Four-Way Melee

As Augustus descended the two steps from the exit of the Armored Vehicle's command compartment, both he and Sarah Kerrigan was following behind him, were able to witness a spectacular sight.

In the distance, several small suns rose simultaneously from the volcanoes, highlands, and valleys occupied by the Garm Brood. Mushroom clouds from the rising giant fireballs obscured the sky, and shockwaves spread at tens of miles per second, releasing light and heat that expanded rapidly with the scorching air.

The suddenly heated wall of air swept across Antiga's hard, crimson earth and swallowed everything in its path. Countless running Zerg were torn apart, and their broken shells, along with rubble and dust, were thrown high into the air, forming a devastating rain of debris.

"It's time to show these monsters the power of humanity. One nuclear bomb is worth the sacrifice of thousands of warriors."

Protected by the Power Armor face helmet, Augustus could look directly at the center of the nuclear explosion.

This advanced CMC-300 Commander Armor can also effectively protect against damage from extreme environments such as stellar radiation and nuclear explosion radiation. In the early days, the Terran Confederacy sent Marines wearing the first-generation Power Armor deep into the center of a nuclear explosion to test its protective capabilities, and the Power Armor proved to be worth the investment and its cost.

"Even a large-scale nuclear strike on a desolate planet like Antiga is a questionable strategy. If the Zerg were invading a populated planet like Shiloh, we couldn't use indiscriminate fusion attacks against Zerg," Kerrigan, holding a different view.

"You're right. Even if we destroy a planet to protect it, the Zerg's losses are just a minor setback compared to their sheer numbers. The Swarm will look for their next target, and we'll be left only with the remaining ruins." As Augustus spoke, the Protoss Fleets launched their attack.

Thick beams of blue light pierced through the thick smoke, striking the Zerg nests with pinpoint accuracy. The massive organic structures that had stood firm despite the nuclear shockwave were instantly blasted into splattered blood and shattered giant biological skeletons, while the rest burned fiercely in the flames.

The attack penetrated deep underground and leveled the towering mountains before Augustus, triggering a terrifying volcanic eruption. Lava continuously poured into the Zerg's interconnected nests, igniting red flames. The main nesting area of Garm Brood became the epicenter of a thermonuclear reaction, leaving only scorched or burning earth and Zerg.

The earth began to tremble, as if the continental plates that carried the mountains and rivers were moving.

"Is it over?" Augustus talking to himself, but directly asking Kerrigan beside him.

"Obviously not, my Marshal." Kerrigan's Psionics senses confirmed that the simple, bloodthirsty thoughts of countless individuals had indeed diminished significantly, but a considerable number of Zerg remained alive—they moved through the deep underground Nydus Worm, the depth of which protected these monsters.

"I can sense that the underground Garm Brood has been given a single goal: to tear apart humanity and the Protoss Cerebrate Sars's cold rage has driven the Garm Brood into extreme madness."

"Prepare for battle, soldiers! The Zerg have not been completely wiped out yet," Augustus ordered over the army's public communications channel.

"Obey orders from your comrades, protect your comrades. Your rifles and Power Armor will stand with you through thick and thin in this war. We are the Korhal Revolutionary Army, the last line of defense between the Zerg and humanity. Hold the line, I am with you, I will never fall."

At Augustus's command, the clicking of guns being drawn and chambered, the clanging of armor, and the hum of the mech servo systems rang out simultaneously. Countless figures, seemingly tiny on the ground, cast long shadows amidst the flames and explosions. Even a sixteen-year-old boy seemed like a towering mountain standing tall.

A variety of responses never ceased on the communication channel; different oaths from various units proved to Augustus that they were prepared to give everything for the ultimate victory of mankind—even though Augustus could not hear what they were saying.

Augustus took a Gauss rifle from the armored command vehicle and scanned the battle line in front of him—composed of the Revolutionary Army soldiers, Firebat, Goliath Combat Robot, tanks, and armored vehicles—through an optical telescope. The battle line, made of armor, steel, and engines, resembled a high wall.

The battle line stretched for miles from east to west, and the gold and red paint scheme was the perfect camouflage and cover on the land of Antiga.

Just a few seconds after Augustus finished speaking, a large number of Zergling and Hydralisk emerged from the hard red soil in the southwest. The rustling sound of their carapaces scraping against the ground, along with the squeaking of the Zergling as they moved, was chilling.

