Grand Empress chose to surrender.
This was actually expected. Although Overmind, the "Old Yin Coin", kept saying that he had no intention of persuading him to surrender, and that whether Empress surrendered or not would not affect the extinction of Mantid civilization, in fact, the purpose of his previous "summoning" was very clear.
After witnessing the scale of the war between Shadow Chasing Swarm and Sea of Darkness, all the ambitions of Shekzeer were completely wiped out.
The reason is also very simple.
If you score 30 points in the exam, you will want to compete with your classmates who scored 40 points to see who is the coolest and lastest in the class, but you will never have the confidence to challenge a genius of the same age who got a master's degree at the age of twelve.
When the gap reaches a certain level, the weak will not even have the courage to challenge. If the other party is still unconvinced, it actually means that you are not strong enough.
In short, before this decisive battle, Shekzeer's mind had been essentially defeated.
The final assault of the king beast and the insect swarm was just the barbell that broke the camel's back. Of course, Anveena was also very graceful and did not humiliate the losers, especially after Grand Empress released the king's pheromones and forced Mantid to put down their weapons and accept "transformation".
This general approach makes Anveena very satisfied.
In essence, Sunwell female ghost is not a character who likes disputes.
The surrender of this elite royal guard and the subsequent recruitment and transformation will take at least two days to complete, so Anveena ordered the king beast to command Shadow Chasing Swarm on the battlefield, and with the assistance of Unscarred Tyrant, he stepped into Dread Wastes.
She ordered them to capture the palace of Grand Empress within two days, seize a main base for the swarm in Dread Wastes, and then prepare to start the "extreme explosion".
This task is not difficult.
Because Grand Empress almost emptied his palace power for this conquest, leaving only an empty shell there.
"Oh, so you actually staked all your future and strength and launched a desperate attack on Kun-Lai Summit in order to gain the recognition of the ethnic group and great achievements, right?"
In Shadewalker Hive, Anveena personally "entertained" Grand Empress, she whispered:
"Elder Council is so hateful that it forces you, Empress, to make this kind of strategic gamble of "whole family members are all in one wave" just to have the prestige to compete with them. It's not easy for you."
"Humph, this is the common goal of all previous Grand Empresss."
Shekzeer refused the fermented wheat "juice" offered by Anveena, and she said in a low tone:
"Before the fog rose, Mantid opened Great Cycle. At that time, Grand Empress still had royal power and was not a puppet of Elder Council. However, after the fog rose, the mainland blockade caused Mantid's territory to be compressed to Dread Wastes.
The struggle between the two sides became increasingly fierce.
In the beginning, it was just a battle between royal power and divine power, but in the end, the Empresss could only fight for their own lives and existence.
We are the most pathetic puppets, the breeding machines in the eyes of the elders. After all, only the normal release of the king's pheromones can ensure that Mantid can restore the number of the group in every Great Cycle.
My great-grandmother and mother both died under the coercion of Elder Council. If I don't fight, that will be my fate too. They even sent assassins!"
"Yes, when Unscarred Tyrant gave you the fossil mark, he met assassins on the road and helped you clean it up."
Anveena said:
"Don't worry about them. In a few days, you will be able to see the new cutters Rik'kal and Swarm Guardian Hisek. They will be the same as Unscarred Tyrant and eventually become Swarm Lord of Shadewalker.
Of course, you will most likely hardly encounter them in Material World.
Compared with the low-intensity battles here, elite units with their own abilities like Yingjie will inevitably be prioritized on the battlefield of Sea of Darkness."
"So, in your eyes, the life and death of Mantid is just a "low-intensity" war?"
Grand Empress sighed.
She was extremely lonely.
What she experienced these past few days was nothing short of a disaster, but she had indeed seen Shadow Chasing Swarm's hunting war with her own eyes, so she had nothing to complain about.
She raised her head, braced herself and asked:
"What about me? What are you going to do with me?"
"Well, Abathurs need to study your unique "king pheromone". They think it must be some kind of gland unique to Empress that produces this magical command hormone."
Anveena shrugged with regret and said:
"So you will be handed over to the Gene Masters. After the secrets about you are thoroughly studied, you may be transformed by Overmind into a "Queen of Blades spare tire" like me."
"Huh? What are "Queen of Blades" and "spare tire"?"
Grand Empress was stunned for a moment.
She originally thought that the best outcome for herself would be to survive as a prisoner, but she didn't expect that Shadowstalker Bugs's rules were very strange. It seemed that she would continue to be the leader?
Hiss.
Thinking of the terrifying Shadow Chasing Swarm being commanded by him to fight in all directions, Shekzeer's ambition, which had been stepped into a mud pit and drowned, started to throb at this moment.
