After Reid and his three companions exited the Jachin Due Fortress, they noticed Kira was no longer guarding the entrance. Flay mentioned that Kira had been lured away by a gray Mobile Suit with rods protruding from its back, and his current whereabouts were unknown.
Reid immediately realized it was Creuset piloting the Providence Gundam who had sought out Kira. The only uncertainty was whether Kira could still defeat Creuset without Flay's death triggering his SEED mode this time.
However, if Kira was determined to escape, Creuset wouldn't be able to stop the Freedom Gundam—there was still a gap in mobility between the two machines.
Therefore, Reid immediately summoned all elite pilots on the battlefield back to the New Miserly Kingdom fleet's sector. He anticipated that his next move might leave him stationary, requiring protection from others.
Meanwhile, the defensive forces at Jachin Due Fortress and Genesis had fallen into chaos following Patrick Zala's death.
The command center of Jachin Due Fortress was completely deserted, with self-destruct alarms blaring incessantly. Anyone who valued their life was fleeing aboard battleships. The external defense forces, unaware of the situation, continued to resist desperately.
The situation at Genesis was slightly better. Presumably, Patrick Zala had left some instructions—two Nazca-class battleships suddenly turned and fled, disappearing into space, while the remaining ships kept fighting. They were still engaged with the East Asian Republic's Azure Dragon Gundams, which had infiltrated to sabotage Genesis, and the besieging New Miserly Kingdom fleet.
Upon returning to the New Miserly Kingdom fleet, Reid immediately contacted the East Asian Republic's fleet and the Archangel, sharing the intel that Jachin Due Fortress had initiated its self-destruct countdown. He urged them to retreat immediately and to abandon pursuit of the fleeing ZAFT ships.
The East Asian Republic's temporary commander and Bargiruel didn't doubt Reid's words for a second, promptly ordering their fleets to withdraw.
At this stage of the battle, aside from the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet retaining over half its strength, the other nations' forces were barely hanging on.
The East Asian Republic's thirty Roc-class battleships had been reduced to just five, all heavily damaged, with Mobile Suit losses beyond count. A few Azure Dragon Gundams likely remained, but the Black Tortoise Gundams seemed completely wiped out.
As for the combined forces of the Atlantic Federation and Eurasian Federation, their situation was even worse. Only the Raider Gundam could still hold the line. Olga Sabnak, pilot of the Calamity Gundam, had reached his operational limit and returned to the Archangel to recuperate. Fortunately, the medics left behind some of the drugs to mitigate the Enhanced Person's side effects when they evacuated, saving Olga's life.
Thus, when the surviving soldiers of the Earth Alliance's three nations learned of Jachin Due Fortress's impending self-destruction, nearby units scattered faster than rabbits. Everyone knew victory was within reach—dying now would be a tragic waste.
After relaying the warning about Jachin Due Fortress, Reid instructed the East Asian Republic to recall their Azure Dragon Gundams near Genesis immediately. He announced his intention to deploy an ultra-high-powered Beam Weapon. With Genesis already aimed at Earth and less than ten minutes until firing, there was no time to wait.
The Balkezar Cannon Jewel had already demonstrated its might, and despite their desperate efforts, the Azure Dragon Gundams hadn't managed to pry off even a single piece of Genesis's armor.
With Genesis about to fire at Earth, the acting commander of the East Asian Republic had no time to hesitate. He immediately ordered the Azure Dragon Gundam near Genesis to scatter. If the New Miserly Kingdom's plan failed, it was to rush directly to the reflector mirror and self-destruct, gambling that damaging the mirror would weaken the gamma-ray laser's power.
On Reid's side, after notifying all necessary parties without waiting for replies, he commanded all elite pilots to protect themselves while positioning the Destroyer Beam Cannon at the forefront of the New Miserly Kingdom's fleet.
Though it was confirmed that the Destroyer Beam Cannon couldn't penetrate Genesis's Phase Shift Armor at full power, it remained the most potent beam weapon Reid's Mobile Suit could wield.
This time, however, Reid planned to give the Destroyer Beam Cannon a buff—one he had never attempted before.
After calibrating the firing axis, Reid activated the Star Inheritor skill he had obtained from Kamille.
The skill's description spoke of gathering thoughts to amplify one's mental energy, reaching a critical point where miracles could occur. Clearly, this referred to Kamille's Soul Burst Mode.
Soul Burst Mode was an utterly inexplicable, almost mystical state beyond scientific understanding. In this mode, the Zeta Gundam could likely overpower even the Unicorn Gundam in its green Destroy Mode, forcing it to evolve into Crystal Mode just to keep up.
The generational gap between the Zeta Gundam and the Unicorn was no small matter, underscoring just how absurd Soul Burst Mode truly was. Reid still remembered how, when piloting the Mystic Lightning, a mere glancing blow had nearly sent him crashing.
