What was the cause of this war? Was it the Natural's fear of Coordinators? Or was it the hostility born from a failure to communicate and understand one another?
Whether they were ZAFT soldiers or Earth Alliance soldiers, it was difficult for them to say clearly. However, they could all name the fuse of this war without hesitation: the "Bloody Valentine" that occurred on Junius 7.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Unicorn, in its state of spiritual resonance, recreated Junius 7 through the aurora, Durandal disseminated the intelligence he had gathered.
Humans—whether Naturals or Coordinators—are a race full of greed: greed for a happy life, greed for knowledge, greed for money... These desires drive humanity forward, manifesting as a "technological explosion" within the universe. Yet, if this greed is left uncontrolled, allowing it to manipulate the self...
Blue Cosmos, Logos, Library... one private organization after another, established by ambitious men. Greed prompted them to reach out, placing the entire species upon a precarious tightrope.
"This war is the result of their greed, Athrun."
Durandal's voice echoed through the core section of GENESIS. He seemed not to care at all that Athrun was using the METEOR as an explosive to destroy GENESIS.
"Uncontrolled desire, if allowed to continue spreading... the fighting will never cease. This cycle of hatred and sorrow will never end."
Durandal stood before the microphone at the console, speaking while his gaze remained fixed on the seemingly deactivated Unicorn.
"In the end, only this sorrowful outcome will spread. This out-of-control desire will crush humanity and the Earth alike."
Durandal continued, as if venting emotions suppressed for far too long and his past reflections. "The human race must eventually pass judgment upon itself with its own hands; it must atone for the Earth and for its own species."
Talia, standing behind him, looked at Durandal with a sorrowful expression. Rey, hearing Durandal's inner thoughts for the first time, was momentarily stunned.
"So that's why you're letting GENESIS advance toward Earth? To drop it onto the planet?"
Hearing Durandal's words, Athrun could no longer keep his composure. While maneuvering the Infinite Justice to evacuate via the original route, he spoke into the public channel where Durandal was: "By doing this, you are merely adding fuel to the fire of this cycle! How is the result of your actions any different from those people you claim are controlled by desire?"
"I have never denied the consequences of my actions, nor the infamy they will bring," Durandal continued. "But tell me, Athrun—aside from dropping GENESIS onto Earth and forcing both the PLANTs and Earth into a mutual defeat, is there a better way to pause the war?!"
Durandal had once thought of many methods, even listing several feasible plans. But as the war gradually escalated, those methods could not keep pace with the changes and were abandoned one by one. In his view, at this point in time, there was no other way to force a ceasefire except to drop GENESIS on Earth.
"The rising dust will create a nuclear winter... do you simply not care how many people will die after GENESIS falls?"
Athrun watched the preset countdown on his display and slammed down on the pedals again, pushing the Infinite Justice to a higher speed. "It is precisely because you are so radical that humanity falls deeper into despair!"
"Athrun, humans cannot understand one another! This desire will always trigger the human instinct for conflict!"
"No, humans can understand each other!"
As the exit appeared in his vision, Athrun caught a fleeting memory of his experiences in Orb, his conversations with Lacus, and the time spent with Cagalli.
"I have seen Orb! And I believe in a future where humanity can understand one another!"
"Then let me see it—the humanity that understands one another as you describe!"
As the countdown hit zero, the METEOR left in the core area of GENESIS erupted violently. The massive explosion shattered the mirror of GENESIS and severed various structural components of the device; the entire mirror transformed into fragments flying in all directions.
The fierce explosion caused the thrusters of GENESIS to malfunction as well. The speed of GENESIS gradually began to slow down.
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"GENESIS... has been destroyed?"
Watching the sight of GENESIS being blown apart by the METEOR, Arthur, who was currently seated aboard a Nazca-class ship, subconsciously swallowed hard.
Aside from Talia, Rey, and the defected Shinn, all the remaining crew members of the Minerva were now aboard this vacant Nazca-class vessel.
"No, wait, it's not over yet..."
Staring at the dust and smoke formed by the explosion, Meyrin, acting as the CIC, looked at the radar which still displayed the light point identifying GENESIS, and her eyes widened instinctively.
A small asteroid, heavily reinforced with steel structures, emerged from the smoke. Although it lacked its previous velocity, it was still moving toward Earth at a very noticeable speed.
"...It seems that, in the end, I am the winner, Athrun."
