"Door? Who would understand? Understand what? They won't! No one will!"
Wang Hu had already closed in on Creuset, yet heard the other still rambling about opening and closing doors.
He immediately retorted with words he would often say in the future.
With a great nation backing him, there was no need for Creuset to interfere with matters like the Neutron Jammer anymore.
Rely on mountains and they'll collapse, rely on people and they'll abandon you - nothing is more reliable than relying on yourself!
Seeing Wang Hu's determination to kill him, Creuset quickly recalled all Dragoons back to the pack on his mobile suit's back.
Adjusting his cannon to aim directly at the approaching Zeta Gundam, he unleashed a barrage at point-blank range against Wang Hu.
"The final door shall be opened by me, and this world will end - this world of endless desires."
"The arrogant ones struggling in their death throes, just as they hoped, can no longer be stopped by anyone - this vortex of hatred covering the universe."
Swinging his sword, the Zeta Gundam's right hand brandished its Beam Saber. The Gundam's beam saber from the G Project was essentially an oversized torch.
But the results of the East Asian Army's internal Z Project were different. Wang Hu had noticed during maintenance that, possibly due to acquiring Phantom Particle technology, the Zeta Gundam's beam saber could now slash through beams - a special technique exclusive to Ace pilots that only appeared during the Second War.
Thus, Wang Hu used his saber to slice through the beams fired by Creuset one after another, while the Gundam's head-mounted Vulcan Cannons opened fire.
"You were a dream bought with heavy gold, a dream everyone wished to realize, a dream no one wanted to see fail."
"But though you became a failed dream, haven't you survived and grown up, continuing to exist even after throwing yourself into the flames of war?"
As the beam attacks from the Gouf Ignited's Dragoons were dispersed by Wang Hu's slashes, Creuset watched on his cockpit screen as his Dragoons were destroyed one by one by Wang Hu's Vulcan Cannons.
Hearing Wang Hu's strangely familiar words, a wild smile spread across his face.
Executing a flying kick, Creuset roared at the person he believed might understand him better than even Durandal.
"Different people, people different from oneself, people who might still care for each other - but artillery fire cannot convey such feelings!"
Similarly launching a flying kick, with thrusters built into its legs, Wang Hu's Zeta Gundam moved later but arrived first.
"CRACK."
The harsh sound of metal breaking echoed in both their ears through the cockpit's simulated sound effects.
Even with the "Ignited" suffix, the Gouf Ignited was ultimately still just a CGUE.
How could the Zeta Gundam with its PS Armor possibly lose in such a collision?
If the Infinite Justice could kick and break the Destiny Gundam's leg, there was no question about such an obviously unfair matchup.
Wang Hu watched as the Gouf Ignited, its leg broken by his kick, lost balance and began tilting sideways.
Raising his rifle to aim at Creuset's completely exposed back, he hesitated for a moment but still slowly pulled the trigger of his high-powered Beam Rifle.
"The scene of mutual conflict will become prolonged and tragic. If persuading an opponent could be resolved by simply pulling the trigger so easily, there would be no need for such distress."
"Hey, Creuset, if you were given another chance to start over, with a healthy body, would you still make the same choice?"
"Whoosh~" A beam shot out from the barrel of the Zeta Gundam, its piercing light penetrating the back of the Gouf Ignited.
"Boom!"
The explosion was no different from the fireballs erupting from all the other Mobile Suits and Mobile Armors on the battlefield, even though it was Creuset's Gouf Ignited being destroyed.
After all, no matter what great deeds you accomplished in life or how significant a mark you left on the world stage,
Death is the only thing that treats everyone equally.
Receiving no response as imagined even as the fireball dissipated, Wang Hu didn't remain until the flames completely vanished.
A trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes - perhaps nostalgia for the time in his memories when his worldview was shaped by superficial appearances.
The Zeta Gundam instantly transformed into its Mobile Armor form and flew toward the main battlefield of the Eighth Fleet.
"Captain Creuset is dead?"
When the Gouf Ignited exploded into a fireball, the light representing Creuset disappeared from all ZAFT Forces' Mobile Suits and battleships.
Seeing that light point fade, all Coordinators understood what this meant.
"Damn it, damn it!" Yzak violently pounded the cockpit of the Duel Gundam with intense emotion.
"To think that..."
Although he had anticipated this ominous outcome, Dearka never expected this day to come so soon.
"What's the point!" Dearka murmured, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"Captain, if even you couldn't defeat Wang Hu, why keep fighting despite repeated defeats? Couldn't you just run away?"
"Captain Creuset?" Compared to others, Athrun - who had been suppressing Kira in combat - reacted particularly strongly to this news.
The direct consequence was that he, who had been dominating Kira, now found himself being overpowered as Kira seized the opportunity to counterattack.
"Athrun?" Pinning down his childhood friend and relentlessly striking him should have been satisfying.
