"Squadron Leader Li Chengzhi is actually this powerful?"
Sitting in the cockpit of the Freedom Gundam, Kira felt like an outsider.
Watching the GP02 spin and move with flamboyant steps as it approached the two enemy Gundams.
For a moment, Kira didn't know whether he should step in to help or not.
After all, sometimes one plus one doesn't necessarily equal more than two, and he and Squadron Leader Li Chengzhi had no tacit understanding to speak of.
From the looks of the situation, Squadron Leader Li Chengzhi piloting the GP02 alone might actually fight more smoothly?
While Kira still had the leisure to ponder whether to help or not.
Over there, Nicol controlling the Dragoons was nearly going insane. Not only had his Dragoons failed to achieve results and shoot down the enemy—no, even hit the enemy—but the enemy was still closing in on them, almost as if they were showing off right in their faces.
Just moments ago, two Dragoons that flew too close to the enemy were shot down by them again?
What does it mean to throw good money after bad? Nicol felt that this was exactly throwing good money after bad.
"Damn evil Naturals!"
Nicol could accept losing to Wang Hu because there was precedent.
His beloved and always imitated Captain Creuset died at the hands of Wang Hu.
But now, this nobody who popped out of nowhere, what right did he have!
His blood pressure spiked sharply, and Nicol gritted his teeth, recalling all the remaining Dragoons for recharging.
After some thought, he decided to be even more aggressive to regain his dignity against this agile fatso.
However, before Nicol could act, Athrun, who had been observing the enemy's movements for a long time beside him, moved.
Lowering the cannon ports on the large combat backpack behind him, Athrun aimed the Justice Gundam at the enemy Gundam and launched a suppressive attack.
Then, without even checking the effect of his attack, he flung two Beam Boomerangs.
Immediately after, holding his rifle, Athrun followed up with an assault.
"Athrun?"
Startled by his friend's actions beside him, Nicol quickly snapped back to attention and prepared to coordinate with Athrun.
Somehow, Nicol had a strange feeling.
That the current Athrun felt completely different from the Athrun who had fought the Freedom Gundam before.
It seemed, perhaps, maybe.
This Athrun was the one truly giving his all!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
Beam shots from the Justice Gundam's combat backpack flew toward the GP02, and Athrun stared intently at the GP02.
"Flip left-center."
He muttered to himself. From his friend Nicol's earlier attacks, Athrun had observed some patterns.
"It flipped!"
Seeing what he hoped to see, Athrun glanced at the two Beam Boomerangs from his second wave of attacks.
"Flip down."
With one successful prediction under his belt, Athrun continued muttering as he raised his rifle.
The muzzle moved early to aim at the evasion route he had visualized in his mind, and he simulated countermeasures in his head once more.
"Feasible."
In Seed Mode, Athrun's brain operated with exceptional computational power, and he quickly confirmed his plan was foolproof.
He pulled the trigger, and a beam shot out from the rifle barrel.
"Hit!"
Athrun spoke with certainty. After launching the attack, he didn't stop, immediately drawing his Double-Edged Beam Saber.
With an acceleration burst, he prepared to execute his plan as intended.
"Hit!"
Athrun was confident in his attack. Seeing his friend's assault, Nicol cheered loudly in support.
As Athrun had predicted, all eyes on the battlefield turned to the GP02.
The agile "fatty" performed a downward flip and, for the first time, raised its massive shield—large enough to cover the entire mobile suit—to block the high-powered beam rifle attack from Athrun.
"Athrun!"
Even happier than if his own attack had succeeded, Nicol immediately deployed his Dragoons.
"Slash!"
Closing in to a relatively close range, Athrun saw his first strike had worked—everything was unfolding exactly as he had anticipated.
The enemy's shield would surely block their line of sight!
He accelerated fiercely once more, and the Justice Gundam's already impressive speed increased further as he raised the Double-Edged Beam Saber high.
Athrun struck with the force of splitting Mount Hua!
"Be careful, Colonel Li Chengzhi!"
Sensing something amiss, Kira shouted urgently while also accelerating rapidly.
But even if Kira wanted to rush over now, it seemed too late.
Wide-eyed, Kira felt both anxious and helpless, silently praying that Colonel Li Chengzhi would emerge unscathed.
Even if the mobile suit was damaged, as long as the pilot was safe, that would be the best outcome.
"Slash!"
With another explosive shout, Athrun's beam saber was about to strike the GP02.
"Great!"
Though his Dragoons hadn't yet reached the target, Nicol seemed to already witness his friend Athrun's victory.
"Boom!"
Of course, in the vacuum of space, there was no sound, but that didn't stop everyone watching the GP02 from imagining a phantom noise in their ears during the ensuing scene.
As mentioned earlier, facing Nicol's attacks, the GP02 had evaded them all with a series of flashy rolling maneuvers.
Coincidentally, there is a type of dance in the world known for its high-speed spins—the Whirling Dance.
At this moment, the GP02 displayed dance moves that would put even a certain historical figure known for his girth to shame.
Just as Athrun's attack was about to land, when Wang Hu should have been blinded by his own shield...
