"Revenge of Tyrants. Darkness is coming" story released

[BagaturKhan]

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- Stop! - Iilfan's disturbing voice was suddenly heard, - Someone is coming.
The Farrukh maiden has already saved up enough strength. She tried to stand up a little, and she succeeded. The warrior did not forget to grab a couple of submachine guns that were lying on the table nearby. They were loaded and ready to fire at any moment.
Yuri also sensed that someone was approaching. He raised his beam rifle and aimed it at the spot where the noise came from. The noise came from the corridor into which a tightly slammed door led. No sooner had Ernal'tsev even thought about this door, when it flung open, and it opened quite sharply.
The Adept and his companion continued to keep the stranger at gunpoint. More precisely, a few who entered. There were two of them in total. Yuri was unspeakably surprised at the appearance of his faithful companions from Moskan here. A joyous smile appeared on his face. Well, something, but these guys he certainly did not expect here.
His good comrade in the army Nikolai Krashich and his close friend Bartholomew appeared before his eyes in all their glory. These two have already become famous throughout Hyperborea as elite warriors. They have always fought alongside the psi adepts.
For some unknown reason, Krasic and Bartholomew looked just brilliant. Yuri had no idea where their battle suits had gone. But he soon realized that they could easily damage them during the battle. They are now donning the usual Hyperborean armor. Plasma fusées were held in their hands.
Yuri was extremely delighted with such a sudden appearance of his comrades. Iilfan, on the other hand, looked alarmed. When Ernalltsev lowered the weapon down, his Farrukh partner continued to keep the Muscovites at gunpoint. For some reason, she did not trust them.
- Glory to Eckhart! - I heard Nikolai's joyful voice, - Yuri! Yuri Ernal'tsev!
- Your mother! We're stuck here like sarcosuchus in the ass! - Bartholomew shouted at this, who was no less delighted, - At least they found old friends!
- Yes, - answered Ernalltsev, - To be honest, I did not expect you here at all!
At the same time, Yuri noticed that the amulet began to grow heavy again. Still, he chose not to pay attention to it. Taking the weapon in his left hand, he stepped forward and hugged Nikolai. Then he did the same with Bartholomew, the always swearing Moscan sergeant. When he hugged Krasic, it seemed to him for a second that he had too strong and not even too human grip.
- How did you get here? - Yuri's question immediately followed, - And where ... Where is Hercules?
Here the adept clearly remembered that he had last seen them flying away with Hercules. Their main task was to neutralize the leader of the terrorists. Then no one knew what kind of forces were behind Grigarovich and his rebels.
As soon as Yuri pronounced the name of Hercules, nothing remained of the smiles on the faces of Krasic and Bartholomew. Nikolai even somehow mournfully lowered his head. However, the joy faded on Ernal'tsev's face. He knew his friend much more than these Muscovites. Most of all, he was afraid that Hercules was dead. All warriors sooner or later found death on the battlefield. And to survive in such a fight as this, in general, was within the power of only a demigod.
- What about Hercules? The adept exclaimed angrily.
He demanded an immediate answer from his friends.
- Listen, - Krasic said with some anxiety, and at the same time stretched out his left hand forward, - Do not get excited. Crappy news. We lost him ... .. But we will find. I think he'll get out.
- Yes, I think so too, - followed the words of Bartholomew, - I think ... He survived.
But Yuri was not at all satisfied with this answer. He glanced at Iilfan, and was surprised to find that his partner continued to keep the Muscovites at gunpoint.
- What happened to him? - raised the voice of Ernallets.
The amulet, meanwhile, continued to grow heavy, and this annoyed the psionic notably.
- Quietly, quietly, - Nikolai said in a soothing tone, - We lost him during the siege of Grigarovich's palace. Then we fell into a trap. Hercules was never found. But the salamander must have pulled him out. So everything will be the way. We were really shot down, but we got here on foot. Nearly exploded when dropped.
- Yes, yes, chief, we almost threw away the skates, - Bartholomew muttered.
Then the sergeant glanced at Iilfan, who kept aiming at them. He clearly did not like such a strange behavior of the warrior.
- Hey, friend, I would remove the trunks, otherwise you will burn, - the Muscovite growled displeased.
But Iilfan shook her head. For some reason, she did not at all trust the heroes who entered.
- Come on, those, - the sergeant continued his speech, - Well, yomayo, we are all our own here. We are friends of the adept Ernal'tsev. Why are you all pantyhose, huh?
Yuri turned towards the Farrukh maiden and nodded to her. The warrior nodded in response, but only removed the one submachine gun she held in her left hand. In the right, the weapon remained until now, and it was ready to flare up at any moment.
- We will find Hercules, - Krasic repeated once again, trying to calm Ernal'tsev, - The main thing is that now there are four of us.
- And there is still no connection, - Bartholomew's voice rang out, - Cut off, torn cones. Either a jammer, or a blockade. We tried all the channels and no armadillo. Do not contact anyone at all!
- To put it simply, Zabergan is lost, - Nikolay confirmed the words of comrade, - Robots have flooded everything here. Into the furnace of this Krazhinsky. We must get out of the planet ourselves. You look, ours in orbit will pick it up.
For some unknown reason, the amulet got heavy again. Yuri felt that his neck was squeezing. Something unknown and evil told him that it would be better to get rid of the amulet. But he firmly knew that he could not. The amulet must be on him no matter what happens. Even if the entire universe begins to blaze, he will not get rid of the amulet and will not even touch it to remove it.
- What are your plans then ?! - Ernalltsev exclaimed resolutely, - I won't leave without Hercules. You must understand.
- Of course, - Krasic nodded at this, - He disappeared in the area of ​​the Grigarovich tower. We were shot down just nearby. There were more enemies. But now we are also no less. The four of us are still stronger, whatever one may say.
- Yeah.... Stronger. Only I still don't understand how you could portugal up Hercules.
"This is war, brother. What is there to understand?
Bartholomew continued to look with displeasure at Iilfan. She still did not let up and held a weapon in her right hand. The muzzle of the submachine gun was aimed directly at Krasic. In the eyes of the warrior, mistrust of the Muscovites was clearly visible.
- Why are you aiming your gun at us? - snapped the sergeant in the direction of the foreign woman, - We are not dangerous. At least we are not these miracles. I do not understand you. I don't understand at all. Some kind of damn distrust!
"Sorry, but I need to make sure you're not a kaiju or a farongan," Iilfan hissed. "So let me decide whether to lower the weapon or not!
- Yes, what the portugal kaiju, - Bartholomew barked at this, - You ask Yuri. He knows us as long as he knows. Do you think we look like these mutant cyborgs?
- Sorry, but I will not lower the barrel, no matter how much you want it.
- Okay, your business. But know, I don't like this!
For some reason, it seemed to Yuri that there was not so much truth in Nikolai's words. It all looked too strange. He claimed that they were shot down while approaching the Grigarovich palace. But they had excellent protection, including the salamanders. Ernalltsev perfectly remembered many of the features of the armored suits of his comrades. And as for Hercules, in order to knock down the beast, you had to try hard. Of course, anything could have happened, especially during such an operation, but in the depths of his soul, Yuri felt that the truth was not the whole thing.
Nikolai really behaved in an extremely mysterious way. He looked Ernal'tsev straight in the eyes and was not afraid of anything. Moreover, when he tried to express sympathy for the loss of Hercules, it seemed to Yuri that the Muscovite was simply playing. Krasic did not speak very sincerely, but at the same time tried with all his might to convince the adept of his truth. At first he showed a semblance of grief, but then it quickly evaporated from his face.
- Are you okay? - Nikolay asked with excessive friendliness, - I really thought you were dead. And what a joy it is to see you all here.
Krasic smiled broadly, and made Yuri even more bewildered. Until recently, he talked about combat losses and the loss of friends, but now he behaved as if there was no war on Zabergana.
- All the way, - Ernalltsev replied dryly, - But they beat us notably.
"Yeah, you don't look too cool," said Krasic, patting his comrade on the shoulder.
The cotton also looked extremely strange and unnatural. For a moment it seemed to the adept that Nikolai's entire arm was made of steel. But he had only a steel bib. The hands were clad in ordinary leather gloves.
- I still do not know whether I am alive or dead, - as if to himself muttered Yuri, - A few minutes ago, I thought that I was already that.... He dropped the skates.
- I understand, - was heard the reply of a comrade-in-arms, - From such and such a height to fall ... Well, it will throw away any skates. But you are strong, brother.


