As Luther closed the distance with Creuset—now within effective range for his Funnels—he sensed the intense pressure radiating from Creuset's CGUE with crystal clarity. Without hesitation, Luther unleashed his full power.
Not only did he withstand the mental assault using his Bio-Sensing Helmet and fire all twelve Funnels simultaneously, but he also mustered every ounce of his remaining strength to wield his Zaku Machine Gun, attempting to restrict the movement of Creuset's CGUE.
However, Creuset—the "final boss" of the original timeline—was no pushover. Even facing Luther, a powerful Newtype piloting the Newtype Custom Machine "Time Observer" in an all-out, omnidirectional assault, Creuset relied on instinct and experience gained from battles with Mu. Through evasive, serpentine maneuvers, he managed to survive the first wave of attacks, albeit at the cost of his CGUE's right arm and leg.
Creuset then made the most pragmatic decision.
Disregarding that he had yet to fire a single shot since sortieing, and despite the fact that—with the other mobile weapons from the Gwamel dispersed on their respective missions—the entire Creuset Team effectively only had to contend with Luther's single "Time Observer" unit, Creuset chose to flee. Using the remaining limbs of his battered, recently-repaired CGUE, he executed a precise turn and pushed his thrusters to maximum, making a break for it.
Luther was furious. He had sortied alone, aiming for a quick elimination, yet his "fishing" attempt had failed.
But he was constrained by the technical limitations of his Funnels; all twelve units were now returning for recharging. Relying solely on his Zaku Machine Gun, Luther lacked the confidence to shoot down Creuset at such a distance.
"Damn it! Running away when you can't win—is that any way for a mastermind villain to act? Weren't you all high and mighty when you faced Kira?!"
Clearly, Luther's impression of Creuset was largely based on the climax of the original timeline's first arc, where Creuset, piloting the Providence Gundam, overwhelmed Kira—who was piloting the Freedom Gundam, initially even equipped with the Meteor system—both in firepower and rhetoric.
In reality, however, Creuset was not a berserker who fought to the death. He was exceptionally adept at assessing situations. Not long before, inside Heliopolis, when faced with a rookie Kira piloting the Strike Gundam in its Launcher configuration, Creuset had also chosen to retreat decisively in his damaged CGUE after being severely wounded by a glancing hit from the 320mm "Agni" Hyper Impulse Cannon.
Luther naturally gave chase with everything he had.
Although the "Time Observer" had slightly better propulsion than the CGUE, closing the gap between them—which was just barely within mutual attack range—would still take some time.
More troublingly, from the Vesalius, Yzak's Duel Gundam, Nicol's Blitz Gundam, and Dearka's Buster Gundam could already be seen launching one after another.
Seeing his window to eliminate Creuset early rapidly closing, a frustrated Luther experimentally opened a public channel to vent his emotions.
"Rau Le Creuset!"
"I am precisely the one you claim should not exist!
Taller, faster, stronger than you, with a long lifespan and many lovers!
Don't run away, face me!
As the mastermind who wants to drag humanity down with your own tragic fate, how dare you act like a rat!
The ZAFT Nebula Medal is weeping!"
Faced with Luther's close-range taunts, Creuset, who was at a disadvantage, did not respond and simply kept fleeing. However, Yzak, the leader of the three aces, couldn't hold back his anger and responded to Luther on the open channel.
"How dare you insult ZAFT's honor! Die, you Natural!"
Following his words came a triple burst from the Duel Gundam's 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, which Luther easily dodged.
Just as Luther finished evading Yzak's shots, Dearka's Buster Gundam followed up with precise coordination, firing its 94mm High-Energy Converging Rifle. This forced Luther to perform a highly difficult maneuver to avoid the attack.
In the moment it took to turn, Nicol's Blitz Gundam vanished from Luther's sight.
Under the cover of the three aces, Creuset seized the opportunity to maneuver his CGUE out of Luther's attack range.
"Not bad skills for a thief. I'll admit this is ZAFT's honor!"
Having failed to take down Creuset alone in advance, Luther mercilessly mocked the three aces while tentatively attacking with the Zaku Machine Gun, even as his Funnels were still charging.
Although his superior marksmanship allowed him to score hits, they barely even produced smoke against the Duel Gundam protected by Phase Shift Armor, let alone cause any damage.
"All talk! Go to hell with the regret of being killed by the very mobile suit you copied, you Natural!"
Clearly, although Luther's precise attacks had given Yzak a cold sweat, once Yzak and Dearka confirmed that the Zaku Machine Gun couldn't harm their newly acquired Gundams, their confidence surged. Under Yzak's verbal barrage, the two actively took turns providing cover as they closed in on the seemingly "isolated and helpless" Luther and his "Time Observer."
Of course, the firepower of just two high-energy beam rifles wasn't enough to hit the "Time Observer" piloted by Luther. However, these attacks did manage to divert his attention, effectively covering Nicol as he stealthily approached using the Blitz Gundam's "Mirage Colloid" system.
Unfortunately for Luther, a powerful Newtype, even though he couldn't see the Blitz Gundam, Nicol's undisguised fighting spirit stood out like the distant sun.
After several futile exchanges of fire, as Yzak in the Duel Gundam visibly closed in to nearly melee combat range, the battle finally saw significant progress.
After narrowly evading another coordinated attack from the approaching Duel Gundam piloted by Yzak and the Buster Gundam piloted by Dearka further back, Luther suddenly pulled out a Zaku Bazooka from the waist of the "Time Observer." With swift and precise aim, he blasted the Blitz Gundam, which was raising its claws to attack, directly out of its "stealth" state.
Caught off guard and taking the full brunt of the damage while the Blitz Gundam was in Mirage Colloid mode without the protection of Phase Shift Armor, Nicol was likely knocked unconscious by the violent impact. Naturally, the Blitz Gundam spun out of control, trailing thick smoke as it was sent flying backward.
Of course, while it looked severe, Nicol's newly acquired "zero-mileage, Earth Alliance-owned, secondhand" Blitz Gundam was far from being destroyed by a single Zaku Bazooka shot. After all, its construction was far sturdier than ZAFT's GINN units.