Yang Ying nodded, and Ideni was overjoyed. "Excellent! Leave the Resistance to me. As for Master Yang Ying and your fellow Master companions," she glanced back, seeing no one behind her, and continued, "just smash those rebels into scrap."

Afterward, Ideni provided more detailed intelligence, such as the layout and location of several key factories, the distribution of the Resistance cells, and the deployment of the rebel garrison.

Seeing her growing flushed with passion as she spoke, Yang Ying signaled an aide to get her a drink. The bridge was equipped with a dispenser offering every beverage imaginable from Earth, along with a few alien selections. A staff officer quickly fetched a chocolate milkshake from the machine and handed it to Ideni.

Ideni took the cup and drained it in long gulps. She smacked her lips as if wanting more, praising it under her breath. Clearly, she held Earth-made beverages in high regard. Yang Ying had the staff officer refill the cup for her.

Ideni accepted the fresh cup, casting a look toward Yang Ying. Her opinion of him softened slightly. She mused, He actually knows how to care for people. He isn't just some frivolous peak Level Three who only likes to joke around.

Yang Ying tapped a few times on the armrest, generating a new seat on the bridge for Ideni to sit and continue her briefing comfortably. Once she finished the official matters, Yang Ying began a casual back-and-forth chat with her.

As Ideni spoke, she let out a sigh and shared some of her background. She had served as a court lady in the palace long ago, with no ties to the intelligence department then. When her term as a lady-in-waiting was nearing its end and she was due for external posting, she was scouted by Intelligence and sent for a period of training. However, before her training was complete, the rebels attacked.

At that time, she hadn't relinquished her status as a court lady, and few in Intelligence knew her, ensuring her high degree of security. Thus, her superiors smoothly maneuvered her into staying within the palace to wait for the opportune moment. When Yang Ying later arrived in the capital to rescue the King and Queen, she was assigned to guide him.

Two or three hours later, a staff officer announced, "Sir, we have reached Dorun!"

As the voice faded, the fleet dropped out of hyperspace. The view outside dimmed; the cascade of colorful light vanished, replaced by the backdrop of the night sky and countless stars.

Simultaneously, a massive light screen unfolded before the bridge, displaying the appearance of Dorun. Yang Ying observed it and inwardly praised the sight. Even from deep space, the planet's lights shone through with crystalline clarity. These scattered points of light merged into vast constellations, rivaling the splendor of the starfield itself—a testament to the planet's intense industrialization.

"Sir, Captain, we've been swept by reconnaissance radar. Our position has been identified!" exclaimed a nearby staff officer.

"All forces, stand by for Level One combat readiness," Howard commanded succinctly.

"Yes, Captain!" the staff officers roared back.

Yang Ying turned to Ideni. "Go back to your quarters. Leave the fighting to us."

"But what about the intelligence briefings?" Ideni hesitated slightly.

"If I need to consult you on intelligence matters, I will call for you," Yang Ying assured her.

"Very well," Ideni conceded. Knowing this was not her domain, she decided it was best to heed the host's request. She rose and departed the bridge.

The moment the hatch sealed, the staff officer shouted again, "Sir, Captain! We are detecting the Dorun defense force mobilizing—two hundred large warships!"

Howard ordered, "Cross-reference with the database. I need to know the weapon configurations of the enemy vessels."

"Yes!" The staff officer consulted the database, identifying the rebel ships sent to intercept them one by one. Though the models varied, most were equipped with Level Seven Uranium Cannons, some with more than one. Their total firepower was comparable to, if not significantly higher than, Yang Ying's fleet.

Yang Ying knew this was a best-case scenario. The Kingdom's counterattack must already be underway, drawing away a considerable number of rebel ships near Dorun. Otherwise, they would be facing at least a thousand defending ships right now, with the rebels capable of dispatching five thousand more reinforcements from nearby sectors on short notice. In that case, attacking Dorun with his current meager force would be laughable.

"Two hundred warships—it's still troublesome, but we have a way to deal with them," Yang Ying mused. He told Howard, "You manage the main engagement. I'll take the Phantom fighters out myself."

"Yes, Commander!" Howard responded.

Before the two fleets closed to attack range, over thirty thousand Phantom fighters silently detached from Yang Ying's fleet. Cloaked against the backdrop of space, they were utterly invisible, like true phantoms, so transparent they seemed nonexistent.

According to intelligence, the Flyn had not yet mastered large-scale stealth detection technology; otherwise, Yang Ying would not have escaped the capital planet so easily. While the Flyn did possess localized stealth detection, this technology was insignificant on a galactic battlefield.

