The battles encountered in the dead zones and arid belts were vastly different; only by reaching the Ninth Echelon could one witness true warfare.

The engagements here, even the slightly larger ones, involved thousands of capital ships, hundreds of super-dreadnoughts, and more than ten Master-level experts, with the occasional appearance of one or two Apex Masters on the field.

A single volley from both sides cost hundreds of millions in energy credits; compared to that, the skirmishes in the asteroid belts were utterly insignificant.

The Ancient Legion fielded ten main battle fleets. The Gangdi Fleet was one of them. Generally, each fleet had at least three Ape Masters assigned to the critical roles of Commander, First Deputy Commander, and Chief of Staff.

Among the Terran forces, this number was pitifully small; each fleet had only a single Master serving as...

There was no alternative; human society was vastly larger than the Ancient Legion. Three hundred billion humans versus ten million apes—the comparison was impossible.

The Psionic Temple needed to expend enormous energy maintaining order within human society. Otherwise, the Ancient Legion could easily dispatch a single Master-level expert leading a squad of High Apes to infiltrate human settlements and commence slaughter, easily causing civilian casualties to surpass those of the frontline troops by a factor of ten, or even a hundred.

Of course, the reason the front lines had managed to hold the Ancient Legion at bay for decades was sheer numbers. A single main fleet of the Terran Army possessed twice the number of warships as a main fleet of the Ape forces.

As it stood now, within the United Fleet stationed beyond Jupiter, the Second Fleet alone possessed double the number of warships as the Gangdi Fleet. Although the Eleventh and Twelfth Fleets were second-line main fleets, together they only matched the Second Fleet in total count, but each of them individually possessed the same number of warships as the Gangdi Fleet.

Therefore, even excluding the mercenary contingent, the United Fleet positioned beyond Jupiter already outnumbered the Gangdi Fleet four to one.

Furthermore, the three fleets totaled three Masters—no worse than the Gangdi Fleet, and even counting Saint Revance from the Zi Army, they held one more Master-level expert than the Gangdi Fleet.

In summary, outside of Jupiter, the human side currently held a decisive advantage.

What followed was a war of attrition: fighter against fighter, warship against warship.

Gangdi knew his fleet was at a distinct disadvantage in numbers; artillery duels were destined to be unfavorable. Yet, he did not choose passive evasion. Instead, he boldly charged into the firing range of the United Fleet to initiate the artillery exchange.

In addition, a massive contingent of ace fighters piloted by High Apes joined the fray.

The number of High Apes far exceeded that of Psions. Although most were apprentices with limited growth potential, a swarm of apprentice High Apes possessed superior reaction speeds compared to even the most rigorously trained special forces soldiers.

This was because the foundation of their reaction speed differed: one relied on nerve impulses, the other on pure spirit. Spirit-based reactions were evidently far more effective than those based on nerves.

A dozen High Ape ace pilots could effortlessly defeat a pilot holding a Worel-class license, and even against two Omega-class pilots, the High Apes might not lose.

Fortunately, many in the United Fleet possessed the skill of Omega-class pilots. Their numbers allowed for engagements of three-to-one, or even four-to-one, meaning humanity maintained the upper hand in the immediate exchange.

If the Ancient Legion's sole objective was to tie down the humans, their defeat would have been predictable. Unfortunately, that was not their intention.

The ensuing entanglement was merely a diversion to cover a detachment of elite fighters breaching the orbits of the four Jovian moons, slowing the rhythm of the Terran withdrawal.

Yang Ying watched the battle unfold on the bridge screen. After several minutes, he noticed sporadic bursts of Ancient Legion fighters peeling away from the main engagement. Each group comprised only about ten craft, seeming insignificant amidst the vast battle formation numbering in the thousands, but the accumulation was relentless. Soon, over a hundred fighters had breached the Jovian moon orbital defenses and were plunging toward the colonized satellites.

Many Terran fighters pursued, but the invaders ignored them. They executed intricate maneuvers, dodging the uranium slugs fired from behind. Though occasionally a fighter was struck and exploded, well over half the detachment pierced the outer defenses, trailing their pursuers, and successfully entered the moons.

Europa possessed the most suitable environment among the colonies and housed the greatest number of settlements, naturally attracting the most attention from the Ancient Legion.

“Sir, Captain, there is something you both need to see!” a staff officer called out loudly.

“What is it? Switch to the main screen,” Howard replied with his usual unflappable demeanor, calm and composed.

The main screen flickered, displaying an image composed of dozens of blinking dots, several curved and straight lines, interspersed with a few planar shapes. Adjacent to this were scrolling data streams—some increasing, some decreasing, others fluctuating wildly.

The staff officer explained, “This is the trajectory plot for those fighters who broke the defensive line. According to calculations, approximately sixty fighters are heading toward Naxos City.”

