"Escaping from Heliopolis is our top priority. During combat, be careful not to damage the Colony."
Murrue's command immediately sparked resentment among the crew. They were already at a disadvantage, and now they had to restrain themselves because of the Colony. This was essentially handing their already slim chances of victory over to the enemy.
However, no one dared to voice their objections openly, as Yang Hui was on the bridge. After all, Heliopolis was Orb's Colony.
But what they didn't expect was that Yang Hui's suggestion would defy all logic.
"It's fine, go all out!"
"What!?"
"Take a good look at what kind of equipment the enemy is using!"
Only then did everyone focus on the equipment the attacking enemies were carrying. They were armed with either large anti-ship missiles or heavy particle weapons—equipment typically reserved for fortress assault operations.
"Are the ZAFT Forces insane? They're using heavy bombardment gear meant for attacking strongholds!" Mu cursed upon seeing this. It seemed the enemy was determined to annihilate them.
"But even so…"
"Civilian evacuation is 100% complete. If you don't want to be sunk, go all out! I'll take full responsibility!" Yang Hui roared. Murrue was a competent soldier because she cared deeply about civilians, but she had just become the captain. She was not yet the miracle captain of the future, the "Unsinkable Ship," and her decision-making was too hesitant.
"...All hands, prepare for combat. Strike Gundam, deploy with the Sword Striker Pack."
"Understood!"
Upon hearing Murrue's order, Yang Hui shook his head. This decision was too conservative. Since they had already abandoned Heliopolis, equipping the Strike Gundam with the Launcher Striker Pack would have been the best choice. However…
Murrue was the captain of the Archangel, and Yang Hui would not overstep his authority.
The enemy was already upon them, and Murrue now understood what Yang Hui meant by "go all out." The enemy had already blasted two large holes in Heliopolis' outer walls to enter as quickly as possible, and… the Aegis was following closely.
"One of them is the X303, the Aegis!"
"Huh?" Murrue Ramius hesitated upon hearing this, as the Aegis was also a G Weapon developed at great cost by the Atlantic Federation.
"They're the enemy now! Do you want to be sunk by them?"
"Collins missiles, prepare to launch. Pay attention to laser guidance…" Under Mu's scolding, Murrue Ramius refocused on the battle, but she still executed the wrong action.
"Physical projectiles are ineffective against PS Armor," Murrue immediately corrected, issuing a new command. "Main cannon, laser synchronization, focus dispersion!"
The command was received, and the main cannon fired. Four emerald beams shot out, but the enemy's four mobile suits easily dodged them.
As soon as the Strike Gundam sortied, it was immediately targeted by the enemy. Knowing that physical projectiles were ineffective against PS Armor, the GINN equipped with the M69 Elephant Heavy Particle Beam Cannon engaged the Strike Gundam. Meanwhile, two other GINNs, armed with D-Equipment (M66 Woodpecker Short-Range Missile Launcher, including two large missiles and two small missiles, plus the M68 Leopard Triple Short-Range Missile Launcher), began to surround the Archangel. Similarly, the Aegis Gundam joined the fray.
Athrun thought that as long as the Archangel was sunk, the Strike Gundam would be like a rootless duckweed. With four machines surrounding one, capturing it wouldn't be a problem.
Once Kira was caught, he had a way to persuade him to join PLANT, the nation of Coordinators.
The only uncertainty now was Yang Hui's location. Was he on the Archangel?
Without confirmation, Athrun couldn't bring himself to deal a fatal blow to the Archangel. He could only try to disable its weapons and engines, turning it into a caged bird.
However, he underestimated the Archangel's combat capabilities and the determination of those aboard to survive.
A dense barrage of fire destroyed all incoming missiles, and the thick beam cannons fired once again.
"Boom~!"
A GINN preparing to launch anti-ship missiles was engulfed by a dazzling green light before it could evade, exploding into a spectacular firework along with its missiles.
"Matthew!"
"Damn it! Die, Earthlings!"
The death in battle ignited Auroru's fighting spirit and rage, making his attacks more fierce and irrational.
...
"One GINN destroyed!"
"Whoa~!"
Everyone exclaimed in surprise because that shot wasn't guided by the ship's computer system. It was Yang Hui's fully manual aim, and with just one shot, he destroyed an MS. The result was simply unbelievable.
"Stay focused, we're still in battle!" Yang Hui scolded without turning his head, just as he was about to aim at a second GINN. The target was led into the blind spot of the Gotterdämmerung Mk-712 25cm twin-linked high-energy beam cannon by the Aegis Gundam, and the opportunity was lost.
"Boom~"
At that moment, the violent shaking of the Archangel snapped everyone's attention back to the battle.
"Weapon Bay 4 hit, adjacent area sealed!"
"Incoming! Anti-ship missiles, four!"
"Intercept!"
"Too late!"
