Mu, Morgan Chevalier, and Edward Harrelson—the three absolute aces of the Atlantic Federation—defied their recall orders and directly led their MS Squads to assist the East Asian Republic in counterattacking the Jachin Due Fortress.
However, the captains of the ships to which their MS Squads belonged were quite understanding of their motives, so they all chose to play dumb. If anyone asked, they would simply claim communication failure and that the frontline MS units might not have received the orders.
No one would doubt this excuse now. The gamma rays from Genesis had just swept through this sector of space, and the resulting electromagnetic interference made communication failures perfectly plausible.
Thus, the only ace pilots left to spearhead the assault on PLANT's homeland were Canard Pars, Olga Sabnak, and Emilio Broderick.
Or, to be more precise, only Olga Sabnak and Emilio Broderick.
The moment Canard Pars saw the Freedom Meteor, he completely forgot about PLANT. Piloting the Hyperion Gundam, he directly blocked the Freedom Meteor's path.
Kira was speechless. He had no desire to fight Canard Pars at all and initially planned to use the Meteor System's speed to bypass him.
But then another message came from the Archangel. Miriallia's voice rang out:
"Kira, the Earth Alliance is attacking PLANT's homeland again! You and Athrun must return to intercept the nuclear missiles!"
Both Kira and Athrun were dumbfounded. Had the Earth Alliance gone mad? Instead of targeting Genesis, they were now nuking PLANT's homeland!
But they had no choice. They immediately turned back to join PLANT's defensive forces once more.
However, Genesis couldn't be ignored either. Murrue, looking at the Earth Alliance fleet now led by the Archangel, knew exactly who was in command. The Eternal was underarmed, and the Kusanagi's specs fell short of the Archangel's. It seemed the only ship capable of standing against the Archangel now was their own.
Without hesitation, Murrue said to Lacus and Captain Todaka:
"We can't ignore Genesis. The Archangel will stay here to assist Freedom, Justice, and Buster in intercepting the nuclear missiles.
"The Eternal and the Kusanagi will continue forward. Brave, Strike, and the mercenaries from Serpent's Tail will accompany you. Please, do this for us."
Lacus had no objections to Murrue's arrangement. When it came to missile interception, Mobile Suits like Freedom Meteor, Justice Meteor, and Buster—with their wide-area AOE capabilities—were far more effective.
Though Brave Gundam's Dragoons also had AOE, their range was too short. Using them to intercept nuclear missiles risked friendly fire, making them better suited for clearing the path of enemy MS.
Moreover, while it might seem like Murrue had only assigned two Gundams to the Eternal and the Kusanagi, they also had Murakumo Gai piloting the Astray Gundam Blue Frame Second L for support. The Kusanagi itself was fully loaded with M1 Astrays.
Thus, the Eternal and the Kusanagi were far from lacking in firepower and were fully capable of fighting their way to Genesis.
Of course, the prerequisite for fighting their way to Genesis was defeating the final boss standing in their way—Rau Le Creuset.
When the aces from the East Asian Republic and the Atlantic Federation launched their assault, they ran straight into this formidable foe.
The Celestial Soldiers and Celestial Generals were no match for Creuset piloting the Providence—they were simply slaughtered.
Even if the Celestial Soldiers and Generals amassed firepower through sheer numbers, the Providence's mobility was more than sufficient to evade. As for the Dragoon System controlled by Creuset, even Kira piloting the Freedom would find it difficult to dodge, let alone the pilots from the East Asian Republic.
It could be said that the advance of the East Asian Republic was almost single-handedly halted by the Providence.
However, the Azure Dragon Gundam was nowhere to be seen on the battlefield, suggesting that the East Asian Republic likely had Mobile Suits infiltrating toward Genesis.
Yet, Creuset's presence undoubtedly posed the greatest obstacle for the Earth Alliance in destroying Genesis.
Upon arriving at the nearby battlefield, Mu immediately sensed his old nemesis.
Watching the Providence wreak havoc on the display, Mu knew that currently, only he and Morgan could engage the Mobile Suit controlling those small floating units. Anyone without Spatial Awareness would be slaughtered in droves.
However, Mu was aware that Morgan Chevalier's Spatial Awareness was inferior to his own, which meant it was also weaker than Creuset's. Engaging Creuset would be too dangerous for Morgan. Thus, he said:
"Morgan, I'll handle that ZAFT Mobile Suit. Lead the squad and continue the assault. Don't worry about me—that's Rau Le Creuset, my old rival."
Without waiting for Morgan Chevalier's response, Mu detached from the formation in his 105 Wired Guided Dagger and charged straight at the Providence.
Morgan Chevalier could only sigh in resignation. He faintly sensed an eerie pressure emanating from that ZAFT Mobile Suit, akin to the primal fear humans feel when facing a predator.