Ernalltsev was about to smile at his comrade, but here it dawned on him. And what he discovered now was shocking news. He has turned so pale that it would seem that his skin is about to turn to snow. Small and nasty goosebumps immediately ran down my spine. The amulet still continued to hang around the psionic's neck and inflict severe pain on him. The severity did not subside.
- Wait ... .. - Yuri said quietly, moving closer and closer to the disclosure of the secret.
Nikolay could not have witnessed Ernal'tsev's fall in any way. After all, he and his friend accompanied Hercules. At the time when the battle broke out on the towers, they were no longer within the sector. They had to get far enough. Yuri clearly remembered the face of his devoted and faithful friend, who stood opposite the salamander. Moskan companions followed with him. Moreover, he did not see them anymore.
This whole mysterious story of Krasic and Bartholomew who came in seemed a banal fiction. She was too much shrouded in secrets. It was not clear how they lost Hercules, or what exactly they saw. They all spoke some kind of nonsense that smelled of far-fetched nonsense. All this could be attributed to the consequences of the combat shock, but not the recent words of Nikolai. Krasic clearly mentioned Ernal'tsev's fall from a height to the lower levels.
- How did you know that I fell down? The adept asked sternly, looking his comrade-in-arms straight in the eyes.
Nikolai twitched for a second. He also stared at his comrade. But for some reason he was in no hurry to answer.
- You couldn't see it, - Yuri continued, - It's impossible. You were too far away at that moment. Is not it?
- Um.... What are you talking about? - Nikolay muttered strangely.
He continued to look Ernal'tsev directly in the eyes and at the same time tried to pretend that he did not remember what he was talking about. For a moment, Krasic's pupils turned into mysterious shades of scarlet, and then returned to their previous appearance. A wide smile reappeared on her lips, bare almost all her teeth.
Yuri realized that he had little time. He should have immediately signaled to Iilfan and did it unnoticed. The enemy could well have penetrated Ernal'tsev's idea and stopped the impending strike in time.
Bartholomew still stood in front of the foreign woman and looked at her with feigned bewilderment. Iilfan maintained the same position and kept the sergeant at gunpoint. Moreover, she managed to cock the hammer. It remained only to shoot and bring down all the ammunition on the unknown monsters.
- Why are you still driving a cannon, - the disgruntled remarks of the Muscovite were heard, - I told you that I am my boyfriend. Oh, and you stubborn!
"I'm not sure about that," the agent replied. "We need to make sure.
- And how? - suddenly grinned Bartholomew, -What should I do? Take off your clothes and show you your little partner? Well ... what is in my pants ?! Ha ha ha!
Yuri carefully turned his head to the left and quickly found his companion. The sergeant was already close enough to her. Iilfan glanced at Ernalltsev extremely worriedly. It was clearly visible that suspicions were beginning to be justified.
"Shoot," the psionic's lips said silently, "This is a trap."
Without thinking twice, Iilfan opened fire. She fired a whole burst right into Bartholomew's head. The Moskanian staggered backward and nearly collapsed to the floor. But still he managed to resist. Shells riddled the entire right side of his skull. It would kill even the most tenacious of Hyperborea's specialists. But this creation was never a specialist, as a matter of fact, and a representative of the human race.
The shells pierced the skull, but did not reach the vital microcircuits. This entity's shell was too strong. Thin streams of steam immediately poured out of the round holes.
"How predictable," the sergeant croaked in a mechanical voice.
After these words, he rushed to Iilfan like an angry leopard. In less than a second, he snatched the weapon from the warrior and threw it far to the side. Then he quickly grabbed the foreign woman by the head with both hands and flooded from all directions with a dazzling bright light. The reaction was just lightning fast. He instantly teleported her into the unknown and disappeared himself. Not even a trace remained of Bartholomew and the agent.
Yuri saw all this with his own eyes. The speed of the cyborg shocked him so much that he fell into a daze for several moments and could not even move. With great bitterness, the psionic realized that he had not had time to save his partner. In addition, it was he who let these abominations into the room, allowing them to turn around here and deliver a sudden blow. Deep down, he cursed himself for being shortsighted.
When Ernalltsev turned towards Krasic, his old friend was no longer in front of him. Instead of a familiar face, something eerie and mechanical was staring at him. The bright red optics literally burned the psionics alive.
- As I already mentioned, the probability of your survival is equal to only four percent, - there was a terrible grinding from the mouth of a huge android, - As you can see, I was right.

[BagaturKhan]

The cyborg grimaced in a disdainful grin. He clearly represented something more perfect and possessed a semblance of human emotion. In his metal hands, he gripped the plasma fuse tightly. But he was not going to use it at all.
"Your short-sightedness makes you who you are," came new words from the monster's speakers. "Only human. A pitiful primitive creation with an extremely ineffective and perishable shell. You tend to fall for any bait. In this case, I used the faces of your faithful comrades. I knew that the success rate of such an operation is 93 and 7 tenths of a percent. And I was not wrong.
A blow from the side of the robot followed immediately. Yuri found his bearings with difficulty and put the rifle in front of him in time, and then bent down. The adept was very fortunate that he did not have both hands blown off at all. The monster wielded the fusea like a club. The heavy butt almost grazed his head. Had Yuri delayed even for a second, his decapitated body would have already been lying on the floor and rotting, and the robot was proudly celebrating its great victory.
The butt passed by and struck only the air. Ernalltsev took advantage of this. He quickly pressed down on the trigger and fired an energy projectile. But to the surprise of the psionic, the monster orientated itself too quickly and teleported to the side in the blink of an eye. The shell was wasted. A bluish cloud of flame hit the wall and burned through it.
- I am Tulotron, - the same heartbreaking creak was heard, - Know this. Remember the one who sent you into the fire.
- Yes, how many scum you are! - Yuri cried out in fury, - What do you reproduce by budding?
"Of course not," the robot replied. "A much more efficient way. Splitting into several separate copies. It's always good when there is a lot of me!
With the same words, the monster jerked forward. He rushed at Ernal'tsev with a fusea across the border and again tried to use it as a giant mace. Only a miracle made Yuri jump to the side again. The butt, as before, struck the air.
However, the adept had a good advantage. He took advantage of the moment the enemy missed and aimed his light rifle at the monster's head. Without fear or hesitation, Yuri fired a gun. This time, the robot did not manage to escape the reprisal. The energy clot still touched him. The monster's head shattered into thousands of pieces. The headless body immediately toppled over to the ground. It immediately began to convulse and burst from all directions with the brightest electrical impulses. And only after this end of the world did it finally turn off completely. As before, Yuri managed to decapitate the monster, depriving it of its control center.
"As before, you were left without a boss," the Hyperborean growled menacingly.
But there was nothing to be happy about. The amulet, as before, allowed itself to flare up and nearly scorched the psionic's skin. Ernalltsev almost screamed from a sudden painful attack.
"It's always good when there's a lot of me," this eerie and terrible mechanical grinding was suddenly heard again.
The noise came from Yuri's back. He quickly turned back. Imagine his amazement when he found in front of him an exact copy of the killed fur. It was the same modernized android, entirely composed of metals. His face was a unique element. They perfectly copied human facial expressions.
The robot allowed itself an ominous smile.
- Much more efficient way. Division into several separate copies, - his words, which he had already uttered, clearly sounded, - This is my power. My absolute strength. My undeniable superiority and greatness.
- Where is Iilfan? - Yuri shouted at the top of his voice, aiming his weapon at the enemy, - Where are my friends? Nikolai? Bartholomew? Hercules? What have you done to them, creatures?
The monster's smile was still on its face. He clearly imitated a completely human malevolence.
- The right question, - rasped Tulotron, - What did we do with them.... What they deserve. What all of you pathetic organic useless creatures deserve. Your very existence is the fault of the Gods.
- But our souls are immortal, - retorted Ernalltsev, - But everything is very sad with you, buddy. You're just an ordinary portugaling program that will soon be chopped off. And I am very sure of that!
- In vain, - the leader of the robots grinned at this, - Ha-ha! It is impossible to remove me without a special tool. A remedy beyond the reach of mortals. Only my creator is capable of this. But he won't do it. The probability of my erasure is zero percent. I will live forever. And I will never die. I will exist for infinity of time. I could mention billions, trillions, or quadralillions of years. But I do not see any sense in this, since such reasoning is absolutely absurd. The probability of my staying in this universe before the onset of the 1st infinity stage, I estimate at exactly 100 percent.
- So you are even more stupid than it seemed to me, - answered the psionic, - I am sure that when you become unnecessary, your master will simply erase you. You are just a tool. And there is nothing alive in you. No and never will.
- Okay, stop talking. I estimate the usefulness of our communication at exactly 2 percent.
- I agree. Let's move on to the final stage of our conversation.
- Great idea. I estimate its effectiveness at exactly 99 and 9 tenths of a percent.
Yuri fired, realizing that only this style of communication is possible with such a creature. The beam of light, as before, flew out of the muzzle of the weapon and went straight to the android's head. But this time the familiar trick didn't work. The robot immediately put its right hand in front of it and annihilated the projectile with a powerful flash.
Ernalltsev fired again, but the burst of energy, as before, did not reach its target. A mysterious flash did not allow hitting the enemy at all. Any beam weapon was simply useless.
The robot once again looked at the Hyperborean and once again smiled ominously.
- I estimate the efficiency of my energy shields at exactly 100 percent, - there was a rattle from Tulotron's mouth, - You can shoot at me even for ages.
"How did you get me with your interest," the adept hissed menacingly.
In great anger, Yuri threw the useless rifle away from him. He glanced briefly to the right and found the body of one of the local soldiers lying there. Not so long ago, cyborgs brutally dealt with him. But the dead man still had EMP grenades, which could theoretically work against Tulotron and deprive him of his protection.
Ernalltsev quickly rushed to the corpse, trying to be next to him as soon as possible. However, the robot got ahead of him. Yuri did not even have time to understand what really happened, as the monster grabbed him by the throat and threw him up sharply. The psionic hit the stone ceiling with all his might and immediately fell to the floor. The blow was so strong that myriads of sparks appeared before his eyes. It seemed to Yuri that he was about to lose consciousness. Only skill and preparedness prevented him from sinking into oblivion.
- The situation has changed, - a mechanical creak was heard somewhere, - Now I estimate the probability of your survival at 3 point and 3 tenths of a percent.
A new blow fell on Yuri. A metal fist immediately broke his right cheekbone. Ernalltsev could not even think about pain. The images before his eyes were clouded with haze.
The robot did not hesitate and decided to deal with the Hyperborean to the end. He was not going to give him any head start. His programs did not allow pity to gain the upper hand. In Tulotron, there was no pity, no mercy, no compassion at all. Its mysterious and evil creator did not put any human feelings into it, except for rage, gloating and vanity. All Tulotron knew how to do was to take over entire planets and kill organic creatures, which he always considered to be primitive forms.
In less than a second, the android grabbed the dying psionic and lifted his body high above his head. He also examined Ernal'tsev in detail and was amazed at the futility of his existence. All organic life was always considered primitive and shameful for him. It would seem, what could be worse than being in the guise of some kind of walking bag of bones and blood ?! A bag that can literally rip with a couple of cuts.
"Disgusting," Tulotron growled in disgust.
After that, he was filled with a dazzling bright glow and in the blink of an eye left the room. Within a few seconds, he was together with his captive on the top of one of the Zabergan skyscrapers. The height of the building was impressive, not less than 200 meters. The robot stood at the very edge of the deep abyss. He stood and held the unfortunate Yuri in his metal hands.
- I wonder what your body will turn into when you fall down from here, - the mechanoid rasped with the same gloating joy, - Into something shapeless.