The command room of GENESIS had been installed within the asteroid that served as its support structure; thus, Durandal had only been knocked down by the violent impact and had not sustained significant injury.
He stood back up and quickly used the instruments to predict the subsequent flight path.
"The asteroid portion of GENESIS is still falling toward Earth—and because the explosion caused the impact point to shift, you've all tried too hard!"
As Durandal watched the changes in the trajectory of GENESIS's descent following the METEOR's self-destruction, his voice carried a complex tone.
At this moment, he hoped that GENESIS would crash into Earth to execute his new plan, yet he also hoped for a group of people strong enough—those who "could understand one another"—to stop him. This complicated emotion permeated his heart.
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On the bridge of the Nahel Argama, everyone was occupied.
Ever since the Foundation fleet was annihilated and the Unicorn had twice displayed miracles, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT seemed to have lost interest in interfering with the Allied Fleet. The entire battlefield had fallen into an eerie calm.
"GENESIS is continuing its descent toward Earth... what is Athrun's status?"
Watching GENESIS fall toward the planet, Murrue composed her emotions as best she could, trying with all her might not to think about the state of the Unicorn.
"Zzzt... I'm alright."
Athrun's weary voice came through the comms. "The first explosion of the METEOR was ineffective; it only destroyed the front mirror segment of GENESIS. Now, the impact point has shifted, and it's still continuing its descent toward Earth."
"Is there any way to destroy it... would the Nahel Argama's positron cannon work?" Murrue asked, instinctively searching for a solution.
"Based on the calculations... there isn't enough time. Even if we combined the power of all our positron cannons, the output wouldn't be sufficient. It requires an internal demolition," Badgiruel spoke up, refuting Murrue's suggestion. "Furthermore, even if the positron cannon were effective, by the time it finished cooling, GENESIS would have already entered the atmosphere!"
"What about performing another demolition?"
This time, Athrun's voice came through the channel. "The power of a METEOR self-destructing is sufficient. Kira should still have one METEOR unit over there."
The previous METEOR explosion had directly shattered the forward weapon section of GENESIS and caused significant damage to the rear asteroid section. If another METEOR were used for a blast, they might be able to destroy it completely.
"But at this speed, even if Kira pilots the METEOR back right now... GENESIS will have crashed into Earth long before then." Miriallia did a quick calculation of Kira's distance from GENESIS, cold sweat forming on her brow.
"What about towing it? Can the Allied Fleet use cables to hold GENESIS back—or even pull it up?"
"No. Setting aside the strength of our cables, if we did that, we would be dragged into the atmosphere along with GENESIS. Our entry attitude would be compromised!" As the helmsman, Arnold shook his head and offered his deduction.
The bridge fell into an eerie silence, with only the white noise of various instruments echoing through the room. They had considered every possible method, but each had been rejected one by one. It seemed as though the wreckage of GENESIS was truly destined to strike the Earth.
"Let's move first. No matter what, the remaining METEOR is our only chance to destroy GENESIS."
Murrue wiped the corners of her eyes, her expression returning to its usual resolute state. "Even if we fall into Earth because of it, we must stall GENESIS until the METEOR returns to perform the demolition."
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Meanwhile, at the Moon.
After the Requiem had fired once more, the 8th Fleet took advantage of its cooling period to launch an all-out assault.
Pushing forward with steady suppressive fire, the fleet advanced alongside lunar surface army units and special forces units that were frantically blasting their way through underground tunnels. These three forces closed in on the Requiem from every direction.
However, how could the fire positions of the Requiem—built with such immense investment—be so easily breached? This "forest of tubes" acting as a defensive perimeter was the final ripple of the Kingdom of Foundation.
Currently, the Gryps was controlled by the Narrative, the Requiem had yet to be destroyed, and GENESIS was plummeting toward Earth. The sheer volume of sudden incidents once made the commander of the 8th Fleet, Halberton, suspect he was developing heart disease. Who could withstand such intensity?
But just as they were mired in the struggle, a white shadow appeared on the battlefield. It was Kira, piloting the METEOR. Upon receiving Murrue's communication and understanding the battlefield situation, he felt a surge of urgency.
In this state of high emotion, Kira's pupils suddenly constricted; his eyes turned vacant as he stared at the "forest of tubes" appearing on his screen.
