Kira's actions left everyone on the battlefield utterly speechless.
Upon hearing the announcement through the comms channel, the East Asian Republic Commander directly connected to Archangel's communications and angrily confronted Reid:
"Reid! Where did this brat come from?! Shut him up!!
Does he think this is some playground game?! If ZAFT actually retreats because of this, I suggest their commander go find a tofu block to kill themselves with. And if this reminds ZAFT to just encircle us without attacking, leaving their main forces intact, then my men and I would've died for nothing!"
Reid was left speechless by the tirade, but there was no way to physically silence Kira's broadcast now.
All Reid could do was awkwardly explain:
"Well... he was originally the Strike's pilot before going MIA. And he really is just a kid—only sixteen this year. Never had proper military training either; he was just a student at Heliopolis Industrial College.
Don't worry, ZAFT has blood feud with him (Nicol's death), so they probably won't believe him anyway. I'll find a way to stop him now."
Without waiting for a response, Reid cut the communication. There was no time to lecture Kira mid-battle—that would have to wait until after the fighting.
Reid didn't need to have read the original work to know ZAFT wouldn't believe Kira's words.
The logic was simple: To the attacking ZAFT forces, Kira was just some random interloper demanding both sides cease fire.
Had it just been empty words, ZAFT might have dismissed it as some fool embarrassing themselves on the battlefield.
But Kira kept attacking ZAFT's Mobile Suits—disabling arms and destroying head cameras—effectively turning them into sitting ducks for the Earth Alliance Forces.
The ships trailing behind Archangel certainly weren't listening to whatever this unknown Mobile Suit was broadcasting.
All they knew was this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate these defenseless ZAFT units. If they didn't destroy them now, these pilots would just return with new Mobile Suits or after emergency repairs. Who knew if they'd be the ones dying to these same pilots next time?
Thus, about 90% of the Mobile Suits Kira had disarmed were finished off by Earth Alliance firepower, with only one in ten lucky enough to escape.
From ZAFT's perspective, the Freedom Gundam was clearly aiding the Earth Alliance.
This hypocrite preaching ceasefire was blatantly taking sides. Just because he wasn't personally killing anyone didn't mean he wasn't responsible for their deaths. On the battlefield, rendering a soldier defenseless was crueler than killing them outright.
Many could accept being defeated—even killed—by a stronger opponent.
But being left at death's door only to be finished off by some previously insignificant enemy? That bred unparalleled resentment.
This was precisely the atmosphere permeating ZAFT's assault forces. Reid's Newtype senses detected overwhelming waves of hatred from the fallen—like suddenly worsening air pollution in an already smog-choked area.
Under these circumstances, expecting ZAFT to believe Kira was laughable.
ZAFT soldiers felt Kira was mocking their intelligence, their fury so intense Reid could literally "hear" their roars of outrage.
"Who would fall for such a trick?! Do you take us for idiots?!"
Alright, that voice was all too familiar. Reid immediately recognized it as Yzak's. A quick glance confirmed that the Duel had indeed flown into this battlefield.
This time, Reid wasn't planning to let Kira go for Yzak's legs—he intended to handle the Duel himself.
So he coldly transmitted to Kira, "Kira, keep clearing the path. I'll deal with the Duel. Also, I don't know who taught you to only target Mobile Suit weapons and head displays, but that behavior is an insult to those who step onto the battlefield."
Kira could tell Reid's tone was hostile, but he had no intention of changing his approach.
To be fair, Kira was currently a rebellious teenager (16 years old—peak rebellious age). He believed killing was wrong, so he wouldn't listen to Reid, who was already accustomed to the battlefield and completely desensitized to taking lives.
Still, Kira didn't plan to argue. After all, in his heart, Reid was someone trustworthy and decent. People aren't binary—Kira believed in viewing Reid dialectically.
Reid, for his part, didn't wait for Kira's response. He directly intercepted the Duel.