Considering that if he also went to engage that Mobile Suit, there would truly be no one left to clear the path, and the rest of the squad—piloting Strike Daggers—could only manage a three-to-six odds against ZAFT's superior GuAIZ units, Morgan judged that for the sake of his comrades, he couldn't go.
So, in the end, Morgan Chevalier could only mutter to himself in the cockpit:
"Mu, you damn brat (Morgan Chevalier, being 48 years old, could call anyone a 'brat'), you better come back alive. You're still way too young to die."
Of course, Mu couldn't hear Morgan's words. Roaring, "Rau Le Creuset!!!" he fired his M703 75mm Beam Rifle at the Providence, trying to draw its attention toward himself.
Creuset had naturally noticed Mu long before. Seeing Mu charge at him, he smirked triumphantly. Relying on the unique resonance between them (not a New Human Ability, but a peculiar "bond" that allowed them to sense each other), he effortlessly dodged the beam rifle fire by predicting the timing.
In response, Creuset casually retaliated with the Providence's MA-M221 High-Energy Beam Rifle as if merely "greeting" Mu.
Mu easily evaded the attack as well, then deployed the four Wired Beam Pods from his backpack, firing four consecutive twin beams at the Providence from different angles.
Seeing this, Creuset likewise released eight small Dragoons, each equipped with two beam cannons, along with three large Dragoons armed with nine beam cannons each, unleashing a volley of fire at the 105 Wired Guided Dagger.
To be honest, Creuset's Providence Gundam using the 105 Wired Guided Dagger was completely bullying. Even though the 105 Wired Guided Dagger's performance was far superior to the Strike Dagger and it had an Anti-Beam Shield, it was still a mass-produced, downgraded version of the Strike. There was still a gap in defense, electronic systems, and mobility.
In the original story, Mu barely managed to dodge Providence's Dragoons using the high-mobility Aile Strike. Now, with the 105 Wired Guided Dagger, it was even more impossible.
So, out of the four twin-beam shots from the 105 Wired Guided Dagger, Providence dodged three, and the last one was blocked by the MA-MV05A Composite Armed Shield System.
Mu pushed his Mobile Suit to its absolute limits, relying on the Anti-Beam Shield to block seven or eight attacks. He barely survived Providence's forty-three beam shots at the cost of his 105 Wired Guided Dagger's left leg being hit and all four wired beam pods being destroyed.
However, this was just a temporary reprieve. The legs of a Mobile Suit housed crucial auxiliary thrusters. Losing one leg severely limited the unit's short-range maneuvering capabilities.
Mu was now practically cornered, but he still raised his Beam Rifle again and fired at Providence, shouting:
"Is this what you wanted? Naturals and Coordinators shooting destructive weapons at each other?!"
Due to both sides being extremely agitated and exhilarated, Creuset and Mu could now communicate telepathically without even needing to connect their comms. So Creuset replied condescendingly:
"Hmph, this isn't what I wanted! This is humanity's dream! Humanity's desire! Humanity's karma! To be stronger, faster, and higher than others—this is what humanity wants!
Mu La Flaga! I grant you my final mercy, so you won't have to witness the ripening of humanity's sinful fruit. So now, die!!"
With that, Creuset dodged Mu's shot and fired simultaneously with Providence's high-energy Beam Rifle and the twin-beam guns on the Composite Armed Shield, completely destroying the 105 Wired Guided Dagger's Anti-Beam Shield.
Then, Creuset controlled the small Dragoons that had just returned to the Mobile Suit for recharging and unleashed another barrage at the 105 Wired Guided Dagger.
However, just as Mu was certain to die, an unusually young voice suddenly intruded into Creuset and Mu's telepathic private channel, shouting:
"Stop!!"
Immediately afterward, four large beam cannon pods appeared around Mu's 105 Wired Guided Dagger, forming a beam protective barrier (a prototype of the Akatsuki Gundam Shiranui Pack Beam Protective Barrier), blocking all of Providence's Dragoon beam attacks.
Creuset was surprised that a third person could communicate with them telepathically, and the voice sounded incredibly young. Instinctively, he assumed it was a situation similar to Rey Za Burrel's.
He thought this child was another failed clone of Al Da Flaga, unfrozen from cryostasis much later than Rey.
So, as he recalled Providence's small Dragoons for recharging, Creuset asked:
"Who are you? Which lab did you come from?"
The newcomer was, of course, Praya Reveley. While following the Eternal and Kusanagi into the nearby Space Zone, he had naturally sensed Creuset and Mu.
However, Creuset and Mu only had eyes for each other, and since Praya Reveley showed no hostile intent, neither noticed that their mental two-person chatroom had become a three-way conversation. It wasn't until Praya Reveley spoke up to save Mu that they realized there was an extra person present.
