I Am The Swarm-Chapter 825: Epilogue

The Ji’s tactic was quite clever: allow the massive sea of black fiber to pass through as cover, then fire a Gene Destruction Cannon at the Primordial bodies pushing it from behind.

In the rear of the charging formation, deep within the Swarm phalanx, Observer Bugs had been monitoring the Ji’s every move. The Swarm’s enemies in the past had always fallen prey to their Intelligent Entity infiltration, which meant their operational plans were usually transparent.

But the Ji’s unique structural composition completely blocked that infiltration. Although Luo Wen had previously trained certain commander-class Intelligent Entities to function without this kind of all-encompassing intelligence support, simulations could never fully replicate reality. Without internal intel from the enemy, these commanders were noticeably less comfortable in their roles.

While this posed a minor hindrance to the Swarm, it wasn’t without its benefits. Data showed that during prolonged combat against mechanized forces, the Swarm’s surveillance systems evolved three times faster than usual. This rapid upgrade allowed the Swarm’s observation network to mature and iterate quickly to meet all current needs.

With their upgraded systems complete, every movement on the Ji’s front line was laid bare before the Swarm. The critical actions of their Battle Stars, in particular, were impossible to miss.

So, when a Battle Star turned and began charging a Gene Destruction Cannon, the Primordial bodies behind the black sea had already started to disperse. After all, once the massive fibrous sea was set in motion, it would continue gliding forward in space—where friction was virtually nonexistent—even without continuous force.

The dispersed Swarm formation dramatically reduced the damage dealt by the Gene Destruction Cannon. While some units were still lost, a large number of Primordial Bodies survived. Now freed from their greatest threat, they immediately surged toward the flanks of the Ji fleet.

The Ji were ready for this and opened fire with a vengeance.

However, even though they had preemptively cleared a path for the black fibrous sea, their current defensive configuration didn’t allow much room to back off.

As a result, the Primordial Bodies only needed a short burst to crash directly into the Ji warship formations. Facing this, the Ji had few viable responses. Thankfully, their ships were incredibly tough, and most of their gun barrels were recessed or hidden, making them difficult targets for close-quarters attacks.

Even so, the Primordial Bodies’ proximity caused localized chaos within the Ji lines, weakening those sectors’ ability to resist frontal Swarm assaults. The Swarm seized the opportunity to push forward by a substantial margin.

Given the Swarm’s sheer scale, any territory they seized was practically impossible for the Ji to retake. Worse yet, after nearly three hundred years of accumulation, large expanses of the black fibrous sea remained across the battlefield.

The Swarm repeated their tactics relentlessly, continuously pressing the frontline closer to the Ji defenses. The Ji, on the other hand, had little room to maneuver. The fibrous sea they had previously allowed through hadn’t disappeared—it was now inside or behind their defenses, creeping forward and squeezing their operational space.

Already harassed by close-combat Primordial Bodies, now their formations were being sliced apart by the black sea, weakening their firepower network even further.

The Swarm ramped up their assault. The Battle Stars’ Gene Destruction Cannons had recently expended much of their energy and would need time to recharge. The Swarm had to capitalize on this window to make critical gains.

Since their emergence, the Swarm’s history had been a chronicle of war. Their wealth of experience meant they would never miss such a chance. If they didn’t seize the moment now, it might be many years before they could exploit the fibrous sea again.

Wave after wave of Swarm units surged into the battlefield. Even the long-hidden Puffer Cannonfish returned. This species had been shelved for centuries due to their lack of firing angles in crowded formations, but now they were back.

Without an open field of fire, they had to wait until the front lines had been thinned before they could shoot. As such, they typically only managed one or two volleys.

Normally, that level of output wouldn’t threaten the Ji. But now, amid maximum chaos and multiple threats converging, the Puffer Cannonfish were the final straw—the one that broke the camel’s back. The entire Ji defense line began to collapse.

As their firepower crumbled, the charging Swarm finally made contact with the Ji fleet. This wasn’t a minor breach through the fibrous cover—this was the main force. Once they closed in, there was no driving them back.

From this point on, the battle held no surprises. The New Ji had no more tricks to show. With the Swarm in close quarters, defeat was inevitable.

The outcome developed just as predicted. Ji warships were extremely tough, but toughness alone wasn’t enough. Given time, the Primordial Bodies could always find a way to pry open small gaps—and once they did, they’d jam something inside. novelbuddy.cσ๓

This time, the Ji had truly reached the end of the line. Behind them lay only the desolate Star System containing the sun. Any further dismantling would mean scrapping the transports that carried the hibernation pods of the Ji race.

But even if they did, those ships wouldn’t provide much. Their numbers were a drop in the ocean compared to the thousands of warships lost over centuries due to wear and lack of timely maintenance.

Besides, the Ji didn’t seem willing to dismantle the vessels holding their future. Perhaps they still needed them for something related to Lumina—perhaps Lumina herself had discovered something and intended to use them as bargaining chips.

The battle no longer held any dramatic tension. The entire process was merely a replay of the last major engagement. Even though the Ji had more troops this time, it only served to prolong the inevitable.

“Overlord, Lumina has returned,” Sarah reported softly, her meek tone a far cry from her public image.

Luo Wen nodded, unsurprised. After her last visit to the Swarm’s central hub, Lumina had mentally collapsed. But the ship that brought her had never left the Starport outside the Swarm’s Royal Court—nor had the four guards who accompanied her.

Now, it was likely that one of them had been possessed and sent again.

“Then let’s see what she’s up to this time,” Luo Wen said calmly.

Sarah acknowledged the command, exited the Swarm Network, and returned to the material world.

Just as Luo Wen suspected, the person who arrived wore the face of one of Lumina’s four guards. But whatever their original identity had been, they now bore a new one—the identity of the former overlord of this galaxy.

Lumina.

[T/N: Only four more chapters and an author’s note left. They are all up on my Patreon for free so there’s no need to wait till tomorrow to finish the novel (remove the spaces): patreon . com/collection/924333?view=condensed]