At this moment, Yzak had no idea Reid was piloting the Mobile Suit before him. He continued roaring, "Out of my way, you trash!" while firing a shot at the Hermes Zero.
Reid figured it was time to remind Yzak of past hardships.
Against the Duel's shot, Reid didn't reveal the Beam Shield. The moment the Duel raised its arm, Reid dodged upward, causing the shot to hit empty air.
Yzak suddenly realized something was wrong—how was this new Earth Alliance Mobile Suit so fast? It had vanished from his display in an instant.
Before Yzak could locate the Hermes Zero, he saw a foot rapidly enlarging on his screen.
The next second, the Duel was kicked off its Guel by the suddenly reappearing Hermes Zero, then plummeted uncontrollably into the sea.
Externally, the engagement was brutally simple:
The Duel charged at the Hermes Zero and fired.
The Hermes Zero dodged upward at blinding speed, instantly adjusted its stance into a downward flying kick (a Rider Kick), with its thrusters overloading to create visible Sonic Boom Wind around its frame—proof it had momentarily reached supersonic speed.
Thus, the Duel at point-blank range ate a genuine supersonic kick.
Thank Phase Shift Armor for immunity, or the Duel's cockpit would've been crushed flat.
While the cockpit survived, the impact instantly knocked Yzak unconscious inside, leaving the Duel to plunge unmanned into the ocean.
Reid wasn't worried about Yzak drowning. Since Nicol's death and Dearka's disappearance, ZAFT couldn't afford to lose Yzak—he always had Mobile Suit escorts nearby.
Sure enough, two DINNs recklessly positioned themselves beneath the falling Duel, fearing Reid might finish it off.
Ironically, Reid hadn't planned to attack further, but with two Mobile Suits placing themselves as perfect targets, not taking the shot would seem suspicious.
So Reid fired two Anti-ship Missiles from his left wrist launcher, obliterating both DINNs in the blast.
Reid could see that both anti-ship missiles were prematurely detonated by the DINN's scattergun, but the explosions were still too close, causing his Mobile Suit to be caught in the blast. Now smoking, his machine was plummeting to join the Duel below.
With just a glance, Reid dismissed the fate of these two bodyguards. His priority now was to continue clearing the path for the Archangel.
However, the front was already covered by the Freedom Gundam. Enemies within the 120-degree frontal arc didn't require Reid's attention—the Rainbow Cannon's fearsome reputation wasn't exaggerated. Combined with the fact that ZAFT's greencoat pilots stood no chance against Kira's targeting, Freedom's forward sector became a continuous fireworks display of exploding Mobile Suits and intercepted missiles.
This left Reid only needing to handle flanking and rear attackers, making his task considerably easier.
Soon, the Archangel broke through ZAFT's encirclement.
Seeing the Archangel about to escape beyond Alaska Base's operational range, ZAFT's commander gritted his teeth and ordered his forces to abandon pursuit, redirecting them to complete their primary objective—capturing Alaska Base.
By this time, the East Asian Republic's heavy armor units had already retreated into the base. Though they had the opportunity to destroy the underground Cyclops System, their commander refused to become prisoners while simultaneously saving ZAFT's main forces. Like cornered beasts, they fought desperately within the base, determined to take down as many ZAFT soldiers as possible before falling.
ZAFT forces, witnessing such fierce resistance from the East Asian Republic troops, naturally suspected nothing. Kira's warning had been completely wasted.
Probably only Creuset among ZAFT's ranks believed the warning. Even without entering the base for investigation, Creuset knew the Atlantic Federation was absolutely capable of such an act.
But Creuset actively desired deeper hatred between Coordinators and Naturals, so he offered no warnings. After casually expending all his ammunition, he simply retreated to the farthest mothership for resupply.
Reid had no time to concern himself with Creuset. Calculating that the Atlantic Federation must have confirmed the base's imminent fall by now, he knew putting maximum distance between them and the base was critical.