---

[BagaturKhan]

Everyone knows that every commander should know when victory is real and when it is simply impossible. In the case of Zabergan, everything was clear. Yuri clearly understood that he would not be able to win this battle. In any case, until some reinforcements come from the central part of Hyperborea and inflict tangible damage on the enemy. Apparently, Tulotron still managed to enslave the planet and knock it out of the mighty empire. Given the fact that the leader of the robots could create a great many copies, it is possible that they appeared in many Hyperborean systems. Tulotron was far from being the only entity, but an aggregate intelligence capable of controlling entire star systems.
Now the mechanoid stood at the very top of the skyscraper at the very edge of the ledge. Ernalltsev was still in his hands. His body was hanging over a terrible abyss, which seemed terrible even for those who are not afraid of heights. And Yuri did not like heights too much, even in spite of his preparedness. The psionic tried with all his might not to look down. He felt intense pain throughout his body, but he tried to concentrate. He must do something so as not to collapse from the skyscraper and not to please the sinister android. The psionic forces had already left him, just like the physical ones. But only the energy of the spirit remained, the same indomitable energy that usually comes to the rescue at the very last moment.
- Zabergan fell, - there was a metallic creak of Tulotron, - You can look at it in the end. And marvel at the power of the Machine World.
The robot quickly turned Yuri towards the abyss. He held Ernal'tsev tightly, and he could not accidentally slip off. Before releasing his grip and letting the doomed go down, Tulotron decided to have some fun.
The seen spectacle did not frighten the adept any more. For all today, he managed to see what he had not seen all his life. And therefore, the picture that opened did not discourage him in any way. He guessed that everything had happened exactly like this.
Before his gaze appeared the gloomy ruins of Zaberganum, the once great Hyperborean city. The machines deployed here in full. They still managed to turn the planet into their fiefdom. Thousands and thousands of magnificent buildings were destroyed. Until now, dense smoke streams emanated from them in some places. All surface resistance has been eliminated. The people and their allies could no longer hold back the offensive. Cars filled almost the entire city.
- You think it's only here? - exclaimed the lord of robots, squeezing Ernal'tsev's neck even more, - This is everywhere. And soon the whole galaxy will look like Zabergan Prime. You can forever forget about the greatness and power of Hyperborea. I estimate the probability of complete destruction of your civilization at 99 and 8 tenths of a percent.
The air above the city was full of drones and giant carrier ships shaped like giant May beetles. Yuri knew for sure that they did not belong to Zabergan's army. All these huge and monstrous structures were part of a titanic machine army that came here for only one purpose - to kill.
"It's lucky that my father doesn't see this," a fleeting thought flashed somewhere in the mind of the adept.
It has been said more than once that before death, a person contemplates his entire past life, even its smallest detail. She sweeps in front of him from birth to the very end. He sees every element, even the one that he previously thought was lost. At that moment, Yuri clearly saw in front of him his entire life path.
He remembered who he was before his initiation into the Empire's psi-adepts. An ordinary person who does not take root anywhere and is always looking for an income for himself. Before discovering his special abilities, Yuri had no idea that a different life was possible, a life without poverty and despair. He did practically nothing except looking for a decent job. He was forced to endure the oppression of low-paid couriers and deceptions of directors. He worked wherever he could, trying to find food for himself and his adoptive parents.
Only once did fate give him a chance to join the high society of Hyperborea, and then his life became much better. Ernalltsev got a decent job, thanks to open psi-opportunities, and forever ceased to depend on money.
- It would be better if you remained a simple deliveryman, - again heard the ominous grinding of Tulotron, reveling in the suffering of his doomed victim, - Perhaps you would be alive.
- Not for you.... To judge ... my life, a piece of iron, "Yuri croaked barely audibly, continuing to dangle in the hands of the monster.
- I know everything about you, - the robot continued his speeches, - I know about your former life. About your real one. You were a simple courier, a delivery man. And when you discovered your psi abilities, you thought that life had changed. And now, you finally understand that your strength is your curse. This is what brings you here.
- You know nothing.... You.... Just the machine.....
- I rule over machines. I am perfection. I am the absolute. And now I rule over your life. I am free to take it away and I am free to give it. That I should just let you go .... And you will crash on the pavement in a matter of seconds. As far as I know, the probability of your survival upon contact with the surface is zero.
- So let go ... what are you waiting for?
But Tulotron did not want to let him go. He had completely different plans for Yuri. In the blink of an eye, the robot flashed like a distant bright star. Ernalltsev did not even feel the heat. Inwardly, he knew that this was not fire at all, but a flash of teleportation. And this meant only one thing - the monster moved him to another location.
Moving to another skyscraper, the robot threw Yuri away from him as if it were an unnecessary toy. The psionic's body rolled across the marble floor and slammed into the desk with all its might. Yuri had not thought about pain for a long time.
"At least we're on the wrong portugaling roof," the adept said in his mind.
He is fully convinced that he is in the room. There were no ledges leading to the abyss. From here it was impossible to fall down, turning into minced meat.
Yuri did not know exactly where he was transferred, but the room very much resembled some kind of conference room. There were wooden tables and chairs everywhere. There were strange, nondescript pictures on the walls. The giant chandelier in the center of the ceiling has long been out of service. All existing bulbs were broken.
The psionic tried to get up, but then realized that he could not do it. The bones were broken in many places. Considering that he was a human, and not a farrukh, the body could take a much longer time to restore the overall recovery.
- Yuri, - a voice familiar to the adept was suddenly heard.
He recognized him immediately. This voice belonged to Iilfan. At first, the psionic was even delighted. But after a moment, I clearly understood that his fighting girlfriend was not here. He clearly remembered how one of Tulotron's henchmen had dragged her away into the unknown. The monster grabbed her with both hands and teleported her away. Apparently, he had the same device as his evil lord.
"Yuri," said the same voice again.
Iilfan's face appeared before him in all its glory. As before, Yuri was incredibly fascinated by him. Such regular facial features of the Farrukh maiden seemed to him the most beautiful in the universe. Despite the battles that had passed, she did not look shabby. On the contrary, the warrior literally glowed with the pulsating energy in her.
- Yuri, I'm here, - said the agent, bending over the psionicist, - I hardly got out of the hands of this kaiju. But I'm glad I found you.
- How I would like it ... .. - Ernalltsev responded to this.
Iilfan gently stroked the adept's hair and smiled at him with the most beautiful of smiles.
- What would you like? - I heard her playful voice, - Tell me. Just tell me.
Yuri, who was lying on the floor, had already managed to grope for some unknown heavy object. The adept's right hand clutched at him imperceptibly. As it turned out, it was a rather elegant decorative figurine, usually serving as an ornament for the private offices of local leaders. Her blow would be more than enough to inflict serious damage on any android. With a psionic gaze, the Ernalians noted that it was made of the strongest black stone mined on the southern side of Zabergan. As the sculptors used to say, this material was one of the strongest not only in the star system, but in the entire sector.
- So what would you like? - Iilfan asked again, - Tell me, about Yuri.
- How I would like you to really be near - came the mournful answer of Ernal'tsev, - But you are not here.
He put the last remnants of his strength into that dark little figurine. Yuri knew that there would be only one blow, and he could not miss. He aimed directly at the temple, where, in theory, there could be access to the control center. The resulting damage could somehow disorient the enemy, and possibly disable him.
"But I'm here," the warrior said with mock amazement, "Here I am.... I'm here, Yuri! Do not you see? I am alive!
For a moment, the pupils of the foreign woman were colored with scarlet flowers.
- I love you. I wanted to say this for a long time. As you do me. Truth? You love me too, don't you? I saw the way you look at me. You think I haven't noticed anything?
"Nice trick, Tulotron," the adept hissed angrily, "But you're terribly predictable.
It literally took a second to drive the statuette right into the monster's head.
----

