Another dawn, another day of war. As the sun rose, the Orb Military had already established their defensive line at Izanagi Port. Unlike yesterday's tightly coordinated formation, only a dozen or so Mobile Suits now stood along the coastline, gazing at the massive fleet across the waters.
Tension hung thick in the air. They had just learned that the missing MS units weren't lying in ambush—they had been redeployed overnight. These remaining Mobile Suits were the last line of defense for Orb.
Yet, when their eyes fell upon the figure standing at the very center of the defensive line, their unease melted away. That was their faith—an invincible symbol.
Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, and Gundam Virtue stood beside Dawn Gundam, the four machines positioned squarely at the heart of the formation, surrounded by a vast empty zone.
The strategy was similar to yesterday's, yet different. This time, the open space spanned nearly the entirety of Izanagi Port. Aside from the four Gundams standing side by side, no other forces were deployed here. No longer would they rely on overlapping firepower from a large force followed by elite reinforcements—this time, they would hold the line alone, relying solely on the overwhelming strength of these four machines.
"Going all in from the start?"
"Yeah, no more hiding. Yesterday, I was the only one lurking in the shadows, and it was driving me crazy."
"Well, what do you expect? You're the ace, after all... Supreme Commander?"
"Ha, spare me. Compared to scheming in the shadows, I'd much rather fight out in the open."
"Even knowing we're destined to lose?"
"Orb is destined to lose. I... won't." Yang Hui's face bore a grin brimming with excitement and fervor. He wasn't one to criticize Graham—though, as an Innovator, he had better control over his emotions and didn't show it as blatantly, a warrior's soul still burned within him.
Unlike Graham, who thirsted for strong opponents and battle, Yang Hui could live peacefully without conflict. But if given the choice between lurking in the shadows as a puppet master or facing the enemy head-on, he would always choose the latter.
"Is that so? If you went all out, Orb wouldn't lose." Just how strong was Yang Hui? What kind of machine was Dawn Gundam? And how terrifying were they when combined? Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria knew better than anyone. Without exaggeration, Yang Hui alone could have repelled yesterday's three unknown Gundams—and with even the slightest misstep, they would have been destroyed by him and Dawn Gundam.
"Don't underestimate the enemy. Look, they're coming."
As he spoke, the Earth Forces' fleet opened fire, their barrage concentrated directly on the position where the four Gundams stood.
This was the center of the defensive line—weakly guarded, with only four Mobile Suits holding it. If they broke through here, they could strike straight at Orb's central command.
But... Yang Hui and the others had dared to hold this position without reinforcements for a reason.
"Setsuna, Lyle, fall back! Tieria!"
"Understood. Beam Bazooka charging... complete. Firing."
Gundam Virtue's twin cannons merged, their barrels glowing with radiant light as a torrent of energy surged forth. As the machine swept its weapons across the sky, countless missiles erupted into a dazzling display of fireworks.
Dawn Gundam spread its wings, its twin rifles rising steadily to lock onto any projectiles that slipped through the barrage—and fired.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment, dozens of thick beams pierced through the flames, enveloping the Dawn Gundam and Gundam Exia.
"Bit."
The twin wings shimmered with golden light as luminous spheres danced out from between the feathers, converging one by one before the Dawn Gundam to form an impenetrable wall of light.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
As the smoke cleared, a large contingent of Daggers descended from above, maintaining suppressive fire against the light barrier.
"Exhaustion? Or containment? Whichever it is, how naive."
More luminous spheres merged into the light wall before detaching from the opposite side, seeking their targets. They adhered one by one, transforming into cones that pierced through armor defenses, triggering controlled explosions inside the mobile suits and reducing all airborne Daggers to fragments.
"Scatter and engage individually."
"Roger."
"Reserve units stand by. Fill any gaps immediately if we get pinned down."
"Understood."
Yang Hui wasn't arrogant enough to believe four people could hold this defensive line alone. Against mere cannon fodder, numbers meant nothing. But the Earth Forces weren't just sending grunts - yesterday's appearance of the Raider Gundam, Forbidden Gundam, and Calamity Gundam had already proven capable of tying up Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, and Gundam Virtue.
Moreover, the Atlantic Federation wouldn't dare invade knowing Yang Hui and the Dawn Gundam were present, nor demand Yang Hui's surrender, unless they were absolutely determined to capture him.
This confidence despite knowing Yang Hui's capabilities meant they must have undisclosed countermeasures specifically targeting him.
True enough, following the main force appeared the Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity Gundams - accompanied by ten additional Gundams.
"Strike Gundam Es. Ten of them. Heh, Azrael 's really going all out this time. But... they won't stop me!" Watching the approaching enemy Ace MS Squad, Yang Hui showed no alarm at the ten new Gundams.
