The Tiamat Hive Fleet was forced to resort to a sneak attack before daring to engage the Ork fleet in battle. This indicated that the Tyranid swarm's situation was so dire that a surprise attack was necessary just to mitigate their losses.
The Orks, caught off guard, suffered heavy casualties. Their ships were struck by biological rams, throwing countless Greenskins into the cold vacuum of space. However, these Orks refused to die; instead, they seized the opportunity to climb onto the bio-ships, squeezing through the openings of the airdrop sacs.
The battle between the Hive Fleet and the Orks was a display of pure, chaotic violence. It was a cycle of Orks hacking at insects and insects devouring Orks—no strategy, no discipline, only savage brutality.
The Zerg Swarm remained at a distance, observing the carnage through the eyes of the Oculus. The Zerg fleet stayed far from the fray, giving the Tyranids no chance to divert the Ork's wrath toward them.
"We need to produce another batch of Leviathans," the Overmind decided. "Let's make ten more. Twenty should be a sufficient number."
At the same time, the Overmind had Abathur summon two Leviathans, each thirteen kilometers long. While their size surpassed most ships of other factions, they were a massive drain on resources.
"Can they be even bigger, Abathur?"
"Requires time to adjust," Abathur responded. "Body size increases, energy expenditure rises, organ load changes, and overall structure must alter. Can be done."
Abathur was exhausted, but the Overmind was in no rush. He checked the Swarm's status; their immune systems had been adapted to ignore the Life Spores and toxic gases previously used by the Tyranids. Unless the Tyranids evolved a new strain, their chemical warfare would be useless against the Zerg.
Abathur was efficient, even if the Overmind had been pushing him too hard. Once the Swarm conquered the Tiamat system, they could finally slow their pace. Though the Zerg had only been in this world for a few years, they were already a rising power, much like the Titans. The Titan Army controlled over seventy colonized planets; the Zerg Swarm now held a few dozen more than that.
The Overmind returned his focus to the Tiamat Hive Fleet. Initially, the Orks held the upper hand, but soon the Greenskins began to act strangely. Their Weirdboys' psionic powers spiraled out of control, killing their own allies.
"The Shadow in the Warp is affecting the WAAAGH! field," the Overmind noted. "My daughter, how do you feel?"
"Yes, Lord," the Queen of Blades replied. "I can feel a shadow clouding my mind, but they cannot sever my connection to the Swarm. They are merely... noisy."
It was as the Overmind expected. Since many creatures in the galaxy possessed psionic abilities, the Tyranids had evolved specifically to target them. Their Kronos Hive Fleet, for instance, was designed to fight demons because they resented the warp-spawned entities destroying the Swarm's food supply.
"I knew those Orks would crumble. Prepare yourself," the Overmind commanded. "Once the Ork fleet is defeated, lead your fleet to meet them at the front. Do not give the enemy a moment to breathe."
The Ork fleet was indeed showing signs of decline. "Lads, don't be afraid of these bugs! We're the biggest and the strongest!" the Warboss roared, trying to rally his forces. But the Tiamat fleet sent out Swarm Tyrants for a decapitation strike.
"Leave the biggest bug for me!" the Warboss shouted. He and his personal guard clashed fiercely with the Swarm Tyrant. To the Overmind, it looked like a classic Warhammer duel: soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.
The Warboss, clad in heavy power armor, was roughly the size of the Hive Tyrant. Power claws swung against bone blades, and within three minutes, the duel was over. The Warboss stood victorious, holding the severed head of the Hive Tyrant.
"WAAAGH! The enemy boss is dead! I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm the most WAAAGH!"
The Overmind was impressed. Statistically, a Hive Tyrant has a 60% chance of winning such a duel due to its superior cunning. This Warboss was clearly an outlier. Unfortunately for the Orks, his victory was meaningless.
A day later, a second Hive Tyrant appeared on the battlefield—the exact same one the Warboss had just killed.
"Dormammu, I've come to bargain," the Overmind joked to himself. The Tyranid's ability to regenerate its leaders was a nightmare for the Orks. Drawing on the combat experience of its predecessor, the new Swarm Lord hunted down the Warboss.
"No matter how many you send, I'll kill 'em all!" the Warboss bellowed, his confidence unshaken. He fought with even more ferocity than before. But this time, he didn't win.
Two minutes into the fight, the Warboss's head was shattered by a biological cannon. As his massive corpse hit the ground, the Hive Tyrant let out a triumphant howl. Seeing their leader fall for good, the Orks' composure shattered. The timid fled, and the brave were overwhelmed. The Ork fleet scattered, and the Tyranids pursued them greedily.
"Now, my daughter," the Overmind prompted.
"Attack the Orks from both sides, devour them, and then annihilate the Tyranids," she answered.
Cerebrate Ark listened and memorized these tactics as a new notification echoed in the Overmind's mind.
[Mission Complete. Acquired: Corruptor (No Technology required)]
The Swarm's true air superiority unit had arrived. "Ark, hatch the Corruptors. Command them in battle. Let's see what you can do."