Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 441, Section 50: Shakoshir Initiates the "If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them" Resolution

The ambush at the base of the dragon's spine was fierce.

Because Anvina had to intercept two Mantis Lords and their elite troops at the same time, after consuming the Mantis army at Niuzao Temple, this specially arranged Shadow Chaser swarm had almost no time to rest and marched all the way to the ambush location.

Insects don't slack off or feel fear, but they are still living beings and they can get tired too. When time was of the essence, they suddenly engaged in battle with the absolute elite of the mantis army, causing the ambush swarm to suffer heavy losses from the very beginning.

In this situation, Anveena, as the Queen of Blades, issued a cruel but correct order at the right time. On Garrod's advice, Anveena activated the "rage pheromones" in the insects' bodies.

This is a unique power extracted by the genetic masters from the unharmed Malik.

Mantises recognize each other using pheromones. Their pheromones are not just for information transmission; different pheromones have different short-term effects on individuals.

The effects of the rage pheromone within the Shadow Chaser's body are simple and brutal.

This method sacrifices the insects' life force to give them a short-term surge in combat power. This process cannot be stopped midway, meaning that once it is activated on a large scale, even if the insects survive the battle, they will die from excessive life force consumption.

This is essentially trading the lives of the insect swarm to buy time.

The good news is that the swarm doesn't see this as cruel, because the dead insects are dragged back to the hive by worker bees and turned into biomass, providing enough nutrition for the next batch of hatching fighting insects.

There are definitely losses involved. According to Abathur's assessment, the current utilization rate of biomass reuse by the Shadow Chaser swarm is only about 50%.

The efficiency is really low, but that doesn't stop them from being able to keep up even in low-intensity conflicts.

Under Garrod Shadowsong's approving gaze, the stubborn Bronze-level Anvina, whom he had personally "raised," performed a rather brilliant "micro-management" maneuver.

When the raging swarm trapped the two Mantid lords beneath the Dragon's Spine, they fought for a full six hours. After the bloodthirsty Mantids completely wiped out the Shadow Chaser before them, before they could even catch their breath, the second batch of hatched Battle Bugs, led by the Unwounded Malik, stormed into the battlefield.

The timing was so precise that it gave the mantis no time to react.

The Queen of Blades had previously issued an "elite incubation" decision, so the proportion of elite units in the second batch of Shadowbugs that were incubated rose to about one-third.

Although the overall number has decreased, the combat power has increased by more than double!
Even more critically, the six-hour battle against the insect swarm had exhausted the most elite Wind Blademasters under Blade Lord Tayak. Facing the encircling Shadow Chaser Fighting Insects, this all-black Mantid Blademaster Master knew he couldn't break through.

With its crimson eyes, it watched as the brutal warrior insects charged into the battlefield from all directions, and as its elite warriors were cut down in droves. Even with its heart of stone, it was now plunged into despair.

"Melgarak!"

The Blade Lord glanced at its shattered biological arm blade, then casually grabbed the amber sword of a fallen warrior beside it and said to the equally exhausted Wind Lord beside it:
"Let's go. I'll hold them off here. You take the last Skybreakers back to the Sacred Tree Palace."

"Do not be silly."

The Wind Lord, also leaning on a serrated mantis-shaped sword, sighed and said:
"What do you think you can do with this little bit of time? Look at these insects in front of you. They are colder, stronger, and more fearless than us. They have no feelings and are like weapons of war that devour hope."

Compared to them, we may have an advantage in quality, but our quantity is far from sufficient.

It takes years of arduous training for a mantis to grow from birth into a warrior, but what about these insects?

They can go from death to re-entering the battlefield in just six hours!
You know what? Tayak, these insects remind me of the 'ancestors' recorded in the ancient history of mantises.

"Yaki Empire"

Windlord Melgalak was clearly a mantid commander with "cultural knowledge," as he addressed his brethren on the battlefield:

Have you read the history of the Yaqi Empire?

You, a roughneck obsessed with swordsmanship, have probably never read this. Let me tell you: when the Aqi Empire was still standing in the Dark Ages, the ancestors of the Mantis were the empire's commanders and military nobles.

Every time we step onto the battlefield, we have a huge number of auxiliary troops as our pawns and weapons. All we need to do is strategize and win victory for the Zerg Empire.

After the Empire was defeated by the trolls at a great cost, the Zerg swarm split.

Mantis, Qiraji, Spider Demon.

We are no longer whole; we can no longer represent the swarm.

But they can!

