Gundam: A Gundam Enthusiast's Journey with a Mecha Girl

But the next moment, the cockpit of the Gates was pierced by a short sword L piloted by Lieutenant Rand.

"Miss Elsa, are you alright?"

"Thank you for covering me, Lieutenant."

As soon as Aisha finished speaking, a plasma beam emitted from the Phoenix Backpack swept across the side of the Eternal from the side, dispersing the ZAFT aircraft that were rushing towards the Eternal from the other side.

Equipped with the Phoenix Backpack, the Crimson Strike, piloted by Cagalli, achieved impressive results through coordinated operations with the M1 Heretic Force aboard the Kusanagi.

"The barrage on the port side is too thin! If the enemy continues to get closer, the Eternal really will sink!"

Andrew was directing the battle from the captain's seat, while Lux, sitting in the command seat behind him, kept her eyes glued to the screen showing the changing situation of both sides, her brows furrowing more and more.

The three-ship alliance undoubtedly possessed elite combat capabilities, but their numbers were still too small. No matter how high their fighting spirit was, their maneuverability was constantly being squeezed by the superior strength of the ZAFT forces.

As the MS's battery and the pilots' stamina gradually dwindle, the seemingly fierce offensive of the three-ship alliance will eventually run out of steam.

'Raven, what would you do if you were in his shoes?'

But in the next moment, the battle situation changed.

First came a barrage of missiles, followed by several powerful beams of light, instantly turning the ZAFT aircraft besieging the three-ship alliance into mere human stumps.

Freedom and justice, aboard the Meteor, stormed into the battlefield of the Jachin-Duve Fortress from the side.

"Lux, justice and freedom will pave the way for you, and the Eternity will charge toward Genesis!"

Aslan's voice came through.

"Justice and freedom, the Earth Forces' nuclear weapons have been dealt with? What about Mr. Raven?"

Lux glanced around but didn't spot any Deep Strike aircraft.

"The Earth Force's fleet is in chaos. The teacher said he would take care of the Earth Force's remaining nuclear missiles and sent us here to provide support."

Kira explained.

"Mr. Raven alone... I understand. We'll trust Mr. Raven's judgment here. Captain Butterfield, please have the Eternal approach Genesis at maximum speed."

Even though the Earth Alliance's situation was dire, the fact that a single Deep Strike mobile suit could challenge the entire remaining Earth Alliance fleet made Lacus constantly worry about Raven. An ominous premonition lingered in Lacus's mind.

However, now that Raven has made his decision, all Lux has to do is trust his judgment.

Even with the support of freedom and justice, getting the Eternal through ZAFT's defenses and approaching Genesis will not be an easy task.

Even if the Eternal were incredibly fast, it wouldn't be able to survive the concentrated fire of the ZAFT forces.

However, the arrival of another unit changed the current situation.

"This is the Eighth Fleet of the Earth Alliance Space Force, flagship Menelaus. I am Rear Admiral Halbarton, Commander of the Eighth Fleet. My forces will now launch a full-scale offensive against the defenders of Fort Jachin-Devi, paving the way for your conquest of Genesis. Go, end this war!"

One after another, beams of light appeared in the space behind the Eternal, the glow emitted by mobile suits launching from the warship.

Hundreds of mobile suits overtook the Three Ships Alliance's warships and engaged in fierce combat with the ZAFT forces. The enemy density that had been suffocating the Three Ships Alliance was visibly reduced under the Eighth Fleet's relentless attack.

"Eternal, next Archangel and Kusanagi will simultaneously launch a salvo with their positron cannons at the ZAFT forces. Once a gap appears in the ZAFT lines, Eternal will seize that opportunity to break through the enemy lines at full speed. Genesis is in your hands!"

Murrue's voice came through the communication, and then the Archangel and Kusanagi flew over the Eternal from both sides and deployed the positron cannons mounted on their hulls.

"Captain Murrue, the spare A and B parts of the S Gundam are still on the Archangel, right?"

Lux seized the last few seconds before the positron cannon finished charging to establish communication with the Archangel.

That's right.

"The Archangel is coming from behind. Please turn around and go to support Mr. Raven immediately. I have a feeling he will need it."

As soon as Lux finished speaking, the Archangel and Kusanagi completed their recharge, and six high-energy beams of red and white light instantly sank several Nazca-class ships, tearing a gap in the ZAFT army's defenses.

The Eternal's engines instantly roared to full power, propelling it at full speed toward the breach. Freedom and Justice flanked the ship on either side, clearing away the ZAFT aircraft that kept closing in to intercept it.

Meanwhile, the Archangel changed course and sailed at full speed toward the location of the Deep Strike.

Chapter 97 Dissipation (4000 words)

The Allied fleet, having barely escaped the pursuit of ZAFT forces, is now undergoing a difficult reorganization.