Under Kira's micro-management, the Multi Lock-On System framed all the turrets blocking the 8th Fleet at extreme speed. The various missile hatch covers on the METEOR flipped open.
With the release of the Dragoons, multi-colored beams and a swarm of missiles erupted from the METEOR, streaking toward their respective targets.
Missiles plunged into the tops of the turrets from such close range that some anti-air batteries hadn't even managed to break their locks on the 8th Fleet yet.
The dense explosions cleared a vacuum in the defensive perimeter, and the anti-air fire targeting the 8th Fleet diminished instantly. Kira leveled his cannons once more at the armored gates concealing the Requiem. Red and white beams from the METEOR's main cannons struck the gates with precision. As the laminated armor on the gates overloaded, a massive hole was blasted through them, rendering their original function completely useless and stripping away their protective capability.
Seeing the breach in the gates, the remaining Kingdom of Foundation soldiers within the Requiem tried to initiate an emergency fire to counterattack. However, two missiles launched by the 8th Fleet slipped through the gap in the anti-air fire, appearing before the muzzle and plunging into the Requiem's launch silo in a top-down attack.
The violent explosion caused the command room of the Requiem to light up with dazzling red warnings. But it seemed the payload of the missiles wasn't quite enough; although the Requiem's launch apparatus was ruined, the overall structure remained intact. If emergency repairs were started now...
Just as the Kingdom of Foundation officer recovered from the chaos and began calculating his next move, the starry sky on his screen was suddenly eclipsed by a dark, massive muzzle.
It was the muzzle of the Gryps.
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Although the muzzle of the Gryps had been decomposed into parts by the green aurora, its engines and thrusters remained functional.
Thus, after completing its turn, Marvin—who had seized full control of the Gryps—overclocked the satellite's reactors. The massive artificial satellite began to "drag race," hurtling toward the Moon at extreme speed, biting tightly onto the heels of the METEOR. This method of piloting paid absolutely no mind to the comfort of the crew inside; in fact, Marvin had no intention of caring about the feelings of the Blue Cosmos faction within.
Intelligence had long confirmed that the Gryps was manned entirely by Blue Cosmos. To Marvin, to the Haro on the Nahel Argama, and to all the youths who had been turned into Wets, Marvin's actions were nothing short of absolute, righteous vengeance.
Glancing at the internal surveillance feed in the bottom-left of his vision, he saw some Blue Cosmos soldiers collapsing in the face of their imminent doom.
As for the LOGOS members mentioned in Durandal's documents... they were still frantically trying to force open the armored gates to escape in their warships.
Unfortunately, the Gryps had been a cornerstone project for the Blue Cosmos faction of the Earth Alliance, designed to be a "super fortress." Backed by an astronomical budget, the outer armor of the entire satellite was incredibly strong; Marvin had only managed to breach it using the high-frequency vibrations of his mechanical claws. Now, this "super fortress" they had built with their own hands had become a "super cage" that imprisoned them.
Kira, piloting the METEOR, streaked past the Narrative Gundam. Marvin glanced at him instinctively; having heard Murrue's earlier orders, he knew exactly what Kira was racing to do. Although Marvin wanted to help, he had to settle the business at hand first.
Staring at the massive muzzle constructed by the Foundation below, Marvin smirked. He maneuvered the Gryps into a top-down diving posture, slamming it directly into the Requiem.
Armor buckled and scraped against armor until fragments became hopelessly entangled. Driven by the overclocked reactors and thrusters, the Gryps smashed into the Requiem's muzzle at terminal velocity, shattering the remnants of the armored gates and plunging toward the base of the weapon.
Under the terrified and desperate gazes of the LOGOS members, Blue Cosmos, and Foundation soldiers, the Gryps and the Requiem collided, grinding and crushing deep into the lunar crust.
"Truly... spectacular."
Halberton's mouth hung open. He tried several times to find the words, but in the end, that was the only adjective he could muster.
"There's something even more spectacular coming... old man."
Marvin's voice came through the comms, excited yet tinged with exhaustion.
As the Requiem was crushed and destroyed, its internal power reactors began to detonate. Chain explosions rippled out; the Requiem, now a mangled wreck, dragged the broken corpses of the Foundation soldiers with it as it was impaled by the Gryps.
Then, the Gryps' own reactors reached their limit. They erupted in a violent explosion, the massive surge of energy triggering the ammunition depots of the satellite's various turrets, creating a secondary wave of countless explosions.