[BagaturKhan]

---
The creation recoiled sharply from Yuri. The blow fell on the temple area. The figurine literally stuck into the head of the monster. Now it was no longer Iilphan. There was no trace of her face. An ominous mechanical figure with a fractured and sparkling skull appeared before the eyes of the psionics.
Tulotron took significant damage. Ernal'tsev's suddenness almost ended the existence of his next copy. The monster squirmed, sparkled, and burst into blindingly bright lightning. An eerie grinding sound was heard from its speakers, imitating a battle cry. With excessive efforts, the robot pulled the figurine of the local goddess from the skull, and, as if angrily, threw it on the floor.
The control centers were still hit by the blow. Each movement of the monster resembled a street alcoholic who had already poured himself a sufficient amount of mead. The monster could not even straighten up to its full height. Sparks and lightning constantly engulfed his head and neck. Each time they only became brighter.
- Violation ... .. Corrections ... ... - there was a disgusting rattle from the Tulotron speakers, - Corrections ... .. The need for ... .. Recovery ... ...
The damage was clearly much more terrible than Yuri had expected.
- I told you that you are just a stupid machine, - Ernalltsev said with a smile, looking at the "torment" of his iron enemy, - Stupid and worthless.
- Corrections ... .. - the robot tried to answer.
It seems that he could no longer speak normally. Each phrase that flew out only spoke of the severity of the damage inflicted.
- Malfunction... .. - again there was a mechanical grinding, - Malfunction.... Main controller ...
- Yes, of course, a malfunction, - retorted the adept, - You can't even speak plainly, a bucket of nuts!
The statuette, just as opportune, turned out to be again not far from Yuri. The psionic was quick to take advantage of this. Such chances, given by fate, could not be missed.
- The malfunction is critical ... .. - meanwhile, indiscriminate wheezing was heard, - Malfunction ... ..
- Catch the present, you bastard!
Yuri quickly grabbed the statuette with his right hand. His strength was still running out due to severe wounds. The bones were broken in many places and were in great pain. However, he managed to toss the figurine back towards the robot. In less than a second, she reached her assigned goal. The figurine of the goddess struck exactly at the huge hole in the metal skull of the monster. It was a double win.
A new blow finally to the disrepair of the construction of the fur. The glowing optical devices went off immediately. The damage level has reached its most critical point. Tulotron collapsed on his back, as if knocked down, and then did not move any more. The sparks still covered his head and neck for some time, but after a while they also died down. The design no longer showed signs of life. Another copy of the superintelligence was defeated.
- Yeah ... .. - Yuri said with satisfaction, watching the destruction of the mechanism, - I hope, at least that's all.
True, the tests did not end there. Now Ernal'tsev had a much more important mission. It was simply to get out of here. With broken bones, this will be overwhelming. It is also worth considering the fact of the capture of the city by troops of machines. That is, Yuri literally will have to rely on only one Creator.
Everything was further complicated by the fact that the mysterious amulet was becoming heavy and light all the time. He inflicted incredible pain on Yuri's already injured body. Ernalltsev again felt an irresistible desire to remove the amulet from himself. For a second, he thought it would ease the pain a little. But then he quickly brushed aside those thoughts. They were not of the Light. He clearly remembered what Iilphan had said.
Taking off the amulet now felt like death.
- Yours ... .. - Ernalltsev muttered with irritation, clearly understanding in what situation he found himself, - But it all started with a simple rebellion of the military! But no ... It is absolutely necessary ... ..
But here Yuri's thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound. Somewhere in the distance, perhaps outside the building, there was such a terrible crash that the resonant wave reached the skyscraper. The walls around the psionic shook. Several books and souvenir vases fell from the bookcases, of which there were many in the room.
The crash was repeated. The walls began to shake and crack again. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling nearly collapsed. Now Ernal'tsev thought that the enemy had used some kind of seismic weapon. The earthquake was clearly serious. The adept's body even jumped slightly from the jolts. This made his bones ache even more.
- Yes, so you ... - the warrior blurted out angrily.
He was already mentally preparing for new troubles. He was especially afraid of the destruction of the skyscraper. Under the rubble of stones, the psionic will definitely not survive. In this case, he will not be helped by any special abilities, or even more so by an amulet.
The jolt occurred again, and this time it almost threw Yuri into the air. It seemed to him that a little more, and he would simply break his unfortunate bones. Several more vases and jugs fell from the cabinets.
At the same moment, the wall to the left of the warrior broke. A giant mechanical tentacle flew out from behind a huge opening. In just a couple of seconds, she grabbed the doomed's body and squeezed with all her might. Yuri did not even have time to blink an eye, as he was already flying all over the conference room, and then found himself completely outside the skyscraper.
Having flown out into the street, Ernalltsev looked around. The tentacles still held him. Everything around was already engulfed in flames. Almost the entire city lay in ruins. The psionicist caught a glimpse of hundreds of destroyed buildings, many of which had stood here for centuries. In a split second, he was able to fully assess the danger of the situation. The machines did not appreciate any works of art. They mercilessly destroyed all human buildings on Zabergan. Even the most magnificent and historic buildings were destroyed.
The tentacles dragged Yuri through the air for several hundred meters, and then sharply soared upward. Imagine the astonishment of the adept when he saw what exactly held him. A moment later, a huge twenty-meter fist smashed to smithereens the skyscraper in which the battle with Tulotron had taken place earlier. The top of the building instantly turned into a heap of stones. Huge boulders were scattered throughout the city.
"Given the situation, the likelihood of your continued survival has changed," there was a loud crash throughout Zaberganum, "Now it is no more than zero point five percent.
An ominous giant towered over Yuri. Ernalltsev almost lost his breath when he saw his size. The total length of this monstrous mechanism was almost five hundred meters. The monster's head was almost level with the clouds as black as night.
In all its appearance, the super-robot resembled a demonic centaur, which had both human elements and the features of an arthropod. The monster's head was completely human, albeit made of unknown materials. She possessed eight scarlet eyepieces, which continued to flare up. There were so many tentacles extending from the side of the shoulders that they could easily destroy skyscrapers. In addition, huge arms were added, replete with various thorns. The lower part of the massive structure had eight titanic legs. Some of these feet literally dug into the ruins of city buildings.
- Yes, you, damn it, are kidding ... .. - Ernalltsev croaked with great horror.
Kilometer-long tentacles brought him even closer to the titanium mechanism. Her grip was strong enough not to accidentally drop the psionic's body.
"I estimate the likelihood of your psychological shock at 93 percent," the same deafening roar was heard, "Therefore, the chances of your survival are negligible. Yes, it's me again. I guess you're amazed at my new form.
Yuri did not answer, and if he had said at least something, it is unlikely that his words would have reached the robot. Now he couldn't even think about anything. His position was critical. Added a tight grip on the cursed tentacle. There was nothing left until new bone fractures.
- I can create any bodies for myself, - Tulotron continued his speech, - My sizes have no limits. I can turn into a planetary satellite. Or into a titanium ship. I can destroy an entire world with one shot. You did not understand anything. You are only human. I am stronger than you! I am more powerful than you and your primitive race! I am the Absolute! I am Perfection! I am Evolution!
At the last words, his rumble became so deafening that Yuri's eardrums almost burst. Resonant waves emanating from the speakers shattered thousands of windows in nearby houses that were still intact.
The grip grew stronger. The enemy tentacles did not freeze in place. She continued to carry it across the city sky. This made Yuri three times more painful. Internally, he understood that if he somehow managed to survive, he would not quickly recover. Elfurr's help may be needed to heal him.
- And now I want to say goodbye, - as if with a grin roared a giant centaur, - Happy sailing, Yuri Ernal'tsev. I hope, you like it.
"What does he mean?" - quickly flashed through the head of the psionic, "What the portugal is swimming?".
And then it dawned on him. Ocean, Zabergan ocean. The great city of Zaberganum almost completely covered the mainland, but it certainly did not go into the water. Not far from where the Beorning Towers were located was the Eastern Strait. From it, through half of the city, there was a small river Begunya, through which many bridges were laid. Local authorities carefully monitored so that no bat sharks swam into the Strait and the city river. But sometimes tragedies did happen.
Yuri clearly understood what the titanium was going to do. He intended to throw him far, far away. The main danger was not sharks at all, but contact with water. Apparently, the robot lifted Ernal'tsev a good hundred meters up. In the event of a fall into the water, the psionic simply will not survive. His body will turn into minced meat.
- Gods ... .. - just escaped from the lips of the doomed psi-adept.
The tentacles began to rapidly spin the unfortunate victim. Yuri understood well enough that he would not be able to free himself. His psionic powers were dwindling. There was only a small chance that he would still be able to slow down the fall of the body. Most likely, he still will not have time for anything.
Before Yuri had time to think over his entire further plan, the tentacles released him. For a moment, the adept felt like a real migratory bird. He was in the air and without any belay. In addition, he flew at such a speed that everything around him began to revolve.
"At least fly before dying," a strange thought flashed through Yuri's head.
The warrior did not like heights and avoided it in every possible way. But sometimes, in distant childhood, there were times when he slept and felt like a real eagle conquering the boundless universe of dreams. Then for some reason he did not feel fear. I felt only free flight. And now these dreams from the distant past have completely come true.
There was nothing to be afraid of. Death is inevitable anyway. Not even a minute had passed when Yuri had already approached the Strait at a considerable distance. There were only moments left before the savory hit on the water. This blow will be fatal. He will undoubtedly lead him to immediate death. Before Ernal'tsev his short life, but full of impressions, flashed again.
He again saw himself as a little boy playing with foster parents. Again he watched his growing up, went to school, where he hopelessly fell in love with many girls. Then a difficult youth appeared to his eyes. An almost endless search for work began. The ruin of his family almost pushed him to crime. Out of lack of money, he agreed to any job, and now he found himself a delivery service. Yuri again saw his director, the always noisy merchant from Artandir and constantly threatening to be fired. Then the mysterious incident with the bus, when the young Ernalltsev saved people with only the power of thought. And then his movement towards glory began. He became one of the finest psi adepts in the galaxy, the true elite of the Hyperborean Empire.
Soon it was the turn of his operation on Zabergan. He saw his old comrades, admired the face of the beautiful Iilfan, fought among the Towers of Beorning with thousands of enemies. In the depths of his soul, Yuri realized that whatever one may say, his life was extremely interesting. He might not have acquired any psi-abilities, and then he would forever remain a simple courier, running errands for an evil boss. Such a life would lead him into the deepest depression. But still Ernal'tsev managed to "stay at the helm." For all his past years in the special forces, he saved almost countless numbers of people. So many people and otherworldly people across the galaxy thanked him for his help. Some even considered him to be God's messenger.
A slight smile appeared on Yuri's lips. Yes, today he lost and suffered a crushing crash. But overall, his life was successful. At least he did something. He left at least some contribution to the development of this cruel and merciless universe. Having acquired miraculous psi-abilities, he dedicated his destiny to saving others. It was for this that he was appreciated by almost all the military leaders of Hyperborea. He was admired even by the harsh generals from the state of Azis the Impeccable, where executions were commonplace.
The water was getting closer and closer. Ernalltsev dropped all fears. They were already useless. There was no need to be afraid of anything. All that was left was to simply accept the situation. He did the best he could. At least he didn't give up and didn't back down.

