Slicing Cerebrates

A beam of azure particle light streaked across the sky above the base of the Revolutionary Army's Alpha Squadron, melting out red-glowing trenches in the formation of the Tiamat Brood.

A two-hundred-foot-long section of iron-gray fortification wall lay sideways in a mixture of ash and blood, while the tents where the garrison soldiers lived burned in raging flames.

That was the heart of the battle, where a long line of Templar Knights, shoulder to shoulder, formed an impenetrable defensive line around the breach. It was a fierce and bloody melee, with swarms of Zergling, Hydralisk, and Ultralisk roaring as they charged towards the flashing blades of blue Psionics.

Behind the Templar Knights were their Archons Taldarin and the Dragoon. The slow-moving Reaver were rushing to the most dangerous part of the battle. The electromagnetic field released by each of their high-explosive scarabs could clear a large area of space in the vast sea of insects.

The Tiamat Brood of Swarm advanced relentlessly, an endless tide of fire, appearing as shadows of interconnected waves against the shimmering starlight of Char. Everywhere was a scene of fierce battles and carnage, as thousands of resolute Protoss and human warriors fought for the same goal.

People were dying every moment, so much so that Augustus didn't have time to distinguish whether the screams of the dead came from the Protoss or the humans.

After agreeing on the battle plan with Taldarin, Augustus fought for more than three hours on the wall of his fortification. He first emptied all the ammunition of his Gatling gun and twin 30mm cannon, and then used Electromagnetic Rifle, a spiked gun and an SR-8 twenty-round torrent shotgun.

Augustus, Raynor, Faraday, and a dozen Marshal's Elite Guard guardsmen fought side by side. They had no idea how many Zerg they had killed; they simply mechanically loaded their weapons, fired with the aid of the Power Armor's aiming system, loaded again, and repeated the process.

In this battle, strategy and skill were of little use. Augustus didn't even need to bother aiming, because the number of Zerg was so great that any shot could hit its mark. In Tychus's words, it was like you could piss on the Zerg's heads.

Right now, the best and greatest soldiers are those who can fire according to the established training.

Individual heroism is of little use here, unless he is a high-level Psionics like Sarah Kerrigan.

At first, it was mainly Augustus and his men who held the fortified wall, which was already riddled with holes from the corrosive acid of the Zerg. But as more and more Mutalisk and Brood Guardian appeared in the sky, the soldiers around Augustus fell one after another.

The medics didn't even have time to treat the wounded; they could only use the laser wound suture device on the Power Armor arm to give the wounded a quick treatment before transferring them to the rear.

Augustus's forces quickly became insufficient, and when the defenses were stretched thin, the Templar Knights of Taldarin came to his aid. The numerous Dragoon and High Templar took over the human positions.

Did you hear that sound?

At this moment, Augustus and Raynor were standing on the fortification wall, firing at the swarming Zerg below. Below lay the corpses of at least two Ultralisk, along with thousands of Zergling and Hydralisk, but many more Zerg clung to the corpses of their own kind, attempting to scale the wall.

"They're digging a hole." In the lull between shots, Augustus clearly heard the sound of chitinous fangs and claws scraping against the metal wall, and he immediately shouted into the communication channel, "They're trying to dig through this wall."

Below stood Swarm Hydralisk with deep red skin and armor, along with their larger, faster, and stronger elite Swarm Hunter Killer, whose thick, stacked bony shields and bright red crests seemed stained with blood.

At least two thousand Hydralisk and countless Zergling were gathering in front of the fortification wall. The most ferocious and bloodthirsty killers among the Hydralisk were retracting the bony scythes on their forelimbs. The vertebrae behind their heads extended about a foot (30 cm) long from their contracted, hard carapaces, and countless spines shot out from the vibration of their tendons like whistling bullets.

These dense spikes pierced deep into the fortification walls, clanging like metal striking metal. In the Edge World of the Terran Confederacy, these bony spikes from the Hydralisk, even a material used in daggers, were among the most valuable collectibles of human soldiers.

