Fang Senyan suddenly became alert: "If that is the case, the move to maximize benefit should be to open a breakthrough from that position—yes, precisely there! Aldaris, that idiot, has also run over there.
Hmm, this is a golden opportunity for the Zerg!" Having deduced the Brain Bug's next offensive thrust, Fang Senyan cautiously began maneuvering toward that sector.
Of course, this didn't imply the Protoss commander was less discerning than Fang Senyan; it was simply that Fang Senyan benefited from the advantage of an outside observer, and even if he knew the Zerg's next target, he would be powerless to stop it.
Because this time, the Zerg attack was launched entirely underground! The terrain of the Protoss encampment was already disadvantageous, situated on a gentle slope, allowing the Zerg to attack from a 180-degree frontal arc.
If they tried to extend the attack front further, they would be constrained by the cliffs on either side, forcing an aerial assault.
This attack front was already broad, but then, a full thirty-eight Lurkers began churning violently into the sides of the hill! This induced a massive collapse, the consequence of which was transforming the cliffs blocking ground troops into a gradual slope, expanding the Zerg's attack angle from 180 degrees to 240 degrees.
More maliciously, the landslide also affected more than ten Protoss structures built atop the slope, completely destroying those buildings that produced units due to their destabilized foundations! Aldaris happened to be precisely in the area of the collapse.
He and a portion of his resting and resupplying troops were violently thrown about within the debris.
By the time they regained their bearings, the surging tide of Zerg was already crashing down upon them.
Unstable underfoot, Aldaris and his contingent were cut off from the main base.
Stripped of their advantageous terrain and defensive fortifications, their annihilation was a matter of mere moments! Fortunately, at this critical juncture, the Heroic Transporter roared into view.
Its massive capacity instantly loaded three Golden Behemoths and one High Templar! They were quickly deployed at a distance, initiated an attack—the Golden Behemoths spitting fire and the High Templar unleashing Psionic Storm—and were then rapidly evacuated.
Instantly, the terrifying Photon Blasts vomited forth by the three Golden Behemoths, combined with the High Templar's Psionic Storm, violently carved a momentary escape corridor through the battlefield—this was Aldaris's lifeline.
Although this cleared path would close within seconds, it was infinitely better than being trapped and helpless! Undoubtedly, all Protoss forces surged madly toward this temporary void, unleashing extraordinary potential driven by the instinct for survival! However, the Zerg closed in just as swiftly, squeezing inward simultaneously from both flanks, peeling away the desperate breakthrough forces layer by layer! Though Aldaris had cunningly hidden at the very core, there is an old saying: if the skin is gone, where can the hair attach? Ultimately, he could not escape the fate of being overwhelmed! Just then, Aldaris marshaled his final reserves of energy and hurled a Psionic Storm directly ahead.
He screamed as he charged into the very storm he had unleashed, his energy shield value plummeting drastically.
It is worth noting that the Praetorians were extremely peculiar units.
In the game data: a standard Praetorian possessed an abnormally high energy shield of 300 points, yet its core life force was pathetically meager at only 10 points, illustrating its inherent abnormality.
Aldaris, in essence, was one shattered shield away from instant annihilation! However, at this critical juncture, he swallowed a Potion of Honor, instantly restoring his shield to full.
He finally escaped, utterly disheveled and covered in the acidic residue of Zerglings.
The once sacred and imposing white orb of the Praetorian was utterly ruined, transformed into something resembling moldy, green-tinged bread.
Running alongside Aldaris was the Zealot wielding the dual hammers** (Zealots inherently possessed a passive speed boost, so running fast was expected), and a Heroic Dragon Knight.
This Dragon Knight possessed two extra mechanical legs compared to its counterparts, giving it an added advantage in flight; its defining characteristics were speed—it flew fast and attacked fast, its firing rate being four times that of a standard Dragon Knight, with a chance to launch two Photon Blasts simultaneously.
These three core units, trailed by about a dozen battered remnants, relentlessly chased toward Fang Senyan’s hiding spot.
The enraged Zerg forces pursued them; having already gained the upper hand in the overall engagement, they were hardly about to allow their enemies to escape.
At this moment, the Protoss main base seemed on the verge of collapse, but this time, the large, blood-red hand structure swallowed two Arbiters simultaneously.
Two crystal pylons fractured, but what emerged was a single, blood-red portal, conspicuously massive.
Following this, a gigantic red Carrier slowly emerged, exuding immense pressure and an indescribable aura of dominance! The Heroic Carrier had finally manifested.
Appearing behind the Heroic Carrier were eleven Heroic Corsairs.
