"Enemy forces confirmed: approximately 150 Mobile Suits and 20 capital ships, supported by the Dominion and the surviving new-model GAT-X."
Milliaria's voice came through the Glowsaver's cockpit, sharp and strained. One hundred and fifty? Lacus's data suggested we'd wiped out eighty in the first skirmish. The Alliance must have dipped deep into their reserves, throwing every spare hull and frame they had into the void.
"Understood," I replied. "Status on ZAFT?"
"The Nazca-class ships haven't moved. They're still maintaining their positions behind the debris field."
That was a departure from the script. I'd expected Creuset to use the chaos to jettison Flay in her escape pod immediately.
"Keep an eye on them," I ordered. "Ignore them for now and focus on the Alliance, but I want a constant lock on those Nazcas. Tell the Kusanagi to use the Megillots for eyes."
"Roger. Cagalli—no, Commander Kisaka says the Kusanagi is already handling the Megillot relay."
Kisaka. Efficient as always. It saved me the trouble of micromanaging the sensors.
"Kira, Mu," I said, opening a private channel to the Freedom and the Strike.
"Yes?" Kira asked.
"What is it, Axel?" Mu added.
"You know what's coming. This is the moment of truth—for Flay, and for Natarle. Don't lose your focus."
They didn't answer with words, just a grim, determined nod on the sub-monitors. That was enough.
"Axel Almar, Glowsaver—launching!"
The Glowsaver surged off the linear catapult, flanked immediately by the Weiss-saver and the Rapiesage. Behind us, the Strike, Buster, and the Gespenst Mk-IIs fanned out into a defensive screen. From the Eternal, the Freedom and Justice ignited their Meteor boosters, while the Kusanagi unleashed a fresh swarm of Megillots—the losses from the previous fight already replaced from my internal "Spatial Storage."
"Time for another full bur—tch!"
I moved to trigger the opening volley, but the Alliance had learned its lesson. Before I could lock on, every ship in their fleet opened up simultaneously. Beams, railgun slugs, and a literal wall of missiles saturated our flight path.
"Let's deal with the small fry first."
I toggled the Glowsaver's jammer. The massive swarm of incoming missiles suddenly lost its hive-mind cohesion, veering off into the darkness like blind insects. We wove through the beam fire and railgun tracers with the ease of elite pilots, though several Megillots—lacking a human's intuitive "sixth sense"—were torn apart by the opening barrage.
As the fleet fire ebbed, the Strike Daggers surged forward.
"Cornelia, you have the tactical lead," I said, diving toward the enemy's front line. "I'm going to thin the herd."
"Understood," Cornelia's voice rang out, cold and commanding. "Gespenst units, guard the Kusanagi and Eternal! Strike and Buster, priority defense for the Archangel! All other units, engage and destroy. Watch the Dominion and the Raider!"
I ignored the beam rifle fire pinging off my Telekinetic field and closed the distance with a group of Strike Daggers until I could see the sensors in their "eyes."
"Eat this!"
At point-blank range, the Glowsaver's chest armor slid open, unleashing a volley of Fire Dagger multi-warhead missiles. At a distance, a Dagger might have picked them off with its CIWS or swiped them away with a saber. At zero range? It was impossible. The Fire Daggers slammed into the lead machine's torso, turning the cockpit and engine into a localized sun.
I didn't wait for the debris to clear.
"Adamant Halper... Nine-Tail Mode! Hyaaaah!"
The halberd transformed, nine glowing energy whips erupting from the blade. Driven by the Glowsaver's unearthly mechanical torque, I swung the weapon in a devastating arc. The Alliance pilots had made the fatal mistake of letting me into their formation. The whips lashed out, severing limbs, shattering shields, and crushing cockpits with contemptuous ease.
In seconds, a dozen Strike Daggers were reduced to scrap. The survivors drifted in a state of panicked disarray.
"Phantoms, go!"
