The Final Desperation

Warning! High energy detected. Caution is advised.

Vind, a high Celestial from the front line, was making his patrols when the alarms sounded. Knowing how significant a threat each instance of this was, Vind quickly rushed to the command room, leaving the patrols to the other Celestials.

"What threat is there this time?" He shouted as he burst through the door.

"Sir Vind, the machines detected a high-energy signature deep in Zerg territory," the person in charge reported.

"So, it's a false alarm?" Vind breathed a sigh of relief. False alarms were rare but much welcomed. Since the high energy was not targeting them, they shouldn't have to worry about it.

"I'm afraid not, Sir Vind. This energy signature is the strongest we've felt in a long time. I'm afraid the Zergs are planning something."

"Zergs? Hold on. What kind of energy is this?"

"Bio-energy, sir. A huge amount of it. We've never felt such an intense wave before. Not from the Zergs."

"Shit! Gather up the elites. I'm leading a group over to investigate," Vind yelled, remembering the rumor he heard in the past few days.

If that rumor were true, then the Zergs might have found what they were looking for. For now, he could only hope things were not as bad as he thought, or the battlefield would have a massive shift in dynamics.

Within minutes, Vind led a group of powerful Celestials into an advanced ship and approached the energy signature at rapid speeds. Lots of Zergs tried to attack them when they sensed them flying overhead, but Vind spared no energy to lose them. This was an important instance, and he couldn't afford to waste time like this. As for the energy usage, he could report that later. His position allowed him to get away with these things easily.

Soon they came to a rocky plain where the machines first detected the energy. Yet when he got there, a bad feeling formed in his chest. Underneath them, a four-way standoff occurred between the groups of the other four factions.

First, there were the Zergs that he couldn't see the end of. At the back, he sensed the mental fluctuations that were characteristic of queens. Vind didn't know how many there were, but he could distinguish at least six. This was an army of an empress, but no surprise considering this was their territory.

Then there were the beasts that occupied a small corner by themselves. Despite their thin presence in this standoff, Vind was able to discern a large T-Rex with a crown-like protrusion on its head. By its side, two long arms scratched its back in boredom.

Vind knew this T-Rex. This was West, the beast king that caused the most destruction among the Celestials and Sentinels. It was fair to say he was the bane of all technology weapons when he chomped down on any that he came across.

After that, there was Sentinel #4, an old rival of Vind's. Sentinel #4 was one of the creatures personally made by the Mecalans, resulting in him boasting one of the most developed arsenals on this battlefield. Behind him, a large group of robots was self-propagating and forming a formidable force that rivaled the Zergs in power.

Next, there was a group of parasitized creatures led by a figure in blue armor. This was the General of Mutation, Prosarmozo, another formidable force that could fight on par with the other figures mentioned before. Not much was known about him, but Vind knew all the Generals had problematic abilities.

Finally, there are the occasional realm members scattered throughout the Beasts, Parasites, and Sentinels. As for Vind's team, they were too rushed, so they didn't bother waiting for a high-level member. The Zergs, on the other hand, looked straight down on their realm members. Not much of a surprise considering how unreliable they are for battles to the death.

It appears that they were the last group to arrive, which didn't surprise Vind. The Celestials were the furthest away from the Zergs, and the others had their own means of transportation. The Parasites used their portals, the Sentinels could compact themselves, the Beasts were nearby, and the Zergs were closer.

"Land over there," Vind ordered, motioning to an open spot.

The figures below noticed this intrusion but did nothing to stop them. In this standoff, the side that makes the first move will get targeted by the others.

"Enemy detected: Vind, the Wind Slayer," Sentinel#4 said with its robotic voice.

Vind didn't reply to the Sentinel, opting to observe the situation. Why were they in a standoff? Weren't they here to investigate? And why were the Zergs standing around as well? Shouldn't they know what's going on since it's their territory?

Soon Vind obtained the answer to all those questions when he sensed the massive amounts of bio-energy leaking out from between the five groups. A golden, gel-like orb floated up and released its tempestuous energy.

Sensing this, Vind felt the sudden urge to devour this item. He felt that if he could do so, his power would grow by leaps and bounds. He looked around and noticed the other parties had a similar reaction, but no one moved. As tempting as this orb was, they needed to be able to secure it.

'Just what is this?' Vind wondered to himself. It didn't seem like a product of nature since it emitted bioenergy, but it also didn't feel like the bio-crystals that Zergs use.

Instead, it felt gentler and more processed. It was like anyone could use it to strengthen themselves. It was so tempting and suspicious at the same time. The orb gave off an artificial feeling, but who could have made such a miraculous concoction? Then the answer came to Vind instantly: the Mecalans.

With their understanding of Zergs, Beasts, and Sentinels, it would be no surprise if they could create such a versatile item.

'So did a ruin trigger, and this appeared? Then where is the person that triggered this? Or maybe it was triggered by accident? But isn't it too coincidental that this orb showed up when we landed?'

