Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 382: Final Struggle. {6} The duel IV

It was an illogical decision. It was inefficient. It was unnecessary.

And yet, she made it...

The tropical storm intensified, the rain falling so heavily it blurred the world around them. Water poured from the skies in thick sheets, turning the once-sturdy plateau into a field of slippery mud.

Every footstep now sank into the soft earth, and the roar of thunder filled the air like a war drum.

Cleo stood still, her drenched black hair clinging to her armor, her golden eyes glowing faintly beneath the downpour. She didn't care about the mud, the rain, or the storm; her focus remained locked on the warrior before her.

"HAAAAAA!"

This time, it was the old governor who charged forward, roaring with all the fury of his long-lost youth.

His body, now flooded with more stimulants than blood, surged with false strength. His legs, forged with cybernetics and hardened by decades of war, plowed through the mud like it was nothing. For the first time in years, he felt invincible, just like in his prime.

Cleo activated the laser edges of her twin swords, and with a sudden burst of speed, she dashed toward him. When they were close enough, the old governor launched himself into the air with a powerful leap, his sword aimed directly at her chest.

But Cleo didn't flinch.

With a single, fluid motion, she raised one of her wings and blocked the strike. Then, with a mighty flap of that same wing, she deflected his sword completely.

Spinning on her heel, she used her second wing to strike him mid-air, sending the old warrior flying backwards through the storm. While he was airborne, Cleo pointed at him, and her five remaining flying swords shot forward like spears of light.

"COME ON! You think this is enough to take me down!?" the governor shouted through the wind, his voice still full of fire.

He tried to swat the swords away with his shield, but being in midair made it almost impossible to properly counter. With no other choice, he activated his personal energy shield just in time to block the incoming blades.

He crashed into the muddy ground, sending water and dirt flying in every direction. Back on his feet, he raised his shield again and managed to block the incoming flurry of blades... but Cleo was already there.

She appeared before him like a shadow in the rain, her twin swords striking with deadly precision. Every slash, every movement became faster and more refined, as if she was learning him, breaking down his style piece by piece.

Her eyes tracked every twitch of his muscles, every movement of his armor, predicting his next move before he even made it.

The old governor's shield was under relentless assault, groaning from the constant impact of her blades and the flying swords that circled like vultures. He couldn't catch a breath, let alone launch a proper counterattack. freewēbnoveℓ.com

From time to time, he tried firing his shield's laser beam again, hoping to surprise her.

But Cleo dodged each time with almost supernatural timing, countering immediately after with swift and merciless strikes.

Minutes passed like hours. The duel had become one-sided. Cleo was faster, sharper, and growing stronger by the second. The old governor, once a sword master, was now just barely holding on.

Then it happened.

His shield flickered... just once... but Cleo noticed.

He tried to adjust his stance, but his legs shook. The stimulants that had once made him feel unstoppable were burning out, and with them, all that remained was the corrosive pain of cyber poison.

Years of cheap enhancements and bad injections were eating him alive from within.

The shield finally shattered....

Cleo reacted instantly. Her swords came down in a flash of light and steel, aiming straight for his chest.

"THIS YOUNGSTER! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" the governor roared, managing to block one of the swords with his battered shield. But the second blade pierced through his lower abdomen; the sound of metal cutting through flesh was sharp and clear even in the storm.

"Kuh!" Blood sprayed from his mouth, but still, he refused to fall.

"I'm… not done YET!" he growled through clenched teeth.

With one final burst of strength, he reached forward and grabbed Cleo's wrist. Gritting his teeth, he spun her body around and hurled her away from him. She flew through the air but landed with the grace of a feline, sliding back on her feet and immediately regaining her balance.

But in that moment, the five flying swords closed in from behind.

Three of them struck true, one impaling his arm, another his leg, and the third embedding itself in his back.

The old governor dropped to one knee while blood poured from his wounds.

But he didn't scream.

He just stared at Cleo through the falling rain, his breath ragged, his eyes burning with something deeper than pain....

