Within the debris belt where the Gran Chaos and Londo Bell were engaged, Reid had not seen the Nu Gundam itself for five minutes since he pursued into this area.
Because Amuro had hidden his Mobile Suit well and was constantly changing positions.
Of course, this was also due to Reid's excessive caution while advancing at this moment.
Reid was well aware that Amuro would fix a Beam Rifle or Super Rocket Launcher onto some metal structure, then pull out a wire that extended directly into the cockpit, shut down the Mobile Suit, and wait for enemies to pass by before pulling the wire to ambush them.
This tactic was very effective against those overly reliant on Newtype Sense.
Because at that moment, through Newtype Sense, Amuro was not at the position where the attack was fired, and the Mobile Suit's Detector also couldn't detect much since the enemy machine was not activated.
When firing, Amuro's killing intent would naturally arise, causing the enemy to Focus all their attention on Amuro's side and overlook the actual direction of the attack.
In the theatrical animation, Char even suffered a minor setback from this trick, resulting in his Shield being blown away entirely.
Therefore, while advancing, Reid's Newtype Sense continuously locked onto Amuro, and his location was very clear, but moving forward required Nein to conduct a three-dimensional and comprehensive scan of the ahead positions.
Frankly speaking, damaged Mobile Suit weapons appearing in such debris belts were quite normal, but Reid didn't care; as long there were weapons ahead, he would immediately fire at them. Even though Reid had received news of the New Danuu's Child appearing, he still did not rush recklessly.
After all, Amuro had no time to set up very elaborate traps; simply disabling all exposed weapons would prevent him from ambushing.
Clearly, seeing Reid so cautious, Amuro did not use his signature wire-pulling ambush tactic. This debris belt was vast, and he was very patient.
However, while Reid and Amuro were playing the cat-and-mouse game, both simultaneously felt a sudden electric-like sensation in their minds—two more Super Newtypes had abruptly appeared on the battlefield.
And in Reid's perception, these two suddenly appearing individuals were again Amuro and Char.
Reid immediately cursed "Damn!" inside the cockpit, then promptly piloted his Mobile Suit to turn and leave the debris belt.
Although Amuro within the debris belt momentarily doubted whether his Newtype Sense had malfunctioned, seeing Reid pilot his Mobile Suit away, he naturally followed out.
At this moment, outside the debris belt, the battlefield between the Gran Chaos and the Londo Bell fleet had already become chaotic.
Rewinding the timeline a bit, back to when Amuro fled toward the debris belt and Reid pursued.
Once Amuro left, the remaining Londo Bell troops were truly just common soldiers; like Neo Zeon, they expressed how to fight enemies who were impervious to weapons.
Fortunately, Londo Bell fleet now had Char.
Bright Noa honored his promise, giving Haman a shuttle, and Haman returned the Alpha Wazolon to Char and left herself.
Since Reid was no longer in the nearby battlefield at that time, no one on Reid's side noticed Haman's departure.
After Char switched to the Alpha Wazolon, he needed Londo Bell to replenish fuel for the thrusters, so he did not launch immediately.
Seeing Amuro being drawn away, Char immediately reminded,
"Captain Bright, the enemy Mobile Suits possess an electromagnetic shield different from an I-Field. Ordinary beam weapons and missiles cannot penetrate it; only close combat is effective."
"However, that electromagnetic shield is only equipped on the square-headed units, but many other units are equipped with I-Fields. (Char mistook Barbatos for having an I-Field.)"
Bright still had some trust in Char, after all, they had worked together in the AEUG.
Moreover, with Char's explanation, he began to understand why Neo Zeon had been completely wiped out.
So Bright asked,
"Are all long-range weapons ineffective? Even ship-based cannons?"
Char answered this question with certainty,
"Ordinary ship cannons definitely won't work. You need high-powered weapons that compress MEGA Particles to penetrate the shield. Also, those square-headed units are all unmanned, but their mobility surpasses that of ordinary MS Pilots, and their close combat capabilities are not bad either."
Upon hearing this, Bright wondered who designed such units—it seemed like they were trying to make the MS Pilot profession obsolete.
But since these units were currently enemies, he had to find a way to deal with them. So Bright said to the CIC,
"Inform the front lines that the enemy Mobile Suits are immune to long-range attacks; only close combat is effective."
"Also, request reinforcements from the 88th Fleet. Tell them we've encountered an enemy we cannot match."
After speaking with the CIC, Bright asked Char,
"Char, approximately when can you sortie?"
Char glanced at the instrument panel and replied directly,
"Fuel is already more than half full. For a single battle, I can sortie now."
Bright was satisfied with Char's current attitude and nodded, saying,
"Then I'll leave it to you. With Amuro absent, you're the only one who can step up."
Char didn't say much more at this point. He disconnected the fuel supply line and piloted the Alpha Wazolon straight to the front lines.
Meanwhile, the front lines were completely dominated by Reid's forces, who were relentlessly pursuing Londo Bell's troops.
Close combat with the Virgo II sounded simple, but although Londo Bell's MS Pilots were all elites, their numbers were far fewer than Neo Zeon's.
The Virgo II was the type of unit that showed little difference when facing elites or cannon fodder. Unless one had ace-level skills, capable of taking down a Virgo II and then commenting, "Mobile Dolls are just too rigid."
Pilots below ace level could only be chased and beaten when encountering a Virgo II. The difference between elites and ordinary pilots was merely that the former could hold out longer and were more likely to escape.