Wang Hu shouldn't have known Athrun's attack pattern, yet impossibly, in that split second, he managed to evade Athrun's seemingly certain strike with an on-the-spot pivot and spin, immediately following up with a spinning elbow strike.
The massive mobile suit, carrying tremendous kinetic energy, resembled a giant battering ram.
The heavy elbow strike landed squarely on the Justice Gundam.
Did you think that was the end of it?
No, it wasn't over yet.
Before Nicol's Dragoons could fly in and attack, the GP02's enormous shield proved it was more than just for show.
Before Athrun could recover from the elbow strike, the wall-like shield delivered another brutal blow.
"Whoosh."
The Justice Gundam transformed into a blazing meteor, like a baseball sent flying by a home run hit.
It flew into the far distance. At least until Athrun's head stopped spinning, his back stopped aching, and his legs stopped feeling weak, the Justice Gundam had temporarily withdrawn from the battle.
"So powerful! Was Lieutenant Colonel Li Chengzhi always this formidable?"
One moment, it seemed the GP02 was doomed; the next, it staged a desperate counterattack, leaving Athrun utterly defeated.
Kira stood dumbfounded, muttering to himself in disbelief.
"That bastard!"
Staring at the Justice Gundam, unsure how far it would fly, Nicol was deeply worried about his close friend.
Glancing at the enemy GP02, which loomed like a titan, Nicol was also terrified by its sheer power.
"Attack!"
At this critical moment, the power known as Seed Mode surged within him.
Perhaps it was out of concern for his friend, or perhaps it was the threat of death.
But since both Cagalli and Lacus had awakened their Seed Mode, Nicol's current activation seemed almost inevitable.
Under Nicol's control in Seed Mode, the flight paths of the Dragoons became increasingly erratic and unpredictable.
From Kira's distant perspective, they were extremely difficult to lock onto, and their threat level skyrocketed exponentially!
"Lieutenant Colonel Li Chengzhi."
It seemed that ever since the GP02 appeared, Kira was either worrying about the imagined lieutenant colonel or still worrying about the imagined lieutenant colonel.
He hastily mobilized the Freedom Gundam again, hoping to share some of the GP02's burden.
But did the GP02 really need it?
The answer, of course, was no!
Even against the Dragoons controlled by Creuset, Wang Hu had shown no fear. How could he possibly be intimidated by a mere Nicol now?
Even if Nicol had activated Seed Mode.
This time, Wang Hu had no intention of evading through rolls. To withstand the imagined power of the Light of Peace, the remaining GP02, aside from its PS Armor, was equipped with three specially developed reinforced coatings by the East Asian Army's research institute.
These three layers could ensure the GP02 a chance to retreat unscathed even from the explosive force of the Light of Peace.
So, wouldn't these coatings also be effective against the beam attacks of the Dragoons?
Once the thought occurred, he acted. After all, the shield in his hand wasn't just for show.
Raising the shield and pushing the throttle to the limit, Wang Hu unleashed the full power of the 'TFB' thrusters.
Though the threat of Nicol's Dragoons had escalated several levels, the attacks Nicol launched based on his previous predictions were nowhere near fast enough to catch up with Wang Hu at full thrust.
Streaks of green beams could only trail uselessly behind Wang Hu, and the shield remained untouched.
Transformed into a streak of light, like a heavily armored warhorse in ancient times entering its final sprint at maximum speed, Wang Hu charged forward.
In Nicol's bewildered eyes, a shield grew larger and larger until it completely obscured his entire field of vision.
"Bastard!"
Nicol in the Destiny Gundam would not just wait for death. He raised his gun and fired repeatedly.
Watching the beams strike the enemy's shield and erupt into dazzling sparks, he quickly drew his Beam Saber.
He thrust it straight forward.
"If I die, you die with me!"
With immense resolve, Nicol prepared himself for mutual destruction, or even a mutual demise.
"Naive."
For the first time since the battle began, Wang Hu spoke. His voice echoed over the public channel.
"Wang Hu!"
It was only now, belatedly, that Nicol realized who he had been fighting all along.
Surprisingly, a sense of relief washed over him.
"Dragging you down with me is worth it."
Through the public channel, Nicol's tone was unmistakably serene.
"Brother Wang Hu!"
Overjoyed yet frantic, Kira slammed the accelerator pedal to the floor.
While faster than before, it was still far from the speed he envisioned to assist the GP02.
Wide-eyed, Kira absolutely refused to believe his brother Wang Hu would descend into the yellow springs alongside the enemy.
And indeed, how could Wang Hu possibly perish together with Nicol?
"Vrrrm."
From behind the GP02's shield emerged a hand, gripping a Beam Saber.
Now the charging GP02 resembled a heavily armored cavalry even more.
"Your sword is as long as mine. Let's die together."
Staring intently at the Beam Saber, Nicol mentally compared their lengths.
Finding them identical, he felt relieved—it would still be a mutual destruction in the end.
Not a loss!
"So you're still naive after all."
Wang Hu's leisurely voice rang out, accompanied by a transformation in the blade of his Beam Saber.
Suddenly, its length surged like a spear!
"You actually play this dirty!"
Nicol was utterly shocked.
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