The formation had been completely torn apart, the fleet nearly annihilated—total destruction was now inevitable. And just as Amagi had ordered... it was a massacre.
Yes, a massacre.
One side in chaos, the other disciplined; one with morale shattered, the other riding a tidal wave of momentum.
Stirred by Mina's provocations, the Orb Military had transformed into wolves—a howling pack that surged into enemy ranks now reduced to bleating sheep, tearing and devouring these "docile" lambs with savage delight.
"Faster, faster!"
"Don't let any escape!"
"For Lord Rondo! For Orb!"
"The fortress port is secured!"
"Launch the shuttles! Occupy the fortress!"
"That ship's turning around? Don't let them get away!"
...
The battle reached its conclusion as the Astray Gundam Red Unit and Blue Unit hovered outside the fortress, watching Orb's space forces in their wolfish frenzy with complex emotions.
"Damn it... The enemy's already lost the will to fight," Lowe muttered mournfully, witnessing what could only be described as slaughter.
"But you can't stop it," Gai Murakumo replied flatly.
"I know! That's why it's so damn infuriating!"
Lowe wasn't cursing others—he never would. These curses were directed at himself, at his own inadequacy. Had he been able to decide the battle's outcome before Mina ignited everyone's bloodlust, they wouldn't have descended into such savagery. And now, he cursed his inability to prevent this tragic spectacle.
"Orb... is truly terrifying."
Gai had always considered Orb a frightening nation. Once the "Sleeping Lion," it had awoken after Yang Hui took power, now standing atop the world with its paws planted firmly on humanity's head. If he'd previously believed Orb's strength came solely from Yang Hui, now he realized its entire populace was fearsome.
Take Mina—for victory, for the space forces' glory, for her own pride, she'd staked her very life.
Or these blood-crazed soldiers who, upon their commander's collapse, didn't descend into chaos but erupted with even greater ferocity.
"What kind of world will this become?" Lowe sighed, turning to gaze at the blue planet behind them.
"A better one," Gai answered without hesitation.
"Better... You're right. That guy's been striving for it all along. Though I don't always like his methods." Lowe smiled wryly. While he often disapproved of Yang Hui's radical approaches, he understood the man's ultimate goal—lasting stability for the world.
And according to Yang Hui's intelligence reports... these people truly deserved death.
"The fortress occupation is nearly complete. Let's return to ship—we must depart for the next location soon," Gai reminded him, expression grave.
"Yeah." Lowe mirrored his solemnity.
Their briefing hadn't been detailed, but one fact alone demanded their absolute focus:
"In this coming battle, I can't guarantee any of us will survive." Yang Hui had told this to everyone heading for the final battlefield.
...
The space sector housing the Librarian Works headquarters was similarly left with no survivors. After occupying the Librarian Works' main fortress, Yang Hui and his team still honored their agreement with Lily Savary to some extent.
It turned out that at the start of the conflict, the factional struggle within Librarian Works had already concluded with the complete victory of the reformist faction. Due to Preya Reveley's gentle disposition, all members of the conservative faction had been captured and left in a semi-abandoned state. Even the previous operation where Lily Savary and her eleven sisters were sent to disrupt the destruction of Julius 7 had been sacrificial pawns—every operative involved belonged to the conservative faction. Those who weren't killed were captured upon their return.
If not for Preya Reveley being the designated Chief Librarian by higher authorities, Gina (Shadow) would have completely severed ties with them, effectively erasing the conservative faction from Librarian Works.
Thus, all the Carbon Humans who ambushed the Sword of the Heavens and the Minerva earlier belonged to the reformist faction. The surviving Carbon Humans of the conservative faction were imprisoned within the fortress. Gina (Shadow) had originally planned to lure Yang Hui into the headquarters fortress and then detonate it to eliminate them all.
However, Gina (Shadow)'s ambush was exposed from the outset. Yang Hui's group never entered the fortress, and the battle quickly turned into a one-sided rout, crushing Gina (Shadow)'s sinister scheme before it could unfold.
"Yang Hui, how should we handle this place?" Natarle Badgiruel asked.
"Destroy it," Creuset suggested. "Orb already has enough fortresses, and Mina will likely secure another one. Besides... we don't have the manpower to take over." The battlefield only involved the Sword of the Heavens and the Minerva. The Sword of the Heavens needed to descend to Earth immediately to head for the Kingdom of Scandinavia, while the Minerva wasn't under Orb's command and lacked the personnel for such an operation.
"Set the self-destruct sequence. Some things... are better left to fade with the wind," Yang Hui agreed with Creuset's proposal, mainly due to time constraints—they couldn't afford to waste any more of it.
Currently, both Earth and space were embroiled in widespread conflict. LOGOS' major bases were under simultaneous attack by elite forces, ensuring their destruction.
Moreover, with the scale of these events, Olf Navia and others would inevitably catch wind of it. They had to descend to Earth immediately to obliterate the Kingdom of Scandinavia and eliminate the festum, leaving no room for counterattacks.
"Understood. I'll contact the Marines to set the self-destruct sequence immediately. What about these people...?" The rescued Carbon Humans of the conservative faction also needed to be dealt with, and given their identities, they couldn't be taken along for the upcoming operations.
"Hand them over to the Minerva. Have them transport everyone to Ame No Minashira."
"The Minerva? Can we trust them?" Natarle Badgiruel voiced her concern.
"We don't need to trust them," Creuset interjected. "They won't dare scheme against us now. All plans have reached their final stage. If we win, they won't risk turning against us over these Carbon Humans. If we lose..."
"We won't lose," Yang Hui stated firmly.
He understood Creuset's underlying message—if they lost, all their struggles would be in vain. They would only need to wait for the festum army to arrive, bringing about the destruction of the world and the extinction of humanity.
But... this was something Yang Hui would never allow. This battle could only end in victory, not defeat!
"..." Hearing this, Creuset and Natarle Badgiruel smiled. Indeed, they could not afford to lose this battle—failure was not an option. Yang Hui's declaration dispelled all their worries and gave them the courage to charge forward without hesitation.
"What about those people? Have they been dealt with?" Yang Hui asked Creuset again.
"Not yet—"
Beep beep beep—
At that moment, Creuset's PAD chimed. He pulled it out, glanced at the message, and smirked.
"Don't worry. Not a single one escaped."
"Hand them over to the East Asian Republic and Halberton. That was part of the deal."
"Already arranged."
"Prepare to depart. We're heading to the final battlefield."
"...Understood!" (Multiple voices)
After handing over all the Carbon Humans of the conservative faction to the Minerva, the Sword of the Heavens separated from the ship. Yang Hui had no intention of letting the Minerva participate in this battle.
He didn't believe Shinn and the others were currently strong enough to take part in the coming fight. If their potential remained untapped, they should stay in the rear. Only after fully developing their strength would they be considered for battles of this caliber.
"Dammit! Who does that bastard think he is, making decisions for us!?" Shinn shouted angrily, glaring through the window at the distant silhouette of the Sword of the Heavens.
"Shinn, stop. Lord Yang Hui is only looking out for us."
"That's right, brother. Lord Yang Hui said... even he isn't certain he'll survive the coming battle, so..."
"It's because we're still too weak."
Silence fell over the group at those words. They knew it was the truth, but frustration and resentment lingered. This battle had made them, the so-called elites, painfully aware of their own inadequacy.
"Damn it! That guy better stay alive—so I can punch him in the face one day!"
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