Chapter 242: As If Reliving the Past
"Kamille, why are you here?!"
Lifted to chest height by the mechanical hand of a Gundam, Beltorchika leapt into the open cockpit, shouting at Kamille as she did.
It wasn't an accusation—it was more out of concern.
"If I hadn't come, you would've died, Beltorchika!"
"That's not what I meant. Why would you take such a risk?"
As Kamille closed the cockpit hatch, he was more convinced than ever—Beltorchika really was a troublesome woman.
"Because I've decided to join AEUG."
Kamille didn't even look at her; his focus remained entirely on piloting the MK-II.
"So what now?!"
Beltorchika crouched beside Kamille's left, gripping the back of his pilot seat with both hands.
Kamille knew full well: now that he had provoked the Titans, if he used AEUG's original retreat route, he'd only be leading their forces straight to AEUG's unsuspecting members—sacrificing allies he hadn't even met yet.
In the end, he could only give Beltorchika this response:
"We'll figure something out!"
"A Gundam?!"
Outside, the Titan soldiers were already scrambling the moment the alarms blared. The base shifted into full operational mode, defense teams mobilizing.
But when the first wave of soldiers in armored vehicles and tanks emerged from the hangar and saw the identified target, they froze.
It was a Gundam—the very symbol of the Federation and the Titans.
"Doesn't matter—fire!!"
It was the commander of a Type 61 tank who snapped back to reality first.
He had taken part in the North American recapture operation and had plenty of battlefield experience.
Given the situation, he immediately deduced that the enemy had stolen the Gundam.
The Type 61's turret swung into position, both barrels targeting the MK-II.
"Enemy contact!"
Kamille re-engaged the thrusters, dodging even before the enemy had a chance to fire.
The maneuver shocked Beltorchika, who turned to look at Kamille in astonishment.
But she quickly regained her composure.
"Return fire, now!"
"I want to! But this Unit 0 doesn't have live ammunition loaded—the only weapon it has is a beam saber!"
So it was all just a bluff earlier…
Biting her lip, Beltorchika finally grasped the kind of resolve Kamille had mustered to come and rescue her.
Boom!
Kamille raised the Gundam's shield, blocking a shell from the Type 61.
The thick shield of Unit 0 absorbed the blast outside the cockpit.
But Beltorchika could already see more tanks, even missile launchers, locking onto them midair.
"Land on top of the command building! They wouldn't dare fire on their own!"
Faced with the relentless saturation attack—one that didn't care whether it hit the machine or the pilot—Beltorchika's last shred of hope that surrender might bring them survival was extinguished.
Kamille maxed out the MK-II's thrusters, adjusted their angle midair, and brought the mobile suit down atop the command center.
Sure enough, the barrage came to a halt.
"To the right! MS incoming!"
The two barely had time to catch their breath when three flashes lit up in the sky to their right.
Seeing the number, Kamille tensed—could it be Units 1, 2, and 3 of the MK-II?
But Unit 0's system quickly identified the incoming suits—
Three GM IIs.
Kamille exhaled slightly in relief but still raised his shield defensively.
The three GM IIs had their beam rifles trained on them but didn't open fire.
Instead, they holstered their rifles.
Then, two of the GM IIs split off to the sides, forcing the MK-II to raise its shield again under Vulcan gun fire.
Meanwhile, the lead unit drew a beam saber hilt—but didn't ignite it—as it charged straight ahead!
Kamille didn't hesitate. He pulled out his beam saber and ignited it, the blade extending into a glowing pink edge.
The GM II pilot was clearly a veteran—he ignited his saber only when landing on the rooftop, striking with a surprise horizontal slash!
"Urgh!"
Kamille had talent and some mobile suit training, but this was his first real battle.
In a panic, he managed to block the incoming slash.
But due to the angle and leverage, the MK-II—with far more power than the GM II—ended up being pushed back instead, forced a step back.
And that step landed right on the edge of the command building.
Crack—
The center of the building could hold two mobile suits, but the edge predictably gave way under the pressure, causing the MK-II to lose footing.
With the GM II bearing down, the MK-II began to topple backwards—its pilot unable to stop the fall as the enemy moved in for the kill.
"It's not over yet!"
While Beltorchika closed her eyes in fear, Kamille never took his eyes off the opponent.
He reignited the MK-II's thrusters, instantly stabilizing the suit in midair.
The beam saber in his hand flared as he poured more power into it, forcibly batting the GM II away.
Then Kamille slammed down on the throttle, propelling the entire unit into the air!
Vmm! Vmm!
The moment he ascended, the two side GM IIs opened fire with beam rifles.
Kamille blocked one with his shield and evaded the other using the MK-II's superior mobility.
Beep beep beep!
An urgent alarm sounded. Kamille glanced down—sure enough, the lead GM II had ignited its thrusters and was giving chase!
Its beam saber was lit, held low behind it in a classic charging stance.
The timing was sharp—it had attacked right when the MK-II should've been resetting its posture.
But the MK-II's movable frame far exceeded the enemy pilot's expectations.
"Haaah!!"
Kamille roared, refusing to give in. He pulled back slightly, then thrust his arm forward like a fencer.
The beam saber shot forward like a rapier, aiming straight for the GM II's cockpit!
"I will reject everything—the Titans' mistakes!"
The youthful voice rang out in a raw, unrestrained scream.
"A kid's voice? How...?"
Kamille heard an unexpected reply over the comms.
But while the GM II pilot hesitated for a split second, Kamille did not.
The beam saber pierced through the GM II's chest. The veteran pilot inside died without even feeling the pain.
The blade had gone in too deep—its tip emerged from the GM II's back.
The fusion reactor was hit!
"Get out of there, now!"
Beltorchika shouted urgently, and Kamille immediately pulled the MK-II back.
The defeated GM II dropped limply to the ground…
Then the entire suit exploded in a flash of blinding white light.