Once Rex had secured the help he needed after making what could only be described as the greatest sacrifice of his life, the battle between the Kaelzar forces and the Revenant Ascendancy remained locked in a tense stalemate.


    Cleo''s tireless updates to the fighters maneuvers had kept the Revenant fleet at bay, forcing theirrger ships closer to the trading station, right into a vulnerable position where swarms of fighters and bombers could slip under their energy shields to strike their hulls directly.


    However, standard tactics dictated thatrger ships wouldn''tmit until the oue of the fighter skirmish tipped in one side''s favor. For now, the two fleets exchanged long-range artillery fire, making a deadly lightshow in the void while both sides bided their time.


    Cleo stood at themand station aboard the Cleopatra, her mind racing while she felt that something was off, the kind of unease that even battle-hardened instincts couldn''t exin. She leaned forward, her piercing gaze locked on the tactical disy.


    "Order: Run scanners at maximum capacity," shemanded. Her voice was calm, but the urgency beneath it was unmistakable. "The Revenant wouldn''t just sit here wasting resources. This doesn''t feel right."


    And after several minutes, her intuition proved correct.


    [Warning: Multiple wormhole energy signatures detected above the trading station.]


    Cleo''s head snapped toward the reinforced ss of the Cleopatra''s bridge. Her eyes widened as she watched wormholes rip open in the fabric of space, just above the trading station.


    From the glowing, chaotic voids emerged three massive Revenant ships, identical to the ones they had already been engaging.


    "Damn it," Cleo muttered under her breath.


    [Warning: enemy drop pods detected. Activating weapon tform defenses.]


    Hundreds of drop pods rained down like a deadly meteor shower, streaking toward the trading station. The station''s four weapon tforms sprang to life, theirser turrets and guided missiles firing relentlessly.


    Many of the pods were destroyed mid-flight, erupting in fiery bursts that lit up the surrounding void. But the sheer number of pods was overwhelming, making some slip past the defenses, hurtling toward the station''s hull.


    "Nyra, Lyra," Cleo called through hermunicator, her tone sharp andmanding. "Prepare for stationbat. Enemy forces are boarding."


    Inside the trading station, chaos erupted.


    "Everyone, brace for multiple impacts! Enemy boarding parties iing!" Nyra''s voice boomed through the station''s speakers.


    The first wave of drop pods smashed into the station with deafening force, the impacts rattling the entire structure. Some pods pierced through weaker hull sections, breaching into the station''s interior. While the Aegis units remained steadfast, the militia forces were a different story.


    Panic spread like wildfire.@@novelbin@@


    "It''s over! We can''t defend against this!"


    "We''re doomed!"


    "I didn''t sign up for this! Let me into the shelter! I don''t even want to be here!"


    From one of the breached pods, a squad of two-meter-tall Revenant golems emerged. Their hulking forms radiated an ominous purple glow, and their crystalline limbs looked like jagged weapons forged for destruction.


    The first of the golems swung its massive arm, cleaving through a group of militia fighters in one brutal motion. Bodies fell like broken dolls.


    "They''re… they''re here!"


    "Stay back! STAY BACK!"


    The air filled with the crackling ofser fire and the sharp whine of electric rifles. But the militia''s panic led to chaos. Friendly fire incidents became almost asmon as shotsnding on the enemy. The Revenant golems advanced methodically, showing no fear, no hesitation.


    Inside themand room, Lyra''s trembling hands clutched the edge of a console. Through the cameras, she could see the militia being ughtered, their fear overtaking any semnce of organization.


    "This is... so chaotic," she whispered, her voice barely audible.


    "What did you expect from them?" Nyra replied coolly, strapping her twin crimson des to her hips. "Honestly, I''m amazed they can even fire back in this state."


    Lyra turned to her sister sharply, her voice trembling. "Hey! Where do you think you''re going?!" She reached out to grab Nyra''s arm, desperation clear in her eyes.


    Nyra stopped and looked back at her sister with a rare, warm smile. "I have to go, sis. Those militia fighters aren''t going tost much longer out there. And while I don''t particrly care what happens to them, they''re our soldiers now. They need someone to lead them in this chaos."


    "But—" Lyra started, but Nyra interrupted her by gently rubbing her head.


    "You''re better off staying here," Nyra said softly. "Use the cameras tomand the Blood Legion. Reinforce the areas I can''t reach. We''re a team, right? I''m counting on you, sis."