But these thoughts were thrown to the back of his mind when West, the T-Rex, got bored of waiting and started walking over, causing everyone's attention to snap to him.

The carnivorous predator ignored their gazes and continued approaching the tempting orb. Since these morons didn't want it, he would help himself to it.

Yet this approach drew the ire of all parties, causing a variety of attacks to rain down on him. Smoke and explosions rang out as energy attacks, missiles, magic spells, and acids covered the T-Rex. These attacks, however, did little to stop West as he shrugged everything off with his immense body strength.

*Roooaaarrrr*

West stomped out of the smoke and charged at the golden orb, but before he could reach it, a flying Zerg swooped down and grabbed it. This Zerg was an unfamiliar unit for everyone here, but that didn't stop them from trying to kill it. This investigation had changed to a battle royale for this unknown treasure.

West jumped upward in an attempt to swallow the flying Zerg and the orb, but the Zerg accelerated, barely dodging being swallowed whole, but losing half of its body. Hearing the horrible clanging of teeth, Vind shuddered at West's immense bite force. He had no doubt that if he were caught by that, he would be instantly killed.

Insect blood splattered downward as the unknown Zerg dodged the redirected attacks. As it approached the outer army of the Zergs, the unit dipped down, transitioning into a downward spiral. It had lost all strength and was now falling to its death. Yet before it could fall too far, another Zerg of the same type flew by, snatching the golden orb from the tumbling unit. Then it zoomed away before anyone could react.

Seeing this smooth getaway, all the other parties turned their hostile gazes to the queens. Since they couldn't get that item, they would take their anger out on them. At least that way, they could minimize the opponent's forces.

"Hold on. That had nothing to do with us."

A queen hurried out to explain. If she didn't, then they would end up as the scapegoat for that snatching and be annihilated by their combined forces. Why would they throw away their lives like that when it's not even their colony that stole it?

"We'll move out of your way. You can chase after that Zerg unit. If you're fast enough, you should be able to get that orb before the empress consumes it."

Hearing her appeasement, the others' eyes decreased in intensity but continued to glare at her until the Zerg army parted ways to allow their passage. Seeing this, they knew the queen wasn't lying and started preparing their transportation methods.

The Sentinels assembled into large fighter jets and took off. The Beasts charged through the passage with West at the front, covering hundreds of meters with each jump. Between landings, he would grab a snack from the nearby bugs, infuriating the Zerg units, but the queens held back their instincts.

The parasites sent a faster aerial unit, carrying the General of Mutation to go ahead and set up a portal. As for Vind and his group, they returned to the ship and accelerated in the direction of the Zergs. For some reason, the Zergs flew in a straight line instead of taking multiple turns to throw off any pursuers, making it simple to track down.

Not that changing directions would have made a difference for the Celestials and Sentinels with their high-tech tracking, but Vind found it odd that the Zergs didn't do that to shake off the Parasites, Beasts, and other Zerg army. On second thought, Vind dismissed that thought as those parties could simply follow them. Why would they work when they can cheat off someone that does it for them?

Soon they caught up with the Zerg as it approached a large nest. The unit might be fast at the start, but the ships accelerated to a higher speed. It simply took more time because of the mass. Sensing their approach, the Zerg knew it couldn't reach the nest in time, so it dived down, using gravity to further boost its speed. 

The Zerg cruised above the ground for a few seconds before crashing near an army of Zergs.

"It seems like they are prepared," Vind thought to himself as they jumped out to confront the swarm.

The object had enough energy that it might allow an empress to evolve again. Vind didn't know what evolution was beyond an empress, but he didn't want to find out. A single empress already caused them enough trouble, so something stronger would mean problems. Although the chance for evolution was low, Vind couldn't risk it. The consequences of misjudgment were too high.

Plus, it's not like he's going to be alone. The Sentinels have landed as well, and soon, the other factions will join up to destroy this nest. Then they can settle who gets the item.

 

---

 

The Red Empress was resting in her nest peacefully when her towers sensed an incoming attack. She quickly unleashed her mental powers to scan the area and saw another swarm approaching. The Red Empress recognized these units as the signature of her old rival, the Silver Empress.

'You want another battle? Then I will gladly make waste of them!'

The Red Empress ordered the queens to start production and churn out countless Zerg units to confront the incoming army. Since they were fighting on her home ground, there was no doubt she would be the winner. The only question was how much energy would be needed. The Red Empress was familiar with these scuffles as they often sent their excess units to the other party to waste their energy.

As efficient as the Zergs were to produce, they often cost a heavy sum to maintain, especially when they had hundreds of thousands at once. To combat this, they often recycled the units after a battle so they could optimize their energy usage, though these two empresses had chosen to sacrifice them to cause trouble for the other. To them, this amount of energy was better spent weakening their opponent.

Moments later, the nest opened and spewed forth a sea of Zergs, ready to massacre the group. After a short, bloody battle between the two sides, the Red Empress noticed the swarm retreating.

'Yeah, you better run, you coward!' She thought, disdainful of the Silver Empress's turtling methods.