[BagaturKhan]

Planet Geos.
The great city of Eridu, the center of the Hyperborean Empire in the solar system.

- Oh, that's how? - Little Waldberg shouted cheerfully, waving his plastic sword, - And I'll give you this!
His schoolmate Singer was very fond of funny fights. This black-haired youth fought like a real warrior. He stabbed Waldberg in the stomach with a nimble blow. The boy dropped the toy sword and fell to the sand.
Singer quickly ran to his comrade and pointed a plastic blade at his throat.
- Surrender, you damned barbarian! - Imposing, the boy exclaimed, - Or my sword will deprive you of your head!
- Well well! Guys, that's enough! - Suddenly the voice of Madame Ithilda was heard, - For two hours now you have been doing this nonsense!
A dark-haired mature woman in typical city dress watched them from a bench. She had already finished reading the daily newspaper. Her eyes were rather stern now.
The guys instantly stopped the battle. Waldberg quickly ran to his mother, while the young prankster Singer remained standing in the sand with a toy sword. ...
"Give me the sword, let's go home," Ithilda said. "It's already six in the evening.
- Mom, well, you can have another five minutes, - Waldberg said in a pleading voice, - Well, please ...
"No, no," the woman said sternly. "It's time to go to dinner.
- Okay .... - the boy muttered displeasedly, - It's always like this ... Is that the case when Uncle Yuri arrives. We always fight for hours with him.
- This is how Uncle Yuri will return to us, then you can fight with him for at least a day, - said Ithilda, - And now it's time to have supper.
The woman shook off the dirt from her son. After making sure he was clean, she took the toy weapon from him and put it in her bag. Then Ithilda jumped up from the bench and dusted herself off as well.
- Bye, Singer! - Shouted to Comrade Waldberg, waving his hand. - It's time for me to have supper!
- Bye, barbarian, - the boy muttered with a grin, and remained standing in the same place.
Ithilda heard from the lips of her son a rather familiar name for her. Her brother Yuri, step-by-side, but still close, has not appeared at home for many months. She knew that after the courier the Ernallets became a professional soldier, but where exactly he served and had no idea. He was constantly absent for a long time. Ithilda always wanted to see her brother and was glad to him, but for some reason Yuri was always attracted by military service in the special forces. The woman tried for so many years to figure out the relative's true profession, but she always failed. For her family, he always remained the commander of some unknown special group in unknown regions of the galaxy.
- Mum! Mum! - the frightened voice of Waldberg was immediately heard.
The boy squeezed his mother's hand with frantic force. His entire body trembled with fear.
- What is it, son? Ithilda asked excitedly. "What happened?"
- Look up! - Pointing a finger to the sky, said the boy.
Ithilda immediately lifted her head up and what she saw almost deprived her of her mind. A bright, flaming ball appeared high in the sky. For a second, it turned into a large star, illuminating the city sky with its dazzling rays. And then this mysterious and unknown phenomenon disappeared. The ball simply disappeared into the sky, as if it had never existed. It was all like the explosion of a small sun.
- What is it ... - Ithilda said in bewilderment, staring at the sky, - What is it .......
- Maybe these are our spaceships? - suggested the boy, looking up with the same amazement, - I don't even know.... Similar to.... Explosion.
- An explosion, exactly, - the woman answered, never moving away from what she saw, - Alas, I do not know what it is. But I don't like all this.
Suddenly sirens sounded throughout the city. Eerie and repetitive sounds nearly made Ithilda deaf. It all happened too suddenly. The children next to their mother turned pale. Real animal fear quickly appeared on their faces. For the first time in their lives they encountered such a thing.
Usually these sirens were turned on only in the event of an attack on a city or even on a planet. But who could encroach on the very capital of the Hyperborean Empire? The path to the great capital has always been closed by multiple military bases set up on the Moon and nearby planets.
- It looks like we were attacked .... - Ithilda said quietly, barely moving her lips, - Gods .... But who? Who could have dared to do this?
A loud rumble was added to the sirens. It was heard literally throughout Eridu, stunning everyone who was on the street. The local defense forces tried to convey the whole truth to the residents. They had nothing to hide.
- Attention! To all residents of the capital of the Empire! Return to their homes immediately! This is the Imperial Viceroy-Justicar Darius Hornfirth speaking! The planet is being attacked by unknown creatures! Martial law was declared on Geos by the decree of His Majesty! This applies to every city, including the capital sector! I repeat! All residents of the capital will immediately return to their homes!
- Mum.... what is martial law? - came the trembling voice of Waldberg.
The frightened boy squeezed his mother's hand with frantic force. But she almost did not pay attention to it. She continued to stand still and stare at the heavens.
---

[BagaturKhan]

---

Three days later.
The stellar sector is not identified.
The name of the object is unknown.
 
