The battlefield shifted to the Second Citadel moments later, with the spearhead of the enemy forces planted firmly on the surface of Tàizǎo Qiāndāo. The Ancient Legions had no retreat left; they had to fight with their backs to the wall. The entire Earth Army seemed injected with adrenaline, every unit vying to be the first forward.

Both sides unleashed everything they had, pouring a torrent of firepower onto the opposition.

At this critical juncture, Marshal Alexander issued a command to the entire fleet: "All units charge! Drive the enemy back in one swift blow! Form the assault echelon now. We will shatter the Ancient Legion's formation directly."

Close-quarters combat was perilously dangerous for both sides, as it was clear that the closer the warships were, the higher the main cannons' hit probability became, leading to casualty rates exponentially higher than in long-range artillery duels.

Marshal Alexander clearly intended to decide the outcome in this single engagement, risking self-inflicted harm to severely cripple the Ancient Legion's strength, ensuring as many of their vessels as possible remained trapped near Jupiter.

Had the Ancient Legion's defense system been intact at the beginning of the battle, he would never have made this choice; without their fleet, who would be left to assault the fortress clusters? However, with only the last of the dozen fortresses remaining, this was the perfect opportunity to utterly crush the Ancient Legion's fleet.

The Ape-men’s population was undoubtedly their weakness. Committing nearly two-thirds of their combat units to the battle at Jupiter meant that once their strength was severely damaged, recovery would be far more difficult for them than for the Earth Army.

As the warships of both sides drew nearer, vessels began exploding in rapid succession, torn apart by high-energy Uranium-shot cannon fire. Reserve fighter squadrons were dispatched to the fray, batch after batch.

Hiss, hiss, hiss…

The fortress cannons on the planet's surface unleashed colossal pillars of light shooting skyward, piercing into the Earth Army fleet from below. These posed an immense threat, and some unlucky battleships were actually pierced clean through by the beams.

The destructive power of a sixth-tier cannon was no small matter; even a Pacific-class battlecruiser, equipped with its own sixth-tier cannon, could not withstand more than three or four direct hits.

The fierce and tense engagement raged on. Thousands of brilliant energy beams transformed the entire airspace into a killing field; lives were extinguished every second.

Fifteen minutes later, the Earth Army, possessing double the military strength, had gradually closed the distance to the Ancient Legion's fleet. With the distance closing within one thousand kilometers, both sides’ casualties spiked dramatically.

"Close-quarters combat now. I wonder how Weng Sha Lie will manage this," Yang Ying watched the light screen before him quietly. The screen displayed radar imagery sent back by observers, marking the fleets in red for the Earth Army and blue for the Ancient Legion.

The red fleet was now dangerously close to the blue fleet, and still closing fast.

Howard considered the situation for a moment. "Perhaps the best solution is to make it impossible for him to manage."

"How so?" Yang Ying asked.

Suddenly, the Number One Ship shuddered violently. Several staff officers swayed precariously, bracing themselves against the consoles to steady their footing.

"It should be fine. Judging by the vibration, it was only a fifth-tier cannon shot. A Pacific-class battlecruiser can handle that." Howard remained seated, his posture as steady as ever.

Yang Ying turned to a staff officer. "What's the damage report?"

The officer’s hands flew across the console controls, reporting back, "Sector Ten was hit. The external armor plating is currently being sealed by the self-repair system."

"Good." Yang Ying nodded, then returned to Howard. "What did you mean by making it impossible for him to manage?"

"Why, by giving him something else to deal with, of course. Oh, look—it seems someone else thought the same way I did. Commander, look here." Howard pointed to a spot on the screen.

That spot represented the signal of a single fighter jet, which seemed to materialize out of nowhere, streaking at incredible speed toward the heart of the Ancient Legion’s fleet. Howard manipulated the controls a few times, bringing up an optical image of the contact.

"I see. Master Tu Xin has entered the arena again, then."

Yang Ying had witnessed Master Tu Xin's fighter during the assault on the Second Citadel. It was a coffee-colored craft, its lines flowing and exquisitely beautiful, imbued with the artistic sensibility of the Song people. Its layered, cryptic markings appeared somewhat obscure to the Terrans, yet they seemed to perceive an inherent beauty within them.

In the age of Old Earth, such things were often dismissed as exotic; now, they had simply been upgraded to alien.

In the battle zone, the moment Master Tu Xin's fighter appeared, it immediately drew the attention of the Ancient Legion. He and Weng Sha Lie had dueled during the attack on the Second Citadel, seemingly without a clear victor, as both sides withdrew intact. However, judging by the resulting paralysis of the Second Citadel, Master Tu Xin seemed to hold a slight advantage.

In Jupiter’s orbit, the Ancient Legion had a slight numerical superiority in Master-level combatants. Several Ape-men Master fighters, having no immediate opponents, had been darting through the star field, slaughtering regular fighters and even engaging capital ships. Upon seeing Master Tu Xin appear, they instantly moved to intercept.

