Yes, the Calamity faction still had heavy hitters!
As though fate resented Xi Yan's overpowered, all-Ascension wheelchair, the Calamity faction was also extraordinarily strong.
After five consecutive Contingency Planets, the second wave of the Swarm arrived in the Milky Way. This time, they seemed to have deliberately taken a detour. Rather than emerging within Xi Yan's territory again, they appeared in the northern reaches of the Milky Way.
And this time, the invading Soryn Parasites far surpassed the Swarm's earlier vanguard in both numbers and strength.
When the Swarm entered an outer star system, they encountered a Citadel belonging to the Phethisia Arbitrator Empire.
The seemingly endless Swarm surrounded the sturdy Citadel and attacked it for a long time.
Since the War in Heaven began, however, the Phethisia Arbitrator Empire had put considerable effort into developing its home territory. These border systems in particular had been secured as fallback routes for a retreat, with comprehensive fortress defense networks.
As soon as the Swarm attacked, the Citadel's defense systems sprang into action, repelling countless assaults. In the end, it was still overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
But the sturdy fortress had bought enough time to call for help. The Citadel's sensor array recorded the Swarm's complete signals and transmitted them back to Cradle, the Awakened Empire's capital.
The entire Phethisia Arbitrator Empire erupted in outrage. Disgusted by the Swarm invading their empire, they immediately dispatched a fleet to crush them.
The Awakened Empire's mighty fleet faced an unprecedented tide of the Swarm. Against such an overwhelming numerical advantage, they had no chance of victory. After barely managing to kill some of the Soryn Parasites, they had to make an emergency retreat, leaving half their fleet behind as losses.
The Swarm swept into the next star system with unstoppable momentum and destroyed its