The energy within the Gryps built up relentlessly, harvesting the lives of the LOGOS members and Blue Cosmos within.
Finally, having reached the breaking point, the Gryps exploded outward from its rear thruster section. Torrents of fire and energy were spewed into the sky by the force of the blast, carrying with them the wreckage of warships destroyed in the spaceport and various mechanical parts, which drifted out into the cosmos.
The titanic force tore through the Gryps until its cylindrical outer armor was ripped apart—some sections unfurling, others curling inward.
It looked like a hollow, colossal flower made of steel.
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Even though the thrusters of GENESIS had been destroyed, the massive weapon remained in a stable posture, captured by Earth's gravity and plummeting toward the planet.
Ignoring the demands of their superiors, everyone on the battlefield—where combat had long since ceased—watched the descent of GENESIS. Even for the Jesta squad, who had been livestreaming throughout the battle, the viewers in the chat fell into a collective silence.
Was this war, sparked by the desires and madness of ambitious men, really going to end with GENESIS smashing into the Earth, resulting in mutual destruction for both sides?
"...Don't give up hope, everyone."
At that moment, Bridget, whose virtual avatar was a black-haired mecha-girl, spoke up as she watched GENESIS draw closer to Earth. "Keep fighting; a miracle will appear."
A miracle... yes, a miracle.
The people in the livestream could not help but recall the image of the Unicorn releasing miracles twice in succession. But could a miracle still happen now? The Unicorn had remained frozen in a single pose for some time, looking as if it had shut down completely.
"...I guess you're thinking the same thing we are, Bridget."
The voice of Veronica, another Jesta pilot, came through the comms.
"We just have to stall the descent of GENESIS."
Bridget's Jesta suddenly detached from its flight sub-unit and flew toward the asteroid. "It's just GENESIS; watch me push it back with my Jesta!"
"Don't forget about us while you're acting cool!"
Veronica let out a spirited laugh and followed Bridget's lead, abandoning her flight sub-unit to fly toward the falling mass.
"Estelle, stop acting like a wooden log. Say something cool for once, otherwise how is your popularity supposed to go up?"
"My character profile and personality are not suited for such words... based on projections, our death is certain."
Finally, the last member of the Jesta squad, a taciturn girl named Estelle, spoke. Her tone carried a cold sense of data-driven calculation. This was a lingering side-effect of the multiple mental collapses she suffered while being tortured by Blue Cosmos during her time as a Wet; Roz hadn't found a good way to heal her yet.
But even though Estelle said death was certain, she still detached from her flight sub-unit along with the others.
"However, even if we die, I think there is a small amount of meaning in transcending beyond the data."
The three Jestas extended their hands without hesitation, bracing against GENESIS. All their rear thrusters maintained maximum output, spewing thick blue flames from the nozzles.
Did the speed of GENESIS decrease? They didn't know; they simply focused on maneuvering their Jestas to maintain the highest possible thrust.
Everyone watched in silence. Would such an act be useful? It seemed like mere wishful thinking on the part of the three Jestas. Reality remained powerless; GENESIS continued its fall.
Then, a Strike Dagger threw away its beam rifle and shield, turned around, and charged toward GENESIS. Over a dozen more Daggers followed suit without hesitation, joining the ranks to push the asteroid.
This group of Daggers surrounded the Jestas, bracing themselves against the hull. Although their performance was significantly downgraded due to Earth Alliance mass-production standards, they nonetheless committed the maximum power of their machines to push alongside the Jestas.
"Zzzt... As the 'Number 2' donor, getting to snuggle with the streamer on this asteroid before I die—could the 'Number 1' donor even pull that off?!"
"I refuse to accept the streamer leaving us behind to act cool alone!"
"Gwa! We finally meet in person... though I still can't see the streamer's face."
"Streamer, I only have one request before I die: can you give me a kiss..."
"How do you kiss in an MS? By crashing head monitors together?!"
Amidst a chaotic jumble of voices, these guys on the battlefield filled the public channel with remarks that were both ridiculous and touching.
Then, as if remembering something, a dozen ZAKU Warriors also discarded their weapons and rushed toward GENESIS.
Clang...
One ZAKU Warrior found a spot and, under the envious gazes of a group of ZAFT simps, squeezed into a gap near the Jestas, extending its hands to join the push.
