With a thud, Silent Entropy disengaged from its mounting frame, crashing onto the floor below. Six drones whirred forward, offering a selection of weaponry: two power swords, an arc emitter, a thermal gun, a multi-barrel missile launcher, and an explosive handgun.
Silent Entropy considered for a moment, grasping a power sword in one hand and the explosive handgun in the other. The arc emitter, thermal gun, additional power sword, and missile launcher were secured by the four mechanical arms on its back.
Fully equipped, Silent Entropy joined its counterparts as they teleported to the battlefield, re-entering the fray. In an instant, the serene mothership workshop gave way to the chaos of warfare. From a vantage point atop a hill, Silent Entropy observed the ongoing battle, witnessing the clash of countless comrades and billions of Teren beasts across the plains.
Despite holding steady, Silent Entropy decided it could no longer mindlessly fight alongside the main force; even with its prowess, how many foes could it alone vanquish? Recalling its prior encounter with the tyrant, it remembered the chaotic aftermath among the Teren beasts upon the tyrant's death, how they faltered without coherent defense or retaliation, falling swiftly under attack. The key to hastening this war, it realized, lay in decapitation strikes—assassinating tyrants, those nerve-center organisms of the Teren horde.
Yet Silent Entropy knew it could not achieve this mission alone. Recognizing the need for teamwork, it summoned six agile Ironmen to assist. The battlefield soon answered; six swift Ironmen, seasoned by combat, sped toward Silent Entropy, joining its ranks.
"Excellent," Silent Entropy declared, raising its power sword. "Commence decapitation operations!"
…
Amid the mountains on the southern continent of Hades-1, an isolated Teren swarm was corralled within the highlands, cut off from reinforcements. Though still in contact with the main swarm, it was beyond salvation. Five tyrants, flanked by their guards, orchestrated their forces, probing for weak points in the Ironmen's containment lines, seeking any avenue for escape.
The Hive Mind watched with concern. Days of relentless combat had laid bare the Ironmen's strengths, deducing that it was hazardous for its synaptic organisms to engage alone. The Ironmen, it noted, seemed to instantly share battlefield knowledge among themselves—experience gained by one would swiftly enhance the others. Thus, it resolved, tyrants must stay united.
In mere moments, the Ironmen units enclosing the swarm tightened their hold, advancing with arc emitters and thermal guns, artillery detonating amidst the swarm. The bladed insects of the Teren ranks could only withstand so much before the Ironmen encircled them fully.
Among these Ironmen was a unique figure, a solitary model of its kind and singular in combat style—Silent Entropy. As Silent Entropy entered the battlefield, other Ironmen units withdrew, not retreating but redirecting to other battlefronts. Five tyrants, it appeared, were more than sufficient for Silent Entropy.
"As before," Silent Entropy commanded its agile companions. Without hesitation, they charged toward the tyrants.
The Teren, too, had gained experience. The tyrants maintained a steady ten-meter gap between each other, preparing to counter the swift Ironmen. In a fierce exchange, two Ironmen were dismembered within seconds, and one tyrant lost an arm. As the tyrants moved to attack the remaining Ironmen, Silent Entropy emerged from behind, its power sword descending with a jet of flame, cleaving a tyrant in two.
One of the tyrants, recognizing its intent, awaited nearby, only to strike when Silent Entropy committed to its slash. At that moment, two mechanical arms wielding power swords sprang from Silent Entropy's back, engaging in a brutal clash with the bone-bladed limbs of the tyrant. Ultimately, a sword pierced the tyrant's skull.
Three tyrants remained, free of all agile Ironmen and prepared to fight. Following a brief pause, they leaped at Silent Entropy from three sides.
Silent Entropy's limbs activated, revealing rows of thrusters embedded in its metallic shell. Within seconds, dazzling blue light began to pulse from them.
…
High above, a flying tyrant circled the mountainous battleground. Below, a flash of blue light erupted, forming a blinding sphere nearly two kilometers wide. Two seconds later, the shockwave resounded in the tyrant's ears.
This is what the Hive Mind perceived.
A month had passed since the start of the war. Meanwhile, a human imperial battleship had appeared in the Ball system before disappearing into unknown space. Hostilities unfolded in both Ball and Hades systems, with the Ironmen's efforts in Hades sending ripples of impact toward Ball.
The Hive Mind seethed with hatred and disgust. Ironmen were true nemeses. Unlike even the most perfectly evolved Teren organisms, which relied on a physiological structure to survive, Ironmen seemed to need none—able to implant weaponry throughout any part of their bodies, as exemplified by the clever Ironman, rapidly accelerating this war through its decapitation tactics.
But the Hive Mind had not exhausted its options.
It dispatched a brain bug.
Appearing beside Silent Entropy, the brain bug unleashed psionic flames, reducing it to molten metal. The Hive Mind knew this would not permanently destroy the Ironman; it would simply resurrect, each time with new weapons and capabilities. But any delay, however slight, was valuable.
Watching as the brain bug completed its objective, the Hive Mind promptly ordered it to retreat. Psionic-capable brain bugs, the Hive Mind's ultimate weapon, held a distinct advantage. Ironmen, bound to the physical universe, could indeed be harmed by psionic powers. Killing them, after all, was simple. Oddly, Ironmen had no synaptic organisms, making it impossible to target them in decapitation strikes.
The war would rage on.
Yet, a sense of urgency pressed upon the Hive Mind. The assault on Ball had to intensify. Sacrificing thousands of biowarships, diverting biomass to produce more forces—anything was justified if it hastened the offensive.
If extinction awaited the Hive fleet, then Ball would accompany it into the void.
The Hive Mind resolved, and the biowarships gathered in Hades began their gravitational journey toward Ball.