Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

However, the forceful throwing of the broken ball caused a brief pause in its movement, and the G-bomber, which had been flying high in the sky under El's control, was waiting for this moment.

The Elf Beam Cannon on the nose of the aircraft was already fully charged, and the high-energy red and white beams shot straight at the seized cockpit.

However, enhanced individuals whose perception and reaction abilities have been amplified by drugs are not so easily defeated.

The attack was immediately halted, and with a violent turn, the beam of the Elf Beam Cannon grazed the fuselage, avoiding a fatal blow.

However, the beam of light did not diminish in momentum, and the forbidden figure was positioned directly on the axis of the beam.

Shani gave a sickly smile, directing the forbidden energy towards the armor and concentrating it in front.

He was to intercept the beam and then precisely deflect its trajectory toward the core fighter's flight path, allowing the enemy to take him out with their own fire.

However, he forgot that the Elf Beam Cannon has a similar ability to deflect energy into armor.

Just as the beam of light was about to touch the forbidden energy deflecting towards the armor, it suddenly bent downwards and struck the sea surface beneath the forbidden energy.

In an instant, the high-energy beam evaporated the seawater, and the water vapor turned into a thick white fog, obscuring the forbidden field of vision.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the G-attack machine approached at high speed from directly behind Forbidden. However, Shani noticed this movement in time, and Forbidden quickly turned around, protecting his two energy deflection armor plates in front of him.

However, contrary to his expectations, the G-Strike didn't fire. Instead, it transformed back into the upper body of the S-Gundam in mid-air, extending two mechanical arms that firmly restrained the two energy-deflecting armor plates.

"court death!"

Shani roared.

The S Gundam's actions did indeed lock the energy deflection towards the armor, but there was still a Feralas Plasma Cannon available in the forbidden front.

High-energy particles rapidly converged at the muzzle, and S-sized upper body was about to be reduced to ashes upon impact.

But he didn't get a chance to pull the trigger. While he was focused on the front, the G-Bomber that he had left behind fired its Elf Beam Cannon again. The energy was deflected onto the armor, which was still firmly locked in front of the S Gundam's upper body, preventing it from turning around in time.

The beam pierced precisely through the forbidden waist, and the ensuing explosion instantly engulfed the forbidden cockpit.

Until the moment the Forbidden Gundam was shot down, Kurot, who had been focused on chasing the Core Fighter, did not notice the situation of his teammate.

The drug's stimulation had shattered his rationality, and his body was becoming increasingly agitated.

Piloted by Raven, the Core Fighter constantly dodged the barrage of bullets raining down from the Gundam. However, after the Gundam broke free, the G-Attack and G-Bomb, having already resolved the forbidden attack, caught up and used several beams to drive away the relentless Gundam. Raven seized the opportunity to combine the three fighters, which docked in mid-air and transformed back into the S Gundam form.

"Kill! Explosive kill! Instant kill! Hahahaha!"

Kurot muttered words that were no longer comprehensible, the drug's effects constantly stimulating his nerves, making him increasingly frenzied.

It hurled a shattering ball at the S Gundam, while the glow of the Fury Energy Cannon in its mouth began to condense at the muzzle.

Raven calmly drew his beam saber, splitting the thrown shattered ball in two, while his right-hand elf beam cannon was already fully charged.

The Fury Energy Cannon slashed across the S Gundam's face, burning the V-shaped antenna on one side, while the Elf Beam Cannon precisely pierced through the stolen cockpit.

Kurot died peacefully in the end.

Meanwhile, just as Raven had predicted, Kira and Athrun, after being briefly suppressed, quickly regained the initiative, and the two worked together to knock down the four Killer Daggers one by one.

-----------------

"Those few good-for-nothings!"

Upon seeing the complete annihilation of the enhanced humans and special training troops, Azrael's face was extremely grim, and not a single person dared to utter a sound.

The fleet commander stood behind Azrael, swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and whispered his suggestion in a trembling voice.

"Director, the current situation is not good, and the East Asian fleet is almost here. Would it be better for us to retreat now?"

"retreat?"

Azrael turned around and stared coldly at the fleet commander.

"Do you want me to slink away like a clown, amidst the laughter of those Obu people and East Asians?"