"Johnny, throw all the EMP grenades up to Flanders? Can you hear me?" Raynor realized something and walked towards the ammunition box behind him, only to find that there weren't many grenades left.

"Damn bugs..."

The previous platoon responsible for transporting ammunition had just left, which meant that the ammunition supply at this base was running low.

"When are the Duke men coming? And where is the Tychus man? Where the hell has he gone?" Raynor shouted.

"I'm afraid they won't be able to come." Augustus said, looking up at the sky where a dark mass of strange Mutalisk almost obscured the moon's light.

"Sending transport planes under these circumstances would be suicide; even the bravest pilots couldn't possibly get reinforcements and supplies up among so many Mutalisk."

Augustus noticed that a Protoss Scout, outnumbered, was captured by more than a dozen Mutalisk, and within seconds the Protoss fighter was torn to shreds. The golden-blue Protoss fighters in the sky were becoming fewer and fewer, like sunlight obscured by dark clouds.

At this moment, the Protoss Dragon Knights beside Augustus provided powerful support, their Phase Rip Cannons sweeping across a row of Hydra Hydralisks, turning them into dust.

Beside Augustus, a High Templar clad in purple robes and golden armor moved forward a few steps. The blue light in the High Templar's eyes shone even brighter, and his powerful Psionics created a terrifying ripple of Psionics within the dense swarm of Hydralisk, instantly tearing apart hundreds of Zerg.

Even in their primitive days, the Protoss were born Psionics. Every member of their race was a true "psychic," and the ripples of their spiritual energy that they inadvertently emitted could be fatal to small animals and weaker species like humans.

If the Protoss cannot control the ripples of their own will, their uncontrolled Psionics could even escalate into a terrifying storm that sweeps across a planet. It is because of this lesson that every Protoss is required to suppress their psionic Psionics from a young age, and the Khala is the ultimate embodiment of this requirement.

The High Templar, who rise to the top of the Khala Templar Knights hierarchy, are the most powerful Psionics. Through centuries of arduous training, they have mastered the ability to use this power and to channel their own Psionics energy.

High Templar can transform a series of small mental ripples into a devastating storm.

In an instant, countless Zerg corpses, carapaces, and blood were swept into the air by the Psionic Storm and then fell back down. All the Zerg engulfed by it were charred black and torn apart by the scorching, gale-like Psionic Storm. Extremely hot skin covered the Zerg ' bodies, burning them alive.

Psionics surged within the High Templar, making them resemble shining blue stars.

Even the slight energy emanating from High Templar made Augustus feel a sense of danger, and he also knew that Protoss High Templar could do far more than just create a Psionic Storm.

Psionics like Kerrigan can use telekinesis to turn a person's brain into mush or cause intracranial hemorrhage from ten yards away, and Augustus believe that High Templar can't do it.

For humans, the higher the Psionics level, the more "superpowers" they possess, including teleportation, creating fire, and even passing through walls like ghosts—of course, such abilities can only be seen in Psionics of PSI level 8 and above and in very special individuals.

This High Templar had been using his power cautiously, ensuring it was used only at the most crucial moments. As the highest-ranking commander in the area, he was also closely monitoring the situation on the entire battlefield.

The Zerg's digging of tunnels beneath the human fortifications caught the attention of the High Templar, who immediately ordered the Dragoon to concentrate their firepower on eliminating the Zerg that were engrossed in digging.

In the past, no fortress or wall built on the ground could effectively stop the Swarm's attack, because they could dig through the entire surface in a short time.

The hardest and densest volcanic rocks are what form a solid landmass in the raging lava lakes and rivers of the Burning Lands. Even the Zerg's Nydus Worm network has difficulty digging and connecting its various tunnels in the dead zone crisscrossed by lava lakes. This is why human defensive fortifications are effective.

Alpha Squadron's new alloy harbor fortification wall panels penetrate deep beneath thick layers of ash and are embedded in hard volcanic rock, making the base virtually a true fortress.

However, these fortifications could not last long, even though the foundations here were difficult for the Zerg to dig, only relatively speaking.

