Without Ultralisks, the Zerg Swarm would be completely and utterly outclassed by the Tyranids in every way.
But with Ultralisks, the Zerg Swarm could still wrestle with the Tyranids in local engagements.
†Ultralisk, get him, get him, ram that bastard to death!!!†
The Ultralisk's size was almost that of a small Titan-class unit. An Imperial Knight suit might not even win a 1v1 against an Ultralisk. While the Hive Tyrant was massive, it still fell short compared to the Ultralisk.
Even if it was an older model Ultralisk, it wasn't something a measly Hive Tyrant could bully.
The massive Emperor Blades were raised high. The Hive Tyrant's claws had to brace against those blades to prevent them from closing, or it would be sliced in two instantly.
†Mammoth's awesome! Indeed, the mammoth unit is the Zerg's true romance!!!†
'Mammoth'—that's a nickname only veterans from StarCraft 1 would know.
But the Swarm Overmind was also an old-timer from the StarCraft 1 storyline.
StarCraft 2 was Kerrigan's story.
†Crush him, crush him, crush...†
Just as the Ultralisk increased the pressure on its Emperor Blades, about to shear the Hive Tyrant in two, the surrounding Tyranids collectively launched attacks on the Ultralisk.
The Biovores' fire support was the most effective. A single shot hitting the Ultralisk would often blast off large chunks of carapace and flesh.
†Damn it, so you guys have fire support units?†
The Overmind was annoyed.
†Well, so do I!!!†
Sensing the need for fire support, Zasz immediately directed some Roaches to mutate on the spot.
The mutation process was swift. The already large Roaches became even more massive after secondary mutation.
A special unit called the Ravager, also known as the Fire Roach, appeared on the battlefield.
[Name: Ravager (Fire Roach)]
[Body Length: 5-6 meters]
[Role: Siege assault unit]
[Armament: Corrosive Bile, Plasma Fluid]
[Description: The Ravager evolved directly from the Roach. They fire acidic bile projectiles at ground or air targets like mortars. These projectiles are powerful enough to disrupt force fields, a feat no life form in the Koprulu Sector had achieved before.]
The Ravagers joined the fray. Their appearance wasn't too different from Roaches, just missing a pair of forelimbs and having a spiral-shaped bile duct on their backs.
Their broad-spectrum vision allowed them to immediately locate the Biovores carrying massive cannons. Then, the spiral duct on their backs suddenly spewed a yellow acidic fluid. The fluid arced through the air in a parabolic trajectory, accurately hitting the Biovores' positions.
Even the large Biovores were instantly corroded by the yellow acid, leaving only a few remnants.
The firepower attacking the Ultralisk decreased partially. The Ultralisk's defense was strong, its vitality tenacious. As long as it didn't die, it could hold on for a while.
†There are too few Ultralisks, and they aren't the eight-armored version. If I had the numbers from the *Heart of the Swarm* cinematic—that charge of Ultralisks—even the Tyranids couldn't outlast me!†
The Overmind knew all the resistance Zasz was mounting now could only buy time. No matter how strong the Ultralisk was, it couldn't withstand the combined fire of numerous Tyranid ranged support units. No matter how fierce the Ravagers were, their bile would eventually run out.
Meanwhile, the drop pods from the sky were endless, landing in the relatively secure rear landing zones.
The Tyranids already had time for Termagants to haul corpses and dump them into biomass pools for digestion. The Zerg Swarm, however, had far fewer corpses to collect.
At most, within a day, the Zerg Swarm would lose half of its controlled territory.
The only thing to do now was incubate the Leviathan.
"Overmind."
Abathur's voice suddenly chimed in.
†What is it, Abathur?†
"Leviathan, complete. Enemy genes, more required. Unlock Swarm variants."
[Mission: Obtain 5,000,000 Biomass for Abathur (Current: 0)]
[Mission Reward: Random variant of any existing Swarm unit.]
[Mission Description: Even the Hive Fleet of the Great Devourer possesses genes with merit before the Evolution Master. Obtain biomass to allow the Evolution Master to unlock Swarm units more swiftly.]
†Oh, oh, variants? Like campaign variants? Got it! Zasz, the Leviathan is complete. Dedicate all remaining biomass to building forces!!!†
"Yes, Overmind."
Immediately, countless hungry Larvae began morphing into eggs. More Evolution Chambers, Roach Warrens, and Hydralisk Dens were constructed, solely to accelerate troop production.
Biomass began to be collected. The collection count started rising rapidly, reaching tens of thousands within minutes.
The so-called Swarm unit variants were the sub-species from the campaigns of various races, resulting from different environments. For example, Splitterlings existed because a local planet's creatures split into two upon death. Raptor strain Zerglings existed because local creatures had exceptional climbing abilities.
In short, most enhancements strengthened existing Swarm units.
†Give me the Raptor strain, or the Plague Ultralisk variant. Even the Splitter Baneling would do.†
At that moment, a piece of good news arrived from the battlefield.
That Hive Tyrant finally couldn't withstand the Ultralisk's Emperor Blades. The forcefully closing blades sheared it in two. Its death caused nearby Tyranid units to lose control temporarily.
These uncontrolled Tyranids either turned on each other or attacked mindlessly.
This reduced the Zerg Swarm's casualties significantly for a short period, thanks to their organized tactics.
†Good! Note the big guy's achievement!!!†
After eliminating the Hive Tyrant, the Ultralisk resumed swinging its Emperor Blades, mowing down the surrounding swarm. The taller Warriors became the primary victims, harvested by the Ultralisk in swathes.
But such a favorable situation clearly wouldn't last long.
Seeing the loss of a Hive Tyrant, the Norn Queen decisively deployed a Hierophant.
A Tyranid Titan-class unit.
An exceptionally massive drop pod breached the atmosphere. This pod was so large that if it hit the Ultralisk, it might crush it outright—at least fifty meters tall.
†Here it comes, the Tyranid Titan!†
Not many Tyranid Titans were needed. One or two were enough to eliminate the Ultralisks one by one. The Overmind knew this better than the Norn Queen.
The drop pod crashed down. Surprisingly, the massive pod didn't burst open. Instead, a pair of sharp claws extended from within, tearing the pod's membrane open.
What appeared on the battlefield was a monstrous, centipede-like behemoth with six legs. Its head had a pair of limbs, but those limbs were large-caliber bio-cannons.
Upon appearing, it immediately fired upon the Ultralisk. The Ultralisk, mid-charge, was halted by the blast. Simultaneously, one Emperor Blade was severed from its body at the joint.
†Broke my blade? Ram it!†
The Ultralisk didn't care about anything else. As soon as the bombardment stopped, it charged again, even faster this time.
The Hierophant didn't dodge. Instead, it raised its two front pairs of sharp forelimbs. When the Ultralisk closed within a few meters, the Hierophant's sharp limbs stabbed down forcefully.
*SHRIEK——————!*
The Ultralisk's blood drenched the ground. This heavily armored Ultralisk was actually impaled and lifted by the Hierophant.
The cannons aimed at the Ultralisk's abdomen. Two more shots, and the Ultralisk couldn't withstand it, blasted to pieces.
†Damn—the Hierophant is truly terrifying.†
This level of power... even if either of the two Ultralisks went, they wouldn't fare well.