Great, we're doomed now!

"The maintenance period has been brought forward suddenly, and all outsiders are prohibited from entering... Chief, will this attract attention?" McGillis withdrew his surveying gaze.

Turning his head to look at the elderly man beside him, who was dressed in military uniform but was much more elegant than the ordinary legion members, with a calm and weathered demeanor—Agunica Kayeru.

Don't misunderstand, this is not the "Second-in-Command of the Legion" from three hundred years ago, but his direct descendant, the current Secretary of the Inner Ring.

The family's method of passing on the name is quite interesting; each generation inherits the name "Agunica," as if it were a status or position.

They do not use their real names in public to demonstrate their commitment to sacrificing themselves for a great ideal—a practice widely regarded as a publicity stunt.

Old Agnucca's gaze swept around, focusing on the engineering team inspecting the [Bayeri] base. His voice was low: "The Evil Sacrifice Pilgrimage is imminent. Ensuring the 'Divine Body' is flawless is the top priority, not to mention..."

He paused, then turned his gaze to another direction deep within the temple.

"This time is particularly special, and that lord is also paying attention."

McGillis followed his gaze and saw three people standing quietly in the shadows of a side room away from the construction area, seemingly examining the Valkyrie stored there.

He didn't recognize two of them; they were wearing masks and appeared to be very young women.

And the man they were protecting in the middle was tall and straight, wearing a simple dark trench coat.

The man's face was covered by a simple, silver-gray mechanical mask that only covered the upper half of his face, revealing a sharp jawline. His posture exuded a calmness that seemed out of place with the surrounding noise.

McGillis's heart skipped a beat. The figure gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity and a faint resonance from the depths of his Alaya consciousness—just like when they first met, he still couldn't take his eyes off it.

Force yourself to turn your head and focus your attention back on the maintenance work in front of you.

Then he noticed that old Agnica's expression was also a bit strange; they were still staring at each other, seemingly even more miserable than he was.

"cough!"

"..."

The blond-haired young man coughed lightly, and the old man came back to his senses, squinting his eyes in disbelief.

"My lord, to be honest, I am very surprised that someone as composed as you would believe such... absurd things."

McGillis shook his head. Although he had already fallen into it without hesitation, from an objective point of view, it was actually too outrageous and hard to accept.

The savior, who had slumbered for three hundred years, returned when people called his name once more.

Is this a myth?

Where did this King Arthur come from?!

Old Agunica chuckled and gave McGillis a meaningful look: "Do you really think it's 'nonsense'? Falid kid."

"..."

"That is true in the eyes of ordinary people, but it is not the case for you and me, because we are both apostles who have inherited the 'Mark of the Holy Grail'... Once we see that person, we will no longer have any doubts."

Old Agunika sighed, "I originally thought it was just a fable passed down from my ancestors, but I never imagined it would actually be true, and that it would happen in my generation... I guess this is fate."

McGillis blinked as he heard this:

The founder of the Cayel family was said to be Kuzeha Mori's closest comrade-in-arms. Could it be that they knew something that other families did not?

—He guessed right, and not only that.

Agnica was the first pilot who knew the most of Ye Shou's secrets, and he also made some arrangements in order to pass some information to the future.

McGillis finding the Alaya-consciousness chip of "Xin Hui" was just a coincidence, but Agnica's Alaya-consciousness was truly passed down as a family heirloom!

This is why the Cayel family's beliefs have never wavered through so many generations.

With the Holy Grail Mark and the Alaya Consciousness, the two inner circle members, one old and one young, had no doubts about Ye Shou's words and immediately confirmed that he was the real person, not someone who looked similar or a clone.

The only question is whether they are still willing to obey the orders of the "Demon Chief"—

Fortunately, these two were Ye Shou's followers.

"The security plan for the pilgrimage route, especially the inner loop, hasn't been approved yet," Old Agnica said slowly, as if chatting or reminding someone, "but we can let the word out first that we're adding a Titan station and see how the public reacts... This is also the riskiest part. There are plenty of people on Earth and inside Mars who don't want this pilgrimage to go smoothly."

“I understand.” McGillis nodded, a hint of suppressed sharpness in his voice. “They will stop at nothing to undermine the symbolism of the pilgrimage and tarnish the legacy of the Tower of Babel and the Legion. I have already deployed more reliable personnel to closely monitor several radical groups and suspicious financial flows.”

“Defense alone is not enough, McGillis.” Old Agunica shook his head slightly, his voice tinged with weariness. “The Inner Ring… is no longer a monolithic entity. You saw the debate at the meeting about Titan independence. Questions like ‘is it worth it?’ shouldn’t even be on the agenda for the Inner Ring.”

McGillis was silent for a moment.

"It's not good to let that person know about this... Otherwise, how disappointed he would be."

Old Agnucca's gaze returned to the silver demon god, as if he could see the distant past through it.

"The first Agnica spent his entire life trying to maintain the framework left by that great man. But in his later years, he lamented that even the strongest fortress cannot withstand internal decay." He turned and gave McGillis a deep look. "But thankfully, at least a spark has remained."

Just then, the "masked man" who had been standing quietly by the sidelines made a move.

He did not approach the two men, but instead began to walk slowly along the edge of the temple.

Ye Shou's steps were steady. His gaze swept over the walls engraved with reliefs of the first Gundam pilots, and over the metal patterns on the ground forged from the remnants of the M·A. It was as if he was recalling something, or perhaps examining it.

Old Agunica and McGillis, keeping a polite distance, followed silently behind him. Like shadows, they accompanied him through the temple that bore witness to three hundred years of history and faith.

