Chapter 399– Mutated Evolution! The Miniature Starfall Sky Spear Tower! The Queen Descends!
As the light of the metallic hydrogen bomb gradually faded, the radioactive dust swirling in the air revealed a shocking sight—countless massive cocoons had emerged from the ground.
Without exception, each of these cocoons had grown out of the corpses of the Ultralisks.
They were grotesquely covered in dense pores and were frantically absorbing the surrounding radioactive particles. The sight of them squirming and pulsating in the toxic fog was enough to make one's skin crawl.
It seemed the Zerg were cultivating some unknown and terrifying lifeform using this bizarre nourishment.
"What the hell is going on? I've never seen Zerg do anything like this before!"
Even Jim Raynor, a battle-hardened veteran who had clashed with the Swarm more times than he could count, found himself momentarily at a loss. He had truly never witnessed anything like this.
Soon, Dr. Ariel Hanson, the leading xeno-researcher, realized what was happening. She immediately used the scientific command nexus's communications relay to warn the base commander:
"Be careful! This is the Ultralisk's enhanced immune system at work—they're capable of absorbing radioactive material and converting it into nutrients!"
Everyone froze with disbelief. The idea that Zerg could feed on radiation shattered their understanding of biology.
Normal creatures avoid radiation at all costs—absorbing it? That was unthinkable!
Li Ang, however, remained calm. He remembered this from StarCraft: Heart of the Swarm—a variant strain of Ultralisk that mutated precisely by absorbing radioactive material left behind by human weaponry.
These mutated Ultralisks had one terrifying trait: after dying, they could form cocoons and use radioactive energy to regenerate—exactly what was unfolding now.
The metallic hydrogen bomb had been meant to guarantee their death. Instead, the radiation it unleashed had triggered a grotesque evolution, allowing the Ultralisks to rise anew amidst the fallout.
From the dense radioactive haze, the mutated Ultralisks burst forth—now glowing a deep violet and visibly larger, as if they'd received a powerful enhancement buff.
Watching the dead Zerg revive on the spot, the Megacorp's warriors were stunned. What was this—some kind of boss battle with a second phase?
The Queen of Blades, however, observed it all with cold serenity. Clearly, this had been part of her plan all along.
The Zerg hadn't started out invincible. They evolved through battle, refining their shortcomings.
In theory, given enough time, the Swarm could learn to replicate any ability from its enemies. That kind of adaptive power was terrifying.
The Protoss pursued transcendence through spiritual cultivation and psionic mastery. The Zerg's path was simpler: fight like hell until you become a god.
At that moment, a fresh wave of drop-pods rained down from orbit. Previously cleared creep began to reassert itself, spreading like wildfire.
As long as the Queen's Hive Fleet remained in orbit, it didn't matter how many Zerg died on the surface—they would keep coming.
David Martinez suddenly realized that he had still underestimated the Swarm's ability to adapt and evolve. This was perhaps the most formidable iteration of the Zerg the Megacorp had ever encountered.
And now, these upgraded Ultralisks were about to join the fight. The battle ahead was only going to get worse.
Just then, reports came in from the other orbital sectors:
[Report to HQ: The Zerg in our sector have been mostly neutralized. Energy transfer for the Miniature Starfall Sky Spear Tower is ready.]
David had been waiting for this moment. The Swarm might have evolved, but the Megacorp had come prepared.
It wasn't just AI-directed hard-light turrets they had deployed. The Sky Spear—integrating multiple energy formats—was a trump card designed specifically for enemies like the Zerg.
Now was the time to unleash it.
"Good. Begin energy charging," David ordered, quickly reviewing battle reports across the orbital fronts through the holographic interface.
The Zerg's main assault was focused on the Megacorp's frontline HQ. Other sectors had only encountered minor resistance, mostly weaklings that could be easily handled by automated turrets.
Now those sectors, having finished their battles, were able to divert excess engine energy to the Sky Spear network for a massive retaliatory strike.
Under David's command, the charging process began. Vast amounts of energy were channeled from multiple zones, converging toward the front line base.
From deep underground, a towering energy cannon rose—an immense artillery spire known as the Miniature Starfall Sky Spear. Energy beams from each sector coalesced into its core.
Dozens, then hundreds of radiant columns lit up the sky, merging into a single point—fueling the Sky Spear's charge.
The colossal tower now pivoted toward the Zerg horde. Typically, the base's planetary shield generator demanded so much energy that firing the Sky Spear meant dropping all other defenses.
But now, with energy supplied from across the theater, the HQ could afford a rare luxury—firing the Spear without compromising its shields.
The charging mechanism lit up, surging with overwhelming energy.
Modified by the Megacorp, this version of the Sky Spear contained dark matter, fifth-element energy, and even a fraction of psionic power.
Though it couldn't rival a full-scale Sky Spear megastructure in raw devastation, its smaller form was faster to charge, easier to deploy, and much more flexible for field warfare.
As the incoming energy surged into the tower's apex, it lit up like a second sun—brilliant azure rays banishing night across the battlefield.
Thankfully, no human troops remained on the surface. Anyone standing in that glow would've been instantly blinded.
Yet the Zerg showed no fear. With the resurrected Ultralisks in the lead, they launched another full-scale assault on the HQ.
This attack was fiercer than anything before.
Even the AI hard-light turrets began to buckle under the pressure, barely holding the tide at bay.
But the Sky Spear was ready. Calibrated by the Red Queen AI, its targeting was locked onto the incoming swarm—awaiting David's signal.
"Fire!"
In an instant, a massive torrent of energy burst forth from the tower like a cascading waterfall of destruction. The radiant beam drowned out all light and sound.
It was as if the universe itself were melting into pure light—erasing the brutal, blood-soaked battlefield beneath a wash of searing blue and white.
