Star Citizen Online: Isekai Edition

Chapter 131 Attacking the Arachnid Nest (2)

There was practically no better species at detecting the Psionic Energy aside from the Mind Flayers than the Arachnids. Zehal retrofitted the Psychic Disruptor Device into the Device that would be releasing a particular type of Psionic Energy that could be registered only by the Arachnids.

At the same time, this signal would drive them into a frenzy, and they would desperately search for the source of the signal because they would perceive it as an ultimate threat to their very own existence.

One of the primary forms of communication between the bugs was done through the Psionic Energy; the Arachnids were species that could expertly and masterfully read the Psionic Energy Signatures and then determine if something was a threat or not.

They were able to tell if someone was going to attack them just based on the residual remnants of the Psionic Energy in the environment that was released by a person, which was a very common tactic for the bugs.

Zehal was refitting the Psychic Disruptor Device to release the frequency that would imitate the signals for attack or, rather, an all-out attack on the Nest, which would force the bugs to attack first.

"Are you done?"

Arcturus asked Zehal, who was finishing some things on the device because it seemed that everything would be done soon enough.

"Soon... I need to recalibrate it to increase the power output. The only real problem without a plan is the presence of the Pseudo Queen Bug and Brain Bug, whose Psionic powers and skills are far even above our own. Even if they register this signal, they would be able to use their Psionic Powers to scour the area and see if the threat is real or not. Even if it is true, they would just stay cooped up in their fortress. So, we need to do something else."

Zehal said as Jeniael started listening to the Heiress Appaerent of the Hosue Alvix, who was explaining their plan against the Arachnids.

"We need to aim at the lower types of Arachnids, release signal so strong that it would overwhelm their instincts to the degree where nothing that the Brain Bug or Pseudo Queen Bug would do won't be enough to overwhelm the signal that we would be releasing and force them out."

Zehal's plan was rather straightforward and simple.

She would receive such a strong signal that it would drive the bugs into a frenzy that they would rush out of the Nest without a second thought. Not to mention, the attack on their senses and instincts must be so strong that nothing that the Brain Bug or Pseudo Queen Bug would do won't be enough to reign the bugs in.

"How many could you draw out through this strategy?"

Arcturus asked because it was actually a very good plan.

"More than half, for sure. However, most of them would be just the lowest rugs of the colony in there. With the explosives that I have planted through the nanobots and torrents constructed in the perimeter around the Nest, we should exterminate them very fast. If we are indeed lucky, this commotion would attract some powerful beast into the depths of the Frostearth Valley, and the bugs would need to send some of their stronger ones to deal with them."

Most of the bugs that would fall into this trap would be primarily Warrior Bugs, Scouting Bugs, Working Drone Bugs, and perhaps with some luck, some Tiger Warrior Bugs and Guardian Bugs that were far from the Brain Bug or Pseudo Queen Bug.

The closer the bugs were to the Brain Bug or the Pseudo Queen Bug, the greater the effect of their Psionic Control over the other bugs was. The farther they were, the weaker their control would be and is.@@@@

"Well, luring out the Titan Bug or Praetorian Bugs is just a pipe dream; they have too high individuality and willpower to resist their instincts."

The instincts and senses of the Arachnids were their strongest side, but at the same time, it was also their greatest weakness. If one knew how, it was pretty easy to exploit the weakness; their senses, and instincts became their death.

Precisely what they were doing right now.

It was a rather laborious task, but it was being entirely handled by Zehal because, due to the Super-High Risk Psyker Ability Deus Technicus, she was the sole person who could do something like this.

With precise control over her nanobots, she had already laid down several huge packs of explosives and also constructed a lot of turrets that would be skewering the Arachnids exiting the Nest with their precision energy-based weaponry.

He understood that without Zehal's participation in this mission, their chances for success would most probably be zero. Jenaiel was entirely useless in this scenario because her Super-High Risk Psyker Ability Holy Judgment God, while being extremely overpowered, was useless against the large swaths of enemies.

They moved with terrifying speed and coordination, pouring out of the Nest like a flood of living death. What surprised the trio of the Highborne Asuryani was the fact that aside from what they already anticipated, the Warrior Bugs, Scouting Bugs, and other lesser forms of the Arachnid lifeforms, there were also good numbers of Tiger Warrior Bugs, several huge Guardian Bugs, and even one titanic Titan Bug.

