The Final Desperation

*KKEEEIIIRRRRRR*

A loud shriek of pain came from the beetle-shaped Zerg queen as Genji removed his saber from its neck. Following that, life drained from the surrounding fleshy walls, following in the footsteps of the deceased queen.

Genji brandished his saber, shaking off the cyan blood, and trudged back through the complex underground tunnel system. As he walked by, the tissue fibers withered away, becoming dry husks that broke off to reveal the rocky surface beneath. This was the death of the nest, a process after the structure lost the support of the queen's mental powers.

Most of the time, this was due to the queen's death, but there were occasional cases where the queen abandoned the base in favor of a different location. Unless one could confirm the death of a queen, it was always safe to assume the queen was still alive.

After all, the queens prioritized their safety over all else, a belief that laid the foundation for the empress's body substitutes. As such, no one could be absolutely certain about what tricks they would use.

When Genji stepped out of the dying nest, he saw Bruce finishing his battle against the paralyzed Zerg units. Next to him, a team of workers scavaged the ruins for any remaining bio-crystals that powered the defenses. If they were lucky, they would find an unused stash to supplement their gains.

Some of them dug through the ground, scouring for any tunnel systems, while others tore through the fungal carpet, collecting the raw bio-energy still flowing inside. Upon seeing Genji, a team broke off and approached the nest, cleaning up the dying flesh to search for the main storage room.

This wasn't the first time they worked together, so the workers quickly took over the cleanup duties. Rather, this was the 7th nest Genji had destroyed over the past two days, plundering enough bio-energy to sustain the first round of expansion.

Due to the sudden nature of the income, Igani still hadn't upgraded her nest to produce fighting units yet. That left only the workers to transport the spoils of battle, a slow process that required multiple hours. By Genji's estimate, Igani should be getting her third shipment of energy around now.

After all that, they had uprooted the closest nests, leaving an empty area solely for Igani. As for subjugating the queens, Genji had never considered that. Disregarding their affiliations with possible empresses, Genji didn't want to waste the energy supporting them. Why would he when Igani would soon outpace them anyway?

"I think that's enough for today. Let's get her lunch and head back," Genji said to Bruce, who nodded in agreement.

When they returned, Igani greeted them with an eager look, disregarding the unusualness of standing in the open for a Zerg queen. Genji could only shake his head at her desire for food, which was strong enough to change her cowardly nature.

Or rather, Igani had stopped considering all those issues when Genji mentioned food. It was hard to believe this was the same spider from a few days ago, who would hide at the slightest signs of danger. If one didn't know better, they would mistake her for a courageous queen who charged with her army instead of manipulating units from their hiding spot.

"How much energy have you collected?" Genji asked as they waited for Igani's meal to cook.

"Soooooo much." Igani hugged the air, trying to express the sheer volume of energy crystals but failing.

"Give me another standard. How much more do you need to finish your nest?"

"I can build everything right now," she replied.

"Then do that. Afterward, focus everything on researching the body. It might have been powerful when it was alive, but it's only a matter of time before it rots."

Igani nodded and deployed her swarm of workers. As the nest broke down the stored energy, the workers sculpted the nearby flesh, guiding the incisions to form large lumps, which they carried aside. From there, they connected the pulsating flesh to the fungal rug, linking the flowing energy to these seeds.

Minutes later, these bulbs of flesh broke apart, sprouting upward like a demonic flower. Once it reached its peak, the top burst once more, growing downward to form the building structure. The rug below pumped more energy from the nest and fueled the structures, allowing them to fill in the gaps.

Afterward, the workers carved open an entrance and started shaping the interiors. Igani also added the corresponding cells to the command center, defining the building's purpose. This one was meant to breed normal soldiers, the mainstream cannon fodder of the Zergs.

There was nothing special about these units, other than their efficient conversion of energy to units. Over the years, the Zergs have optimized this particular unit to its limits, forming the basis for their armies. It was so common that every queen knew how to spawn them.

The other units, however, were much rarer and depended on the queen's own research. If they were proficient, they could spawn elite levels, but mini-boss level units were nearly impossible to mass-produce.

As such, the queens often referenced other strong creatures as a shortcut, which greatly reduced the time and innovative effort required. Because Igani gave up everything prior, she had no other genes in her storage, forcing her to start her development from scratch.

"How many crystals are left?" Genji asked once everything was finished.

"Half a nest's worth." Igani's gesture became smaller.

"Use it to conduct your research. When the other spoils arrive, I want you to split the crystals into batches and hide them in different tunnels."

"Why though?" Igani tilted her head, confused as to why Genji would go through all the trouble. Wouldn't doing this only delay them when they wanted to use the crystals? There was a good reason all the queens kept everything in one place.

"Remember the escape tactic I taught you last time?"

"Yeah. How can I forget? That's the only reason I'm still alive," she said, recalling the times she flooded her tunnel systems. Igani had used this tactic multiple times already, and each time, full of success. Because as her enemies fumbled with the jam-packed tunnels, she would have already dug an escape.

