Chapter 281: Breaking Out at Departure 3
Then Nicol suddenly sensed something was wrong. That familiar feeling returned—Blitz Gundam was no longer responding to his controls.
Nicol cried out in frustration, "Tolle, not again! Could you at least warn me beforehand!?"
But Tolle didn't answer. He simply let Nami take over Blitz's controls and began coordinating movements.
Nicol could only slump back in his seat and watch helplessly as Blitz raised its shield system on its own, fired a high-velocity kinetic penetrator at Tolle's Guul, and destroyed it.
The High-Performance GINN then followed up—its beam saber mounted on the shield system once again sliced off Blitz's right arm, this time severing the entire limb.
Tolle already had a shield system; this freshly "acquired" one could go to Gina's bratty little brother later.
Blitz, now out of control, lost its balance and crashed into the GINN. The two units toppled into the sea together.
The moment they hit the water, Tolle activated his nano-armor. He left a nano-biomachine—controlled by Nami—in the pilot seat, and set up a thin nano-shield at the cockpit hatch to keep seawater out.
Then he opened the cockpit and exited the GINN, leaving everything except the biomachine as it was.
Tolle approached Blitz's cockpit and applied the same nano-shield.
When he opened the hatch, Nicol nearly jumped out of his skin.
Tolle quickly climbed in and handed him a diving helmet. "Nicol, put this on. We need to leave now—there's no time."
Nicol stared in shock, still too stunned to react.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Tolle slammed the helmet onto his head and yanked him out of the cockpit.
Tolle pulled Nicol away from the two mobile suits, heading toward a nearby island and finding a safe place to hide.
Nami continued operating their machines according to the original plan.
Elsewhere, Kira and Athrun were still clashing beam saber against beam saber. The repulsive force where the blades met sparked bursts of plasma lightning.
But the Air Strike's thrusters were close to their limit. Kira backed off and returned to the Archangel's deck.
He sheathed the beam saber, switched back to the beam rifle, and resumed covering fire on Athrun.
Once the thrusters cooled, Kira charged again, exchanging beam rifle shots with Aegis.
After several exchanges, Kira took advantage of a brief opening and destroyed Aegis's Guul.
Athrun had no choice but to transform Aegis into MA mode and fire a few token rounds from the fixed abdominal phase-energy cannons.
Kira easily dodged the shots and returned to the hangar for the second equipment change.
The Archangel continued bombarding Aegis with twin high-performance beam cannons, forcing Athrun to retreat until he landed on a small reef.
Under continuous attacks from the automated Vulcan defense turrets, he could do nothing but defend.
With the relentless fire, Aegis's energy dropped steadily, nearing depletion.
Just then, fully reequipped, Kira launched from the hangar in the Sword Strike, gripping the beam anti-ship sword.
He leapt down toward Aegis, ready to cleave it in a single strike.
But he shouted, "Athrun!"
The warning drew Athrun's attention, letting him brace in advance.
Kira's attack was again held back—he aimed not at Aegis itself but at its beam rifle, smashing it in one blow.
Athrun made Aegis retreat with a single backward jump, widening the distance.
"Cease fire from the automatic Vulcan turrets," Natarle ordered Romer. She then issued an order to Kira: "Kira, do not approach Aegis. Maintain a safe distance. Do not pursue. Attempt to open a surrender channel with its pilot from range."
Hearing that the attack was being halted, Kira finally relaxed—he no longer had to keep fighting Athrun.
He opened a channel and shouted, "Surrender! You've already lost! If you surrender and leave Aegis behind, you can go safely!"
Athrun, stunned, answered in disbelief, "What are you talking about!? Me? Surrender to the Earth Alliance? Impossible!"
Rage exploded in Athrun. He raised Aegis's beam saber and charged at Kira.
He would rather die by Kira's blade than surrender to the Earth Alliance.
Kira pleaded, distressed, "Stop, Athrun! Don't force me! I don't want to keep fighting like this!"
But Athrun, unyielding even in death, ignored him and kept advancing, striking with the beam saber.
Forced to defend, Kira raised the anti-ship sword and struck at Aegis's left-arm shield.
While attacking, Athrun spoke through gritted teeth:
"What's the point of saying all that now? Just fight me. And didn't you say it yourself?
Next time we meet on the battlefield, you won't hold back.
So I won't hold back either!"