January 23, north of the Thane province, the area occupied by the insect swarm.
Seven days ago, the coalition forces captured the Midlin peaks that had been difficult to conquer for a long time.
The main peak of Midlin was leveled under the firepower of the Protoss fleet, and most of the mountains were cut off. The towering mountains that used to be so high in the world were once steep and majestic, but now they are riddled with holes, as if they have been chewed to pieces. Bits of paper stood sideways in a puddle of crumpled mud.
The war in Ayr had been going on for a long summer, and the devastation it brought had torn the warring zone over and over several times, burning everything to ashes.
The beautiful mother planet Aiur, which was once regarded as the sacred mother star and eternal home by the protoss, was also devastated by the invasion of the insect swarm. During this period, the protoss empire lost so many glorious cities, ancestral heritage and precious population. More means that no matter whether they win or not, it will declare the end of the once huge Protoss Empire.
After that, the fleet assembled by the Protoss Empire was still enough to stand at the apex of the galaxy, but it was nothing more than the afterglow of the invincible fleets of the past.
Rick Kidd, the commander of the 1st Airborne Division of the Revolutionary Army, stepped down from the gangway set up by an APOD transport ship. His protective boots plated with heavy alloy steel made a heavy blunt sound, and a file of people walked down behind him. Revolutionary Army paratroopers wearing black and gray power armor.
The soldiers lined up behind Rick, ready to rush to the front line at any time. Their orange matte masks are painted with an off-white skull, a semicircular upper jaw with only a pair of empty eyes. That was the formation of the former Heavenly Demons, and the Heavenly Demons themselves were also famous for their airborne troops.
The 1st Airborne Division is the only unit that still uses the insignia of the Demons of Heaven. They are not an army composed mainly of Korhals, but they also regard Augustus Mengsk as their supreme leader.
In this ace airborne division, soldiers who have achieved meritorious deeds and honors will have a Heavenly Demon Skull tattooed on their bodies.
In this battle, the 1st Airborne Division was one of the few units that did not enter the battlefield at the beginning. They were an elite force, and Augustus would only use his elite soldiers to the best of their abilities.
In a war against the Zerg, dropping airborne troops into the depths of their hives is difficult to implement, and is even a highly foolish strategy. Because there are often a large number of elite individuals guarding the main lair of the zerg, and those spore crawlers are enough to shoot down the airborne troops before they land.
Therefore, the 1st Airborne Division was used to commit to the front line between critical moments to reinforce the offensive in the final moments of the offensive. This also shows that the coalition forces are about to launch an attack on the location of the Zerg Master's lair after more than ten days of fighting.
In these ten days, the coalition forces crossed the two major provinces of Antioch and Thane, killing hundreds of millions of Zerg. The heroic sacrifices they made were enough to make anyone who has seen those cold numbers shed tears.
This war will end with the coalition's attack on the main lair area of the Overlord.
"You will face the Berog swarm and the Grund swarm, which are one of the two swarms guarding the Overlord. Warriors, continue to move forward, with one force, then weaken, and three times." Rick Kidd The voice of the mechanical adjutant in the rear command center came from the communication device in the helmet. She was responsible for transcribing the orders and information from the marshal's command into voice.
"Colonel Ward's 11th Division and Colonel Rhine's 17th Armored Brigade are advancing north of the Torrent Valley. They are the closest friendly forces to the 1st Airborne Division. Kurovsky's 5th Division, Antiga Militia Division The 2nd Brigade, the two resocialization battalions of Nova Squadron, and the 1st Armored Division are 40 miles behind your unit."
"Go forward, warriors, we will fight to the death with the master of the swarm here. All the sacrifices and blood shed are for today."
"Towards victory, towards the end of the Battle of El!"
"Copy that," Rick replied. These are the most prestigious troops in the revolutionary army. Even Antiga's militia troops are more than just pure militia. Their combat effectiveness is much higher than that of the federal regular army.
The remaining units were either ace units that had been formed during the early days of Korhal's rebellion, or units that had proven their loyalty in previous wars. Only ten of the soldiers who initially followed Augustus remained, but all of them were the backbone officers and generals of the revolutionary army.