Thousands upon thousands of Zerg emerged from the ground from all directions, easily crushing hard soil and gravel with their claws. Roaring, they burrowed out of the ground, their orange chitinous carapaces reflecting a metallic sheen in the light released by the explosion, like a flowing black tide.

The Garm Brood never attacks the enemy's strongest defenses head-on. Their Cerebrate prefer to surround the enemy from all sides, or order a hive force to draw the enemy's attention before concentrating their forces to attack the weakest point in the defense. Like using a sharp blade to pry open a clam's shell, they target the weakest point.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" One Revolutionary Army commander after another immediately issued the order, which was transmitted to each unit via radio waves.

The Revolutionary Army soldiers quickly adjusted their formation, and their Gauss Rifle unleashed a deadly barrage of bullets. Hundreds of Zergling were either pierced by the whistling Spike Bullet or blown to pieces by the shells.

At the same time, a roar rang out from the Protoss High Templar directly in front of the Revolutionary Army.

He didn't need to speak to command all the warriors in the mental network like Khala, but like the roar of a giant beast in the Aiur jungle, this battle cry containing some kind of mental language was enough to intimidate the enemy's will.

"Templar Knights, draw your lightsabers!"

At the command of the Protoss commander, the impeccably dressed Protoss Templar Knights activated the azure Psionic Blade on their wrists, thousands of gleaming blades radiating a dazzling light.

Immediately afterwards, this army, consisting of fewer than eight thousand Protoss Templar Knights, Dragoon, and hundreds of Reaver, began to advance against the charge of the Garm Brood.

Any Protoss warrior who has mastered this art for hundreds of years is equivalent to Sword Master among humans. When they wield their dual blades, they are swift and elegant, without any superfluous movements of showing off. Each time their blades are drawn, they can slice open the head of a Zerg and pierce its enormous heart.

The Protoss Templar Knights's gleaming, dense Psionic Blade can easily slice through almost any matter; these Psionics blades, formed from Psionics psionic energy, are indestructible.

The four-legged, spider-shaped Protoss Dragon Knight mechs' Phase Rip Cannons wove a dazzling blue barrage in front of the Templars, while the slowly moving, trilobite-like Protoss Gold Beetles continuously unleashed a powerful high-explosive smart bomb.

The intelligent bomb, resembling a blue comet, is closer to a human missile with an automatic locking function. Once it explodes, it releases a dazzling blue electromagnetic field, enough to wipe out large numbers of Zerg or paralyze human machines.

While humanity was still defending against the Swarm's attack, the Protoss army was sweeping away the surging Zerg tide with overwhelming force. The Protoss were a small and long-lived race, which meant that every one of their warriors was a highly experienced elite warrior, and each Protoss warrior's lifespan was longer than the history of humanity in the Koprulu Sector itself.

"Damn idiotic Protoss, we can't fire at their positions like this—what era are we living in? They're still thinking about stabbing people with knives? It's like a bunch of cavemen throwing stone weights and spears at each other in a starship." At this moment, the artillery commander's roar came through Augustus's command channel.

"Maybe they think it's cooler, Nord. Just focus on dealing with the Zerg in other directions. If these Protoss need our support, it's bound to be a losing battle," Augustus.

As Augustus spoke, the charging Garm Brood drew ever closer to his soldiers. Large numbers of Zerg fell in the procession, the air thick with the stench of blood and saliva.

The nearest Zergling was only about 800 yards away from Augustus, and it was quickly overwhelmed by the bullets of the hundreds of the Revolutionary Army soldiers in front of Augustus.

But that's how the Swarm attacks; even if the sacrifice of a dozen or so Zergling only results in the loss of one Marine, it's worth it for the entire Swarm.

As more Zerg charged through a hail of bullets towards the Firebat at the forefront of the battle line, walls of flame from flamethrowers blocked the Zergling ' attack. At the commander's order, some Revolutionary Army soldiers began to switch to grenade launchers, focusing their efforts on dealing with the massive Ultralisk and deadly Defiler.

As Augustus swept his right flank, a massive Ultralisk charged toward several Firebat. Its enormous, scythe-like fangs swept across a dozen Firebat and Revolutionary Army soldiers, slicing through their armor. It plunged into the midst of the soldiers, slaughtering them like a rampaging rhinoceros.