But Kira was also curious why Athrun, who had been so fierce and energetic moments before, now appeared as wilted as frostbitten eggplant.
Just then, Wang Hu returned and sent a communication.
"Let's go back, Kira. There's no need to linger here. Return to the Archangel and we'll descend to the Earth Sphere."
"Okay, Brother Wang Hu!"
After receiving the communication, Kira finally understood why Athrun had become so dejected.
"Brother Wang Hu is truly Brother Wang Hu."
He whispered in admiration, now fully aware of the significance of the name Creuset.
Therefore, he was overjoyed that they could use Creuset's defeat to compensate for the Eighth Fleet's losses!
In that case!
A fleeting struggle appeared in Kira's eyes as he faced the dazed Athrun.
Gritting his teeth, Kira forced out these words through clenched teeth:
"For the transformation of the world, Athrun, I'm sorry!"
Intending to emulate Brother Wang Hu, he prepared to take Athrun's life right there.
"Athrun, what are you doing!"
In the next moment, it seemed Athrun's Aegis Gundam would follow the same fate as Creuset's Gouf Ignited.
First, there was Nicol's tragic fate, and now the death of the respected Captain Creuset.
Struck by a series of bad news and sinking into self-isolation, Athrun heard a shout in his ear.
"Nicol?" Athrun's eyes cleared as he snapped back to reality.
"Wasn't he explicitly forbidden by the captain from sortieing in this battle?"
During the previous vanguard battle, while the Blitz Gundam hadn't suffered significant damage to its mobile suit,
Nicol had endured severe psychological trauma. Moreover, his metallic limbs utilized unverified technology,
leading to intense rejection reactions after the battle. At that time, Creuset had been hoping for as many of his subordinates to die as possible,
which was why Nicol hadn't joined them in combat from the beginning.
With Nicol's reminder, Athrun in Seed Mode managed to dodge the beam shot by Kira at the last moment.
"Missed."
Having failed to land a hit, Kira stared at the now mobile Aegis Gundam. Considering that Wang Hu was already helping Mu escape,
the Strike Gundam decisively turned away from Athrun and headed toward the Eighth Fleet to rendezvous with Wang Hu.
"Nicol." Athrun watched as Kira abandoned him, then glanced at Nicol, who was pushing through his physical limitations to come to his aid.
At this moment, Athrun didn't know how to distinguish genuine care from false intentions.
"Athrun."
Putting on the mask given to him by Captain Creuset, which hid the injuries he hadn't had time to repair on PLANT due to time constraints, Nicol sighed in relief while his eyes flickered with emotion.
"How long are you going to wallow in despair?"
Piloting the Blitz Gundam as it flew past the Aegis Gundam, Nicol was gratified to see Athrun following closely beside him.
"You can do it, right? Inherit Captain Creuset's will, protect all of PLANT, and safeguard the Coordinators' world from the threat of Naturals."
Touching the helmet representing the captain, Nicol vividly recalled how the captain had once affectionately and aspirationally expressed his love for PLANT to him.
It was precisely because of Captain Creuset's profound love for Coordinators that he, who had been trapped in trivial affections, had come to understand what was truly right!
Now, he would emulate the captain's way of saving him to rescue Athrun in turn!
"Nicol?" The temperature on his face was high, and the tears in his eyes kept evaporating.
In that moment, Athrun truly understood what he should do and what he must accomplish.
Hadn't Nicol before him and the captain, who had already turned into light, provided the best explanation?
"Let's go, Nicol!" Accelerating abruptly to surge ahead of Nicol,
Athrun was determined not to let the Archangel slip smoothly into the Earth Sphere right before his eyes!
He would rather die than allow it.
"Wang Hu, sorry I'm late!"
Unaware that Athrun behind him had also undergone a spiritual transformation like his own, Kira arrived at the side of Mu and Wang Hu.
Wang Hu, who had arrived a moment earlier, had already unleashed his full firepower and cleared all the enemies around Mu.
"It's fine, you're not late." Wang Hu smiled, noticing two pursuers following behind Kira.
However, he had no intention of continuing to engage them. With Creuset's death, the Coordinators on the battlefield had instantly become an army burning with grief and vengeance.
Just moments ago, while helping Mu break free from the encirclement, he had witnessed the human bullet tank tactic multiple times.
For now, he had no interest in Athrun's self-destruct attacks, nor did he want to miss the Archangel's last chance to enter the atmosphere.
"Let's go, Kira."
Wang Hu called out to the two beside him, and together they unleashed a full barrage of firepower against the pursuing Athrun and Nicol.
It resembled the first major battle where Kira and Athrun faced the three elites of the Allied Forces in Orb.
With this, the three of them bought some time.
Then, under Wang Hu's lead without looking back, they swiftly flew toward the Archangel.
(End of Chapter)