"Boom!" A deafening roar shook the surrounding wilderness.
Following the tremendous sound, flames shot dozens of meters into the sky.
Just by looking at the fire's intensity, one could tell this was no ordinary explosion!
Don't misunderstand - this wasn't Athrun and Nicol succeeding in their mission.
If Wang Hu was standing guard before the Mass Driver and still let these two achieve their goal,
then Wang Hu might as well bash his head against a block of tofu.
Just as Athrun and Nicol were preparing to indiscriminately strike both the Mass Driver and the Kusanagi docked above it,
from the control center building at Kaguya Port - where the East Asian Army had already advanced to Orb's doorstep -
under Uzumi's resolute stance, Orb directly initiated this devastating self-destruction.
Disregarding the loyal soldiers still resisting outside, ignoring the numerous troops still engaged in combat within the building,
he, along with a large number of Orb officials, followed Orb's national tradition through this suicidal act.
Thus bearing all responsibility.
[They] had shattered Orb, and now sought to destroy the painstakingly built Mass Driver.
Ultimately adopting this "death solves everything, you deal with the aftermath" attitude,
thus ending his life, leaving behind a complete mess.
The timing of this decision stemmed from two factors: first, they had genuinely reached the end of their rope.
The East Asian Army's momentum was unstoppable; their hoped-for reinforcements - ZAFT's two new mobile suits - couldn't even defeat East Asia's Gundams.
Subsequently, they even turned against their own Mass Driver, completely disregarding the Kusanagi and Cagalli aboard -
the future hope of the Orb nation.
The second reason was Uzumi's former illusion, which had also been his hope:
the Orb Fleet that had set sail early to await opportunities for ambushing the East Asian Expeditionary Fleet.
Of course, he knew that counting on their motley collection of ships to seriously damage the East Asia Fleet was nearly impossible.
But...
Amid the sea of flames, Uzumi struggled to maintain his dignity, determined to die with heroic bearing.
Uzumi Yula Asuha's mind was filled with the recent news about that silent fleet.
"Traitors!"
As flames consumed his body, Uzumi finally couldn't restrain his curse.
"I didn't expect miracles from you, but how could your entire fleet surrender?"
Much like several tank units deployed along Orb's coast - through the efforts of East Asian underground operatives -
or perhaps the fleet commander believed their movements could evade East Asian reconnaissance.
Only at the final moment did they discover their every action had been under the enemy's watchful eyes,
appearing utterly ridiculous.
Just when the Orb Fleet genuinely considered launching an attack - to show the East Asian Expeditionary Fleet
that years of military development had produced some loyal Orb soldiers - suddenly, massive numbers of East Asian warships
powerfully emerged from the horizon into their view.
Beneath the towering masts lay military power far beyond anything the Orb nation could ever hope to match.
Ship after ship deploying in combat formation, along with swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles taking off from the warships,
all clearly demonstrated the enemy's thorough preparation.
Not to mention the submarine forces of the East Asian Army, proudly hailed as the Great Wall beneath the waves.
How could this renowned force, celebrated for centuries, be absent at such a moment?
"This is the fleet of the East Asian Army—the fleet that brings nations to their knees."
Its sheer power and overwhelming battle intent were palpable even from a distance.
Through his binoculars, the officer observed the soldiers of the opposing East Asia Fleet,
their contemptuous gazes fixed upon him and his comrades.
Surrounded on all sides, many officers and soldiers aboard the Orb Fleet were left in a daze.
Especially when the detachment dispatched by the East Asian Expeditionary Fleet informed all Orb sailors
of the ongoing battle on the homeland.
Everyone had their own measure of what choice to make.
Even though some stubborn officers or soldiers refused to accept this reality,
they were quickly subdued by those around them who wanted to survive.
The soldiers understood clearly—the psychological guidance from East Asian underground operatives had been thorough.
Resistance would harm no one but themselves, sending them all to feed the shrimp at the bottom of the sea.
Surrender meant survival, while those fools on the homeland they had long despised
had already proven this point with their lives.
As sensible members of the naval forces, they couldn't mindlessly follow the same path as those fools.
Thus, stepping onto the deck of the flagship of the East Asian detachment, the commander of the Orb Fleet bowed and presented his military sword,
formally representing the surrender of the Orb Fleet.
"Hahaha."
Memories of his life flashed through his mind—the pride of proclaiming the Three Principles before representatives of various nations,
the ambitious endeavor to build the Mass Driver, aiming to establish colonies in outer space
and resolve Orb's fatal weaknesses of limited territory and lack of strategic depth.
There was also the plan to leverage the war between the world's two major factions, using the slogan of peace and neutrality to attract high-quality immigrants,
expanding the nation's population base, quietly buying time to build a foundation,
and waiting for the opportunity to rise to greatness.
Who would have thought that just as he, just as the meticulously cultivated Orb was on the verge of transformation,
the East Asian Alliance would launch this war of annihilation, reducing the nation back to its original state.
"Such is fate, such is destiny."
With this final lament, Uzumi mustered his last strength to gaze in the direction of the Mass Driver.
