Chapter 132: The Conviction of Self-Sacrifice
By the time Eli arrived at the battlefield, another Aqua GM had already fallen, and the last remaining one was left with only a single arm.
Judging from the scene, the two Aqua GMs had fought with everything they had, managing to take down a single Gogg.
However, the remaining enemy units had already exceeded the limits of what they could handle with their somewhat humorous harpoon guns.
Juaggu, Gogg, Z'Gok, Marine Zaku, High Mobility Aqua GM... Wasn't this the Torrington Base assault?
While internally making this sarcastic remark, Eli raised his beam spray gun and fired several shots, forcing the aquatic Zeon units to retreat from the last Aqua GM.
"You should retreat as well."
Eli rushed to the side of the one-armed Aqua GM, then spun around in front of it, positioning his Assault GM to directly face the Zeon aquatic units.
Including the already-downed Gogg, the attacking force consisted of six enemy units...
If they were launched from Zeon's Jukon-class submarines, this would mean two full submarines' worth of MS capacity.
The enemy pilots, seeing a GM suddenly charge in, didn't seem too concerned.
Although the way this GM moved suggested it was an elite unit, after a brief exchange, the Zeon pilots decided to leave the Juaggu and High Mobility Aqua GM behind while sending the more agile Marine Zaku, Z'Gok, and remaining Gogg to attack the convoy.
Eli immediately aimed at the departing units, but before he could fire, the High Mobility Aqua GM activated its internal MEGA particle cannon and fired at him.
Blocking the attack with a shield coated in anti-beam reflective material, Eli quickly adjusted his aim and shot at the High Mobility Aqua GM.
The enemy pilot skillfully evaded by rolling away.
Meanwhile, the Juaggu on the other side had begun charging its chest-mounted focused beam cannon—an attack no shield could block.
Without hesitation, Eli pushed the Aqua GM behind him to the ground, helping it evade the blast, while simultaneously engaging his hover thrusters to strafe.
But Eli wasn't merely dodging—he was already accelerating toward the three departing enemy units.
Even before his targeting system confirmed a lock, he fired his beam spray gun!
The Marine Zaku pilot barely had time to react before the beam pierced straight through its cockpit, instantly neutralizing it.
Because the beam spray gun's output wasn't excessive, the shot didn't overpenetrate, preventing any unintended damage to the convoy behind.
"Hey, Captain! You're messing up my aim!"
"I'll be out of the way soon, don't panic."
Hearing Io's complaint over the comms, Eli chuckled and skillfully weaved through the crossfire from the Gogg and High Mobility Aqua GM.
In the next instant, a solid projectile slammed into the ground, carving out a massive trench beside the Gogg—so deep that even from an MS's perspective, it was terrifying!
Eli didn't mock Io for missing his shot; instead, he ignored the Gogg entirely and focused on dealing with the pursuing High Mobility Aqua GM.
The Juaggu was still on its way.
Boom!
As Eli turned, another projectile fired from above struck the Gogg, blowing it apart.
Thanks to the phased-array data gathered by the airborne GM Custom, Io quickly corrected his aim and landed a precise hit before the Gogg could react.
By the time Eli maneuvered his Assault GM around, the High Mobility Aqua GM had already closed in, deploying its melee claws for a downward slash!
There was no time to raise his shield, but Eli remained calm.
Instead of dodging, he raised his right arm to meet the incoming claw.
A small explosion erupted where they connected.
The High Mobility Aqua GM's pilot immediately realized that their right claw was no longer responding properly.
At the same time, Eli's Assault GM displayed damage to its right arm on the status screen.
Just now, Eli had deliberately used his explosive reactive armor to mitigate the attack.
However, this tactic only increased the burden on maintenance crews—he decided he should use it more sparingly in the future.
Tossing aside his beam spray gun, Eli pulled out his Assault GM's signature weapon: a double-bladed beam lance, formed by mounting two beam sabers onto a long pole.
Activating the blades, he swung the weapon in a sweeping arc, severing the High Mobility Aqua GM's already-weakened right arm, then followed up with a downward slash that destroyed its left arm as well.
Immediately, Eli pulled back, dodging a rocket barrage from the approaching Juaggu.
After skillfully weaving through the incoming rockets with a series of sharp Z-pattern maneuvers, he stomped down on the foot pedals, closing the distance to the Juaggu in a single burst before slashing down with his beam lance.
The Juaggu raised its forearm cannons to block, managing to hold off the strike for a brief moment.
Eli frowned, released his beam lance, blocked the incoming strike from the Juaggu's other cannon with his shield, and quickly adjusted his beam weapon output to normal levels.
Drawing his beam saber, he slashed at the Juaggu once more.
Perhaps because it had just successfully blocked a beam weapon, the Juaggu's pilot instinctively tried to use its cannons to parry again.
But this time, the beam saber effortlessly cut through the barrel, then followed up with an upward slash that severed the Juaggu's trunk-like chest intake.
Seizing the opportunity, Eli pressed down on the Juaggu's head with one hand, locked his leg behind it, and used his thrusters to throw it to the ground—executing a grappling maneuver similar to human hand-to-hand combat.
Then, he pointed his beam saber directly at the cockpit.
"Tell me the reason behind your actions."
Using the contact circuit, Eli demanded an answer from the Juaggu's pilot.
The Juaggu and Z'Gok were specialized machines—not something an ordinary pilot could operate.
Behind Eli, Io had just taken down the Z'Gok using the same precision artillery trick.
Unfortunately, before it went down, the Z'Gok had managed to fire off a thermal blade from its forehead.
Luckily, it didn't hit the convoy—otherwise, Eli would be stuck writing dozens of reports.
He didn't have to wait long for a response.
"Cough… Federation lapdog… just wait for the wrath of Tears of the Sky. We heard Lord Dozle's declaration—so long as space colonists remain oppressed, we will fight on!"
Bang!
Eli's expression darkened.
Judging from the final gunshot, the pilot had likely taken his own life.
He immediately rushed over to the downed High Mobility Aqua GM, only to find that its cockpit was equally silent.
Another suicide.