Truthfully, even in its damaged state, the Archangel could cover ten kilometers in minutes—this was a starship after all. Though slower in atmospheric conditions than in space, it still vastly outpaced any surface vessel.
With ZAFT no longer pursuing, the Archangel quickly outran its Atlantic Federation escort fleet, reaching safety beyond the ten-kilometer mark.
But Reid ordered the Archangel to keep moving. No one could predict the scale of electromagnetic storms from the Cyclops System's planetary detonation. Being outside the blast radius didn't guarantee immunity from EM effects.
The Archangel's damaged armor meant some electromagnetic shielding components were likely compromised. If an EM storm hit and caused systems failure, they'd sink straight to the ocean floor.
Recovering a powerless Archangel from the depths would be tremendously difficult.
Thus Reid insisted the Archangel maintain maximum speed and distance.
Exactly as Reid predicted, ten minutes after the Archangel cleared the main gate, the Earth Alliance's Alaska Base vanished in an earth-shaking explosion—transforming into a massive hemispherical fireball.
The fireball was estimated to be six to seven kilometers high, its ring-shaped condensation cloud crowning it like a royal diadem.
Moreover, since the Cyclops System emitted microwaves upward, a beautiful aurora had appeared in the sky above the explosion, creating an ironically poetic contrast.
At this moment, Reid roughly understood what the so-called "ten-kilometer safety zone" meant. Those ten kilometers were actually the range covered by the Cyclops System's microwaves.
Fortunately, Reid had already moved the Archangel far enough away, so the subsequent shockwaves had minimal impact on the ship. The Hermes Zero and Freedom Gundam also remained unaffected.
But the dark mushroom cloud behind them seemed to silently narrate the devastation that had just befallen the land.
Reid instantly heard the collective wails of over a hundred thousand soldiers behind him. The screams of life at the moment of death tormented his mind.
For the first time, Reid experienced what Kamille must have felt. His Newtype abilities weren't as sensitive as hers—normally, he could only sense a faint unease and sorrow when large numbers of lives were lost.
But now, the Cyclops System had just wiped out over a hundred thousand lives in an instant (ZAFT, East Asian Republic, Eurasian Federation, and the Atlantic Federation troops who failed to escape—combined, the numbers added up). Being so close to the carnage, the psychic backlash was excruciating.
Reid could only think one thing: "So this is what Kamille endured constantly during the war, no wonder she went mad!!"
However, the Atlantic Federation's strategy had succeeded. At least half of ZAFT's Earth forces—the main force attacking the Alaska base—had been annihilated. Ninety percent of that half had been vaporized, leaving only the Mobile Suits that had been stationed in the rear for resupply and repairs.
The remaining half of ZAFT's Earth forces, scattered across various bases for defense, now meant ZAFT had effectively lost all offensive capability.
Thankfully, the wails in Reid's ears came and went quickly—after all, he wasn't being haunted by vengeful spirits.
No one questioned the earlier instability of the Hermes Zero's flight, either. The shockwaves had rocked even the Archangel, let alone the Mobile Suits. The Freedom Gundam had wobbled far more violently than the Hermes Zero.
Once the death cries faded from his mind, Reid immediately spoke over the comms:
"There's a small island ahead. Let's land and rest for a while. I'm sure many of you have things to say to Kira. It's better to clear the air now."
Kira agreed. He needed to confirm the Archangel's and Reid's stance before deciding his next move.
Besides, Kira had brought a secret letter from Lacus meant for Reid, so a face-to-face meeting was necessary anyway.
Soon, the Archangel, Hermes Zero, and Freedom Gundam all touched down on the unnamed Pacific island.
After six days of confinement, everyone aboard the Archangel—crew and mechanics alike, whether they cared about Kira or not—rushed out to breathe the "fresh" air. (Though in reality, if they were anywhere near the blast site, the sky should've been raining Fallout Ash by now, making the idyllic sunny island scenario from the original impossible.)
