A New Beginning
On the other side of the battle line, the Sangqie Clan, another race that the Swarm had initially intercepted, chose a tactic quite different from the Yuntu Clan after being surrounded by the Swarm.
Instead of charging into the Zerg encirclement, they chose to defend and wait for reinforcements. After all, there were four reinforcements in their direction, while the Yuntu Clan only had three.
Regardless of which side it is, the first reinforcements will take about a year to arrive. During this year, the Zerg reinforcements will also arrive in an endless stream.
The ever-increasing Swarm forces relentlessly squeezed the encirclement, compressing their space for maneuver. Finally, the appearance of the Desolate Class Mothership became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Compared to the Yuntu Clan, the commander of the Sangqie Clan was more indecisive. He failed to make timely and correct responses, allowing the situation to continue to deteriorate.
The Ancient Class destroyers, which burst into the fleet, wreaked havoc Mature Form and Larval Form roamed among the warships, taking advantage of the opening of the ship's hatches to rush inside, showing the Sangqie Clan what it meant to have an invincible passageway.
As more and more Ancient Class approached, the snowballing effect caused a chain reaction, leading to the collapse of the defense system and the arrival of large Zerg forces.
A wanton destruction...
In the final moments of the battle, the Sangqie Clan warships, constantly squeezing towards the center, even caused large-scale collisions, resulting in heavy losses for the Sangqie without the Swarm needing to intervene.
By the time reinforcements from the Star Sea Alliance arrived, the Sangqie Clan's once massive fleet of 60 million warships had dwindled to less than 10 million, and they were still struggling.
While the reinforcements were still negotiating with the Alliance and the Sangqie Clan, the Swarm inexplicably began its retreat, leaving the Sangqie Clan fleet with only about 5 million warships.
Furthermore, this remnant force was placed under house arrest and surveillance. After a series of measures, they were sent away for inspection. Because there was no longer any support from their own people at the front lines, their treatment was many times worse than that of the Yuntu Clan members in the same situation.
The Swarm forces from both directions, along with some support units along the way, recalled a total of approximately 800 million Ancient Class Swarm.
These Ancient Class, once stationed at bases near their stars for a period of time, would at least increase their combat power several times over. If the Swarm forces that intercepted the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan had been composed of the new Ancient Class, the battle would have been won long ago, without taking so long.
To put it simply, a single salvo from the original main guns could only destroy a thousand or so warships. Now, with the Dark Energy Main Cannon, in the same environment, a single salvo would destroy at least ten thousand warships. Long-range engagements will surpass close combat and once again become the Swarm's primary attack method.
However, the Swarm will be in a vulnerable period for some time to come. Since the most important Dark Energy Furnace evolved from the original Atomic Furnace, during this period, not only will the Dark Energy Furnace be unable to function because it is not yet fully developed, but even the Atomic Furnace will be unusable due to structural damage.
If the Alliance forces had attacked the Zerg during this period, the Zerg would likely only have 20% of their peak units available for combat. Fortunately, through feigned mystery and subtle guidance from their own allies, the Alliance forces opted for a safer strategy, squandering this crucial opportunity.
In the sixty-fourth year of the New Era, several Mid-Ring Civilizations, including the Ketu Clan and Tiya Clan, had been stationed in the void for nearly a year.
During this time, they received the remaining reinforcements, totaling seven armies from the Mid-Ring Civilizations, which converged at two assembly points. The total force was close to four hundred million.
Four hundred million advanced warships, based on the parameters of previous Swarm combat units, could easily contend with a Swarm army of at least two billion. Even if they were split into two groups, they could still definitely withstand a Swarm army of over 1.5 billion.
During this waiting period, the Star Sea Alliance deployed a large number of reconnaissance ships and instruments to the battlefield, not only replenishing the parts previously cleared by the Swarm but also significantly strengthening them.
With the help of these shipboard instruments, the Alliance confidently assured that the warp drive route had returned to normal and that there would be no repeat of the previous Zerg ambush. Even if harassed by a small number of Zerg, it would be detected immediately and an early warning would be issued.
Moreover, according to their observations, the recalled Zerg forces did not linger on the way, but returned directly to the star system in the Zerg- occupied territory. The sudden return was not due to any conspiracy; based on the observed phenomena, the forces appeared to have exhausted their energy and therefore had to return to the star system to replenish it.
Therefore, the Alliance demanded that the seven civilizations continue their advance into the Zerg territory in two separate routes, and guarantee that reinforcements would arrive continuously.
However, the seven civilizations on the front lines also had their own concerns. If the Swarm could set up such traps in the center of the battlefield, then who knew what kind of great battles awaited them in their own territories?
Therefore, they demanded that their forces be combined into one, that their superior forces be concentrated, that they first capture a forward position, and then gradually encroach upon the surrounding areas.
However, this request was quickly rejected. The two rendezvous points were located at opposite ends of the battle line, separated by a distance of nearly forty light-years. Even with warp drive, it would take almost ten years to regroup. Moreover, the route was located in the center of the battlefield, and if interference from the Swarm were added, the regrouping time could be as long as fifteen years or more.
It's important to understand that the closest point between the Alliance territory and the Swarm territory is only two star systems apart, less than five light-years away. The Garrison Point of the seven civilizations are less than three light-years from their nearest friendly bases. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would not agree to their request.
The seven civilizations had anticipated the Alliance's rejection. Faced with the constant pressure from the Star Sea Alliance, their own people quickly became unable to withstand it and sent them letters calling for war.
The energy system began operating at high capacity, the Propulsion Engine warmed up and started, and the ejected particle streams grew thicker and longer. They could not disobey orders, but they could use appropriate methods to avoid the risks.
Concerned about warp traps, the seven civilizations decided to use Sub-light Engine to travel to the Swarm territory. This extended the journey, which would normally take a few months, to more than four years, but it allowed them to maintain fleet formation and respond more flexibly to various unforeseen events.
The Star Sea Alliance only raised some verbal objections to the decision of the seven civilizations and did not pursue the matter further. This war against the Swarm was bound to be a protracted one, and a delay of a few years would not have a significant impact. Moreover, this would allow for closer coordination of subsequent reinforcements and prevent the war from becoming disjointed.
Whether these decisions were influenced by or not within the Swarm itself, only the Swarm can know for sure.