An Ultralisk charge is practically invincible. In the Overmind's understanding, even a Primarch would struggle to halt a massed stampede of Ultralisks. To truly stop them, one needs the Titan-class units of the various galactic powers.
Among them, the Tyranids and Orks possess the most Titans. In theory, as long as the Tyranid Hive Fleet has sufficient biomass, they can mass-produce Hierophants just as infinitely as the Zerg produce their beasts. However, to conserve biomass, they usually don't deploy them in massive swarms; one or two is the norm, and anything over ten is considered a massive investment, reserved only for high-value targets.
But while the Zerg and Tyranids were clashing fiercely, the stakes were high for both. Fallen Zerg are biomass; fallen Tyranids are also biomass. As long as one side wins, the victor hits the jackpot.
So why conserve? The Norn Queen was playing for keeps—if she won, it was a massive profit; if she lost, the fleet would be annihilated!
A new bio-ship slammed into the dome sector, shattering vast swathes of Aeldari architecture. The damage was so severe that the dome's automated repair systems took a considerable amount of time to even begin functioning.
†Wait, what is the Aeldari fleet doing? How are they letting cruiser-class bio-ships ram into the dome like this?†
In reality, this was a calculated move by the Farseer. Once a bio-ship crashed into the dome, gravity prevented it from taking off again, effectively pinning the Hive Fleet's assets to the ground and weakening their orbital presence.
However, for the Zerg, this meant facing larger ships—and with them came the Hierophants and a host of specialized Tyranid heavy units.
Hierophants come in many forms. First to emerge were the Harridans—flying Titans. Two of them soared out, with wingspans reaching forty meters and bodies thirty meters long. Their massive frames carried entire clusters of Gargoyle nests, making them essentially living aerial carriers.
Then came the Hierophant Bio-Titans. This species had appeared before, having engaged a Ultralisk Hierophant in melee combat. Two 'Hierolisks' had eventually managed to kill it. Equipped with two massive bio-cannons and protective bio-energy shields, these Titans were terrifying biological turrets.
Ten such Hierophants appeared at once. Their ferocious firepower was too much even for the Ultralisk's monocrystalline plating. In a single synchronized volley from twenty bio-cannons, the Ultralisk closest to the cruiser was vaporized into a bloody mist.
Yet, this was merely the appetizer. When the main course was served, even the Overmind gasped. Two Dominatrices appeared on the battlefield.
†Holy crap... I actually have to stand up to fight these guys!†
The Dominatrix is one of the largest units the Tyranids can deploy on a planet's surface—large enough to serve as a mobile fortress for a Hive Tyrant. They are significantly larger than a standard Hierophant. They carry colossal bio-cannons; a single shot poses a massive threat to an Ultralisk, and two shots can kill one instantly.
†They even brought out the Dominatrices. They really think highly of me. These things are usually matched against Warlord-class Titans or even smaller Emperor-class Titans.†
Unlike the Zerg Swarm, Tyranid Titans possess devastating long-range firepower. Their bio-cannons can easily breach any Zerg carapace, including those of Ultralisks and Ultralisk Hierophants. As the pack of super-heavy living turrets advanced, the threat to the Ultralisks was immense. Within moments, nearly ten Ultralisks were killed or severely wounded. This was the first time the Ultralisks had suffered such heavy losses.
But the Zerg Swarm wasn't afraid of losses.
†Just a few Bio-Titans? People might think the Zerg can't afford a proper meal! Give me more! One for every Ultralisk!†
The Ultralisks braved the fire to close the distance. Their Emperor Blades swung out; the Hierophants tried to parry with their scything talons, but the limbs were easily sheared off by the Zerg blades. A Hierophant tumbled to the ground, desperately twisting its bio-cannons to point at the Ultralisk's underbelly. A twin blast shredded the Ultralisk's stomach, but the wound only made the beast more savage. It reared up and brought its massive weight down, crushing the Hierophant's head into the deck.
The Hierophant was stomped into paste, though the Ultralisk was soon finished off by another Titan. Currently, the trade ratio between Hierophants and Ultralisks was roughly 1:2 or 1:3.
Learning of this, the Norn Queen found the situation acceptable. After all, the Zerg only had about fifty Ultralisks, and she still had other Bio-Titans assisting, while the Dominatrices could drop an Ultralisk with a single salvo. If the battle continued this way, the Tyranids would emerge victorious and claim all that massive biomass for themselves.
However...
How could the Overmind not have anticipated such a calculation?
†My Titan quality might be slightly lower than yours, so let's see my Titan QUANTITY!!!†
Even an Emperor-class Titan will fall if swarmed by enough Warhound-class Titans. Just as the Zerg Ultralisks were whittled down to only ten survivors and the Norn Queen thought victory was hers...
The earth began to tremble. Another wave of Ultralisks thundered out from the corridors, accompanied by several even more gargantuan Ultralisk Hierophants. By a rough estimate, there were at least a hundred Ultralisks in this new wave.
Anyone seeing this would feel their skin crawl. An Astartes Chapter not specialized in defense would be wiped out in a single charge. Even a 30K-era Legion would likely lose nearly ten thousand Marines if they didn't have Titan support and heavy ordnance.
Seeing the Ultralisks charging again, the Norn Queen immediately ordered her Titans to focus fire on these giants. She only had a few Hierophants left; if they died, the Dominatrices would be swarmed to death.
But the numerical disparity was too great. The Ultralisk herd stampeded forward, with several beasts climbing over the corpses of their predecessors to pin a Hierophant against the wall. The Titan screamed in agony before being sliced into several pieces by multiple pairs of Emperor Blades.
The Ultralisk Hierophants went straight for the Dominatrices. Although a Ultralisk Hierophant is slightly smaller than a Dominatrix, it was surrounded by a sea of Ultralisks. This massive gap in combat power forced the Dominatrices to retreat, trying to open up a strategic gap.
But that distance was meaningless before the Ultralisk's massive stride. Within minutes, they caught up. The Dominatrix's bio-cannons blasted the Ultralisk, shearing off massive chunks of flesh and plating, but they couldn't instantly kill the resilient giant from the outside.
A Ultralisk slammed its Emperor Blades into the Dominatrix, pushing it all the way back until it was slammed against the side of a bio-ship, pinning it firmly.
†I get it! This is called a "Wall-Slam"†
†Why the hell is your imagination so good at a time like this?!†