These Corsairs were mottled with blood-red markings on their hulls, possessed astonishing attack power, and unusually thick defenses and health pools.
These eleven Heroic Corsairs adopted a furiously suicidal tactic, initiating a full-scale hunt for the Zerg Overlords scattered across the battlefield.
Earlier, to mask the approaching Queens, the Zerg had sacrificed a significant number of Overlords to absorb damage in their stead.
Now, relentlessly pursued by these Heroic Corsairs, the nearby Overlords were completely wiped out, despite the eleven Corsairs themselves being annihilated in the process.
Immediately after the Overlords were cleared, the Dark Templar, deliberately stockpiled, were thrown into the fray.
The Zerg suddenly found themselves in the awkward position of lacking anti-cloaking capabilities, while the attack power of the Dark Templar was quite terrifying.
Thus, the situation stabilized into a stalemate once more.
The Zerg could still not breach the Protoss main base; the damage output from the large contingent of Dark Templar was simply too immense.
Moreover, the Zerg were currently taking damage without inflicting proportional returns.
Now, turning attention to the Zerg contingent pursuing Aldaris and his group.
Evidently, the emphasis in a "pursuit" lies entirely on the 'chase.' If you cannot even keep up, what use is 'killing'? Therefore, the pursuing Zerg forces consisted exclusively of highly mobile units: a mixed formation of Zerglings, Ultralisks, and Spore Broodlings.
Under normal circumstances, the transformed Praetorian Aldaris was the natural counter to Zerglings and Spore Broodlings, but that was only when their numbers were limited.
To expect his battered remnants to engage a swarm—no, scratch that, to face dozens of Broodlings, hundreds of Zerglings, and three Ultralisks—was courting certain death.
These battle-hardened Protoss warriors, having fled several kilometers, suddenly split into three groups to scatter.
This beneficial turn forced the pursuing Zerg units to divide as well, a development that brought a slight smile to Fang Senyan's face! Therefore, Fang Senyan made no attempt to conceal himself; he stood up from his hiding spot and waved vigorously toward Aldaris, who immediately bolted toward the hill where Fang Senyan was concealed.
Fang Senyan had no time for explanations, simply shouting: "Psionic Storm! Target yourself!" Aldaris’s eyes bulged.
To unleash a Psionic Storm in this situation, with himself as the target! The enemy would certainly be caught full-on, but Psionic Storm damage was continuous and multi-hit; even the lowest-health Zergling wouldn't be instantly killed but would die after one or two attacks! If he followed Fang Senyan's instruction, barring a miracle, he would be caught between the Psionic Storm and the Zerg forces simultaneously! Without the Potion of Honor, his demise would be certain! However, Aldaris hesitated for only half a second before following Fang Senyan’s order, reasoning that Fang Senyan had no discernible reason to want him dead.
The blue-white electrical energy tore across the sky once more, raging violently between heaven and earth.
But at this moment, Aldaris was astonished to find his health decreasing incredibly slowly.
Looking closely, he noticed a new status effect suddenly affixed to him: "You have gained the Awakening Skill: Blessing of the Survival Mark." "Awakener 1018 has marked you, greatly enhancing your survivability.
For the next three seconds, 75% of any damage taken by the target will be shared by this Awakener.
The sharing calculation begins with the theoretical damage value before defenses and various damage reductions are applied." The duration of the Psionic Storm was three seconds, calculating damage once per second.
Fang Senyan's Survival Mark perfectly intercepted the peak damage spike directed at Aldaris.
By the time the Survival Mark expired, the Zerglings and the vast majority of Spore Broodlings within range were already dead.
All that remained to contend with were two Ultralisks.
Aldaris still had at least half of his energy shield remaining, which was more than enough for him to survive.
At this point, Fang Senyan leaped down from the adjacent cliff face, positioning himself in front of Aldaris, and casually tossed a vial of Curse Potion, enveloping the immediate area in a dense cloud of green smoke.
Unexpectedly, Aldaris began shouting furiously: "You bastard, your curse potion is affecting me!" Fang Senyan lunged forward abruptly, slamming into an charging Ultralisk.
His monstrous strength prevented even the standard Ultralisk from budging him! Simultaneously, without looking back, he roared at Aldaris: "Do I need to teach you how? You are supposed to be recognized as a Hero unit; invite me as an ally of the Protoss!" "No! I am different from them; I came here voluntarily to participate; I am not an invited hero, so I don't have the authorization! Ah!! What kind of terrible MT are you doing? This damn Ultralisk is hammering my shield!" Aldaris continued to scream, "RS
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