Another bright, sunny day, yet the radiant sunlight and cool breeze brought no joy. The Orb fleet had already deployed across the ocean, with all ground forces in position and defensive lines fully established.
On the other side, the Atlantic Federation's fleet faced off against Orb's forces, weapons systems fully activated and locked onto their enemies.
Aboard the flagship of the rear fleet, Muruta Azrael checked his watch and glanced at the document in his hand—Orb's final response to their demands.
"The demands you have presented are unreasonable and unacceptable to our nation. The United Emirates of Orb will uphold its neutral stance and will not yield to any form of coercion."
"Tsk tsk, as expected of Representative Attha. She never disappoints. I was almost worried they might actually accept our terms—what a shame that would've been." Having gotten the answer he wanted and surrounded only by his own people, Muruta Azrael couldn't even be bothered to put on an act anymore, openly revealing his ambitions.
"For the sake of testing those new toys, I hope they fight to the bitter end. And that famous little prodigy, Yang Hui... Heh, I can't wait to see what kind of data we'll get once we dissect him."
Meanwhile, inside Orb's Ministry of Defense, Sumeragi kept her eyes fixed on the clock while scanning the tactical map, searching for any overlooked gaps in their defenses. This was her first time commanding a large-scale battle in person, and the immense pressure weighed heavily on her shoulders.
"How much time is left?"
"Five minutes."
"Activate all weapon systems. Fleet targets locked onto the Atlantic Federation fleet. Open fire the moment the time comes."
"Understood. Weapons systems activating..."
"All units, assume first-stage combat readiness..."
Tick, tock. Sumeragi's gaze never left the countdown until it finally hit zero.
"Time's up! Preemptive strike—commence attack!"
"Roger! All ships, begin assault!"
"Enemy vessels have launched cruise missiles—confirmed!"
"Just as I expected. First defensive line, intercept! First and Second MS Units, deploy to the left and right flanks to assist anti-air fire!"
"Understood!"
"Earth Forces MS units are mobilizing!"
Hearing this, Sumeragi frowned slightly. The timing... was a bit too early, wasn't it? She had full confidence in her defensive arrangements. As long as the naval fleet could hold off the enemy ships and the ground forces remained intact despite the bombardment, she was certain they could repel any landing force.
Once the Earth Forces' MS units landed, even if the enemy fleet broke through the naval blockade, they wouldn't be able to conduct further artillery strikes.
"Central ground forces, retreat 500 meters! First MS Battalion, Third Squadron, and Second MS Battalion, First Squadron—converge on the center! First MS Special Battalion, deploy to intercept enemy MS units!"
"Understood."
Adjusting the defensive lines in real-time based on the battlefield situation, Sumeragi watched as the enemy's Dagger units—like the M1 Astray—lacked atmospheric flight capabilities, leaping from their carriers and transports toward Orb's Izanami Port.
Under her command, vulnerable tanks and infantry units abandoned immobile base installations and swiftly retreated, leaving vast empty landing zones for the enemy MS.
Just as the Earth Forces' MS units were reveling in arrogance, thinking they had scared off the Orb Military, before their feet could even touch the ground, they were pierced by crossfire from both sides, exploding into fireworks midair.
By sheer luck, a few Daggers survived, breaking through the barrage to set foot on Orb's territory. But... they had no time to celebrate or seek revenge.
The moment the Daggers landed, over a dozen M1 Astrays bared their fangs. Their pitch-black Beam Rifles erupted with deadly brilliance as the Outframe Gundam Green strode forward, its oddly shaped Beam Rifle firing precise shots. When closing in on enemy units, the heavy axe-blade beneath the rifle's barrel shimmered with a faint blue glow, its high-frequency vibrations emitting a piercing screech that scattered dust and debris.
The Outframe Gundam Green was equipped with a specialized Beam Rifle featuring a high-frequency vibrating axe-blade. Yang Hui had reinforced its joint framework using rare metals left behind by Lowe. Considering Barry Ho's martial arts expertise—frequent use of punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shoulder charges—the armor on its shoulders and knees was fitted with metal spikes, while its forearms housed retractable gauntlets that could cover its fists during strikes. Instead of spikes, these gauntlets were embedded with small Beam generators.
Shing—
A cold flash of light, and two Daggers ahead were cleanly bisected, their severed edges smooth enough to serve as mirrors.
After landing the blow, the Outframe Gundam Green swiftly retreated. As it created distance, it raised its left arm, its armor sliding open to reveal the menacing barrels of a Gatling Machine Gun.
Bang bang bang bang—
The Gatling spun, spewing a torrent of fiery lead, riddling a Dagger that had just landed and was preparing to ambush it.
"Captain!"
With the Outframe Gundam Green's aggressive advance, enemy units quickly took notice, swiveling their rifles to lock onto what was clearly an ace Mobile Suit.
But before they could fire, they were destroyed by the overlooked M1 Astrays. Several Daggers that had just landed were impaled by Beam Sabers wielded by the M1 Astrays following closely behind the Outframe Gundam Green.