The command chain was completely disrupted, and the MS and MA units also needed to be resupplyed and repaired. However, Azrael had no patience for these complicated tasks and repeatedly urged Brigadier General Shazaland to start a new offensive immediately.

"All warships and mobile suits that are still operational, get back to the battlefield immediately!"

"But Your Excellency, our army has suffered heavy losses. If we don't complete the reorganization..."

With the flagship USS Washington sunk in the Genesis bombardment, Commodore Szazland, who temporarily took command of the fleet, found himself in a very difficult position.

"So you're just going to watch those cosmic monsters point that cannon at Earth? We have to wipe them all out before they fire the next one!"

Azrael's voice boomed through the communication, his face devoid of its usual composure, his out-of-control emotions causing his eyes to twitch uncontrollably.

"Yes, Your Excellency! I will immediately order the fleet to attack the Jakin-Duvi Fortress."

Unable to disobey Azrael's orders, Brigadier General Shazaland had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree, offering the only feasible solution available at the moment.

"Just now, Rear Admiral Halbarton's Eighth Fleet launched an offensive against Fort Jakin-Duvee. We can join in..."

"Who told you we were going to fight Yakindov?"

Azrael's voice suddenly turned cold.

"what?"

"The target of the attack is PLANT, of course!"

Azrael slammed his hands heavily on the table in front of him, making a loud bang.

"If we don't wipe out all those cosmic monsters, Earth will continue to be threatened. Don't you understand such a simple truth?!"

Brigadier General Shazaland was utterly stunned by Azrael's insane words.

Shouldn't the top priority right now be eliminating the threat of Genesis? What's the point of wasting precious manpower and time fighting PLANT?

But now Azrael is like a gambler who has lost all his chips, left only with the madness of wanting to overturn the gambling table.

However, Brigadier General Shazaland soon had no time to think about how to persuade Azrael, as a beam storm approached the Allied fleet's temporary anchorage while he was talking to Azrael.

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In terms of firepower per unit, the Divine Will is undoubtedly the most powerful in this era.

The 11 Dragoons are equipped with a total of 43 cannons. In addition, the Divine Will itself has a Judgment-style large beam rifle and two beam cannons on the composite shield. The Divine Will can unleash the firepower of 46 beam cannons in an instant.

While its single-shot firepower cannot compare to the massive beam cannon on the shoulder of the Deep Assault, which is comparable to a ship's cannon, the Divine Will's firepower is already devastating against targets of the MS and MA class.

The advantage of Divine Will is even more obvious when facing opponents like Deep Strike, which are large and have low mobility.

The beam net spread by the dragon riders of the Divine Will continuously enveloped the Deep Strike, preventing Raven from unleashing its explosive acceleration. Meanwhile, the Divine Will itself remained constantly on the edge of the Deep Strike. As soon as the Deep Strike showed the slightest weakness, Ruze would pull the trigger without hesitation, and the high-energy beam would strike the Deep Strike's fuselage.

However, Raven always managed to catch Kruze's undisguised killing intent.

Raven anticipated the attack routes of each Dragoon submachine gun. With El's assistance, Raven skillfully manipulated the various postures of the Deepstrike to control the thrusters, ensuring that each time, at the extreme angle, Kruze's tricky shots grazed the armor.

The PS armor on the surface of the Deep Assault was now in a terrible state, with traces of melting left from the beams sweeping across it. It looked incredibly disheveled, but this was the result of Raven and El's best efforts.

However, Raven and El did not sit idly by. El operated the Deep Strike's fire control system, with the four beam cannons and the Elf beam cannon firing alternately, constantly dispersing the surrounding Dragoon submachine guns. This allowed the Deep Strike to briefly break through the Dragoon's encirclement, giving the Deep Strike room to maneuver with each volley of fire from the Dragoons.

Although they were constantly suppressed by the dragon riders of the divine will, the battlefield where the two machines fought was quietly changing position under Raven's deliberate guidance, moving towards the direction of the Allied fleet.

The dense stray bullets generated during the battle between the Deep Strike Force and the Divine Will now, like a natural disaster, engulfed everything that dared to approach the battlefield between the two machines.

The ZAFT forces, which had been pursuing the defeated Combine troops, were caught up in the battle between the Divine Will and the Deep Strike Force. Several of their mobile suits were destroyed by stray bullets without warning, forcing them to abandon their pursuit of the remaining Combine troops.

Now, it's the coalition forces' turn to suffer this disaster.

Several Assault Daggers that hadn't had time to dodge were pierced through by incoming beams of light before their pilots could even understand what was happening.

This beam of light was just one of countless beams that the Deep Assault team had evaded.

Not only mobile suits, but even heavily armored warships that get caught in it will only end up sinking.

A Drake-class ship that couldn't dodge in time was instantly pierced by several beams fired by the Dragoon. After being hit on the bridge by a beam, the entire warship lost all ability to respond.