Kira reunited with the crew of the Archangel on this small island blanketed in black-gray ash falling like goose feathers, the air thick with the smell of burning—a scene straight out of apocalypse.
Kira's close friends and several friendly crew members immediately rushed toward him. The boys grabbed him, patting him all over while exclaiming,
"It really is Kira! Not a ghost—he's got a real body!!"
This was clearly just youthful roughhousing, and the rest of the Archangel's crew happily watched the commotion.
Murrue observed the scene with a mix of relief and bitter amusement. These very people had been forced by her to board the Archangel. Now, they couldn't return home and had all become deserters. She had truly dragged them into a mess.
Reid happened to walk up beside Murrue just then. Noticing her troubled expression and sensing her guilt toward Kira and the others, he gently took her hand and whispered,
"Don't worry. I'll make sure they're taken care of."
Seeing Reid's confident expression, Murrue squeezed his hand in return and gave a firm nod, replying softly,
"Yes. I trust you."
At that moment, Kira noticed Reid approaching and broke free from his friends' "inspection." He pulled out a pink envelope from his pilot suit and walked over formally.
As Kira moved, everyone's attention shifted to Reid—and many noticed him holding Murrue's hand.
Flustered, Murrue quickly let go and hid her hands behind her back, like a child caught snacking and trying to conceal the evidence.
But no one on the Archangel batted an eye. Rumors about Reid and the ship's two captains had already spread ever since Mu's offhand remark about the three of them spending the night together.
Besides, Reid—who shouldn't have even been at the Alaska Base—had returned like a king with Murrue, who was clearly just rescued from imprisonment. That alone spoke volumes.
If there wasn't something special between Murrue and Reid, why would he take such a huge risk to save her?
So Kira pretended not to see anything and handed the letter to Reid, saying,
"Mr. Reid, this is a letter from Miss Lacus. She asked me to deliver it to you."
Reid had a feeling the letter would bring trouble, but he had no choice but to accept it. After all, he needed to know what Lacus was up to. She wouldn't have Kira deliver a letter just for small talk.
He took the envelope and tucked it into his pilot suit before replying,
"I've received it. But Kira, I have a question for you. By coming here in the Freedom Gundam, can I assume you've joined the Clyne Faction of PLANT?"
Kira shook his head.
"No, I haven't joined ZAFT. But I'm also no longer part of the Earth Alliance."
Reid sighed and clapped a hand on Kira's left shoulder.
"Tch. You're far too naive. I asked if you joined the Clyne Faction of PLANT—not ZAFT. The Clyne Faction isn't ZAFT.
"Besides, your answer doesn't even matter anymore. You're carrying Lacus' letter, and this Freedom Gundam—she stole it for you, didn't she?
"At this point, whether you admit to joining the Clyne Faction or not is irrelevant. To outsiders, you're already branded as one of them."
Upon hearing this, Kira grew somewhat agitated—not because of how Reid defined him, but because Reid had called Lacus's actions theft.
With visible excitement, Kira argued,
"That's not true! Miss Lacus only gave me the sword! She told me to decide for myself how to end the war. She said it was impossible to end the war without power, so she gave me this Freedom Gundam!"
Reid merely tapped Kira lightly on the forehead and sighed.
"First of all, the Freedom Gundam belongs to PLANT, not the Clyne family's private property. Giving it to you without PLANT Council approval is theft.
"Moreover, Lacus Clyne and Siegel Clyne are definitely being secretly hunted by PLANT over this.
"They paid such a high price just to give you the freedom to choose how to end the war? Do you really think they're that foolish?
"And do you honestly believe you alone can end this war?"
Kira was left speechless by Reid's questions. The logic was clear and easy to analyze, yet he still protested weakly,
"Miss Lacus sincerely prays for peace. She even believes you, Mr. Reid, desire peace too! She's one of the few in PLANT who knows you were involved in the Junius Seven incident and still trusts you!"
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