She widened her eyes and asked curiously:
"So, there will be many Queen of Blades candidates, but in the end only one person can inherit this prestigious name? Are you and I in a competitive relationship?"
"No, I'm just an intern."
Anveena sighed and said:
"I just come to Shadow Chasing Swarm to do odd jobs and get familiar with the daily work. In the future, I will have my own "Saviors Swarm", so no one will compete with you for that position.
At least not yet.
You seem to be looking forward to it?
Well, I advise you not to look forward to it so much.
Although Overmind will not treat you as a puppet like Elder Klaxxi does, although it will really give you the power to command the insect swarm in battle, if you perform well enough, Overmind will not even give you instructions.
But trust me, this is not a good thing.
Because except for that power, everything that belongs to you will be completely deprived of you. From now on, there will be no more "Shekzeer" in this world! From now on, you can only be "Queen of Blades".
You don't understand, right?
It doesn't matter if you don't understand, you will understand later."
She stood up and took a few steps back. With some kind of sincere blessing, she said softly:
"Gene Master are here, you are going to start the experiment, as a "guinea pig". In short, I wish you good luck, Shekzeer, you are the first enemy I defeated with my own hands. I think I will remember you firmly in the rest of my life.
Although in Overmind's opinion, we are "novices pecking each other", I must say that for a beginner in war, I really enjoyed this war."
Anveena left his blessing and left.
Then, Shekzeer watched several "Abathur" move their slightly bloated bodies to his side. When they injected special biological toxins into themselves, Grand Empress suddenly asked:
"Is everything she says true? Do I really get unfettered power?"
This question made Alpha·Abathur glance at the female.
It was too lazy to answer such a meaningless question, but considering that the emotion of the test subject might also affect the normal release of the king's pheromones, it said in a cold tone:
"Yes! You will gain power and lose everything at the same time. Except for Light Weaver and Overmind, you don't have to bow to anyone. Victory is your mission, conquest is your life, and apart from that, you will have nothing."
"Ah, that's enough. Having these is enough for me to convince myself that I have them, and everything else is meaningless."
Shekzeer closed his eyes in contentment in the numb awakening.
She urged:
"Please hurry up, masters, I can't wait to ascend my throne."
"Haha, as you wish."
"Bang"
Under the destroyed Sacred Tree Palace, in a collapsed Amber Shaping Chamber, Kil'ruk the Wind-Reaver leisurely woke up and used his arm knife to smash the amber that wrapped himself.
It has fully recovered from serious injuries, and even its missing limbs have quickly grown to perfection.
But the feeling of "Amber Regeneration" this time is different from many previous experiences. I can only say that the skills of Angshuk, the amber shaper under Grand Empress, are far from perfect.
The very talented Mantid scholar only mastered the original "Amber Regeneration", but the technology in Klaxxi Elder Council's hands has been iterated many times. Today's Amber Regeneration secret technique can even seal the heroes together with their battle beasts, thus perfectly preserving the sanity, memory and strength of the heroes.
This is a secret technique unique to Mantid Elder Council.
No matter how serious the individual's injury is, as long as there is still breath left, the recovery after amber shaping can allow the individual's life to heal quickly without any sequelae.
The reason why it cannot be promoted on a large scale is that the production of Kypari Tree's essence amber is limited, and it is very difficult to supply it to the elders and heroes.
You know, unlike the heroes, the elders are basically Mantid sages who have lived from ancient times to the present. Their lifespans have already been dozens of times longer than normal Mantid. They can still live healthily only by amber.
From this point of view, Grand Empress calling these guys "a bunch of corrupt old immortals" is not a slander.
They control the tradition of Great Cycle without participating in it, thus evading the pursuit of death in the name of "serving Overmind". This behavior is absolutely not justice.
Secondly, Amber Regeneration technology is the key to cultivating heroes. It is impossible for the elders to spread this technology and let the Empress faction also cultivate their own heroes. That would be asking for trouble for themselves.
In short, as Jarod Shadowsong commented, the character and politics of bugs are actually quite dark, especially for bugs with extremely high intelligence like Mantid.
Wind Reaver was used as a test subject for the Amber Shaper to decipher the mysteries, but by some strange combination of circumstances, it escaped the previous general attack of Shadowstalker Bugs in the laboratory. When it woke up, the holy tree was already empty of people, the luxurious palace was in a mess, and all valuable things were taken away three feet away.
Even the tree core of Kypari Tree was eaten away by the king beast, which really ruined this precious sacred tree that has been around for thousands of years.
But Wind Reaver did not relax his vigilance because of this.
