Gundam 00: Rise of China

"Retreat! All troops retreat!"

On the battlefield off the coast of Taliban, Chief of Staff Jason's orders echoed repeatedly on the Union army's internal channels.

Upon hearing this order, the Union warriors, who were fighting on various fronts, felt a sudden sense of relief.

Especially when the signal for alternating cover lit up one after another in the various squad channels, most of the flag pilots felt a sense of relief at having escaped death.

After all, if they continued fighting, they would really lose their lives on this open sea. What could be happier than surviving and being able to go back to see their families?

The flag-bearers began to retreat as ordered, but Graham, in the center of the battlefield, seemed not to have heard the order.

His signature flag-shaped plasma sword slashed repeatedly at the GN longsword, the recoil causing him to bounce violently in the cockpit, and the machine's alarms blared incessantly.

Graham remained oblivious, his mind solely focused on his opponent.

In reality, he wasn't unaware of the order to retreat, nor was he oblivious to the fact that Union's defeat was inevitable.

He can't get over that hurdle in his heart!

Chief of Staff Jason, a well-known benevolent man in the military, had placed all his hopes on him, hoping that he could pave the way to victory for the Union army.

But what about yourself?

"But I couldn't even stop a single Gundam!"

Graham whispered, tears streaming down his face, "My dignity as a Union ace has been shattered here."

Thinking back to his teacher's entrustment to him, the sky entrusted to him by his teacher, he had just lost it in his own hands!

"Atonement... at least stall them..."

"So that the main force can escape safely!"

This is the redemption Graham set for himself.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

Graham is still fighting, and his moves are getting more and more insane. Before, he was risking his life, but now he doesn't care about his life at all...

But Graham was fighting desperately, and for a moment, thanks to his physical abilities, he was still able to remain undefeated.

Lockon, who had noticed the commotion from afar, also realized Graham's threat in order to prevent Setsuna from getting into trouble.

From a distance, Lockon turned his gun around and began to provide cover and support for Setsuna with his sniper rifle.

Instantly, beams of light occasionally grazed Graham's fuselage; had it not been for Graham's formidable strength...

This Union's absolute ace might just perish here!

Just as Graham was struggling to survive being attacked from both sides by the two Gundams, several Flag Gundams in the distance behind him suddenly broke away from the retreat formation and turned around to rush towards the battlefield.

"Captain! Let's go!"

"We'll cover you!"

"Captain Graham, that's enough, really enough!"

The lead driver of the approaching flag-shaped vehicles roared, while the others shouted back at Graham.

As they shouted, these people forcefully entered the space where Ash was fighting Graham.

Even though they knew they were no match for the Gundam, and knew that staying meant certain death, they still used their mobile suits to block Graham's figure.

They unleashed a torrent of bullets from their linear rifles at the Gundam Exia, attempting to create an opening for Graham to retreat.

Seeing this, Lockon's sniper beam from Gundam Virtue quickly locked onto the Flag Gundam that was charging at the front.

"Be careful!"

Seeing the green Gundam shooting out beams of light in the distance, Graham, inside the flag-shaped cockpit, was furious.

Before he could finish speaking, the thick GN beam fired by the Gundam Virtue had already pierced through the cockpit of the mobile suit.

The fireball exploded in mid-air, and the pilot didn't even have time to utter a final shout before the entire wreckage plummeted straight into the sea.

"Damn it...come back!"

Graham's voice trembled as tears streamed down his face, and his eyes were bulging as if they were about to burst.

The sacrifice of his comrades around him further spurred him on, making it even more imperative for him to stay!

"I don't need your help! Just leave!"

"I'll block this spot!"

Graham roared, determined to charge again, determined not to let his beloved comrades die before him.

But more flag bearers rushed up from behind, shouting all at once.

"Captain, you can't die here!"

"You're the only one among us who can rival Gundam!"

"Go back! Go back with even stronger machines to avenge us!"

One after another, flag-shaped mobile suits blocked Graham's path. Some used their mobile suits to withstand the sword beams of the Exia Gundam, while others charged forward despite sniper fire. They risked their lives to create space for Graham to retreat.

Explosions rang out one after another around him, and familiar voices disappeared from the channel one by one. Graham's hands, gripping the joystick, were trembling, and his blood seemed to freeze.

Including his people!

"Captain! Excuse me!"

At that moment, two familiar flag-shaped aircraft suddenly rushed to his sides; they were his two old subordinates who had followed him for a long time.

They flanked Graham's body from both sides, and before he could react, they propelled him at full speed in the direction of retreat.

"Let me go! I'm not leaving!"

Graham's roar echoed through the channel, but it couldn't withstand the thrust of the two machines.

Watching helplessly as his comrades behind him were destroyed one by one, and as the airspace stained red by fire receded further and further away from him, Graham's fingernails dug deeply into his palms.

The Union army fought and retreated, gradually disengaging from the battlefield.

Seeing this, many Taliban pilots, their eyes reddening as they watched the enemy ships hastily retreat, shouted and chased after them.

"Don't chase them! Everyone come back!"

At the critical moment, Wang Ye's voice, under the alias Xia Ya, calmly landed on the public channel, his red thug-like figure hovering in mid-air, showing no intention of moving.

"Why?!" a Taliban soldier protested. "If we catch up now, we can win!"

"You won this match, so what?"

Wang Ye asked calmly, his tone completely undisturbed.

"If we sink the fleet and kill everyone, we will have a blood feud with the Union."

"They can send one fleet today, and three or five tomorrow, until they flatten Taliban."

"This is just right. They're in pain and have lost face, but they haven't reached the point where they're ready to fight to the death."

"Only when the AEU and the UN Security Council intervene diplomatically, giving the Union a way out and both sides back down, can Taliban have time to develop."

"You must understand that war is not the end of victory, but the beginning of the art of survival."

Wang Ye paused here, then turned his gaze to the two tall figures, one blue and one green, in the sky, and his voice lowered a few degrees.

"And right now, what we should really be paying attention to is not the withdrawing Union."

Everyone fell silent after hearing that, and then everyone realized what was happening.

Yes.

With the Union Army as our common enemy, Celestial Being's Gundam has become our ally.

But now the Union army has withdrawn, these steel giants who once tore apart their defenses and killed their comrades.

It seems like they've turned back into enemies!

Having figured it out, the Taliban army turned their guns on the two Gundams high in the sky.

A comical scene unfolded: the two sides, who just moments before could barely be described as fighting side by side, were now at odds.

In the blink of an eye, a clear boundary was drawn again.

So, without chasing the Union Army's Gundam Exia, the Gundam Virtue slowly turned its sniper rifle around.

The sea breeze swept across the smoke-filled airspace; the brief alliance had come to an end.

The Taliban army is poised to make a move, leaving Celestial Being's Gao Da in a dilemma.