    Lyra''s protests died in her throat as Nyra pulled her into a warm hug. It was brief, but it carried the weight of everything unspoken between them.


    "Don''t do anything stupid," Lyra muttered as she pulled away.


    Nyra grinned. "Stupid? Me? Never." She gave her sister a wink before turning and running out of themand room.


    Lyra watched her sister disappear through the door, her fists clenched at her sides. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the console and began issuingmands to the Blood Legion, her fear slowly being reced by determination.


    In the breached corridors of the station, Nyra sprinted toward the chaos. She could already hear the echoes of screams, the sh of weapons, and the booming footsteps of the Revenant golems.


    Your journey continues with empire


    Her twin crimson des gleamed as she drew them, the edges humming with an energy that crackled like fire.


    "Alright, you oversized rocks," she muttered, her lips curling into a feral grin. "Let''s see what you''ve got."


    Nyra charged headfirst into the fray, her des a blur of crimson light as she cut through the first golem she encountered. It roared in defiance, but she didn''t stop, moving with deadly precision.


    The Revenant golem raised its massive fist, the jagged crystalline surface gleaming ominously under the flickering emergency lights. It had already smashed countless defenders like if they were insects, and this one, this tiny figure in ck and crimson armor, looked no different to it. Just another bug to crush.


    It swung down with the full weight of its monstrous strength, aiming to stter Nyra against the wall like it had done to so many others.


    But it made a fatal mistake.


    Nyra dodged the attack effortlessly, her movements as quick and fluid as a shadow. The golem''s fist mmed into the wall with a deafening crash, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the metal. Before it could recover, Nyra sprang into action.


    Her twin crimson des gleamed as they cut through the golem''s massive arm with ease. The jagged crystalline limb fell to the ground, shattering into useless shards as if it were made of brittle ss.


    Before the golem could even process the damage, Nyra used the wall as a springboard, leaping with inhuman agility. In a sh, her des sliced through its neck, severing its glowing purple head cleanly from its shoulders. The entire maneuver took less than three seconds.


    The headless body staggered for a moment before copsing with a thunderous crash.


    The militia defenders nearby, who had been frozen in terror moments earlier, snapped back into action, but unfortunately they opened fire wildly, emptying their clips into the lifeless golem''s corpse, their panic overriding any sense of logic.


    "STOP WASTING AMMO!" Nyra shouted; her voice was sharp andmanding. Her words cut through the chaos, and the militia finally stopped firing, lowering their weapons as they looked at her in awe.


    She stepped forward, her ck power armor glowing faintly with its crimson highlights, making her look as imposing as she was dangerous. Her twin des hummed softly with residual energy as she sheated them back into their sheaths.


    "I already killed it," she said, her voice dripping with exasperation. "What are you guys so afraid of? They''re just walking rocks! Shoot their damn heads! Once their heads are gone, they''re as good as dead. I haven''t found an enemy yet that doesn''t die when you destroy its head."


    The militia members exchanged uncertain nces but ultimately nodded. Despite the almost childish tone of her voice, Nyra''s presence wasmanding, and her disy of skill left no room for doubt.


    "Well then," Nyra continued, her tone shifting to something more authoritative, "seeing that all of you finally calmed down, you''re all under mymand now. We''re going to set up defensive positions at the station''s checkpoints. Follow me!"


    The militia hesitated for a moment, then scrambled to obey. Her confidence was contagious, and for the first time since the Revenant invasion began, they felt like they had a fighting chance.


    Meanwhile, elsewhere in the station, Lyra monitored the situation from themand room. Her eyes darted between various camera feeds, her fingers flying over the console as she directed the Blood Legion reinforcements into the battle.


    "Unit Alpha, secure the western wing. Unit Beta, reinforce Sector C, hostiles are breaching the secondary storage decks. Move now!" Lyra''s voice was steady, but her clenched jaw betrayed her concern.


    Through the cameras, she could see the devastation caused by the Revenant invaders. The militia defenders were falling back, their positions overrun by the relentless golems. She gritted her teeth and keyed in anothermand.


    "Send in Blood Legion units to support Nyra''s position. Prioritize choke points and high-value areas."


    At the fortified staircase leading to themand room, the station guards were making their stand. The stairway was arge, open area designed to amodate the heavy foot traffic of traders visiting the station''s supply stores.


    But now, it had be thest line of defense for themand room and the AI systems that controlled the station''s shields.