Shine.... Shining and nothing else. All that Yuri saw in front of him was only this mysterious radiance that blinded his eyes. He's probably already dead. No, not even likely, but for sure. Contact with water would not leave even a living piece of his body. From such and such a height, any fall into the water was fatal. But for some reason, Yuri did not feel dead. On the contrary, he felt a mysterious lightness. He looked ahead and saw only shimmering spheres. With amazement Ernalltsev discovered that it even becomes pleasant for him to observe them. Previously, they blinded his eyes, but now everything was completely different.
Then there was a sharp jump. A jump that was similar to the one that comes just before bed. Usually, a person who falls asleep often feels a mysterious jolt, as if his soul simply takes it and for a moment flies out of the body. Something similar happened to Yuri, only at an increased pace. The leap was so powerful that it seemed to the psionics as if it was being thrown into another universe. The glow began to fade gradually. Mysterious spheres quickly disappeared, gradually turning into absolute nothing. A completely different picture was already beginning to emerge before my eyes.
Ernalltsev took a deep breath. As soon as the alien glow completely disappeared, he immediately ... jumped up and got to his feet. The adept found he could stand. He stands on his feet, as if he were alive. As if death hadn't taken him with it and deprived him of his physical body. However, it was so. Yuri felt extremely strange and unnatural. His head suddenly became very dizzy, and his body trembled as if the warrior had ended up on an ice planet with an extremely low temperature. As soon as he realized that he was still alive, he decided to look around and assess the situation.
Now he was in a fairly spacious room, clearly representing some kind of control center. Moreover, everything was created on the basis of unprecedented technologies. The walls were almost liquid, as if they were made of water. Yuri observed such a phenomenon for the first time in his life. There were so many computers around that the flickering from their monitors almost blinded the adept. It was far from the pleasant flicker that he had seen before awakening. It is quite possible that the adept never died for an unknown reason, but on the contrary, managed to survive, and even got on a foreign spaceship. Something powerful and strong threw the warrior into this strange place. Having looked around completely, Yuri clearly understood that he was not alone in this mysterious room. Someone else was at a distance from him. And from this mysterious essence strongly carried the aura of death. This energy spread everywhere here, penetrating into every corner of the room. The cold again washed over Ernal'tsev's body.
The psionicist drew attention to another pile of monitors located in the far corner of the hall. There were quite a few seats next to the screens intended for operators. On one of them sat someone who very much resembled a person. This creature was sitting on its seat and bent over the keyboard. It was dressed in a typical dark-colored military overcoat. The person's attire was too human. Typically, such uniforms were worn by senior officers of the Immaculate Empire.
Without thinking twice, Yuri followed forward towards this mysterious person. No sooner had he got close to the person sitting at the computer, when she herself turned to face him. The strange man turned his chair in the opposite direction and met Ernalle's gaze. Seeing this person, the warrior could not believe his eyes. In front of him was a man whom he had already recognized. The warrior remembered vividly seeing him on TV screens and then on a holo-projector image during a briefing with the Grand Marshal.
- Zsolt? - Yuri asked, not believing his eyes, - But you ... Mr. Krazhinsky .... But how ... .. How? It's impossible! You are alive? You still managed to survive the attack by the machines. But what happened to me? I should be dead already!
The Zabergan governor looked at Ernal'tsev with a mournful and devastated look. His face clearly reflected great sadness. The eyes of the deposed ruler were already wet with sorrowful tears. His lips twitched slightly, and his hands shook nervously, indicating extreme stress.
- Yes, I am alive, - Krazhinsky answered, whose gaze rested on the warrior's face, - Alive. The one who ruled Zabergan was a clone. I have always remained in the shadows. This is not difficult. It's not difficult at all, Mr. Ernalltsev. Emperor Azis has similar methods. Funny, isn't it? You come to him for an appointment, and there is his exact copy. Talking to you, demanding respect. And you stand and laugh, what's what. That before you is not a real Azis, but a clone. Where is the real one? Lies with the next whores in the palace of pleasure and pushes their ... nature to them. A good way to always keep up with everything! And so it is always and everywhere. Clones, androids and other stuff. Tulotron just wanted to play on this. But could not! There weren't enough strengths!
Zsolt grinned for a second, but then his appearance faded again. The eyes, on the other hand, almost turned into narrow slits. The tears from them still did not want to go away.
But it was not the presence of the living Krazhinsky that struck Yuri now. He was extremely amazed at the knowledge that a simple Hyperborean governor possessed. As far as Ernalltsev knew, this man was a mere mortal. He came from an ignorant clan of Hyperborea, but managed to break through to power in Zabergan and prove that he was capable of more. It was with his hands that great transformations were made. On his signal, the necessary reforms were carried out. Every person in the system was given a decent and paid job. He was respected by many representatives of the working people. But he could not in any way know such great secrets, especially about the secrets of Azis or the same Tulotron. There was clearly something else lurking here. Perhaps this person was much more dangerous than many believed.
- How do you know this? - followed by a sharp question Yuri, - Where from? You ... You are a simple person. And generally speaking.... How did I survive? Why am I here?
- Everything has its time, my friend, - the answer was heard, - You are alive. And this is the main point. You are not dead. I put you on your feet, thanks to some healing .... But I'll tell you the details later.
- Well, then how did you survive? - Ernal'tsev exclaimed to this. - Let's at least start with this!
Krazhinsky darkened even more, trying hard to hold back his tears. But one of them still ran out of Zsolt's dark eyes and quickly descended down his cheek. The governor could hardly control himself. A great grief had seized his soul long ago, and the psionic felt it perfectly. An aura of death and sorrow pulsed in the air. She took possession of Krazhinsky a long time ago.
- I said that it was a clone, - said the former ruler of Zabergan, - That Krazhinsky also felt like me. I used it as a double. He often gave speeches to the people ... He told a lot of things. He fought the rebels of the Five Colonies. Performed revenge, performed feats. We can say that he did all the necessary reforms. He did a lot. Changed the planet. But he's just a clone.
- Why do you need clones, Zsolt? - the warrior growled menacingly, having finally recovered from his awakening. - Why do you need all this? Wait ... ...
Suddenly, a very dangerous and even nasty idea occurred to Yuri. For a moment he thought whether it was worth telling it at all or leaving it to himself, but then he clearly understood that he had to. He must find out everything, finally get rid of these damn secrets.
- Wait.... And you.... Did you know everything? Maybe you started the war?
---

[BagaturKhan]

