The Tyranids arrived swiftly. In the exosphere, over a dozen Hive Ships had surrounded the planet, making a breakout somewhat difficult.
†Should I be thankful the Tyranids don't do orbital bombardment?†
Orbital bombardment wasn't their style, but spore pod drops were unavoidable.
The Hive Ships' surfaces were dotted with orifices. These openings revealed internal drop pods, each filled with various types of Tyranid bio-forms.
There were the numerous Termagants (Hormagaunts), as numerous as Zerglings, serving as cannon fodder. There were the Termagants (Devourers) with limbs modified to fire flesh-borers. And there were the Warrior organisms acting as low-level command nodes. These were the main ground forces of the Tyranids.
Typically, these three were enough to overwhelm a poorly defended planet.
Just these three alone would give the Zerg Swarm a hard time, not to mention the venom-spitting, heavily armored, flying, burrowing, and commanding bio-forms.
But before the drop pods began, countless Gargoyles surged into the atmosphere first.
These were winged versions of Termagants, the flying vanguard of the Tyranids.
Gargoyles retained most Termagant characteristics: small stature, compact torso, flexible muscles, lightweight exoskeleton, etc. However, their physical strength couldn't compare to most Tyranid bio-forms. Also, due to wing evolution, the Termagants' original hind limbs had atrophied.
Typically, Gargoyles were also armed with fleshborers and venom capable of melting skin.
Countless Gargoyles flew in swarms. The terrifying sight of their sky-blackening flight was truly awe-inspiring. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 also featured scenes of Gargoyle swarms—an equally terrifying spectacle.
However, the clash between the Zerg Swarm and the Tyranids had already begun.
†Check out my anti-air, will ya?†
On the ground, massive Spore Crawlers had already rooted themselves. These were the Zerg Swarm's anti-air defense structures. They had wide-ranging sensors and could spew lethal acid at any detected hostile aerial target. They could also detect cloaked or burrowed enemy units within their sensory range.
[Name: Spore Crawler]
[Body Length: 10-100 meters (variable)]
[Role: Anti-air defense unit]
[Armament: Acid Spit]
A massive glob of acid projectile was launched skyward, exploding amidst the Gargoyle swarm. The acid instantly corroded the Gargoyles' fragile chitinous carapaces, instantly killing a large number of them.
Nearly a hundred such massive acid projectiles were fired almost simultaneously, creating a noticeable obstacle for the Gargoyles that had just breached the atmosphere.
Inside a Hive Ship, the Norn Queen, as menacing as an Alien Queen, sensed something unusual. The life on this planet was a bit strange.
But it didn't matter. The Great Devourer wasn't picky; anything edible would be consumed.
As the Hive Ship's skin writhed, the first wave of drop pods launched forth. The densely packed pods, falling like rain, rapidly descended through the atmosphere, entering the Zerg Swarm's line of sight.
Cerebrate Zasz was prepared. He immediately ordered Scourge to ascend, performing a suicidal attack wave against the drop pods.
BOOM——————!
Plasma blooms erupted across the sky. A batch of drop pods was destroyed, but more pods broke through the plasma fire, landing on the ground.
The moment these pods hit the ground, they burst open. The Termagants and Warriors inside roared skyward. Just as they prepared to move, the ground beneath them squirmed.
Zerglings and Hydralisks, Roaches underground, surged out, engaging these enemies.
This was a battle belonging to the swarms.
Claws and blades from both sides viciously attacked each other. The scene was extremely brutal. A Warrior's blade would impale a Zergling, lifting it high, only for Hydralisk spines to shoot out the next moment, piercing the Warrior's head.
Termagants pounced on Hydralisk backs, tearing them apart.
The initial clash was so intense that neither side could collect the enemy's corpses.
Though the Norn Queen was curious about the planet's anomalies, it didn't hinder their continued attack and consumption.
Both the Zerg Swarm and Tyranids were species with highly unified hive minds, eliminating the possibility of friendly fire. However, the Tyranids quickly established secure landing zones on the ground.
This allowed the Tyranids' heavy units to make their appearance.
Bio-artillery units called Biovores, carrying giant biological cannons on their backs, appeared. The cannons fired clusters of Spore Mines cultivated within their bodies. The Spore Mines exploded amidst the Zerglings, instantly killing countless numbers.
The Zerg Swarm was not to be outdone. Banelings lay in ambush underground, waiting for Tyranid forces to pass overhead, then triggered violent acid explosions. Even Warriors dozens of meters away were instantly obliterated, leaving only half their bodies.
For a time, shredded flesh and acid flew everywhere. It was impossible to distinguish which swarm the dismembered limbs belonged to.
If this continued, the Zerg Swarm could hold on for a while longer.
But the Tyranids were only just beginning to show their true strength.
An exceptionally large drop pod descended. What emerged was a Hive Tyrant, a high-level Tyranid command unit.
The Hive Tyrant is a large, powerful Tyranid bio-form, the closest to a battlefield commander role. Like many Tyranid organisms, they seem to evolve rapidly. All Hive Tyrants possess strong synaptic abilities, and their psychic connection to the Hive Mind is far stronger than that of Tyranid Warriors. On the battlefield, the Hive Tyrant is the absolute avatar of the Hive Mind.
Its massive form boasted two monstrous scything talons and a crushing tail. These scything talons could also be replaced with monstrous bio-cannons. Some could even be equipped with wings for flight.
Accompanying it were Tyrant Guard, units with heavy living armor, possessing an astonishing ability to withstand damage on the battlefield.
A single Hive Tyrant changed the tide of the local battlefield.
Troublesome Roaches and Hydralisks were cleared one by one by the Hive Tyrant. Meanwhile, the Tyrant Guard around it helped absorb the Hydralisk and Roach ranged attacks. Even Roach acid only left dents on the Tyrant Guard's armor, unable to melt through.
"Hmm..."
Zasz, commanding the battlefield, murmured. He seemed to have recognized the disparity in strength.
This battle was putting immense pressure on the Zerg Swarm.
But it wasn't without a chance of victory.
Just as the Hive Tyrant led ground forces on the verge of breaking the Zerg Swarm's defensive line, the earth within the Zerg Swarm's territory suddenly heaved and began charging towards the Hive Tyrant's position.
The Hive Tyrant watched this, ordering its two Tyrant Guard to block the front, attempting to stop the underground charge.
But when the underground entity burst through the soil, appearing before it, the Hive Tyrant clearly displayed a look of astonishment.
It was an Ultralisk.
An Ultralisk more than twice the size of the Hive Tyrant.
The Ultralisk's massive cleavers swept sideways, catching both the Tyrant Guard and the Hive Tyrant together. The combined strength of the Hive Tyrant and its Guard seemed insignificant before the Ultralisk. The Ultralisk plowed forward, crushing them as it advanced, rolling over the Tyranid positions.
And such Ultralisks appeared at intervals across the battlefield. Even Warriors could only look up at the Ultralisk before being squashed into pulp under its feet the next second.
†You're not sending out Hierophants (Titan-level units)? Trying to fight my Ultralisks might be a bit difficult, oh~~~†
The mass-produced Ultralisk was the Zerg Swarm's best unit for lowering the difficulty in Warhammer 40K.
Among Tyranid ground units, very few were larger than the Hive Tyrant.