"That Wang Hu is actually being held back?"
This was the East Asian Army, who had grown accustomed in recent days to Wang Hu's appearance on the battlefield signaling their victory.
They watched as the purple Qilin, for the first time in so long, failed to effortlessly cut down its opponent like vegetables. Instead, it became locked in a prolonged struggle in space, prompting many to voice their disbelief.
"Wonderful! That demon has finally met his match!"
"Our Coordinators truly have no shortage of talent! Long live ZAFT! Long live Plant!"
These were the cries of the Coordinators, overjoyed to tears that their nightmare had finally encountered a worthy adversary.
How long had it been? How very long!
Though only a day or two had passed, to them it felt like several years.
Every time that purple figure appeared, they were forced to relive their own weakness again and again. It reached the point where the mere sight of Wang Hu on the battlefield caused their morale to collapse like an avalanche, sending them fleeing in panic, abandoning their weapons and armor.
They had expected today to be yet another repetition of the previous days' misery. They had already begun their retreat!
But then, the comrade targeted by that Qilin proved to be astonishingly fierce!
Let us rewind time slightly.
Wang Hu, piloting the Qilin, had made his usual grand entrance, effortlessly dispatching several GINNs as a warm-up. Then, as Creuset felt a phantom lightning bolt flash across his mind, Wang Hu experienced a similar electric sensation.
"Captain Creuset has arrived," Wang Hu murmured inside his cockpit, his gaze sweeping over the retreating enemies as usual.
Truth be told, he hadn't expected to develop such a karmic connection with Creuset. Wasn't that supposed to be Mu and his adoptive father Creuset's exclusive psychic link?
"Still, thanks to this, that old schemer Creuset's attempt to ambush me failed."
Perhaps it was fate. Amuro's lifelong rival was the masked man Char. Now in this world, Wang Hu, who possessed his template, seemed destined to have his own masked nemesis.
Guided by this inexplicable connection, Wang Hu quickly identified his target among the panicked retreating GINNs.
"He's really putting on a convincing act. As expected of Captain Creuset—his acting skills are truly superb."
"If he were in the world before my rebirth, his acting would put countless others to shame," Wang Hu mused with a smirk. No one in this world likely understood Creuset better than he did.
There was no helping it. That particular GINN, mixed in with the fleeing forces, somehow managed to exude sheer panic even through its cold mechanical exterior. Just looking at it made one feel the pilot's terror inside the cockpit. Who else could deliver such a masterful performance?
"In that case..." Wang Hu pushed the control stick forward, his own performance seemingly no less impressive than Creuset's.
From a distance, it appeared as though a fierce tiger was naturally pursuing its prey. As he advanced, occasionally shooting down Coordinator GINNs, he subtly closed in on Creuset's position.
"Oh?" Creuset was no mere figurehead. While Wang Hu's movements might have escaped the notice of everyone else on the battlefield, they certainly didn't escape his.
Even though Wang Hu's performance seemed equally natural, appearing as if he had simply moved normally during combat.
"Heh heh heh." A light chuckle escaped as an alluring curve formed beneath the mask.
Creuset also prepared to play along and continue with his own plan.
Finally, when Wang Hu reached a suitable position, four Beam Pods soared into the air.
Naturally, they locked onto a GINN not far from Creuset.
It seemed as though that target had been singled out.
Just as the pods were about to reach the target, a faint glow flickered at their muzzles.
All witnesses silently mourned for the unfortunate soul chosen by the fierce tiger.
The poor fellow's life flashed before his eyes, and he even prepared his dying curse, ready to spit it out.
But in a flash, faster than lightning, the four pods abruptly turned around, and the beams charged at their muzzles shot forth like thunder.
Eight dazzling streaks of light aimed straight at Creuset, who had already shed his disguise and bared his fangs.
"You little fox!"
Creuset maneuvered the GINN to block two beams with its shield, discarding it just before it exploded.
Seizing the fleeting opening, he broke free from Wang Hu's assault.
Still with energy to spare, Creuset laughed and cursed.
Then, as courtesy demanded reciprocity, he raised his heavy machine gun. Unlike many Coordinators who would have chosen otherwise,
he didn't aim at Wang Hu in the distance. Instead, he unleashed a fierce barrage at the nearby Beam Pods.
Precise bursts and agile movements later, the four Beam Pods retreated...
completely unscathed!
"You old fox!"
Wang Hu never expected his earlier ambush to achieve much against Creuset.
After all, the man was a renowned war hero of ZAFT and this world's infamous masked figure.
If he could be taken down so easily, Amuro would be weeping!
Including Creuset's subsequent countermeasures, Wang Hu had anticipated it all.
"Creuset?"
Retrieving the Beam Pods, Wang Hu pulled up his mobile suit's nose to evade the incoming bullets.
Then, feigning ignorance, he sent a directed communication.
"Wang Hu? As a Coordinator, why do you fight for Naturals?"
Chasing after the Qilin's tail, Creuset glanced at the communication alert flashing on his cockpit screen.
After a brief consideration, he swiftly accepted the transmission.
Simultaneously, as he spoke, Creuset executed several sharp maneuvers, sending a volley of precise bullets flying.
He was waiting for Wang Hu to falter emotionally at his words, creating an opening.
"It's an honor to meet you on the battlefield—a man who stands atop technology with a replicated human body."
Unfazed by Creuset's underhanded bullets, Wang Hu elegantly dodged with a flawless barrel roll.
Courtesy demanded reciprocity, so Wang Hu returned the favor with a verbal jab at Creuset behind him.
Then, executing a Cobra Maneuver, he circled behind Creuset and deployed the four Beam Pods.
Now it was Wang Hu's turn!
"Hmm?"
Compared to Wang Hu's unshaken composure in the face of trash talk, Creuset's hand twitched, causing the GINN to sway.
If not for his genuinely impeccable skills, he might have been in serious trouble this time.
With masterful technique, he narrowly avoided Wang Hu's attack at the last moment, spinning around with a hint of surprise on his face.
Raising his machine gun, Creuset unleashed a continuous barrage, forcing Wang Hu to retreat far away.
Creuset's mood took a sharp turn.
Replicated humans? Standing above technology?
Who would believe themselves to be replicated humans?
Does "standing above technology" refer to Coordinators?
At this thought, Creuset's good mood vanished completely, his eyes gradually darkening.
Even Mu La Flaga doesn't know about this—could the enemy before him actually be aware?
Where did he learn this from?
Does he alone know, or has the entire East Asian Army leadership been informed, specifically sending him to threaten me?
With this realization, Creuset's strikes grew even more ruthless.
He resolved that today would mark the anniversary of his opponent's death next year!
"Oh, getting angry? The famous Captain Creuset is going all out against a rookie like me?"
No matter how vicious Creuset's attacks were, Wang Hu always narrowly dodged them.
Similarly, Creuset handled Wang Hu's assaults with effortless ease.
The two tangled in a deadly dance, their precision maneuvers leaving onlookers stunned.
"Can't break through," both Wang Hu and Creuset simultaneously thought.
At this rate, with sufficient energy, wouldn't this become a thousand-day war?
Would they really have to wait until one side exhausted their ammunition to determine victory?
Recognizing the only possible path to victory, the two unwittingly mirrored each other's thoughts and eased their attacks.
They began conserving their ammunition.
(End of Chapter)