"Xel'naga?!" Alexei's mind raced as he recalled the lore of this race, which represented the pinnacle of power in the StarCraft universe.
They were a race capable of creating life and guarding the cosmic cycles of reincarnation. If I could actually bring someone like Amon into existence, then wouldn't I... But how exactly had he unlocked the Xel'naga entry? Was it the Emperor's power within Ellie?
"Good grief, can I actually absorb the Emperor's blessings?!" Alexei murmured in shock. Did this mean he could potentially absorb power from the other major entities as well?
But if this unlock didn't grant him any units or buildings, what was its purpose? Alexei's mind was a mess as he puzzled over the situation. Suddenly, he heard movement behind him.
Cradling Ellie, he turned around. Zagara and Abathur had regained consciousness and were shakily pushing themselves up.
"Master. Psionic network suffered impact. Large number of Zerg deceased," Abathur was the first to speak through the network.
Alexei nodded. "Are you two alright?"
"No significant damage," the two Zerg replied simultaneously.
"That's good. Restore the Swarm's combat effectiveness as quickly as possible. The war isn't over yet. As long as we recover faster than the enemy, we can win this war decisively." Alexei adjusted his hold on the sleeping Ellie. After a moment of thought, he placed her back onto the Creep.
"Take good care of her. Inform me immediately if anything changes. Also, do not let her use high-intensity psionics again," Alexei said to the two behemoths as he settled Ellie onto the warm, soft biological mat.
From now on, he would have to restrict Ellie's use of psionics. If a disaster like today's happened again, he might not be able to resolve it; the Emperor wouldn't be there to bail them out every time.
This incident had been far too dangerous. His soul had caught the attention of the Four Gods. Likely due to the unique nature of his soul, he would have to tread very carefully moving forward.
After observing Ellie's condition for a while, Alexei left the Underhive and headed toward the frontline supreme command post.
"Colton... can you hear me?" Alexei sat in his vehicle, attempting to call out to Marshal Colton through the psionic network.
"Uh... I... hear you..." Colton's weakened voice drifted through the network. It was clear he had only just woken up.
Alexei breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried that the humans in the network might have suffered permanent damage, as their bodies were far more fragile than those of the Zerg. Since Colton—who was in the poorest health—was alright, the others should be fine too.
"I'll be there soon. Rest for a bit," Alexei urged the driver to pick up the pace.
Shortly after, he arrived at the headquarters. Entering the room, he saw Colton leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, his hands—hidden by his sleeves—trembling slightly. Lutheka and Diana were in a similar state nearby.
When they saw Alexei enter, they tried to stand to salute, but he waved them down. "No need. Stay seated."
Alexei sat beside them, carefully inspecting their condition. Outwardly, there were no signs of Warp-induced mutations.
"Did you feel anything while you were unconscious?" Alexei asked the weary group.
"At first, a wave of horrific malice flooded my mind through the network, and then I lost consciousness completely..." Colton frowned, trying to recall the experience.
"Same here. But I remember that after losing consciousness, I vaguely arrived in a strange space, and then..." Diana trailed off, also searching her memory.
"And then what?" Alexei pressed.
"I think I saw a cold sun, and then my consciousness was pulled away before I woke up," Diana explained. The others nodded in agreement, having had identical experiences.
"..." Alexei remained silent. That "cold sun" must have been the Emperor's power within Ellie. Had that power been what eroded their consciousness?
But now that he had drained that power, did it mean Ellie would revert to her previous, unstable state?
As Alexei was lost in thought, Lutheka suddenly spoke up. "My Lord, I feel... strange."
Alexei looked over in confusion. Lutheka slowly extended his hand and stared intently at a cup on the table. Suddenly, the cup seemed to be hoisted by an invisible force, slowly lifting off the surface.
As Lutheka lowered his hand, the cup crashed back onto the table. Alexei was stunned by the sight. "You've awakened psionic powers?" Before this, Lutheka had undoubtedly been an ordinary human.
Although his psionic level didn't seem high, he could certainly use it now. How was this possible?
"I think I can as well. And it seems I can hear other people's thoughts," Diana added from the side. "Except for yours, My Lord—I can't seem to reach you."
What? Alexei was bewildered. He had initially thought only Lutheka had awakened, but it seemed it wasn't just him. Had every human connected to the network become a psyker?
As Colton nodded in confirmation, Alexei finally accepted this fact.
Was it because Ellie had been integrated into the network? If so, could he use psionics now too?
He closed his eyes, but after a long while, he opened them in disappointment. Nothing. Was it because he was the owner of the network?
Or was it because... Alexei looked at the Xel'naga category on his panel. What functionality did this actually give me? In the past, every race unlock had provided a massive boost, but this time there was no immediate change.
Is it because the power I devoured wasn't enough? Alexei thought. If he could absorb the Emperor's power, then what about... C'tan shards? He thought of the C'tan, the beings that represented the fundamental laws of the material universe.
He would definitely have to find an opportunity to test that theory in the future, but that was a long way off. For now, he needed to drive the Tyranids away.
He tapped the table to get everyone's attention.
"Because of the psionic storm, we've temporarily lost the aid of the Zerg Swarm, and they won't be able to recover in the short term. Therefore, for the coming battles, we are on our own," Alexei stated.
Colton nodded. "According to reports from the front, the Tyranids have suffered equally heavy losses. Although they are still hitting our lines as they always do, the intensity and numbers are far lower than before."
"Good!" Alexei stood up and looked at everyone. "The time to end this war has come. Tomorrow morning, we launch a general offensive. This time, we will make the roar of our tank engines echo across all of Aiel until not a single Tyranid bug is left in sight."