From the electronic display, Uchiha Hikari could somewhat make out the expressions of the people aboard the Moniah.
But right now, her focus was almost entirely on Samson, paying little attention to their actions.
Of course, if these Cassell folks were foolish enough to attack her first, that'd be a different story.
"This guy… he's pretty tough, huh."
Samson was a standout among third-generation dragons. In the original Dragon Raja story, it not only killed Ye Sheng and Jiu De Aki but nearly drove Mans and the others into a corner. Back then, Professor Mans had fired a barrage of micro-bombs, yet they barely scratched Samson. It was only by leveraging the Three Gorges Dam's lock system that they managed to wound it and escape.
Now, however…
The micro-missiles from the Dragon Ball world packed a far greater punch than those on the Moniah.
Two volleys had already dealt Samson a devastating blow. As it thrashed and flailed, dark red blood spread across the water's surface, only to be evaporated by the blazing explosions, filling the air with a sharp, metallic stench.
Even so, Samson remained fiercely active, roaring and attempting to counterattack.
But under the relentless rat-tat-tat of machine-gun fire, it didn't dare surface, instead darting swiftly underwater, leaving shark-like triangular wakes in its path.
High above, Hikari glanced at the ammo counter on her right-hand screen and frowned.
One of the main drawbacks of her Freedom Gundam was its limited ammo capacity.
Eight thousand machine-gun rounds and twelve micro-missiles—that was the max load designed by Dr. Gero.
Once the ammo ran dry, she'd need to find a safe spot to dock the mecha and spend ten or so minutes reloading.
She'd tested this weapon system a few times in the Naruto and Dragon Ball worlds, but only ever used less than half the ammo to deal with bandits or rogue ninjas. Now, to take on Samson, she'd already fired all twelve missiles.
If she bailed now to reload and came back later… that wouldn't exactly be cool.
"Looks like I need to push Dr. Gero to hurry up with the next-gen mecha…" That was her first thought.
"I planned to fight purely in Gundam mode, but if the firepower's not enough… guess I've got no choice." That was her second.
With that, Hikari kept suppressing Samson with gunfire while maneuvering the mecha to raise its right arm. A red-hot streak of energy flowed from the mecha's core, swiftly condensing into a blazing crimson greatsword, firmly gripped by the Freedom Gundam.
The Fire-Thunder God!
Then, Hikari swung the blade!
Samson clearly sensed the danger.
To it, the bullets and missiles were painful but not lethal—bruising, maybe drawing blood, but not enough to kill.
But this sword? If it connected, Samson knew it was done for.
Driven by a primal sense of peril, Samson abandoned its counterattack, diving deep into the riverbed. Almost simultaneously, the crimson greatsword sliced through the air, striking the raging river's surface!
Shing—!!!
Where the blade passed, a long gash appeared on the river, as if a hot knife had cut through butter.
No… it did cut through!
In that moment, everyone present witnessed a massive, hundred-meter-long, dozens-of-meters-deep trench split the river. Boiling white steam erupted skyward with a thunderous roar. It took nearly ten seconds for the river's waters to rush back in, filling the gap, while hundreds of tons of water turned to scalding rain, falling like fire.
One slash split the river!
It was a spectacle beyond human capability, unimaginable even to dream of, unforgettable for anyone who saw it.
On the Moniah, Professor Mans was dumbfounded.
Selma, however, quickly raised her camera, snapped a few shots, and handed them to him. "Professor, should we send these to the Academy? Someone might figure out what's going on."
"…"
Mans hesitated, glancing at the mecha nearby.
Honestly, he was completely lost.
As a senior Cassell professor, he knew the dragon world inside out—how they'd infiltrated every facet of human history, their shadows lurking in myths worldwide. But he'd never imagined they'd tie into science fiction.
What he'd just witnessed made him question if he was dreaming.
"…Send them," Mans said, eyeing the Freedom Gundam and taking a deep breath. "If it's our enemy, this might be our final message."
…
Meanwhile, across the ocean at Cassell Academy's headquarters, in the library's control room…
A group of high-bloodline students, including "S-Class freshman" Lu Mingfei, and dozens of professors stared in stunned silence at the mecha photos projected on the giant screen.
"This is the latest data from Professor Mans," said Executive Department Head Professor Schneider. "They spotted this uninvited guest near the dragon ruins Lu Mingfei recently decoded. We don't yet know if it's an alchemical lifeform or a manned mechanical device, nor whether it's friendly or hostile. As the Academy's elite, any thoughts?"
"…"
After a brief silence, Lu Mingfei cautiously raised his hand. "Um… Professor, are you sure these photos aren't computer-generated?"
"…What do you mean?"
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but this mecha in the photos looks like it's from Mobile Suit Gundam…"
"?"
Schneider frowned, not quite following. "What's that?"
"Uh…" Lu Mingfei hesitated, unsure where to begin.
At that moment, Fingel, the News Department head, tapped his keyboard, pulling up an encyclopedia entry on the screen. "Mobile Suit Gundam, one of Japan's most famous sci-fi anime series, first aired in 1979. Based on comparisons, what Professor Mans sent us seems to be a model from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, piloted by Kira Yamato."
"…Huh?"
The Cassell professors were stunned, especially the older ones, who took a while to process it.
"What the heck?"
"An anime?"
Just then, Schneider's laptop buzzed with new incoming images, even clearer than before.
A giant mecha with five pairs of wings fully spread stood above the Three Gorges river.
One arm was raised, clutching a crimson greatsword.
The blade, formed of pure light and flame, swung like a god's judgment, cleaving the mighty river in two. At its tip, a dragon lay gravely wounded, its thick blood staining the water red!
"No way…"
"That's the Yangtze…"
As everyone was shocked into silence, even Lu Mingfei, usually quick with a quip, forgot to speak.
Only Fingel, the perennial slacker, kept rattling off his search results. "MA-M02G Super Scorpion Beam Saber, a close-combat weapon equipped on the Freedom Gundam. The color's a bit different, and there's only one instead of two, but it's likely the same weapon…"
"…"
Schneider stared at the projected "beam saber," speechless.
That day, Cassell's hybrid elite felt the impact of anime culture.
…
"Phew—"
With a long exhale, Hikari had the mecha release its grip, letting the Fire-Thunder God dissipate. She looked down at the river below.
She had no idea her conjured greatsword had been mistaken for a Gundam's beam saber.
Nor did she know that Cassell's headquarters had tentatively pegged her as "Kira Yamato"—since they couldn't see the pilot's gender or age and could only guess.
For now, she stuck to her plan, switching the Freedom Gundam to underwater mode. With a dive, propelled by the mecha's furiously spinning rear propellers, she plunged hundreds of meters deep, grabbing Samson's critically wounded dragon body with one hand.
It struggled weakly, but in its injured state, it was no match for the Freedom Gundam's strength, trapped like a snake in its iron grip.
At that moment, Ye Sheng and Jiu De Aki, the two executive officers, emerged from below the Bronze City. Ye Sheng clutched a bronze canister, trying to unhook it and his oxygen tank to pass to Aki for the rest of the mission.
Then… they looked up, saw Hikari's mecha, and froze, their hands stalling mid-motion.
"…Huh?"