Though raging flames surely obscured his vision, his eyes seemed to pierce through everything,
catching a glimpse of his daughter Cagalli aboard the Kusanagi.
He hoped—he hoped she could lead Orb once more, to make it great again.
As flames engulfed everything, the Lion of Orb took his final bow from the world stage,
vanishing into the roaring inferno along with his dreams and ambitions.
Of course, the inner turmoil of Uzumi in his final moments at the Kaguya Port control center
remained unknown to Athrun, Wang Hu, or even Cagalli.
In truth, the explosion at the control center didn't even draw the attention of those at the Mass Driver.
Faced with imminent death, even Cagalli lacked the will or ability to concern herself with it.
"You can't block it all!"
Athrun, having launched a full barrage, refused to believe that Wang Hu could withstand every beam attack.
"This time will definitely be different. After all, you're merely human, not a god."
Nicol's Destiny Gundam had nearly transformed into a sphere of light.
In this final desperate struggle, he showed no mercy to the Dragoons' cooling systems.
Relying on the nuclear energy system in his mobile suit, Nicol relentlessly poured out firepower.
Thus, with only two mobile suits under their control, they managed to unleash firepower comparable to an entire MS unit.
"This is truly spectacular."
Observing the beam attacks filling his field of vision, watching the two ensure they could destroy Orb's Mass Driver with both conventional and tricky shooting angles, Wang Hu marveled while taking corresponding measures.
Having thoroughly studied the Mass Driver's structure before coming, Wang Hu knew which parts of the treasure behind him needed protection were crucial and which were not. As long as the important components remained intact, with the East Asian Army's construction capabilities, repairing minor damage would only take a day or two. It wouldn't actually cause any significant delays.
Therefore, Wang Hu had none of the concerns Athrun and the others imagined - that he would be exhausted trying to fend off their attacks. Focusing on the major issues while neglecting minor ones - this principle carried profound philosophical meaning.
Deploying all cannons on the Lightning Zeta Gundam and drawing his Beam Pistol in rapid-fire mode, Wang Hu stared ahead, his eyes fixed on the incoming attacks.
"Rainbow Cannon?"
Wang Hu hesitated for a moment before speaking.
In the original timeline, Kira and Athrun had countless times used full-burst techniques to destroy numerous mobile suits and missiles. But today, right now, Wang Hu accomplished something even more extraordinary - using beam shots to intercept enemy beam attacks.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Centered around Wang Hu's Lightning Zeta Gundam, across a 180-degree frontal arc, appeared a firework display that would normally only be seen during East Asian New Year celebrations. Using Athrun and his companion's attacks, Wang Hu treated his approaching subordinates to a free, spectacular show.
"Our captain sure knows how to make an impression," chuckled an elite from the Uprising Army inside the Methuss.
"Can't deny it's quite unique. How about we ask the captain to perform again during next year's New Year celebration?" suggested another elite with a hint of provocation, mainly because he had suffered considerable losses during his last one-on-one match with Wang Hu.
"Great idea!"
Few elites present hadn't been taught lessons by Wang Hu before. Hearing this suggestion, they immediately agreed.
"Let the captain face all our attacks alone!"
"I'm sure that won't be too difficult for the captain!"
"Hahaha!"
For a moment, these elites felt exceptionally relaxed. By the time they arrived, if those two ZAFT Forces aces hadn't fled, they wouldn't need to think about escaping anymore.
Since victory was practically assured, why worry about unexpected complications?
However, just as they entertained these thoughts...
As mentioned earlier, Wang Hu never intended to block all of Athrun and his companion's attacks. Therefore, some stray shots from their assault still managed to hit Orb's Mass Driver.
The damage caused was certainly not significant, but one mustn't forget that the Kusanagi was still docked at the Mass Driver.
The battleship was accelerating as it headed toward space, and this acceleration meant the Kusanagi would inevitably drift beyond the protective range of Wang Hu's firepower.
"Ah!"
Cries of terror erupted from many aboard the ship. Though tense under Wang Hu's protection earlier, they hadn't directly faced death until now.
Once outside Wang Hu's defensive cover, relentless beam shots began pounding the battleship's laminated armor.
The violent shaking threw people across the decks, and the impacts gradually pushed the vessel off the mass driver's trajectory.
More and more beams struck the battleship's armor from the side. Ultimately, the Kusanagi—the unassuming yet reputation-defining warship of Orb from the Three Ship Alliance, a legendary vessel in the original timeline—was doomed.
Inevitably, before it could even spread its wings, the ship plunged diagonally downward toward the lower side of the mass driver.
"Brace for impact!"
The acting captain on the bridge grabbed hold of a fixed object and issued the warning shipwide.
Simultaneously, he felt grateful the ship was falling toward an expanse of ocean.
Perhaps many would survive this way?
With that thought, violent waves surged high, and then the entire battleship was plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of emergency lights.
"We failed, Athrun."
Seeing the outcome, Nicol glanced back at the approaching East Asian Army forces.
"Let's go."
Knowing hesitation would only compound their troubles, Athrun immediately led his friend in a rapid retreat.
(End of Chapter)