The ZAFT Forces had arrived, and Yang Hui's team of four needed to spring into action. They had three objectives.
First, protect the Archangel to ensure its safe descent to Earth.
Second, safeguard the Menelaus and guarantee Duan Halbaton's survival.
Third, preserve enough combat strength for the 8th Fleet.
The first two were absolute musts, while the third would have to be managed as best they could.
"All units, spread out. Priority is protecting the Archangel and Menelaus."
"Roger." x3
The Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, and Gundam Virtue didn't scatter immediately. Instead, they moved in tactical formation, maintaining considerable speed as they surged ahead of the fleet to engage ZAFT's MS units.
At first contact, Exia's blade flashed, bisecting a GINN in a single stroke. Cherudim's twin pistols blazed, piercing through two D-Equipment GINNs right behind it.
The three mobile suits were like massive chunks of meat thrown into a lake, sending up enormous splashes. Rather than scattering the fish, they instead drew swarms of sharks—enemy units charging toward them, drawn by the scent of blood.
Then, Virtue's shoulder-mounted Beam Rapid-Fire Cannons roared to life, firing in rapid succession and shooting down every approaching enemy.
The surviving GINNs showed no fear, opening fire on the trio. But their 76mm rounds merely sparked against Cherudim and Virtue's armor, leaving shallow dents before vanishing into cosmic dust. Even missiles couldn't evade the interception fire from Cherudim and Virtue.
With his back covered by his teammates, Exia grew even more aggressive. It darted through the hail of gunfire like a fish, closing in on enemies. Its blade flashed again, cleanly severing another GINN before swiftly drawing a short knife from its waist and hurling it—piercing two more GINNs' cockpits in quick succession before retreating.
"Captain!"
The three Celestial Being units displayed unbelievable combat prowess. In just the initial engagement, they had already wiped out over a dozen GINNs. Captain Addis couldn't stay seated any longer.
"Duel, Buster, and Blitz—intercept those three! Keep them occupied! Aegis and the remaining GINN units will bypass them and strike the 8th Fleet directly!" Creuset's expression darkened as he watched Setsuna's trio in action. Their performance was completely different from before—their movements were on another level entirely.
"I'll sortie too!"
"Roger!"
The Earth Forces' MA units and fleet weren't a concern. Even the Archangel and Strike Gundam would be doomed against a force of this scale. In large-scale battles, three or four mobile suits couldn't turn the tide—but he couldn't afford excessive losses either, or he'd have to answer to his superiors.
...
The Dawn Gundam stood atop the Menelaus, silently observing the battle ahead as if it were merely a spectator, completely detached from the conflict.
"What is Yang Hui doing?"
Everyone who knew the Dawn Gundam's pilot was Yang Hui wondered the same thing. The battle had already begun—why was he still standing there, motionless, just watching?
At that moment, the Dawn Gundam moved. With a simple raise of its hands—left and right—it fired several shots in succession. The beams, as if guided by autopilot, weaved through the dense fleet, dodged speeding Mobile Armors, and precisely struck missiles that had slipped through the defensive fire, saving two warships on the brink of destruction.
"This...!"
Initially, they had doubted whether Yang Hui, as a Natural, was incapable of piloting an MS effectively, which was why he remained stationary on the Menelaus as a deterrent.
But with just a few simple shots, he had stunned everyone.
"This... is his true strength!" Murrue and Natarle Badgiruel were dumbfounded, recalling Yang Hui's earlier request to pilot an MS in combat.
Back then, both had assumed that as a Natural, even if he had developed an OS others found difficult to use and his simulation data was astonishing, it would still be too dangerous—after all, real combat was entirely different from simulations.
But now, with this display... they could only console themselves by thinking his pinpoint shooting was exceptional, while other skills might not be as strong.
No sooner had this thought crossed their minds than the Dawn Gundam moved again, and Yang Hui proved them wrong with undeniable facts.
Its wings spread wide, thrusters blazing, the Dawn Gundam left the Menelaus behind, streaking like a meteor through the gaps in the dense fleet. The fiery trail painted a precise pattern across the chaotic battlefield as green beams shot out repeatedly, detonating countless missiles and saving innumerable lives.
The Duel, Buster, and Blitz had engaged the three Gundam Exia units, while the Aegis Gundam and GINN squad, following Creuset's orders, bypassed them under his lead and charged straight for the fleet.
Yet, with just a few maneuvers, the Dawn Gundam appeared right in front of the fleet, colliding head-on with the ZAFT Forces.
In the blink of an eye, its twin guns fired relentlessly, never missing their mark, adding several dazzling explosions to the void of space.
It halted abruptly, pivoted, and drew its beam saber, piercing straight through the cockpit of a GINN. Just before the enemy unit exploded, the Dawn Gundam grabbed its arm and swung it toward another GINN preparing to launch anti-ship missiles.
The missile ignited, launched—and immediately collided with the wreckage of its ally, detonating on impact and engulfing several nearby GINNs in the blast.
"Stop this!"
