Then, the creature's hyena-like laugh cut through the chaos once more. This time, it carried a final, chilling intent. An invisible force, vast and unyielding as the void itself, clamped down on Cleo.

It was not a physical grip, but a paralysis of space, locking her wings and limbs in place, holding her suspended in the air like an insect pinned to a specimen board.

Helpless, she could only watch as the colossus reared back its massive head. Its jaws yawned wide like a cavern of darkness, and deep within its throat, a sphere of concentrated black energy began to glow.

It pulsed with the promise of absolute erasure, spinning and gathering power, preparing to unleash a blast that would end her.

"You dare!?"

The voice was not a shout but a thunderous declaration that shook the very fabric of the void. It came from the abyssal darkness behind Cleo, from the direction where Rex had been hurled.

An explosion of pure, silvery planetary energy erupted, banishing the shadows for a moment, and in its heart stood a titan. Forged from shimmering, metallic light, the colossal silver form materialized directly in front of the void colossus.

With speed that defied its immense size, the silver titan's massive hands shot forward, seizing the colossus's distended jaws. It wrenched the creature's head upward just as the sphere of dark energy unleashed its devastating beam.

The blast, meant for Cleo, now struck the silver titan point-blank. The coruscating black energy tore through it with horrific force, vaporizing half of its abdomen and shearing away an entire arm in a spray of dissolving light.

But the sacrifice had bought a precious second.

"Limitator removed. Initiating Tier 5 battle mode. Releasing augmentors," Cleo's voice stated, cold and precise. A conduit of energy flared between her and Rex, and she began to drink in the raw planetary energy he radiated.

The lightning that wreathed her body transformed, shifting from brilliant white to a devastating, sun-core silver. The very air crackled with its destructive potential, a power that made her previous attacks seem like mere sparks.

She formed a triangle with her hands, the augmentors on her wrists glowing with blinding intensity. Into this focus, she channeled every ounce of the colossal energy she now wielded.

A single bolt of lightning, no longer a simple arc but a solid, screaming spear of annihilation, shot forth. It passed through the augmentors, magnifying in power and size until it became a river of pure destruction aimed directly at the void colossus's belly.

The creature thrashed, summoning a thicket of shadow tendrils to shield itself, but they were useless. The planetary energy within the lightning was their absolute bane.

The tendrils evaporated into nothing before the bolt even touched them, and the attack slammed, unimpeded, into the colossus's core. Held fast by the one-armed silver titan, the monster had no defense. The lightning pierced it completely, erupting from its back in a shower of dissolving purple and black matter.

The silver giant, its purpose served, dissolved into a shower of fading, silver motes.

Rex was at Cleo's side in an instant, his arm wrapping around her, pulling her close. "Are you okay?" The concern on his voice was clearly visible at this point.

"Affirmative," she replied, her own voice regaining its measured calm. "The damage to this body while using Tier 5 combat power was minimal. There are only a few synthetic organs that were slightly damaged. They should be fully repaired in a few minutes at most."

"Good," he said, his grip tightening for a moment before he released her. "Try not to exert yourself until you are fully healed. I will go down there to help the soldiers; you stay in the middle. I'll take care of everything."

In a ripple of spatial energy, he vanished from her side and reappeared standing tall on the roof of a battered transport vehicle, right in the heart of the beleaguered soldier formation.

He stood for a moment, and like a silent sentinel, his gaze swept over the desperate fight as the living metal on his back began to flow, slowly and deliberately crafting the familiar, formidable shape of his claymore.

"Cleo, support me! I'm going to clear the area!" Rex's command was a low rumble that carried over the din of battle. As he spoke, the air around him began to hum, vibrating with immense power.

The Kaelzar Nucleo embedded in his chest flared like a miniature sun, drawing in vast quantities of planetary energy. The golden halo, etched with bluish tech marks, materialized once more, rotating slowly behind his head as he began to float upward, ascending above the desperate fray.

Below, the wounded and exhausted soldiers looked up, their faces illuminated by the growing radiance. A colossal, holographic form of Cleo shimmered into existence behind Rex, a spectral giantess of light and data.

Rex positioned his physical claymore before him, his hands gripping the hilt as the blade itself became a conduit, drinking in the silvery energy that swirled around them.

