The battle between the two swarms was exceptionally brutal, but the Zerg soon gained the upper hand.
With the Hive Queens joining the fray, creep quickly began to carpet the battlefield. This dark-purple, undulating living tissue enhanced the Zerg's regeneration and movement speeds—especially the Zerglings, whose speed began to surpass that of the Termagants.
These standard Hive Queens were not specialized command units like Izsha; they served primarily as node units to swell the Swarm's numbers. Like Hydralisks, they could fire needle spines and possessed claws no weaker than a Roach's. Aside from their slow movement, they were formidable in every respect.
In a one-on-one duel, a Tyranid Warrior struggled to gain any advantage over these Hive Queens. The Zerg began to suppress the Tyranids. The firepower from Termagant fleshborers failed to outpace the Roaches' regeneration; neither toxic projectiles nor flesh-eating beetles could force the Roaches to yield a single inch.
†Little punks, now you know the power of mass-produced Roaches. If you're so tough, why don't you try mass-producing Haruspexes or Malanthropes?†
Mass production of such units was unlikely for the Tyranids. Unlike the Zerg tactic of treating "Hydralisks like Zerglings," Tyranid units above the Warrior level rarely appeared in massive clusters, though they could still form significant strike groups.
As the Zerg pushed the Tyranids out of the corridors and into the dome area breached by the Hive Ships, several more Tyranid vessels slammed into the structure, releasing a fresh wave of units. The Norn Queen aboard the Hive Ship was far from mindless; she was actively calculating her strategy.
Haruspexes—massive Tyranid war-beasts standing six to seven meters tall, capable of swallowing a Space Marine like a snack—appeared on the field, brandishing giant maws and grasping tentacles. Notably, the twin pairs of scything talons on their heads resembled those of an Ultralisk, capable of butchering any foe into pieces.
The pack of Haruspexes charged the front lines. Larger than Roaches, their massive blades snapped shut, shearing through Roach carapaces with ease. Their maws gaped open as tentacles dragged Zerg flesh into their gullets to be consumed.
†Holy crap? You're eating right there on the spot? Let's see whose appetite is better—yours or mine!!!†
Roach variants—Corpser Roaches—swarmed the Haruspexes. The giant beasts tanked the hits to charge the Zerg, but within thirty seconds, tiny Zerg offspring burst through the soft tissue beneath the Haruspexes' armor, devouring them from the inside out.
The Norn Queen likely never imagined a creature would dare consume Tyranid flesh. Tyranid biology is notoriously toxic, but Roaches are different—they possess extreme resistance to toxins and pathogens. They literally ate a Haruspex until only its hollow shell remained.
Other Haruspexes fared even worse. They tried to retreat the moment they saw Banelings, knowing their volatile nature. But the Banelings used their rounded bodies to leap, launching themselves directly into the Haruspexes' open maws.
Splat! The Baneling's acid detonated. After surviving the initial shockwave, the Haruspex was dissolved by the concentrated acid, melting most of its internal organs. If not for its massive size, it would have died instantly.
†Come on, what else you got? I'll take it all on.†
Seeing the heavy losses among the Haruspexes, the Norn Queen pivoted her production strategy. This time, she birthed unique, legless organisms that floated in the air, their dorsal vents spewing clouds of thick green vapor. One look was enough to know it was lethally toxic.
These were Venomthropes, and their toxic spores were fatal to almost any living thing. Sure enough, even the Zerglings' immune systems couldn't withstand the gas, and they began to collapse in droves. Hydralisks barely held on, and while Roaches seemed unaffected, their physical performance began to degrade.
†Venomthropes, eh? Abathur, you're up!†
Abathur directly hijacked the nervous systems of several Zerg units on the front line to begin his analysis.
"Analyzing gas composition. 37% spore structure. 54% unknown bacterial strain. 7% unknown architecture."
"Adapting Swarm resistance to toxins. Requires time."
†Good, do your thing. I'll handle the rest. You think only the Tyranids have toxic gas? Bring up my Defilers!†
The appearance of the Venomthropes temporarily stalled the Zerg advance, even pushing the line back into the corridors and toward the Third Dome. However, the respite was brief.
When the Defilers arrived at the rear of the battle line, clouds of tiny, fly-like organisms—the Dark Swarm—descended upon the battlefield, blinding the Tyranids and causing them to strike out blindly.
The Defilers then sprayed Plague into the corridors. Yellow mists erupted among the Tyranid ranks, and within seconds, units began to drop. Termagants, Hormagaunts, and Ripper Swarms—the smaller Tyranid organisms—stood no chance against the Defiler's plague. Their biological structures were too simple to possess the robust immune systems needed to survive such a viral onslaught.
This left the Norn Queen utterly bewildered. She felt as if she were shadowboxing—she would throw a punch, the enemy would hit back, and then the enemy would hit her again using her own tactics. And the Defilers were more ruthless; after releasing the plague, a Defiler would simply grab a nearby Zergling to consume, regenerating its energy to spray a fresh wave of pestilence at the Tyranid positions.
†Come on, let's hurt each other! I wouldn't be the Overmind if I were afraid of you.†
Previously, units hadn't been unlocked and resources were scarce. Now? If the Zerg Swarm retreated even half a step, the Overmind would rather pack himself up and ship himself to the Emperor to serve as a battery for the Golden Throne. No backing down—it was a contest of pure grit.
The mutual carnage between the two swarms left Autarch Elyssa stunned. Occasionally, detachments from both swarms would charge her defensive line, only to be held back by the prepared Aeldari warriors.
Surveying the current positions of the two monster tides, she lamented, "Are they mad? Either one of them could wipe out our entire force, yet they are fighting a war of attrition there without any regard for losses?"
Elyssa couldn't comprehend the logic of the Hive Minds, but the Hive Minds knew exactly what they were fighting for.
This region can only have one Hive!!!
It was like the real-world battle between ants and termites; they might look similar, but they are not the same, and they cannot coexist.
†I want to see what else you've got, Norn Queen. Zagara, Izsha—disregard losses. I want only conquest and assimilation!†
"As you command, Overmind," Izsha replied in her usual gentle tone.
"Those pathetic bugs are no match for us. We shall conquer them!" Zagara added, far more aggressively.
"Do I need to go to the front?" the Queen of Blades asked the Overmind.
†No, my daughter. Not yet.†
"Then when can I launch my assault?"
†When the Norn Queen can no longer endure it and sends out her right and left hands.†