Even the larger and more heavily armored Nelson-class ships were not spared. A single Elf Beam Cannon shot struck a vulnerable part of the warship, and in the subsequent explosion of the ammunition, the entire warship was blown in two, turning into two large clumps of space debris.

"That bastard Kruze, what on earth is he doing? The entire fleet retreats immediately and establishes a safe distance. Also, get the Divine Will out of the fleet's anchorage right now!"

Commodore Sazarand, seated on the bridge of the USS Doolittle, watched the approaching beam storm and issued a series of urgent orders to the remaining Allied fleet.

The USS Doolittle is a crucial nuclear missile delivery ship and the coalition's ultimate trump card. Its loss would mean the complete failure of the L5 campaign.

But Brigadier General Shazaland's flustered state and the immense sense of danger emanating from the USS Doolittle caught Raven's attention.

"That Agamemnon-class ship, could it be..."

Without any hesitation, Raven began charging the super-large beam cannon on his shoulder. The Deep Strike suddenly stopped, and the posture control nozzles all over his body flashed continuously as he quickly aimed the cannon at the Doolittle.

Even the heavily armored Agamemnon-class could not withstand the full-power firing of the Deep Strike's beam cannon.

Raven pulled the trigger, and a thick beam of light comparable to the main gun of a warship was fired from the Deep Strike. The armor on the Doolittle was pierced in just a moment, and the beam burst out from the other side of the hull.

The high-energy particles struck the Doolittle's reactor, triggering a violent explosion. The explosion from the reactor then triggered a chain reaction with the nuclear weapons stored on the ship.

Moments later, the terrifying nuclear warheads were detonated simultaneously, and the nuclear explosion instantly engulfed the USS Doolittle and several escorting ships, along with the mobile suits and mobile armor units that had not yet taken off.

"Chairman, the Doolittle has been..."

Inside the bridge of the USS Archangel, everyone stared in disbelief at the Doolittle, which had been reduced to ashes.

"It's over, everything is over... No, as long as I'm alive, I'll be able to destroy those cosmic monsters sooner or later."

Azrael, recovering from the massive shock of the nuclear explosion and having lost all his trump cards, was instantly gripped by the fear of death and ordered the Archangel to retreat immediately.

Not only Azrael, but all the remaining troops of the Allied Forces had their morale shattered by the nuclear explosion. Before Azrael could give the order to retreat, they all turned and retreated towards the moon.

Turned into a stray dog, the Archangel fled the battlefield in a sorry state. Before it had flown very far, it collided head-on with the Archangel, which had come to support Raven.

Murrue showed no mercy to the Archangel's sister ship.

"Lohengrin deploys, target the Archangel directly ahead!"

Unlike the composed Murrue, the bridge of the Archangel, completely unprepared for battle, was in utter chaos.

"Quickly engage! Engage! We'll also use our positron cannons to shoot down that deserter ship!"

Azrael screamed frantically as the Archangel's operator furiously tapped the weapon control panel with trembling fingers.

However, the Archangel was clearly a step too slow; the Archangel's Lohengrin had already begun charging, while the Archangel had only just opened its cannons.

In order to nip the threat in the bud, Mu, piloting the cannon-type assault ship, sped past the Archangel from the front. Four wire-controlled cannons deployed, simultaneously locking onto the muzzles that had just opened on the Archangel's forelegs. Railgun shells and missiles were fired in unison, destroying the barrels of two positron cannons.

"Energy charged to 120%!"

"Lohengrin, fire!"

Destructive energy shot out from the Archangel.

“I am Murta Azrael, and I have a mission to destroy all the cosmic monsters…”

Before Azrael could finish speaking, the bridge of the Archangel was engulfed by Lohengrin's gunfire.

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At the same moment, inside the Jakin-Duvi Fortress, a bloody battle was raging.

The Eternal's pink hull was now battered and bruised. Under the cover of the Freedom and Justice aircraft, the Eternal braved the anti-tank fire of the Jachin Duve Fortress and forced its way into the fortress.

After the Eternal docked inside the fortress, the Marines, under Andrew's command, took up their rifles and engaged in fierce combat with the fortress's defenders.

Most of these Marines were Andrew's old comrades who had fought alongside him in the North African desert. Despite being outnumbered, they used skillful tactics to suppress the resistance of the fortress garrison and steadily advance toward the control room deep within the fortress.

How much longer will the Genesis launch procedure take to complete?

Hearing the sounds of battle coming from outside the door, Patrick urged anxiously.

"Five minutes left, Your Excellency."

"Can't it be any faster?!"

"That's the limit, Your Excellency."

The operator replied in a trembling voice.

As the operator watched the charging progress steadily increase on the screen in front of him, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Once the charging progress is full, is he really going to press the launch button?

There are billions of people living on Earth. Has this war really gone so far as to require the extermination of all billions of people?

But the corpses still floating above his head were telling him the consequences of disobeying orders.