YYrejite and Soxan ships emerged from all five habitable planets in small groups, all aimed at shooting down Grim’s fleet before they got to the planet. While the enemy ships gathered, Grim commanded another fleet of warships to follow him, one that was larger than the current fleet he was leading. The tactic worked because the YYrejite and Soxan pilots slowed a little with their advancements, giving Grim the advantage. It also revealed an interesting aspect to him. Even though the ships were YYrejite and Soxan, they were flown by Rayan pilots. Their sudden halt proved that fact, allowing Grim and his fleet to charge forward without hesitation. Grim’s fleet caught up with the retreating YYrejite and Soxan and surrounded them in all directions. They had no choice but to fight, and so they did. Opening fire, the two races battled with each other above the planets. A battle solely reliant on one’s piloting skills and group formation unfolded, showing which pilot was superior. Surprisingly, the Rayans stood their ground and even managed to take down a few Granian ships on their own. But that wasn’t the only surprise they had in store. Turrets mounted within the planet’s densely populated settlements opened fire on the Granian ships. They weren’t strong enough to one-shot a ship, but they were capable of causing severe damage that would give their pilots a fighting chance. ’Clever,’ Grim thought as the ship he was on led a portion of Granians to the third planet’s surface. ’Seems they prepared decently for an invasion. They must have known we were coming before we even got here.’ Grim was right. As soon as his ships entered the third planet’s atmosphere, they were welcomed by the sight of soldiers already prepared for conflict. However, since the Rayans were not a confrontational people, they let their minds do their fighting for them. Along their frontlines were hundreds of remotely controlled mechs escorted by military vehicles. About a thousand of them were ready to meet Grim’s fleet...a number that would prove to be worse than useless. Grim and his soldiers didn’t even have to land their ships to wipe out the Rayan mechs and military vehicles. Their firepower was far superior to the Rayan’s, so much so that they suffered no casualties while the Rayan’s lost valuable war machines. "Prepare to invade." Grim gave the order, and all the ships landed a few meters from the major settlement they landed next to. Over six thousand ships landed, and from them emerged Granian and Cyclitharan soldiers with their mechs and war vehicles at the frontline. Following Grim’s ship, they entered the edges of the settlement, waiting to be confronted by soldiers. But no one came. In fact, the streets were emptied, and every building was sealed shut. For a race that chose anything else over confrontation, they certainly were a masterclass at hiding and/or evacuating. ’No one’s here to welcome us.’ Grim sighed, growing agitated at their excellent showcasing of cowardice. ’Not to even stop us from advancing. Are they really this dependent on Ethisians for protection that they can’t do it themselves?’ It didn’t make sense. These species saw the Granians lay waste to their mechs and military vehicles without suffering casualties. They then watched as said Granians marched into their settlement with no one stepping up to stop them. None dared to fight them back, and why would they? The Granians did earn a terrible reputation for themselves throughout the known galaxy, so it would be stupid to fight, right? "Lord Grania," one of the pilots called out, informing the former Granian Lord about something it spotted, "we’ve spotted activity in the buildings. Significant heat sources are coming from them, which means someone’s hiding in the buildings but...." Answering Grim, a loud roar escaped from a distant building, followed by a slight rumbling on the ground. Immediately, Grim leaped from his ship, standing in front of his army while preparing himself to confront the roaring creature approaching them. "Jim and Anya, standby. We don’t know what’s coming at us, so in case I need your assistance, stand by." "He’s lying," the pilot whispered to the humans, "Grim never lets his equals in strength assist him in battle. It’s one of the things he did on Earth that made him lose an eye, haha." The black-scaled Granian, clad in dark armor with a long sword in hand stood ready, waiting for the creature whose roars grew louder as it approached. The roars increased in volume each second, and so did the thuds of its steps. Whatever was coming was big, very big. And probably strong too. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 Thunderous waves of sound shot through the Granian’s ears and dissolved in his body. He felt the strength of the roar within his body, within his core. The force kept him grounded momentarily, nearly stopping him from taking a step forward. The force of the roar disturbed the environment, causing dust and light debris to lift and cloak its source’s physical presence. Once it cleared, Grim immediately leaped back, dodging an attack aimed at his chest. A tail swung not long after the Granian evaded, and as the dust settled, a behemoth of a creature was revealed. Behold, a giant variation of a Rayan stood before the Granians. Standing at almost ten feet, the humanoid salamander looked down at the black-scaled Granian with disgust and hatred burning in its moist, blackened eyes. From its mouth dripped sticky, long ropes of saliva. Its skin glistened in the sun as its muscles twitched in anticipation of attack. It breathed heavily, almost as though it was being subdued to intense amounts of pressure. The creature didn’t stand upright, its back hunched over under its immense upper body weight. Its hands hung a few inches above the ground with its bent knees. Everything about it was abnormal, disproportionate, and worst of all, unnatural. The only creatures that looked like those, in alien nature, were mutated beasts...highly mutated beasts. "Grania," the pilot spoke as the visors in the ship that scanned the creature suddenly erupted with colors and sounds, "the creature’s body’s parading high signs of intense energy. We only see this with..." "Creatures that have been forcefully fused with crystals that’re too powerful for their bodies." Grim groaned as he stared at the large, gaping crystal throbbing in the center of the creature’s body. ’That’s why it doesn’t look natural.’ He complained. ’They’re force-evolving themselves to have a fighting chance.’