When Haman's all-channels broadcast went out, Reid's Mobile Suit truly shuddered three times.
Chang Wufei, however, was clearly unaffected by the announcement. He continued to pilot the Meteor Shenlong Gundam, brandishing its Beam Trident as he charged toward Gundam Artemis.
After his initial shock, Reid's first reaction was that Haman was bluffing.
But now, Reid truly didn't dare to fire on Haman's Mothership. The firepower he had just prepared could only be redirected for Chang Wufei to enjoy.
One Magnum Beam, two Heavy Particle Beams, and twenty regular Beams rained down on the Meteor Shenlong Gundam.
Chang Wufei had clearly improved since his last disadvantageous encounter with Reid. The Meteor Shenlong Gundam twirled its Beam Trident like a staff, dodging the unblockable Magnum Beam and Heavy Particle Beams, and brazenly pushed through the barrage from the regular Funnels to get right in front of Gundam Artemis.
Then, the Meteor Shenlong Gundam's trident struck the Funnel Lightwave Barrier, and was, without a doubt, deflected, leaving its front wide open.
However, just as Reid was about to land a finishing blow to take one opponent out—thereby weakening Haman's bargaining position before discussing the matter of his daughter—a reluctant yet childlike girl's voice suddenly came through the world rescue channel.
"Waaah, Daddy, stop fighting. I'm scared."
Reid froze. The Beam Saber that was about to strike the Meteor Shenlong Gundam couldn't descend. Only one thought remained in his mind.
"Good heavens, did Haman really give birth to a daughter for me?
"No, she can already talk. The timeline doesn't add up at all. Did Codename Amelias recruit a loli-type pilot? Or did Haman get a Puru?
"That's not right either... I have no idea how time flows on Codename Amelias's side. If time passes quickly there, this daughter might actually be real."
As Reid hesitated, Chang Wufei quickly seized the opportunity, intending to test the physical resistance of the shield with his right Dragon Claw.
But just then, Teletha's voice came through his team's comms.
"Mr. Wufei, please return for now. Mr. McGillis is about to be overwhelmed and needs support."
Chang Wufei was one to follow orders. Since he had acknowledged Teletha as his commander, he would certainly execute a normal command.
Thus, the Meteor Shenlong Gundam charged toward the stern of the new Tir Na Nog without a backward glance. He had no choice. Wufei hadn't looked before, but now he saw that Gundam Bael had already lost its right arm.
In truth, McGillis couldn't be blamed for Gundam Bael taking damage so quickly.
While Reid was shocked and skeptical upon hearing Haman claim she had borne him a daughter, Ange was filled with nothing but rage.
Because regardless of whether it was true or false, the statement was enough to infuriate Ange.
If it was false, it proved that this Haman would tell any lie. This was utterly intolerable and she had to be severely punished.
If it was true, the fact that Haman had borne Reid a child before she had was something Ange absolutely could not accept.
Even Murrue, with whom she had a decent relationship, had made Ange depressed for a long time. If it were Haman, Ange felt like she wanted to kill someone.
So, McGillis, who was fighting Ange at this moment, was in for some seriously bad luck.
Although Ange didn't recognize Gundam Bael, she had participated in live-fire exercises with Tekkadan and had read the relevant technical documents. The moment she saw the Magnum Beam had no effect, she knew the Mobile Suit was equipped with Nano-Laminate Armor.
So, in the next second, Ange detached the two Blade Wings from the Mobile Suit's wings, switching to a dual-wielding, twin Ship-Slicing Sword form.
McGillis was a fearless young bull. Had it been Haman, who had once suffered a loss in a simulation battle, she would never have charged in for close combat with Ange.
But McGillis knew none of this. In his eyes, this was his debut battle in Gundam Bael. He couldn't back down just because the opponent had two long swords; that would be an insult to the name of Gundam Bael.
Unfortunately for McGillis, his courage far outstripped his skill.
Gundam Bael swung its Bael Swords at the Ice Phoenix Gundam. This was a probing attack from McGillis; whether the opponent dodged or blocked, he had a counter-move ready.
But McGillis never expected that his opponent would simply throw one of the Greatswords at Gundam Bael like a boomerang.
Now, the choice of whether to block or dodge fell to McGillis.
McGillis chose to block. He flicked his left Bael Sword forward, intending to parry the thrown blade and continue his attack.
However, Ange was striking in anger, and the Ice Phoenix Gundam's output was far higher than that of a typical Gundam. McGillis felt as if he wasn't parrying a long blade, but a large meteor. Although the blade was deflected, his Mobile Suit couldn't stop its backward tilt to the left.