Pointing to the warrior bugs leading the zebraflies and wyverns in their charge, it said to Tayak with deep weariness:
"See that? These are the former Yaki Empire, with elite insects and cannon fodder that we can use without feeling guilty no matter how much we consume. They have both a numerical advantage and the quality advantage that we have been pursuing."

They are the insect swarm.

The mantis is too urbanized.

We were too stubborn and too focused on quality; our evolution reached a dead end. We abandoned the swarm's greatest advantage, and our defeat was not unjust.

Blade Lord raised its sword, its crimson eyes fixed on the unscathed Malik who was leading the charge.

Despite the drastic change in appearance, it still recognized the former hero, but the current Unharmed has clearly evolved into a more powerful form.

This prompted Blademaster Tayak to let out a low laugh, saying:
“You’re right, Melgalak, they’re on the right side of the highest evolution, but what does it matter? The flesh and blood of the losers will nourish the bodies of the victors, and the will of the losers will become the nourishment of the victors.”

The mantis has lost!
The mantid may perish, but we will embrace new life with greater strength. We will merge into a more powerful swarm, and we will begin a greater, cruel cycle of reincarnation.

The winner lives, the loser dies!

That will be the glorious moment for the Swarm. Under the shadow of our raised elytra, the entire universe will tremble in fear. You and I will have the opportunity to witness that day! Compared to that, how laughable is the victory promised by the Great Queen?
bring it on. "

It charged forward, unleashing its most masterful swordsmanship with perfect form, roaring:
"In the name of evolution, let us embrace the path of the Zerg!"

This powerful Wind Blademaster, like a stone thrown into a river by a child, created several beautiful ripples on the surface of the insect swarm, but eventually disappeared into the water without a sound.

Thirty minutes later, Anveena received a report from Unwounded Malik: 80% of the 30,000 Mantid elites returning from Kun-Lai Summit to the Mantid Plateau had been wiped out, and the remaining ones had broken through and scattered, no longer forming a cohesive unit.

There's nothing we can do about not being able to completely annihilate them.

The Shadow Chaser's current air combat strength is indeed too weak. After all the dragons were mobilized to the Sacred Tree Palace to surround the Great Queen, Anvina no longer has enough air power to surround and kill the Mantises in other areas.

"Windlord Melgalak and Bladelord Tayak have been captured alive and will soon be sent to the Zerg hive for the genetic masters to study. Although there are still large groups of Mantid attacking the Pandaren in Kun-Lai Summit, we have basically achieved our strategic objectives."

Anvina said to Gallod in a telepathic conversation:

"It has taken a total of forty-seven hours from the start of the war to now. We have basically wiped out the elite forces under the Great Empress's faction. Now only the royal guards at the Sacred Tree Palace remain."

"Quite a good result, but you don't seem happy?"

Garold asked in confusion:
"The tactic of besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements was very successful. Even I can't find many faults. When did you become so demanding of yourself?"

Even though winning a few games in a row while duo-queuing usually makes you happy all day.

"I also think I played well."

The ghost of the Sunwell said sadly:
"But the Overmind was very unhappy. It just reprimanded me, saying that I was wasting the swarm's precious time."

It also stated that if it cannot eliminate the Great Queen and allow the swarm to advance into the Dread Wastes and complete its strategic expansion within three days, it will take over the swarm.

It set a strict timetable for the war.

According to its plan, we must annihilate the Great Queen and the Klaxxi Elders within the next seven to ten days, thus declaring the complete destruction of the Mantid civilization.

"hiss"

Garrod gasped after hearing this.

He had been coordinating the war with Anveena for the past two days and had gained a preliminary understanding of the Mantid's war potential. It was no exaggeration to say that even if the Mantid were moved to Kalimdor and the Kaldorei were to deal with these flying insects, it would still take him more than ten days to personally command a decisive battle.

While these mantids may not be as numerous as the fearless Qiraji swarms of the War of the Shifting Sands, their quality far surpasses that of the Qiraji.

Isn't this "ruler" a bit too harsh?
Besides, is it just bragging?
Garrod expressed disbelief, and then Anvina sent her combat logs of the Shadow Chaser swarm in the Sea of ​​Darkness over the past two days to her operations staff. After reading them, General Shadowsong remained silent.

Nearly a minute later, he asked in a low voice:
"So, theoretically speaking, swarms can eat anything, and their understanding of 'biomass' isn't just the remains of their own and the enemy's, right?"

"Yes, you saw the Shadow Chaser's combat mode in the Sea of ​​No Light. If we convert that, the Mantis Plateau would probably have been dug up three feet deep by now."

