"Beep, beep, beep..."
"Ms. Huang! High-energy reaction detected at the front of the fleet!"
"As expected! All fleets, deploy the first sequence! Activate the [Parasol] system!"
High-energy reactions were detected at the front of every fleet. Just as Sumeragi's instructions arrived, the orders from Revil and the others were relayed down. The fleet formations shifted as the [Unicorn-Class] warships in the front line fanned out. Their unique, massive mechanical arms extended and were raised high. Curtains of light rapidly expanded and then merged into a single sheet, shielding the fleet behind them.
"Boom—!"
In the distance, several torrents of orange destruction surged forward, slamming like heavy fists against the [Parasol] system. The sheer force brought the fast-advancing warships to a halt, even forcing them back step by step.
"T.N.T. Cannons! There really are more!" Seeing this, everyone's expressions turned grim. Strategic-grade weapons like the T.N.T. Cannon posed too great a threat to the fleet.
As the destructive light of the T.N.T. Cannons gradually dissipated, the first-sequence [Unicorn-Class] warships stopped retreating. Electric arcs occasionally danced across the [Parasol] system at the front, but it remained steadfast, showing no signs of weakening.
"No damage to our fleet! [Parasol] system stability is at 95%!"
"Full speed ahead! Strategic weapons like these can't possibly be fired in rapid succession..."
"High-energy reaction detected! The next wave is coming!"
"What!?"
Before everyone's horrified eyes, four identical torrents of destruction surged forth, slamming heavily into the [Parasol] system once more, halting the fleet's advance again.
"They can fire in succession!? Weapons of this grade?" Looking at the blinding glare ahead that was enough to dazzle the eyes, everyone's expressions became very ugly.
"Sumeragi!"
"Yang Hui, have the MS units sortie immediately! I don't know why they can fire in succession, but we can't let the T.N.T. Cannons fire with impunity!"
"The T.N.T. Cannon's rapid fire is likely due to them using large Quasi-GN Drives directly as consumables. I don't know how many they have in reserve, but the overheating of the barrels will definitely force a pause eventually. We'll go on ahead; have the fleet follow up!"
"Understood."
Ending the communication, in the brief interval before the Dawn Gundam launched, Yang Hui contacted Aeolia Schenberg: "Can you directly retake control of VEDA?"
"...No, the distance is too great. To avoid being detected by him, I have isolated my data. I need to get close enough, then I can directly retake VEDA's authority." A small window appeared on the screen, showing Aeolia Schenberg.
"What a pain! Dawn Gundam, launching!"
All fleets received Yang Hui's instructions. Catapult bay doors opened on every ship, and a massive number of MS units poured out like rain. All the Ace Units and elite units from the fleets followed behind Yang Hui, fanning out from both sides and charging toward the origin of the T.N.T. Cannon fire. Another portion remained near the warships, advancing slowly alongside the fleet.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
"The third shot is coming! Scatter!"
The T.N.T. Cannons struck again, but Yang Hui keenly noticed that the firing interval this time was two minutes longer than the last.
"As expected, even if they use Quasi-GN Drives as consumables, the cannon body itself will overheat and needs time to cool down. This is our chance..."
"Beep, beep, beep..." Just as Yang Hui was calculating the timing to predict the next shot, the alarm blared again. Directly in front of their charge, a super-large deep-space exploration mothership, built using an asteroid as its core, shed its Optical Camouflage and revealed itself to everyone.
"So that is the [Celestial Being]..."
Although they had seen the data and intelligence, seeing a 15-kilometer super-large mothership—virtually a space fortress—with their own eyes was still profoundly shocking.
Simultaneously, countless red dots appeared on the Radar Detection System. There were so many that they formed a solid wall of color, with no gaps visible.
"The suicide units are making their appearance?" Yang Hui zoomed in on the large number of enemy machines appearing in the distance. Seeing that they were all [Gag] units, he judged them to be a suicide attack force. But the sheer quantity...
"Yang Hui, 100,000 new enemy machines detected!" Graham reported.
"This is a suicide attack force. Move in groups of three, provide alternating cover, and watch out for the enemy's use of the [Trans-Am] system!" Yang Hui reminded everyone.
"Understood!" × N
The various squads increased the distance between their teams but did not stray too far, forming a perfect wedge as they accelerated their charge.
A second after Yang Hui's warning, it was as if they could hear countless screams. The [Trans-Am] systems were activated, and the endless [Gag] units suddenly accelerated, forming rivers of rushing red light in space.
"Yurin! Tear open a path!"
"Understood. [Mirror Reflection System] activated." Twenty Funnels detached from the back of the Luna Gundam, scattering around the Dawn Gundam and Flag Gundam. The high-output beam sniper rifle fired, hitting the side of the first Funnel and splitting into five beams. These then hit other Funnels, folding the beams forward. They pierced through the [Gag] units launching the suicide attack from the front, causing a chain of explosions. Once the fire faded, a clear path was left behind.
