It was only natural to suspect a connection between the Zerg Swarm and the Old Ones.
In the history of the galaxy, only the Old Ones and their chosen allies could freely operate the Webway gates. Even the mighty Necrons typically had to rely on their own "Dolmen Gates" to force a connection into the Webway, rather than simply opening the gates left behind by the Old Ones.
"When did the Old Ones create such disgusting biological entities?"
Then again, the Necrons weren't particularly surprised by anything the Old Ones might have engineered. They had, after all, witnessed what the "Krorks"—the ancient precursors to the Orks—were like at the height of their power.
To put it in perspective, a single Krork could solo an Ultralisk. That wasn't a joke; those creatures stood over ten meters tall, matching the height of an Imperial Warhound-class Titan, with strength sufficient to tear an Ultralisk apart.
"Hmph. Massing troops and preparing a counterattack? Ridiculous."
The Cryptek didn't give the Zerg Leviathan fleet a second thought. What were they going to do? Did these bugs plan to gnaw through the living metal hulls of Necron ships with claws and teeth?
Arrogance. Indeed, the Necrons were a race defined by immense power and equally immense pride. Their temperament was remarkably similar to the Alarak's Tal'darim Protoss: a total disregard for life coupled with an extreme sense of superiority. Currently, only one thing truly interested them—regaining flesh-and-blood bodies for their cold mechanical shells.
However, this was no simple task for the Swarm. The Necrons' pride meant they wouldn't accept just any "flesh"; it had to be a perfect vessel that met their exacting standards. They wanted true biological existence, not just a layer of meat wrapped around a metal frame.
"Hmm?"
While the Necrons monitored the Zerg, the Overmind was also watching the Necron fleet.
Before the Leviathan fleet had even finished crossing through the Webway gate, the Necron squadron accelerated toward them.
Even though the enemy sent only ten ships—consisting of three Scythe-class cruisers and seven escorts—the Overmind was genuinely surprised.
"Is this Necron commander that desperate for a promotion? Taking me on with just ten ships? They didn't even bring a battleship."
A flare of irritation rose in the Overmind's mind at being underestimated. Did they really think a Leviathan was made of clay?
The Swarm might be at a disadvantage in a war of attrition, but in a blitzkrieg, could they really not dismantle ten ships when they held a ten-to-one numerical advantage? If he couldn't win this, the Overmind felt he might as well retire.
"Fine. Let's see what you've got!"
The Necron fleet closed the distance rapidly. Driven by their Inertialess Drives, the gap between them and the Leviathans shrank in seconds. It was then that the Leviathans demonstrated another of their capabilities.
The Necron ships suddenly detected a mysterious gravitational anomaly ahead. Their Inertialess Drives were disrupted, forcing them to decelerate sharply.
"What is this?" the Cryptek muttered in confusion.
"Drive interference. These readings... are they psykers?"
Yes, Leviathans were powerful psionic organisms. While their individual finesse didn't match the Queen of Blades or the Overmind, by Terran standards, a Leviathan was a Class 10 psionic entity. (For context, the Queen and Overmind were Class 12 only because that was the maximum the Terran scales could measure).
This psionic energy was mostly used for FTL travel or disrupting enemy navigation. The Necron engines were now struggling against this psionic field.
"Such immense psionic feedback. Are these creatures all psionic conduits? Hmph, a classic style favored by the Old Ones."
Using the Webway and wielding psionic power—it was all very "Old One."
Since their approach was hindered, the battle began in earnest.
The Necron fleet struck first. Before even entering the Leviathans' standard range, the Necron ships began firing bolts of green lightning. Each arc carried enough energy to easily vaporize a Titan-class unit on a planet's surface.
"Dodge the first wave! Emergency Blink!"
Psionic energy surged within the Leviathans. The massive biological vessels, kilometers in length, suddenly flickered across the void, blinking to a distant position to narrowly avoid the first Necron volley.
"They dodged? But how many times can you do that?"
A second wave of green lightning followed immediately. The firing rate of Necron weaponry was incredibly high.
The Leviathans' psionic Blink could only be used once in a short duration.
"We can't dodge this one. Harden the Psionic Shields!"
A thick layer of psionic shielding coated the Leviathans' hulls—the same barrier they relied on for deep-space travel.
However, the Leviathans' psionic strength couldn't hold out against ship-grade deconstruction fire. The moment the Gauss weaponry struck, the shields shattered. The biological armor plating hit by the fire developed eerie green patches.
These patches were the signatures of Gauss energy beginning to spread. Matter was being stripped away layer by layer. While the speed of deconstruction wasn't immediately fatal to the massive Leviathans, that was only due to their sheer scale.
A creature the size of a Hydralisk would have been reduced to atoms in minutes. While a Leviathan could tank multiple hits, the time it took for the energy to spread to the entire body would shorten as the wounds accumulated.
"Oh?" The Cryptek was surprised for the third time that day.
"They have shields too? Though they lack significant strength. Truly psionic organisms. That level of shielding cannot withstand fleet-grade firepower."
After two exchanges, the two fleets entered each other's effective combat range. The Leviathans retaliated, spitting lethal proton charges from their maws. Simultaneously, launch bays along their sides began hatching Scourges and Mutalisks in massive numbers.
"Mutalisks, move in for harassment. Scourges, hold back and wait for an opening."
The Overmind had seen the large-scale green lightning storms these ships could unleash. He wouldn't throw his Scourges away until he was sure he could land a killing blow.
Meanwhile, Corruptors—the backbone of the Zerg air force—were spawned in large quantities. They swarmed around the Necron ships. Necron vessels were devastating against single targets, but their efficiency in dealing with "carpet-fire" swarms of small targets was lower than that of Imperial point-defense grids.
Necron ships mostly possessed forward-facing primary batteries with relatively weak broadside defenses—a design philosophy similar to the Protoss.
"Close the distance! Melee is where the Leviathans shine. Don't engage in a ranged duel with them!"
The Leviathans pushed forward through the fire. The Necron ships, however, performed a strange maneuver, firing continuously while moving backward with eerie precision. Under this concentrated fire, several Leviathans were soon rendered immobile from heavy damage.
But the Leviathans had used the opportunity to close the gap. Countless Mutalisks swarmed the surface of the Necron ships like a cloud of hornets. The Cryptek watched the monitors and cursed under his breath.
"Annoying pests. Launch the interceptors. Scour these vermin from the hull!"