The moment the Devourers appeared, the entire battlefield seemed to be enveloped by purple, ominous clouds. The incredibly dense, purplish-black venom sprayed out like massive plumes of purple mist, hurtling towards the enemy bodies. Often, when a single enemy Manta-Ray Dragon was struck, the venom would splash outward, not only coating the victim but also creating a large area-of-effect attack that swept over other creatures.
Even more bizarrely, the venom appeared to possess an indescribable adhesiveness; the feeling was as if, once hit, it would stick fast to the body. Fang Senyan even saw dense green smoke rising from the surface of creatures touched by this sticky substance! Clearly, their skin was being aggressively corroded.
Three mighty Overlord Phantom Wyverns were instantly confronted by twenty-one giant, purplish-black Devourers! Hit immediately by vast amounts of thick, purplish-black phlegm, they finally let out howls of extreme pain and beat their wings towards their opponents. Yet, it was clearly visible that even with the formidable defensive capabilities of these three Overlord Phantom Wyverns, they were still being eroded by the disgusting toxic phlegm, dripping everywhere and looking utterly wretched.
Although these Devourers were individually far inferior to the Overlord Phantom Wyverns in terms of sheer combat power, they were certainly not as fragile as Spore Wyverns. Especially their bulky abdomens, which looked like an obvious weakness, were actually comprised of at least three-quarters thick chitinous armor plating and solid layers of muscle.
An abdomen the size of a room housed vital organs only about the size of a refrigerator! Such thorough protection! Therefore, if an enemy fiercely attacked this area, it was actually walking straight into the Devourers’ trap! If an Overlord Phantom Wyvern attacked the Devourer's head and chest directly, it would take only three strikes to gravely wound it, but attacking that large belly required at least five strikes to kill it!
Strangely, as the toxic phlegm piled up on the surface of the Overlord Phantom Wyverns—these Pandora lifeforms—the blessing of Mother Gaia seemed to lose effectiveness. It could be seen that smoke began to emit from the skin of the three powerful Overlord Phantom Wyverns with a "squeaking" sound, and the corrosion had already seeped into the dermis.
Furthermore, whether flapping their wings or making any move, they seemed to exert far more effort. The thick globs accumulated on their surfaces acted like glue, indirectly restraining their movements and draining their stamina!
“These Devourers are truly formidable!” Brother Black couldn't help but say with a grave expression upon seeing the situation, “Their attack alone possesses three passive abilities! Area of effect, continuous armor corrosion, and continuous slowing of enemy attack speed!”
Fang Senyan observed for a moment: “We should also add high health and fast flight speed, but their weakness is also quite obvious. They should be weak against ground attacks, because based on their physiological structure, their primary attack requires diving down to approach the opponent for spraying, making them easily snatched down by ground forces.”
Reef finally let out a long, relieved breath: “Damn, so the Black Thrash Brain Bug held back such an ace up its sleeve until now. In my view, being weak against ground attacks isn't necessarily a bad thing; focusing intensely on one aspect is what makes something terrifying!”
With the Devourers joining the fray, the aerial situation immediately shifted from critical to safe. The enemy’s attack, which was barely a step away from destroying the Hive and had reached within ten meters of it, suddenly became like a spent arrow unable to pierce silk, unable to advance further. The three Overlord Phantom Wyverns spent immense effort to eliminate the twenty or so Devourers blocking their path, only to find that another dozen Devourers immediately swarmed up!!
By this time, they were completely smeared with the Devourers' purplish-black phlegm, and beating their wings was extremely strenuous. With these three powerful creatures trapped, the remaining aerial units were being almost slaughtered, putting them at a comprehensive disadvantage.
The combination of a small number of Zerg Devourers mixed with medium-sized Spore Wyverns and a large number of Suicide Bat-flies caused the situation to tilt rapidly in favor of the Zerg forces!
Ten more minutes passed. The three Overlord Phantom Wyverns were undeniably fierce, dispatching ten Devourers through a combination of grabbing and biting. The despair deepened as six newly hatched Devourers flew out, and by then, the three Overlord Phantom Wyverns were covered in wounds. Dealing with just these six Devourers was already immensely difficult, and what was even more crushing was that at least several hundred Spore Wyverns and two to three hundred self-detonating Mosquitoes completely clogged the surrounding airspace!