Anvina sighed:

"Trees, wild beasts, vegetation, skeletons, and even mud—all the nutrients they can find will be ruthlessly transformed into war resources. Under such extreme operations, the Overlord can indeed defeat the Mantis Demon in a short time."

However, the cost will be the permanent destruction of the Mantis Plateau's ecosystem. It will become a barren wasteland, with all nutrients depleted, turning it into a true scorched earth.

The vigilant certainly wouldn't want to see this outcome, so I never intended for the swarm to enter a state of 'maximum unit production' in the first place.

“But the Fear Wastes would work,” Garrod said after a moment’s thought.

"Hasn't that place been occupied by the mantid for ten thousand years? In order to plant their sacred Kepa Tree, the mantid have destroyed the ecology there themselves, and the Klaxxi Elder Order has stored the shrine of the five Sha there, filling the place with dangerous Sha energy, and even the environment of the sky has been permanently changed."

I've heard local Pandaren rudely refer to the sky there as 'the X-eye of Hell'.

Uh, sorry, that description was indeed too rude.

But conversely, in an area where the ecosystem has already been damaged, you don't need to worry about secondary damage caused by insect swarms, right?

General Shadowsong was getting a little excited, and he said:
"After watching the Zerg war under the Overmind's command, I'm a bit excited. I want to see where the Zerg's limits are. How about we go over there and try 'maximum unit production'?"

"But we have to deal with the Great Queen first."

Anvina was also somewhat expectant. Having been reprimanded by the Overlord, she was eager to prove herself. So she said:
"And we have to capture the Great Queen alive. I'm hoping to trade her for Alpha Abathur. That guy looks really powerful! You know, I have my own design for my Savior Swarm."

The Swarm Warriors can be internally similar to the Shadow Chaser, but their appearance must be 'softer,' after all, they are insects used to protect the world.

We cannot portray it as a monster.

I think Alpha Abathur, who is proficient in the secrets of the Curse of Flesh, can definitely help me achieve this somewhat difficult option.

"First, bring back the insect swarm from Gao Lan's formation, then send the main force forward."

Garold said:

“You can now command the King Beast to ‘get serious.’ I suspect Lord Agamaggan has long been tired of this low-intensity conflict, so let’s make a scene!”

------

"Boom"

The desolate, low tolling of the bell echoed outside the Sacred Tree Palace, driving the Shadow Chasers into a frenzy once more, and Agamaggan, carrying the Sacred Bell, finally received the command that made it feel exhilarated.

So the king beast swayed its body, lowered its guillotine-like head, and charged with the power of its heavy hooves, causing the earth to crack wherever it went. It used some kind of "secret technique" to make its impact not only a simple physical destruction, but also accompanied by a cold entropy energy collapse.

"boom"

The earth-shaking impact caused the sacred tree to cry out in anguish. Then, under the horrified gazes of countless mantis warriors, a black "entropy energy black hole" quietly appeared at the point where the king beast struck. It gathered power like an imploding bomb and exploded amidst the roar of Agamagan's four hooves as it charged forward.

The sacred tree, which had grown for thousands of years, was eroded by entropy energy, and streaks of black frost caused the temperature of the palace to drop rapidly.

Although the Kepa Tree is as hard as steel because of the amber, it still made a teeth-grinding cracking sound when struck by the combined force and entropy.

Finally, as the mantises in the palace looked up in bewilderment, the entire palace, along with a third of the trunk of the Kepa Sacred Tree, was blown away.

The king beast, now serious, let out a fierce battle roar. Its massive arms, like those of a four-armed giant, bent upwards and then slashed downwards with brute force, like harvesting rice. With a thunderous explosion, the sturdy sacred tree and the palace were easily shredded together.

The Empress's palace was naturally safe.

But at this moment, Shakshir is on the dangerous balcony, watching with a look of utter despair as the mythical, god-like creature slaughters his warriors.

The loyal royal prime minister, Zorlock, stormed in with his men, grabbed the distraught queen, and tried to take her away.

The king beast went berserk and was "dismantling the base," but this gave the mantid a chance to break through. The shadow-chasing insects went mad because of the king beast's holy bell, which created a loophole in the originally tight blockade.

"Your Majesty! Come with me quickly."

Zorlock held his sonic gun high, escorting the Queen as she charged out of the swaying palace. Any Shadow Chasers that came out would have their internal organs blown off by his dangerous sonic gun.

This thing ignores all armor and acts directly on the internal organs, making even the warrior insect unable to withstand the resonance and destruction of the high-frequency sound waves.

Unfortunately, there's only one of these.

