat were dry after centuries without a drop. It was the first time he experienced something so perplexing.

Thunk!

The armor fell brutally, shaking the ground. It took him a few seconds to understand what was happening, but the sight of red flesh on the armor's neck, pulsating and twisting as if trying to regenerate, made him understand the brutal reality.

He had been decapitated...

His vision began to darken, while a voice in his head shouted something he could no longer comprehend.

From the neck section connected to his head, the flesh twisted as if trying to regenerate, but its movement became slower and slower. Even the capabilities of his race couldn't keep his head alive without his body.

Whumpf!

Before darkness claimed him completely, he witnessed the sudden arrival of an imposing figure, a three-meter being with green armor and a saber in his hand. Without mercy, he kicked him forcefully, sending him into the air. Although he couldn't glimpse where he would fall, his last vision was the silhouette of the being approaching rapidly before darkness finally enveloped him completely.

"No..."

Zyrgon, witnessing every moment, had seen everything, literally everything, unfold in a dizzying succession of seconds, without giving him a moment to react.

"This bastard!"

Although contemplating death on the battlefield was not unfamiliar to him, this time he experienced a deeply unpleasant sensation. Like a furious tide surging from the depths of his heart, he aimed at the figure in the green armor with the intention of disintegrating it!

Booom!

However, before he could even pull the trigger, a sudden explosion of dazzling light veiled his vision.

Swooooosh!

A powerful wind dragged his body dozens of meters backward!

Zyrgon realized that the damn robot had suddenly exploded, plunging this side of the battlefield into absolute chaos!