Natarle watched as Gundam Barbatos emerged from its Kutan Type-III on the screen. She stole a cold glance at Muruta before swinging her right hand forward with an authoritative shout.
"Load the missiles and Main Gun Number One! Target the enemy MS!"
"Loading complete!"
"Fire!"
Boom!
A brilliant beam erupted from the port main gun of the Dominion, while the stern missile tubes unleashed a full barrage. Like a torrential storm, the ordnance converged upon Gundam Barbatos.
Mikazuki glanced at the Kutan Type-III's weapon status displayed on his monitors.
"Missiles have four salvos total; two left. The beam cannon has enough energy for three more shots. Then there's the beam saber... I haven't used that yet. I'll give it a try in a bit."
Mikazuki pressed a button on the control stick. The deployed Kutan Type-III remained fully operational, precisely intercepting and shooting down the missiles launched by the Dominion.
With a sharp tilt of the stick, Gundam Barbatos banked away from the Dominion's main gun fire and simultaneously detached from the Kutan Type-III.
"Set the booster to AI control. Move to the marked coordinates after separation."
Having completed his preparations, Gundam Barbatos accelerated, charging straight for the Dominion.
Two Strike Daggers closed in, attempting to block his path. Mikazuki simply grabbed his 300mm Smoothbore Gun and swung the barrel like a mace, batting both Strike Daggers aside before letting out a thunderous blast.
The two Strike Daggers were vaporized instantly. Mikazuki's charge toward the Dominion was now almost entirely unobstructed.
Natarle furrowed her brows and turned toward the gunnery crew.
"Is Main Gun Number Two loaded yet?"
"Loading complete!"
"Fire! Release the number two railguns and the anti-aircraft autocannons as well! Fire the missiles the moment they are loaded!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Mikazuki saw the Dominion's other main gun swiveling to track him. Instead of slowing down, he accelerated. He shifted the 300mm Smoothbore Gun to the front and opened fire on the warship.
"Shoot it down!" Natarle commanded.
The anti-aircraft autocannons roared, intercepting Mikazuki's incoming fire. Main Gun Number Two and the railguns followed up immediately. However, Gundam Barbatos's agile maneuvers left the Dominion's salvos hitting nothing but empty space.
Natarle's eye twitched as she watched her attacks miss their mark. She had always known Mikazuki was a handful, but only when facing him as an enemy did she truly understand the psychological toll his opponents endured: frustration, helplessness, and... fear.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and shoot him down, Natarle!" Muruta yelled, his voice cracking with desperation.
Natarle finally snapped. "Didn't you just see his reaction speed? Do you really think he won't dodge the Lohengrin?"
"Uh..."
Muruta was cowed by Natarle's outburst. He sat there with a grim expression, his gaze darting between the monitors showing the Phantom Pain units. Resentment surged within him, and he slammed his hand against the armrest.
"Damn it! Those three useless fools... I don't care which one, just capture one of those two units and bring them back!"
"Report! The enemy MS is closing in fast!"
Muruta whipped his head around just in time to see Gundam Barbatos charging across the screen. He let out a yelp, his head snapping back against the chair with a loud thump.
Natarle ignored the idiotic director. She remained calm as she shouted, "Don't panic! Lock onto him with the stern tracking missiles! Fire!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several more missiles launched from the Dominion's stern, trailing white exhaust as they homed in on Gundam Barbatos.
"Tracking missiles, huh..."
Inside Gundam Barbatos, Mikazuki tapped the pedals twice to decelerate, his hands moving with practiced ease.
"Switching ammunition. Loading Reactive Cluster Shells."
With the help of the backpack's sub-arms, the 300mm Smoothbore Gun's internal magazine automatically swapped to a specialized shell. Still not needing to aim, Mikazuki fired a few rounds at the missile swarm curving toward him in a U-shaped arc.
Just before the smoothbore rounds met the missiles, the shells suddenly transformed. They bloomed like four-petaled flowers, with each steel petal housing a pair of miniature gun muzzles. Central sensors detected the incoming missiles, and sparks erupted from the muzzles.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
A dense web of fire from the miniature autocannons shredded the missiles. These shells had been provided by Akihiromanufactured by Orb. Mikazuki hadn't expected them to be so useful here.
"What was that? Are there miniature cannons inside those shells?"
The bridge crew of the Dominion watched the scene, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
"The MS is approaching at high speed!"
"Unidentified warships have detached their cables! They are flanking the Archangel and the Nazca-class!"
"The Magsaysay has been hit by the enemy's main gun! Signal lost!"
Reports flooded in. The tide of battle had turned completely. Natarle bit her lip. "Retreat! Signal a full withdrawal!"
Hearing this, Muruta couldn't stay still. "What? Retreat? Are you kidding me? I haven't gotten what I came for! Keep fighting!"
"We'll be dead before we catch those two units! Do you want to die here?" Natarle countered. "Besides, the energy levels of our three Gundams are reaching their limits. How are we supposed to fight?"
"Ugh... tsk."
Muruta went silent, effectively deferring to Natarle's decision. He desperately wanted the Neutron Jammer Canceller, but that didn't mean he was willing to die for it.
The Dominion launched three-colored signal flares, causing everyone on the battlefield to pause in shock. Then, the Dominion began its turn.
Mikazuki blinked. "Are they retreating?"
He checked the countdown timer on his screen. "Yeah, that's about right."
The Kutan Type-III, which had been lurking in this sector, deployed its weapons. Missiles and beam cannons roared, striking the Dominion's Number Two main gun on the port side. The blast caught a Strike Dagger that had just returned to the ship.
Violent tremors rocked the bridge. Natarle gripped the handrail, shouting, "Maximum speed! Get us out of this sector!"
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).