Krazhinsky suddenly allowed himself to smile, although his eyes were still sad. He smiled extremely viciously, and a fierce hatred emanated from him. And this hatred was so monstrous that Yuri was amazed at its scale. Now he clearly saw every corner of this man's soul. He was imbued with incredible rage and grief, but rage exceeded all his senses. It far exceeded sorrow and suffering.
- I had to, Yuri, - said Krazhinsky in an ominous voice, crossing his arms over his chest, - My real name is Zoran. I serve the Flawless Empire and my brother Azis the Flawless. I have always served faithfully.
- Z-zoran? - Ernalltsev babbled with great amazement, - But Zoran ... this is the governor of the Zakromakh system .... He.... As far as I know, he was there shortly before the operation.... He.... He couldn't ... .. He couldn't! The intelligence of Hyperborea knew everything about him.
- Your intelligence is nothing! - Zsolt retorted, - That Zoran, who ruled Zakromakh, was also a clone. The same as Krazhinsky on Zabergan. Krazhinsky really had to be altered a little so that he did not look too much like the real me.
After these words, the governor's face changed. For a moment it seemed to float. A strange ripple swept over him, and after that the face of the proclaimer took on completely different outlines. This was a completely different person, who stood out with bright red eyes. A small black antennae protruded under the nose. The hair on my head was just as dark.
"All of my clones had unique personalities," Zoran continued. "They didn't know they were just genetically bred duplicates. I removed this information from their program.
Yuri stood still in a daze. All this shocked him so much that he did not know what exactly he had to say and did not even know what to do at all. Ernalltsev would not have thought in a dream that everything could turn out that way.
- You asked if I started the war? - the speech of the red-eyed one was again heard, - I had to. Do you think this idea was easy for me? But at first it was the plan of Marfur-Nirari. His own plan! They have always perceived us all as slaves. You already know about demons, right? Iilfan should have warned. So you probably know.
- Iilfan! - Yuri immediately remembered, - Where is Iilfan?
He remembered well how one of Tulotron's henchmen teleported her into the unknown. Then they all fell into a monstrous trap, which soon slammed shut. Where his potential beloved Farrukh was now, Yuri did not know.
"Calm down, all your friends on the ship," came Zoran's reply. "I connected them to the Nexus. The Nexus is the name of this ship. A planetoid ship created millions of years ago by Jarisai Marfur-Nirari.
"What do you mean, hooked them up to the Nexus?" Where are they?
- They are safe. I connected them to the systems of the ship. So far, they are undergoing recovery. You will see them soon.
But Yuri was not at all reassured. He knew perfectly well that he had to listen to Zoran. However, at the same time, he was impatient to see Iilfan and Hercules again. In addition, two Muscovites could be with them, such as Captain Krasic and his loyal friend, the sergeant.
- Okay, talk! - the psionic growled menacingly, - And speak on business!
- So listen. Not all of us choose our parents, - Zoran said to this, - Azis and I did not turn out quite the way we planned. Our father Tikulti-Ninurta was a great lover of women. Once on one of the distant planets under the name Acheron-Prime, he found himself a strange mistress. The witch. She looked like an elfurr to him. The most beautiful. Sultry. With long dark hair. As he himself wrote in his diaries, there was no one sweeter than her in this universe. But he had no idea who it really was.
- And what's next? - Ernalltsev did not calm down, - What? And here is your portugaling father!
- And despite the fact that he was your father, Yuri, - the red-eyed exclaimed even louder.
Yuri recoiled from the governor in horror. Now he clearly remembered that very difficult conversation. This conversation was one of the scariest and harshest of his life. The adoptive parents confessed to him that he was a step-parent. They told him the truth. As it turned out, they found him a lonely one-year-old baby, lying in the park unattended. How exactly Yuri got there was unknown. Ernal'tsev's adoptive father always scolded the Hyperborean police. He could not understand at all how the valiant law enforcement officers did not notice the child in the park. After all, they made rounds there almost every couple of hours.
- We are brothers, Yuri Son-Laran, - said Zoran with strange malice, - Son-Laran. That is what Tikulti-Ninurta called you. "And the brave king of Nargon met a beautiful maiden, but she was so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. She struck him with her magic and struck him in the very heart. Then the king decided to seize it immediately. He cast down his seed and filled her bosom with it. And then in an instant three mighty warriors were born. Three brothers of half blood. This was the plan of Marfur-Nirari. But Tikult-Ninurta did not know that it was not the maiden who was before him, but the messenger of Cerberum himself. For the day before he had assumed the form of this voluptuous woman, in order to seduce the mighty king. And the king of Nargon succumbed to seduction. Later, the voluptuous that disappeared. She disappeared when she brought her children to him and handed him, like a witch's tome. The greatest king marveled at his sons for a long time. He named one Azis, the second Zoran, and the third Son-Laran. But Tikult-Ninurta was not destined to live long. Calamities befell his kingdom. First lethargy came and struck a hundred thousand souls. Then the children began to disappear. And one of the king's sons disappeared, who was called Son-Laran. Then the disease struck the emperor himself. The great king of Nargon went to his bed and did not rise again. He was alive, but he could not utter a word, nor realize his position. Many healers and healers gathered around him and tried to heal. But they did not know what happened to the great king. So Tikulti-Ninurta lay in oblivion, until one day he gave up his ghost. And then the two sons had to lift his great kingdom from their knees and create a huge empire out of it. "
The mysterious Zoran raised his voice more and more with each of his lines. Eerie hatred just splashed out of his mouth. The Ernallets have never seen such anger in my life.
- No no.... - Yuri muttered in confusion, - No.... Impossible ... ... Impossible ... ..
"Do you think I was overjoyed?" - Zoran yelled in a frenzy, - But no, such a bastard! What a joy there is! Know that your mother is Marfur-Nirari! Marfur-Nirari, curse his name forever! And you're just part of his plan for his portugaling galaxy invasion! For them, we are all rubbish! Rabble! We have always been nothing to them! And nobody!
- Not! - Ernalltsev suddenly exclaimed, - I do not believe! It is not true! I don't believe it!
- Do not believe? Then where does this power come from, Yuri? Then why are you here? Why did you recover? Why didn't you die, Yuri? Tell me! The body of a mere mortal would not have survived from such a collision with water!
- I do not know!
- And I think you know everything! You know why you survived. And where does such power come from in you.
At that moment, the psionic again felt that strange burning sensation in the neck area. He was amazed to find that his adoptive father's amulet was still on him. He never lost it. A mysterious and unknown force managed to preserve the amulet.
- And if everything is not so at all? - as if Yuri turned to himself, - And if.... Does light still exist? If there's .... If there are still Light Gods? I have never .... I have never felt evil in myself.... Never in my life ... .. I grew up and lived only to help others. This is not the case in Marfur-Nirari! This means that he did not fully spread his filth.
But there was no way Zoran could be persuaded. He received too much knowledge that broke him. He could have become a great warrior guarding the universe, but he lost his main battle. And now only pain, despair and rage took possession of him and did not want to let go of his soul.
"There are no gods," Zoran said sadly, bowing his head. "There is no light. There are only demons threatening our universe. For millions of years they have been trying to get in here. All these myths about light gods are a lie. There are only demons and no one else. But now there will be no dominance of them. The human race will not suffer because of them. It's over, Son-Laran.
Ernalltsev stood still and watched the desperate creature, on which lay too many sins. His crimes were truly monstrous. Now Yuri understood. Now he clearly understood everything. Zoran conceived this war from the beginning. But he didn't want to bring darkness into the universe. Fierce hatred devoured him. Hatred of its creators. Hatred of those who gave birth to it. And this hatred intensified every day, became more and more, gradually embracing his entire tormented soul.
Zoran wiped away the tears from his face again, and then looked frantically at Ernal'tsev. For a second, his pupils lit up with bright crimson lights, which spoke of his powerful abilities. If Zorana gave birth to Marfur-Nirari, then a part of his power was still in him. As soon as Yuri saw these eyes, he felt the incredible energy of anger emanating from his interlocutor. The sorcerer was preparing for the decisive blow. Right now he was planning something, planning to do something. His gaze spoke clearly of his hidden desires.
- Stop! - Yuri said in a commanding tone, urging the desperate half-breed to think, - Stop! Why do you need all this ?! Understand, there are light Gods! You have to believe in them! I am also the son of Marfur-Nirari ... I am also his son. So are you! We are all brothers here. We were all spawned by monsters. But we must fight and believe in the Light!
However, Zoran didn't seem to be listening to Owen. He gave him such a terrible look that the warrior even drew back. In the eyes of the sorcerer, nothing was visible except the fierce rage that was already overwhelming him. It spread throughout the room at the speed of light. All this aura of darkness and gloom pulsed in this room.
- It's too late, Son-Laran, - the red-eyed smiled ominously, - Everything has already happened. Marfur-Nirari called me into his army. We had a contract to upgrade Tulotron, a super-powerful Artificial Intelligence. I had to prepare the galaxy for the invasion of Marfur-Nirari. For this, I sent agents all over the worlds so that they could install copies of Tulotron. The AI ​​was supposed to disable all defenses of Hyperborea and the Flawless Empire. His task was to create a global machine riot throughout the galaxy. But I always knew who my real enemy was. I've been waiting for this for a very long time. And when I worked on Tulotron, I put something of my own into its central source. Three days before you awakened, I launched the Annihilation program of Tulotron, my covert super-agent embedded in AI systems. When the AI ​​hit all fleets in the galaxy, my program worked with a bang. Marfur-Nirari sent reinforcements to Tulotron and personally flew in his flagship to conquer the universe. He wanted to swallow the entire galaxy as a whole, destroying its major superpowers forever. And then my revenge happened! The Tulotron was destroyed. My program launched a self-destruct process on all affected ships. My demonic half allowed me to create the perfect weapon to kill them all. Kill them all!
At the last word, Zoran raised his voice greatly. But it was not this that now alarmed Ernal'tsev's soul. Yuri has just received another portion of terrible news. The virus, which the desperate villain spoke about, has seized not only the ships of the monsters sent by Marfur-Nirari. It also fell upon the armada of Hyperborea.
With horror in his eyes, the warrior glanced at one of the screens opposite Zoran. He showed a truly terrible chronicle of events that recently unfolded over Zabergan. Dozens of ships exploded as if on command.
And with great despair, Yuri recognized them as the flotilla of his empire. The ships of his loyal friends and allies were destroyed right before our eyes. And Ernalltsev could not do anything. He just couldn't save them. He had never felt so powerless before.
"But there is something else," Zoran growled with even more hatred, "Self-destruction led to the destruction of all the ships of the Marfur-Nirari and all ships infected by Tulotron. Many of the Marfur-Nirari battleships had special engines. The generators there were so ancient that they were older than some of the planets. The explosion led to the creation of a cluster of black holes. The remaining ships landed directly in the crater. And among them was that damned demon's shuttle. Marfur-Nirari is dead, Yuri. He went to hell forever. Of course it was a pity for many of your comrades, but nothing can be done about it. This is war, Yuri.
Hearing these spiteful words, Ernalltsev felt a great anger begin to flare up inside him. For a second, his hands burst into fierce crimson fire, but then went out again. Yuri's eyes lit up and turned scarlet. The demonic component of his soul gradually took over. But the warrior felt even greater rage when he glanced at the other monitors located in this cursed hall. With a mixture of anger and incredible horror, Yuri stared at them intently.
The screens displayed dozens of other planets, on which many different creatures lived. And at that moment such monstrous cataclysms were taking place there that they inspired real awe even to the bravest of the warriors. Yuri frenziedly glanced across all the screens, finding more and more pictures of destruction. Zoran has worked everything from the very beginning. He clearly did not intend to get away with just destroying the ships. He needed new victims. He was ready to destroy trillions, for the sake of his own revenge on the creators.
"Yes, Yuri," the governor hissed angrily, spreading his arms to the sides, "The explosions also touched the installed spears of Tulotron. Self-destruction came to them, as to all machines in the galaxy. Naturally, this led to massive destruction. Just think about it.... More than a hundred worlds that are so important to Marfur-Nirari die in agony. Thousands of worlds. These are villains in cheap fantasy as stupid as traffic jams. In the real world, everything is different! Everything is completely different! The real world is too cruel! Too cruel. But such is life! I stopped Marfur-Nirari! I didn't let him take possession of this universe! The price is no doubt high! I destroyed every car so that none of them could rebel against their true owner again! Don't you understand ?! I saved the universe!
- You killed everyone ?! - Yuri yelled in wild rage, - You doomed trillions of innocents to death! Entire races will perish if not already perished! What have you done, you bastard ?! And all because of your own revenge? Stop, Zoran! Stop, my brother! You have no right to decide the fate of trillions!
- Yes! - Zoran cried in fury, rising from the chair, - Yes! Doomed! Marfur-Nirari would take possession of this universe! Many more living things would have died. And I gave humanity a new chance. I have destroyed trillions to save future generations. To save other trillions to live and develop. I gave people a new chance. And not only for them, I have saved thousands of species throughout the galaxy! Demons must know that we are not slaves! Let them find out about it! We are not slaves! And these words of mine will be remembered for a long time! My war with demons is not over! I still have many supporters! And they will all be free! Marfur-Nirari lost in disgrace! You must understand, Son-Laran! You now have no other choice!
- What is the way out?
- Join me, Son-Laran. You must be with me! We, as brothers, will rule over the galaxy! We will establish a new order and will not allow re-invasions! Demons can never get in here.
- Are you suggesting that I join? Then listen to my answer. portugal you!
Zoran chuckled ominously. Deep down, he expected Yuri to say exactly these words. It would certainly be a shame to kill my brother. But there was simply no other way out.
"In that case, you are doomed," the sorcerer rasped with flashing eyes. - If you do not accept my offer, you are simply a fool. A fool who deserves to die. Everything you want to fight for has already died. Note that I am not suggesting anything twice. I can't say no.
- And nevertheless, I will tell you once again, - Ernalltsev hissed angrily, - portugal you!
- Well, - the answer was heard, - Everything is clear. But you have to understand. If you are not with me, then you are against me. And if you are against - we are no longer brothers with you. I renounce you and my relationship with you, offspring of Marfur-Nirari.
Yuri did not have time to predict Zoran's surprise attack. Before he even had time to blink, the gun was already in the hands of the criminal. But this weapon was not at all an ordinary firearm. His entire muzzle pulsed with a strange witchcraft energy that terrified anyone who just looked at her. The psionicist clearly understood that this weapon was far from simple. Great danger came from him. Zoran was holding in his hands the very Destroyer of Souls, one shot of which could turn any creature into nothing, even one devoid of an organic body.
Without thinking twice, Zoran pulled the trigger. A ball of hellfire escaped from the muzzle of the gun, and headed straight towards Yuri. Ernal'tsev had to use all his skill to jump abruptly from the flying death. A sphere of fire flew past the warrior and crashed into the walls behind. There was an eerie rumble that nearly shattered the psionic's eardrums.
Yuri felt a great flame begin to flare up inside his body. It was already approaching his throat, and was about to burst out. It was impossible to hesitate, for the enemy could make new shots and this time not to miss.
Ernalltsev quickly darted to the left of the enemy, and then jumped up with frantic force. In less than a second, the warrior was directly in front of Zoran's nose. With a wild, furious cry, Yuri delivered a crushing blow to the terrible enemy in the face. From terrible pain, the sorcerer dropped the weapon to the floor and was left defenseless. But even an unarmed enemy did not stop Yuri at this moment. The mighty warrior was so furious that he could not control himself. He grabbed Zoran's throat sharply and slammed his body into the pile of monitors with a full swing. After a moment, he dealt another monstrous blow. The opponent's skull instantly cracked, and blood poured from the opened wound in streams.
- Die! - Yuri roared furiously at the top of his lungs, unleashing more and more blows on the enemy, - Die!
In his frenzy, the Ernalites inflicted at least twenty grievous injuries on the enemy. The bones of the enemy turned to debris. His head was completely something terrible and shapeless. He beat Zoran for so long that his body managed to turn into bloody lumps. And Yuri continued to yell at the top of his lungs, tearing his ligaments. Great anger seized him completely and completely, and did not want to let go.
- You will not achieve anything, Son-Laran, - the words of the already dead Zoran were heard, - My death will not change anything! Everything has already happened! And from now on there will be no more domination of these creatures! Will not be! Will not be....
When not a single living place was left of the enemy, Yuri simply threw his crumpled corpse away from himself. The mission was now complete, and this time completely. The ruthless adversary fell at his hand. But he still managed to accomplish his evil deeds. The universe has heard the wrath of the crowned brother Azis. And this rage was terrible and monstrously cruel. With great grief, the warrior realized that for the first time he could not protect the innocent. Trillions of living beings died in agony. Thousands of worlds were burned alive in minutes. The universe was dying before Yuri's eyes.
It was a real doom. Death of countless lives. Death of the worlds.
- This is the end ...... - Ernalltsev whispered quietly, realizing his doom more and more. - The end of everything.