"Do you know the flaw with that technique?"

"No, what?"

"It's that you leave your entire nest behind. You might not care when your nest was small, but it's different now. If you give up your nest now, we will waste a lot of time. That's not to say don't abandon your nest when you're in danger, but that you should be smarter with how you do it. Instead of starting from scratch every time, why don't you store some energy crystals that you can take with you?"

When Genji finished speaking, Igani had a moment of enlightenment on her face. "You're right. How come I never thought of that before?"

"If it does come to that point, make sure to also take the body with you. That's our main foundation for building a strong army."

"I understand, but why are you talking as if you're leaving?"

"That's because I am. The current energy is no longer sufficient to sustain your development, so I'm heading further out to hunt. There's a good chance I won't make it back in time if something happens, so I need to prepare backup plans. In case it does, reestablish your nest and hide. I'll come find you when I'm finished with my side."

"Okay," Igani gave a short response, understanding that nothing she could say would change Genji's mind.

The following morning, Genji left the nest with a trail of units behind him. It was a messy line they marched, but Genji didn't care. It was fine as long as they could keep up with him.

Due to Genji heading straight for the central battlefield, it wasn't long before he encountered an opposing swarm of Zergs. Without hesitation, he launched his attack, wiping out the group with a few quick strokes.

A group of soldiers broke off from the main pack to clean up the scene and transport the remains back to the nest, providing another stream of energy.

Genji pushed forward without stopping, annihilating everything in his path. Like this, Genji transitioned into an aggressive attacker from his regular hit-and-run tactics. The closer he got to the main battlefield, the more frequent the battles became.

He encountered many Beasts, Sentinels, Celestials, and Zergs, but no Parasites. Since Genji killed Diafthora, they had gone further into hiding, almost disappearing from the battlefield. Genji didn't know if the other factions found traces of the Parasites, but he certainly hadn't seen a hint.

Along the way, he spotted a swarm of Zergs belonging to one of Igani's sisters. This army was particularly distinguishable since they consisted mostly of giant bees with large black and yellow stripes.

Genji followed the army from a distance, temporarily leaving Igani's army behind. Half an hour later, he came upon a giant nest surrounded by defenses, creep carpets, and giant bees buzzing from building to building, working their jobs.

"Same as usual?" Genji asked Bruce after the nightbane manifested.

"Neeiigghhhh," Bruce responded and conjured a large stream of blood.

"Then let's go, partner." Genji appeared beside the defenses and unleashed his attack, carving out a large chunk from the hardened walls flanking the vicinities.

As the blood covered the area, Genji charged into the base and entered the shadows. To support his stealth, Bruce removed the smell of blood from Genji and unleashed his attack.

That way, the Zergs would be misled into believing that Bruce was the only enemy, in turn allowing Genji to assassinate the queen. This was the battle plan they'd developed after working together against the previous queens.

Genji ignored the screeching units above the walls and swiftly infiltrated the nest under the cover of spawning Zergs. He capitalized on his superior stats and stealth to bypass the guards in the tunnels, making his way downward into the earth. With nothing but his senses as the guide, Genji approached the agglomeration of mental power and awaited his chance.

A few minutes later, Bruce gave him that opening when he caused a massive explosion by detonating a hydralisk tower. This instantly drew the queen's attention, allowing Genji to lash out with his strongest strike.

The moment Genji stepped within 15 meters of the queen, her mental powers sensed his intrusion and rushed to expel him. Unfortunately, her reaction speed couldn't keep up with his speed, causing her to sustain a deep wound near her neck before Genji got flung aside.

This queen was worthy of being one of Silver Empress's generals as she had telekineticly shifted her body instants before the attack landed. Otherwise, the battle would have ended right there.

However, Genji had anticipated this and unleashed his recycled blood poison within that strike. After the impact faded, Genji canceled Solid Core and dashed into the tunnels, letting time weaken the queen.

"HOW DARE YOU!" A furious cry resounded in his head as strands of mental power chased after him.

During this pursuit, a wall of units blocked his path. [Jaguar] flashed with cutting intent, allowing Genji to weave through the crowd without a hint of slowing down. This also rendered the chasing mental powers useless as the intended obstacles now became Genji's shields.

To maintain the speed, the mental power retracted into the walls and commanded them to squeeze inward. Genji slashed through the encasement and continued running, dodging surprise attacks left and right.

This chaotic motion lasted for some time before the mental fluctuations weakened in power. Sensing this, Genji retraced his steps and came upon the fallen queen. [Curse Bearer] manifested in his hand and delivered one massive shot, forcing the queen to telepathically maneuver herself out of the way.

The following explosion filled the enclosed space with violent curses, worsening the already troublesome wounds on the queen.

"Bastard! Why do you know my nest so well?!?!" The queen hollered as the last of her strength drained from her.

"Figure it out," Genji replied, but made no movements.

A few minutes later, the queen shot up from the ground and glared at Genji with eyes made of many interlocked hexagons. With this sudden vigor, her wounds started closing and forcing out the external substances. Since Genji didn't fall for her trick, it was pointless to allow the poison to further damage her body.