As the most outstanding assassin born in the history of Mantid, it quietly hid in the shadows and left the ruins of the Holy Tree. There are still Shadowstalker Bugs patrolling around the periphery, but the elites have all left, and there are just some ordinary bugs here.
Kil'ruk After repeatedly confirming that there was no threat, he opened his elytra and flew into the air.
It traveled in the direction of Dread Wastes at the fastest speed, avoiding the flying dragons of Shadow Chasing Swarm that covered the sky at high altitude. It scouted their movements and even saw the figure of the daunting king beast from a distance.
"Their target is Grand Empress's palace. We don't know yet whether Shekzeer has broken through. If she is unlucky, she may have died in the hands of this dangerous insect swarm, but they are unwilling to give up and have come to Dread Wastes.
This swarm is out to destroy our civilization!
Ah, the elders must know this news immediately, and the Klaxxi Order must prepare for this immediately."
Wind Reaver is the most honorable hero. After completing the preliminary investigation, he is ready to return to Klaxxi'vess.
The latest ⊥ little ⊥ talk ⊥ is first posted on ⊥⊥⊥!
There is the stronghold of the Klaxxi cult, and it is also the place where the Mantids first worshiped "Overmind". The essence of Sha they obtained during these ten thousand years is also sealed there.
However, just after Wind Reaver flew away from the main road, its keen perception allowed it to quickly capture a special insect performing strange actions.
Several sturdy Warrior Bug were guarding a helmet bug used to carry things. There was a saddle behind the helmet bug, and a Mantid was sitting on it majestically, holding a box whose contents could not be clearly seen in his arms.
The Mantid wearing Grand Empress guard Amber Armor looks like a spell caster, and is still communicating with several Warrior Bug with hissing sounds.
It's not like Warrior Bug is escorting the prisoners, but rather like Mantid is directing them.
The direction they are heading is exactly the direction of Klaxxi'vess.
"Mantid under Grand Empress is cooperating with this threatening swarm? Damn it! This is the worst course of action I can imagine."
Wind Reaver made a maneuver and put himself into the most suitable position for attack.
It is the most outstanding assassin and Sword Saint. If it carries out a high-altitude assault when it has the upper hand, it has already returned to its strongest state and is absolutely sure to kill these guys.
It did not hesitate and launched a decisive attack when this strange combination entered a valley.
The iconic "Death from Above" tactic turned Wind Reaver into a meteorite that hit the ground from high altitude. Its speed easily exceeded the speed of sound, and it wielded its biological blade with kinetic energy. In the tearing rotation, the three-headed Warrior Bug was instantly killed by Yingjie with one blow.
The sharp blade penetrated the back of the head and crushed the brain stem. This injury was also fatal to Shadowstalker Bugs.
That Mantid was frightened. After seeing Wind Reaver's figure clearly, he turned around and screamed, flapping his wings and ran away. As a result, Wind Reaver threw a weapon and pierced his head.
Even though the heroes suffered a complete 1V3 defeat in front of Unscarred Tyrant, the destructive power of elite units that are highly specialized in warfare when facing these ordinary units is simply beyond description.
If not, Yingjie would not have been taken seriously by Mantid, Mogu and Pandaren at the same time.
Wind Reaver easily killed a team. It stepped forward and picked up the box from the arms of the killed Mantid traitor. It was a little careless at first, but the moment it opened the box, Wind Reaver's whole body trembled.
There is a dark bone dagger in the box. The shape is very mysterious, evil and exquisite, and there are dim void runes Gleam written on the blade.
Just like the previous the Unscarred, Kil'ruk immediately judged from the breath of the dagger that this was the remains of "Overmind", and it was the sacred object of all Mantid!
More importantly, this dagger contains the essence of the three Sha heads of Doubt Sha, Sha of Doubt and Sha of Pride. Two of these three heads of Sha happen to be the last missing piece that Mantid has been searching for for thousands of years.
According to legend, as long as Seven-Sha Unification Secret Art, Overmind can be resurrected from ancient defeat!
"Not only these three, there is also a weird evil energy inside, which is the Sha entity I have never seen before. Is this a trap? And I am the bait! What do they want to do by sending this sacred object to me in this way?"
Wind Reaver is not an idiot.
It immediately realized that this was definitely a bait, but the holy object was right in front of it, which put Yingjie into a very difficult choice. It could not give up the mission of resurrecting Overmind. After all, Yingjie and Mantid's Great Cycle both served this goal.
It knows it's dangerous.
But it must take this sacred object back to the elders.
Mantid Yingjie closed the treasure box and rushed towards Klaxxi'vess as quickly as possible.
