During the time the Zerg Swarm was producing Tier 2 Ultralisks, the Tyranid Swarm was not idle. The Norn Queen reconsidered her combat strategy against the Zerg.
The characteristics of the Zerg Swarm were now very clear: they possessed a massive volume of low-tier units combined with extremely high-end Titan-grade and elite units. However, the mid-tier heavy-armor, high-attack units were clearly inferior in quality to those of the Tyranid Swarm. It was time to use the "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" strategy: use a large number of mid-tier elite units to suppress the low-tier Zergling sea, and use the low-tier swarm to tie down the top-tier Titans and elites.
Finally, the fleet would handle those Titans and elite units. No matter how strong an Ultralisk was, it looked like a mere insect in front of the main and secondary batteries of a Bio-ship. This strategy might work; the Norn Queen had no better plan for now.
The battle between the Yelank Craftworld Eldar and the Zerg Swarm continued.
With Titans and a large number of armored units holding the line, the Ravagers were picked off by the Titans' superior range before they could even get close. Roaches also found it difficult to break through the positions. Even with the Defilers' Dark Swarm obscuring vision, the massive size of the Titans made them difficult to hinder with mist.
Melina, seeing the Zerg Swarm's performance, found it somewhat difficult to understand.
"Something is wrong. The offensive these bugs are launching is far weaker than before, yet it doesn't look like they've lost too much of their strength." Melina hadn't even seen any of the ultra-large behemoth units. "What are they waiting for? Are they waiting for the other Swarm?"
Regardless, the current situation was favorable. Melina could only remain vigilant regarding the future; she could not entirely avoid it.
Due to the internal war between the Zerg and Tyranids, although the Eldar Craftworld had lost an entire dome sector, the Tyranid Bio-ships had also been heavily distracted by the Zerg. Melina noticed that many Bio-ships were not participating in the fight, likely producing combat units within their hulls to avoid losses in fleet engagements.
"The intentions of these bugs are too obvious, but our forces are too few. We simply cannot spare a fleet to deal with those ships." If the Dark Eldar provided support, the odds would be better. Dark Eldar ships had cloaking capabilities and could ambush those production ships before retreating.
However, this stalemate did not last long.
In less than a day, a new batch of Ultralisks was born. The biggest physical difference from the first generation was that the new generation possessed two pairs of Kaiser Blades. Their overall body structure had also changed slightly; specifically, the head armor was thicker, protecting the vulnerable head completely, and their limbs were more powerful.
Now, these Ultralisks could break into a full sprint. They were more ferocious, more valiant. This is what the Zerg Swarm's Titan unit should be! Charge!
The Tier 2 Ultralisk swarm began advancing toward the battlefield. Their armor thickness was nearly double that of the first generation, yet their movement speed was almost unaffected. It was a pity the Tyrannozors and Omegalisks hadn't been unlocked yet; if the Omegalisks were available, it would truly give the Tyranids a run for their money.
The rhythm of the battle began to accelerate. The Autarch noticed that the frequency of the Swarm's attacks was increasing. The stalemate that had previously seen almost zero casualties was now starting to yield deaths. Simultaneously, the Autarch began to hear footsteps echoing from the distance.
"They're coming! Titan units, move up!!!"
Eliza had been waiting for the enemy's behemoths for a long time. Hearing that familiar vibration of the earth, she knew the enemy had arrived.
The Eldar Titans strode over the ground troops to reach the front lines. Their Titan-grade Holo-fields allowed them to ignore the ranged attacks of Roaches and Hydralisks. However, Ultralisks were pure melee units; against them, a shield was practically non-existent.
"Ground forces, relocate to the second defensive line to avoid friendly fire! Ranged fire support, engage!"
The Eldar Titans assumed combat stances as the leading Ultralisks began to stampede. Their Kaiser Blades swung wide, the earth roared, and the wind howled. The Eldar Titans lowered their center of gravity, their scimitar-like longswords rising just as the Ultralisks reached them, swinging down with precise lethality!
Shing!
The longswords cut through the air, and carried by the pressure of the wind, they slammed into the sides of the Ultralisks. A single strike sliced an Ultralisk clean in half.
The Swarm Overmind was not surprised. Many melee weapons in Warhammer 40,000 were equipped with Disruption Fields that ignored physical defense.
This was only the beginning. The first Ultralisk was slain, but the second suddenly accelerated, hitting the Eldar Titan with a terrifying speed that seemed impossible for its size, slamming it backward. Eliza's judgment had been correct, but the distance they retreated was still a bit too short.
The Ultralisk pushed the Eldar Titan back all the way. The Titan tried to shove the beast off but couldn't budge it; instead, the Ultralisk's Kaiser Blades began to close toward the center.
The Eldar Titan used its two hands to brace against one pair of Kaiser Blades, but the second pair of blades underneath snapped shut violently! With a sickening crunch, the Eldar Titan's body was sheared into two segments, the cut looking exceptionally smooth.
"That felt good."
"This is trouble!"
Eliza finally realized that the structural makeup of these behemoths had changed—they had an extra pair of blades. Do not underestimate this pair of blades; in a clash against other giant units, they easily severed the enemy's body because the opponent lacked any means to block them. Just like this Eldar Titan: it only had two hands, not four, and could only stop one pair of blades.
However, another Eldar Titan quickly rushed over, swinging its blade sideways and hacking the Ultralisk in half. More Ultralisks were already stepping over the corpses of their kin, charging toward them. Several more Ultralisks were charging simultaneously through the streets in other directions.
"Don't let them break through! Ranged fire, maximum output!!!"
An Eldar Titan with a shoulder-mounted Distortion Cannon immediately fired down the street. With a single blast, more than half of an Ultralisk's body vanished, as if swallowed by the void. The missile pods also unleashed a dense barrage of missiles, but such weapons struggled to damage the Ultralisks now. Even large-caliber pulse cannons could not punch through the current armor.
"You think the '8-Armor Cow' is a joke? Without a weapon with special mechanics, don't even think about piercing its hide!"
Large-caliber weapons could only cause damage if they hit the vulnerable areas like the belly or legs, but even then, they couldn't slow these giants down. The Ultralisks' regeneration speed allowed them to ignore most damage.
"Aim for their heads!!!"
Eliza saw the Ultralisk heads, which were heavily protected by armor.
The Phantom-class Battle Titan immediately adjusted its aim, and another Pulsar lance fired, piercing through the Ultralisk's head and through its entire body, finally killing it.
But in terms of the tactical situation, it was already too late.
More Ultralisks stepped into the Eldar positions, followed by countless Zerglings. The Eldar were now forced to fight while retreating, being careful not to be crushed by the massive bulk of the Ultralisks. The Eldar Battle Titans knew they couldn't engage in prolonged melee; they began dodging the Kaiser Blades and striking back with counter-attacks whenever possible.