Crossing Orb: Newtype Commander

Chapter 120 Combat

At 11:00 AM, in the central Pacific Ocean, on the high seas.

The alarm shattered the tranquility of the bridge.

Natal's fingers flew across the radar screen, a flicker of tension in her blue eyes. "Captain, high-speed targets detected ahead! Number—two! Type confirmed: ZAFT's Aegis Gundam and Duel Gundam! Approaching our ship, distance—fifty kilometers!"

Maru's pupils contracted. "Kruze really won't give up."

"Kira, can you hear me?" Natal pressed the communication button.

"I heard you." Kira's voice came through the communicator, calm and firm. "Strike Gundam, sortie preparation complete."

"Attack!"

The catapult activated, and the Assault burst from the Archangel's hangar, its silver-white fuselage leaving a white trail on the sea. The thrusters of its wing-shaped combat backpack blasted at full power, propelling the machine at incredible speed towards the two approaching ZAFTs.

Gundam. Kira sat in the cockpit, his hands firmly gripping the control stick, his amber eyes fixed on the two increasingly closer dots of light on the radar screen.

Aslan. Yitzhak.

"Strike Gundam, take up combat position."

The Aegis Gundam rose from the sea, its red armor reflecting a blinding light in the sunlight. The machine transformed into its MS mode, its beam rifle raised, muzzle pointed at the Strike's cockpit. Athrun's voice came through the communicator, calm and cold: "Kira, you shouldn't have come."

"But I'm here." Kira's voice was equally calm. "Athrun, get out of the way. The Archangel is heading to Alaska. If you stand in my way, I will fight."

"Then let's fight." Aslan pulled the trigger.

A beam of light shot from the muzzle, hurtling towards the Strike's cockpit at the speed of light. Kira pulled the control stick, and the Strike veered off course at the last moment. The beam grazed the left shoulder armor, exploding into a column of water on the sea surface. His right hand pressed the trigger, and the beam rifle fired a beam towards Aegis's head. Aegis raised its shield, blocking the attack, sparks flying.

The two mobile suits clashed above the sea, their beam sabers colliding, the orange light flashing blindingly in the sunlight. Yzak's Duel Gundam charged in from the flank, its beam rifle firing in rapid succession, attempting to suppress the assault from the side.

Kira pulled the control stick, and the Assault retreated rapidly, dodging the shot. At the same time, he returned fire with his beam rifle, forcing the duel to a halt.

"Kira, your skills have improved again." Athrun's voice carried a complex mix of emotions—admiration and bitterness.

"Because I must move forward." Kira's voice was calm. "If I don't move forward, I will die. If I die, I can't protect anyone."

Gundam Aegis transformed into its MA mode and charged towards Strike at incredible speed. Kira's pupils contracted; he pushed the control stick, and Strike rolled to the side, avoiding the impact of Aegis. But Aegis transformed back into MS mode the instant it passed Strike, its beam...

The saber swung upwards, slashing towards the attacker's waist.

Kira pulled the control stick, raising the Strike's shield to block the attack. However, the impact caused the machine to lose its balance, rolling twice on the sea surface before regaining its stability.

"Athrun, you've become stronger."

"Only by becoming stronger can one survive on the battlefield." Athrun's voice carried a hint of bitterness as Nicole's Thunder Gundam silently rose to the surface in the deep sea.

The Phantom Particle System was activated, its surface covered in optical camouflage that blended seamlessly with the seawater. It was invisible to radar, invisible to the naked eye, and even the sonar couldn't detect its faint signal. Like a ghost fish, it silently approached the Archangel's hull in the deep sea.

"Nicole, take attack position." Kruze's voice came through the communicator, calm and cold.

"Understood." Nicole pushed the control stick, and Thunder slowly rose to the surface. The beam saber was already drawn, its orange beam refracting an eerie light in the seawater.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue stared at the radar screen, her brow furrowed slightly. Something was wrong. Kira was holding off Aegis and Duel directly, but one of the Kruze's mobile suits was still missing. The Swift Gundam. Where was it? In the deep sea, in the sky, or waiting for a fatal blow in some radar blind spot?

"Captain Bugiluru, is there a response to the sonic boom?"

No. Everything is normal underwater.

Murrue tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest. She recalled how the Artemis Lightning Gundam had used its Phantom Particle System to infiltrate the fortress and breach the light barrier. After that, she had studied the Lightning's technical data and learned of its weaknesses: the Phantom Particle System consumed a large amount of energy and could not be maintained for long periods after activation; moreover, the mobile suit could not use radar or communication in optical camouflage mode, relying solely on the pilot's visual perception.

