Strue went first. A tentacle the size of a subway train, tipped with a diamond-hard beak, punched straight through her Goliath’s chest. Her scream cut off in a burst of static.
The Lord British made a desperate run for the central crater. Tita fired everything—the Mega Crush, the lasers, the missiles. For a glorious three seconds, the flesh burned. Aoba saw the core. It was a pulsing, crystalline heart the size of a skyscraper.
Nergal’s Cradle screamed. The flesh hardened. The spires crumbled. The moon began to collapse in on itself, not from an explosion, but from a . It couldn’t process the infinite song. It couldn’t stop listening. Otomedius Excellent -NTSC-U--ISO-
The ship lurched. The lights flickered. When they returned, the hangar’s main viewport showed a sight that made Aoba’s blood run cold.
Aoba Anoa was sitting on the wing, eating a protein ration. Her hair was white now. Her eyes were the color of old, unreadable data. Strue went first
“If I fall back, who stops it?”
It wasn't a core. It wasn't a battleship. The Lord British made a desperate run for the central crater
, the ship’s stoic, bespectacled operator, appeared on the main screen. “Bacterian signature is off the charts. It’s not a standard strain. It’s… intelligent. It tore through the outer perimeter in twelve seconds.”