Chapter 288: The Ultimate Brutalisk
Over the years, Burns had come to accept the existence of the Zerg. But Argus, looking at the scene around them, still had not. The reproductive and expansion capabilities of these xenos terrified him. Cooperating with the Zerg was simply the best option in his current situation, even knowing, as Burns had told him, that these bio-weapons were controlled by Lord Lucan.
In Argus's eyes, creatures like this were a ticking time bomb. What if they truly lost control?
The Salamanders were famous in the Imperium for their mercy; they would willingly give their lives for the lives of civilians. But their mercy was limited to humanity. Their hatred for xenos was no less than anyone else's in the Imperium, perhaps even more so. This was a trait they had inherited from their Primarch, Vulkan, who was also capable of smashing an Eldar child into pulp without a shred of mercy.
Led by the two Zerglings, the group finally stopped before a massive biological structure. This entire area was a Leviathan that had had its flight genes removed, its heavy biological armor and flesh reformed into a unique fortress.
Sensing the arrival of the Zerglings, a flesh-corridor in the Leviathan's body split open, just large enough for the two of them to pass through. A foul stench washed over them, forcing them both to hold their breath. Burns sealed his powersuit's faceplate, and Argus donned his own power armor helmet.
Countless Zerg guards patrolled the pathway, protecting Abathur. Many of them were conventional Zerg strains, but their bodies were significantly larger than the standard units. As the two passed through the long, fleshy tunnel and reached the central chamber, they saw Abathur rooted in the fleshy floor. A spawning pool, filled with green biological fluid, was bubbling in front of him.
He was focused on controlling the pool, countless genetic sequences flowing within it, pushing the Zerg toward a stronger evolutionary path.
Abathur writhed his worm-like body and turned to look at them. Argus, however, fixed his gaze on three giant Zerg standing beside Abathur. These three massive creatures, nearly twenty meters tall, were an awe-inspiring sight. They occupied more than half of the entire chamber. The aura they emitted made even Argus tremble. Such pure biological weapons... he had no doubt they could kill him with ease. And yet, these powerful creatures stood as quietly as pets beside Abathur.
Unlike Kerrigan or Zagara, Abathur himself did not possess great personal combat strength. In exchange for his ability to manipulate genes, Abathur himself was, in a sense, very fragile. But he also had a special power besides genetic manipulation: he could inject additional biomass into certain Zerg units to give them even greater combat strength. It wasn't just combat power; when the biomass accumulated to a certain point, the Zerg would also welcome their ultimate evolution.
The three scorpion-like creatures beside Abathur were the result of this ability. These beings, known as Brutalisks, were the evolved form of ordinary ground units that had accumulated a massive amount of biomass. Even the Leviathan that Abathur was currently in was the result of a flying unit being infused with vast amounts of biomass. Unfortunately, the biomass required for these evolutions was far, far more than the one hundred-something required in the game.
The morphology of these three Brutalisks was also different from the conventional strain; they had undergone a special change.
By killing the Tyranid Hive Tyrant that Tevantias had unleashed, Abathur had successfully acquired its genetic fragments. The genes of this giant Tyranid creature were too much for smaller Zerg to bear, but the Brutalisks, already enhanced by biomass, could. Abathur had harvested the superior parts of the Tyrant's genome and injected them into these Brutalisks.
The current Brutalisks still maintained their humanoid-scorpion form, but their bodies were now covered in even harder, thicker armor plating. The biological scythe-limbs they once used as weapons had now evolved into a form more akin to human arms, and their method of attack had been replaced by biological blades resembling long sabers. With their sharp, monomolecular edges, combined with the Brutalisk's own strength, they could tear through most metals. This more humanoid structure clearly made them more flexible, and their strength and speed had both been significantly enhanced.
But the improvements from the Hive Tyrant's genes did not stop there. Abathur, leveraging the Zerg's ability to host multiple genetic codes simultaneously, had enabled these Brutalisks to undergo instantaneous mutation. If needed, the fleshy wings of a Hive Tyrant could burst from their backs at any moment. Their innate anti-air ability to spit acid had also been further enhanced. Not only could they spit acid for area-of-effect attacks, but they could also fire biological spikes for longer-range, higher-penetration single-target attacks.
But what Abathur loved most was the Hive Tyrant's ability to transmit its memories and combat experience back to the Hive Mind upon death, allowing it to inherit those memories upon being reborn. This way, even if they died, there was no need to worry. When the Brutalisk was reborn, it would only be stronger and more cunning.
These Brutalisks now possessed this ability, and they also had an ability similar to that of an Overlord-synapse creature. This prevented the situation where the death of an Overlord would cause the Swarm to lose control. If the Ultralisk was the strongest tank and anti-infantry clearing machine of the Zerg race, then the Brutalisk was the powerful unit focused on individual combat. Their targets were not the rank-and-file, but the enemy's champions and their most important large war machines.
"You have arrived."
A hoarse, deep High Gothic voice emerged from Abathur's vocal organs. Learning human language was all too simple for him.
"Lord Abathur! Lord Lucan told us to find you!"
"I have already received the orders from my Lord," Abathur replied. "The Swarm is ready. Burns, as per Lord Lucan's command, I will lead you all in a charge out of the lower levels. My Swarm will protect your advance. Five days from now, the Lord's fleet will attack Commorragh. At that time, you will leave this place with the Dynasty's fleet. I will then accept the Lord's command and deliver you to the designated location."
"Really?! That's wonderful! Lord Argus! Did you hear that! The great Lord Lucan is really coming to save us!" Burns said excitedly to Argus.
But Argus was not so optimistic.
"It's one thing to be in the lower levels," he said, his voice grim. "I've seen what your creatures can do over the years. But are you sure you can break out of the undercity? The Dark Eldar warships cannot enter here, but it's a different story once we leave the depths. These Dark Eldar are not weak. They still have a vast fleet and many unbelievable weapons. Even with your vast numbers, I do not believe you can truly win against a fleet. And even if this Rogue Trader of yours can really bring his fleet here, can he truly withstand the countless anti-air defenses of Commorragh?!"
Argus still remembered what had happened when his own Chapter had entered Commorragh. After suffering such an attack, the Dark Eldar would surely have implemented countermeasures.
"Human," Abathur hissed. "The power of the Lord is far beyond your imagination. And the Swarm is far stronger than you know."
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