Chapter 103: SEED - The Desert's End 5
Yzak unilaterally decided to pilot his Duel Gundam and sortie to take on those two Skygraspers fighters.
Unfortunately, the moment he left the land battleship, he fell headfirst into the desert. After only a few steps his legs sank deep into the sand and he couldn't move properly.
Even when he increased the thrust of the boosters, the mobile suit still had to touch down, and the higher it flew the deeper it sank when it came down.
Dearka felt helpless and could only watch his good buddy Yzak — acting stupidly out in the desert.
He stayed on the deck of the Lesseps-class large land battleship, following the Archangel toward the enemy and continuing to snipe at the Archangel.
The Buster Gundam alternately fired its anti-armor shotgun cannon and ultra-high pulse long-range sniper rifle at the Archangel.
Luckily, the Archangel rose to the air in time and avoided most of the attack, though a few rounds from the Buster Gundam's anti-armor shotgun cannon did hit it.
At that moment Cagalli finally piloted an Skygrasper fighter and used an audacious, unorthodox attack.
She hooked the claw-anchor on her sword arm to the mid-sized land battleship, used the inertia to spin rapidly, and with a single throat-cutting slash severed the remaining main and secondary guns.
Cagalli's guts were enormous — truly reckless!
If her Skygrasper hadn't been fast enough or her reactions not sharp enough, one wrong move and she would've met her end.
But fortune doesn't last long. Cagalli's Skygrasper was struck in the tail by a single anti-air defense missile — the mid-sized Petrie-class land battleship's last-ditch shot — and was fatally wounded.
Cagalli was forced to pilot the Skygrasper and make as controlled a forced landing as possible at the spot farthest from the battlefield.
From a distance she could only watch the Archangel and the ZAFT forces fight.
The Archangel, now airborne, fired two twin high-energy focused beam cannons at the Lesseps-class large land battleship, shattering the last ZuOOT and the deck of that land battleship.
It also destroyed the Lesseps-class battleship's power system; the engines failed completely and the ship could no longer move.
Seizing the advantage, the Archangel continued to fire linear cannons at the hull of the large land battleship and completely sank the Lesseps-class vessel.
If Dearka, the Buster Gundam's pilot, hadn't reacted quickly, the Buster Gundam would have been perforated by the high-energy focused beam cannon.
However, the Buster Gundam faced the same problem as the Duel Gundam: the desert terrain trapped them, and their leg movement was severely restricted.
The Buster Gundam could only inch forward, step by step, slowly moving through the sand.
A group of members from the Dawn Desert faction harassed the Buster Gundam and the Duel Gundam with nonstop attacks.
Although the mobile suits weren't being damaged, the dense fire and the resulting shockwaves from explosions made progress even more difficult for the Buster Gundam and the Duel Gundam.
Over on Kira's side he was still entangled with Andrew. The Strike Gundam and LaGOWE traded blows back and forth, but LaGOWE had the upper hand and pressed the Strike Gundam.
The Strike Gundam used its shield to continually defend against LaGOWE's beam cannon and had to watch for its close-range attacks.
Kira was being beaten mercilessly, sweating profusely.
As they fought, Andrew began to grow anxious; he didn't want to fight Kira to the death, but had no choice but to fight to the end.
Because this was the battlefield — this was war!
Once soldiers enter the battlefield they are no longer masters of their own bodies; even if the opponent is a friend or loved one, they have to harden their hearts and deliver the killing blow.
Because you cannot know whether the other side will do the same; to survive you must be ruthless.
Kira seized a moment when Andrew was distracted and fired a beam rifle at LaGOWE, hitting one of its front legs.
Andrew refused to be outdone. He jumped back to dodge and fired a beam cannon at the Strike Gundam, destroying the Strike's beam gun.
Then Andrew, piloting LaGOWE, activated his beam saber and charged at the Strike Gundam.
Kira was forced to trade injuries; with his beam saber he cut off one of LaGOWE's wings, but the high-mobility backpack wings on his own suit were also shot off by LaGOWE.
The two machines grappled and fought until they stopped, neither daring to move first as both searched for the opponent's weakness — a fatal opening.
At that moment Tolle in the distance saw ZAFT soldiers beginning to evacuate the land battleship. He knew Andrew must have ordered the retreat and decided to fight Kira to the death.
Tolle immediately ordered Nami to transfer the neo DG cells from Andrew and Aisha into their spacesuits at full speed to try to preserve their lives.
He also heard Andrew giving orders.
"…The outcome is decided. Rally the surviving troops. Retreat to Banadiya and contact the Gibraltar units. You go ahead, Aisha."
Aisha shook her head and said, "Darling, if we run away like this, I'd rather you let me die."
"You're such a fool."
"Say whatever you want."
"Then fight with me to the bitter end!"
Andrew finished speaking with a face contorted in rage and drove LaGOWE toward the Strike Gundam, prepared to die.
Kira opened his comm and said to Andrew, "Mr. Andrew, please stop."
Andrew shouted, "It's not over yet, kid!"
"Stop now — the outcome is decided. Surrender!"
LaGOWE charged and ignited its beam saber, performing a 360-degree spinning strike at the Strike Gundam.
Kira, extremely tense, piloted the Strike Gundam to dodge Andrew's attack by turning to the side.
Andrew continued to drive LaGOWE toward the Strike and shouted, "I told you, war has no clear end rules."
At that moment the Strike Gundam's energy was completely depleted and the PS armor on its body faded.
Andrew added, "As long as there is fighting, as long as each other remains the enemy, we must fight until one side is utterly destroyed."
No sooner had Andrew finished speaking than Kira, driven by a powerful will to survive, instinctively activated his Seed Burst ability again.
Kira piloted the Strike Gundam, jettisoned the high-mobility equipment, discarded the shield, grabbed a combat knife in his right hand, and sprinted straight at the oncoming LaGOWE!
One stab plunged deep into LaGOWE's frame, and the Strike Gundam was violently rammed aside.
Yet in that final strike, Andrew did not allow his beam saber to touch the Strike Gundam — he rammed his head into it instead, knocking the Strike Gundam away and sparing Kira's life.
LaGOWE was not so lucky; it was pierced by the combat knife in a vital spot, collapsed to the ground, and began to explode.
Before the cockpits of Andrew and Aisha exploded, the two of them embraced and called each other's names as they faced death together.
Tolle nearly shed tears watching from his cockpit, then cursed and said, "Damn it, you two die together all you want! Heh, I didn't agree to that. Heh heh heh — we will meet again next time."
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