I Am The Swarm

Two minutes later, the Swarm’s energy cannons began charging. Primordial bodies equipped with Atomic Furnaces were among the fastest to reach full power, despite requiring greater energy for their larger-caliber weapons.

Following them, the lower-tier units charged at varying speeds due to differences in weapon size, proximity to energy sources, and other factors.

“Fire!” Sarah Kerrigan commanded decisively as soon as over 80% of the units had completed their charge. While the lack of standardized equipment was both a strength and a weakness, there was no time to wait for the remaining units.

Thanks to the data gathered from the first volley, the second strike, though slightly smaller in number, was far more precise and devastating.

More than sixty Daqi warships were destroyed outright, and nearly a hundred others were disabled.

“What the hell?!” Diallo roared in disbelief upon receiving the latest damage report.

He had assumed the lackluster performance of the Swarm’s first volley was due to outdated energy weapon technology, resulting in weak firepower and poor accuracy. Confident in this misjudgment, he had ordered his fleet to rely on the reactive armor on their right-front side to tank the second attack.

In reality, the first volley’s shortcomings were due to the Swarm’s inexperience in coordinating such a large-scale, long-range assault. Their improved accuracy in the second strike shattered Diallo’s assumptions.

His decision to expose the fleet’s right flank, where the reactive armor was thinner, inadvertently revealed vulnerable engine compartments. While the exposure angle was small, the concentrated barrage magnified this weakness, leading to catastrophic losses.