The battle inside the Colony had ended. The crew of the Minerva watched Yang Hui and Athrun's battle from start to finish, utterly dumbfounded. Even Durandal, who had mentally prepared himself, was left speechless.
Durandal shared Shinn's thoughts—Yang Hui's overwhelming strength was partly due to his Mobile Suit. While that was true, witnessing Yang Hui and Athrun effortlessly defeat the three Mobile Suits they couldn't handle while piloting mass-produced Zaku Warriors was another matter entirely.
Their seamless movements, flawless coordination, and absolute trust in each other delivered an overwhelming sense of awe and impact.
The moment the Zaku Warriors fell apart, it shattered Durandal's worldview—proving that someone could indeed be so skilled at piloting that their Mobile Suit couldn't handle it and disintegrated mid-combat.
"Incredible…!"
"This is… the power of the world's strongest…"
"The Mobile Suit just fell apart… What kind of skill is this…?"
"How is this even possible!?"
A sudden exclamation snapped everyone out of their shock.
"What is it?" Talia asked Meyrin Hawke, who had gasped in surprise.
"The data analysis of Yang Hui's and Athrun's Mobile Suits is complete—it's unbelievable! They manually disabled all the limiters on their units. From the moment they launched, their Mobile Suits were operating under extreme overload!"
Meyrin Hawke didn't just report to Durandal and Talia—she also displayed the data from both Zaku Warriors on the main screen.
"This—!"
Though none of them were technical experts, the sea of red indicators made it clear just how much strain the two Mobile Suits had endured.
"…Have them clean up the battlefield. Retrieve the wreckage of Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos, ensure the prisoners' safety, then hand them over to Yang Hui," Durandal ordered.
"Chairman, the Minerva requests permission to sortie. The battle outside—" The earlier explosions and tremors had made it clear that combat was raging beyond the Colony as well, and Talia was concerned about the situation.
"Outside… we likely don't need to worry." Durandal shook his head with a wry smile. Yang Hui had already disembarked, looking completely at ease—clearly, he had absolute confidence in Orb's fleet and the Sword of the Heavens.
Since victory was already assured, there was no need for concern. After all, Yang Hui cared more about his comrades' lives than Durandal did.
"But—"
Beep beep beep—
At that moment, the Minerva received a transmission from the central command of Armory One.
"Chairman."
"Frell? What's the situation?"
"It's over. One enemy ship, seven MS units—confirmed to be Earth Alliance's standard Dagger models. The MS units were completely annihilated by Orb's fleet. The unidentified warship has been captured, and we're dispatching personnel to take custody."
"What were our losses?"
"Well…"
——
Fifteen minutes earlier…
After receiving Yang Hui's orders and Durandal's approval, Natarle Badgiruel immediately commanded the fleet to deploy in formation, with MS units launching in emergency response to intercept the unidentified Gundam Raider forces.
"About ZAFT… should we assist them?" Mu, already deployed, asked Natarle.
"The Supreme Commander has reached an agreement with Chairman Durandal. If ZAFT suffers damage, we have an obligation to provide support," Natarle Badgiruel said to Mu.
"Provided we have the capacity to do so," Morgan Chevalier added.
"As long as we detect them in advance, they won't pose a threat," Natarle analyzed the current situation. "A covert unit tasked with hijacking Mobile Suits would only consist of a few elites—not a large-scale force. Otherwise, they couldn't have infiltrated PLANT territory undetected. They might even have just a single support warship."
Her analysis was met with unanimous agreement. Such a covert unit would be rendered harmless if discovered beforehand.
As for the so-called elites... who among them wasn't an elite? How many elites had already fallen by their hands?
"Beep beep beep—"
"Captain, radar contact detected—a Girty Lue-class!"
The CIC's report was almost unnecessary, as the nearby ZAFT fleet had already come under attack. The Girty Lue had practically fired point-blank into the rear of a Naska-class ship before decloaking, then unleashed a missile barrage that crippled another Naska-class vessel.
"[Mirage Colloid System], huh... All hands, battle stations! Fleet, assume A1 formation and close in on the ZAFT fleet. MS units, disperse outward and maintain optimal detection range."
"Roger that!" came the chorus of responses.
The appearance of the Girty Lue confirmed the enemy's identity—the Phantom Pain unit, their old adversaries. Having clashed multiple times before, they weren't overly shocked to see the Mirage Colloid System deployed on a warship and immediately took the best countermeasures.
After all, only one Girty Lue had appeared so far. There was no telling if a second lurked nearby, especially since no radar system capable of detecting the Mirage Colloid had been successfully developed yet.
But caution aside, they still had to assist their allies. Two Naska-class ships lost in a single engagement was already a significant blow.
Moreover... based on experience, the objective of such hijacking units was to rendezvous with operatives inside the Colony, then evade pursuit and retreat safely. Their current actions were likely to clear a path for the stolen Mobile Suit's return—not to annihilate the enemy. Therefore...
"Lieutenant Colonel Flaga, Major Chevalier, each of you take a squad and head for ZAFT Forces' port at [Armory One]!"
"Roger that!" both responded.
Though Mu and Morgan Chevalier were merely Mobile Suit pilots, they possessed keen strategic insight. They had already deduced what Natarle had and were about to report when the order came—like a pillow appearing just as one grew drowsy!
Mu and Morgan Chevalier immediately led their squads out, racing toward the ZAFT military port at full speed. Just as they had anticipated, before even arriving, they spotted the lurking [Massacre Dagger] near the port's exit.
"Not a chance!"
Behind the Strike Gundam and Strike Gundam - Night Walker, six GN Mobile Bits (equipped with two Beam Rifles, one Beam Cannon, and one Beam Shield Emitter) separated, their orange GN Particles shimmering as they traced erratic paths through space.
"Biu~ biu~ biu~"
"Boom boom boom..."
The pilot of the Massacre Dagger only heard the alarm sound, but before they could locate the enemy, orange beams pierced through from behind, above, and below, instantly igniting sparks.
"What's going on!?" Coincidentally, a Laurasia-class Battleship emerged at the exit, the flames and shockwaves from the explosion causing significant disruption.
To avoid misunderstandings, Mu immediately sent a communication request to the other side.
"This is Orb's MS units. The infiltrating enemies have been dealt with. Hurry up and sortie—no need to thank us."
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