"Order all lookout posts to visually scan the sea. Do not rely on radar. Thunder may be nearby."

"clear."

The atmosphere on the bridge became tense. The crew members picked up their binoculars and scanned the surrounding sea through the portholes. The sea was empty, except for the waves shimmering golden in the sunlight. But everyone knew that beneath that golden light, deadly danger might lurk.

Then, the lookout spotted it.

"Captain! Port side, 500 meters! There's a shadow on the sea!" The lookout's voice was filled with panic.

Maru's pupils contracted. "Hard to port! Full speed to the right!"

The Archangel tilted sharply to starboard, its thrusters blasting at full power, tracing an arc across the sea. Almost simultaneously, the Swift Gundam burst from beneath the surface, its beam saber slashing towards the Archangel's port bridge—but the Archangel's sudden turn caused the attack to miss. The beam saber grazed the armor beneath the bridge, leaving a deep burn mark, but it didn't strike a vital point.

"Hit it!" Maru's voice boomed across the bridge.

The ship's cannons opened fire. Beams, missiles, machine guns—all available weapons were aimed at the Swift Gundam in the same instant.

Nicole's pupils contracted. He pulled the control stick, and Thunder recoiled rapidly backward, but fragments from the missile explosion struck the aircraft's dorsal thruster, causing Thunder to lose its balance and crash into the sea.

"Niccol!" Aslan's voice boomed through the communicator.

"I'm fine. My thrusters are damaged, so I can't continue fighting," Nicole said, her voice tinged with pain, but she was still alive.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Maru stared at the spreading oil slick on the sea and breathed a sigh of relief. The Thunderbolt had been hit, but hadn't sunk. The pilot was alive, but incapacitated. Her fingers clenched and unclenched on the armrest; she didn't want to kill, especially on the battlefield, when the victim was just a child.

"Stay on high alert. Thunder may still have combat capabilities."

"clear."

But Aslan didn't know that Nicole was still alive.

The moment he saw the Thunder plunge into the sea, his mind went blank. Nicole's junior, who always smiled and called him "Senior Aslan," the warrior who had never retreated on the battlefield—he might be dead. Hit by the Archangel's cannons, plunged into the deep sea, the cockpit flooded, suffocated, and died.

"No—" Aslan's voice was stuck in his throat.

His pupils changed. No longer the gentle amber color, but a light radiating outward from the center of his pupils, as if the sun were rising from the depths of his eyes.

SEED, awakening.

The Aegis Gundam's thrusters suddenly sprang to full power, propelling the machine toward the Assault Gundam at incredible speed. Kira's pupils contracted—this speed was abnormal, this reaction speed was abnormal, Athrun's attack style had completely changed.

"Aslan"

The Aegis's beam saber slashed down fiercely, and the Striker raised his shield, but this strike was far more powerful than before. The shield shattered, shards flew everywhere, and the Striker's left arm was struck, his armor cracking and sparks flying.

Kira pulled the control stick, sending Assault retreating rapidly, but Shield relentlessly pursued. Athrun's attacks became relentless, every slash aimed at the cockpit, every shot precise and deadly. His SEED ability allowed him to surpass human limits; every movement of Shield was fluid and fluid, without a single wasted moment.

"Kira!" Mu's voice came through the communicator, "I'm here to support you!"

"Don't come!" Kira's voice carried a hint of panic. "The Sky King is no match for a mobile suit. Retreat!"

But Mu didn't listen. The Sky King flew out of the Archangel's hangar, air-to-air missiles hanging from its wings, and hurtled towards the Aegis Gundam. His fingers gripped the control stick firmly. As an adult, he wanted to share Kira's burden and prove that he wasn't "just someone who hides behind a child."

"Mu, retreat!" Maru's voice boomed through the communicator.

"No! Kira needs support!" Thor pushed the control stick, and Sky King charged toward Aegis, launching missiles.

Athrun saw the Mobile Armor. Not a Mobile Suit, but a Mobile Armor—much weaker, much slower, much more fragile than him. But he didn't hesitate. The Aegis' shield rose, blocking the missile, and then he saw the face in the cockpit. Not Kira, but someone else.

He didn't kill him. The edge of the shield struck the Sky Overlord's wing, causing the aircraft to lose balance, tumble through the air, and then crash into the sea. The flash of the explosion grazed the surface of the water for a moment before being extinguished by the seawater.