All other aerial units had been completely annihilated!!!!
The Zerg paid an immense price in this battle, yet they successfully defended their home ground again, wiping out the entire enemy force. That terrifying and tenacious resilience inspired an indescribable respect in Fang Senyan and the others watching from the side. The Black Thorn Brain Bug’s horrific battlefield calculation ability could truly only be described as master-level.
Under these circumstances, the survival chance for the three Overlord Phantom Wyverns was almost zero... However, the pride of kings compelled them to never bow down, never to fear. Fierce light shone in their eyes, and with a loud roar directed at the heavens, they prepared to spill the last drop of blood onto their enemies!
At that moment, a thought struck Fang Senyan, and he utilized the mental link: "Black Thrash Brain Bug! Let them go!"
The Black Thrash Brain Bug hesitated: "My friend, these are three terrifyingly strong creatures. My stored Pandora crystal energy is already low. If I let them go, the next time they mobilize, my losses will be greater; the probability of failing to withstand the next wave is 43.71%!"
Fang Senyan spoke firmly: "This is a golden opportunity to show your sincerity and thus gain the initiative in negotiations! You have already fully demonstrated your personal strength before Mother Gaia! Now is the time to express goodwill and show her that you are not an enemy!"
"These three Overlord Phantom Wyverns are already riddled with wounds, and two of them have sustained injuries to their legs that will be difficult to recover from. In the worst-case scenario: you release them, the negotiation fails, and they return, but at best they will only possess sixty percent of today's strength. The benefit gained from releasing them is far greater! Trust me! You cannot remain an enemy of the will that controls the entire planet's biota, at least not right now!"
The Black Thorn Brain Bug hesitated, clearly communicating with the Mother of Black Thorns deep within its core, and then commanded the Zerg creatures to clear a massive gap, leaving an escape route for the three proud Overlord Phantom Wyverns. Although these proud beings would rather die resisting, that was only when cornered; now that the enemy opened a path to survival, they immediately seized the opportunity, beating their wounded, phlegm-covered wings as they flew away.
The Black Thorn Brain Bug seized the time to continue constructing organic buildings and replenishing Drone workers for ore collection. If there was another wave, these preparations had to be completed. After all, the remaining crystal energy and rare Gas ore energy plundered from that planet were running low.
About ten minutes after the Overlord Phantom Wyverns departed, Fang Senyan suddenly felt a strange sensation: although there was no wind, the leaves of the nearby forest began to sway gently, making a rustling sound. Immediately afterward, fine threads of rain began to fall from the sky. The clouds above had somehow gathered into a vortex shape, and the falling raindrops felt very cool upon the skin. A peculiar scent also permeated the air.
Fang Senyan had never smelled this kind of aroma in the real world, only catching a similar scent on the grass in front of the Valkyrie transport plane not long ago—the scent left behind after the cargo that had drawn the beast tide evaporated.
At this moment, Fang Senyan’s heart finally began to pound, for he knew he was about to face the Na’vi deity, the actual ruler of this planet—Mother Gaia!
Suddenly, on the grassland about a hundred meters from the Zerg base, various roots, bark, soil, and shrubs seemed to gather with their own sentience, forming a statue of a Na’vi female about five meters tall. Fang Senyan noticed that many white, fine threads were mixed in with the soil that formed the statue’s material.
This statue seemed to possess life; it took several steps forward, as if adjusting to its new body. Then it turned and looked over in their direction. Simultaneously, without any apparent movement, a soft voice, tinged with a hint of anger, resonated in the minds of all creatures on this side, including Fang Senyan and his two companions, and within the Black Thorn Zerg—a voice that felt like it was resonating with every cell of the body!
"Outsiders! Leave this place; you are threatening the balance of species across the entire planet. Cease this pointless slaughter!"
The Black Thorn Brain Bug's reply was equally direct and straightforward: "I cannot leave, or I will either perish in the vastness of space or die under the savage Queen's rule. Spirit of the planet's nature, you cannot strip away my right to survival for a potential threat! Otherwise, I would rather fight you to the last drop of blood!"
Gaia, however, raised her hand and pointed toward the Zerg base: "You are too dangerous. If you continue to grow stronger, even I will not be able to stop you!"
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