Because Zorlock's father died in a certain Great Cycle, it only had time to retrieve his father's resonant cavity organs, and then could only watch helplessly as his father's remains were set ablaze by Pandaren monks.

Its father could have survived if the Elder Order had been willing to share the "Amber Symbiosis" technique with other Mantid warriors.

Its father was qualified to be a hero, but he was missing that one battle!
Zorlock was truly valiant. It was hard to imagine that the royal prime minister, who was usually so obsequious to the queen, could be so brave when facing enemies. He killed several warrior insects, which finally made him a target.

As the Empress was escorted by her guards out of the chaotic palace, she turned around and saw a huge black shadow descend from the sky, wielding a black and white demonic weapon, which struck Zorlock in the back in a sneak attack.

The prime minister's decorative armor, used to gather sound waves, was torn apart, and his amber armor also crumbled and scattered.

Zorlock tried to retaliate, but as soon as he raised his sonic gun after falling to the ground, the attacker chopped off half of his arm.

Green blood surged, mingling with Zorlock's mournful cries.

The Swarm Lord "Unharmed Tyrant Malik" stomped his heavy, dragon-armor-covered claws on the Royal Chancellor's chest, the sharp claws piercing into the Royal Chancellor's body and causing more viscous blood to burst forth.

Beneath its dragon-shaped head, engraved with the emblem of the Shadow Chaser, six blood-red compound eyes on either side stared mercilessly at the creature.

After Zorlock spit at it in a provocation, Malik raised the stained halberd in its hand. It did not feel provoked, but the "sonic manipulation gene" that this guy possessed was a "superior gene" that the swarm desperately needed.

Zorlock's death will make the Shadow Chaser even stronger, so embrace the glorious evolution!

"no no!!!"

Ever since her last " audience" with the ruler, the Great Empress, who had been in a daze, suddenly came back to her senses.

Perhaps seeing her most loyal subordinate about to die, Shakshir unleashed her mental power, knocking away the guards who were dragging her away, and then raised her short claws.

The terrifying mental impact struck the unharmed tyrant's body, preventing its execution from killing Zorlock.

The prime minister saw the Great Queen charging towards it, and at that moment, Zorlock raised its last remaining claw and shouted:

"Run! Silly child, it was I who instigated you to rebel against the Elders, it was I who used you because of my own hatred. Don't come to save me! I deserve what I got."

The Great Queen didn't care at all.

She unleashed a burst of mental energy that blasted everything around her away, rushing to Zorlock's side and helping her loyal subject to his feet, but the Unharmed Tyrant blocked their way.

Perhaps it was the Great Empress's mental power that attracted a more dangerous "monster." In any case, the Unharmed Tyrant tossed his Fiery Halberd to the warrior insect beside him and pulled the Demon Sword Apocalypse from the heavy weapon slot on his back.

The moment this thing appeared, the Great Queen immediately felt that she was being targeted by some kind of "prehistoric evil god." She even heard a real, strange laugh, which was Apocalypse feeling happy that he was about to receive a fun "toy."

After embracing the void, the demonic sword's wicked nature became increasingly uncontrollable.

"I"

Seeing the unharmed man approaching her with that hideous demonic blade, the Great Queen knew she had to make a decision.

She discovered that when the moment actually arrived, she wasn't as conflicted as she had imagined. She then took the "Ancient Fossil Insect Egg" from her robes, held it high, and shouted to the Unharmed Tyrant:
"I want to see the Sovereign! The Elders will not yield, but I know how to deal with them! I still have my last trump card! Let me see the Sovereign."

Make your bugs stop!

Make that damn monster stop!

My loyal mantids will obey you; we will all become part of this swarm.

The unharmed tyrant stopped in his tracks.

Its six compound eyes stared at the Great Queen, and it took a few steps back.

In a flash of light, Anvina's spirit appeared on the battlefield.

She stood with her hands behind her back, exuding the same imposing presence as Kael'thas, looking down at the disheveled Shakshir.

The Blade Intern raised her hand, and the battlefield, which was locked in a deadly struggle, fell silent in an instant. She represented the "Will of the Swarm," and she was the embodiment of the Swarm in this place. Even the most ferocious warriors calmed down at this moment and obediently laid down their weapons, while the Zerglings retreated with their spoils.

Even the King Beast Agamagan, who was devouring the core of the Kepa Sacred Tree and wanting to taste its saltiness, turned around and looked in this direction.

In this deathly silence, more terrifying than chaos itself, Anvina spoke.

she says:

"Then speak, the swarm is listening to your voice."

(End of this chapter)