Chapter 356: Offense and Defense
On the front lines, while some losses were inevitable, as the swarm’s casualties mounted and its firepower density decreased, the Daqi Fleet could actively adjust its positioning. They rotated different sections of reactive armor to face the attacks, just as they had done earlier.
However, due to an oversight in intelligence, the fleet was now forced to endure the swarm’s electromagnetic railguns with their vulnerable rear sections. This drove the egotistical and conceited Prince Diallo into a frenzy.
“Huff… huff… huff…” He forcibly took several deep breaths to calm his frustrated mind, regaining his composure and intelligence. “Deploy half of the drones behind us to block the railgun fire! Everyone, accelerate and disengage!”
Although drones were ineffective against high-penetration energy cannons, they could still withstand the physical impacts of electromagnetic projectiles.
While fragile as paper against electromagnetic railguns, unlike energy beams, the projectiles could have their trajectories altered. Even a deviation as small as 0.001 millimeters during impact could result in significant misalignment over hundreds of thousands of kilometers, potentially veering them far from their original targets.
Blue arcs of electricity crackled as the railguns discharged their first volley.
The Daqi Fleet had been retreating continuously, but since the forward thrusters lacked the power of the main engines, they could only open protective panels for brief intervals between salvos. Efficiency was poor, and after all this time, they had managed to retreat less than 100,000 kilometers.
At such a range, even though the electromagnetic projectiles traveled several times slower than energy beams, their vast numbers rendered this irrelevant. Within just ten seconds—let alone the full two minutes required—the Daqi Fleet had no room to maneuver effectively, particularly as they were in the process of turning, reducing their mobility to its lowest point.
Fortunately, the Daqi drones had already been deployed. A dense swarm of over 500,000 drones formed an impenetrable barrier between the swarm and the fleet.