"Hah! You 'Number 2' beast, your 'Number 1' Big Brother is here!"
"I'm reporting this! During the fight earlier, these Earth Alliance simps tried to shoot the streamer! I have the footage as proof!"
"Streamer, streamer! Can I just get one lick of the custom paint job? I'll do anything!"
This group of ZAFT and Earth Alliance pilots pushed GENESIS together, bickering as if hatred didn't exist, the atmosphere feeling more like a gathering of otaku fans.
"Zzzt... Omega 23 Squad, what do you think you're doing?!"
The voice of Yzak cut into the communications of the ZAFT pilots.
"Captain Yzak, I'm pushing GENESIS back."
The ZAFT pilot who had claimed to be the "Number 1" donor replied calmly.
"You'll be sent to a court-martial for this!" Yzak, sitting in the Duel, gritted his teeth as he watched the ZAKU Warriors.
"Then let me be court-martialed, Captain Yzak," the "Number 1" pilot said firmly. "After all, a Natural invited me to his hometown for some good beer; I don't want to break my word."
"Just for a reason like that?"
"Yeah, just for that."
"Ridiculous!" Yzak shouted. He clenched his right fist, wanting to strike something, but finally placed it back steadily on his lap. "You're willing to risk a court-martial just for a glass of beer?!"
"Then, Captain, is it right to let GENESIS fall to Earth?" The pilot turned to look at the Earth beside them. The blue "Water Star" was spread out before his eyes. "As I thought, this planet is so beautiful. I don't want something so lovely to be destroyed, Captain Yzak."
"...Utterly stupid."
Yzak went silent for a moment before suddenly barking those words. He maneuvered the Duel and flew toward the falling GENESIS. "When this is over, and if you survive, I'm personally dragging you '2D' obsessed idiots to the court-martial!"
"Ha... Yzak, you haven't changed at all." Watching the Duel fly toward the asteroid, Dearka shrugged. "Hard on the outside, soft on the inside."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Seeing Yzak discard his armor and weapons to prevent an accidental explosion, Nicol also maneuvered the Blitz to drop its gear and chased after them.
"Hey, hey, hey! You two wait for me!" The beam cannons on the Verde Buster's shoulders were unlocked and ejected as Dearka flew toward GENESIS.
Watching the spectacular sight of flames erupting around GENESIS, Stellar, sitting in the Psycho Zaku not far away, placed a hand over her chest. What is this feeling... no fear, no hatred... so warm.
"...Shinn?"
"Yeah, let's go together." Guessing Stellar's thoughts, Shinn agreed without hesitation. The light wings of the Voiture Lumiere and thick thruster flames drove the two machines toward GENESIS.
Meanwhile, on a Nazca-class ship.
"I'm heading out." Looking at the scene on the screen, Luna stood up.
"You're going too?! You'll die!" Arthur was startled by her decision.
"Ha, dying? Wasn't I prepared for that long ago?" Luna put on her helmet and walked toward the Impulse in the hangar. "I can't stand how stupidly Shinn defected; I'm going to punch that idiot!"
"I'm going too." Agnes, who had been chased around by Stellar earlier, also stood up. "I need to punch that guy too. Where did he find that crazy woman?! I've completely lost face!"
Nearby, within the Three Ships Alliance:
"Ho... quite the exaggeration." Mu, piloting the Strike, watched the points of light flying toward GENESIS and looked at the Akatsuki beside him. "Shall we?"
"Yes." Mayura, still slightly clumsy in the Akatsuki's controls, nodded. "It would be a shame to miss out on an event this big!"
Strike, Akatsuki, DOM Troopers... one MS after another flew out from the Allied Fleet, closing in on GENESIS.
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"They've truly... joined forces..."
Looking at the screen, at the various MS gathered together to push GENESIS, Durandal was momentarily dazed. But soon, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
I see now. This is the possibility of human understanding—that even in situations where mutual understanding seems impossible, they can face the challenge together.
Is this what you wanted to show me? Athrun... no, Amuro.
The brainwaves of everyone striving toward a single goal coalesced. In a daze, Durandal felt as if the nearby aurora was also beginning to spread toward them.
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In the distance, within the Unicorn—still surrounded by a massive amount of aurora and maintaining its posture as if holding a basketball, clutching Le Creuset's cockpit.
Deep in a coma and buried beneath the green crystals, Roz's hand twitched a single index finger.
..........
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