Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Examiner (10)

Ahcehera’s movements were sharp and precise, but her pale face betrayed the toll the battle was taking on her.

I need to survive!

She dodged an incoming swipe from a clawed Zerg, the air hissing as the attack narrowly missed her.

I can do this!

Pivoting swiftly, she slashed upward, the plasma-enhanced blade slicing cleanly through the creature’s armored hide.

I will live!

Another Zerg lunged at her from the side, its maw wide open and dripping with acidic saliva.

Ahcehera twisted her body, narrowly avoiding its jaws, and brought the sword down in a powerful arc, severing its head from its body.

“Syverian, increase the pressure on the legs,” she commanded, her voice strained but resolute.

Syverian quickly adjusted the suit’s settings, enhancing the hydraulic pressure in her lower limbs.

Ahcehera immediately felt the change. Her movements became faster and more fluid, and her dodges more agile.

Though unconventional, her instinct to rely on her suit’s adaptability came from a past life experience, a job where thinking on her feet and improvising under pressure was the only way to survive.

Ahcehera’s body moved on instinct, her blade flashing as she cut through wave after wave of Zergs.

The viewers were riveted by the display of skill and sheer determination.

[Her movements are unreal! How is she still standing?]

[She’s using the hydraulics in her suit to enhance her agility. Who even thinks of that in the middle of a fight?]

[I take back what I said, she’s not reckless, she’s a genius!]

[Look at her face. She’s exhausted but she’s still fighting! This is why she’s the pride of the galaxy.]

[If she survives this, they’ll probably add a whole chapter about this fight in the military textbooks!]

[But isn’t Major General Mors the youngest pride?]

Ahcehera pressed on, her mind racing as she calculated her next moves. She knew she couldn’t keep this up forever.

The cooldown on her equipment would end soon, but until then, every second was a test of her resolve.

The Zerg queen’s signal had summoned reinforcements, and the horde showed no signs of thinning.

Yet, even in the face of overwhelming odds, Ahcehera’s determination burned brighter than ever.

She would fight until her last breath if it meant protecting those she cared for and fulfilling her mission.

As the glowing blade of her longsword arced through the air once more, she vowed to herself that failure was not an option.

Ahcehera gritted her teeth as Syverian’s voice resonated through her comms, tinged with urgency.

“Mistress, the suit has absorbed more than its capacity.”

Her breathing was labored, her movements sluggish as the suit’s mechanisms struggled under the strain.

The mecha’s once-pristine armor now bore deep gashes, its sleek joints scorched and battered.

“How much damage?” she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

“30%, Mistress.”

“I need to hurry,” she muttered, determination hardening her gaze.

With practiced efficiency, Ahcehera released a fleet of mini-bots into the smaller tunnels.

Each bot carried a payload of propagated blood pens, programmed to inject their solution into the pulsating cores hidden within the labyrinth of Zerg veins.

The screen in front of her lit up with dozens of holographic feeds, each showing the bots darting through the tunnels.

But her focus was divided. Blood trailed from the corner of her lips, a visible sign of the toll this battle was taking.

[She’s bleeding! Look at her lips!]

[How can she keep going like this? Doesn’t she feel the pain?]

[This isn’t just bravery. It’s self-sacrifice. She’s giving everything she has.]

“Syverian,” Ahcehera said, her voice soft yet laced with emotion. “You’ve been with me since the beginning. Thank you.”

[Why does this feel like a goodbye? Don’t you dare, Princess!]

The viewers felt a lump in their throats as the weight of her words sank in.

[Don’t say that! You’ll make it out alive, Princess!]

[Syverian is more than a mecha, it’s her partner in every sense of the word.]

[Why does this feel like the end of a story? Someone save her already!]

“Mistress,” Syverian replied, its tone calm despite the chaos, “it is my honor to serve you.”

Ahcehera clenched her fists, her heart aching as she prepared for the next move. With trembling hands, she detonated the remaining Zerg vein cores.

The tunnels trembled violently as explosions rippled through the underground labyrinth.

Her voice was steady despite the exhaustion etched on her face. “We still need to save everyone that can be saved down here. But this swarm… it feels endless.”

Syverian hovered in the air, its damaged thrusters sputtering as it struggled to maintain stability.

“What should we do, Mistress? There are no roads leading outside. It’s as if we’ve fallen into an endless abyss of darkness.”

Ahcehera took a shaky breath, her mind racing.

“The military should find us in an hour or so. We have to hold on till then. Can you analyze these Zergs? Are they real? Or is this some kind of endless illusion?”

Syverian’s sensors whirred, its systems straining to process the overwhelming data. “The first wave appears to be real, Mistress.”

As if on cue, a fresh wave of monstrous Zergs surged toward them, their grotesque forms illuminated by the eerie glow of the tunnel’s organic walls.

Syverian pushed its battered systems to the limit, propelling itself and Ahcehera further upward in a desperate bid to escape the swarm.

Ahcehera’s eyes narrowed as she observed the chaos. “As expected,” she murmured, her voice barely audible over the din of battle, “the Queen in this territory is truly powerful.”

She exhaled slowly, trying to calm the tension coursing through her body. Every nerve screamed for rest, but her resolve burned brighter than ever.

[She’s not just fighting the Zergs, she’s fighting fate itself.]

[The way she keeps her composure… She’s incredible.]

[Come on, military! Where are you? She can’t hold out much longer!]

[This is the stuff of legends. The princess versus the Queen of the Zergs. Who will win?]

Ahcehera braced herself as Syverian continued its ascent, her mind a flurry of calculations and strategies.

Time was running out, and the stakes had never been higher. All she could do now was fight and hope, for herself, for her team, and for the countless lives depending on her survival.