The northern general clenched his fists as he watched the final blow fall. His whole body trembled with the urge to intervene... but he didn't move. He knew what this meant. If he interrupted now… if he tried to save the governor, everything the old man had fought for and bled for would be wasted.

So he stood there, motionless, while gritting his teeth so hard they almost cracked.His nails dug into his palms. Tears welled in his eyes, only to be lost in the endless rain washing over his face.

The western general stood in solemn silence beside him, helplessly witnessing the last moments of his dearest friend.

[Critical damage detected on the enemy. Releasing sword abilities.]

"Denied. Keep them sealed," Cleo ordered coldly, her voice calm as ever.

Her armor AI complied, keeping the hidden functions of her swords dormant. She could have ended this long ago. The blades had been ready to release lightning, acid, or poison, but she had chosen not to use any of them.

This duel was not for overwhelming power. It was for honor.

She walked slowly toward the old governor, her steps quiet against the mud, the rain soaking her armor and hair, her golden eyes never blinking.

She stopped just a meter away.

"Hohoho... So I've lost..." the old governor wheezed while blood dribbled from his mouth, his vision fading fast.

"So it seems," Cleo replied in her usual composed voice while staring down at him.

The rain mixed with the governor's blood, painting red streams across the plateau. Cleo's sensors read his vitals... there was no coming back from this.

"I hope... you keep your word..." the governor said while lifting his head with great effort, locking eyes with Cleo one last time.

"I'm a Kaelzar. I never go back on my word," she said without hesitation, her golden gaze unwavering.

The governor chuckled weakly, almost fondly. Then, he lowered his head once more.

Cleo activated the laser edge of her sword. With a single clean motion, she swung.

The blade hissed through the rain... and the duel was over.

She stared at the body for a second longer, then turned to the generals.

With a flick of her wrist, the swords embedded in the governor's body slid free, floating back into formation around her like loyal sentinels. Then, without a word, she turned and walked across the plateau. Lilla and Ys fell in behind her, silent, leaving the scene behind.

The northern and western generals ran to the body. The governor's corpse was still upright, kneeling in the mud, his armor cracked and his blood soaking the ground.

"Let's take him back to the city, kid," the western general said quietly while kneeling beside his fallen friend. He removed his cape and draped it gently over the old governor's head, his hands reverent.

The northern general didn't answer....

Instead, he dropped to his knees and punched the ground with all his strength, mud and water splashing in every direction.

"HAAA! FUCKING OLD MAN!" he shouted out, voice cracking, full of grief. "ALWAYS DOING WHATEVER YOU WANT!"

He stayed like that for a long moment, sobbing quietly as the rain poured down.

Then, still trembling, he took off his own cape and helped cover the governor's body. Together, the two generals lifted him and carried him toward the transport ship.... step by step, through the mud and rain.

[Xylos – Capital City, Three Hours Later]

The rain hadn't stopped. It poured endlessly over the towering skyline, washing over the buildings like a curtain of mourning.

Holographic screens across the capital city flickered and glowed with the image of the governor's final moments, broadcast from the drones that had recorded every second of the duel. Cleo's cold expression. The old man's final words. The flash of the laser blade. The fall of a hero.

Every citizen had seen it....

Every street, every alley, and every home went silent.

Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

On the wide steps of the Governor's Hall, a crowd had gathered in the storm. No one had told them to come. They just did. Men and women, elders and children, workers and soldiers.

All stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the massive screen that now showed only one thing... the governor's final salute before the duel began. A still image, looped in quiet honor.

An old woman in the crowd fell to her knees and sobbed quietly, her hands clutching a worn medallion bearing the governor's insignia.

A young boy beside her looked up at the screen, his face unreadable, clutching his father's hand. His father didn't say a word.... he just kept staring at the image of the man who had ruled Xylos for three decades.

Inside a school dormitory, dozens of children sat in front of a projection. One girl began crying. A boy tried to comfort her but didn't stop his own tears. The teacher stood behind them with his fists clenched and lips trembling, but no words came.