With thunderous force, the Zerg's shrieks and roars were silenced, their voices fading to whispers.
Time itself seemed to halt.
Through the HQ's holographic feed, David watched as the spear's beam carved a blazing path across the swarm. Everything—creature, creep, soil—dissolved in a flash, like snow vanishing under a spring sun.
Moments later, the ground quaked violently. The shockwaves reached all the way to HQ, as the tower's impact ripped through the crust, tearing up creep and earth alike.
The upheaving crust burst upward into jagged hills, resembling a giant stirring from slumber, baring its bony spine to the sky.
Within moments, the mountainous bulge surged over three thousand meters high. Billions of tons of soil and stone were flung into the upper atmosphere, turning into blazing meteors that scattered in all directions.
Under the Miniature Starfall Sky Spear Tower's full-power output, the Swarm was all but annihilated in an instant—erased from existence.
Even the mutated Ultralisks—reborn through the absorption of radioactive material—were vaporized the moment the energy beam swept past them.
The only traces of their presence were faint, scorched shadows burned into the ground.
Against such absolute energy discharge, no armor or carapace could offer protection.
No matter how mighty a creature might be, it was rendered utterly insignificant before this civilization-forged doomsday construct.
Every area struck by the Sky Spear ignited with towering infernos. The upheaved crust resembled a volcanic chain in simultaneous eruption.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, this apocalyptic scene held a terrible majesty—tragic yet eerily elegant.
The eruption-like spectacle persisted for nearly ten minutes before it began to wane. By then, layers of vitrified obsidian were raining down like meteors.
The black rain fell with a crisp, pattering sound.
As the acrid smoke cleared, what remained on the scorched earth was a gargantuan chasm—wider and deeper than the East African Rift Valley. A savage scar etched across the face of the world.
At its base, flames still raged fiercely. Looking down was like peering into the yawning gates of Hell itself—an Infinity, boiling inferno.
The Zerg that had once overrun the battlefield were now completely gone. Under such devastating firepower, no life could possibly survive.
Not a single claw, limb, or scrap of tissue remained. Finding even the faintest trace would be a fool's errand.
Now, this flaming trench served as a moat, cutting off the newly landed waves of Zerg behind it. The deep fissures that extended underground made it nearly impossible for more of the Swarm to advance.
The bottomless rift forcibly split the battlefield in two.
This was the technological might of the Megacorp—a civilization with so many planet-cracking options, they could afford to be picky.
As more sectors reported partial victories, their excess engine energy was funneled toward the frontline HQ, preparing for the next wave of Sky Spear bombardments.
Moments later, the tower's energy core surged again, unleashing a blinding ray that engulfed a newly landed batch of Zerg before they even had a chance to stabilize their footing.
Against such overwhelming destructive power, the Swarm had zero chance of even approaching the HQ.
They were incinerated the instant they emerged, reduced to nothing by the Sky Spear's wrath. No number of creatures could make a difference in the face of this kind of slaughter.
Witnessing all this, the Queen of Blades finally realized the gravity of her miscalculation.
From the beginning, she had fallen into the Megacorp's meticulously prepared trap. If the humans dared to place the Keystone here, they must have had a contingency.
She had believed that forcing the Megacorp's hand would bait out their trump cards. But it turned out that every seemingly "correct" step she took had been fully anticipated.
Reality had laid it bare: the Megacorp had plenty of countermeasures.
This was no ordinary faction. They were playing possum—a wolf in sheep's clothing.
As more Zerg fell like wheat under a scythe, and planetary-scale energy kept pouring into the HQ, the other orbital sectors were already under counterattack by the Megacorp's forces.
Only now did the Queen of Blades grasp the truth—this was a superior human civilization, unprecedented in scope and scale. One that existed on an entirely different tier of the cosmic hierarchy.
From technological capability, to strategic foresight, to unshakable composure in war—this was no Terran Dominion.
With energy support from the other war zones, the Sky Spear Tower had become the Megacorp's sacred mountain—their ultimate deterrent.
Each beam it fired wiped out entire swaths of the Swarm, the sheer satisfaction of the display sending adrenaline through the veins of every officer present.
From curling toes to tingling scalps, their blood boiled with the thrill of domination.
Many only wished they could take the controls themselves and rain devastation down upon the wretched Zerg.
Meanwhile, the Keystone's charging progress had reached 95%. The outcome was now all but decided. Even if the Queen of Blades tried to retreat, it was already too late.
Once fully charged, the Keystone would unleash a psionic shockwave, spreading across the entire star system in an instant—making escape impossible.
Now, the Queen had been forced into a corner. Withdrawing meant total failure—and certain death.
If strategy and swarm tactics had failed, there was only one option left: reveal her final trump card, and fight the Megacorp to the bitter end.
[Alert! The Queen of Blades is entering the atmosphere.]
A warning echoed through the HQ. From orbit, the Zerg fleet had begun to move—the Queen of Blades could no longer sit idly by. She was descending in person.
"She's finally here."
David Martinez had been waiting for this very moment. After so many rounds of strategic sparring, he had successfully forced her hand.
But from the Megacorp's standpoint, whether she fought or fled didn't matter.
As long as the Swarm was delayed long enough, and the Keystone fully charged, the Megacorp would claim final victory.
"Should we release a preliminary psionic pulse to intimidate her?" Paul asked.
With the Queen stepping onto the battlefield, her elite forces would likely follow. Wiping them out with the Xel'naga artifact would be the optimal move.
Without her vanguard, the remaining Zerg rabble would be nothing against the Sky Spear Tower.
"No. Hold a little longer."
David shook his head. With only the final sliver of charge left, there was no reason to rush. Once the Keystone reached full capacity, they could unleash its full might in one strike—purging the Queen of Blades herself along with everything else.
What could be better than that?
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