[Enemy vital signs have ceased.]
Andromeda stood motionless, gazing down at the headless corpse of the knight-like insect. Then, without hesitation, it turned its cold gaze toward the horizon, where a tide of chitin and hunger thundered forward.
A voice—calm, mechanical, unwavering—echoed in my mind. [The enemy force is especially heavy, pilot. Utmost caution to avoid encirclement is recommended. Guidance: turn the field to your advantage with the Constellation Drive.]
I stiffened in the cockpit, surprised by the suggestion. "Are you sure? If we use it this early, your core might get damaged from prolonged use."
[My dampeners can handle the energy influx after modern upgrades. Be prepared to supply spiritual energy, pilot.] Andromeda's voice was firm, resolute.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. The battlefield roared before me—waves of towering insectoids barrelling forward, their mandibles snapping, their alien cries piercing through the air. Heat and adrenaline surged through my veins as I let my body relax, allowing the warmth within me to gather at my core.
"Yes... I'm set to supply."
[Engaging Constellation Drive.]
A sudden drain sapped the strength from my body through the tubes connected to my arms and neck. Trails of teal energy bled from me, flowing into the cockpit, the walls pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat as Andromeda drew power from my very essence. The cold-fusion core awakened, humming with raw energy as the mech drank deep from the lifeline I provided. The blood pump behind my seat in the cockpit springing to action to make sure I didn't pass out as bio-electric energy was drained out of me and my heart was kept beating.
Fifty meters.
The swarm was almost upon me.
A hulking beetle-spider hybrid lunged, mandibles wide, aiming to sink its fangs into Andromeda's platinum plating.
[Constellation Drive engaged.]
A detonation of heat erupted from within. Panels and vents snapped open across Andromeda's armour, spewing torrents of fire—deep orange at first, but within moments, shifting to an ethereal blue. The air wavered with searing intensity as the closest bugs instantly ignited, their bodies shrivelling into charred husks before crumbling into ash.
The sand beneath Andromeda's feet melted into glass.
The insects closest to the mech recoiled in horror, screeching as the radiant inferno spread outward, forming a deadly perimeter. None dared to cross the threshold of blue flames—at least, not yet.
Then, the fire burned hotter. The hues deepened, shifting into a brighter, more serene shade of blue.
[Begin defence, pilot.]
Gripping the hilt of Andromeda's heavy sword, I swung. The first arc carved through the air, sending a crescent of blue fire screaming out to my left. The flames engulfed the battlefield, incinerating hundreds of bugs in an instant. I pivoted, slashing in the opposite direction—another torrent of azure destruction roared outward, spreading across nearly a kilometre in both directions.
The swarm halted and their charge was shattered.
A towering wall of blue fire now stretched across the battlefield, forcing the insects to scramble, searching for a way around.
Then—whistles sliced through the air. The desert exploded with blue bug guts as artillery rained down, bombarding the edges of the fiery barricade. One after another, the black shells fell, stopping the Dream Swarm from manoeuvring past.
Still, they refused to be deterred. A monstrous, heavily armoured bug—its body built like a rhino—charged straight through the flames, its thick hide blackening but not faltering as it ploughed toward me.
I raised Andromeda's hands. Catching the beast by its horn.
It released a guttural roar rumbled through its thick carapace as I unleashed the flames. Pale blue fire surging from Andromeda's core, enveloping the struggling creature, consuming it whole. Within seconds, it was nothing but cinders.
I exhaled sharply as a lull in combat came, staring at the writhing, mesmerizing blaze that now engulfed Andromeda through the light of the screens in the cockpit. "So this is your 'trait' outside the simulator, Andromeda..." The fire danced, slow and hypnotic, its movements strangely beautiful despite the carnage it left behind. "It's... so beautiful."
[The Constellation Drive is a weapon of war, pilot. It is not supposed to be 'beautiful.']
I smiled, unsurprised by Andromeda's cold, logical response. "Still... It's like I've stepped into another dimension. The fires are so calm when you're within them."
Soft beeps echoed in the cockpit—Andromeda processing my words. It didn't reply. Perhaps it deemed my thoughts illogical.
But the battlefield didn't wait.
[Eyes up, pilot.] Andromeda's voice sharpened. [The Dream Swarm is reorganizing. Another KnightMare... or perhaps a LucidTail is still commanding them.]
Seventy meters beyond the firewall, the horde writhed, shifting in uncertainty.
Then— a screech split the sky. It was different. Louder. More commanding.
At once, the bugs rushed the fire. One after another, they threw themselves into the flames, uncaring of the searing pain, their bodies burning, blackening, crumbling to dust. But for every bug that fell, another took its place.
And another.
