Seeing two Zaku Warriors flanking her from both sides, Stella—the pilot of Gaia Gundam—panicked. In haste, she raised her rifle and fired at Yang Hui's Zaku Warrior on the left. However, Yang Hui's unit charged forward with its left shoulder shield raised while simultaneously drawing the MA-M8 Beam Axe stored within it. Closing the distance in an instant, he brought the axe down heavily on Gaia Gundam.
Gaia Gundam raised its left shield to block the axe strike while discarding its rifle and drawing a beam saber, slashing upward toward Yang Hui's waist. But Yang Hui's unit slightly lowered its left shoulder, using the shield to parry the beam saber.
"Damn it... Get... away from me!"
Gaia Gundam suddenly exerted force, violently pushing Yang Hui's unit back. Unexpectedly, Yang Hui had already anticipated Gaia Gundam's next move. Using the momentum, he retreated several steps. As Gaia Gundam continued charging toward him, Yang Hui smirked.
"What's this? Another brat who loses their head in battle."
"Screech—"
Before Gaia Gundam could take two steps, Athrun's unit severed its left leg from behind with a single axe strike.
"What!?"
Stella was horrified and attempted to transform into quadrupedal beast mode to escape. But before she could, Yang Hui's unit unleashed its signature Spinning Throwing Axe technique, cutting off the remaining leg.
Gaia Gundam tilted and collapsed, but before it hit the ground, Athrun's unit caught the spinning axe mid-air. Wielding both axes, he delivered a devastating downward strike, cleanly severing Gaia Gundam's arms along with its shoulders.
"How... No! Not yet! I don't want to die!!!!"
Stella hugged herself tightly, curling into a ball inside the cockpit as she screamed hysterically.
Neither Yang Hui nor Athrun paid her any attention—distraction was a bad habit in battle. The moment Yang Hui confirmed Gaia Gundam was neutralized—right after throwing his axe—he picked up the beam rifle at his feet, turned, and fired a shot that pierced through Chaos Gundam's back, destroying its right EQFU-5X Mobile Weapon Pod and shoulder.
"What!?"
Sting Oakley, piloting Chaos Gundam, turned in panic, but before he could complete the motion, a second shot struck the left weapon pod. By sheer luck, his left arm remained intact.
But Sting Oakley had no time to relax—Yang Hui's unit had already closed into melee range. Instinctively, he drew his beam saber and thrust it toward Yang Hui's unit.
Yet Yang Hui's unit tilted its head slightly, evading the stab, then grabbed Chaos Gundam's wrist. Spinning on the spot, he executed a brutal shoulder throw. Catching the beam axe Athrun tossed his way, Yang Hui mercilessly swung down, severing Chaos Gundam's left arm and both legs. For good measure, he crushed its head underfoot—after all, Sting Oakley had stubbornly tried to attack him with Vulcan Cannons. Zaku Warriors lacked VPS Armor, making ballistic weapons a genuine threat.
"So... incredible..."
"This... is the might of Lord Yang Hui!"
"And the other one... in close combat—was that Setsuna F Seiei or Athrun Zala?"
Compared to Mayu and Lunamaria, who were stunned and could only clap and cheer, Rey remained much calmer. While shocked, he also noticed that the other Zaku Warrior was highly skilled in close combat. Based on the intelligence he had, Yang Hui's personal guards who were ace pilots specializing in melee combat were only Setsuna and Athrun.
"Clean up the battlefield and recover both units," Yang Hui's Mobile Suit straightened up as he issued new orders to Rey and the others. The original coordinates he had sent them to were the optimal interception point—whether to block the three units if they tried to escape or to lure them into an encirclement.
But then… Shinn, that reckless kid, ruined his plan. So… Yang Hui and Athrun removed all restrictions on their Zaku Warriors and swiftly dismantled the Gaia Gundam and Chaos Gundam, reducing them to human sticks.
"But what about Shinn…?" Lunamaria asked worriedly.
Yang Hui sighed. "Lesson for you, rookie—when you don't have the ability to control the battlefield, following orders is more important than questioning them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Hui's Mobile Suit swiftly picked up the Beam Rifle from the ground and fired almost without aiming—straight at the entangled Abyss Gundam and Impulse Gundam.
"Zing—"
The beam sliced through the air, precisely separating the two Mobile Suits the moment they broke apart.
"Wha—?"
"Wha—?"
Both Shinn and Auel Neider, the pilot of the Chaos Gundam, were stunned. The two Mobile Suits instinctively retreated. Shinn, realizing it was Yang Hui who had fired, was about to yell at him, demanding to know why he had shot at him.
But in the next instant, multiple beams followed in rapid succession, all striking the retreating Abyss Gundam. Its limbs and head were pierced almost simultaneously.
"This—!"
"That's… incredible…"
Shinn, Mayu, and Lunamaria were completely dumbfounded. Even Rey struggled to maintain his composure. This scene reminded him—according to intelligence, Yang Hui's true expertise wasn't melee combat, but mid-range high-speed shooting!
"Battle's over. Recover them," Yang Hui's Mobile Suit raised the Beam Rifle, barrel pointed skyward.
"You bastard! That was dangerous!" Shinn shouted. He and the Abyss Gundam had been locked in close combat! Didn't Yang Hui care about hitting him? Or was he part of the target all along?
Yang Hui sighed again. "Another lesson for you—in battle, trust your comrades."
Neither Yang Hui nor Shinn saw each other as allies, but since they were fighting together, they were comrades.
"You! Damn it… Wait up!" Shinn wanted to challenge Yang Hui to a duel in the Impulse Gundam, demanding an explanation. But Yang Hui's and Athrun's Mobile Suits had already powered down, their cockpits opening as the two stepped out and began walking away—at a brisk pace.
Naturally, Shinn wouldn't let Yang Hui off so easily. He couldn't just kick him with the Impulse Gundam, so he also disembarked and ran after Yang Hui and Athrun.
"Hey, wait! Are you deaf—? Wah—!"
"BOOM—!"
Just as Shinn caught up and reached for Yang Hui's shoulder, a deafening crash echoed behind him, followed by a gust of wind and a cloud of dust.
Turning his head stiffly, Shinn saw that the Zaku Warriors piloted by Yang Hui and Athrun were gone, leaving only scattered parts amid the smoke and dust.
"What did you just say?" Yang Hui teased Shinn.
Shinn turned his head again mechanically, pointing a trembling finger at the wreckage behind him as he asked, "How... how did this happen?"
"Oh, that?" Yang Hui glanced at the dismantled Zaku Warrior and replied casually, "The Mobile Suit was too weak, so Athrun and I removed all its limiters and pushed it beyond capacity."
"Gulp—" Shinn swallowed hard, taking several steps back as he stared at Yang Hui and Athrun with terror in his eyes. "Are... are you monsters?"
He knew Yang Hui's piloting skills were formidable, but he'd only heard rumors. Moreover, Yang Hui's Mobile Suit had always been classified as beyond standard specifications, so Shinn had assumed its performance played a significant role in his strength.
But now... he was facing the brutal truth—Yang Hui was a monster who could literally pilot a Mobile Suit to pieces.