I Am The Swarm-Chapter 811: Taking the Initiative

The Ji Race paid a certain price, contracting their defensive line by over a hundred light-years. That reduction alone covered an immense area—nearly thirty percent of their original territory.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the Ji Race had nowhere left to retreat.

Naturally, they were well aware of their predicament. But in the face of overwhelming strength, they had few options.

Soon, a new defensive line was established.

Due to the contraction, the density of troops per unit area for the Ji Race increased significantly, and this region also housed more Battle Stars. For the Swarm to break through this line, the cost would be far greater.

Fortunately for them, this new defensive ring lacked those troublesome minefields. The first reason was that the Ji Race no longer had the spare resources to produce those empty mines. The second was that with their territory now reduced, they had lost the strategic flexibility of trading space for time.

When the Swarm arrived at the Ji Race’s new defensive line, it was still incomplete, riddled with numerous vulnerabilities. Yet the Swarm did not seize this opportunity to attack. Their own forces had not yet fully assembled either, and due to warp travel, their formations were somewhat scattered. A hasty assault would likely backfire on the Swarm.

The Ji Race was now a turtle in a jar—cut off from external resource supply and surviving on whatever old reserves they had. So, it was they who should be anxious. All the Swarm had to do was advance steadily.

Once a sufficient number of Swarm units had reached the new defensive line, they began openly constructing Star Gates—after all, the original gates were over a hundred light-years away. Even with warp travel, it would take Primordial bodies more than ten years to arrive. The Desolation-Class Motherships and Planetary War Bugs would take even longer.

If the Ji Race managed to pull off some new trick or launched a counterattack, the Swarm’s slow reinforcement speed could lead to catastrophic losses. So it was imperative to set up a new support system first.

More than five thousand Star Gates were constructed simultaneously—enough to cover the Ji Race’s newly shrunken defensive line.

The Ji Race understood: once the new Swarm Star Gates were completed, the situation would once again devolve into what it had been before, with their lines drowned in endless waves of Swarm reinforcements.

“The Swarm is just too powerful.” At this moment, the Confederation races—reduced to mere ornaments clinging to the victor—cheered fanatically.

“Yeah.”

“Hmph, all they’ve got is numbers, no real tech involved.”

“Being able to rely on numbers is a skill too. If you’ve got what it takes, go muster that many yourself.”

“Pfft…”

“Looks like the Swarm has this in the bag.”

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“Of course. We don’t even know where the core of the Swarm race is, or how vast their full strength is. They probably haven’t even gotten serious yet.”

“Heh…”

“…”

The chatter of these hangers-on had no impact on the two forces in battle. Even if their words reached Lumina, they likely wouldn’t stir a single ripple.

“Overlord, the Ji Race is moving.”

In the vast, unobstructed void of space, neither side could hide their troop movements. The Swarm quickly noticed the abnormal activity—some Ji warships had their thrusters continuously preheating, switching on and off. Various models of transport vessels were shuttling rapidly between the ships. These erratic maneuvers caught their attention immediately.

“Looks like the Ji Race is about to make a move.”

“They still dare to come out?”

“What else can they do? They won’t just watch us build Star Gates unopposed.”

Now that they no longer relied on flesh-and-blood units, the Ji Race’s logistical burden had decreased drastically. Their ships’ former life-support systems and onboard greenhouses had all been converted into hangars and munitions bays. As a result, their combat strength had even increased slightly.

The Swarm was indeed at its most vulnerable right now. Constructing five thousand Star Gates had consumed a large number of Primordial bodies, leaving their once-dense forces visibly thinned.

At the same time, reinforcements had not yet arrived. Desolation-Class Motherships and Planetary War Bugs were still en route to the front. Only Primordial bodies and Puffer Cannonfishs were holding the line, and they lacked numerical superiority. If the Ji Race wanted to break the blockade, now truly was the best time.

After more than half a year of preparation, the Ji Race had finally assembled their forces—nearly half of their defensive troops were split into five thousand teams, launching a full assault on the Swarm’s line.

Because the Star Gates under construction were immobile, the Swarm could only defend against the attack. The Primordial bodies formed a chained defensive formation, while the Puffer Cannonfish arranged themselves into rows, pouring out a storm of firepower.

The Ji Race had no way out. They advanced at full speed under the Swarm’s barrage. Fortunately, their powerful energy output systems allowed them to continue delivering full firepower even while charging, preventing them from becoming sitting ducks.

The assault didn’t go smoothly. Although the Swarm’s defense was at its weakest, they wouldn’t have dared to build five thousand Star Gates right in the enemy’s face if they hadn’t anticipated that the Ji Race might strike at this moment. Since they went ahead with the plan regardless, they must have been confident in their preparations.

While the Swarm forces were somewhat sparse, that was only in relative terms. On the front lines, their numbers were still staggering.

Moreover, the forces guarding the Star Gates were just a fraction of the total. A massive number of units were still patrolling the Ji Race’s defensive line. That was also why only half of the Ji Race’s troops could be deployed for the assault—the rest were tied down, unable to move freely.

This was a battle that had to be resolved quickly. From the moment both sides engaged, the intensity of the conflict spiked dramatically.

Beams of immense energy streaked across the battlefield, destroying anything they touched. Colossal metallic constructs moved through the fire, slowly but purposefully. Their orderly formations flickered with lights, and from afar, their combined illumination resembled a moving Galaxy.

Elsewhere, savage and terrifying space beasts shouldered massive cannon turrets. Gray-black energy masses spewed forth, while thick tentacles swung with force. Segmented biological lights sparked with electric blue across their bodies, outlining a beautiful cluster of stars in space.

And hidden behind that star cluster was a behemoth, cloaked in shadow. Aside from its occasional bioluminescent pulses, it made no sound. In the vastness of battle the between the ‘galaxy’ and the ‘cluster of stars’, it appeared insignificant—but it was the key to this entire battle.

Eventually, the ‘galaxy’ collided with the ‘cluster of stars’, attempting to deliver its payload directly to the hidden giant. But a wall of Primordial bodies in full defensive posture blocked the attack, crushing their hopes.

The Puffer Cannonfishs seized the opportunity to launch a coordinated volley, their barrage tearing a bloody gap into the ‘galaxy’.

The Ji fleet took a hit. They couldn’t completely ignore the Puffer Cannonfish formations, so they pivoted their guns to suppress them. But they hadn’t given up. They split off several squads, still trying to strike at the concealed behemoth.