I Am The Swarm

The massive chunks of metal debris from Planet Raze’s orbit were swiftly gathered into centralized locations. Smaller fragments were cleared by swarms of larval bodies, which had just been released from their metallic fiber nets. These larval bodies had been idle during the battle and expended almost no energy, making them ideal for performing such menial tasks.

The wreckage of the orbital cannons—colossal structures tens or even hundreds of meters in size—was piled into towering metal mountains.

In addition to the orbital cannon debris, the remnants of countless warships floated in space. The Rikens had suffered catastrophic losses in this war. Setting aside the staggering personnel casualties, nearly 300 warships were outright destroyed in the final waves of attacks. An additional 500 ships, their main engines damaged beyond repair, had to be scuttled to prevent capture.

This further reduced the Riken fleet’s primary warships to below 2,000.

If not for the early withdrawal of damaged ships, coupled with the retreat of support ships unable to withstand the Radiance of the Riken’s electromagnetic pulses, their losses would have been even more devastating.

Even with these mitigating factors, the collected warship debris formed metal mountains rivaling those of the orbital cannons.

It’s worth noting that even the smallest Riken warships were over a kilometer long—truly enormous constructions.

As the bulk of the wreckage was consolidated, swarms of larval bodies descended upon it, transforming into fungal carpet seeds. Soon, purple-gray tissue began to spread from the crevices, proliferating rapidly.

The metal debris mountains were slowly enveloped in the fungal carpet, which corroded and absorbed the wreckage, breaking it down into elemental metals. Subsequently, the Primordial bodies moved forward, extending their appendages to link with the fungal carpet and replenish their war losses.

Although the Swarm appeared to have suffered significant losses in this battle, they were negligible compared to their first assault on Planet Raze. Most Primordial bodies, aside from those used as forward shields, had not been permanently destroyed.

Without external interference, these entities could drift in space for a decade or two and fully recover on their own. With external assistance, their recovery would be even faster.

As for the losses of larval bodies and mature bodies, even their remaining biological tissues could accelerate the recovery of other Swarm units. These space combat cannon-fodder units, given access to a radioactive source and sufficient time, could be endlessly reproduced.

The Riken Star System, much like the Genesis Star System, contained a massive, gas-giant “battery” rich in radiation.

Now that Planet Raze had become a frontline base, it wouldn’t be long before the Swarm advanced toward this gas giant.

The Rikens were thrown into a state of abject panic after yet another defeat in their war against an alien species. Had this not been wartime, replacing generals to avoid disruptive influence, General Hamis and his peers might already have joined General Masai for tea in the strategy office.

After the first successful defense of Planet Raze, the Rikens had poured vast resources into fortifying the planet, even to the detriment of the Twin Star Defense Zone and their homeworld’s defensive systems.

They had hoped to achieve a decisive victory and stop the Swarm beyond Planet Raze’s borders for good.

Moreover, the new standard-series weapons and equipment performed exceptionally well, countering the Swarm’s relatively monotonous unit composition. Initially, everything seemed to be progressing favorably—so much so that many Rikens believed they would once again secure victory in this battle. Discussions regarding victory celebrations and guest invitations for the festivities were already underway on the Riken homeworld.

Who could have foreseen such a sudden reversal?

In just half a day, the imminent victory slipped from their grasp. The Raze defensive line was lost, and their fleet suffered devastating losses, with 20% of their warships destroyed in one fell swoop. R̃АNỘΒÈ𐌔

To this day, the Rikens still hadn’t figured out how the Swarm managed to hide so many combat units on Planet Raze.

It was baffling.

The entire Raze defense system, including patrol logs, surveillance footage, and mission reports from the outer meteor belt, had been painstakingly reviewed. Over a million analysts and strategists worked tirelessly, examining the records frame by frame.

But they found nothing unusual.

“The Swarm couldn’t possibly have the technological sophistication to secretly transport and conceal so many combat units on Planet Raze,” one officer argued.

“Hah, are you still dreaming? The reality is, they did exactly that.”

“Are you implying we were negligent in our duties?”

“Who knows?”

“Are you looking for a fight?”

“When words fail, you turn to fists? Go ahead—see if I care!”

“Enough!”

As the room verged on devolving into a brawl, President Antonio interjected with exasperation. The military leaders, despite holding high-ranking positions, still had a penchant for resolving disputes with brute force—something the politically oriented Antonio had never gotten used to.

Antonio’s rise to power was itself unprecedented. When he first assumed office, he faced the fallout from the Riken expeditionary force’s defeat in the Neighboring Star System. What was once a coveted position had become a hot seat. Yet, under Antonio’s leadership, the Rikens successfully repelled the Swarm invasion by the end of his third term, securing victory in the first defense of Planet Raze—a feat that cemented his legacy.

Antonio’s story grew even more remarkable. An exceptionally capable Riken, he took advantage of the constant threat posed by alien species to implement sweeping reforms. Through alliances, suppression, and other methods, he gradually centralized power in both the military and political spheres, becoming one of the most powerful Rikens in history.

As his third term drew to a close, riding the momentum of his triumph against the alien invaders, Antonio transitioned the Rikens from a federal parliamentary system to a military government.

As a wartime leader, he avoided stepping down during elections. Over time, factions that had previously opposed him, such as those who had undermined his efforts to secure Longevity Serums, were quietly dismantled, further consolidating his power.

Years passed, and Antonio remained the most influential figure among the Rikens.

Thus, seated at the pinnacle of Riken authority, Antonio’s words carried weight. The escalating tensions in the meeting were quelled, and the discussions resumed in an orderly manner.

As a highly advanced civilization with a population exceeding tens of billions, the Riken elite were far from mediocre. By piecing together subtle clues, two prevailing theories emerged.

The first theory posited that the Swarm had begun their preparations on Planet Raze a very long time ago. How long ago? Far earlier than the Rikens’ exploration of the Neighboring Star System.

After all, the Rikens still couldn’t determine when the Swarm had first ventured into space. Some even speculated that the Swarm had been spacefaring from their inception, capable of surviving unaided in the vacuum of space.

If this were true, it was entirely possible that they had reached the Riken Star System long ago.

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