"So strong, yet so cautious. You can't be left alive."

"A lot of people feel that way, but I'm still standing here." Genji manifested his flintlock again to deliver two back-to-back shots.

A mental barrier formed between them, detonating the bullets beforehand and scattering the curses. Suddenly, Genji burst through the fog and swung down with shadow flames. The creaks of broken glass sounded as his saber approached the queen, forcing her to back off.

However, before she could get far, a large mental impact crashed into her, temporarily slowing her movements. Subsequently, the compressed cutting intent hidden within the saber shot out, extinguishing both the shadow flames and the queen's life force.

Minutes later, Genji stepped out of the nest and greeted Igani's troops.

"You know the deal. Scavenge what you can and destroy the rest." The unit under Igani's direct control croaked loudly and waved its claws, indicating that she had this location covered. Genji nodded in acknowledgment and continued onward.

 

---

 

At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, the Celestials' supreme commander received another report from his generals.

"Sir! We suspect Bloodless Killer has teamed up with the Zergs. There are lines of units carrying body parts away from a battle site without blood."

Hearing this sudden report, the commander grabbed his hair and almost pulled it out from frustration. 'Bloodless Killer this, Bloodless Killer that. Can't this guy give me a break? It's only been two weeks since he first appeared and he's already caused this many waves. Just how big are you planning on going?'

Despite these thoughts, the commander kept his composure and asked, "What are the chances that the Zergs are taking his kills?"

"None sir. We've spotted a hooded figure leading the army on a red horse."

'What the? Isn't he from EverRealm? How can he team up with another faction's forces?' The commander had this thought because of Genji's inclination for attacks. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was purposely avoiding them, which made the commander suspect that Genji had some connection to EverRealm.

But now that Genji sided with the Zergs, the commander couldn't help but doubt his guesses. Had everything been a coverup for this moment? If so, wouldn't the other three factions target them to make up for their previous losses?

'What a deep scheme,' the commander thought. 'He took advantage of our weak position to give us a false sense of security. Then, when we are in our most hectic period, he switches sides and gives the other factions an incentive to attack us. Dammit! Our situation has only gotten worse. If we aren't careful, we might be completely wiped out.'

Realizing the Celestial's precarious situation, his eyes sharpened and his brain raced with possibilities. How could he ensure the Celestial's survival? If they continued along this trajectory, it was only a matter of time before the events played out accordingly. He needed to change the situation, and fast. After numerous thoughts, his brain calmed down and his eyes gleamed with decisiveness.

"We're retreating. Pull back our forces and give up most of our territory on the central battlefield. Condense everything within our major chokepoints. We're going into full defensive mode."

"Sir?!?" The general asked in utter disbelief. Why are they giving up so much when the situation is about to settle? They only needed to hold on for a few more days and their shipment of energy would arrive. By then, they could utilize their superweapons to restore the balance of power on the battlefield. Why are they retreating at this crucial moment?

"No time for explanations. Convey the orders. This is a matter of life and death!"

"Understood!" Sensing the seriousness in the commander's voice, the general suppressed his questions and rushed to carry out the order.

But as he was about to make the call, the holographic machine in the commander's office unexpectedly went haywire. Arcs of red electricity flashed around it, causing grey smoke to leak. Suddenly, a bright blue light shone through the smoke, followed by intricate circuits in the shape of a water drop.

"Information of utmost importance detected. Transmitting recording." A neutral female voice sounded before the machine exploded, leaving nothing behind.

At the same time, the commander's assistant burst through the door. "Sir! We've detected an attack on our firewalls originating from your office. Is this expected?"

This caused the commander's expression to wrap into an ugly frown, having processed everything that just occurred. 'Fuck! That's Sentinel technology! How long has that been there? No wonder we're always on the back foot. They wiretapped our calls! Shit! Things just went from bad to worse.'

"Sir? Your answer?" The attendant asked, having a sense of foreboding. The supreme commander had never worn this expression before so the situation must be unprecedentedly dire.

"Yes. Everything is normal. Get me another projector and connect the call to all fortress generals and commanders." The commander quickly regained his composure and suppressed the issue. Now was not the time to reveal the wiretapping. Doing so would only unnecessarily lower morale when they needed it most.

"And message Johan that pineapple does not go on pizza! I don't care how delicious he thinks it is. If he dares mention that one more time, I will demote his ass! Relay that verbatim!"

Hearing this, the attendant inwardly relaxed. 'So it was only an argument. Phew, I thought something bad happened.'

The attendant at this fortress was no stranger to the commander's strange outbursts when it included food, so he automatically attributed the commander's bad mood to the conversation with the general previously on call.

'Still, I didn't know General Johan was such a troll. Did he really call the commander to rile him up like this? Just how bored is he?'

When the attendant left, the commander inwardly sighed with relief. 'I managed to calm the issue. Sorry, Johan, but this is an emergency. I have no choice but to tarnish your reputation. If we survive this crisis, I'll make it up to you.'