"No, I had absolutely no such intention! It's just that judging from the current situation on the battlefield..."

The fleet commander subconsciously glanced at the horizon to the northwest, where the outlines of the East Asian fleet could already be vaguely seen.

"No, we absolutely cannot leave the Mass Accelerator to Orb and East Asia."

Azrael recalled the battle report he had received from Victoria a few days ago. The Third Victorian War was turning in favor of the Allied Forces. Even if they didn't get Orb's mass launcher, the Allied Forces would still have a mass launcher to use.

In this way, there is no need to keep Kaguya Space Port.

"Go, give the order to fire all the remaining cruise missiles. The target is the Kaguya Mass Launcher!"

"director?!"

The fleet commander's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he looked at Azrael with suspicion and uncertainty.

"What are you standing there for? If you don't give the order now, I'll fire you!"

The fleet commander's lips trembled slightly as he looked at Azrael, who had completely gone mad. He could only steel himself and give the order.

"All ships, listen up..."

-----------------

The Atlantic Federation's offensive was underway when Raven announced that the outline of the East Asian fleet had already appeared on the horizon.

The outcome is decided.

Just as Raven was thinking this, in the distance, one cruise missile after another, trailing white plumes, rose into the air from the missile launch silos of destroyers and cruisers.

Raven's premonition started triggering a frantic alarm.

"No, those missiles are heading towards the mass accelerator!"

The S Gundam quickly ascended to high altitude, unleashing all its weapons simultaneously.

Behind them, Freedom, Justice, and Phoenix Assault followed closely, all four towering gun ports aimed at the rapidly approaching swarm of missiles.

"This number is more than just a hundred!"

Mu's tense voice rang out on the communication channel; with so many missiles, it was almost impossible to intercept them all.

"No matter how many, we absolutely cannot let them destroy the mass accelerator!"

The S Gundam's four beam cannons and Elf beam cannons entered rapid-fire mode, and the four Vulcan cannons on its head also opened fire.

Freedom, justice, and the Phoenix Assault also unleashed all their firepower.

Beams, railgun projectiles, and Vulcan cannons intertwined in the air to form a dense fire net, and a barrage of bullets intercepted the incoming cruise missiles. The flashes of explosions continuously illuminated the sky above Kaguya Harbor.

The number of remaining cruise missiles was rapidly decreasing. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the last cruise missile was intercepted by a precise beam of light when it was only a dozen meters away from the mass accelerator.

As the smoke dissipated, the Kaguya Mass Launcher stood unharmed on the Orb coastline.

Chapter 84: The Prologue to Destruction (Part 2)

Before the East Asian Fleet arrived at Kaguya Harbor, the Archangel recovered four Gundams and used the Mass Accelerator to enter space.

The Kusanagi followed closely behind, and the two ships merged in near-Earth orbit. The Kusanagi needed to receive supplies from the Ame no Mihachi from the Orb space station and complete its final assembly there.

To discuss their next move, Colonel Kisaka brought Cagalli to the bridge of the Archangel.

"Thank you all for your help to Orb."

Colonel Chisaka stood upright and saluted the assembled soldiers on the bridge. Cagalli stood beside him and saluted in return.

Both Kisaka and Cagalli were well aware that Orb was able to hold out until the end because of the Archangel's fierce battle.

Moreover, in the final moments of the battle, when the enemy recklessly launched all their remaining cruise missiles at the Kaguya Mass Accelerator, it was Raven and the other pilots who accomplished the almost impossible.

With just four Gundams, they intercepted a hail of hundreds of cruise missiles, saving the vital Mass Accelerator from the Atlantic Federation fleet's frantic efforts.

"Preparations for the Kusanagi will be completed soon. Has His Excellency Halbarton given any instructions regarding future operations?"

After the greetings, Chisaka got straight to the point.

"Next, we're going to L4. Lux... The Klein faction of PLANT has already set up an operational base there. We can rest there for a while, and the remaining maintenance work on the Archangel can also be carried out there."

Raven reached out and brought up the space map, marking the route to L4 space.

"L4? Not going to the moon?"

Cagalli tilted her head slightly and asked in a questioning tone.

Halbarton's troops were already stationed on the moon, so why bother going all the way to L4?

