Chapter 244 – Reinforcements
"Ship artillery? Where did that come from?!"
Kamille was still in a daze from the sudden blast, but Beltorchika had already figured something out.
"So they've made it here… the Argama!"
"The Argama?"
Kamille repeated the name, casting his gaze in the direction the beam had come from.
Unfortunately, he couldn't make out the identity of the cutting-edge AEUG battleship, but he did see four glowing lights rapidly approaching.
"Mobile suits?!"
Monsha, too, had immediately noticed the light sources and quickly activated the mobile suit's recognition system.
However, the onboard database had no record of the incoming suits at all.
If anything, they bore some resemblance to Zeon's Rick Dom.
"Wait, aren't those from the Endra-class?"
Monsha narrowed his eyes, surprised by the appearance of the approaching units.
Given the rising tensions between the Endra and the Titans, Monsha had even thought the Endra forces had come to battle the Titans directly.
In fact, Monsha had no knowledge of the incident at the Spring satellite and only learned about it after the fact.
"Then these are... AEUG forces!"
With Endra ruled out, the affiliation of these mobile suits became immediately obvious.
VMMM!
While moving, Monsha slightly tilted the GP01 to dodge the beam fired by the enemy MS.
"This sensation… they feel just like Emma and Amuro!"
As they closed in, Monsha was finally able to get a clear look at the details of the enemy suits.
The two at the front were painted red and white, while the two following behind were jet black.
It was obvious—those front two were AEUG ace pilots.
"Char!"
Sitting in the cockpit of the MK-II, Kamille heard Beltorchika beside him call out that name in surprise and delight.
Kamille, of course, knew who Char was.
If he knew about Amuro's feats, then it was only natural he'd also know of Char, his long-standing rival.
That said, what Kamille sensed from over there didn't match Char—it felt more like Quattro Bajeena.
And that white MS next to him… something about it made Kamille deeply uneasy.
Frowning, Kamille nevertheless began maneuvering the MK-II forward, heading toward the incoming units.
"Kamille-kun, this is your final warning!"
GP01 had raised its beam rifle once again, aiming it squarely at the MK-II from behind.
Then, gritting his teeth, Monsha slightly shifted his aim to target the MK-II's shoulder—and pulled the trigger!
Hearing the alert tone from his console, Kamille immediately tried to spin the MK-II around and raise its shield to protect the main body. But in doing so, he unwittingly turned into the path of the beam, which now shot straight toward the cockpit!
Just as the blast was about to strike, a sudden jolt from the side shoved the MK-II out of harm's way.
The one who intervened was none other than the red-painted MS that had just linked up with the MK-II.
After a rough jolt, Kamille finally saw who had saved him.
It was that red-painted mobile suit, using the massive thrusters on its back to propel both itself and the MK-II out of the beam's path at the last possible second.
"Gamma Gundam…"
Beltorchika, sitting beside Kamille, let out a relieved sigh as she softly spoke the name of the MS.
"Gundam? That?"
Looking at the mono-eyed machine before him, Kamille asked in disbelief.
"No, it's a Rick Dias."
A familiar voice came through the communications channel—a young man's voice Kamille instantly recognized.
It was Quattro Bajeena.
In a moment that should've been marked by relief or solidarity in the face of a common enemy, Kamille instead blurted out something that stunned everyone.
"Are you really Char? Or are you Quattro Bajeena?"
Inside the Rick Dias, having just let go of the MK-II, Char momentarily froze at the question.
Just like always—Kamille was the type who never stopped challenging things.
"I am both Quattro… and Char."
On the battlefield, Char wasn't one to dwell on words. He left only that simple answer before turning his mobile suit to engage the GP01.
"Hey!"
Kamille wasn't satisfied with the vague answer. He even moved to push the foot pedal to make the MK-II give chase.
But the unit halted once more.
"Do not interfere with the Colonel's operation!"
The voice that came through was laced with unmistakable arrogance, causing Beltorchika to frown.
"In light of your help retrieving our comrade and reclaiming the MK-II, stay put here for now. Once the Colonel finishes the battle, we'll bring you aboard the Argama."
The white Rick Dias delivering those words was flanked by two black Rick Dias units, which had also stopped nearby.
Accompanying those black Rick Dias suits was a small shuttlecraft.
The pilot of the white Rick Dias was Haman.
She had stopped Kamille's movement, preventing him from disrupting the battle.
But she herself was watching Char intently, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
That said, how could someone like Char, one of the few who could match Amuro, be taken down so easily?
"He really is the Red Comet…"
Watching the red Rick Dias's movements, Monsha couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Char's combat data had long since become part of the Federation's military training curriculum. From the Battle of Loum to the end of the One Year War, every maneuver had been thoroughly studied.
So now, seeing the two machines clashing like streams of light—colliding, separating, suppressing fire, then crashing together again—Monsha felt the pressure mounting.
The red paint, the incredible speed, and the unmistakable combat style… it was as if the man had "I'm Char" written across his forehead.
As a pilot who had fought in the final battle of the Delaz Conflict, Monsha knew very well that Char had returned to the Earth Sphere.
But hadn't Emma said that even if that man had joined AEUG, he'd never dare show his true face?
In a way, that was true—Char hadn't shown his real face.
Inside his cockpit, he could feel the vibrations of his mobile suit.
This Rick Dias, built with the Gundarium Gamma alloy Haman had provided, along with a mobile frame from the manufacturer, had mobility that suited Char perfectly.
"With this strike… I'll end it!"
Char maneuvered the Rick Dias into an attack posture.
Monsha, who was already struggling to keep up, gritted his teeth and charged forward as well.
"Uwaah!"
Having focused entirely on Char's beam saber, Monsha didn't anticipate the sudden change in tactics—Char's unit kicked him square in the cockpit.
Monsha cried out in pain. By the time he shook off the dizziness and looked up, the AEUG units were already vanishing into the distance.