Reid had dealt with Hati on his end, but this time, Ange was having an unusually difficult time.
The Messala was also a Large Mobile Armor that required a crew of three. Naturally, those who could pilot this machine were elites from the Titans, so even in their frenzied state, they were well aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this situation, the absence of Newtype-like perception might have been a good thing for them.
Unlike Hati's pilot, Rousseau, they couldn't sense hostility, so they didn't charge head-on to clash with the Ice Phoenix Gundam rushing toward them. From the Messala crew's perspective, the Ice Phoenix Gundam looked like trouble. Based on their history, the ones who could shoot down Mobile Armors on the battlefield were almost always ace pilots in Gundams, and this Mobile Suit was clearly a Gundam.
Therefore, the Messala didn't engage the Ice Phoenix Gundam at all. Pushing its engines to the maximum, it bypassed the Ice Phoenix Gundam, intending to directly attack the main force of Mass-Produced GM Astrays or the mothership behind it.
Naturally, Ange couldn't let the Messala just circle around her and escape. She decisively pushed her Mobile Suit's speed to the max and gave chase.
However, in a place like space, a contest of speed was a contest of thruster horsepower. The Messala was a Mobile Armor, after all. Even with a Minovsky Reactor, its sheer size meant its output was no lower than the Ice Phoenix Gundam's. (Some sources claim this machine uses the same Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor as a Mobile Suit, which is clearly wrong. Even with a Minovsky Reactor from a century later in the UC timeline, it would be impossible to power this machine's arsenal. It could only be using a large-scale Minovsky Reactor specialized for Mobile Armors, or a warship-class one.)
The only speed advantages the Ice Phoenix Gundam had over the Messala were that the asteroid belt greatly restricted its range of movement, and its turning flexibility was far inferior to the Ice Phoenix Gundam's.
However, the Messala's powerful I-Field made the Ice Phoenix Gundam's occasional successful hits feel like mere scratches, and it wasn't as if the Messala couldn't fight back.
The Messala's Large MEGA Particle Cannon couldn't be used while moving, but its Diffused MEGA Particle Cannon, twelve Multi-Function Launchers, and Concealed Explosives that could be dropped as Space Mines were all still usable for counterattacks.
These weapons posed little threat to the Ice Phoenix Gundam itself. Its own GN Field could absorb a small amount of damage without issue, and the vast majority of attacks couldn't even hit it.
However, just as Reid had predicted, even the Messala's wild firing posed a considerable threat to the Mass-Produced GM Astrays. Despite Ange's relentless pursuit and interception, it managed to take out thirty to forty Mass-Produced GM Astrays while running and gunning.
This made Ange scream in frustration, almost to the point of activating Trans-Am to chase it down.
But using Trans-Am for pursuit was too wasteful. Seeing the situation, the Black Tri-Stars, who were supposed to deal with other Mobile Armors later, came to provide support, finally forcing the Messala away from the main force of Mass-Produced GM Astrays.
At this point, the Messala's crew started courting death. Seeing that they couldn't get close to the swarm of mass-produced units, the crew chose to attack the mothership directly.
A single Messala charging the Gran Chaos? Reid could only say that the Messala's crew was overthinking things.
Putting aside the fact that Ange and the Black Tri-Stars were on its tail, Tekkadan's Ghost Jegan Squad, serving as the Gran Chaos's exclusive escort, could stop it head-on.
Furthermore, the Gran Chaos's Large Rocket Bits and standard ship-mounted main cannons were not something the Messala could withstand.
So, when Reid saw the Messala trying to take on the Gran Chaos by itself, he stopped paying attention to it. It was like a prairie wolf challenging a pride of lions—pure suicide.
He then looked at the other battlefields.
The Brau Bro was being held off by Noin's single unit. Its four Wired Control Type MEGA Particle Cannons were highly ineffective against a Newtype like Noin. Being an old machine from UC 0079, it also lacked an I-Field to block beams. Its defeat was only a matter of time.
The Rosaceae was being cornered by the Xia sisters, Salya, and Hilda. Their situation was similar to Ange's initial encounter with the Messala, a game of cat and mouse.
However, here, the Blade Angel was the pursuer, while the other three, relying on their Mobile Suits' heavy firepower, used various barrages to block off paths and force the Rosaceae to reposition.
The Rosaceae was already being pushed toward a dense asteroid field. Once it lost its speed advantage, a single Blade Angel in close combat could dismantle it.
Belfgang had taken Mikazuki and Shao Hong to support Celestial Being.
The damaged Gundam Prototype Unit 3 (Stamen) had taken the Psycommu Gundam it had previously knocked away and gone to cause trouble for Celestial Being. Since the Ptolemy's current movement speed was comparable to a turtle's, all three Gundams had to act cautiously.
By now, the Exia had equipped the GN Armor Set Type-E. It needed this form's powerful GN Field to help the Ptolemy withstand damage, and its own Large GN Cannon could provide heavy fire support.
Of course, this was only possible because the Kyrios was constantly harassing the Gundam Prototype Unit 3 (Stamen), preventing it from firing its Large MEGA Beam Cannon.
