"Commander?" Athrun blurted out upon seeing the suddenly appearing CGUE.
"Brother Wang Hu?" Kira stared at the Moebius Zero, equally surprised to see Wang Hu here.
And...
The two friends whose relationship had shown subtle cracks now gazed silently at the newly arrived mobile suits.
The CGUE was missing its right arm, sparks flickering across its entire frame with multiple hydraulic lines spraying fluid everywhere.
As for weapons, the current CGUE was essentially completely unarmed.
Wang Hu's Moebius Zero appeared slightly better off compared to Creuset's CGUE.
Apart from losing one wired pod, there didn't seem to be any visible damage elsewhere.
But considering it had originally been Wang Hu and Mu fighting together against Creuset...
Kira deliberately looked behind the Moebius Zero, yet even after all this time, Mu's Qilin still hadn't appeared.
This cast a shadow over his heart. Could it be...?
"Brother Wang Hu! Is Mr. Mu...!" Kira couldn't bring himself to finish, afraid to hear confirmation that the other pilot had been shot down.
"Mu's fine, just injured and had to retreat early. Block Creuset!" Wang Hu quickly responded through the Moebius Zero's comms as he pursued the fleeing Creuset.
"Hmph, using your teammate as bait. You're far from the upright man you pretend to be, Wang Hu."
"In the end, you're just another man who'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals."
Since Kira had used the open comm channel in his haste, Creuset couldn't help but interject.
"What?" Kira, who had been about to instinctively follow Wang Hu's order to intercept, froze in shock.
Athrun, who had instinctively moved to block Kira, was equally stunned.
Was Wang Hu really the type to use teammates as bait?
The same thought flashed through both their minds simultaneously.
Earlier, when Creuset had used various tactics to close in on the unprepared Mu with his Zan Sword raised,
Mu had been certain his life was over, thinking only of taking someone down with him in his final moments.
But at that very instant, Wang Hu had quietly maneuvered the Moebius Zero behind the CGUE.
Three wired pods and the linear cannon beneath the fuselage were steadily aimed at Creuset's blue-flame thrusters.
If Creuset chose to swing his sword and destroy the Qilin, he could indeed claim Mu's life.
But in that same moment, Wang Hu would claim Creuset's life in return.
A life for a life!
Faced with this situation, the ambitious Creuset with his hidden agenda clearly couldn't accept such an exchange.
Seeing Wang Hu had seized the advantageous position, Creuset swiftly changed tactics, maneuvering sideways to retreat.
The CGUE endured several hits from Mu's desperate counterattack rather than face Wang Hu's assault from behind.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The CGUE took multiple hits, but Creuset escaped certain death!
Moreover, by repositioning, any fire from Wang Hu's Moebius Zero would now strike Mu's Qilin instead.
"Truly worthy of Creuset."
Wang Hu immediately aborted his firing sequence, readjusting the wired pods' targeting as his opponent moved.
"Phew." Mu let out a long sigh of relief for his narrow escape, feeling grateful for Wang Hu's timely rescue.
Moreover, he had also dealt a heavy blow to Creuset, which was something worth celebrating.
As long as he kept up the momentum, today could be the day that bastard was permanently silenced.
However, while Mu's thoughts were optimistic, reality was cruel.
"Mu, dodge!" Wang Hu's sudden shout left Mu momentarily confused.
Dodge? Dodge what?
Mu was slightly bewildered before he saw another dark shadow spinning toward him on the screen.
"Creuset! You bastard!"
Feeling like he must have offended the gods today, Mu wondered if the other man had lost his mind.
First, Creuset had discarded his machine gun, and now he was throwing away his only weapon—the Zan Sword!
Did he plan to fight Wang Hu barehanded next?
Even if the Moebius Zero's performance was inferior to the Qilin's!
But... facing an MS without weapons, even if you brought a Moebius, Creuset, you wouldn't stand a chance!
Besides, if you're going to throw something, aim at Wang Hu! What's the point of targeting me?!
At this moment, Mu genuinely felt that Creuset picking on a rookie like him was utterly pointless!
But thoughts were just thoughts, and confusion aside, he still had to face the situation.
He took evasive action, but because the two had been too close earlier, even with Mu giving it 120% effort...
It still seemed utterly futile!
Just as Mu was about to be bisected by the Zan Sword Creuset had thrown, Wang Hu saved him again at the critical moment.
Once more abandoning his pursuit of Creuset, Wang Hu swiftly adjusted the firing trajectory of his gun pods.
Hundreds of bullets struck the CGUE's Zan Sword, the impact shattering it into pieces.
"Phew." Mu took another deep breath as fragments of the sword scattered and struck his mobile suit.
Enduring the impacts silently, Mu figured that compared to being sliced in half, the damage from the fragments was acceptable.
After all, the Qilin wasn't his—it belonged to that Wang Hu.
It's always easier to bear damage to someone else's property than your own.
"Head back. I'll go after Creuset." The rescue had cost Wang Hu some time.
He noticed that during the brief delay, that sneaky bastard Creuset had once again fled without looking back.
"Got it." Mu didn't insist on settling the score with Creuset either. Glancing at the damage readings on his cockpit display, he knew returning to the Archangel was the best choice now.
"We've basically achieved our objectives. The enemy's mothership and main forces are already crippled. Best to quit while we're ahead."
As he turned around, Mu offered his suggestion.
"I know." Nodding in understanding, Wang Hu immediately chased after the distant Creuset.
In the ensuing pursuit, despite Wang Hu's skill, the limitations of his machine meant his only achievement was disabling one of the CGUE's arms.
Then came the opening scene—the two of them stumbling upon Kira and Athrun locked in their intense duel.
"Attack." Returning to the present, Wang Hu ignored Creuset's attempts to sow discord, neither explaining nor wasting time on it.
"Ah, right!" Kira responded belatedly to Wang Hu's repeated order.
Primarily, there was a hint of hesitation in his heart due to Creuset's provocation, coupled with the obstruction of his childhood friend Athrun before him.
After all, in the original timeline, he had little will to fight at this moment.
What about in this world?
Although Wang Hu had repeatedly instilled the belief of combat in him, a person's inherent nature is difficult to change immediately!
Holding the Beam Cannon, Kira simply couldn't pull the trigger.
"Kira!" Athrun, on the other hand, wasn't being urged by Creuset, but seeing Kira raise the cannon, he also lifted his gun. Yet, since Kira didn't fire, he didn't want to either.
"..." Wang Hu was speechless.
"..." Creuset, who was fleeing, was equally exasperated.
What the hell were these two doing?
Perhaps only on this point did Wang Hu and Creuset share the exact same thought without any difference.
"Captain Creuset!"
Dearka, who had earlier escorted people back, arrived. After settling them, he rushed back without delay.
It was also because of Dearka's shout that the slightly pink-tinged atmosphere on the battlefield was shattered.
"Retreat, Kira."
Wang Hu glanced at the remaining ammunition and energy levels on the Moebius Zero and signaled to Kira that it was time to call it a day.
We should head back.
"Got it." Kira replied quickly. Not fighting Athrun was the best outcome for him.
With one last glance at the red Aegis, Kira turned and followed Wang Hu, leaving the battlefield behind.
(End of Chapter)