The masked man stopped in front of a wall etched with the sword, shield, and cross emblem personally drawn by Kusei Mamoru after the first Battle of Sydney—the very symbol of the Gundam Legion.

He reached out, his fingertips hovering over the cold metal surface, without actually touching it.

McGillis couldn't help but hold his breath. He noticed that when the masked man's gaze swept over the reliefs, a faint, elusive sadness and longing seemed to flicker deep within his calm eyes.

This emotion, though rather subtle, caused McGillis's heart to race uncontrollably once more. From the old-fashioned Alaya-vijnana interface behind his neck came an extremely faint, almost imperceptible, warming sensation, which he nearly mistook for an illusion or a short circuit.

When they finally circled back to the main hall, the masked man once again turned his gaze to [Bayeri] on the high platform. He slightly tilted his head and gave an almost imperceptible nod in the direction of old Agnukka.

Old Agunika immediately bowed and replied, "Please rest assured, everything will be ready."

"Thank you. Without you, I could do nothing in this day and age."

"You flatter me, sir."

The masked man did not linger. Accompanied by two women, he disappeared silently into the passageway to the side of the temple, just as he had arrived.

Only when the invisible pressure completely dissipated did McGillis breathe a sigh of relief, noticing that his palms were already damp with sweat.

"I hope everything goes well... In a week it will be 'Victory Day,' and the temple will be open to the public according to tradition."

Old Agnucca murmured, "After that, in about forty days, the peace girl Guderia will be setting off from Mars."

McGillis, what do you think?

"...If I were to oppose this pilgrimage, the best time would be now."

After a moment of contemplation, the blond youth said, "On Victory Day, we announced to all mankind that the times have changed."

……

Victory Day.

Sydney Harbour, it seems as if the passion of people from all over the planet converges here.

From early morning, the wide avenue leading to the Temple of Solomon was already teeming with people. People of different skin colors, attire, and even "forms" walked slowly along the road decorated with flowers and holographic ribbons, their faces bearing the joy of the festival and a subtle solemnity.

The temple was opened to the public as an exception, allowing people to enter the outer corridors to view the 300-year-old reliefs and murals, various documents and explanations, holographic projections of battlefield records, and even to pay homage to the silver demon god seated on the central platform—[Bayeri].

Although it could only be viewed through a huge transparent barrier, it was enough to excite countless people, since this was generally a privilege reserved for members of the legion.

The children stood on tiptoe, pointing at the cold, imposing machine in amazement. The elderly, with solemn expressions, whispered to their grandchildren the legend of the war that dispelled the darkness three hundred years ago and the savior Ye Shou.

The air was filled with a unique atmosphere that blended a sense of historical weight with festive joy, both noisy and lively.

"...Look, that's [Bayel]!"

"Exactly the same as in the textbook!"

"I heard this pilgrimage might go to Titan!"

"Really? I heard it's just a giant block of ice. I wonder how people manage daily life there."

The sounds of discussion, praise, and laughter echoed beneath the temple's towering dome, creating a buzzing background noise.

McGillis Farid, dressed in a crisp military uniform, stood with old Agunica on a second-floor veranda with a superb view, overlooking the surging crowd below. They maintained polite smiles and waved occasionally, but a subtle wariness lurked in their eyes.

“We haven’t received any intelligence of danger, so perhaps they won’t come,” McGillis said softly. “After all, today is special.”

McGillis's gaze swept over every possible hiding place below.

Old Agnucca nodded slightly, his sharp eyes beneath his white eyebrows: "Theoretically, that is true, but we should not underestimate human impulses. After all, our race has never been known for rationality and composure."

The news that Babel Tower supports Titan's independence has already caused a huge uproar in society, and there is no reason for the higher-ups not to react.

Although it was just a tentative message, not everyone could remain calm.

"The bigger the festival, the easier it is to become a target..."

Before he could finish speaking—

boom!

A muffled explosion suddenly came from the southeast of the temple, instantly drowning out all the noise!

Immediately afterwards, a piercing alarm ripped through the sky!

"What's going on?!" A commotion broke out among the crowd in the corridor as they all looked in alarm toward the direction from which the explosion had come.

In the distance, several plumes of thick smoke rose into the air, and almost simultaneously, public communication channels and private terminals were flooded with emergency alerts.

[Warning! Unidentified mobile suit unit has appeared in Sydney Harbour Zone 3!]

Engaging in firefight with defending forces!

Repeat: Unidentified mobile suit unit appears!

"They're here!" McGillis's eyes sharpened, and he immediately pressed the communicator in his ear. "All teams, proceed according to the pre-arranged plan. Ground forces, prioritize covering the evacuation of civilians! First and Third MS Squadrons, sortie and intercept!"

The moment the order was given, the Legion MS deployed in the hidden hangars around the temple immediately activated!

Rows of modern mobile suits, adorned with legion insignia and slender yet powerful designs, roared through the air like awakened behemoths. They rose from their bunkers, transforming into streaks of light, and fearlessly met the enemy aircraft that had stormed in from the city's edge!

In an instant, the sky above Sydney Harbour was filled with crisscrossing beams of light and the flames of explosions!

The mobile suits of both sides engaged in fierce combat between the skyscrapers, with stray bullets occasionally striking buildings and causing even greater chaos and panic. The civilians below were in a state of panic, as were the tourists in the temple, but they were directed by the well-prepared ground troops and security robots to orderly evacuate to a safe area.

"It's just a feint." Old Agnica observed the aerial battle, his voice steady yet cold. "Use these grunts to draw the attention of our main mobile suits; they only have one target..."

As if to prove his words—

boom!!!

A sharper and more violent roar, unlike any known MS engine, suddenly came from the plaza in front of the temple's main gate!