I Am The Swarm

Unfortunately, by now, it was too late to “escape.” The encirclement was nearly complete.

Diverting most of their energy to the engines made the already sparse bombardment from the Swarm even less effective. The First Fleet seized the opportunity and advanced into firing range.

After enduring more than ten days of one-sided bombardment, the Riken gunners were brimming with rage. With their energy gauges maxed out, they unleashed a torrent of red energy beams into the path of the clustered Primordial bodies.

The Riken’s energy weapons had a much higher rate of fire compared to electromagnetic railguns. Under their full assault, the resulting display resembled a downpour of light.

Even though the Primordial bodies possessed strong resistance to energy weapons, charging headlong into such overwhelming firepower would still result in devastating damage.

With a rain of light blocking their path ahead and minefields threatening their flanks, the Swarm forces were forced to evade the attacks by retreating.

However, this maneuver effectively nullified their original retreat plan.

Faced with the choice of being destroyed now or a little later, the Swarm commander chose the latter.

The Primordial bodies briefly hesitated before the entire fleet pivoted, cutting across a section of the minefield and retreating further back.

At that moment, the voice of Novaul, the Second Fleet’s fleet commander, crackled over the communication channel. “Haha! Nicely done, Hamis! We’re almost there!”

The Swarm’s forced retreat was visible to the two reinforcement fleets, boosting their morale.

An hour might seem like a long time, but in space combat, it was merely a few rounds of bombardment. The time would pass quickly, and the Swarm fleet, having turned and retreated, would find it incredibly difficult to reorganize their formation and attempt another breakthrough of the encirclement. There simply wouldn’t be enough time.

This indicated that the Riken’s first-phase tactical plan had been achieved, prompting Novaul’s hearty laughter.

The Swarm forces clearly understood their predicament. They didn’t attempt to force their way through the minefields and firepower network again. Instead, they redirected more power to their engines, accelerating toward the inner region of the Riken star system.

“Be careful! They’re like cornered dogs now! Novaul, get to your position immediately. If you let them into the inner circle, you’ll end up sipping tea with Masai at headquarters!”

“Damn it!” Novaul couldn’t help but curse.

Masai, after suffering a military defeat, had been stripped of command and relegated to a special advisory role at headquarters. The implication of “sipping tea” with him was clear—Novaul’s failure would cost him his command as well.

That damned Hamis. He might look like a decent person, but his words were venomous. Once this battle was over, Novaul swore he’d find an excuse to brawl with him.

Novaul’s naturally fiery temper had not been subdued by his rank. He had often clashed with Masai in the past, and adding another rival to his roster of brawls seemed par for the course.

Despite his temper, Novaul’s military acumen was undeniable—otherwise, he wouldn’t have risen to his current position.

With over 780 warships in his Second Fleet, their engines pushed to the limit, Novaul ordered an even greater burst of speed.

In truth, the situation wasn’t as dire as it appeared. The Swarm’s actions had been anticipated by the Riken, and this retreat path was already laden with minefields.

Novaul’s task was to block a relatively small area. Even without accelerating, he would likely have sealed the gap in time. However, there was always a slim chance that a portion of the Primordial bodies might break through. Though the likelihood was low, it wasn’t zero.

Thus, it was better to act swiftly. Even if a few units did manage to escape, it wouldn’t pose a major issue or warrant a demotion. Still, any such lapse would leave a blemish on his record.

The Second Fleet, advancing at full speed, ultimately made no errors and successfully blocked the Swarm’s path before they could escape. At the same time, the Third Fleet arrived at its designated position, completing the encirclement.

“Drive them toward Planet Raze!” Hamis shouted over the communication channel.

“I don’t need you to tell me!” Novaul snapped back, clearly holding a grudge.

From four directions, three fleets sealed off all but one escape route, leaving only the path toward Planet Raze open—a deliberate move.

“Haha, they’ve left us an opening. Excellent. As they wish, full speed ahead!” At Sarah’s command, the Primordial bodies pivoted and surged toward Planet Raze.

As the Swarm spotted the “gap” in the encirclement and cooperatively advanced toward it, the communication channels of the three Riken fleets buzzed with celebratory chatter, as if the battle had already been won.

Indeed, with their ammunition nearly depleted, the Swarm fleet appeared like lambs awaiting slaughter.

The Swarm and Planet Raze were on a collision course. Within a short time, the two would intersect. Meanwhile, on Planet Raze, the Riken forces revealed their true strength.

Camouflage coverings were stripped away, exposing the artificial constructs beneath. Massive steel bases, thick artillery barrels, and densely packed ground defense systems sprawled across the planet’s surface.

Over a thousand fusion reactors powered these colossal war machines. As their terrifying energy gathered, beams of red light erupted from the muzzles.

These land-based turrets were significantly cheaper to produce than warships, allowing for far greater numbers. At this moment, over 30,000 turrets opened fire, unleashing firepower several times more ferocious than that of the three fleets combined.

This was the Riken’s trump card—their confidence in consuming the Swarm vanguard with minimal losses.

All their earlier maneuvers had been to force the Swarm into this direction, bringing them within the effective range of the planet’s ground-based artillery.

Although this tactic was limited to Planet Raze and could only be used once—the Swarm wouldn’t fall for the same trick again—it didn’t matter. These powerful planetary defenses would turn Planet Raze into an unyielding fortress planted squarely in the Swarm’s path.

Any Swarm forces attempting to pass near it would have to contend with its formidable firepower. This “nail” would disrupt their operations and require constant strategic attention, significantly hindering their movements and consuming their resources.

Faced with the overwhelming barrage of energy beams, the Riken commanders expected the Swarm to prioritize evasion and retreat, then attempt to break through the encirclement by attacking the three fleets.

However, turning around and reorganizing their formation would take time. During this delay, the three fleets could concentrate their firepower to disrupt the Swarm’s rhythm and pin them down.

Under the combined assault of land-based artillery and fleet weaponry, the Swarm would quickly collapse.

Once scattered, the Swarm forces would lose the ability to breach the encirclement and could be methodically destroyed.

Victory in this battle wouldn’t just bring glory and honor; it would also erase the stain of Masai’s earlier defeat, bolster the morale of the Riken people, and quash lingering doubts. Future military operations would proceed far more smoothly.

But this was nothing more than wishful thinking.

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