But reaching the threshold for Soul Burst Mode was anything but easy.
Reid's New Human Ability was already formidable, and after the self-destruction at Alaska, he had endured another baptism of soul-wrenching screams. By now, large-scale casualties barely affected his mental state.
When the Solar Ray System of the Star Palace Colony Satellite annihilated the ZAFT fleet, Reid had felt the wails of the dead like distant background noise—annoying, but ultimately inconsequential.
Even now, as Genesis obliterated the Earth Alliance's main fleet and both sides fought desperately, the clamor to Reid was no more disruptive than an open-air market below his window.
But the moment Reid activated the Star Inheritor skill and began gathering the battlefield's lingering emotions—
In an instant, it felt like he had gone from a market to standing beside a pile driver at a construction site.
The anxiety, terror, and madness of the living, the resentment, longing, and regret of the dead—all surged into his mind at once.
Countless voices shrieked in his head, yet none were intelligible. Emotions from the outside corroded his heart, coalescing into a single, overwhelming urge: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Indeed, the dominant emotion on this battlefield was bloodlust. Reid could even sense Patrick Zala's resolve—to slaughter every last Natural if necessary, just to prove Coordinators' superiority.
But Reid's mental fortitude, no less than Kamille's, ensured he wasn't completely consumed by this murderous intent. Though to an outsider, Reid's body now radiated a crimson glow, his eyes blood-red like a demon crawled from hell, a sliver of his consciousness remained—still aware of his true purpose.
At this moment, from an external perspective, after the Hermes Zero aimed its cannon, a strange ripple suddenly spread across the battlefield.
All living individuals felt as though someone had appeared beside them, yet when they turned to look, there was nothing—as if they had encountered a ghost. Only those with high Awakening Values could discern that this ripple originated from Reid.
A few seconds later, "visible" red light suddenly emerged from various points across the battlefield, converging into the Hermes Zero.
However, none of the mechanical instruments, including camera lenses, could detect or perceive this so-called red light. The vast majority of MS Pilots had no idea what was happening outside. Only those on the bridges of ships could "see" it with their naked eyes through the glass.
The red light was eerily unsettling. Wreckage of Mobile Suits, the Jachin Due Fortress, allied ships, and Mobile Suits—all emitted traces of this red glow.
The Hermes Zero was soon enveloped by this crimson light. Those who could "see" this scene felt an overwhelming unease deep within, as though the Mobile Suit itself represented death.
Those with higher Awakening Values felt it even more intensely. They could even discern that these red lights were a form of willpower, coalescing into something indescribable yet undeniably dangerous.
Noin, also a Newtype, perceived the emotions with even greater clarity. The sheer magnitude of the terrifying thoughts Reid was gathering defied description. Even just witnessing it from the sidelines, Noin felt as though she was losing her mind.
Another individual who shared this feeling was a true madman.
Creuset, piloting the Providence, had been overwhelming Kira with the Dragoon System and Laser Communication, taunting him with phrases like, "Who do you think understands this?" "What does this even prove?" and "You'll never understand!"—a relentless mental assault.
The Meteor Pack of the Freedom Meteor had already been destroyed, and Kira, still struggling to adapt to the Dragoon's attack patterns, was in an exceptionally dire situation.
However, at this very moment, both of them sensed Reid's psychic ripple, and soon after, the bizarre phenomenon of red light converging toward the Hermes Zero appeared across the battlefield.
Creuset immediately recognized something was wrong. This situation, beyond his comprehension, filled him with unease, prompting him to temporarily abandon his duel with Kira and charge straight toward the convergence point of the red light.
Kira, momentarily stunned, realized the Providence had already flown far ahead. He quickly piloted the Freedom to follow. This man was far too dangerous—he had to restrain him.
Soon, both the Providence and the Freedom could see the Hermes Zero, now radiating red light.
Though Creuset was not a Newtype, his exceptionally high Awakening Value allowed him to instinctively sense that the Hermes Zero was converting the souls on the battlefield into its own power.
Though it sounded like mysticism, Creuset trusted his intuition without hesitation.
Under Creuset's control, the Providence charged straight at the Hermes Zero, as he roared from within the cockpit:
"Reid Isaac! You have no right to bear the sins of humanity! War is the manifestation of humanity's sins—you have no right to shoulder them alone!!"
Few could hear Creuset's words, and even fewer could understand them.
But his charge toward the Hermes Zero was akin to poking a hornet's nest.
Surrounding the Hermes Zero now were the Immortal Aegis, Delta Gundam Kai, Mystic Lightning, NT-X2 Gundam, Psycho Gundam MKⅢ, and five Delta Plus units.