"All units, tighten formation! Open fire with everything!"
"Understood!" × N
The Flag Gundam, Dawn Gundam, and Luna Gundam served as the tip of the wedge. The beam sniper rifle in the Luna Gundam's hands never stopped firing, while the Flag Gundam unleashed all of its integrated weaponry at once. Together, the two machines blasted all the [Gag] units blocking the front into scrap. The Dawn Gundam's wings spread wide as golden bits flew in all directions, trailing behind the edges of the wedge to wrap the entire formation in a golden protective shroud. Meanwhile, the [Voiture Lumiere] was activated, sending out countless fine beam threads that shredded any stragglers on either side of the front.
Bathed in golden light, the wedge composed of aces advanced with irresistible force. They quickly pushed through several rivers of enemy machines, halving the distance.
But as they advanced, Yang Hui noticed something was wrong. Clearly, the power of their beam weapons was decreasing.
"It's an Anti-Beam Force Field! All squads, scatter! Switch to physical rounds, move in dispersed patterns, and keep GN Fields active at all times!"
"Understood!" × N
Each [Gag] unit carried a large amount of Anti-Beam Force Field powder. Once destroyed, it would disperse on the spot. A single [Gag] was small, and even carrying a full load of powder, it would be a drop in the bucket toward affecting normal beam weapon operations.
But... don't forget how many [Gag] units were here. 100,000! Linked together, they were a vast ocean!
And Yang Hui and the others were currently... right in the center of this ocean, enduring the baptism of the storm.
"This number..." The output power of the beam weapons grew lower and lower. Although they were prepared and all Mobile Suit weapons could switch between physical rounds and particle beams, physical ammunition was ultimately finite. Facing a tide of suicide attacks, engaging in close combat was a death wish.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
"The cannon fire is coming! Scatter!"
Four torrents of destruction rushed past, acting like an eraser that cleared away a portion of the dense [Gag] units, inadvertently helping Yang Hui and his team.
"Graham! Yurin! Charge!"
"Understood!" × 2
Those capable of joining Yang Hui as the spearhead were bound to be aces or semi-aces. They didn't even need Yang Hui's orders; seeing the situation, they reacted immediately, charging through the corridor the T.N.T. Cannons had cleared for them.
The 100,000 [Gag] units certainly weren't foolish enough to all besiege the spearhead force. A larger portion of them continued toward the fleet advancing rapidly from the rear.
"Feldt, what is the output power of the T.N.T. Cannons?"
"Calculation complete! To break through a GN Field at maximum state requires 15 seconds!"
"Good! Deactivate the [Parasol] system! All ships scatter, maintain GN Fields at maximum state, and proceed at maximum combat speed!"
"Understood!"
The power of the T.N.T. Cannons had been calculated. It wasn't strictly necessary to use the [Parasol] system to block them. As long as two T.N.T. Cannon shots didn't hit the same warship simultaneously, a GN Field could withstand one shot.
It was dangerous, but they had to accelerate. They couldn't stay pinned down in the rear. They had to provide fire support for the charging units ahead as quickly as possible and carve out a path for them. Only if the spearhead reached the [Celestial Being] and destroyed its T.N.T. Cannons would they have a chance at victory.
"Large number of enemy MS approaching! It's a suicide attack force!"
"Open all gun ports! Concentrate the [Gottfried] and [Valiant] batteries to the front! Load all missile launchers with anti-air buckshot! Activate [CIWS Array], set to auto-intercept mode, fire all rounds!"
In an instant, the ferocious fangs of the massive fleet were finally bared. Every thick beam could swallow a dozen or even dozens of [Gag] units. Golden electromagnetic shells streaked through space, shattering every [Gag] in their path with immense force. Anti-air buckshot exploded, scattering countless pellets like a gentle rain. The dense [CIWS Array] wove an airtight net, waiting for the prey to enter before tearing it apart!
As the fleet advanced rapidly, everyone discovered the presence of the Anti-Beam Force Field. They immediately ordered all ship cannons to switch to physical rounds and continued forward quickly to prevent the Anti-Beam Force Field from becoming too concentrated in one area, which would render beam weapons completely useless.
The Federation regular army following steadily behind was left staring in daze, and even Kati stood up in surprise.
Initially, upon learning they had traveled so far and risked the stigma of betraying the Federation to provide support, only to be looked down upon and relegated to rear support, everyone had been resentful. Prideful of being the regular army, they looked down on a fleet formed by "terrorists," despite the individual strength of the Gundams.
But now, they were stunned, shocked, and utterly convinced. The opponent's tactical response, firepower, and execution were more regular and rigorous than any regular army.
What they didn't know was that these "stragglers" and "terrorists" in their eyes were composed of the most elite individuals from other worlds.
"Heh, so this is the Promis Legion?" Kati sat back in the captain's chair, covering her face and laughing to herself. At the same time, a fire burned in her eyes, because she knew that in the future, she too would command such an army. As a commander, no one could resist the allure of a powerful force.
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