Responsive to my T-LINK command, all twenty-eight Phantoms detached and swarmed. To the Alliance pilots, who had only ever seen the cable-guided Gunbarrels of the Mobius Zero, the Phantoms were magic. They moved in a true all-range attack pattern—firing, repositioning, and firing again from every conceivable angle. When the laser fire pinned a target down, the Phantoms bared their "fangs"—laser blades that plunged directly into enemy cockpits.
I was lining up my next target with the Gun Rapier when a broad-frequency transmission cut through the static of the battlefield.
"Earth Alliance ship, Archangel-class. This is the ZAFT fleet. Before we resume hostilities, we wish to return a prisoner currently in our custody."
Rau Le Creuset. His voice was as smooth and poisonous as ever.
"Kira, you know what to do!" I barked.
"Yes! I'm bringing Flay back!" Kira shouted, his voice thick with emotion.
"Axel, ZAFT MS are launching," Murue reported. "We have a visual on the escape pod."
"I'm going!" Kira's Freedom, still docked with the Meteor, banked hard toward the ZAFT lines.
"Dearka, you're with him," I commanded.
"Wait, me too?"
"You handle the Duel. Keep Yzak busy."
"...Tch. Understood."
"And Kusanagi," I added. "Kisaka, do you hear me?"
Kisaka's face appeared on the monitor. "You want Megillot support for the Freedom and Buster?"
"For the Freedom, yes. But keep the Megillots away from the Buster. If we send AI drones near the Duel, Yzak will just go berserk. Let Dearka and Yzak have their 'talk' without interference."
In this world, Yzak was a powder keg. Without the "intervention" I'd provided in previous battles, his skill had only grown sharper, fueled by his trademark rage. If he and Dearka were going to reach an understanding, it had to be between the two of them.
Kira reached the pod's vicinity, with three Megillots acting as his wings. Creuset, wanting the "information" Flay carried to reach the Alliance rather than us, sent GINNs to intercept. Kira didn't even slow down; he blew past the GINNs, leaving them to be chewed up by the Megillots' circle lasers.
"Archangel! Help me!"
Flay's voice screamed over the international distress channel. It was raw, terrified, and heart-wrenching.
"Archangel! I'm here! It's me, Flay Allster! Sai! Captain Ramius!"
Kira's reaction was instantaneous. The Freedom's thrusters flared with a blinding light—he had likely entered the SEED state. Two GINNs moved to block him; Kira didn't even use his cannons. He drew his sabers, parried a heavy sword mid-lunge, and bisected both machines in a single, fluid pass. They exploded behind him as he reached for the pod.
Suddenly, a CGUE—Creuset's personal unit—dived from the debris to intercept the Freedom.
"Kira!"
A barrage of beam fire forced the CGUE to bank away. Mu's Aile Strike, backed by three Megillots, had arrived.
"I've got this one! Get that pod, Kira!"
"Thank you, Mu!"
Kira bypassed the CGUE, but a third player entered the fray. The Raider, utilizing its high-speed Flight Mode, dived toward the escape pod with predatory speed. Clotho Buer was looking for one last kill.
"I don't think so. Phantoms!"
Ten of the Phantoms orbiting the Glowsaver broke off, answering my mental command. Even the Raider, one of the fastest machines of this era, couldn't outrun a T-LINK-controlled remote weapon. The Phantoms swarmed him like hornets.
Clotho tried to weave through them, but the Phantoms were relentless. Four units fired laser pulses to herd him into a kill zone, while the remaining six bared their laser blades. The Raider's wings were sheared off in a twin flash of light. Stunned and tumbling, the Raider was helpless as the Phantoms closed in. They pierced the machine from every axis—through the head, the engine, and finally, the cockpit.
"I've got it!" Kira cried out.
The Freedom's hand closed around the escape pod at the exact moment the Raider vanished in a silent, blinding explosion.
Pilot Status: Axel Almar
Level: 37
Kill Count: 346
Spirit Commands: Accel, Effort, Focus, Direct Hit, Awaken, Love.
Unit Status: Glowsaver (All systems nominal).
Tactical Update: Raider GAT-X370 destroyed. Flay Allster recovered. Alliance forces suffering heavy attrition. 10 Phantoms currently engaged in the ZAFT sector.
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