"Mu!" Kira's voice was ripped apart.

His pupils changed too. Light radiated outward from the center of his pupils—SEED, Awakening.

The Strike's thrusters roared to life, propelling the machine toward the Aegis at incredible speed. Beam sabers clashed, sparks flying. Kira's attacks became relentless—every slash was fueled by rage, every shot by sorrow. In his eyes, there were no "enemies," only the pain of "hurt someone important."

"Kira, stop!" Athrun's voice was tinged with pain. "I don't want to fight you." The Aegis's shield was severed by the beam saber, and the Strike's blade sliced ​​through the Aegis's chest armor. Athrun pulled the control stick, and the Aegis retreated rapidly, but the Strike relentlessly pursued. The two mobile suits locked in combat above the sea, beam sabers clashing against beam sabers, each collision sending up dazzling sparks.

"Kira, Mu's alive!" Murrue's voice came through the communicator. "His lifeboat ejected! He's alive!"

Kira's fingers paused slightly, but both of them, highly focused, were unable to stop.

The two mobile suits clashed again above the sea, sparks from their beam sabers flashing blindingly in the sunlight. Neither held back their attacks. The Strike's beam saber pierced the Aegis's left arm, while the Aegis's beam saber pierced the Strike's right shoulder. Both were severely wounded; neither had won.

Kira's arms had completely lost sensation. His hands trembled on the joystick, but his will remained firm.

He couldn't fall, because the Archangel was still behind him, and Thor was still waiting for rescue on the sea. He had to hold on.

"Kira, retreat!" Murrue's voice came through the communicator. "The Archangel will cover you!"

"No—" Kira's voice was weak, "It's not over yet—"

He pushed the control stick, the Strike's thrusters blasting at full power, propelling the machine toward the Aegis. The beam saber was raised, aimed at the Aegis. He wanted to stop Athrun—not kill him, but simply make him stop.

Aslan did the same thing.

The Aegis raised its beam saber, aiming at the Strike.

The two machines crossed paths in the sunlight, their beam sabers simultaneously thrusting at each other.

At the last moment, a figure descended from the sky.

The Justice Gundam swooped down from the sky, the pale green light of the GN Drive flickering eerily in the sunlight.

It extended both hands simultaneously, its left beam saber blocking the Aegis's beam saber with a forward motion, and its right beam saber blocking the Strike's beam saber with a backward motion.

"That's enough." Xia's voice came through the communicator, calm and firm. "The battle is over."

Both the Strike and Aegis lost power. The two machines hovered above the sea, like two unyielding monuments. Kira released his hands from the control sticks, leaned back in his seat, and gasped for breath. His left arm was completely numb, and his right arm was trembling, but his heart was calm because the battle was over, because he had not killed Athrun.

Athrun sat in the cockpit of the Aegis, staring at the golden machine. His SEED ability was fading, the light in his eyes was dissipating, leaving behind deep weariness and confusion. He looked at his hands, which were trembling, not with fear, but with regret.

"Nicole—" he whispered, "Are you really still alive?"

No one answered. Only the GN particles of the goddess of justice shimmered with a pale green light in the sunlight.

Char sat in the cockpit of the Justice Gundam, his crimson eyes fixed on the two battered machines. His Newtype abilities allowed him to "sense" Kira and Athrun's emotions—pain, exhaustion, anger, regret, and confusion. Two similar emotions burned with the same flame in the hearts of two different boys.

"VEDA, notify the Izumo to recover the Strike and Aegis. Bring both pilots back to Orb."

"The instructions have been recorded. But Aslan Zala is a ZAFT soldier. He's also a teenager who needs help," Char interrupted her. "And Nicole Amalfi is still alive."

If he sees that Aslan's comrades are safe and sound, perhaps he will be willing to listen to us.

Silence fell over the communicator. Then, VEDA's voice came through again: "Command executed. Izumo is moving towards the combat zone."

Char pushed the control stick, and Justice flew towards the Archangel. Behind them, Strike and Aegis hovered silently above the sea, like two monuments awaiting their return. On the sea, Sky King floated on the waves, Thor sitting in the cockpit, looking at the sky through the broken canopy. His face was bloody, but his eyes shone with light.

"Kira," he whispered, "are you still alive?"

Kira's voice came through the communicator, weak but clear: "Still alive."

Thor's lips curled into a slight smile. "That's good."

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