met free Chapter 19: Are the Federation's MS monsters?
Chapter 19: Are the Federation's MS monsters?
[Archangel, catapult deck]
That low, self-talking murmur was clearly heard by everyone through the ship's communication channels.
"I can see... I can see the enemy too."
Inside the bridge, there was a deathly silence.
The voice was calm, cold, and even carried a hint of... languor? It was completely different from the Ling Yu they knew, who was always talking nonsense and laughing.
Before Maru Ramias could recover from this eerie sense of unease, the scream of CIC operator Mirialia Hau shattered the silence.
"Strike Gundam, ejection procedure not initiated, it...it went out by itself!"
On the screen, the Strike Gundam with its crimson eyes did not undergo conventional electromagnetic catapult acceleration.
It merely bent its knees slightly, and in the next instant, the entire machine "splashed" out like a bullet that had been compressed to its limit and then suddenly released.
It was a terrifying acceleration that violently tore through inertia, completely defying the common sense of physics. A scarlet afterimage flashed by in the pitch-black universe.
---
[ZAFT Army, Encirclement Network]
"What the hell is that?!"
Inside the cockpit of Duel Gundam, Yzak Joel only had time to let out a roar.
He had just locked onto the Archangel and raised his beam rifle when a red streak, too fast to catch, flashed into his field of vision.
He didn't even see the other person's movements clearly.
He only felt a chill on his right arm.
On the screen, the warning lights flashed frantically. The Duel Gundam's right arm, which was gripping the rifle, had detached from its torso and drifted into the distant depths of space.
The cut is as smooth as a mirror.
"Yzak!"
Diaká Eilsman, inside the Storm Gundam, was shocked and immediately turned the cannons around. His high-pulse long-range sniper rifle and anti-armor shotgun fired simultaneously, creating a dense net of fire in an attempt to block the trajectory of the red streak.
However, it was no use.
The artillery fire only chased after a series of blurry afterimages, exploding into futile fireworks in the universe.
They couldn't even touch each other.
[Gamov, bridge]
For the first time, a crack appeared on Xiao Ran's usually composed face after he was promoted to purple-clad commander.
He kept his eyes glued to the main tactics screen.
The icon representing the Strike Gundam is no longer a stable blue identification signal, but an anomaly that jumps wildly and flashes a blinding red light.
Its movement trajectory was completely illogical, sometimes making sharp angle changes of direction, and sometimes bursting with instantaneous speeds three times the theoretical value, like a drunkard dancing a crazy tango on a knife's edge, making a complete mess of the perfect encirclement formed by the four G-series Gundams on our side.
Xiao Ran's knuckles unconsciously clenched until they turned white.
"That's outrageous! He opened the door for something so outrageous!" His mind analyzed calmly, but the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed the turmoil within him.
"I've seen the Strike Gundam's OS before; I know its performance limits inside and out. It's impossible for it to perform such a maneuver. This isn't a difference in machine performance..."
It's a generational gap in driving skills.
It's so large... it's like something from a different dimension.
A thought, uncontrollably, surfaced in his mind.
"An uncontrollable variable... is it the one in Heliopolis? No, the driving style is completely different."
Or is she a "player" who's causing trouble for Artemis?
No, not at all. The one with the umbrella looks more like someone from ZAFT Military Academy; he has a very solid foundation.
So what about this one?
Are there three players on the Archangel?
Then I'll play your mother's game!
Or is this player's cheat code purely designed to enhance their driving skills? Damn it!
His meticulously designed, data-modeled, and data-driven encirclement plan, which had been simulated hundreds of times and confirmed to be a sure-win operation,
It was astonishing that such an unreasonable "brute" managed to tear a gash open with sheer brute force.
"This kind of barbaric and unreasonable violence..." A complex light, mixed with astonishment, jealousy, and intense fighting spirit, flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes.
"The most unpleasant thing."
---
[Cosmic Battlefield]
Aslan Sara reacted the fastest.
"Nicole, use 'Mirage'! Let's attack him from both sides!"
"clear!"
In an instant, the Aegis Gundam transformed into its red MA form, charging forward at high speed like a bloodthirsty falcon.
Meanwhile, the figure of the Swift Gundam disappeared into the vast universe amidst the flashing particles.
Faced with textbook-perfect coordinated tactics, the Crimson Assault team advanced instead of retreating.
Faced with the Aegis's outstretched claws, powerful enough to tear apart the battleship's armor, the Strike Gundam didn't even draw its sword. Instead, it gently tapped the shield on its left arm at an extremely tricky angle.
