Chapter 286: The Sky in Tears 1
Kira and Athrun were locked in constant combat in midair, firing beam rifles at each other as they weaved and circled.
After launching in the Skygrasper, the bio-engineered Tolle took advantage of the heat of their battle, flying directly into their flight path and aiming at the Aegis Gundam's SFS Gue.
With a perfect shot, he blasted the SFS Gue apart.
But Tolle immediately turned tail and flew off. Kira and Athrun were still over the ocean—if he staged getting shot down here, and either of them exploded in the process, survival would be unlikely.
More importantly, Kira probably wouldn't be rescued by Lowe and taken to the PLANTs. Falling into the ocean made rescue far too difficult. The currents could carry him away, and Lowe's Red Astray alone wouldn't be enough for a search.
Crucially, Lowe—the key person who would send Kira into space—hadn't even arrived yet.
Even without the SFS Gue, Athrun still pursued Kira relentlessly. He stopped using his beam rifle and switched to the twin beam sabers on the Aegis's arms, charging in ferociously.
Kira couldn't match Athrun's overwhelming combat drive. He was pushed back again and again, unable even to draw his own beam saber. All he could do was raise his shield and block as best he could.
After long continuous flight, the High-Mobility Strike Gundam's thrusters finally reached their limit. Kira had no choice but to head toward a nearby island.
If he fell into the ocean, it would take too much energy to climb back to fighting altitude. Landing on land was his only viable option.
But Athrun refused to give him a moment's rest. Each slash slammed heavily onto the Strike's shield, forcing Kira down until he crashed onto the island's surface. Even the birds nearby scattered in fright from the impact of their battle.
Thunder boomed overhead, lightning streaking across the distant sky.
As Athrun pulled his saber back to strike again, Kira suddenly kicked off the ground and retreated, finally drawing his own beam saber. The fight became a furious exchange of blade strikes.
The two beam sabers clashed again and again, each impact sending bursts of sparks and crackling light outward.
Plants and trees around them began catching fire from the constant sparks.
When Athrun missed a slash—
So fast it was almost instinct—
Kira fired the Strike's wing thrusters at full output, leaping high behind the Aegis and bringing his beam saber down toward its arm.
But Athrun's reflexes were equally sharp. He instantly maneuvered the Aegis in the same motion, circling behind Kira's machine.
As he advanced, he opened fire with the Aegis's head-mounted machine guns.
Kira charged through the bullets with his beam saber raised—only for Athrun to suddenly brake in midair, whip the Aegis around, and reposition the thrusters before leaping backward a step.
He activated the beam sabers in the Aegis's feet and rushed at the Strike again, launching a flurry of punches, kicks, and saber slashes.
Kira had no choice but to open the Strike's wing thrusters and constantly dodge, striking back whenever he could.
The two of them exchanged offense and defense in rapid succession, completely absorbed in their clash.
At a distance, the real Tolle, observing from another part of the island, spotted Lacus's mentor—Malchio—at his residence. The blind mentor stepped outside with several children helping him, sensing the battle nearby.
At the same time, Lowe was already en route from Orb in the Red Astray. He would arrive at the battlefield soon.
Feeling the timing was right, Tolle had Nami direct his bio-engineered self to return to where Kira and Athrun were fighting in the Skygrasper.
Meanwhile, the Archangel—wreathed in thick smoke—could no longer maintain altitude. It began falling toward the shoreline of a nearby island.
Neumann reported to Murrue, "We can't stay airborne! The Archangel is about to lose balance and fall!"
Murrue immediately commanded, "Emergency landing! Notify all departments—brace for impact!"
Sai reported from the radar, "Buster Gundam at the two o'clock direction!"
Natarle issued orders at once: "Twin High-Performance Linear Beam Cannons and single-mounted linear cannon—lock target and fire!"
But before they could shoot, the Archangel crashed into the island, the impact knocking everyone unconscious.
Seeing the fallen, immobile Archangel, Dearka grinned and said, delighted, "Great, the long-legs can't move now. Time to finish it—"
As he prepared to combine his arm weapons into the Anti-Armor Shotgun for a point-blank assault—
At that critical moment, Mu arrived in the Cannon-Type Skygrasper.
Before Dearka could fire, Mu blasted the Buster Gundam's SFS Gue with repeated beam shots.
Dearka immediately turned his guns toward Mu, unleashing a storm of yellow fog-burst rounds.
At the same time, Mu aimed the Yak-Ho and fired. A red-and-white beam shot out.
Both attacks hit their marks.
The Skygrasper's wing was struck by the fog-burst rounds, forcing Mu to crash-land into the ocean.
Meanwhile, the Buster Gundam's right arm was blown clean off by the Yak-Ho.
Losing its balance, the Buster tumbled down near a cliffside and became completely immobile.
"Seriously!? The OS's high-end circuits just vanished? The drive pulses are dropping too—dammit!"
Dearka pulled desperately at the controls, panic rising in his voice.