To the Red Empress, only a coward commanded their swarm from a hideaway. A true empress would join the battle and rain despair onto her enemies. But that's only the Red Empress's oddity, as most Zerg queens would follow the turtling strategy, which is why the Silver Empress called her a "Suicidal maniac."

As the swarm was cleaning up the battlefield, the Red Empress noticed another incoming Zerg. This time, it was a lone unit carrying a golden orb. Upon seeing this orb, the Red Empress felt an intense desire to consume it. Something inside of her was craving it, telling her that it might help her take the next step.

Just as she was about to order the swarm to shoot it down, the unit dived downward and glided toward them at immense speeds. The Red Empress could faintly feel the heat of the unit rubbing around the surrounding air, causing it to burst into flames as it crashed near them.

"This must be my lucky day," she thought, ordering the swarm to secure the item. Yet before they could approach it, a large sonic boom was heard as a sleek ship appeared overhead. The Red Empress recognized this ship as the Celestials' newest technology, provided only to the strongest in the faction.

The door opened, and multiple Celestials in high-tech armor jumped down. Then, without warning, these Celestials massacred a path toward her.

"VIND! You dare attack me!" The Red Empress screamed with her psychic powers.

"Red Empress, I never thought your plans went so deep," Vind said, confusing her.

But as suspicious as the situation was for both of them, they refused to relent. The Red Empress desired the windfall that fell near her, and Vind couldn't afford to let her obtain the orb.

As they clashed, multiple fighter jets appeared above. Hovering above, these aircraft started disassembling themselves as robots rained down to join the fight.

When the fighter jets fully broke down, the Sentinels acting as the engine transformed back into their humanoid form and squashed any Zergs beneath them. Then plasma weapons protruded from their bodies, mowing down the Zergs in the vicinity with the help of ManaRealm mages.

"Sentinel? If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you will get!" The Red Empress sneered, commanding her nest to start production again.

Although the Sentinels were troublesome, the Red Empress had the confidence to drag this out and emerge victorious. This confidence was short-lived, however, as the Beasts soon charged into the battlefield with SanguineRealm members on their backs. With the addition of these two vicious parties, the Zergs started perishing at untold rates.

To further worsen the situation, the General of Mutation opened a portal at this moment, and the parasite army joined as well. Pairing their undying properties with the LuminalRealm members' buffs, the Red Empress found herself on the losing end quite quickly.

"What is this? A scheme?!?!? Why are you all teaming against me?!?"

 

---

 

While that was happening, Genji observed the scene through a telescope.

"Seems like the plan has worked," he said to Cammie, the queen in charge of being the Silver Empress's eyes in this battle.

"What a surprise, considering how weak you are," replied the disdainful ant queen.

Genji ignored her comment and gave the next order.

"Let's send out the poison bomb now."

At his mention, a speedy Zerg stepped out and took the large bottle of poisonous concoction from Genji's hands. Then he jumped into the air, charging into the center of the battlefield and diving down in suicide to unleash the toxic fumes across the area. This happened seamlessly as all the parties were too occupied to notice. Soon an invisible infectious poison spread, entering the bodies of everyone in the area.

To explain how everything led to this point, let's go back to when Genji explained the plan to the Silver Empress.

"With all these rumors, what do you think will happen if a large energy signature suddenly appears in Zerg territory?" Genji asked.

"All the surrounding forces will gather to investigate."

"Correct. So what happens if we lure all these parties to attack Red Empress?"

"She will have a hard time, but how are you going to lure them there?"

"That's where you come in. Remember all the speed Zergs I had you develop?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to bait them with those bugs."

"Ok? But where are you going to get such a tempting bait?"

"I'm going to make it. Why do you think I needed all the bio-crystals? I just need to put on the final touches, but that will have to be away from here. We don't want this to reveal our location and have the plan backfire on us. So here's the plan. I will go out with a swarm to finish the bait. When it's finished, a massive wave of energy will be emitted, alarming everyone to come to check.

I will then hide underground with a bug under your control. When everyone arrives, have the bug notify me, and I will unleash the bait. As soon as I do that, I want you to send one of these speedy Zergs to snatch this. Then go at max speed for Red Empress's nest, changing Zergs if one gets too tired.

While this is happening, I want you to send a group to harass Red Empress. The point is to make sure she has a large army when the bait arrives at her nest. That way, it will seem like she snatched the bait and is putting high importance on defending it. Pairing that with the high bioenergy the bait will emit, this will soon become the truth.

When the other parties arrive, they will think this as well, and they will fight. If we're lucky, then they might kill her. Otherwise, we will march our army to surround the battle and jump in when they've weakened themselves. To ensure we kill Red Empress, I have prepared a trump card for her."

Silver Empress fell silent when she pictured the scene. A shiver ran down her back as she realized how devious this person is.

"You have some dangerous ideas."

Genji shrugged and said, "It's not that good of a plan. The main point is I'm confident my bait will force a conflict. And while the idea is good, the execution might fail. If that happens, all of this will be for naught. I made the plan, now it's up to you to execute it."