"All hands, prepare for atmospheric entry..."
As the announcement echoed through the ship during atmospheric entry preparations, Mu, who had been waiting in the Moebius Zero, looked up in surprise.
"Descending? Under these circumstances?"
Having remained on standby in the Moebius Zero, Mu was unaware of the stalemate outside and had earlier questioned Murrue about why she hadn't deployed him.
"Yelling at me won't help!" Murdoch, who was accompanying Mu, complained loudly. "Besides... it's better than dragging our feet here!"
"But still—"
At that moment, a familiar yet unexpected voice interrupted their argument.
"Even if we shake off the ZAFT ships and GINNs, the real problem is those four mobile suits, right?"
"Huh?" The two turned toward the source of the voice and froze.
"Kid?"
"Kira?"
"I'll go standby in the Strike. We're still at Combat Alert Level 1, right?"
Kira once again boarded the Strike Gundam—the machine he deeply resented. If not for it, Heliopolis wouldn't have collapsed. If not for it, he wouldn't have been dragged into battle or exposed as a Coordinator, subjected to scorn and exclusion. If not for it, he wouldn't have had to fight his own friends.
Yet... for the first time, Kira climbed into the Strike with a bright smile. At this moment, he was even glad to have encountered the Strike, for it had given him the power to protect his friends!
And while changing earlier, he had also...
"That kid... didn't he leave the ship?" Murdoch wondered.
"Sent to the battlefield at such a young age... his future won't be easy," Mu muttered self-deprecatingly, mocking his own failure to protect the peaceful lives of these children.
On the bridge, descent procedures were proceeding in an orderly yet tense manner.
"Recheck descent protocols. Ablative coating nozzle test..."
"Test complete, all normal!"
"Descent procedures verified, all systems nominal!"
"Trajectory correction, descent angle 6.1, theta angle +3."
After calculating the descent trajectory and projected landing zone, Murrue reported to Duan Halberton—a final farewell of sorts. She didn't know what the outcome of this battle would be or if she'd ever see her mentor-like superior again.
"Admiral."
"Hmm. Archangel, commence descent!"
With permission granted, the Archangel's rear engines erupted with intense flames.
"Engine output at 40%, minimal thrust. Commencing attitude adjustment in 4 seconds."
The Archangel broke away from the main fleet and began its descent toward Earth.
"Menelaus to all ships, this is Halberton. From this moment, our fleet will commence defensive operations to cover the Archangel until it reaches the atmospheric entry point. The battle will be grueling, but that ship is indispensable to the future of this war. Reform your formations! Stake the Eighth Fleet's pride on this—not a single enemy unit breaks through to our rear! Let ZAFT witness the true might of the Earth Forces!"
"Roger that!" (Multiple voices)
The Eighth Orbital Fleet was originally a space fleet established by Duan Halbaton himself. Although there were supervisory personnel like adjutants and spies from Blue Cosmos, most of its members were Halbaton's loyal followers—excellent soldiers who voluntarily embraced his ideals. His impassioned command had raised morale to an unprecedented height.
"As expected of the 'Strategist.' Accurate judgment, excellent methods—even I feel a surge of excitement listening to him." Yang Hui smirked, praising his own discerning eye. Duan Halbaton truly lived up to being the only officer in the Atlantic Federation worthy of his regard.
This speech was broadcast on a public channel, so Yang Hui understood it wasn't just meant for the Earth Forces soldiers—it was also directed at him. It was a covert signal, a plea for their full cooperation with the Eighth Fleet and the Archangel, a promise of goodwill with no betrayal afterward.
"Very well, then. I'll trust you this once, Halberton. Don't let me down!"
With those words, Yang Hui set aside the keyboard and lifted a program restriction. The Dawn Gundam's eyes flashed, and its wings, previously only flickering with flames, now shimmered with a faint golden light.
...
"The Archangel is making a move? Tch. Halberton is willing to use the Eighth Fleet as a shield just to cover the 'Long Legs' during descent? Adis, send people after them immediately! No matter what, we must finish it before it descends!" Creuset's expression darkened. The Archangel was his most prized target, even taking precedence over the Eighth Fleet.
Truthfully, Creuset didn't know why—it was just a feeling. If they let the Archangel escape, his plans might suffer a devastating blow.
This inexplicable intuition drove Creuset to obsess over the Archangel, determined to sink it at any cost.
"Yes!"
After relaying the order, Creuset prepared to command Athrun to disengage from the Dawn Gundam and pursue the Archangel. But what happened next left him utterly stunned for the first time in his life.
An angel spread its wings, golden radiance cascading down. Whether beams or solid rounds, they were rendered useless before the divine light. Under this holy protection, the Dawn Gundam stood unscathed amidst the storm of gunfire, untouched despite the barrage.