But Celestial Being's situation was actually dire. The Gundam Nadleeh's current armament was the same as the original 0 Gundam's, making it extremely difficult to fight the Psycommu Gundam.
A single volley from the Psycommu Gundam's MEGA Particle Cannons was enough to send both the Gundam Nadleeh and the Exia in its GN Armor Set Type-E form scrambling.
Moreover, both the Gundam Prototype Unit 3 (Stamen) and the Psycommu Gundam were now closing in on the Ptolemy. Once the two machines got into close range, the Ptolemy was doomed.
Therefore, the support from Belfgang, Mikazuki, and Shao Hong was necessary. Reid even wanted to go and help himself.
As for the remaining units, the Big Zam and the Grovre had gone to engage the Alvatore and its Wodom Pod forces. With the Alvatore acting as a durable tank, the two sides were fighting on relatively even terms.
Meanwhile, the Lowee Guele and the Quebeley Mk-II had engaged the main force of Mass-Produced GM Astrays.
The Mass-Produced GM Astrays' Electromagnetic Armor was a good counter to the Quebeley Mk-II. Its primary area-of-effect weapon, the Funnels, couldn't effectively penetrate the Electromagnetic Armor (the Quebeley Mk-II's Funnels were the same model as the Qubeley's, with relatively low output).
However, the Mass-Produced GM Astrays were helpless against the two machines' various High-Energy MEGA Particle Cannons.
But the Mobile Doll program they were using now was Char's combat AI from F91. Reid had restored this AI using Char's combat data obtained from the Hyaku Shiki.
So, the Mass-Produced GM Astrays' high-speed mobile attacks and multi-beam proficiency were quite decent. This time, they were also equipped with the shoulder-mounted Bazookas that Char loved to use during his Zaku piloting days.
The battle here was one of the Mass-Produced GM Astrays swarming the two machines. It was unknown if they could take down the Quebeley Mk-II, but they could certainly tie it up for a long time. As for the Lowee Guele, it couldn't possibly remain unscathed against armor-piercing rockets; it would be overwhelmed and destroyed sooner or later.
Finally, there was the Bigro Lang. This machine had bizarrely gone silent after firing a single shot at a Wodom Pod at the beginning of the battle. Even now that the other machines had scattered, it remained stationary, not attacking any other targets.
At this moment, Reid did a mental count. Something was wrong. That was only ten machines. Including the downed Zakrello, Bigro, Val Varo, and Hati, that was only fourteen units. Where did the Elmeth go?
It was impossible for him not to have noticed a machine as large as the Elmeth leaving.
Reid looked again at the motionless Bigro Lang. It seemed that in this entire space zone, it was the only thing that could hide the Elmeth inside.
As the saying goes, where there's abnormality, there's a demon. Reid immediately ignored the other battlefields. He had to get to the Bigro Lang first and figure out what was going on with it and the missing Elmeth.
However, not long after Reid started dashing toward the Bigro Lang, a sharp pain shot through his head. A female voice spoke in an urgent tone.
"Leave! Leave now! Leave now!"
Yet, Reid didn't feel any obvious hostility or killing intent. After the headache, a warmth like soaking in a hot spring spread through him instead.
This comfortable feeling would be a luxury at any other time, but on the battlefield, it was potentially fatal.
The Bigro Lang's Large MEGA Particle Cannon activated again, firing directly at the Gundam Artemis.
At this moment, Reid was still immersed in that mental comfort, as if he were on drugs. Forget sensing killing intent or crisis; he couldn't even hear the Mobile Suit's warnings.
However, Reid wasn't the only one in the Gundam Artemis. Nein urgently maneuvered the suit to evade the beam, then slammed a fist into the back of Reid's head from behind, shouting, "Reid! What are you spacing out for on the battlefield?!"
Nein's heavy punch snapped Reid back to his senses, and the hair on his body stood on end.
Lalah Sune. How could he have overlooked the possibility that the Elmeth's pilot was Lalah Sune?
This woman, who could influence the entire lives of the two absolute protagonists of UC, Amuro and Char, even after her death, was definitely not to be underestimated.
Reid didn't know the specifics of Lalah Sune's New Human Ability, as there seemed to be no detailed official settings. But judging from how Amuro's own New Human Ability skyrocketed after his spiritual communion with her, her ability was likely a T0 support skill, such as developing other Newtypes' potential or directly and permanently amplifying their abilities.
Furthermore, the fact that both Amuro and Char couldn't forget her even after death, and that she could act as a ghost to guide them, was exceptionally paranormal. Even Banagher Links, who didn't know her at all, could hear her voice from the transcendent Newtype spiritual realm.
All of this proved that as a Newtype, Lalah Sune was likely a hidden boss-level existence. No wonder old UC Gundam fans often joked that if Lalah Sune hadn't died and had a bit of ambition, with Char on her left and Amuro on her right, she might have truly ascended to the throne as the queen of the UC Earth Sphere.