"After all, our Archangel is still officially a deserter ship of the Earth Federation, and His Excellency Halbarton is not yet the head of the Space Force. There are some things we cannot do too obviously."

"It's that adult thing again..."

After listening to Raven's explanation, Cagalli muttered under her breath, her tone full of impatience with this roundabout politics.

"In short, that's all for our next steps."

Raven shifted his gaze from Cagalli's face to Athrun, who stood quietly beside Kira.

"So, Aslan, what are you going to do next? In Orb, we are fighting the Atlantic Federation's army, but next, we may have to fight the ZAFT army. I hope you understand that."

“Aslan…”

Kira and Cagalli spoke almost simultaneously, their eyes filled with the same concern.

Of all the people gathered on the bridge of the Archangel at this moment, the one in the most awkward position was Aslan.

“You are a PLANT member and also Patrick Sara’s son. While I understand your feelings, it’s best to sort things out as soon as possible. If your final decision is to return to ZAFT, I will not stop you, but the next time we meet on the battlefield, I will treat you as an enemy.”

Before Aslan could speak, Cagalli stepped forward and stood in front of him.

“Wait, Mr. Raven, it doesn’t matter whose son this is, right? Aslan is Aslan himself!”

"Cagali".

Kira grabbed Cagalli's arm.

"The teacher said this because he was thinking of Aslan's best interests. If you don't have a firm belief in your heart, continuing to appear on the battlefield will only cause you pain."

Aslan looked at Kira and Cagalli, knowing that they were both caring for him in their own ways.

'Indeed, these two people really do look alike.'

Aslan reaffirmed this idea in his heart.

However, as Raven said, it was indeed time for him to confirm his own thoughts.

"I……"

In Athrun's mind, his father's words, Lacus's words, and Kira's words were mixed together, and what PLANT and Orb had seen and heard appeared before his eyes like a slideshow.

Those who suffer because of war, those who are numb because of war, those who have been alienated by war and turned into tools, and even his own righteous body that used nuclear technology that should have been sealed away...

He had to admit that the war had strayed from its original objective and turned into a massacre aimed at the complete annihilation of the enemy.

“I think we share a common vision for the future. Both PLANT and Earth have shed too much unnecessary blood for this war, to the point that it’s making people lose their minds. In order to prevent the worst future from happening, I will act with you.”

"Aslan!"

Cagalli happily stepped forward and put her arm around Aslan's shoulder without any hesitation. The sudden proximity of her scent made Aslan's cheeks flush red instantly.

Kira stood to the side, watching his friend make his decision, a warm smile appearing on his lips.

"However, once we reach L4, could you lend me a shuttle? I want to go back to PLANT to confirm my father's thoughts."

-----------------

At the same time, the Cruze team, having received orders to return home for rest and repairs, slowly entered the spaceport of Aprilius I aboard the Vesalius.

But as soon as the Vesalius came to a stop, soldiers who had been lying in ambush appeared from all sides of the shipyard and, without any explanation, took control of the entire Vesalius.

Artis stared in disbelief at the gun barrel pointed at his chest, when a grim-faced officer asked in a cold, ruthless tone.

Where did Raúl Krúze go?

"Captain Kruze received a secret order from the Speaker himself on the return voyage and disembarked when passing the Jakin-Duvee Fortress. Furthermore, which unit are you from? Detaining active-duty ZAFT personnel without any justification is a serious crime punishable by court-martial! If you cannot provide me with a sufficiently reasonable explanation, I will absolutely…"

However, after receiving confirmation that Kruze was not on the ship, the officer did not listen to Artis say another word. He quickly exchanged information with his subordinates who had finished searching other areas and arrived to confirm that Kruze was indeed not on the ship. Then, he hurriedly left with his soldiers without leaving any further explanation.

"Those bastards! I'm going to report them to the authorities! Someone, call Yzak, Diego, and Nicol over here!"

Although Artis usually had a lot of headaches because of these three young masters, at this time, their status as the sons of members of the Supreme Council became an aid to Artis.

"Just you wait, you bastard!"

-----------------

Yakin-Duvi Fortress, MS Maintenance Area.

When Kruze received the abrupt order to return home for rest and recuperation, he keenly sensed something unusual.