When the first missile struck its target, General Squins, commander of the Dorun defense force, was utterly bewildered. His intelligence hadn't reported an impending attack, yet the radar indicated the enemy fleet was firing. He ordered his staff to activate the optical display, only to see a series of explosions erupting on several warships' shields, seemingly from nowhere. The combat information system showed those ships’ shield integrity plummeting rapidly.

As the optical screens activated, they witnessed one warship’s shield collapsing, leaving it engulfed in flames. Squins roared, "Watch out! The enemy has a cloaked unit! Immediately activate all detection systems—there must be a way to perceive their presence!"

As he spoke, a deafening explosion rocked the deck. He grabbed his chair and bellowed, "The enemy is attacking the flagship! Deploy all starfighters immediately! I repeat, scramble every available starfighter!"

The hangar doors burst open, and the rebel fighters swarmed out, but it was too late. The Phantom fighters were already in position, assuming battle formations. As soon as the rebels emerged, the Phantoms instantly attacked. The Phantom fighters had evolved to the fourth generation, boasting comprehensive upgrades in firepower, defense, speed, and agility, easily outmatching the rebels' craft.

The rebels scrambled their ace pilots, hoping to use their psychic abilities to salvage the situation. However, under the concentrated assault of the Phantoms, most did not last ten minutes before being blasted into debris.

The third-generation Phantoms could already gain the upper hand against the ancient legion's 'Viper' fighters; the fourth generation was a significant leap forward. Against fighter craft manufactured by the Flyn—ranked 98th in the Orion Arm—they held a clear advantage.

Set against the starlit void, beams of light crisscrossed, missiles flew wildly, scattering deadly explosions and fire everywhere. Yang Ying and his thirteen companions, piloting specialized variants, hunted the elite aces among the rebel fighters, patrolling the battlefield.

Yang Ying’s fighter, in addition to the previous generation's 'float cannons,' was now equipped with several new psychic gear items, such as a beam deflection cannon and force fields. Furthermore, thanks to the combined efforts of Human and Protoss technicians, even the 'Splinter Net Beam' from the Protoss 'Wraith' fighter had been integrated.

Under the control of Yang Ying's peak Level Three psychic power, his fighter unleashed an astonishing combat capability. Often, a single sweeping torrent of beams would obliterate a rebel ace fighter mid-flight, shattering it into cosmic dust.

Just as the rebel fleet established a comprehensive anti-air barrage, struggling to cope with the Phantom assault, several hundred orange-red beams suddenly lanced down from the distant void!

These pillars of light focused on more than fifty warships. Their shields vaporized almost instantly, as if made of paper! A series of brilliant flashes erupted across the rebel fleet; every single one of those fifty-plus vessels was instantly annihilated, leaving scarcely a large piece of wreckage behind.

Seeing nearly one-third of his fleet vanish in an instant, Commander Squins swallowed hard, cold sweat breaking out across him like a waterfall. He glanced around the bridge; his staff looked even worse, their eyes vacant and lifeless as stone statues.

The deck vibrated violently beneath him again. Squins knew a section of the ship had been breached. Because he was on the flagship, its defenses were unusually resilient. Despite repeated hits and catastrophic losses, it was still tenuously holding together, unlike the other ships that had collapsed quickly.

Still, Squins understood that the flagship's sinking was only a matter of time.

Those orange-red beams were the attacks of the Yamato Cannons. The Yamato Cannon was no ordinary Level Seven lock-on cannon; its range was far superior to the standard Level Seven Bore Cannons used by the galaxy's various races. It could launch attacks from beyond the effective range of the Dorun defense fleet, leaving the defenders helpless to retaliate and forced to simply absorb the blows.

Squins knew the tide had turned irrevocably. The nearby enemy was unseen, and the visible enemy was too distant. He was full of power but had nowhere to direct it. He finally commanded, "Retreat! Save what we can!"

The order was quickly relayed, and the entire fleet began to turn, attempting to flee back to their home ports.

However, Yang Ying had no intention of letting them escape. The Phantom squadron continued their attack, skillfully weaving through gaps in the anti-air curtain, closing to effective range to strike. Ship after ship was sunk, added to the Phantom squadron's tally, while Yang Ying and the thirteen others, weaving through the fighters, also claimed significant victories.

About five minutes later, hundreds more orange-red cannon strikes erupted. These pillars of energy mercilessly tore through the warships' armor, sending the rebel vessels straight to hell.

The entire battle lasted about half an hour from start to finish. The entire defense fleet was wiped out; not a single fighter managed to return to its home port.