The moment Oreki's strategy reached the field, the battlefield shifted like a great war engine groaning into a new gear. Dozle's Big Zam, flashing with the glow of its I-Field, immediately swerved toward the provocative strikes landed by Strike, Alex, and Duel. Gary Lin's taunting shots, Mikazuki's close-range slashes, and Amuro's precision bursts all landed exactly where Oreki predicted. And as expected of him, Dozle Zabi roared like a wounded beast.
"So you dare challenge the pride of Zeon head-on!? Then face me directly!!"
The Big Zam lunged with terrifying acceleration. Every Federation pilot on the line felt the pressure, the shock wave of its sheer presence, as it broke formation and charged purely on instinct and rage.
But Zeon was not blind.
Far behind the charging behemoth, their rear command stations detected the shift in Federation movements—and reacted just as violently.
Dozle's adjutants immediately ordered a massive reinforcement wave. From the left flank, the Black Tri-Stars launched with their trademark confidence, Gelgoogs gliding like predators through smoke and shattered debris. Norris Packard followed shortly behind them in his custom unit, calm and deadly in his approach, already analyzing firing lanes, defensive blind spots, and weak points on Federation capital ships.
Their target was the Ananke—Revil's command vessel.
The Black Tri-Stars cheered through their comms, laughing together like they always did.
"If we crush their command ship, we win the day!"
"Let's show these Federation rats what real aces look like!"
"Tri-Star Jet Stream Attack—ready when you are!"
Norris spoke over them—quiet, controlled, dangerous.
"Focus. The Ananke will not be taken easily. Expect traps."
On the opposite flank, the right side of the Zeon line erupted again with activation signals. Three high-performance Gelgoogs blasted out together—Johnny Ridden in crimson, Shin Matsunaga in snow-white, and Anavel Gato in dark navy. A trio of legends moving as one.
Johnny smirked. "The Federation is getting too confident. Time to trim their wings."
Gato tightened his grip on the controls, expression sharp. "For the glory of Zeon, I will destroy any who stand in our path."
Matsunaga, calm and almost stoic, simply said, "Aim for their vanguard. Break them before they reach the second defensive line."
Their Gelgoogs streaked forward, cutting through space toward Shirogane Miyuki's advancing fleet, which acted as the vanguard to match Big Zam's rampage. The impact zones formed instantly—left flank collapsing toward Ananke, right flank toward Miyuki's ships, and the center consumed by Dozle's fury.
As all of this unfolded, Oreki Houtarou's eyes narrowed. Reports flooded the Ananke's bridge—too many Zeon aces, too many elite squads deployed at once.
Revil read the incoming data and breathed heavily. "So they are committing everything."
In the middle of the chaos, Gary Lin pulled Strike hard to the side, dodging a mega-particle beam that melted through three Ball units in a straight line.
"Goddamn it—he's faster than the anime!"
Mikazuki flanked left, Duel's shield already cracked. "Focus. He's chasing us just like the advisor predicted."
Amuro pushed Alex to maximum thrust. "Stay sharp. We only need to drag him away—not die for it!"
Behind them, the second Big Zam attempted to follow—but wavered. Its escort units were cut down by Aegis and Buster, forcing it to slow and reset. Without Elmeth and Great Zeong guiding its movements, the machine's coordination faltered exactly as Oreki intended.
But this time, Zeon did not allow their elites to be isolated.
Johnny Ridden's red Gelgoog burst in, firing a tight spread toward Aegis and Buster to force distance.
Gato accelerated toward Miyuki's fleet, determined to cut it down before it could support the bait squad.
Shin Matsunaga silently broke formation to hunt Sayla Mass— sensing the weakest pilot among the Gundams.
On the opposite side, the Black Tri-Stars aligned their formation, blue thrusters spiraling together—the unmistakable prelude to the Jet Stream Attack.
Norris slipped through debris clouds, targeting the Ananke with surgical precision.
Every Federation officer froze as sensors identified the incoming signatures. The comms screamed warnings.
"Multiple Zeon aces—left and right flank!"
"Jet Stream Attack detected—heading straight for Ananke!"
"Right flank overwhelmed—Johnny Ridden approaching our vanguard!"
Revil looked toward Oreki.
Oreki exhaled slowly.
"So this is how Zeon responds when pushed."
His voice remained calm, but a flicker of tension broke through.
"They're countering my strategy with overwhelming force."
Revil frowned. "Can we still win?"
Oreki analyzed everything—the movement of each elite unit, the trajectories of both Big Zams, the position of every Gundam and capital ship. His eyes darted across the tactical map like a cold, silent storm.