"When will those Dark Templar be able to kill even a single Cerebrate?" The High Templar's thunderous words echoed in Augustus and Raynor's minds.

"They are too slow. We have already sacrificed too many Sons of Adun for your promise and theirs." He said, "Is this a lie?"

"You've hit the nail on the head," Raynor replied while changing weapons. "But we can only trust the Dark Templar; they are the key to breaking this deadlock."

"As you've seen, a Protoss Templar Knights can easily slaughter hundreds of Zerg, but Char's Zerg hatchery can easily produce a thousand as he kills those Zerg," he said.

"If even one Cerebrate dies, the entire Zerg is rendered useless."

"I hope so," said the High Templar. "Then prove it to us."

"I suspect this is a conspiracy, Dark Templar to frame and kill us."

This wasn't because the High Templar Dark Templar; in fact Protoss, he constantly questioned Zeratul and the others' motives, believing they were filled with malice towards him. This was because every Aiur born after Adun's Ascension had been taught that the Dark Templar were evil "terrorists" attempting to overthrow the Khala.

"I can only say that my belief in the Dark Templar is the sole reason I'm standing here right now," Augustus said to the High Templar. "Or rather, in the war against the Zerg, the Dark Templar are more important than a Fleets."

At that moment, Augustus lowered his gun, feeling a wave of exhaustion. As a living, breathing human being, even Augustus sometimes wondered why he had gone through all that trouble to come to this hell on earth Char.

But whenever Augustus thought of his family, Kerrigan, his loyal followers and their families, their families' families, and even the survival of all humanity, Augustus did not feel that what he was doing was in vain.

As they were talking, a mournful Psionics cry came from the southeast of Augustus and the others, and this cry resonated sadly among the Tiamat Brood in front of the fortification wall. They were not grieving; the Cerebrate of the Tiamat Brood were simply feeling heartfelt anger.

The Zerg became even more ferocious, launching a frenzied attack on the Protoss Templar Knights without retreating despite the earlier mournful cry. The enraged Tiamat Brood turned and engulfed several Zealot squads, tearing them apart in an instant, as blue light shot into the sky, like souls soaring upwards.

"Zeratul and his team succeeded!" Raynor, already experienced in this, said, "I knew this would work!"

"The Dark Templar... they actually did something good this time." The High Templar felt the wailing of the Cerebrate more directly, and he said reluctantly.

"Just this once."

The Cerebrate must have been located not far from here, for they could hear the mournful cry it emitted before its death, accompanied by immense Psionics power. Before the Dark Templar, skilled in assassination, the Cerebrate was as weak as a child.

Before Augustus could even feel joy, he felt a sharp, icy pain in his mind. A shimmering green crystal automatically popped out from the storage unit on the chest of his Power Armor, projecting an image in front of him.

"It was Zeratul who gave you the communication crystal," Raynor remembered.

"Augustus, my Dark Templar and I have killed Ossa, the Lord of the Deep Purple Nightmare Brood, and a newly hatched Cerebrate." Zeratul's avatar flashed by.

"Not just one, well done Zeratul!" Raynor exclaimed. "How did you guys do that?"

"The Cerebrate are focused on their frontline population and their mental link with Overmind, neglecting the threat that is right in front of them," Zeratul said.

"You've taught the Overmind and the Cerebrate a good lesson," Raynor said. "Well done, Dark Templar."

"Thank you..." Zeratul always had a hidden meaning in his words: "I must warn you, Augustus, the Overmind's army is approaching."

"I'm listening, Zeratul." Augustus nodded.

"After completely severing the mental link between these Cerebrate and the Overmind, I briefly reconnected with the Overmind's will... and I felt... fear and anger," he said.

"The Zerg are the offspring of all the Cerebrate, and the Cerebrate are the children of the Overmind. The entire Swarm obeys the Overmind. The Overmind is like the father of all the Cerebrate, and the death of each Cerebrate weakens its power."

"The Swarm is enraged; beware of their revenge."

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