The Eldar forces worked incredibly hard, but there were simply too many Ultralisks.
Even though Fire Prism tanks could fire while moving, the massive disparity in size meant they couldn't pose a significant threat to the Ultralisks. They could only fire and harass while retreating. The Eldar lines collapsed one after another, and Autarch Eliza was powerless to stop it.
This was actually the best-case scenario. The last remaining Phantom-class Battle Titan had already slain over five Ultralisks. The heap of Ultralisk corpses had blocked the road ahead, which was the only reason the line hadn't been instantly overrun.
But the Ultralisks in other directions were uncontrollable; they had already broken into the rear positions. Occasionally, brave Eldar elites would stand their ground, but their psionic power wasn't strong enough to channel into an Ultralisk's body and shred its internal organs. This terrain was ultimately unsuitable for a long-term defense.
"Disperse formation! Do not bunch up! Armored units, cover the withdrawal of small squads into the narrow corridors where the behemoths cannot enter! Fast!!!"
The sprawling Craftworld was like a giant ant nest; there were always small areas inaccessible to Ultralisks, and these areas were much better suited for Eldar combat. But this wasn't a permanent solution. The Eldar forces would eventually exhaust themselves, while the Swarm seemed infinite.
Fortunately, Melina soon opened up the axis of attack for the Tyranid fleet. Just as the Zerg Swarm's momentum was at its peak, over a dozen Bio-ships smashed through the dome sector, crashing directly into the Zerg forces. Although the Eldar suffered some friendly fire, they quickly took advantage of the chaos to retreat.
The Zerg Swarm then found itself locked in combat once again with the Tyranid units surging out of the Bio-ships.
The Swarm Overmind clearly noticed that this Tyranid force was significantly different from the last. The number of Hormagaunts had decreased, while the proportion of Tyranid Warriors had surged.
While Warriors are still basic units, they come in both melee and ranged variants. One of their four arms can be modified into a Bio-cannon, while another arm supports it, allowing them to possess impressive ranged firepower while retaining two bone-blade arms. This was much like the Zerg Swarm producing fewer Zerglings and more Hydralisks—the ranged firepower became exceptionally fierce.
Even Roaches began to suffer from massive fire suppression. For a time, the Zerg forces were pinned down and unable to advance.
Meanwhile, behind the Tyranid Warriors, various types of artillery beasts—walking on four or six limbs with massive bio-cannons on their backs—appeared on the Tyranid lines. Fighting them gave the Overmind the feeling of battling the Terrans from StarCraft 2: the Warriors were like "Good Brothers" (Marines), the artillery beasts were like Marauders, and if they added some flamethrowers...
As it turned out, Pyrovores actually appeared. They didn't spray acid or spore mines, but a far more lethal explosive solution.
Good grief, their ranged firepower was fully maxed out.
In an instant, the Zerg's casualty ratio skyrocketed. Ravagers were picked off one by one by the long-range artillery bugs the moment they poked their heads out. It wasn't just a matter of unit composition; the Hive Mind had clearly begun to micro-manage the swarm, likely because a Swarmlord had appeared on the battlefield.
Large, heavily armored Tyranid units known as Carnifexes began to appear. These Tyranids, equipped with extra exoskeleton armor and powerful regenerative abilities, possessed extreme defensive strength. They tore through the Zerg lines like living battering rams.
The Overmind finally understood the play.
"You're not even producing Hormagaunts anymore?"
Originally, the ratio of Warriors to Hormagaunts should have been 1 to several thousand. But now, the Overmind reckoned the ratio was closer to 1 to 100. Everywhere it looked, it saw nothing but Tyranid Warriors and Carnifexes. These units showed no mercy when slaughtering Zerglings; even upgraded Feral Zerglings couldn't gain an advantage against such massive enemies.
"Switching from a 'Swarm' to an 'Elite' focus? Not bad; you're smarter than I thought. But I'm not that easy to deal with. If you go elite, I'll target those elites."
A large number of Infestors began passing through the Webway gates toward the front lines.
So you like elites? Powerful units, huh?
Let's see if you can withstand the Infestor's Neural Parasite. Let's see if your Tyranid wireless network is better, or if the Zerg's "wired" network is stronger!
Clearly, the wired network was superior.
A five-to-six-meter-tall Carnifex was wreaking havoc in the depths of the Zerg lines, slaughtering Zerglings. Even Roaches struggled to engage the beast. Several Roaches tried to push the Carnifex back, but it fought one against four without losing any ground.
Then, an Infestor's Neural Parasite barb suddenly shot out, plugging directly into the Carnifex's head.
A Carnifex didn't have a nervous system as complex as a Hive Crone's. It froze on the spot instantly. In less than two seconds, its entire nervous system was taken over by the Infestor, becoming a puppet controlled by the Zerg.
The range of an Infestor is actually longer than many imagine because the Neural Parasite barbs are hollow and fold up like a hose when not in use. When deployed, they can reach out one or two kilometers. This allowed the Infestors to control enemy units from a safe distance. The Carnifex soon turned around and charged back the way it came.
Its massive feet crushed several Hormagaunts, and its sharp claws plunged into the chest of a Tyranid Warrior. It wasn't until this moment that the Norn Queen sensed something was wrong. The Swarmlord intensified its psionic grip, trying to regain control, but it only caused the Carnifex to jitter unnaturally.
It looked like two people fighting over a single controller to operate a character.
Even if the Carnifex was still conscious, it was useless. A person in a vegetative state might be conscious, but the inability to move is a matter of the nervous system, not the will.
"It's useless. No matter how powerful your Hive Mind is, you can't retake control when the unit's nervous system is physically hijacked."
The primitive "wired" network crushed the advanced "wireless" network. As Abathur often said, stability and efficiency are sometimes more useful than being advanced.
Since control couldn't be retaken, the Tyranids chose to kill it.
the Swarmlord personally took the field, pinning the "traitorous" Carnifex to the ground and tearing it into several pieces. Its biomass was quickly consumed by other Tyranid units.
As the Infestor retracted its parasite barb, the Swarmlord noticed the device, seemingly realizing why the Carnifex had lost control. Immediately, several more parasite barbs shot out from the Zerg lines. The Swarmlord hurriedly crossed its bone-sabers to block the barbs and leaped back toward the rear of its own lines.
What a coward. But how are you going to fight now?
Infestors are like a malignant tumor—deadly, dangerous, and disgusting. They forced the Tyranid advance to stall and switch to long-range attrition. But the Zerg weren't stupid. If you want to shoot from a distance, we'll just hide behind building ruins. We can squat there forever; let's see if you dare to charge.
The Zerg weren't in a hurry to eat; they wanted to see how long the Tyranids could drag this out.
The Overmind even had Spore Crawlers and Spine Crawlers crawl out of the Webway gates and inch toward the front lines.
"If you don't charge, I'm going to set up a 'Urban Defense'. Don't say I didn't give you a chance to rush me."