"Winning isn't the goal anymore," he finally answered.
Revil stiffened. "Then what is?"
"Survival."
The entire bridge froze.
"If our pilots survive the next ten minutes," Oreki said, "the Federation still has a future in this battle. If even one flank collapses… it's over."
Outside, Big Zam roared as Dozle pushed its reactors beyond their safety limit.
On the left, the Black Tri-Stars rushed for the Ananke.
On the right, Gato and Johnny Ridden closed in on Miyuki's fleet.
In the center, the second Big Zam regained stability.
The noose tightened.
Oreki clenched the rail.
"Everything depends on whether our aces can hold… or die buying time."
The right flank of the Federation line buckled under the pressure of incoming Zeon elites. Amid the chaos, Sayla Mass forced her Gundam forward, breathing hard, hands trembling on the controls. The battlefield was a storm of thruster trails, exploding suits, and blazing beam fire, and she was right in the center of it.
"Stay with the formation!" a bridge operator from Miyuki's fleet called out. "Gundam-1, do not overextend!"
"I know!" Sayla replied, but her voice shook. She wasn't Amuro, she wasn't Gary, she wasn't Mikazuki. She was still new, still learning, still desperate to prove she wasn't a burden.
And Shin Matsunaga had already found her.
His white Gelgoog cut through a debris cloud like a ghost. He didn't rush, didn't shout, didn't taunt. His silence made him even more terrifying.
Sayla's sensors blew up with alarms.
"Unknown ace approaching—fast!"
She raised her beam rifle instinctively, firing shot after shot. Matsunaga dodged each one by centimeters, his movements impossibly smooth. When he finally charged, he closed the distance in a single burst, drawing his beam naginata.
Sayla blocked, but the impact rattled the entire cockpit.
"Damn—!"
Her Gundam was thrown backward, armor sparking.
Matsunaga pressed the attack, spinning his naginata in a sharp arc. Sayla barely brought her shield up in time, but the blade sliced through half of it like paper. Warning lights erupted across her screen.
Her breath quickened.
"He's too strong—!"
Just as Matsunaga lunged again, two sets of beam fire cut across his path.
"Kai Shiden, reporting in! Don't get yourself killed, Sayla!"
Hayato's GM arrived a heartbeat later. "We're covering you—fall back and reset your stance!"
Sayla swallowed a shaky breath. "Thank you… both of you."
Kai fired again, trying to force distance. "Who the hell is this guy!? He's moving like—like Amuro's nightmare!"
Hayato added suppressive fire. "We can't let him reach the carriers!"
Matsunaga's Gelgoog weaved through their shots with haunting precision. He didn't show irritation, didn't break rhythm. He simply adjusted—calm, measured, deadly.
He switched targets.
He went straight for Sayla again.
"Kai! He's ignoring us!" Hayato shouted.
"Sayla, MOVE!"
She tried.
She wasn't fast enough.
Matsunaga's naginata struck the Gundam's chest.
Metal screamed. Armor buckled inward. Sparks burst into the cockpit. Sayla gasped as the impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
A red warning flared:
CRITICAL DAMAGE — CHEST STRUCTURE COMPROMISED
Kai panicked. "SAYLA!!"
Hayato shouted, "Get away from her!!"
Both charged at Matsunaga from opposite sides, beam sabers ignited.
The White Wolf of Solomon didn't even glance at them.
He stopped mid-strike.
His masked visor turned to the shattered Gundam cockpit. The cracked frontal armor exposed the pilot's upper seat, and for a brief second—
He saw her face.
The blonde hair. The sharp eyes. The unmistakable resemblance.
Char's sister.
Artesia Som Deikun.
Shin Matsunaga's grip loosened on the naginata.
Kai and Hayato froze, confused.
Matsunaga stepped back once. Twice.
And then—without a word—he turned his Gelgoog away, engines flaring to maximum as he withdrew from the fight entirely.
Kai blinked. "What—? He's retreating!?"
Hayato exhaled in disbelief. "He had us dead to rights… Why would he just leave?"
Sayla sat in stunned silence, gripping her shaking hands together. She didn't know him. She didn't understand what he saw. All she knew was that she should be dead—and yet she wasn't.
Her voice trembled.
"He… he recognized me."
Kai's cockpit camera zoomed in on her cracked armor. "Recognized you? Sayla, what are you saying?"
But she didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Because the battlefield around them continued to burn.
And somewhere in the chaos, Shin Matsunaga flew back toward Zeon lines—silent, troubled, and suddenly unsure of the war he was fighting.