Chapter 348: Cannon Fire of Resolve
"Sure enough, all of them are coming for me?" Hearing Edward's attempt to persuade him to surrender, Tolle immediately understood their purpose.
It seemed very likely that someone within Orb had informed the Earth Alliance about his rapid power-transmission methods. Perhaps that was why they were so eager to capture him—to use him to cultivate super soldiers of their own.
Tolle glanced at the unit status display. The only weapons left were two beam sabers. If he had known earlier, he would have installed a head vulcan as well—anything would have helped.
This was truly a major crisis.
Tolle immediately asked Nami, "Nami, help me calculate this. If I activate the Focused Mind command, the Burst Seed skill, the NewType active skill, and the PX System overclock mode all at once, how long can I hold out?"
Nami replied at once, "Master, after subtracting the Spirit Points already consumed, with all those skills fully activated, you can still maintain them for 211 seconds.
In PX System overclock mode, Astray Zero has 16 minutes of remaining operational energy."
Tolle licked his lips and said, "Nami, then double the unit's overclock output. Leave just a little energy so I can return to the ship.
Anyway, I only have about three and a half minutes of action time. There's no need to conserve energy. This really feels like Ultraman—three-minute hero and all that.
If things become truly dangerous, immediately activate the neo DG cells and extract me."
"Understood. Nami is fully prepared. Master may activate the skills at any time."
At this moment, Edward looked at the motionless Astray Zero and was just about to move in to restrain it.
Suddenly, points of blue light began to emerge all over Astray Zero's body.
The instant Tolle activated all his skills, he drove Astray Zero into high-speed motion, faint blue afterimages trailing behind it as it moved.
Next, Astray Zero's wrists began spinning at extreme speed. Under the high-speed rotation, the two beam sabers formed something like a massive beam shield.
Tolle immediately rammed Astray Zero straight into the Sword Calamity, swinging his arms up and down and slicing it apart, turning it into nothing more than an MS "stick."
The entire unit then crashed down onto the ground, and the tremendous impact shock instantly knocked Edward unconscious.
At that moment, the aerial Raider and the Windam Dagger behind him immediately raised their beam rifles and opened fire on Astray Zero.
Tolle responded by making Astray Zero perform a high jump, spinning midair and completing a 180-degree turn. Facing them head-on, he continued using the high-speed rotating beam sabers to block the incoming beam rifle fire.
Seeing the situation turn bad, John Kelly immediately piloted the aerial Raider backward while raising its large grappling claw. Using the machine cannons on it together with the beam rifle in its hand and the head vulcans, he launched a full simultaneous barrage.
Rena also jumped backward, combining the weapons in her left and right hands into a high-energy convergent fireline rifle, and fired a continuous energy beam at Astray Zero.
Tolle immediately pulled left on the controls, evading the Windam Dagger's attack, and charged straight toward the aerial Raider.
While blocking the full barrage with the high-speed rotating beam sabers, he swung his arms again and dismembered the aerial Raider as well, chopping it into another MS "stick."
At this point, Rena panicked—but she quickly forced herself to calm down. Piloting the Windam Dagger, she switched weapons again, combining the left and right armaments into an anti-armor dispersal mist cannon. As she leapt backward, she unleashed a storm-like rain of dispersal shells.
This time, Tolle crouched in place, adjusted the rotational angles of the two beam sabers, and defended against the incoming dispersal shell barrage.
Then, at the instant the Windam Dagger's attack ended, Astray Zero stopped the rotation of its beam sabers and surged forward trailing a blue afterimage.
With a single swift motion, Tolle swung the beam saber, severing all four limbs of the Windam Dagger and turning it into yet another MS "stick."
Tolle then immediately shut down all active skills and the PX System overclock mode. The countdown timer on the display froze at the final remaining 36 seconds.
The moment overclocking ceased, large amounts of white steam billowed from Astray Zero's frame. The entire left wrist snapped off, falling to the ground together with the beam saber.
Nami reported to Tolle, "Master, Astray Zero is now completely scrapped. Portions of the internal frame are also fully destroyed and fractured. Do you need to use the neo DG cells to repair it?"
Leaning back against the cockpit seat, Tolle said breathlessly, "No need, Nami… don't repair it…
I've already been marked by others. This unit is damaged to this extent—if it suddenly recovers, it'll just attract even more trouble.
Also, help me contact the Huayan. Have it come pick me up and return to base. I'll take a short nap.
Oh, right—after Dearka takes the Buster Gundam, help me recover the Aegis Gundam and the Blitz Gundam as well. I'll use them as replacement units later.
And bring those four unconscious ones back with us too, along with the wreckage of their machines."
"Don't worry, Master. Just rest for now. Leave the rest to Nami—I guarantee the mission will be completed."
As soon as Nami finished speaking, Tolle had already started snoring.
The Huayan arrived shortly afterward. With the help of Haro maintenance robots, Astray Zero and the wreckage of the Sword Calamity, Forbidden Blue, aerial Raider, and Windam Dagger were all transported back to the hangar.
After returning to the hangar, Tolle also woke up.
He then carried out some brainwashing on the still-unconscious Edward, Jane, John Kelly, and Rena, to save time during the post-battle persuasion and surrender process.
Naturally, a little extra was added specifically for Jane and Rena.
"Buster Gundam! Aegis Gundam! Blitz Gundam! I didn't expect all of them to be here."
At the same time, Dearka finally arrived at the Morgenröte hangar. Looking at the machines in shock, he comforted himself. "Haha, well, I guess so. These must all have been remanufactured by Orb. The original Aegis and Blitz were already scrap heaps anyway.
Ah, whatever. I'll just pilot the Buster Gundam and play it by ear. If things go bad, I'll run first."
With that, Dearka ran into the Buster Gundam's cockpit and piloted it out of the Morgenröte hangar.
But the moment he exited, he saw the Archangel's miserable condition and suddenly couldn't bear it anymore.
At that very moment, Dearka noticed a cruise missile about to strike the Archangel. Instinctively, he locked onto it and pressed the beam rifle firing button on the control stick.
The missile was destroyed instantly.
Sai checked the radar display and immediately reported to Murrue, "That cruise missile just now… was shot down by the Buster Gundam."
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