"Temporary seal program lifted. Time limit: 30 seconds. Energy output threshold set. Psycommu system activated. Bit restriction released—Level 1."
Golden motes of light scattered as the wings unfurled. Upon closer inspection, the Dawn Gundam's wings had expanded by half, the golden radiance spilling from the gaps between their shifting forms.
"Go forth, bits."
Tiny points of light coalesced, then dispersed like bees drawn to the most beautiful garden.
"What is this... Ah—!"
"Damn it, what the hell is... Ugh!"
The Aegis and the CGUE sensed danger and immediately retreated, but their speed was no match for the bits. They were quickly overtaken.
As the golden orbs swarmed toward them, both Creuset and Athrun felt as though they had stepped into Death's embrace. The air around them turned icy cold.
In the next instant, the beam pierced through the Aegis and the CGUE, turning them red, melting, and ultimately exploding. As two of the ZAFT Forces' strongest combat units, the Aegis and the CGUE were reduced to nothing but shattered husks drifting amidst the continuous explosions.
The Dawn Gundam immediately abandoned the now-incapacitated Aegis and CGUE, spreading its wings and transforming into a golden meteor as it swiftly caught up with the GINN units engaged with the fleet.
"What the— BOOM!"
"Damn it! What is this... AHH—!"
"Stay away... stay away... NO—!"
"Monster... mon... BOOM—!"
...
The golden meteor advanced relentlessly, leaving behind a grand spectacle of fireworks in its wake.
"Ah..."
Everyone who witnessed this scene stood up in shock, as if the war and the explosions had ceased. Everything was eerily silent, their minds overwhelmed by sheer terror.
Thirty seconds—an incredibly short time—yet for everyone present, it felt infinitely prolonged. They saw only an angel descending, holy light scattering judgment upon all who opposed it, casting them into endless damnation.
In the end, over a dozen GINNs were purified by the divine light. The Dawn Gundam spread its wings protectively before the Menelaus, its emotionless eyes fixed on the remaining enemies, as if demanding: This is your last chance. Will you fight... or flee?
The answer was immediate. The surviving GINN units turned and retreated toward their fleet without hesitation, too terrified to linger. Against men, they would fight valiantly—but how could they oppose a god?
As the GINNs fled, the angel sheathed its fangs, returning to tranquility as it hovered silently before the Menelaus, a testament to its mercy.
"Tch, the energy issue is critical. Just thirty seconds, and we're down to 10%."
Yang Hui scowled at the energy display, the red-black indicator giving him a headache. If not for the energy constraints, the Dawn Gundam's achievements would have been far greater.
This only reinforced his resolve—solving the energy problem had to become his top priority.
"Yang Hui, energy levels?"
At that moment, Setsuna's voice crackled over the comms. Simultaneously, the Gundam Exia, Cherudim, and Virtue—previously entangled with the Duel, Buster, and Blitz—returned from the frontlines, forming a protective formation around Yang Hui.
"10%, just enough for basic movement."
"Return to the ship for recharging—"
"Not yet. ZAFT just retreated, and the Earth Forces' stance is unclear. They can't know I'm running on fumes," Yang Hui countered.
"Understood. If an emergency arises, we'll escort you and the transport ship to safety."
"Copy that."
The sudden return of the three Gundams, encircling the Dawn Gundam, was far from normal. Anyone with half a brain would realize the Dawn was weakened—and that the Cherudim and Virtue's guns were trained on the Menelaus, ready to lock onto the bridge at a moment's notice.
But no one noticed this, as they were all dumbstruck, immersed in the "miracle" of the Dawn Gundam, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
...
"Th-this... what in the world is... this..." Captain Addis's face was filled with terror. This battle-hardened veteran who had seen countless storms found his legs trembling uncontrollably.
Yet Addis proved why he was the captain Creuset trusted most, becoming the first among them to regain his composure.
"Where is Captain Creuset? Where is the Aegis? Where are they!?" Captain Addis roared. After all, it had been Creuset's [CGUE] and Athrun's Aegis that were responsible for the Dawn Gundam earlier.
"Captain Creuset's mobile suit... Aegis Gundam... signal lost..."
"How could..." In that instant, Addis lost all strength, collapsing into the captain's seat.
"Kzzzt... A-Addis... kzzzt..."
"That voice! It's Captain Creuset!" Hearing this, Captain Addis was overjoyed, snatching the headset from the communications officer.
"Captain! Are you unharmed?"
"Kzzzt... Not... exactly unharmed... Trace... signal origin... send... send someone... to recover... kzzzt... me and... Athrun... ugh~!"
"Captain!"
"Quickly... hurry... execute... orders... full... retreat... retreat!"