“Naxos City…” Yang Ying mused for a moment. “Let’s see the physical view.”

The officer switched the display to the visual feed. Above the pale yellow and white surface of Europa, two formations of fighters—one significantly larger than the other—were locked in pursuit.

The lead craft were standard Ancient Legion fighters, the Viper-Ro, ace craft specifically designed for High Ape pilots, boasting formidable agility and close-quarters combat capabilities. Following them were over two hundred Night Owl Model 7 fighters—only these extremely fast interceptors could keep pace with the Vipers.

Mere seconds after the feed stabilized, before Yang Ying could utter a word, the sixty-plus Viper formation ahead suddenly split into two halves. Over thirty Vipers continued their direct trajectory, while the remaining group arced sharply, adopting an attitude of ‘one against ten,’ and wheeled around to face the pursuing two hundred-plus fighters.

The Night Owl pilots, understanding that rescue work demanded speed, attempted to split their force as well, leaving half to engage the interceptors while the other half pressed on with the pursuit.

However, the Viper fighters anticipated this move. As the Night Owls divided, the thirty Vipers left to screen them immediately split again, diving into the two Night Owl sub-squadrons, instantly shattering their formations into chaos.

Several Night Owls managed to punch through the mêlée, trying to maintain their original course, but the Vipers clung to their tails, unwilling to disengage even if it meant exposing themselves to attack.

After a brief, fierce engagement, about thirty Night Owls broke through the dogfight and continued forward.

The Vipers soon lost more than half their number, but the remainder remained steadfastly committed to delaying the remaining Night Owls.

The thirty-plus Night Owls that broke through were met by ten more fighters detached from the remaining Viper group ahead, which halted their advance. From the rear cluster, Night Owls occasionally slipped past the thinning ranks of Vipers only to be intercepted again at a second blocking point before being allowed to proceed.

Twenty Vipers remained, now charging directly towards Naxos City.

Yang Ying frowned slightly and asked, “Do the current defensive forces at Naxos City have the capacity to handle them?”

“No,” the staff officer shook his head. “Naxos City has virtually no dedicated anti-air defenses. It has shelters, but with the current mass evacuation underway, sending citizens into those shelters would play right into the Ancient Legion’s tactic of stalling for time.”

“Are there fighter escorts assigned to protect the transport shuttles?” Howard immediately followed up.

“Yes, but not many—only about twenty craft. They are simply insufficient to handle those twenty ace fighters, which are almost certainly piloted by High Apes. Furthermore, engaging in combat near the city risks damaging the city shield, leading to widespread depressurization and oxygen loss, potentially exposing civilians to the toxic gases in Europa’s trace atmosphere,” Yang Ying answered. His Blade clone was present in Naxos City, giving him intimate knowledge of its readiness.

“Indeed. If those twenty Vipers reach Naxos City, even if they guarantee the shield remains intact, the resulting widespread panic would be severe,” Howard stated.

Yang Ying nodded in agreement. “The withdrawal is less than one-third complete; many people in Naxos City are still awaiting transport ships. If they learn the Ancient Legion is targeting their city, chaos will erupt instantly.”

According to the Blade’s real-time assessment, a significant portion of Naxos City’s population was already succumbing to anxiety, watching others board transport ships while they waited their turn. This brewing tension was a powder keg waiting for a spark.

If they were then made aware of the incoming Vipers and the close proximity of the Ancient Legion, fear would likely trigger immediate riots as citizens scrambled to board the transports. The ensuing stampede alone could cause casualties shocking enough to leave many speechless for a long time.

Howard paused in thought, then inquired, “Is there any other available assistance?”

Yang Ying shrugged. “The two large mercenary groups assigned to Naxos City with us are mediocre at best; their pilots wouldn't last seconds against those ace fighters. The military forces are sufficient in number but are currently tied up elsewhere. Hope of intercepting them before the Vipers reach Naxos City is slim.”

A staff officer suddenly spoke up. “We have a Ghost fighter squadron stationed there, in Naxos City.”

“Oh?” Yang Ying remarked. “Did we deploy escort units to Naxos City as well?”

Howard shook his head. “I did not. The mission directives issued to us by the United Fleet stated that escort duties were under the centralized command of the United Fleet. Any mercenary groups wishing to deploy escorts required prior approval, a cumbersome process, so we didn’t send any.”

The staff officer displayed a slight expression of embarrassment. “This is what happened, Sir: a Ghost Intelligence Captain and a Ghost fighter pilot Captain made a bet. The Intelligence Captain claimed the Terran Army definitely couldn't hold back the Ancient Legion and that Naxos City would be in danger. The fighter pilot disagreed. So, the Intelligence Captain instructed the Ghost fighter pilot Captain to take his small squad to Naxos City to wait. If the Ancient Legion fighters arrived, he won; otherwise, he lost.”