And another.
It was endless. The sheer mass of bodies began to smother the flames. Even as they died, they created a path for the rest of the swarm.
I tensed. "They're dousing the fire with their own bodies..." The realization made me push forward. I willed Andromeda out of the safety of the blue inferno, blasting forward with jets of burning pale fire, reigniting the battlefield.
A blur of motion caught my peripheral — a mantis-like creature lunged from the side, its scythe-like claws aimed straight for Andromeda's back.
It struck, then burned. The moment its limbs made contact, the fire devoured it, reducing its form to embers in seconds. I turned, severing its flaming head with a quick slash of Andromeda's sword.
The swarm surged again.
A storm of blue fire erupted across the battlefield as I guided Andromeda through the horde, cutting down swathes of insects, launching surges of blue flame in sweeping guerrilla strikes. Each time the enemy closed in, I retreated into the wall of searing azure heat, forcing them to come to me—where their flesh melted before they could ever land a strike.
"Broahhh!" Three massive charger-bugs burst through the chaos, their hulking bodies hurtling toward the flames, aiming to break through.
Andromeda surged backward, retreating into the protective embrace of the blue flames after incinerating an entire platoon of insectoid horrors. With a burst from his thrusters, we ascended, hovering eighteen meters above the infernal wall. From behind his shoulders, panels shifted and locked into place, revealing newly augmented shoulder launchers.
A mechanical whir sounded on Andromeda's back, a flash of ignition—then a torrent of rockets screamed through the air.
The projectiles struck deep into the swarm, detonating in rapid succession, exploding the chargers trying to push through the flames. Fire and shrapnel tore through the writhing horde, blackened shells and severed limbs flung skyward in the chaos. The desert trembled beneath the onslaught, shockwaves rippling through the sand as widening gaps were carved into the enemy's seemingly endless numbers.
[Projectiles detected. Evasive action required.]
At Andromeda's urgent warning, I wrenched him upward just in time to avoid a barrage of razor-sharp needles slicing through the air. Hundreds of them whizzed past, embedding themselves into the sand with lethal precision. My eyes darted toward their source, and before I could even issue a command, Andromeda locked onto the attackers. His sword vanished, swapping seamlessly for the railgun mounted on his back.
[Low-power shots loaded.]
Four quick pulls of the trigger. Four icy detonations.
The needle-shooters froze where they stood, encased in thick frost along with the ground beneath them. Their surroundings crystallized instantly, sharp formations of ice blooming like unnatural flowers from the desert floor.
As the railgun's magazine slowed its spin, a dark shape flickered on Andromeda's sensors, moving fast. Too fast. My heart barely had time to lurch before the black dot ballooned into a boulder hurtling toward us.
The force struck Andromeda dead on, knocking us out of the sky and slamming us into the glassed sand below. The cracked surface shattered beneath our weight, sending spiderweb fractures racing outward. My head snapped forward, body rattling inside the cockpit as the shock rippled through my bones.
[Damage: minor.] Andromeda reported while pushing himself up from the fractured terrain, visor blazing as he scanned the battlefield. But whoever had thrown that boulder had already vanished into the swarm. The wall of fire flickered in his periphery—diminishing, weakening. [Firewall dissipating. You do not have enough spiritual energy to create another.]
"I... I know." I exhaled sharply, the exhaustion clawing at me while the blood pump continued to flow blood into the tube in my left arm. My limbs trembled, my breath came ragged, and every second drained the last reserves of my strength. I could feel it—my stamina reaching its limit, my very organs straining under the weight of spiritual depletion. "How are the evacuation efforts?"
A brief silence, filled only by the crackling fire and the distant, guttural screeches of the Dream Swarm. They pressed at the edges of the flames, pushing forward, only to burn to death upon entry.
[Captain Guvec reports only one group remains. However, a shuttle must return for them. ETA: thirteen minutes.]
I grimaced. "How long have we been in?"
[Forty-six minutes and three seconds. Based on current ammo and spiritual reserves, depletion is imminent—estimated within five minutes. Firewall will fade in less than thirty seconds.]
I clenched my fists. There had to be a way to stretch our time. "Reduce Constellation Drive power to the lowest effective setting," I ordered, forcing my mind to work through the haze of exhaustion. "Once the firewall drops, we'll try to herd them away before—"
A deafening alarm cut through the cockpit.
Before I could register the attacker, i instinctively deployed Andromeda's energy shield—magnetized fire flaring to life just in time to block the incoming attack. But the force behind the strike was monstrous. It launched us backward, out of the firewall, sending Andromeda rolling across the desert floor. Sand and shattered glass kicked up in thick plumes, the impact rattling through my bones within the shaking cockpit.
