The Over Flag wove through the GN-X barrage. From inside the cockpit, Graham Aker watched the Alvatore, its GN Field deployed, being hammered by the eight positron cannons.
Although he wasn't entirely sure what those weapons were, he could clearly see the color of the Alvatore's GN Field fading significantly, and it appeared that the pseudo-reactors on the back of the MA were exploding.
Having learned of Alejandro Corner's true nature, Graham Aker already harbored a deep-seated hostility toward him—not to mention the fact that it hadn't been long since Alejandro Corner's subordinates had shot him in the back.
As he witnessed the orbital railguns beginning their assault on Earth, the fury in his heart became uncontrollable.
He drew the folding ship-slashing sword mounted on the right side of his waist, which extended into a massive blade equipped with a beam-cutting edge.
"Over Flag, show me your power..."
Graham Aker panted. Though the machine's movements hadn't been extreme in the previous engagement, "A man like that... he absolutely cannot be allowed to remain in this world!"
"Let's go, Over Flag!"
The pseudo-reactor modified by Roz Links began to frantically draw power from the additionally installed batteries, rapidly converting it into orange GN particles. Three performance limiters—identical to those on a GN Drive—were unlocked. Orange GN particles erupted from the rear of the unit, propelling the machine toward the Alvatore.
The GN-Xs near the Alvatore clearly noticed the rapidly advancing Over Flag and changed course one after another, flying toward Graham Aker.
"Captain! Please stop!"
Inside the cockpit of one GN-X, the large man named Daryl gritted his teeth, aiming his machine at the Over Flag but hesitating to pull the trigger. "Don't keep going down the wrong path!"
"Static... Sorry, Daryl..."
Along with Graham Aker's somewhat weakened voice over the comms, a flash of the sword followed. The beam-cutting edge of the ship-slashing sword easily sliced off the limbs of Daryl's GN-X, leaving only the torso intact.
"The people on Earth are wailing under his ambition. How can I just stand by and watch?"
Feeling the intense pain radiating through his entire body, Graham Aker relied on anti-G drugs and sheer willpower to endure the crushing G-force transmitted by the Over Flag. "Even with this body that has yet to heal from its injuries, I must cut him down right here!"
"Faster, even faster, Over Flag!"
Graham Aker gritted his teeth, his eyes locked onto the Alvatore, which had just been struck from behind by the satellite cannon.
"Behold... my Graham Booster!!"
As Graham Aker activated the one-time-use component installed into the pseudo-reactor by Roz Links, the machine's backup batteries were ejected in a rhythmic yet lightning-fast sequence.
A massive volume of GN particles erupted, and the Over Flag trailed a magnificent wake of light. The immense thrust from the particle spray forced the machine's limbs to tilt back slightly, and the resulting G-force caused Graham Aker to instinctively clench his jaw.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the originally orange-yellow GN particles—following Graham Aker's activation of the "OverBooster" mode—gradually shifted in color until they became the same green as those of Celestial Being.
"That's..."
Seeing the green wake erupting from the back of the Over Flag, Tieria Erde's eyes widened instinctively.
The appearance and characteristics of the thrusters on the back of the Over Flag were clearly identical to a pseudo-reactor; why were green particles from Celestial Being appearing?
At this moment, Graham Aker had no time to worry about such things. The intense G-force pressed down on him so hard he could barely speak, but the folding ship-slashing sword in his hand trailed a magnificent arc of light, severing the limbs of any GN-X that dared block his path.
"What?!"
Alejandro Corner, having just pulled his attention back from the bombardment, discovered the Over Flag spraying green particles and closing in on the Alvatore with a ship-slashing sword.
Though he didn't know why a Flag had green particles, seeing it fly toward him so brazenly filled Alejandro Corner with an inexplicable sense of irritation.
"Die!"
Alejandro Corner pulled the trigger, and the eleven small beam cannons swiveled, incessantly firing red particle beams at the Over Flag.
Facing this, Graham Aker gritted his teeth, his hands death-gripped onto the control sticks. Using every ounce of his strength, he pressed the pedals even deeper, and the Over Flag's particle emission speed surged once more.
In his current physical state, he was no longer capable of performing complex maneuvers under such G-forces. This single attack would either destroy the Alvatore or see him dead before he reached it.
Clang...
The sound of exhausted backup batteries being ejected—which had been ringing out since entering "OverBooster" mode—sounded like a countdown.
Shinn Asuka watched the Over Flag charging toward the Alvatore and the barrage it was creating. Without hesitation, he drew his own beam ship-slashing sword.
The Voiture Lumiere thrusters activated, and magnificent Wings of Light erupted from the massive backpack that defied others' understanding.
"Try and lock onto me!"