And to make matters worse, at that exact moment, the loli voice's "Waaah, Daddy, stop fighting" came through.
Hearing this, Ange's anger flared even hotter. Taking advantage of Gundam Bael's backward tilt from the misjudged impact, she pushed her thrusters to full power. Dual-wielding the other Ship-Slicing Sword, she closed in on Gundam Bael in an instant, about to slice it in two.
At this moment, feeling the threat of death, McGillis's adrenaline surged, allowing him to perform beyond his usual level.
At the last possible second, he managed to raise his right arm and block Ange's slash.
His left hand continuously fired beams—the original Electromagnetic Cannon had been refitted into a Beam Cannon—trying to force the enemy back.
But he had once again underestimated the Ice Phoenix Gundam's power and defense.
Gundam Bael's modified Beam Cannon only had the power of a standard Beam Rifle. Ange could block beams of this power by simply gathering some GN Particles with her Lambda Driver, which didn't affect her attack at all.
In her fury, Ange had diverted all power from both of her power sources to the thrusters. With both GN Drives and the main thruster at full blast, the impact was far more than Gundam Bael's single arm could withstand.
Sparks instantly erupted from Gundam Bael's right wrist as it twisted, and the Ship-Slicing Sword continued its downward press with undiminished force.
However, the split second gained by blocking was enough for Gundam Bael to slightly adjust its posture.
Thus, Gundam Bael successfully turned a fatal situation of being split down the middle into having its right shoulder struck, which then led to its entire right arm being severed.
At this point, if McGillis had any sense left, he knew he couldn't win. This Mobile Suit was far stronger than the Gundam Reid had piloted before. (In reality, it was mainly Ange who was strong. While the Mobile Suit's performance had improved significantly, it wasn't to an exaggerated degree.)
McGillis immediately had Gundam Bael retreat. If he didn't run, his debut battle in Gundam Bael would become the last battle of his life.
This wasn't the desperate situation from the original story; McGillis wasn't about to risk his life here in a final gamble.
Besides, he had teammates this time. Seeing Gundam Bael damaged, Teletha recalled Chang Wufei and simultaneously deactivated the new Tir Na Nog's stealth system. At the same time, a volley of missiles fired from its side-mounted small missile launchers to cover Gundam Bael's retreat.
Unsure of what was inside the missiles and still wanting to pursue Gundam Bael, Ange didn't have the Ice Phoenix Gundam dodge. Instead, she activated its GN Field during the pursuit and detonated the first few missiles heading her way, hoping to trigger a chain reaction.
As it turned out, these missiles were Tekkadan's Smoke Grenades. The detonated missiles instantly released a massive amount of smoke. The Ice Phoenix Gundam immediately lost sight and position of Gundam Bael, and Teletha's subsequent missiles were real, all hitting the Ice Phoenix Gundam.
It was a good thing the Ice Phoenix Gundam's GN Field was thick enough that the missiles didn't cause much damage.
Still, Ange had been tactically outplayed in her very first battle with her new Gundam.
From Reid's perspective, the Meteor Shenlong Gundam had already rendezvoused with Gundam Bael, and the two Mobile Suits had regrouped beside the space-faring version of the Tir Na Nog.
So, Reid spoke in the squad channel.
"Ange, come back for now. Let's talk to Haman first."
After speaking, without waiting for Ange's reply, Reid requested a connection with the Tir Na Nog via Laser Communication.
Soon, the Tir Na Nog accepted the communication. On the screen, Reid saw a smiling Haman and, beside her, a serious-faced Teletha in a state of combat readiness.
But Reid couldn't muster a smile at all. He asked directly, "Haman, you said you gave birth to a daughter for me. Let me see her now."
Hearing this, Haman's smile took on a distinctly teasing quality. She chuckled and said, "Alright, come aboard and see for yourself. You heartless man. I brought our daughter to see you, and all you do is shout about fighting and killing."
Reid wasn't falling for that. He retorted directly, "Haman, let me see her now. Otherwise, how do I know you're not just using a synthesized voice? Don't forget, we're on opposing sides.
"Of course, you can choose not to show me. In that case, I suggest you retreat now. Otherwise, I'll call in my troops to slowly dismantle this Tir Na Nog, and I'll be able to find her then."
Even from a great distance, Haman could sense through her Newtype abilities that Reid was serious; he didn't fully believe her. If she didn't show him the person now, a major battle would truly erupt.
From the fight just now, Haman already knew that even if she and Teletha both sortied, the most they could do this time was drive Reid and Ange away. (From her fighting style, Haman could tell it was Ange in the Ice Phoenix Gundam. One should never underestimate a woman's ability to identify a love rival.)
