If the initial version of the Ixith Goliath functioned like a giant siege engine that was most suitable to smash fortifications apart, then the transformed version was clearly a lot more optimized to massacre enemy champions!
The loss of so much bulk did not diminish its lethality in the slightest.
Instead, it had become a much more threatening opponent against the remaining human combatants due to how much faster and more nimbler it had become!
The other Goliath strains had never exhibited any transformations where they drastically altered their biological configurations.
This had caused red humanity to develop an assumption that no Goliaths were capable of transforming into different forms on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, they were wrong.
The Goliath Hive never showed off this capability in the past because it was simply not worth it to include such a costly and complex ability to large versions of cannon fodder.
The Ixith Goliath was special. The value of the Incubator spawn vastly exceeded that of its lesser kind.
The timing was excellent. The defenders had used up a significant amount of resources to damage its original form.
The Level 8 Goliath had also utilized its massive form to smash enough orbital fortresses to deplete the current quadrant.
While it was still possible for the remaining fortified space stations to relocate and fill up the gaps in the orbital defense network, this was a very slow and cumbersome process, and could not be relied upon for the remainder of this battle.
Not that it mattered this time.
The transformed Ixith Goliath became a much smaller target, so large guns would find it a nightmare to land a single hit at longer ranges.
Combined with the megavoribug's vastly improved mobility, many long-ranged armaments had lost their effectiveness when employed against this enemy!
"Our hit rate has dropped to single digits! Its flight is too fast and unpredictable!"
"Be careful not to hit our allies! Friendly fire will only make everything worse."
"Where are our gravitic energy generators? We need to slow it down at all costs! It is tearing apart the giants!"
The Ixith Goliath prioritized easier targets over tougher ones.
While the Rubarthan ace mechs did their best to block and fight back against the transformed Goliath, the transformed alien creature exhibited a great amount of cunning.
It flexibly utilized its sinuous alien form to circle around the ace mechs so that it could strike at more vulnerable targets.
Currently, those targets consisted of the Ascended Giants.
The Ur-Titans had become a high priority to the voribugs!
Their superdimensional arms tore gaps into its exoskeleton, but they had also suffered damage in return.
All of the Ur-Titans fought with damaged raiments at this time. Prior claw strikes had damaged their superdimensional armor plating, making it easier for the lethal Goliath to pounce on them and tear their remaining protection apart!
The Ascended Giants became alarmed, but they did not panic.
They grouped up and tried to leverage their numbers against the Ixith Goliath, yet the megavoribug still took advantage of its significantly greater bulk and size and accepted all of the incoming attacks in order to grap hold of another Ur-Titan!
The elite soldier turned human phase lord roared and counterattacked with his superdimensional halberd, but just like his predecessor, the many-limbed Goliath forcibly took hold of the shaft and utilized its superior strength to wrench the weapon from the giant's gauntlets!
"No! My weapon!"
The Ixith Goliath did not hesitate to turn the weapon around and plunge its razor-sharp tip straight through the chest plating!
Seconds passed as the Level 8 Goliath violently utilized its stolen implement to savage and tear apart the human phase lord's true body!
The remaining Ascended Giants became horrified. The changes happened too quickly.
In one moment, the Ixith Goliath presented itself as a massive but fairly clumsy insect.
In the next moment, it had become a leaner, meaner and far more lethal killing machine!
It was clear that the Ixith Goliath's second form was far more suitable in dueling against enemy champions.
Perhaps it was trying to work its way up to defeating the Rubarthan ace mechs that had done an adequate job of harassing it, because the Ixith Goliath went out of its way to collect the precious medium-grade superdimensional halberds!
Ves and the other soldiers grew especially alarmed when the Goliath's body grew malleable enough to the point where it could integrate the shafts of both stolen halberds into its forelimbs!
The halberd blades had essentially taken over the role of its claws!
"It… it is stealing our weapons!"
"It is worse… the Goliath is assimilating them. We are in for a much more dangerous fight." Ves grimly concluded.
"Sir! I am ordering our giants to withdraw!" The Divine Harpoon urgently transmitted to his superior. "We are not equipped to fight against this Goliath! The scope of this battle has vastly exceeded our mission parameters. Its threat level has skyrocketed now that it has acquired its latest set of weapons. I insist that you accompany us as well."
The Dark Apostle frowned. He did not want to retreat, especially after seeing two of his subordinates getting carved apart in front of his eyes. What kind of warrior would he be if he allowed himself to lose his courage after witnessing such an insulting display?
Yet warriors that foolishly charged towards an opponent while being heavily outmatched never tended to live very long.
The main reason why he hesitated about this decision was because his situation was a lot better than the others.
He was the only giant that possessed a set of full high-grade superdimensional gear.
The defensive properties of his raiment was vastly superior, and the sharpness of his Withering Sting exceeded that of the stolen weapons.
As the leader of the Phase Lord Department, the Dark Apostle felt a strong sense of responsibility for his subordinates, both living and dead.
He could not allow himself to back off when he still had a chance to exact revenge on this monster!
Still, just because he maintained the resolve to fight did not mean he had lost all of his rationality.
"Ves. Do you think we have a chance?"
"Difficult to say, really. Our gear is superior, but our overall strength and scale is subpar. The transformed Goliath is still very large and strong. If your skills and intuition are not up to par, the enemy will wrench the Withering Sting from your grasp before you know it. Even if we set aside this possibility, those superdimensional halberds pose a credible threat against your life. Sure, they are only made out of hull-grade superdimensional alloys, but the megavoribug is already amplifying their performance with its stolen resonance."