The Neurotyrant is a specialized variant of the Hive Tyrant. In theory, above the Hive Tyrant lies the Swarmlord class—the true battlefield commanders who share equal authority with the Norn Queen.
However, among the Zoanthrope strain, there is no "Neuro-lord." Their highest-tier unit is the Neurotyrant. Thus, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the Neurotyrant the right-hand of the Norn Queen.
Since the Zerg Swarm currently lacks units specifically designed to counter high-level psionics, it was time for the Queen of Blades to make her debut.
As the most powerful psionic entity currently on the Swarm's front lines, her presence was detected by the Neurotyrant even before she entered the battlefield.
The Shadow in the Warp cast by the Great Devourer affected the Queen of Blades, but only slightly. Her psionic power was a fusion of Warhammer's warp-energies and the Class 12 psionics from StarCraft II, granting her an exceptionally resilient mind. Even without the oversized cranium typical of a Zoanthrope, her psionic output was terrifying.
Far from the center of the battlefield, the Queen of Blades crouched low, tensing her muscles in a leaping posture.
Then, she launched herself like a rocket. In the blink of an eye, she reached the apex of the dome sector and dove straight toward the Neurotyrant's position. Such physical prowess was almost impossible for a creature of her size.
BOOM!
She slammed into the middle of the Zoanthrope pack like a meteor, coming face-to-face with the Neurotyrant.
†That's a bit reckless, isn't it?†
It was beyond reckless. Even the Norn Queen hadn't expected a unit to be arrogant enough to drop directly into the center of a Zoanthrope formation.
The Neurotyrant was a unit that had rarely, if ever, appeared since the Tyranids first evolved the Zoanthrope strain. Usually, a Neurothrope was enough to dominate a battlefield—a single Neurothrope being an Alpha-level psyker capable of erasing a city with a full-power strike.
Of course, there is a vast difference between Alpha-level psykers. For instance, Malcador the Sigillite of the Imperium was classified as Alpha-level simply because the scale ended there. Much like the Class 12 psionic rating in StarCraft II, "Alpha" isn't a cap on power, but rather the highest tier of classification.
And the Neurotyrant was a brand-new unit that neither the Imperium nor the Aeldari had ever seen, far stronger than a Neurothrope.
Facing such an existence, you chose to "board" them by jumping straight into the enemy center? Even a Chosen of Khorne might hesitate at such a move!
†Forget it, let's trust her. Anyone who fights like that must have the confidence to back it up.†
Upon her arrival, the Queen of Blades immediately asserted her dominance. Her psionic power accurately struck every Zoanthrope that came too close. These Zoanthropes were weaker than Neurothropes, yet they were still elite psionic units.
However, under the psionic shockwave of the Queen of Blades, these Zoanthropes began to burst one by one like overinflated balloons. White brain matter splattered across the floor—a sight that might have whetted the appetite of a scavenger.
"Is this all?"
The Queen of Blades sneered, scanning the surviving Zoanthropes.
"How disappointing."
A Neurothrope immediately unleashed a psionic blast. The terrifying surge of energy obliterated the nearby fragile Zerg units, but the Queen of Blades simply raised her right hand, stopping the attack with a psionic shield. As the mental struggle persisted, the Neurothrope clearly began to falter.
Another Neurothrope, disregarding any sense of martial honor, joined the fray with its own psionic attack. A simultaneous strike from two Neurothropes would be difficult to withstand even for a Chief Librarian of the Adeptus Astartes.
Yet, the Queen of Blades merely raised her other hand to block the second attack, her expression remaining calm and composed. It was as if she were asking: Is that the best you can do?
The three powerful psionic forces formed a miniature Warp vortex in the air. Lightning flickered like a thunderstorm. Seeing this, the surrounding Zoanthropes attempted to pile on their own attacks against the Queen of Blades.
She glanced at them and shouted a single word.
"Begone!"
The lesser Zoanthropes instantly imploded. The psionic power she displayed far exceeded anything the Norn Queen or the Aeldari had imagined.
Watching the transmission, Melina felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if this half-human, half-insectoid creature shared some common ancestry with her.
This high-level psionic duel was no place for lesser units. The two Neurothropes were failing to suppress the Queen of Blades. With a sharp lift of her hands, the two Neurothropes were hoisted into the air by the sheer force of the psionic tug-of-war. If this continued, they would be shredded by the backflow of energy.
The Neurotyrant finally made its move.
The massive beast let out a shrill roar. In that instant, even the Warp vortex was suppressed. The Queen of Blades, who had been on the verge of crushing the Neurothropes, was pushed back. A thick beam of psionic light erupted from the Neurotyrant's forehead. This time, the Queen of Blades used the bone wings on her back to push forward, locking into a desperate struggle with the Neurotyrant.
By holding her own against a Neurotyrant and two Neurothropes simultaneously, her psionic strength had surpassed 99% of the psykers in this world. One couldn't say she was close to the Emperor, but she was certainly approaching the level of Malcador.
†The Aeldari's psionic potential is truly high. It's a pity the existence of Slaanesh prevents them from using their powers freely; otherwise, their peak psionic strength would be a nightmare to handle.†
Slaanesh would always be the blade held to the throat of the Aeldari. No Aeldari was without fear of She-Who-Thirsts.
But the Queen of Blades feared no Chaos God. If Slaanesh wanted her, the Dark Prince would have to go through the Overmind first—and to reach the Overmind, one must first face the Swarm.
The Overmind is the Swarm.
The psionic energy on the battlefield began to cause the entire dome sector to tremble violently. The wraithbone structure seemed unable to withstand the influence of such concentrated power and threatened to collapse at any moment.
Both swarms instinctively cleared the area, retreating to other sectors or corridors to avoid being mercilessly ground to dust by the psionic storm.
The Neurothropes were showing signs of exhaustion, their psionic output becoming erratic. However, more concerning was the gathering Warp energy, which showed signs of forming a Warp Rift.
Yet, the psionic units on both sides treated the whispers of the Warp like mere noise, completely ignoring the temptations of the Daemons. Under the influence of the Warp, the local laws of physics began to distort. Time accelerated and slowed at random; space twisted and inverted.
Daemons almost reached their hands out from the Warp toward the Queen of Blades and the Neurotyrant, but for some reason, they didn't dare to strike. The localized concentration of Warp energy, which even the Shadow in the Warp could barely suppress, was enough to suffocate an ordinary psyker to death.
†Keep going, keep going!†
Finally, the Neurothropes could no longer sustain the output. Their bloated bodies fell from the air; it would clearly take a long time before they could use their powers again.
With the Neurothropes out of the way, the Queen of Blades focused her entire psionic might on the Neurotyrant. The Neurotyrant let out an enraged roar, exploding with power beyond its usual limits.
In that instant, a light as bright as a supernova flared within the dome.
Then, the entire dome sector was gone. Several adjacent sectors were caught in the devastation.
†Holy crap!!!†
†If it wasn't for the Tyranid's Shadow in the Warp, that blast would have ripped a mini Eye of Terror right into the Craftworld!†