Climbing out from the sand Andromeda lifted his head, and I saw it on the cockpits glowing screen's.
Our attacker. A KnightMare. Like the one from before—humanoid, armoured in chitinous exoskeleton, an eerie fusion of ant and cockroach features. But this one was different. Its form was sharper, more refined. Its exoskeleton gleamed an ominous shade of blue, adorned with stark white markings across its shoulders—seven precise stripes.
"Seven stripes..." I muttered, the significance lost on me, but instinct warned me this was no ordinary foe.
Andromeda rose to his feet from the sand, his armour plating shifting into place. [This KnightMare exhibits enhanced combat potential. Scans indicate an unidentified mutation, increasing its strength and resilience.]
As if acknowledging its advantage, the KnightMare flexed its claws, glancing at them, almost puzzled by the fact that its strike hadn't killed us outright.
Then, something strange happened.
The Dream Swarm should have surged forward the moment the firewall disappeared. But they didn't. Instead, the KnightMare raised a single hand—and the swarm obeyed. They moved, but not toward the fleeing soldiers. No, they spread out, shifting, circling. A formation.
A makeshift arena.
Andromeda scanned the behaviour, his visor flickering as he analysed the data. [The mutant appears to be issuing a duel challenge.] Looking around us I wondered how to escape from this dire situation. [This aligns with recorded KnightMare behaviour. Some, particularly older specimens, exhibit warrior-like tendencies—patterns reminiscent of ancient duelling customs from over ten thousand years ago.]
I swallowed. "Are they ignoring the evacuees because of the challenge?"
[Probability: high.]
I exhaled slowly, considering the options. If I declined, the swarm would break the arena formation and resume their pursuit of the survivors. If I accepted, I'd be gambling everything on a one-on-one battle—one that, with my depleted spirit and ammo reserves, I might not survive.
But my choice needed was clear. "I accept."
The railgun folded away, locking back into Andromeda's shoulder. Reaching behind, I pulled free his sword—splitting the blade into two halves before driving them into the glassed sand, mirroring the KnightMare's ritual.
Andromeda hesitated. [Warning: At max power, your spiritual reserves will last nine minutes. This is not—]
"Every instinct in my body is screaming at me. We have to." My hands clenched the controls. "If we don't, we'll lose. That's what my gut is saying. I'll hold out—at least a few minutes longer."
Andromeda didn't like it he knew i would be undeterred. [Acknowledged. Constellation Drive engaging at full capacity. Pilot, do not overstrain yourself. I will protect you at all costs.]
Warmth flickered in my chest at Andromeda's words. But there was no time to dwell on it.
As Andromeda's thrusters ignited, shifting from their usual blue to a blazing mix of turquoise and gold, the KnightMare howled—a bone-chilling battle cry. It lunged.
I reacted. Twin blades carved through the air, leaving trails of searing turquoise flame. The moment they clashed, the desert ignited—a twister of fire exploding outward, burning everything in its wake.
Steel met chitin. Claws met flames.
The battle began.
Andromeda struck first, slashing through the KnightMare's exoskeleton, the impact freezing, then melting its armour away—exposing the flesh beneath. But the monster retaliated with brutal efficiency, driving its razor-sharp claws into Andromeda's side, sending a shockwave through the cockpit. Sparks exploded in my vision.
Another attack. I barely had time to react before Andromeda leaned back, narrowly dodging a lethal strike. Seizing the moment, I drove one blade upward—severing the KnightMare's arm at the elbow.
It didn't even flinch.
Instead, it launched itself at Andromeda's chest, dragging us both into a violent roll across the desert floor. My body slammed against the cockpit walls as fire erupted from Andromeda's thrusters, scorching the monster even as it refused to let go.
"Front thrusters—full power!"
Andromeda obeyed, unleashing a cyclone of emerald-blue flames. The KnightMare shrieked, its chitin melting into its flesh. But still, it fought.
Clawing, striking, biting. Somehow, it managed to throw us off balance, sending Andromeda tumbling before leaping into the air. It reappeared in front of us in an instant.
I swung. A horizontal slash—searing straight through the KnightMare's torso, carving a molten gash across its chest.
It staggered. And for the first time, it screamed in pain.
But just as I prepared to finish it off, my heart clenched. A stabbing pain lanced through my chest, and I doubled over in a fit of violent coughs.
Andromeda dropped to one knee in the sand. [Warning: Multiple systems damaged. Armor integrity at 40%. Pilot—your spiritual reserves are nearly depleted.]
I forced myself to breathe, gripping the controls with trembling hands as the blood pump worked harder. "I'll... I can still hold on for another minute. We must kill it here. If we don't... it will kill us."