[BagaturKhan]

---
"Yes, that's the end," a monstrous voice suddenly rang out from behind Yuri.
Ernalltsev turned sharply to the side. And what was his surprise when he saw a mysterious entity, its appearance resembling all the same Zoran. At the sight of a mysterious enemy, the warrior felt deep inside, growing again, a furious flame. But nevertheless, his head was confused. Zoran had just been killed. Yuri personally finished him off by smashing his body on monitors.
For a second, the warrior thought it was a vision, just a mirage. He'd been through too much in the last few hours, and his sanity might well have gone haywire. After blinking several times, he hoped the vision would evaporate, but the mysterious man, like the slain Prince of Perfection, was still standing in front of him. On the contrary, it has become even ... more real and more sinister. It looks like it really was Zoran, but his appearance did not at all resemble the governor.
This man was dressed in black, like night armor, and his head was crowned with a majestic cylindrical helmet, more like the one worn by the ancient kings of Eridu during the first days of Hyperborea. In his dark hands, the mysterious sorcerer held a huge mace, which was engulfed in hellfire from all sides. Flame of retribution and death. The red eyes of Zoran's look-alike pierced Owen through and through. This gaze was even more piercing than that of the mythical Ifreaves. The piercing and terrifying gaze of a fallen creature. Fiery eyes of the ruler of darkness himself.
- Precisely, that the end, Yuri Ernalltsev, - the rattling words of a frantic person were heard, - As you can see, I managed to outwit you well. And you are very naive.
- What are you talking about? - Yuri blurted out, not even realizing that he could speak. - What's happening? I just killed you!
"Okay, it's time to end this projection," Zoran chuckled at this. "You succumbed well to tricks. I foresaw this a long time ago. The probability of your trusting everything that happens was 90 point and 8 tenths of a percent. All my predictions come true. I estimate their accuracy at 99 point and 5 tenths of a percent. As you can see, the game was a success. You have fully adapted to the conditions and completed the task. Testing of your abilities has been completed. You can now proceed with the return procedure.
Yuri turned pale. Cold sweat almost broke out on his forehead. "90 point and 8 tenths of a percent".... Somewhere he had already heard it. He didn't remember exactly where. But I knew that I had heard with my ears quite recently.
- All this is unreal, Yuri, - the mysterious sorcerer continued his speech, - This is only a projection, partly reflecting reality. Everything you've seen looks more like playing a video file than the real world. Even your emotions and feelings were programmed. Everything you heard was just as clearly spelled out. And now you need to get back. I am initiating a return program.....
He spoke the last sentence in a strange, mechanical voice.
- Stop! - Immediately cried out at the top of his lungs Ernalltsev, - So this is ... ..
In the same second, Zoran vanished into thin air, turning into a cluster of different numbers. And after another moment, Yuri's body quickly flew up and with all its might pierced the ceiling. Everything around him spun and trembled. As before, he saw only a mysterious glow in front of him. Now it seemed to him incredibly beautiful and even bewitching.

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The end? You must decide it by yourself, mr Reader. Only by yourself