At the same time, in an empty fisherman's village on the coast of Dread Wastes, a Shadow Hunters strode forward and whispered to General Staghelm who was fishing on the pier:
"Blade of the Black Empire has fallen into the hands of the heroes, but I am very curious, general, with the heroes' exaggerated war experience, will they really fall into the trap?"
"Why not?"
Fandral Staghelm grabbed the fishing rod and said in an indifferent tone:
"So what if it knows it's bait? We gave it the last two Sha essences that Mantid has been searching for for thousands of years. It either won't be used, or it can only bite the bait willingly.
They want to resurrect Overmind.
Oh, just a false god."
Shadow Hunters's executor commander raised his hand, and a fish was pulled out of the water.
But because Dread Wastes has been infected by evil energy all year round, this fish has three eyes, and the eyes are also glowing with strange light.
It was beating under General Staghelm's feet, and was kicked back into the water by the general.
Shadow Hunters next to him blinked and whispered:
"That strange fish wants to 'talk' to you, General."
"But what do we have to talk about with N'Zoth?"
Fandral Staghelm looked at his men, he patted Ren'dorei on the shoulder and said:
"I can tolerate you privately asking for more wisdom from Sea of Darkness, but you must ensure that you control the void to protect the light in your heart.
If you deviate from Path of Light and Darkness, kid, you don't want to be "talked to" by Shadowstalker Bugs in a late-night nightmare, right?
If you still don't understand, let me put it in simpler terms.
Who are you more afraid of?
N'Zoth?
Or Overmind?"
After saying that, General Staghelm dropped the fishing rod, left the dock, took his own Sha-Touched Weapon from the adjutant, and prepared to start tracking Blade of the Black Empire.
The Ren'dorei thought for a while on the dock, and shivered again without knowing what he thought of. He hurriedly took out a N'Zoth and Holy Crest from his arms, curled his lips and threw it into the sea without hesitation.
He also spat hard at the spot where Holy Crest landed.
In this way, he expresses his blasphemy and contempt for Thousand Tentacle Demon and his loyalty to the Shadewalker faction.
Thirty minutes later, the same message was sent to Diakum.
Vigilant is currently piloting the Exodar spaceship, carrying a ship full of Pandaren, Trolls and Lightforged and flying over Niuzao Temple. The goal of their trip is overseas, which is said to be the palace where Thunderlord Clan once "ascended to the gods".
Diakum, who was sitting on "Golden Throne" on the navigation station, closed his eyes. After listening to Saloras's report, he waved his hand and said:
"Share the message to Four Celestials. I know they are very tired from fighting continuously these days, but now Death Rift has been solved. I plan to solve the mine buried in Vale of Eternal Blossoms before leaving.
Pandaria's ten thousand year "Era of Chaos" will end with this. After that, Four Celestials will have plenty of time to take a good rest."
"But sir, if the elders of Mantid really resurrected Y'Shaarj."
Saloras said with some concern:
"After all, that is the most powerful ancient god in the legend. If you don't keep an eye on it in person, I always feel a little uneasy."
"I can't get through it now."
Diakum spread his hands and said:
"I only know that Heart of Y'Shaarj is buried in a temple underground in Vale of Eternal Blossoms, but I can't be sure where that place is. Only the elders of Klaxxi can accurately locate it using Seven-Sha Unification Secret Art's secret method.
We must find that crisis point with their help, not to mention that Vale of Eternal Blossoms's fog seal is not friendly enough to life other than Pandaria.
As for Y'Shaarj.
Don't worry, there is only one black heart left. Even if Y'Shaarj finds a powerful host, it will be difficult to recover to the point where True Titan God needs to do it himself.
Besides, aren't we on this trip to forge magic weapons?"
Vigilant patted the box that was sealed in layers and said:
"The armor we dedicated to the Lord is about to be ready, but the Lord cannot go into the battlefield with bare hands. Once this "Thunder Divine Weapon" is forged, it will be a beautiful thing to use the echo of the strongest ancient god to complete the cleaning and quenching of it."
Saloras hesitated for a moment.
She said:
"I always feel that after Ordos's death, you looked relaxed but in fact your spirit was completely tense. You were preparing for something to come. Alas, maybe you think that our sisters and the female savage Neri should not be involved, but I want to say that we are more than just friends after all.
So if the pressure is too much, we can help, even just a little bit."
Diakum turned to look at her.
He saw Saloras's worry, smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and said:
"I will tell you, even if you want to escape, you can't. That matter is closely related to the future of the entire star sea. No one can escape the cause and effect, so be prepared.
We will face the storm of fate together, and then we will win!"