So Providence didn't even have the chance to get close, being forced back from a distance by dozens of beams.
However, Creuset would never give up so easily. He could sense that once Reid Isaac fully absorbed the souls on the battlefield into his own power, Genesis would be instantly destroyed—his entire plan would collapse. This was something he absolutely had to prevent at all costs.
Thus, Creuset deployed all his Dragoons. Regardless of whether Hermes Zero was within beam range or not, he launched an attack toward it first, hoping to force Reid Isaac to evade and interrupt his charging process.
Yet, Flay, piloting the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ, directly blocked all of Providence's beams with her Lightwave Protective Shield.
Shortly after, one of Providence's three large Dragoons was sliced apart by Ange's Beam Saber, while the other two were shot down by Noin using the wing-mounted Funnels of the Delta Gundam Kai.
Ange and Noin's proficiency in countering the Dragoon System was largely thanks to their experience in the Zeta Gundam world.
Though Ange had never formally battled a Qubeley, she had felt the attack patterns of Funnels on the battlefield. With her high Awakening Value and lightning-fast reflexes, she could easily slash through the slower-moving, larger Dragoons.
As for Noin, she had purely gained New Human Ability. Even if her Awakening Value wasn't as high as Creuset's, Newtype abilities were the superior version of Spatial Awareness, making her extremely sensitive to Dragoon-like weapons akin to Funnels. She could pinpoint their exact positions by instinct alone and retaliate accordingly.
Creuset had just begun stirring the hornet's nest. Mu, sensing Creuset's approach, immediately reappeared on the battlefield in his Brave Gundam. Without hesitation, he deployed the Large Beam Cannon Pod and opened fire on Creuset. Their Psycho-Link reconnected, and Mu roared through it:
"Creuset! You'll pay for what you did to Praya Reveley!!"
Mu was clearly showing signs of corruption, which greatly pleased Creuset. He responded mockingly:
"Hah, humanity should be the ones paying that price. After all, I'm a product of their making. You— Tch!"
Creuset's words were cut short as he suddenly found himself flanked by the Immortal Aegis, the Mystic Lightning with its activated Mental Link System, and the NT-X2 Gundam.
All further taunts died in his throat—Creuset had no energy left for anything else.
Using the beams from his Brave Gundam and Dragoons to momentarily push back Mystic Lightning's Thermal Blade, he barely blocked Immortal Aegis's Beam Saber with his left arm's composite weapon shield before swiftly retreating.
But as he retreated, the Bits from NT-X2 and the wing-mounted Funnels of Delta Gundam Kai arrived.
Providence, in the midst of high-speed retreat, couldn't evade this wave of attacks. He had no choice but to sacrifice four small Dragoons to intercept, barely stopping four beams. Using the explosion's cover, he managed to create some distance.
The women all knew their duty was to protect Hermes Zero, so none pursued Providence. Instead, they used long-range firepower to drive it away again.
Meanwhile, Mu, brimming with unspent fury, gave chase, unleashing a barrage from his Large Beam Cannon Pod and Brave Gundam's Beam Rifle.
Just as Providence finished its first exchange with the women protecting Reid, Freedom Gundam finally arrived on the battlefield.
It could only be said that Creuset's earlier words had truly gotten under Kira's skin, as he actually resorted to a sneak attack. Seeing Providence fully occupied with dodging Brave Gundam's assaults, Kira fired a full Rainbow Cannon volley directly at its back.
Creuset reacted swiftly—the moment the alarms blared, knowing only Freedom was behind him, he executed a sideways roll to evade the ambush.
But the cost was severe. Providence's Dragoon backpack was struck by multiple beams from Brave Gundam's Large Beam Cannon Pods, rendering it completely useless.
Fortunately, the charging ports on Providence's left and right skirt armor and rear remained intact, allowing the remaining four small Dragoons to retain some functionality—though each could only fire one or two more shots before becoming scrap metal.
Now trapped between Kira and Mu's pincer attack, with New Miserly Kingdom's Mobile Suits aiming from afar, Creuset found himself in near-hopeless straits.
Yet Creuset showed no trace of fear, murmuring to himself:
"Yes, this is how it should be. This way, the distortions of the world converge!"
But this time, Creuset had no chance to revel in manic laughter—Hermes Zero's charging sequence completed, and an enhanced Destroyer Beam lanced straight toward Genesis.
The beam emitted by Hermes Zero now burned a deep crimson-gold, its destructive power and range multiplied exponentially. Genesis's Phase Shift Armor couldn't withstand it for even a second before being pierced clean through. Then Reid swung the Mobile Suit's weapon laterally—the beam swept across ZAFT's defensive fleet protecting Genesis before arcing toward Providence.
(End of Chapter)