This had disastrous consequences; as the battle lines were breached, more and more Zergling and Hydralisk scurried beneath the monster, mercilessly reaping the lives of human soldiers.

As Augustus looked in that direction, he could clearly see a Zergling leap up and land on the chest of a Revolutionary Army soldier.

It moves as nimbly as a cat leaping onto a bed or a desert jerboa jumping into the grass, looking like a child stumbling into Giant's embrace, yet its bloodstained fangs and claws suggest it is a monster straight out of a nightmare.

It was no harmless pet or a delicate ball of yarn; when the Zergling attacked a human, it was like a bloodthirsty velociraptor.

The shrieking little monster opened its gaping maw, a gaping slit that stretched all the way to its ears. From a certain angle, it looked like a bizarre, utterly humorless smile, or perhaps the Cheshire Cat's grin. It extended a long, spiked claw and pierced the soldier's matte orange visor, instantly staining the inside of the helmet crimson with blood.

This Zerg was clearly not satisfied with that; it immediately thrust the spike of its other forelimb into the chest plate of its Power Armor.

With a tearing sound, the monstrous creature ripped through the Power Armor as if it were tearing open a foil-wrapped jar with its bare hands. It dragged the dead Revolutionary Army soldier away from the roaring crowd, one foot in its mouth, while the Zergling followed, howling and tearing him apart.

These grotesque monsters let out different roars as they tore at each other, which sounded to Augustus like the excited barking of wild dogs as they devoured their prey.

A dozen or so Hydralisk with orange shells crawled forward, their long, serpentine bodies slicing through the gravel and sand. They plunged their long, sickle-shaped forelimbs into the ground, arched their backs, and launched hundreds of venomous thorns.

These spikes, sharp enough to pierce the tank's front armor, instantly pinned the foremost Firebat to death. Several Matte Helmet riddled with holes rolled to the ground, light and shadow filtering through the dense punctures.

"Sergeant Mond, take your men and fill the gap! Otherwise, we'll have to pay a much higher price to take him back!" Fury filled Augustus's mind. He roared as he took an electromagnetic gun from Faraday beside him and opened fire on the giant Ultralisk.

By this time, the massive Ultralisk was already covered in wounds, its body riddled with bullet holes and huge gashes. At least forty anti-tank rocket launchers and even more Gauss Rifle were aimed at it. Even so, the Ultralisk stood firm until it was hit by several armor-piercing grenades and collapsed with a thud.

As the behemoth fell, it crushed several Firebat and dozens of Zergling and Hydralisk, kicking up a cloud of crimson dust. As more reinforcements rushed to fill the gap, the charging Zerg were finally temporarily pushed back.

However, hundreds of the Revolutionary Army soldiers were already lying on the ground, many of them brutally torn apart, while those who had been rescued by their comrades lay helplessly on the ground.

Even the tight servo systems of the Power Armor couldn't lock their massive, gaping wounds; only large doses of sedatives and painkillers could keep these soldiers conscious.

Most of the soldiers, their eyes glazed over and unfocused, did not survive until the rescue ships arrived. Their arteries had been severed, and their blood flowed away as quickly as sand in an hourglass.

Finally, the Garm Brood retreated, abandoning their destroyed nests and beginning their withdrawal. Gradually, cheers erupted from the Revolutionary Army's lines.

"The Swarm has retreated." Augustus's forehead was covered in sweat. "Medic, hurry and save them!"

"Destroying these Zerg hives means that Zerg won't be around Ansadar for quite some time, giving us time to continue our advance until we drive the Zerg out of Antiga," he told Kerrigan, who was putting away her shotgun.

"This is the Fleets, this is Warfield." A dozen seconds later, just as Augustus was about to order an army to penetrate the destroyed main hive to eliminate Zerg that might have survived, Warfield's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Delta Squadron and Nova Squadron have moved to high orbit around Antiga Prime... They are opening their bomb bays," Warfield said gravely.

"I suspect they want to bomb Ansadar."

"The Confederacy ...they must be insane," Augustus. "The Protoss buildings are right next door."

"Unless they want to provoke the Protoss," Kerrigan said immediately.

"But the Confederacy might not care about this at all, because they see both the Protoss and the Zerg as enemies."

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