The GAT-X105E Strike Gundam E was the product of Earth Alliance's "Initial GAT Series Enhancement and Improvement Program" - codenamed the Actaeon Project - developed by their military contractor Actaeon Industries. Based on the GAT-X105 Strike, it incorporated cutting-edge VPS armor technology to significantly extend operational duration. The "E" designation stood for "Enhanced."
Actaeon engineers had redesigned the head unit, modifying the Vulcan Cannon's ammunition feed path and upgrading the sensor system to improve data link stability during close-quarters combat with allied units. Additional attitude control verniers were added to the shoulders for enhanced space mobility.
For armaments, the Strike Gundam E mounted twin 12.5mm Screaming Nimbus multi-barrel CIWS in its head. The original 57mm high-energy beam rifle was replaced with dual M8F-SB1 Shorty compact beam rifles. Though effective range decreased by approximately 15%, these lightweight rifles deployed rapidly and consumed less energy.
The Mobile Suit was equipped with EQS1358-type rocket anchor launchers on both palms and feet. The cables themselves had high tensile strength, capable of lifting objects weighing approximately 100 tons under 1G conditions. They could be fired into buildings or ships to stabilize the Mobile Suit's posture, restrain enemy units, or directly pierce and destroy them.
Additionally, like the Strike Gundam, this model could utilize various Striker Packs, including the Aile, Sword, Launcher, and IWSP Packs.
The Strike Gundam was merely a C+ grade unit, and the Strike Gundam E was at best a B-. Ten of them posed some pressure for Yang Hui, but he wasn't alone.
"Setsuna and Lyle, switch targets. Tieria, continue handling the heavy firepower unit."
"Roger."
"Kira, Athrun, Dearka, Nicol, the five newly appeared units are yours."
Since Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol had chosen to join the battle, they were temporarily integrated into the Orb Military's command structure. Although Yang Hui was the supreme commander, he had delegated most of the operational command to Sumeragi and wouldn't interfere with her decisions. As usual, he took charge of directing the Ace MS Squad.
"Roger." x4
Though Athrun and the others hadn't formally joined the Orb Military, as soldiers, they understood that reckless actions could disrupt the entire battle plan. Thus, they complied with Yang Hui's orders for the time being.
As for Yang Hui taking on five new units alone, they weren't worried. Nicol and Athrun had personally experienced his prowess—both had nearly died at his hands.
"Reserve units, move up and take our positions. Huo, it's your call now."
"Don't worry, Commander. No enemies will get past us."
The Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, and Gundam Virtue each engaged their designated opponents. Meanwhile, the Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, Rebirth Gundam, and Covenant Gundam flanked from both sides, unleashing a coordinated "Rainbow Cannon" barrage that split the formation of the ten Strike Gundam Es, forcing five of them toward one side of the battlefield.
The remaining five Strike Gundam Es attempted to regroup and support their allies, aiming to eliminate the four unknown units that had performed exceptionally the previous day. However, two long chains of beam rounds blocked their path.
"Sorry, this route's closed."
Before the words fully faded, the Dawn Gundam had already closed in, its Solid Sword raised high, slashing toward the waist of one Strike Gundam E.
"Clang!" A crisp metallic sound rang out as the ambushed Strike Gundam E hastily raised its shield to block the strike. Simultaneously, sacred yet deadly bits surrounded it.
"First—"
"Beep beep beep—"
"What?"
Alarms blared as the Dawn Gundam swiftly retreated. The moment it moved, Vulcan Cannon rounds rained from four directions, weaving a net that detonated all the bits encircling the Strike Gundam E, saving their comrade.
"Seems they've found a way to counter the bits."
The bits, seemingly mysterious and elusive, were essentially energy clusters encased in special force fields. Once the field was breached, the contained energy would explode.
In other words, as long as they avoided contact with the bits, there would be no threat. Based on previous combat data analysis, they had already determined the operational range of the bits—approximately ten kilometers around the Dawn Gundam. The range of an ordinary beam rifle exceeded that distance. As long as they maintained their distance and suppressed it with firepower, they could destroy it!
That was why the ten Strike Gundam Es deployed were equipped with either the Aile Striker or Launcher Striker packs.
But... this was merely their own assumption. After arriving in this world, Yang Hui had not neglected to improve both the Dawn Gundam and its bits. This world, just like the 00 universe, contained special particles!
The Dawn Gundam's wings spread wide as its thrusters flared brightly, its speed suddenly increasing. It weaved through the barrage of five enemy units at impossible angles, streaking like a meteor toward one of the Launcher Strike Gundam Es.
"First one."
The enemy's coordination was indeed impressive. The moment the Dawn Gundam raised its blade, the other four units locked on and opened fire. Yet Yang Hui showed no fear in the face of their barrage. A golden light flashed as towering walls materialized on either side of the Dawn Gundam. The violent bombardment crashed against them—explosions erupted from the solid rounds while beams twisted unnaturally, unable to break through.
And so...
"Whoosh—"
"First one, destroyed."
(End of Chapter)