Chapter 93: Into the Core
The halls of the derelict shipyard grew darker as Raizen and his team moved deeper toward the station's command core. The eerie flicker of failing lights barely illuminated their path, casting long, jagged shadows against the metallic walls.
Liana kept her scanner up, watching for movement. "Energy signatures ahead. Something's still running in the core."
Raizen's golden eyes flickered. "Then we keep moving. Weapons ready."
Joran adjusted his rifle. "After those things we just fought? I don't trust anything in this place."
As they neared the core chamber, a low mechanical hum pulsed through the station, growing louder with each step. The doors ahead loomed tall, partially open, as if something had forced its way through long ago. Beyond them, the station's command center stretched in a circular room, filled with dead monitors and sparking terminals.
At the center stood a massive, dormant AI control node, its surface covered in blackened scorch marks and tangled cables. But the moment Raizen stepped inside, the monitors flickered to life, flooding the chamber in a dull red glow.
A deep, distorted voice echoed from the speakers. "Intruders detected."
Liana cursed under her breath. "Something's still online."
Raizen's instincts flared as he took a step closer. The AI node hummed violently, screens flashing symbols in an unreadable language before a holographic figure materialized in the center of the room.
A humanoid construct, its form shifting between a skeletal machine and something vaguely human-like. Its face twisted and glitched, flickering between the visage of a man and a monstrous machine.
"You do not belong here." The voice was layered, multiple tones speaking at once.
Kain raised his weapon. "What the hell is that?"
The figure's glowing red eyes locked onto Raizen. "Protocol override. Identifying… error. Unknown entity detected."
Raizen felt a pulse through his Draconic bloodline. This AI was scanning him, recognizing something deep inside him.
Then, the entire station shuddered violently, as if awakening from a long slumber.
The AI's voice crackled. "Engaging defensive measures. Purging intruders."
Suddenly, the floor panels hissed open, and multiple cybernetic constructs rose from the depths below. These were different from the mindless abominations they had fought earlier—sleeker, more advanced. Combat-grade war machines.
Joran groaned. "Oh, come on. Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy."
Raizen's energy blade ignited, casting a golden glow across the room. "Then let's show this thing why we're not so easy to purge."
The machines lunged, and the battle for the command core began.