However, the coffee-colored fighter executed several intricate evasive maneuvers, slipping through their encirclement and plunging directly into the Ancient Legion’s fleet.

The nose of the fighter suddenly illuminated, firing a curved beam of light that expanded to three meters thick the instant it launched. It threaded its way like a needle through several Dragon King-class and Overlord-class vessels.

This serpentine beam clearly indicated a fifth-tier beam-deflection cannon. And the bridge section was always the most vulnerable part of a warship; this single shot completely decapitated the command structures of several vessels.

The pursuing Ape-men Masters grew agitated. Yet, no matter how dense their light beams became, they could not stop the coffee-colored fighter from striking the warships.

After firing its shot, the fighter executed a sharp turn and dove toward the surface below, making it abundantly clear to the Ancient Legion’s Ape-men that its next target would be the Third Citadel.

"First provocation, then a brazen attack on a point the enemy must defend. Master Tu Xin is certainly an aggressively demanding master. This way, if Weng Sha Lie refuses to engage, he’ll be unjustifiable both publicly and privately," Yang Ying slapped his thigh.

Howard nodded. "We hold the advantage in every aspect now. Weng Sha Lie must see that the tide has turned. All he can do is inflict maximum attrition on the Earth Army to buy time for the defensive structures on Saturn to be completed. The Third Citadel is still valuable to him, so I don't believe he will abandon this final fortress."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a gray fighter emerged from the Ancient Legion's fleet, joining the several Ape-men Master fighters as they flew toward the surface of Io.

"You were right, as expected," Yang Ying nodded to Howard. "However, the Earth Army’s objective is also to weaken the Ancient Legion’s fleet as much as possible to pave the way for the assault on Saturn. Both sides intend to inflict massive casualties. I suspect that when the fleets finally collide in a few moments, the fighting will be exceptionally brutal."

"It might be the most savage fighting of the entire Jupiter campaign," Howard agreed.

Yang Ying fell silent for a moment, then asked, "This engagement will be extremely dangerous. Is everyone prepared? If anyone does not wish to participate, there is still time. You are not regular military personnel; guarding humanity’s solar system is not your obligation."

Howard burst into laughter. "Would that make us deserters? We clone warriors were born for war. What else could we possibly do besides fight? War is our life, war is everything. Dying on the battlefield is our destiny. If we were to die old and withered in a sickbed, then we would have lived this life in vain."

"The Lieutenant General is correct."

"War! To die on the battlefield!"

"Commander, we are ready. Give the order."

The surrounding staff officers voiced their assent. Though their voices were a cacophony, they sounded incredibly clear and resolute to Yang Ying's ears.

"Since you are resolved, at the very least, let the medical personnel return to the Floating Continent. Their posts belong in the rear of the battle. They are currently aboard this ship, and if the vessel is damaged or sunk, they face unnecessary mortal danger." Yang Ying stood up and left the bridge.

He proceeded to the ship's medical center and stated his requirements directly to Katrinka.

"But what about the wounded currently aboard the ship?" Katrinka’s expression was troubled.

"Everyone on board knows first aid. I will recall you immediately after the fighting concludes. Time is precious now; do not delay any further," Yang Ying urged.

Katrinka looked deeply at Yang Ying, then nodded softly.

After sending all the medical personnel from the Number One Ship back to the Floating Continent, a short while later, several Phantom fighters, piloted by Yang Ying's avatars, flew toward the other warships of the Trann Mercenary Corps. Upon boarding each vessel, the primary consciousness immediately took over, ordering the medical teams back to the Floating Continent before rushing to the next ship.

By the time the fleets made contact, Yang Ying had completed the evacuation of all medical personnel.

The Earth Army fleet pierced the Ancient Legion’s formation like a sharp rapier. The Earth Army had already lost thirty percent of its strength in the preceding artillery exchange, while the Ancient Legion’s losses were also around thirty percent. The Earth Army held the manpower advantage, while the Ancients held the positional advantage; they were evenly matched.

The fortress cannons on the planet’s surface did not cease firing just because the fleets had merged. The space battlefield was mere thousands of kilometers from the surface, and at this range, the fortress cannons' targeting was precise enough to distinguish friend from foe amidst the chaos.

Beams flew, missiles streaked, and explosions flared into a continuous sheet of light that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and both sides had lost over half their forces. Due to the higher density of its firepower, the Earth Army held a slight advantage. The exchange ratio was nearly one-to-one in casualties, which was clearly disadvantageous for the Ancient Legion, whose numbers were only half that of the Earth Army.

At this point, Weng Sha Lie returned to space with a contingent of his Master-level fighters. He personally led a portion of his warships to cover the rear, using them along with the Third Citadel to hold back the Earth Army's advance, while ordering his remaining shattered forces to retreat toward Saturn.

Shortly after, the Third Citadel was neutralized. Master Tu Xin, along with several Master-level fighters, returned to space and joined the force besieging the rear guard.

After a spectacular skirmish lasting several rounds against Weng Sha Lie, the rear guard fleet was annihilated. Weng Sha Lie retreated alone, and the Battle of Jupiter concluded.