[When the emperor's sword rises, the whispers of rebellion fall silent.]

Cleo's voice, ethereal and enchanting, echoed not in their ears but within their very minds. They watched, mesmerized, as her holographic hands rose as if lifting a great weight.

Between them, a claymore of pure, solidified planetary energy began to materialize, its form growing more defined with every passing second.

The process took less than five heartbeats, but its effect was instantaneous. The moment the energy claymore fully formed, an immense pressure descended upon the battlefield.

Every void creature was crushed to the ground, pinned by the overwhelming weight of the emperor's might. Conversely, the Nexum Dynamics soldiers felt a wave of revitalizing energy; their wounds knitted together at a visible pace, and a fresh surge of strength banished their fatigue.

Rex looked down upon the horde of suppressed creatures, his expression one of utter disdain, as if he were regarding nothing more than troublesome insects. He took a deep, steadying breath, then raised his own claymore high above his head with both hands.

[When the emperor's sword falls, the balance of power shatters into a million pieces.]

Cleo's voice rang out again, this time in the ancient, programming-like cadence of the Kaelzar tongue. The words were unintelligible, yet their meaning was instinctively understood by all.

In response, the massive energy claymore high above exploded, not with sound and fire, but into a breathtaking storm of hundreds of thousands of shimmering swords. They rained down upon the pinned void creatures in a beautiful, terrifying deluge of light, shredding them into dissipating black mist.

Yet, for all its power, the assault was not enough. The void was endless, and its children were numberless. Even as the first wave was annihilated, more creatures surged forward from the darkness, and among them, another colossal, hundred-meter-tall behemoth began to rise.

This new colossus ignored the rain of swords, its regenerating flesh healing the minor wounds almost instantly. It opened its massive jaws, a sphere of annihilating dark energy gathering within, ready to erase them all.

[A thousand swords to the origin.]

With this new command, Cleo's holographic form dissolved, then reconstituted itself into a single, colossal claymore of solidified silver lightning, a blade of ultimate judgment.

"Haaaaa, fucking die!" Rex roared, the veins on his neck standing out as he put every ounce of his strength into a forward thrust of his own weapon.

The motion was connected to the massive silver claymore, and he strained against its unimaginable weight. As he pushed, the countless smaller swords still flying through the air changed course, swirling around the primary blade like a galaxy of metallic stars.

Then, in a blink, it was over. The massive silver claymore and the swirling storm of blades simply vanished. So too did the head and torso of the void colossus, cleanly erased from existence as if they had never been there at all.

"Brace for impact."

Rex's voice was not a shout but a low, resonant command that cut through the fading echoes of battle. It was a tone that brooked no hesitation, and after the cataclysmic display of power they had just witnessed, the soldiers moved on instinct alone, hunkering down and securing themselves to whatever they could.

With the battlefield momentarily still, Rex gathered Cleo's body into his arms. His great wings, still shimmering with residual energy, unfolded to their full, magnificent span, then closed around her like a protective shell, shielding her completely from what was to come.

A moment later, the void itself seemed to convulse. In the far distance, where the headless colossus had stood, a point of silver light flared into existence.

It expanded in absolute silence, a rapidly growing sphere of pure planetary energy that banished the darkness for miles around, illuminating the terrifying landscape in a stark, brief daylight.

Then, the shockwave hit. It was a physical wall of force that slammed into the convoy, rocking the heavy tanks and transports, pushing them backward despite their weight and anchored positions. The very ground beneath them trembled.

When the last echoes of the explosion faded and the blinding light subsided, an eerie quiet fell. Rex slowly opened his wings, revealing Cleo, safe and unharmed.

He lifted a hand, and from the abyssal darkness where the colossus had fallen, three shimmering objects floated gracefully toward his open palm. They were dark, multifaceted crystals that seemed to contain a swirling nebula of purple and black energy within.

"So, these are the so-called gems?" he mused, turning them over.

Cleo, now fully conscious within her body but still resting in the cradle of his arms, activated a handheld scanner.

A beam of light passed over the crystals. "Affirmative. These are void gems. The energy signature is a perfect match for the colossi we encountered."