Chapter 46: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [46]

Rhodes tentatively fired several shots from the Pedanium main cannon at the distant swarm of Tyranid hive ships. Unfortunately, the distance was too great. The combined psionic field shield, supported by more than a dozen hive ships, was too strong for even the Pedanium main cannon to break through. At the same time, a large number of Tyranid escort bio-ships swarmed toward Rhodes. These massive bio-ships ranged between 200 to 300 meters in length—significantly smaller than the Tyranid motherships but still formidable in combat. These escort bio-ships unleashed dense barrages of long-range fire, effectively suppressing Rhodes' small vessel. Moreover, they primarily employed suicidal attacks. When Rhodes destroyed one, it exploded violently, making it clear what would happen if he got hit directly. Previously, Rhodes had eliminated the Kraken swarm, but due to the shared hive mind, the Leviathan swarm also became aware of Rhodes' presence. This time, instead of risking their hive ships, they sent these giant bio-ships to attack from a safe distance, ensuring Rhodes had no opportunity to strike again. After destroying more than a dozen of these massive bio-escorts, Rhodes realized that he could no longer approach the hive ships. Without hesitation, he maneuvered the Pedanium ship and King Joe to retreat, landing on the planet's surface on the opposite side. If they didn't flee now, they would be surrounded by the overwhelming number of Tyranid escort bio-ships. Rhodes was not confident in escaping such an encirclement. Upon landing, Rhodes immediately released two giant kaiju—Bemstar and Red King. "Bemstar, take care of the ground forces and flying units of the hive!" "Red King, just smash everything you see!" Rhodes issued his attack orders to the two monsters. Simultaneously, King Joe also engaged in battle, using its overwhelming firepower to suppress the swarm forces. Standing over 100 meters tall, King Joe was even more terrifying against the hive's ground forces than the other two kaiju. With the appearance of the three giant monsters, some of the Tyranid ground forces instinctively began retreating from Red King. Clearly, the swarm still remembered the fear Red King had instilled in their last battle. Red King, with its short legs, relentlessly pursued the fleeing Tyranid troops. Bemstar, on the other hand, had not been seen by the hive mind before, as it had only appeared after Rhodes had destroyed a hive ship. While it slaughtered a large number of low-level Tyranid units, the true hive consciousness had never encountered it before. As a result, the swarm sent a large number of flying units to deal with Bemstar. A yellow gleam flashed in Bemstar's eyes, and the sharp horn on its head continuously fired yellow lightning bolts, instantly destroying a swooping Harpy. Then, Bemstar opened its abdominal suction organ—it was mealtime. A terrifying suction force erupted from its stomach, pulling in anything nearby, whether on the ground or in the sky. Any Tyranid units that got too close were immediately devoured. Now, the Tyranid forces had witnessed Bemstar's terrifying power. Meanwhile, the swarm sent numerous bio-Titans to attack King Joe. Giant mechanical units like King Joe were a nightmare for the swarm because defeating them required an enormous number of Tyranid forces, yet yielded no biomass in return. To maximize damage output, Rhodes commanded King Joe to split into four parts, bombarding the swarm with its main cannon and Pedanium beams. With two kaiju and one mechanical monster wreaking havoc, Rhodes began preparing for the next phase of battle. His earlier ambush had taken out two hive ships and destroyed over a dozen massive bio-escorts, earning him a considerable amount of system currency. Combined with the 10,000 system coins he had left, Rhodes now had a significant balance. As the three monsters continued battling, his system coins kept increasing. At this moment, Rhodes had two possible upgrade paths: [Spend system coins to enhance the Pedanium ship, increasing its size, main cannon power, armor, and energy shields. This would allow him to endure more attacks and escape if necessary. Upgrading it further might even let him perform another ambush and take down a few more Tyranid hive ships.] [Use all his energy points to summon new kaiju, hoping to get something extraordinary. However, since his in-game shop hadn't been upgraded yet, he could only summon regular kaiju—major bosses from movies or TV specials wouldn't appear.] After careful consideration, Rhodes decided to spend 50,000 system coins on five rounds of ten kaiju summons to bolster his forces. With more kaiju helping him farm Tyranids, he could quickly accumulate more coins for upgrading the Pedanium ship. Against the Tyranid swarm, mechanical kaiju were more advantageous. These metal giants weren't afraid of being torn apart, making them highly cost-effective. Rhodes opened the system shop and initiated the kaiju summoning, specifically selecting mechanical kaiju. A series of loot boxes exploded in flashes of light. This time, Rhodes obtained over 60 kaiju fragments, with half of them being mechanical kaiju. Among them: [27 mechanical kaiju fragments] The rest were standard kaiju fragments Rhodes acquired: [Ace Robot] [Dimensional Ace Killer] [Iron King] [More King Joe fragments] Notably, Ace Robot reached 10 fragments, meaning Rhodes could immediately synthesize it without needing other filler monsters. Meanwhile: [Iron King: 7 fragments] [Ace Killer: 6 fragments] [King Joe: +2 fragments] As for the remaining standard kaiju, most were low-tier monsters, though he did obtain a few fragments of Red King, Gomora, and Golza—which were relatively valuable. Rhodes immediately synthesized Ace Robot in his system space. [Ace Robot (Mechanical Ace Ultraman)] [Height: 40 meters] [Weight: Several tons] [Origin: Created by the Yapool to test Ace Killer's power] [Abilities:] [Mechanical Metallium Ray, a mechanical version of Ace Ultraman's signature energy attack] [Comparable physical combat power to Ace Ultraman] [Highly durable body armor] In the original series, Ace Robot was incredibly tanky, enduring: Three Spacium Beams, Two Emerium Beams, One Ultra Bracelet attack, One M78 Nebula Beam, before finally being destroyed. Essentially, Ace Robot was a weaker version of Ace Ultraman, but with higher durability and attack power—the only downside being slower movements. However, in this world, compared to some Titan-class units, Ace Robot's speed would still be relatively fast. Additionally, Rhodes' summoned Ace Robot could be enhanced through kaiju upgrades, making it far superior to the original slow-moving tank from the show.