Rick Kidd's former colleagues in Heaven's Devil all hold important positions in the military, and the worst of them are the general directors of hospitals. It is no exaggeration to say that they were all Augustus' confidants.
But the time when the demons of heaven and Augustus got together to drink and talk was long gone. Even Rick hadn't seen Augustus for more than a month. This was mainly because Rick didn't think it was necessary. Only Lisa Cassidy, whom they privately called the "healing girl", was still trying to find opportunities to meet Augustus.
Generally speaking, Augustus will invite the generals who once came from the demons of heaven to gather together or meet individually after a period of time. But every time, the demons in heaven will find that Augustus has changed a bit compared to when he was in the Turasis boot camp. He has become more outstanding and extraordinary, but the capable people around him have also become More.
The Demons of Heaven are not very good generals. They are only qualified for their current positions and military ranks, and cannot be said to be outstanding. Many people knew that they were not the ones to lead troops in war, and they could only help Augustus firmly control the army.
As far as Rick Kidd is concerned, life in the military camp and war only taught him how to kill. Now, Rick has become a competent officer through many battles and experiences, but there is nothing outstanding about him.
If possible, Rick still hopes to serve as Augustus's escort, that would be enough. Unlike many others, Rick, who was born in the Bennett family, the founding family of the Federation, did not even expect wealth and status, because that was what he already had.
The reason why Rick is still serving as commander is that Augustus needs someone he can trust in this position. In the future era when capable people emerge in large numbers, those capable will take over their positions.
At that time, the demons in heaven will also return to Augustus or retire. Those generals who still stay with Augustus will continue their past duties, obey the orders of the leader of the demons and protect them. The only leader they swore allegiance to.
Directly in front of his sight was a desolate world composed of many dark gray hills and huge ravines, with the wind howling in the rising red embers. The weather was very clear, but Ayr's usually blue sky was gray and lifeless, with gray-brown clouds piled on it.
But those are just insects gathered together. Their number is thousands and thousands, uncountable. The swarm of insects emitted a deafening buzzing sound that covered the sky, as if they could set off a hurricane just by flapping their wings together, and their chirping together would bring a harbinger of doom.
Farther and further away, where it is difficult to distinguish with the eyes, the high mountains reaching into the sky are hidden in the huge clouds. Countless insect tower-shaped organic buildings are hazy like dense black shadows. A living creature stretching hundreds of square miles or a twisted city.
But Rick knew clearly that there were no mountains or even hills here in the past. It was actually a strange grassland. But the perennial berries, which always bear pink and white flowers, the hazel bushes that bear abundant fruits in autumn, and the tall ale tree are long gone.
The mountain in front of him was a truly terrifying creature that shook Al, the great master of the insect swarm.
The Lord's body is much larger than the Xel'Naga Temple. Its unparalleled body has smashed an abyss on the surface of Aiur. Its mere tentacles are as big as a battleship.
On the Overlord's exoskeleton carapace, which is as hard as alloy steel, there are countless sharp ribs and spines like those of a hydralisk. It is the core of the mind of the swarm's main hive, the ruler of all zerg.
It is no longer possible to kill the Overlord. The coalition command has had a detailed discussion on how to kill the Overlord. Even if the fleet is concentrated to bombard the Overlord, it will still be immortal.
"The Protoss is here, sir." Rick turned his head and looked in the direction pointed by his adjutant.
That was the way they came. In that direction, there was only a black dot left in the Midlin peaks that had blocked the coalition forces for many days, which indicated that the soldiers were approaching the depths of the insect nest.
There are about hundreds of Protoss Templars wearing golden and blue armor running vigorously on the left side of the 1st Airborne Division's landing site. Their long nerve bundles are wrapped with silver metal sheets, which means These Templars are protoss warriors from the Burnatir tribe.
Behind these protoss are the fast-moving dragon knight troops. A towering giant is moving forward with insect appendages that seem too slender compared to its body. It looked like a moving skyscraper, and the landing transport planes of the 1st Airborne Division seemed dwarfed as they flew over the colossus.