Praya Reveley remained as polite as ever, answering honestly:
"My name is Praya Reveley. I came from an orphanage." (The manga doesn't clarify whether Praya Reveley remembers being experimented on, only mentioning he studied under Mentor Malchio's guidance, knew he was a clone, and that his lifespan was limited.)
Creuset was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. The orphanage answer was unexpected. After all, it was quite bizarre that Al Da Flaga's failed clone wasn't subjected to experiments after being unsealed.
But considering they were both victims of circumstance, Creuset didn't intend to kill Praya Reveley immediately. He was still young, and judging by his own situation, likely had several years left to live.
So Creuset said directly:
"If you're an orphan, then leave quickly and withdraw from the battlefield. I will expose humanity's evil and let them punish themselves!"
With that, he fired another shot at the 105 Wired Guided Dagger.
At this moment, because the Brave Gundam's large beam cannon pods' beam defense barrier was still an early prototype with high energy consumption, it required recharging after each use. Thus, Praya Reveley maneuvered the Brave Gundam to block in front of Mu's 105 Wired Guided Dagger, using its shield to intercept the attack while saying:
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you harm Mr. Mu!"
He then pushed the 105 Wired Guided Dagger toward the Earth Federation forces, intending for Mu to escape.
Naturally, Mu wouldn't stubbornly stay and become a burden. The 105 Wired Guided Dagger's main thrusters were still functional, so he quickly activated them to flee.
Seeing Mu attempting to escape, Creuset immediately charged forward to finish him off.
But Praya Reveley wouldn't allow it. The Providence's Dragoon attacks were all blocked by the Brave Gundam's Dragoons using beam defense barriers.
Moreover, the Brave Gundam could counterattack the Providence using its MA-M22Y Beam Rifle and the two XM1 Beam Conduction Cannons mounted at its waist.
After several failed attempts to pursue Mu, Creuset grew furious. Regardless of Praya Reveley potentially being like him, he had the Providence unleash its full firepower to engage the Brave Gundam in an all-out shootout.
In terms of Dragoon barrel count, the Brave Gundam's four large beam cannon pods totaling 36 barrels couldn't match the Providence's.
However, the Providence's Dragoon System was incomplete, one flaw being its lack of beam defense barrier functionality.
Yet while Creuset fighting Mu was like a father disciplining his son, fighting Praya Reveley was much the same.
Praya Reveley's lack of experience meant his MS piloting skills and combat experience were far inferior to Creuset's.
Even though Praya Reveley could anticipate Creuset's attack timing, he still found himself at a disadvantage during their exchange.
Creuset even tricked Praya Reveley into using his beam defense barrier to protect himself, then dispatched a small Dragoon to destroy the 105 Wired Guided Dagger's rear thrusters from a distance.
It should be noted that Mu had already maneuvered his Mobile Suit some distance away by this point. Despite Creuset focusing most of his mental energy on Praya Reveley, he still managed to divert enough attention to strike Mu's 105 Wired Guided Dagger with a small Dragoon.
There's no denying that Creuset's compatibility with the Dragoon System was exceptionally high. In the current CE universe, aside from Newtypes like Reid and Noin, no one could match him in this regard.
Seeing this, Praya Reveley simply positioned herself directly in front of Mu's 105 Wired Guided Dagger, even going so far as to use her Brave Gundam to shield Mu from attacks.
Mu was genuinely perplexed. He had only exchanged a few words with Praya Reveley during the battle at Boaz Fortress and didn't know her prior to that. Why would she go to such lengths to protect him?
Mu's thoughts began to wander wildly. Since Praya Reveley could also communicate with him telepathically and was so young, he started wondering if she might be a child he'd unknowingly fathered during his younger, wilder days.
(According to side story sources, Praya Reveley was only slightly older than Fuka Azel. The author discovered an astonishing fact about Fuka Azel's age—she was merely six years old in CE 71.
Calculating generously, Praya Reveley would only be around ten years old at this time. Given that Mu was 28 in CE 71, he could indeed be old enough to be her father...)
Creuset shared this suspicion and couldn't contain his rage, shouting:
"Why! Why are you protecting Mu La Flaga? Do you know what your relationship with him is?"
Praya Reveley certainly knew her connection to Mu, as she possessed fragments of his memories. However, the strain of battling Creuset had pushed her body to its limits.
The only reason she could still fight was sheer determination to protect Mu. The moment Creuset paused his attacks to speak, Praya Reveley's body instantly gave way. Blood spilled inside her pilot suit as her consciousness began fading, though she still struggled to answer Creuset.
In this delirious state, Praya Reveley showed signs of awakening as a Newtype (similar to her final moments in the manga). Both Creuset and Mu were suddenly drawn into Praya Reveley's memories, witnessing as bystanders the flashbacks of Mu's memories that played through her mind.
(End of Chapter)