†Damn, we're late. The Tyranids got here first?†
The Overmind immediately spotted the Tyranid Hive Fleet outside the Craftworld. This wasn't some scouting party like the one he had encountered before; this was a true Tyranid invasion force, with over a hundred capital bio-ships. Including the smaller escort organisms, the count easily surpassed three hundred.
Keep in mind, not a single one of those three hundred bio-ships was smaller than a kilometer in length.
†I remember there was a particularly legendary Zoanthrope that sucked the entire Infinity Circuit of a Craftworld dry... what was its name again?†
[The Doom of Malan'tai]
†Holy Jesus... the system is alive.†
The long-absent system suddenly chimed in before going back to playing dead. It still hadn't issued any quests; one could only say this system was incredibly lazy.
†However, the fleet of that legendary creature was destroyed, leaving only that one brain-bug. I think it was Hive Fleet Naga? Seems I'll have to wait for a future opportunity to meet them. For now, let's analyze the current battle.†
The Tyranids were actually very fond of the Aeldari. Although the space-elves provided little biomass, the Tyranids had evolved ways to siphon life energy directly from the Craftworld's wraithbone. Thus, attacking a Craftworld was a profitable venture.
The Zerg Swarm felt the same. Since the Hive Queens could now manipulate some Aeldari technology, and the Craftworld housed numerous Webway gates, capturing it was an even better deal.
For this campaign, the Overmind deployed the Queen of Blades and the Hive Queens together. The goal was to occupy the Craftworld without destroying it if possible. Furthermore, this was a ground assault only—no air support was used yet.
A Craftworld's firepower was nothing to scoff at. Its massive hull was bristling with heavy pulsed starcannons and lances. One should never underestimate these vessels just because they originated as transport ships during the height of the Aeldari Empire.
As he contemplated, the Zerg vanguard made contact with the enemy.
An infantry line composed of Fire Dragons and Guardians unleashed a massive barrage. Most Aeldari weapons fired beams or monomolecular shurikens. Behind this line stood Wraith-constructs and Wraithlords wielding D-cannons, with a Fire Prism tank providing heavy fire support from the rear.
While a Fire Prism was nowhere near as durable as an Imperial Leman Russ, its firepower was terrifying. Even a Roach was sent flying, disintegrated by a single focused lance beam.
On the rooftops, Warp Spiders utilized the terrain to strike at the Swarm while avoiding retaliation.
†The Aeldari are like the Imperium—scattered they're trash, but gathered they're a constellation of stars.†
Such a dense formation couldn't be broken by the standard ground "trinity" alone. The enemy held a clear terrain advantage. Faced with such a fortified position, it was time for the Ultralisks!
Nydus Worms weren't an option here. Without creep being spread beforehand and being inside a starship, Nydus Worms couldn't simply manifest tunnels out of the void. However, the streets were just wide enough for an Ultralisk charge. But because the space was so tight, if an Ultralisk fell, it would likely block the path for those following.
†Let's just send in the Hierophants.†
Although a Hierophant was larger than a standard Ultralisk and would struggle to fit through the streets, its sheer mass was enough to smash through the Aeldari spires on either side. This behemoth would literally carve its own path through the city.
Loken had just reached the Webway gate when he saw a Hierophant emerging. Even for a well-traveled Warp Spider Exarch, the sight was a shock.
"What is that thing?!"
The Hierophant was too massive. The consequences of such a monster rampaging through a city were beyond imagination.
"It's heading for the defense line! Asuryan preserve us, this is trouble!!!"
The Hierophant's body only brushed against an Aeldari spire, yet a massive chunk of the building was sheared off instantly. Loken attempted to attack, but his Death Spinners barely cut the creature's skin before the wounds healed. The regeneration speed was far beyond what his equipment could negate.
"We can't stop it."
Loken could only warn the defensive units of the incoming threat.
The Hierophant soon loomed before the defenders, leaving the Aeldari stunned. "Can we really stop that thing?"
A Fire Prism fired first. A large-caliber pulse lance slammed into the Hierophant's head, hitting its thick chitinous plating. The blast only left a scorched crater in the armor without penetrating.
"How is that possible?!" "Don't stare, keep firing! Don't let that thing crash into us!!!"
The Hierophant's anatomy was perfectly evolved for ramming. Its massive Emperor Blades swept out, carving deep furrows into the buildings on both sides. The weapons were as terrifying as giant guillotines reaping lives.
But the Aeldari were not helpless. Various Wraith-constructs fired in unison. Weapons known as D-Scythes blasted the Hierophant—devices capable of tearing holes in reality to send enemies to the Warp—yet even they failed to cause significant damage. As a powerful psychic organism, the Hierophant possessed an inherent resistance to such attacks.
Seeing this, a seven-to-eight-meter-tall Wraithlord charged forward with a ghostglaive, attempting to halt the beast's advance. The Hierophant reared up like a prehistoric elephant and crushed the Wraithlord into dust. A precious combat asset capable of rivaling an Imperial Knight was crushed like a clod of earth.
"How are we supposed to stop this monster?!"
"With me!!!"
An Aeldari Farseer, clad in ornate robes and wielding a singing spear, charged toward the Hierophant. Unlike the clunky Wraithlord, she was as agile as a bird. She leaped high, landing on the Hierophant's Emperor Blade, and sprinted toward what appeared to be its head.
"Asuryan, grant me strength!"
The spear in her hand flared with psychic light as she drove it deep into the Hierophant's skull.
"HAA!!!"
With a sharp cry, psychic energy exploded inside the beast. From the outside, only a muffled thud was heard as several ruptures burst across its hide. The Hierophant collapsed, its internal organs shredded by the psychic blast.
"As expected of the Farseer!"
"With this power, we will surely be led to victory."
However, such thoughts were fleeting. Just as the Farseer pulled her spear free to return to the defensive line, a dark shadow descended from above. Although she sensed the attack, the moment she looked up, a powerful psychic shockwave slammed into her mind, clashing with her own spirit.
It left her momentarily dazed—her psychic power was clearly outmatched. By the time she regained her senses, her head had already been severed from her body, rolling across the ground.
"Eh?"
In the final second before losing consciousness, she saw the "person" who had killed her.
"I thought you self-righteous types would have stronger psychic powers. Turns out, you're just mediocre."