Shinn Asuka maneuvered the Destiny, raising the ship-slashing sword with both hands. Two "afterimages"—slightly ethereal, but indistinguishable from the real thing without careful inspection—appeared alongside the Destiny.
As the three silhouettes of the Destiny charged toward the Alvatore, a trail of afterimages swept past the MA. Alejandro Corner discovered to his horror that the Alvatore's radar was identifying a massive number of MS signals.
"How is this possible... there's clearly only one machine."
Alejandro Corner broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the swarm of signals identified by the Alvatore, flickering constantly alongside the Destiny's afterimages.
"Fangs!"
Five GN Fangs, resembling small missiles, detached from the rear of the Alvatore, their tails spraying red GN particles as they pounced toward the Destiny's afterimages.
But in the next second, several white beams suddenly appeared, accurately destroying the GN Fangs that the Alvatore had just released.
Not far away, the Exia—piloted by Setsuna F Seiei and equipped with the GN Arms—was aiming its composite weapon and the large beam cannon on its left arm at the Alvatore.
"Celestial Being? At a time like this?!"
Seeing his GN Fangs destroyed, Alejandro Corner had clearly not expected Celestial Being to strike at this exact moment.
The battle would not cease just because Alejandro Corner was dazed; by now, the Over Flag had already charged directly in front of the Alvatore.
"Waaaaagh!"
Graham Aker stared fixedly at his target, raising the beam ship-slashing sword of the Over Flag and hacking down ruthlessly upon the Alvatore's last remaining mechanical claw, which was still exposed outside the GN Field.
The golden anti-beam coating offered no resistance at all. The massive mechanical claw was severed by the beam-cutting edge of the ship-slashing sword.
Immediately after, the beam edge slammed into the GN Field, sending particle beams splashing in all directions as the physical blade of the sword ground against the barrier.
Having just used the Voiture Lumiere to vault over the Alvatore from above, the Destiny also reversed course, slashing toward the Alvatore's underbelly.
"It's useless! No one can break through the Alvatore's GN Field!"
Alejandro Corner finally breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing their attacks held at bay by the GN Field.
"It's just a GN Field... Watch me shatter you!"
Seeing the ship-slashing sword had already bitten slightly into the GN Field, Graham Aker ignored the groans of the machine's frame ringing in his ears. He continued to stomp down on the pedals, roaring, "Now, I even transcend the Asura!"
The originally fatigued Over Flag erupted with a fresh surge of GN particles, propelling the machine forward to drive the ship-slashing sword home.
Under the pincer attack of the Over Flag and the Destiny, the pressure on the two remaining pseudo-reactors intensified abruptly. The Alvatore's GN Field began to thin out, and the blades hacking at the shield started to sink in inch by inch.
Like a balloon's membrane being pricked by a needle, the GN Field suddenly burst. The Alvatore's last exposed pseudo-reactor exploded, sending a surge of red particles rushing out, buffeting the Destiny and the Over Flag.
nduring the particles rushing at them, the two beam ship-slashing swords slammed into the Alvatore. Without the obstruction of the GN Field, the beam-cutting edges easily sliced the shimmering golden armor in half.
"Waaaaagh!"
Graham Aker shouted as the beam ship-slashing sword sank deep into the Alvatore's body, nearly bisecting it and leaving a massive slash wound.
As the Over Flag reached the rear of the Alvatore, the direction of force and the weight of the horizontal sword sent the Over Flag spinning through space. Graham Aker used the last of his strength to manipulate the controls, barely slowing the rotation.
Clang, clang...
The last two backup batteries were ejected, announcing that the Over Flag had lost all combat capability.
The temporary TD component hand-crafted by Roz Links for this pseudo-reactor had been completely destroyed by the previous "OverBooster" mode.
"Ha... ha..."
Graham Aker panted heavily. Even with the use of anti-G drugs, the G-force brought by that brief burst of high-intensity maneuvering had sent his unhealed body back into a near-comatose state.
Struggling to stay conscious, Graham Aker looked at the Alvatore not far away, which was being hacked to pieces by the Destiny's ship-slashing sword as fragments flew everywhere. He let out a small sigh of relief.
Without its GN Field, the Alvatore was nothing more than a sitting duck.
Even the Over Flag could destroy it with its beam ship-slashing sword, and Shinn Asuka was clearly far more proficient with such a weapon; the destruction of the Alvatore was only a matter of time.
However... what was the Penelope looking at?
Seeing the Penelope standing in the distance, seemingly dazed while staring in one direction, Graham Aker frowned slightly.
Roz Links looked at the image on his 360-degree panoramic cockpit display.
He focused on the smoke-shrouded explosion caused by the orbital railgun strike, and an inexplicable sense of unease rose within him.
Without a doubt, there was something there. He could feel it—something very numerous was coming.
.......................