Time turned back slightly.
On the Archangel's bridge screen, the fighter ignored every shot the enemy fired at it, leaving everyone stunned.
But no matter how shocking the sight was, they could not simply stand there staring like fools and do nothing.
"Launch anti-beam charges!"
At Natarle Badgiruel's order, two special warheads were fired toward designated positions.
After detonating, they released a large volume of interference fragments.
These fragments were like shards of mirrored glass. If a powerful enemy beam struck them, it would be disrupted and greatly weakened.
In other words, the two bombs had effectively opened shields in two directions around the Archangel, defending it against the main cannon fire of the two ZAFT warships behind them.
The fifteen GINNs moving to surround them had now entered the Archangel's standard weapons range.
"Corinth missiles, tubes one through ten, intercept the GINNs to starboard aft. Tubes eleven through twenty, intercept the GINNs to port aft. Fire!"
Natarle gave another order.
"Valiants, angle... fire!"
The two linear cannons also fired at the enemy.
"Igelstellung, prepare to intercept enemy warship missiles."
This was space, not Earth's atmosphere. Missiles had no air resistance here. Once launched, unless they were pulled away by gravity, they would continue flying.
The two ZAFT escort ships behind them had fired a large number of missiles.
For that reason, Natarle had held the Igelstellung missile system in reserve, using it as anti-missile defense.
"Activate Gottfried. Target the ZAFT destroyer forward-right!"
This order came from Murrue, who was serving as captain. This was the weapons system under her control.
The two high-energy beam cannons deployed above the Gundam launch tracks, meaning over the hangar roof, and locked onto the target.
"Fire!"
Under the Archangel's firepower, the fifteen enemy GINNs and the three warships trying to encircle them had no choice but to slow down, evade, or intercept.
As for the four Ho 229s, three did not move far from the Archangel. Instead, they formed a triangular escort around the ship, further protecting it and intercepting approaching attacks or GINNs.
The remaining one, piloted by Mu La Flaga, flew straight toward the nearest GINN squad.
"This thing performs even better than the Moebius Zero. I can work with this!"
Although he was not yet familiar with it, Mu was certain the power he could bring out of this machine already surpassed what he could do in the Moebius Zero.
In that case, he should just barely be able to take on five GINNs by himself.
Of course, instantly wiping out five enemy units like that man had done was beyond him.
In truth, that earlier attack had succeeded partly because optical camouflage had been used, catching the enemy off guard.
But with that man's piloting, even without optical camouflage, closing in and fighting six GINNs one-on-six would not have been particularly difficult.
As for Mu right now, he could not guarantee he would destroy this squad. At minimum, however, he could make sure it had no spare capacity to attack the Archangel.
That meant only ten enemy units could approach the Archangel, and three Ho 229s were still guarding that side. There should not be any major problem.
"Hm? Is that...!"
As he approached the GINN squad launched from the warship forward-right of the Archangel, he also noticed the warship on the other side. That was the one Mr. Kain was intercepting.
The mobile suit squad that ship had deployed was also the strongest: five GINNs and the three captured machines. That alone proved it was the command ship.
And now, the battle unfolding there left Mu stunned. Under the combined fire of eight enemy machines, the upgraded Ho 229 fighter was simply pushing straight through while ignoring the attacks.
Was it really that absurd?
Meanwhile, on the Archangel's side...
"Captain, we've detected laser targeting from the main cannon of the Nazca-class high-speed battleship forward-left!"
The sudden report made Murrue frown.
The current distance between that Nazca-class high-speed battleship and the Archangel exceeded the main cannon's effective range. What was the enemy trying to do?
Unless...
It was not only Murrue who realized what they were targeting. Everyone present understood as well. Their attention could not help drifting toward one screen, where the enhanced Ho 229 fighter was closing in on the Nazca-class ship preparing to fire its main cannon.
If it could even withstand the main cannon of a Nazca-class ship, then there truly might be no force currently capable of destroying that fighter.
Perhaps a nuclear warhead could, but in the present era, nuclear weapons had been rendered useless by the existence of Neutron Jammers, which turned them into duds with no place on the battlefield.
That was why the Earth Alliance did not use nuclear weapons in the later war against ZAFT. It was not that they did not want to use them. Firing them would simply accomplish nothing.
Right. Murrue had already judged that this Ho 229 fighter must be powered by nuclear energy capable of functioning under the effects of Neutron Jammers. In that case, could its payload include nuclear warheads that could actually detonate?
Was it closing in like this because it intended to drop a nuclear weapon?
At the thought, Murrue's eyelid twitched.
"Captain, the Nazca-class's laser targeting is locked onto Ho 229 V3!"
It was exactly what everyone had thought. On the screen, the eight machines that had been surrounding the fighter suddenly scattered, no longer trying to block it.
That meant they had received an order. The Nazca-class main cannon was about to fire directly at Ho 229 V3, and they had been told to withdraw quickly to avoid being caught in the blast.
"Mr. Kain, the Nazca-class warship's main cannon is locked onto you!"
Murrue immediately sent a warning over the comm.
"Mm."
His reply was exceedingly calm. His flight path did not change either. He still closed in on the enemy in a straight line.
Was he really planning to withstand the Nazca-class main cannon as well?
"Is he an idiot? What's the point of doing this?"
Cagalli's words were filled with incomprehension.
"Is he trying to show off how powerful that fighter is?"
Was this just a display?
"Not to show off. To create fear."
Lacus shook her head as she answered, sighing inwardly.
The consequence of doing this deliberately would be that the enemy became terrified. They would lose their nerve.
In other words, until ZAFT determined a method capable of breaking through Mr. Kain's defenses, they would not recklessly attack again.
That would buy the Archangel more time. That was the benefit.
But there were drawbacks as well. This would further provoke PLANT into developing and manufacturing even stronger weapons.
And in order to obtain the technology on the Archangel's side, they would prepare even greater armed forces.
When war broke out at that point, its scale would not be limited to the level they were seeing now.
"Nazca-class main cannon firing!"
A high-energy beam powerful enough to engulf the fighter shot from the enemy warship, racing straight toward it.
Everyone's heart leapt into their throat as they watched the enemy's main cannon strike.
The result was...
"It... it really withstood it!"
"Is that really a weapon from our era?"
The instant the Nazca-class main cannon struck, it scattered into countless rays of light that flew off in every direction.
When the main cannon beam vanished, the fighter was still completely intact.
However, the impact had stopped it.
Had something gone wrong after all?
No. The booster unit on its back was changing. It further enveloped the fighter as it transformed into a humanoid form, especially one mechanical arm raised high above its head. More armor covered that arm, making it look as if it had grown massive.
At the same time, a missile was revealed. Strangely, however, the missile's warhead separated from the body and dropped into the air above the open palm of that mechanical arm, where it hovered.
It gave the impression that the machine did not intend to launch the missile, but to grab the warhead and throw it.
That was impossible, of course.
But there had to be some other purpose.
Then, without warning and beyond all expectation, a piercing radiance tore through the darkness of space.
(End of Chapter)
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