A furious roar crackled over the comms as the Aegis Gundam, now in Mobile Armor form, charged menacingly, its Scylla Multiple Phase Energy Cannon firing.
The Dawn Gundam sidestepped slightly, evading the red-and-white energy beam, and returned fire with shots so precisely angled they nearly sealed off all of Aegis's possible escape routes.
Startled, Athrun's anger faded as the Aegis Gundam hastily reverted to MS mode, raising its shield to block the lethal shot.
No sooner had it lowered the shield to counterattack than another shot forced it to raise the shield again.
"Damn it, who the hell is piloting that thing?!" Athrun cursed. He couldn't fathom how the enemy pilot could be so skilled. As a Red Uniform, he was already considered an ace among ZAFT Forces—otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned alongside Yzak and others to infiltrate Heliopolis and seize the X Series, let alone entrusted with piloting one.
It's important to note that the X Series far surpasses all existing MS units under ZAFT's command, making them undisputed ace-exclusive machines.
At this moment, Creuset piloting the [CGUE] joined the battle, firing at the Dawn Gundam from the flank.
Without [Phase Shift Armor], the Dawn Gundam naturally couldn't afford to take solid projectile hits head-on, forcing it to dodge continuously.
"Athrun, tactical formation R11—pincer attack!"
"Captain... understood!"
After a brief hesitation, Athrun immediately complied. The combat prowess displayed by the Dawn Gundam was overwhelming; he lacked confidence in holding it off alone. With unit losses already mounting and the battle reaching its climax, they couldn't allow the Dawn Gundam to disrupt allied forces any further.
Yang Hui, seeing this, didn't attempt to break free from the pincer between the Aegis and [CGUE]. Instead, he engaged them in close combat.
Unbeknownst to Athrun and Creuset, their decision played right into Yang Hui's hands.
Despite Yang Hui cutting through the battlefield like a war god, that initial assault wave had already consumed one-fifth of his energy reserves. Four more such attacks, and the Dawn Gundam would become space debris.
Moreover, the greatest threats on the battlefield were the four Gundams of the X Series. Equipped with [Phase Shift Armor], they rendered all [Moebius] weaponry ineffective against them—even most warship armaments couldn't touch them.
Additional existential threats to the fleet included the [Mirage Colloid System] of the Blitz Gundam, the combined weaponry of the Buster Gundam—the ultra-high impulse long-range sniper rifle—and the [Scylla] Multiple Phase Energy Cannon mounted on the Aegis Gundam.
While the superiority of MS units was undeniable, the MA forces' overwhelming numerical advantage—when coordinated with warship support—could still hold their own against ZAFT's offensive and even shoot down [GINN] units.
Thus... simply keeping the four X Series Gundams occupied meant the battle was already half-won.
Furthermore, Yang Hui needed to conserve energy in case the 8th Fleet turned hostile.
"Not bad for a joint effort by Athrun and Creuset. Impressive coordination!"
The Dawn Gundam returned fire sporadically, spending most of its time evading their attacks while preventing either machine from disengaging. Any attempt to break away was immediately countered, forcing them back into the fray—a tactic that left Creuset, who'd discerned Yang Hui's intent, thoroughly frustrated.
"Next move depends on you, Murrue..."
...
Whether by telepathy or tactical instinct, Murrue—seeing the battle deadlocked—promptly contacted the Menelaus.
"Sir, this ship requests permission to detach from the fleet and initiate descent procedures!" Murrue established a direct line with Duan Halbaton.
"What?"
"Are you planning to abandon us and flee?" the Adjutant demanded furiously. The 8th Fleet had abandoned their defensive turtle strategy specifically to rendezvous with the Archangel, only to face ZAFT's full assault. Now the Archangel wanted to leave alone—how could he not be enraged?
"The enemy's primary target is this vessel! If we don't break away, the entire fleet will be annihilated!"
"Hmm..."
"While we can't reach Alaska, our current position allows descent into Earth Forces' airspace. Once we pass the critical entry point, we'll shake off both [GINN] units and ZAFT ships!"
Murrue's speculation wasn't entirely accurate. The ZAFT Forces had mobilized such a massive fleet to attack the Eighth Fleet, clearly indicating their objectives extended beyond just pursuing them.
However, the Archangel was originally scheduled to descend to Earth, and they weren't far from the planned landing coordinates. This was precisely why both the Strike Gundam and Moebius Zero had remained on standby.
But now... with the battle raging fiercely between the Eighth Fleet and ZAFT's forces, the Archangel found itself in an awkward position—neither retreating nor engaging. It might as well initiate Earth descent here and now, which could potentially weaken ZAFT's resolve somewhat.
"Sir!" Murrue pressed urgently as Duan Halbaton continued hesitating.
"Hmph, you're still as reckless as ever, Murrue Ramius."
"...Just following the example set by my superiors."
"Very well. Archangel, initiate descent procedures on your own. We'll ensure you reach the critical point safely and won't let any pursuers get past us," Duan Halbaton finally agreed.
"Understood!"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!