"clang!"
The immense recoil caused Athrun to feel a jolt in his mobile suit. The Strike Gundam, however, perfectly utilized this force, flipping backward.
It was this movement that allowed it to narrowly avoid a beam saber that silently stabbed from behind its blind spot.
The Swift Gundam, with its "Mirage" system activated, briefly appeared as its attack missed.
The Strike Force, hanging upside down, brushed past the Thunder, even managing to retaliate with a beam of light.
"What?!" Nicol exclaimed in shock.
Inside the cockpit, Ling Yu was internally ranting and raving.
"Tsk, Char, your habit of not wearing a pilot suit is really getting you killed. If it weren't for the helmet forcibly connecting to the life monitoring system, those guys on the bridge would probably think this Gundam is haunted."
But he let out a soft laugh through the public channel in that lazy and arrogant voice.
"Huh? ZAFT's elites... are they just monsters that only know how to ambush? They're so easy to kill."
Before he finished speaking, he deliberately created an opening, seemingly adjusting his posture, and his body stiffened for a moment.
A glint flashed in Aslan's eyes, and seizing the opportunity, he pounced again.
It's now!
Just as the Aegis Gundam's four claws were about to seize the Strike Gundam—
The crimson MS engine suddenly reversed its thrust, executing a crazy zigzag maneuver, and before Athrun's horrified eyes, it flashed like a ghost behind the Holy Shield.
The cold beam saber pierced straight into the cockpit.
"Aslan!" Nicol exclaimed in terror.
With the shadow of death looming over him, Athrun unleashed his full potential, maneuvering his machine to its limits in a somersault.
stab-
The saber slashed, severing Aegis's entire left shoulder at the root, and a violent shockwave and electrical sparks exploded in the cockpit.
"In battle, you always have to think two or three steps ahead of your opponent."
That devilish voice rang out again, tinged with a contemptuous air of instruction.
"Young man, you're still too green."
---
[Archangel, Bridge]
"He...he wasn't wearing a driver's suit!"
Miria stared at the faint but clear life signal transmitted from the Strike Gundam helmet on the monitoring screen, and finally couldn't help but scream.
These words were like a depth charge, plunging the entire bridge into an instant deathly silence.
Everyone, including Maru and Natal, stared at the red figure on the main screen, a figure seemingly oblivious to the carnage of the battlefield, as if it were a monster.
How can one perform high-G maneuvers in this intensity of combat without a pilot's suit?
This is no longer a question of adjusters or natural persons.
This involves the question of whether the people sitting inside are actually people.
---
Strike Gundam, Cockpit
A violent spinning sensation swept over them.
Ling Yu felt a heat in his nasal cavity, and a warm liquid flowed down uncontrollably.
Double images began to appear before my eyes.
[Warning! Warning! The driver's physical condition has reached a critical point! Vital signs are extremely unstable! Forced abort will be executed in 30 seconds!]
A bright red system warning box flashed wildly in his blurred vision.
"Damn... the pleasure of triple speed is definitely not something a mortal can easily enjoy..."
---
[Archangel, Bridge]
Frey Alsta stared intently at the vital signs monitoring chart displayed on the split screen in the corner.
The curve representing Ling Yu's heart rate was plummeting at an alarming rate, and the red warning light, which had stopped flashing, was now constantly lit.
He was dying.
This thought, like a cold awl, pierced Frey's heart.
No!
This man... this only man who can realize her revenge plan, her most important "asset," must not fall here!
Her gaze swept across the battlefield; the enemy was still locked in combat.
She thought of Lux Klein, who was being held captive in the lounge.
When no one was paying attention
Frey's eyes transformed in a mere second, from anxiety to worry, and then to a cold, resolute expression.
……
The bridge doors opened.
She turned around abruptly, rushed over, and snatched the sidearm from the waist of a soldier next to her.
To everyone's astonishment, she pressed the cold muzzle of the gun firmly against Lux Klein's smooth temple.
She pressed the emergency communication button for the entire ship.
A voice, utterly incongruous with her delicate appearance and age, and chillingly calm, proclaimed to the entire battlefield via public channels:
"I am Frey Alsta, daughter of George Alsta, Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Atlantic Federation. All ZAFT forces, heed my command: immediately cease all military operations and withdraw!"
"Otherwise," she paused, each word seeming to have been pulled from an ice cellar.
"I cannot guarantee the safety of your beloved songstress, Ms. Lux Klein."
"I mean what I say, and I do what I say."