Especially the Guardian Bugs and Titan Bug were like huge entities of flesh and bone, their massive, bloated bodies bristled with spines and exuding noxious fumes. They lumbered forward, their sheer size and weight causing the ground to shudder with each step.

"We managed to lure even one Titan Bug... this wasn't really in the expectations."

Arcuturs muttered to Jenaiel who was standing together with him in front of the armored vehicle as they observed the Arachnids that were swarming out of their Nest. While they believed that some more powerful bugs would be lured out, they didn't really think that they would manage to lure out the Titan Bug.

Titan Bugs are the 'heavy tanks' of the Arachnid species, known for their immense size, which could reach some really ridiculous dimensions, strength, and thick armor. These bugs posed a significant threat due to their ability to pulverize anything in their path using their sheer weight and power.

Titan Bugs had several strengths. They are incredibly strong because they were practically unmatched at the same Grade and could even compete against those a few Grades above them in the aspect of physical strength and heavy armor, making them nearly unstoppable on the battlefield.

The regeneration factor of Titan Bug was also something equally frightening as the Titan Bug wasn't supposed to be just a tank; it was also supposed to destroy everything in its path, which made this bug even more dangerous. Arcturus noticed that the concrete Titan Bug was at the Gamma-Grade, and even he didn't really feel that confident in dealing with such an opponent that easily.

However, they also have significant weaknesses. Titan Bugs were slow and had relatively poor target recognition, which can be exploited by agile and strategic attacks. While it wasn't really that bad compared to the other species, when their opponent was significantly faster and more agile, it proved a terrible match for the Titan Bug.

Additionally, they have two critical weak points, the underside of their head and a small spot on their back. The primary attack capability of Titan Bugs is their flamethrower-like ranged attack and capability to release lightning bots from their antennas, which can cut through armor and cause devastating damage.

At close range, they use their massive legs to crush enemies. The chances to survive after being hit by their legs were pretty low, like very, very low. On the other side, the lighting attacks consumed a lot of Psionic Energy to use consistently, yet the Titan Bug could unleash tremendously high destructive power with those lightning bolts.

As this was a Gamma-Grade Bug, Arcutus predicted that even he would be killed in one hit from the Titan Bug's lighting. Usually, the Titan Bugs used the lighting ability only in critical situations because they could use it only a few times until they ran out of Psionic Energy.

On the contrary, their fire-breathing ability was just a biological thing that was generated through the gases that the Titan Bug produced in its body.

"Well, this certainly complicates a situation, don't you think?"

Jenaiel also frowned a bit because the presence of the Titan Bug made matters complicated.

On the one hand, it was good that they managed to hit such a powerful bug from the Nest, yet at the same time, the Titan Bug could protect a large number of bugs from the ambush, which complicated matters a bit.

"Possible, but we can't be sure. Zehal's explosives and turrets should be powerful enough to at least injure the Titan Bug significantly, and hopefully, the Silver-Horned Tattooed Bears will finish the job for us."

Arcturus, too, wasn't really that happy about the Titan Bug's appearance. It was too powerful for the first phase of their plan, which was meant to deal with the low rug bugs and reduce their numbers as much as possible.

The colossal Titan Bug that appeared on the battlefield was 15 meters high and around 50 meters long. To him, it looked like a living siege machine.

"Then we can only hope that Zehal will take care of it."

Jeniael earnestly hoped that her rival would be able to handle the Titan Bug because the Titan Bug could just right now storm through the minefield and take most of the damage on himself, which would basically make a large part of their plan useless.

"Look... they are releasing the Scouting Bugs..."

Arcturus pointed at the swarm of flying bugs that were in the sky that was circling above the swarm that was spreading out across the valley, a living tide of chitin and claws. Countless Worker Drone Bugs, Warrior Bugs, and other types of Bugs were already heading towards the minefield and were just a few steps away from being blasted into the smithereens.

Above them, flying Arachnids, sleek, winged bugs, took to the air, their wings beating with a low, ominous drone as they circled above the swarm, ready to dive on, scout the area, or go after the possible enemies.