If it weren't for these terrifying ancient war weapons of the protoss, the allied forces of the protoss and humans would have to pay a heavy price even if they were able to set foot here.
In many battles, due to a series of decision-making mistakes such as the Supreme Council of the Protoss Empire transferring Executor Artanis to arrest Tassadar at critical moments, and ordering the Templar army to fight the Zerg on the frontal battlefield, the Star Empire The spiritual army retreated to the south of Antioch for a time.
Fissures also appeared within the Empire, with the Arbitrators of the Conclave deeming the Templars untrustworthy, and the Templars falling into grief and anger over their heavy losses. The new Executor Artanis is a natural commander, but he still lacks experience and prestige.
After Tassadar and his human allies returned to Aiur, the Templar class immediately rallied under his command.
Tassadar's call finally brought about great changes. He led the last templar to defeat at least five zerg hives, including Tiamat and Jörmungandr.
The greatest High Templars among the Protoss, Masters of Kara, and even the Protectors took part in the campaign. If not for the fact that the commoner Khalai class in the Protoss Empire had never been trained as warriors, Tassadar would have been able to summon half of the Protoss Empire to fight for him.
Even though Tassadar was convicted of the Fallen Soldiers' betrayal of the Protoss Empire, his reputation among his people was not greatly compromised. This is not because the protoss can tolerate Tassadar's betrayal, but because the Supreme Council has kept this secret from beginning to end and has not let ordinary protoss know about it.
That was not because of the benevolence of the Supreme Council, but because they believed that Tassadar's crimes were too "unspeakable" and would inevitably damage the reputation of the ruling class. Although Tassadar was a stain, this trace would never be allowed to remain in the Protoss Empire.
This is extremely rare in the human struggle, because as soon as the Conclave declares Tassadar to be in cahoots with the evil Dark Templar, those protoss who once supported Tassadar immediately turn away from him.
"We don't know which protoss army these protoss come from." Rick's adjutant said at this time: "Perhaps, they are the troops of protoss Archon Phoenix."
The experience of fighting side by side on El also allowed the soldiers of the Human Revolutionary Army to better understand the composition of the Protoss army. Generally speaking, the Templars of the Protoss are only a small part of the Protoss population. They only fight in the most critical situations. At any time, a legion is formed according to the region, tribe name and executive officer's name.
Archon Phoenix has earned a reputation among the human revolutionary army for his bravery and bravery, which is rare for an alien race.
"That's Phoenix, and I will never mistake his Dragon Knight armor." A soldier whispered on the communication channel.
In the eyes of the soldiers, Phoenix's troops walked directly towards Rick. Since they recognize the identity of human allies, most of the protoss will behave very indifferently when facing humans, let alone talk to those creatures that do not even have telepathic abilities, but non-Phoenix is always an exception.
"Homage to Aden, the great Archon Phoenix." Rick was once a noble son who was educated in elite aristocratic teachings and understood etiquette. He was also one of the Demons in Heaven, other than Augustus, who was either a mud-legged person or a common man. .
When facing the protoss, Rick is able to understand the natural elegance of their culture to some extent, which is why he can talk to the protoss most of the time.
"Jaco Bennett, nice to meet you." Phoenix's huge dragon knight said: "I have no hands and can't hug you."
"Ha ha ha ha--"
This Archon, who was respected by both the stars and humans, let out a hearty laugh, and his respectable spirit infected the humans present from the inside out.
Rick didn't meet Phoenix often, but his colleagues and fellow troops had some experience of fighting alongside him. Whenever the Revolutionary Army is under heavy siege, the first Protoss to come to the rescue by killing the Scattered Zerg is always Phoenix. His bravery is unparalleled, and his noble character makes people yearn for it.
"Behold, Jako, my blade will set the Lord and his hateful minions on fire," Phoenix continued.
"I'm back on the battlefield again just for today."
"We can't get close to the Overlord's lair." Rick knows that people have their limits.
The zerg killed by the coalition forces could fill the trench, but it was less than one thousandth of the entire swarm.
"But when we were attacking, Zeratul and the Dark Templar were also taking action." Phoenix said.
