The four Xue Family fleets, totaling nearly four thousand warships, resembled several burly men cornering the Katon girl in an alley, relentlessly pounding the two trapped fleets.
Behind the curtain of Antimatter Missiles, the Xue Family's Anomaly Response Fleet deliberately retreated slightly, ensuring the Katon Fleet wouldn't lose all hope of breaking through.
Both sides fought while moving, maintaining sublight speed as the Xue Family fleets skillfully guided the engagement into a pre-laid minefield.
The dense Space Mines, originally deployed across dozens of light-minutes to blockade the Jump Points in this region, had instead become a protective barrier for their own Jump Points due to the vastness of the area.
Now, after further reinforcement, they served as a trap to restrict the Katon Fleet's escape.
As the Katon Fleet repeatedly triggered the Space Mines and suffered losses, their speed inevitably slowed, gradually dropping below sublight velocity.
Without speed, their warships' evasion capabilities plummeted, and their attrition rate skyrocketed.
Invisible distress signals cycled through the Spatial Network in all directions. Three hours later, after losing over five hundred warships, the first Katon relief fleet arrived just outside the Space Blockade.
"Finally!" Liu Hai took a deep breath, focusing intently on the warp fluctuations in the surrounding space.
After the first Katon relief fleet rushed straight into the battle, five more Katon fleets arrived over the next few hours.
With a combined force of over eight thousand warships, the balance of power instantly reversed. The hunters became the hunted—trapped Katon fleets fought back fiercely from within, while five relief fleets maneuvered and attacked from the outside. The situation grew precarious.
Yet, contrary to the Katon Fleet's expectations, the Xue Family fleets didn't regroup, abandon their encirclement, and retreat using the terrain.
Instead, they used the Space Mines as a barrier, pinning all the Katon fleets in place.
Due to the extensive minefield, the numerically superior Katon Fleet couldn't simultaneously fight and clear the mines. Their firepower appeared overwhelming, but only a fraction actually reached the Xue Family formations.
"Nearly ten thousand warships in total—time to close the net, right?" Du Jia watched the over nine thousand warships entering the kill zone, inwardly delighted, eager to devour this portion of the enemy fleet first.
Wang Yuchun shook his head, pulling up probe data. "These numbers don't add up. Based on earlier intel, they're trying to bait us, waiting for us to commit more forces."
Xue Renli calmly remarked, "Typical Katon Civilization tactics—always testing, never realizing that with their strength, a straightforward overwhelming push would make the situation clearer."
"So, no rush. If they want to bite, let them. Slowly tighten the encirclement—invite them into the jar." Liu Hai chuckled, drawing a circle on the projection that perfectly framed the battlefield.
The surrounding Pioneer Fleets remained on standby. A few enemy fleets weren't worth such an elaborate trap.
Liu Hai's Angel Fleet remained hidden dozens of light-years away, while dispatching dozens of Angel Frigates to stealthily deploy Level 5 Probes at various Jump Points in the vicinity, attempting to locate the main Katon Fleet.
"The disparity in forces is significant. Dispatch two more fleets for support to maintain balance in numbers. Additionally, create the illusion of reinforcements within the Star Region—otherwise, the Katon Fleet won't take the bait." After waiting a while without detecting any other Katon forces, Xue Renli immediately executed standard protocol to reassure the Katon Fleet.
Sure enough, once the reactions within the Stardust Star Region aligned with the enemy's expectations, a Katon Legion Fleet abruptly appeared at the Border Line.
The fleet was too massive to continue advancing undetected, so they abandoned concealment and Warped toward the battlefield openly.
"Finally, they've shown themselves. But just one Legion... seems we can only wound them this time." Du Jia was pleased to see the Katon Legion emerge, but then realized their forces wouldn't be able to fully eliminate it—at best, they could inflict heavy damage.
"No." Liu Hai's smile remained unchanged. "Just one Legion. Adjust our fleet formations, tighten ranks, and withdraw in defensive posture."
Xue Renli carried out Liu Hai's instructions, even optimizing some aspects of the deployment. A large number of Space Mines were released, both to slow the Katon pursuit and to facilitate future blockades.
Before the Katon Legion could reach the battlefield, the long-prepared Pioneer Fleets nearby arrived first to provide support, adopting a stance that suggested readiness to join the fight at any moment. This gave the Katon forces a moment of hesitation.
With the arrival of several Pioneer Fleets, their total warship count had now exceeded twelve thousand. Though still outnumbered by the Katon Fleet and the Legion behind it, outright annihilation here was impossible. Their goal was merely to divert attention and pin down as many enemy ships as possible—not to decisively destroy them.
Drawing in a few more Pioneer Fleets had been part of the plan all along, so the hesitation was also a tactical feint.
As the Pioneer Fleets arrived, a portion of the Fighter Jets carried by dozens of Motherships were deployed—nearly a million in total, concealed behind the warships.
By the time the Anomaly Response Fleet and the Pioneer Fleets had fully assembled, the Katon Legion officially entered the battlefield. The two sides faced off across a distance of one light-hour, their formations spreading outward to the flanks.
Damaged ships from both sides retreated into the heart of their formations, where emergency repairs began—particularly for critical systems like Turrets and Energy Shield Generators. Replacements were prioritized, with repairs only done when replacements weren't available.
The tacit understanding didn't last long. When three more Pioneer Fleets emerged behind the Katon Fleet, both sides immediately re-engaged.
Tens of thousands of warships clashed across a vast expanse of several light-hours. Laser Beams and Energy Beams crisscrossed space endlessly, their disturbances making Space Disruptors operate even more efficiently.
The heightened spatial interference made it impossible for the Angel Fleet to Warp directly into the fray—though for now, their presence wasn't needed.
Under Xue Renli's centralized command, the Pioneer Fleets fought the Katon Fleet to a standstill, with the Attrition Rate remaining consistently balanced.
In order to draw the Katon Fleet into the battle as much as possible, they continued to mobilize additional warships to join the fight. After several rounds, their own fleet's numbers finally surpassed the enemy's by a significant margin, just enough to compensate for the firepower deficit caused by the enemy's five Fortress Firepower units.
Liu Hai also witnessed firsthand how Xue Renli managed to fight a full-strength Katon Legion to a standstill with a fleet lacking Fortress Firepower.
When the Katon Fleet realized that even with their Fortress Firepower fully unleashed, they couldn't shake the Pioneers' formation, they knew without a doubt that Xue Renli was behind the command. His tactical style was all too familiar to them.