"First Squadron, prepare for melee combat—clear the landed enemies. Second Squadron, intercept airborne units. Third Squadron, provide covering fire." Three M1 Astrays stood guard around the Outframe Gundam Green as Barry Ho calmly issued orders amid the relentless enemy assault. "Asagi, Mayura, Juri—stay close to me."
"Roger!"
The Outframe Gundam Green and the three M1 Astrays moved as one, weaving through the hail of gunfire like phantoms, cutting down enemies while occasionally rescuing endangered allies.
"First wave cleared. All units, fall back." With the initial wave of Daggers wiped out, Barry Ho decisively led his team back to the main forces, lying in wait for the next batch of prey to enter the trap.
This was Sumeragi's strategy. It was inevitable that the enemy MS units would attempt to land on the island. Rather than stretching their defenses thin and engaging in a direct clash, they deliberately left a gap, luring the enemy to swarm in while setting up an ambush on all sides—ready to annihilate them in one fell swoop.
"Captain Ho reports—the first wave of enemy landing forces has been completely eliminated. Awaiting further orders!"
Upon receiving the report, Sumeragi decisively issued orders: "First MS Battalion's Third Squadron, Second MS Battalion's First Squadron, and First MS Special Battalion's Third Squadron will maintain the frontline and continue intercepting the frontal landing forces. Captain Huo will lead the First Squadron to fall back to the second defensive line!"
"This..."
The communications officers and staff hesitated momentarily, puzzled by Sumeragi's command. The three squadrons of the Special Battalion had clearly defined roles—the Second Squadron specialized in long-range fire suppression, the Third Squadron excelled at mid-range precision shooting, while the First Squadron gathered elites in close-quarters combat.
Although the first wave of landing forces had been completely wiped out, enemy troops continued pouring in. Why withdraw the close-combat specialized First Squadron instead of the long-range suppression Third Squadron?
But the answer became clear the next second.
"Large aerial craft detected above the island, approaching the second defensive line!"
"They're here after all! Hurry the First Squadron! Full firepower from the second defensive line—shoot down all airborne enemies!"
"Under... understood!"
Sumeragi was grateful for Yang Hui's warning. Without it, she might have overlooked the Atlantic Federation's airborne troops. Had she not prepared the second defensive line in advance, successful enemy landings could have either penetrated inland or flanked the first defensive line, dealing severe losses to Orb.
"The enemy has played their first card. We're still holding steady."
"Archangel reports encountering three new Earth Forces MS units!"
"Do we have visuals?"
"Yes!"
Seeing the three unknown Gundams in the footage, Sumeragi knew the enemy had revealed their second card. It was time to counterplay.
"Gundam Exia, Gundam Cherudim, and Gundam Virtue—sortie to eliminate the enemy's new MS. Inform Archangel to hold their position. Freedom and Strike will assist the First and Second MS Battalions in stabilizing the frontal defense line!"
"Understood!"
...
Receiving their orders, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria activated their Mobile Suits' systems and moved to the hangar exit.
"Are we deploying this soon?" Tieria expressed surprise. According to Sumeragi's battle plan, neither they nor Yang Hui were supposed to engage immediately. Since Sumeragi didn't know how many hidden cards the Atlantic Federation held, they were to remain as reserves for decisive strikes at critical moments.
"The enemy's getting impatient." Lyle remained composed, fully trusting Sumeragi's command.
Only half an hour into the conflict, if their deployment was already necessary, it meant the Atlantic Federation had played their hand, increasing pressure on the defenses.
"Sumeragi's orders: three new MS units have appeared—they're our targets," Setsuna stated calmly.
All three understood the enemy had shown their cards. Three new MS units, each assigned to one of them, meant the enemy had deployed their aces.
"Gundam Exia launching. Commencing target elimination."
"Gundam Cherudim launching. Commencing target sniping."
"Gundam Virtue launching. Commencing target destruction."
...
Three new MS models appeared, with the first target being the Archangel. The black, bird-like MA deftly maneuvered through the CIWS Array's anti-air fire net, heading straight for the ship's bridge. It flipped and transformed mid-air, revealing its true form.
The GAT-X370 Raider Gundam, one of the second-generation X Series, was primarily black in color. Utilizing the Aegis Gundam's frame, it possessed transformation capabilities. The edges of its wings and nose were outlined in striking red. In MA form, its large mechanical claws folded like spikes behind its arms. Its mouth housed a 100mm "Fury" energy cannon, while its left arm wielded the "Mjolnir" spike wrecking ball and its right arm a twin-linked 52mm ultra-high velocity shield cannon. The nose section also featured an M417 80mm machine gun in MA mode, capable of grabbing enemies with its claws or deploying the built-in "Light God" plasma cannon and small Beam Saber.
Hovering before the Archangel's bridge, its left arm drew back, the spikes of the "Mjolnir" gleaming with a chilling light.
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