So, Reid had just fallen into her trap. Unlike when Lalah fought Amuro for Char's sake, where she truly had killing intent, this time was different.
This time, the rampaging Lalah Sune's berserk state might have been her non-combative side. One must remember that during her life-and-death battle with Amuro, they almost reached a mutual understanding through their telepathic conversation.
If Char, despite not having awakened yet, hadn't sensed he was about to be cuckolded and intervened, perhaps Lalah and Amuro would have truly had a spiritual affair.
Thus, this time, Lalah Sune, upon sensing Reid, might have read his mercilessness on the battlefield and chosen another way to restrain him.
Honestly, the effect was ridiculously powerful. Even though Reid was now awake, he felt as if his perception of killing intent had been sealed.
His mind felt warm, filled with thoughts like "go away" and "I don't want to fight." All sorts of gentle, warm emotions were being directly transmitted into his brain, making it impossible for Reid to muster his own fighting spirit, let alone any killing intent.
One could only say that this kind of spiritual solace was truly an antidote for someone steeped in the slaughter of the battlefield. Reid had only felt it once, and he was already a little addicted.
However, the Bigro Lang's attacks never ceased. Reid was now relying entirely on his own skills and Nein's assistance to dodge.
It had to be said, Reid wasn't the type of Newtype pilot who relied solely on his abilities. Before becoming a Newtype, he was already a seasoned veteran of many battlefields.
Therefore, feeling his mind being thrown into disarray by Lalah Sune's gentleness, Reid forced himself to make a rational judgment and said directly, "Nein, switch all weapon systems to your control. We're temporarily swapping roles. I'll handle piloting assistance."
Nein was stunned.
It wasn't that she and Reid couldn't swap operational roles, but the practical combat effectiveness would drop from 1+1 > 2 to 1+1 = 0.8.
That's right, letting Nein take primary control was even less effective than Reid piloting alone. This was a conclusion reached after numerous simulation tests.
Because Nein's piloting skills were really not much better than a Mobile Doll's, being a mere imitation of Reid's piloting, filled with a mechanical feel. And with Reid assisting, it was like trying to use a human brain to compete with a black-tech super AI in high-speed, multi-threaded operations—a pure case of pitting one's weakness against the enemy's strength.
But in the current situation, Reid felt that if he remained in primary control, he would be a liability. It was better to let Nein take over.
Even if the Gundam Artemis could only exert eighty percent of the combat power he could achieve alone, it was more than enough to deal with an old machine like the Bigro Lang.
Reid's judgment at this moment was correct. Lalah Sune could forcefully control Reid's fighting spirit, but she was helpless against Nein.
Previously, the Gundam Artemis could only dodge, and without Reid's command, Nein wouldn't attack randomly.
But now, the moment Nein took charge, the Funnel Lightwave Screen deployed in front, the GN Field activated, and Reid focused all his effort on maintaining the Lambda Driver Defensive Field. Immediately after, all Funnels were released, the Magnum was raised, and without a second word, she unleashed a Full Burst Mode at the Bigro Lang.
The Bigro Lang's defense might have been considered decent in the UC 0079 era. Although it was ultimately almost crippled by a combination of Iron Balls and GMs, that was the result of being bathed in fire from BR-M-79C-1 Beam Spray Guns and Iron Ball 120mm low-recoil cannons.
But against the Gundam Artemis's arsenal, the Bigro Lang's defense was completely inadequate.
In the exchange of fire, all of the Bigro Lang's attacks were blocked by the triple shields without exception. Meanwhile, its own thick, High-Tensile Steel armor was not enough to withstand even the weakest High-Energy Laser Funnels.
Its front half was pierced directly by the Magnum and the two Heavy Ion Funnels, while its rear half was quickly cut apart by the High-Energy Laser Funnels, revealing the Elmeth hiding inside.
The Bigro Lang's main body quickly dissolved into red code, and the Gundam Artemis, under Nein's control, launched a direct assault on the Elmeth.
At this moment, Lalah Sune, in order to forcefully control a powerful Newtype like Reid, couldn't afford to be distracted. The Elmeth was practically a sitting duck. The Gundam Artemis easily closed in and plunged its left arm's sword-shield directly into the cockpit.
The last thought Reid received from Lalah Sune was a single sentence.
"Finally, I'm free. Thank you."
Afterward, Reid felt as if he had been seamlessly tossed from a hot spring into a snowfield. The cold killing intent of the battlefield and the dying wails of pilots (mainly from the Wodom Pods) once again flooded his mind.
To be honest, Reid had long since learned to ignore the wails of the dead on the battlefield. But this time, even though far fewer people had died compared to previous battles he had experienced, the wails were so distinct.
It was obvious that although Lalah Sune had forcefully controlled him, her New Human Ability had taken effect during that time. Reid's New Human Ability had evolved once again.
If Reid were to look at his status panel now, his system evaluation as an "Ace" would have been upgraded to "Master," proving that just like Amuro back then, after encountering Lalah Sune, Reid's New Human Ability had undergone a transformation.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!