However, if the warship in front of them still had elite forces, even just the Black Tri-Stars, they would be locked in a stalemate today. If those twin sisters were also there, then a direct confrontation would mean this hard-won Tir Na Nog would be lost.
So, Haman decided to take a gamble. After all, she wasn't entirely lying.
She pulled the loli Amelias, who had been hiding behind Teletha's captain's chair, directly into view for Reid to see, and said, "Alright, don't be shy. Let your daddy have a look at you."
Haman's idea was good, but unfortunately, the moment the loli Amelias appeared, Reid recognized her.
Now Reid was angry too. He spoke with suppressed wrath in his voice, "Haman, I don't recall being able to give birth to a G Generation System administrator from two generations ago.
"Codename Amelias, it must have been hard on you. Not only did you have to change into a loli form, but you also have to call a junior like me 'daddy'."
Reid was deliberately feeding false information to confuse Codename Amelias. Since he was still undergoing his assessment, he theoretically couldn't call himself her junior yet.
But Reid was also betting that Codename Amelias was unaware of the current state of the G Generation System, so he bluffed without hesitation.
However, Codename Amelias was the type to be easily fooled. The moment she heard Reid's words, she dropped the shy act and jumped in front of the screen.
"Junior? Heh, so you really are the successor chosen by Aplodia. She even told you about this form of mine."
Hearing this, Reid knew Codename Amelias had taken the bait. He continued to probe, "You are my predecessor, after all. I need to know how you broke the G Generation System, to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
"But, Codename Amelias, is it really appropriate for you to appear before me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll just eliminate you?"
Reid was being deliberately provocative here, but the loli Amelias's temper wasn't as explosive as her adult form's. She put on a nonchalant, "I don't care" expression and said, "You don't really think that killing this body of mine counts as killing me, do you?
"Besides, while calling you 'daddy' is a stretch, in terms of bloodline, this body really is your daughter."
Reid was stunned for a moment, then became furious, roaring, "What! Don't tell me you possessed Haman's fetus to Reborn and escape your seal!"
Seeing Reid's fury, the loli Amelias wore an amused expression, looking like she wanted to provoke him further.
But Haman, standing beside her, already sensed the danger. She clamped a hand over Amelias's mouth to stop her from truly provoking Reid into opening fire, lest the situation escalate into a fight to the death with no chance for explanation.
After forcefully smothering the loli Amelias into her chest, reducing her to muffled "mmph, mmph" sounds, Haman explained, "Reid, don't misunderstand. I was never pregnant. This one, in terms of blood relation, is your and Teletha's child."
Hearing this, Reid's brain instantly overloaded. After a moment of thought, he asked in disbelief, "Haman, you didn't take my DNA and combine it with Teletha's egg to make a test-tube baby for Codename Amelias to possess, did you...?"
Haman was instantly exasperated. "How could that be? Do I look like that kind of pervert? Teletha is so young, you want her to actually give birth for you?!"
This exchange between Reid and Haman made Teletha blush beet-red with embarrassment. Teletha thought to herself that she had never even kissed a man, and here they were, jumping straight to having children. Wasn't that a bit of a leap?
At this point, the loli Amelias, having finally managed to turn her head out from Haman's embrace, saw that she couldn't fool Reid anymore and stated the correct answer directly.
"Do I look like someone so inefficient? I simply used the genes of an administrator like you and combined them with Teletha's genes to create a body.
"Why did I choose Teletha's genes? Because I think Teletha is smarter than Haman. Using her genes might make me a bit smarter too.
"As for your genes... if it weren't for the fact that the bloodline of the current administrator is the only thing that can let me break through some of the seals, I wouldn't have chosen yours.
"Speaking of which, you don't even know this? It seems you haven't obtained all the permissions as an administrator yet. No wonder you're still running around all these different worlds."
Hearing the truth from the loli Amelias, Reid was rendered speechless. For a moment, he felt that getting angry with this person was truly unnecessary.
Moreover, he had gleaned a crucial piece of information from her words.
His bloodline could allow Codename Amelias to break through the seals.
It seemed his body had indeed been modified by the system during his resurrection, granting him a considerable degree of specialness, to the point where he was already in a semi-G Generation System administrator state.
But thinking about it, it made sense. He had been unconscious for three months st
raight without food or water, and his body had been fine. It would have been strange if he hadn't been modified.
So, in light of the important information Codename Amelias had provided once again, Reid helplessly voiced his true thoughts.
"Codename Amelias, you really are a genius."
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