"Leave it to me!" Yang Hui immediately switched the system from the main Gotterdämmerung cannon to the 75mm automatic Vulcan CIWS Array. With a quick operation, he locked onto all four large missiles.
However, due to the close proximity, only two could be intercepted.
Fortunately, Murrue immediately gave the order, saving the Archangel from being sunk.
"Hard to starboard, 40 degrees, full speed!"
Arnold, following the order, swiftly turned the helm, causing the Archangel to perform a smooth and elegant maneuver in the air, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from the two anti-ship missiles.
However, as a result, the anti-ship missiles struck the main body of Heliopolis, hitting the most critical support axis.
"Ah!" Seeing the already precarious support axis, Murrue knew Heliopolis was in imminent danger. Although Yang Hui had told her not to worry about Heliopolis, she still gave the order, "We can't let Heliopolis be further damaged!"
"Are we just going to wait to be sunk?" Murrue Ramius retorted. Born into a military family, she had been trained in the iron discipline of the army since childhood.
If Yang Hui had asked them to protect Heliopolis, she might have cared a little. But since Yang Hui had already told them to act freely, she naturally didn't care about the extent of damage to Heliopolis. And... she didn't want to die here either!
...
"Stay out of my way, Athrun!" Auroru's machine shoved aside the Aegis Gundam, which was trying to block him, and charged forward once more.
"Calm down, Auroru!"
"Get lost! I'm going to avenge Matthew!"
Ignoring the Aegis Gundam's obstruction, Auroru's machine launched the remaining four small missiles and then directly drew the MA-M3 Heavy Slash Sword, charging toward the Archangel. But...
All the small missiles were intercepted, failing to inflict any damage on the Archangel. In the next moment, countless gun barrels were aimed at Auroru's machine, unleashing a torrent of deadly fire.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
Under Yang Hui's manual control, the automatic Vulcan Cannons transformed into precise snipers, each shell landing squarely on Auroru's machine.
Although the Vulcan Cannon shells couldn't directly destroy the GINN, under concentrated fire, it was futile. Auroru's machine was riddled with holes in an instant, and Auroru didn't even have time to let out a scream before he and the GINN were turned into fireworks.
"Auroru! Damn it!"
Athrun was momentarily at a loss. The Archangel hadn't been significantly damaged, yet they had already lost two GINNs. With the Aegis Gundam's current equipment, it was impossible to disable the Archangel while ensuring the safety of the crew. To make matters worse... Miguel had also sent a request for assistance.
"Tch, so agile. Athrun, flank him!"
"But the ship..."
"Destroy the MS first, we'll deal with the ship later!"
"..."
Athrun had no choice. He had insisted on joining this sortie, and Miguel was the commander of this battle. He had to obey. Moreover, Miguel was the last remaining comrade, and he couldn't just watch him fall in battle.
The Aegis Gundam broke away from the Archangel's pursuit and moved toward the Strike Gundam, forming a pincer attack with Miguel's machine.
"The Aegis has broken off and is attacking the Strike!"
"Don't let it escape! Provide covering fire!"
"No good, the Strike is in the line of fire, no chance!"
...
Seeing the Aegis Gundam approaching, Kira remembered that the pilot of this machine was Athrun and momentarily froze.
Miguel's machine naturally didn't miss this golden opportunity. It locked onto the Strike Gundam and pulled the trigger.
"Got it!"
The alarm sounded, and the Strike Gundam ascended to evade. Kira was furious. Miguel's machine had completely disregarded Heliopolis from the start, every attack leaving massive craters on the ground and even destroying several fixed cables.
Now that the Aegis Gundam had arrived, Kira wanted to understand why Athrun was attacking Heliopolis, but he was interrupted by Miguel's machine.
In his anger, the Strike Gundam drew the Midas Messer Beam Boomerang from its left shoulder and hurled it toward Miguel's machine.
Seeing such a slow attack, Miguel's machine scoffed and easily dodged, returning to the optimal firing position and locking onto the Strike Gundam.
But Miguel didn't realize that the Beam Boomerang had flown back in an eerie arc, slicing through the GINN's leg from behind.
"What!?"
While Miguel was still in shock, the Strike Gundam had already caught the Beam Boomerang and, wielding the Sword Rifle, closed in on Miguel's machine.
"Hah!"
Fury raged, killing intent was thick, and the giant sword fell, cleaving through in a single strike.
Miguel's machine, split in two, exploded amidst crackling arcs of electricity and Miguel's agonized screams.
The good news was that, aside from the Aegis Gundam, all three GINNs had been destroyed. The bad news was that Heliopolis could no longer hold on.
Miguel's machine had been too close to the support axis, and the shockwave from the explosion became the final straw that broke the camel's back. The already precarious support axis, unable to bear the burden, crumbled with a deafening roar.
With the destruction of the support axis, the force connecting Heliopolis vanished entirely. The once relatively intact land began to fracture, crack, and shatter, piece by piece, becoming a memory for all who witnessed it.
(End of Chapter)