Thus, even before Char could reach the battlefield, the New Danuu's Child made its appearance.
Since it needed to pick up Haman, the New Danuu's Child had to activate its thrusters to reveal itself, appearing directly on the flank of Reid's forces.
Neil, who had been sent out by Reid for reconnaissance, immediately notified the Gran Chaos.
The Gran Chaos promptly relayed the information to Reid via GN Particle quantum communication.
However, at that time, Reid was still playing cat and mouse with Amuro, so he only ordered one hundred Virgo IIs to remain and intercept Londo Bell, while the guards of the Gran Chaos stayed put. Everyone else was to eliminate the New Danuu's Child.
Reid issued this command because, in his view, Code Amelias had already withdrawn, and Haman and the others should no longer be able to launch a World Impact.
Therefore, even without him, Ange and the others had enough combat strength to deal with the New Danuu's Child.
As for Londo Bell, even if the Alpha Wazolon sorties again, only some of its armaments can forcibly break through the eight-linked circular magnetic mobile defense shields of the Virgo IIs. With a hundred of them, they'll have quite a handful to deal with.
However, Haman, who had already reboarded the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley, saw the main force of the Gran Chaos charging toward her and said over the squad comms:
"Reid's subordinates are truly enthusiastic, but now it's our turn.
Teletha, launch the full assault. If you see our battlefield on the verge of collapse, retreat immediately.
The New Danuu's Child is more important than us. If we can fall back to the New Danuu's Child, we can return on our own, so don't hesitate."
Teletha knew Haman was ensuring her safety because, ultimately, she had the least history with Reid in this squad.
She was still here now only because she had boarded Code Amelias' ship and couldn't get off, and after spending so much time with Haman and the others, she had developed some affection for them.
Moreover, Code Amelias had promised to end the tragic cycle of her world once she became an administrator—a truly tempting condition.
So, Teletha thought to herself that she still had to stand with Haman and the others through thick and thin. She would transfer from the bridge command room to the Fallen Angel before resuming command of the ship, but outwardly, she simply acknowledged the order.
After receiving Teletha's affirmative reply, Haman and McGillis immediately sortied with the Automaton Amakusa.
However, charging head-on into the forces led by Ange—Reid's full main force plus over a hundred Virgo IIs—with just the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley, the Gundam Bael Supreme King Form, and over thirty Amakusas was nothing short of throwing an egg against a rock.
But Haman was confident because all she needed was to break into the area around Ange. Someone else would handle the rest, and she could simply take advantage of the chaos.
Thus, while charging forward, Haman reconnected to the Ice Phoenix Gundam's comms and said directly:
"Sister Ange, Reid isn't here now, so no one will stop us. How about another one-on-one?"
Ange, hearing this, thought to herself: "Do you take me for a fool, Haman?" This time, she held an absolute advantage. Reid had already given up on this mistress of his. What gave Haman the right to challenge her to a duel? So she replied directly:
"Sorry, Haman, but you no longer have the right to duel me. By stubbornly coveting a position that was never yours, you've touched Reid's reverse scale. His only order now is to destroy you all with full force."
Haman wasn't surprised by Reid's command. As a candidate tasked with managing countless worlds, if he remained indecisive just because he'd slept with a woman once, even when his foundations were threatened, he wouldn't deserve that position.
So Haman merely sneered coldly:
"Destroy us? That's Reid overestimating you all. Since that's the case, let's fight."
Haman deliberately acted as if she intended to fight to the death because she knew that even though Ange said she wouldn't duel and would annihilate them with full force, if Haman charged straight at her, Ange's explosive temper would never allow her to hold back—she would definitely rush out.
Sure enough, when the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley broke away from the formation and charged toward the Ice Phoenix Gundam, Ange completely ignored Salamandine's warning—"Don't break away from the frontline alone"—and piloted her mobile suit straight toward the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley.
Then, seeing that Ange had taken the bait and broken away from the formation, Haman abruptly halted her mobile suit and activated World Impact.
Space-rippling waves appeared, imposing a powerful control over everyone on this battlefield.
Two Code Spheres materialized out of thin air, though this time it was clearly not Mobile Armors being transmitted. Judging by their size, they should only be two Mobile Suits.
As the Red Code enveloping the two machines dissipated, one blue-white and one crimson-red Mobile Suit appeared.
Shortly after, World Impact ended, and the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley immediately fled like a rabbit.
The two Mobile Suits summoned this time were the Hi-Nu Gundam HWS Equipment Type and the Nightingale.
The pilots, needless to say, were the two legends of the Universal Century: Amuro and Char.
This move by Haman was carefully chosen. In her mind, aside from herself, the strongest Newtype pilots were Char and Amuro, so she directly summoned their strongest forms.
However, when Amuro and Char appeared in a state of mental confusion, their first targets were naturally each other, being the closest.
It could only be said that Haman knew too little about the twisted fate between Amuro and Char. How could she summon both of them at the same time? It would be strange if they didn't fight upon meeting.
Thus, the Nightingale immediately fired its abdominal Diffuse Mega Particle Cannon at the nearby Hi-Nu Gundam.
The Hi-Nu Gundam dodged and promptly retaliated with its High-Energy MEGA Rifle.
Simultaneously, the two machines split left and right, deploying their Fin Funnels and Large Funnel Psychomu Cannons to engage in a shootout.
Frankly, when the two Mobile Suits summoned by Haman's World Impact immediately started shooting at each other, both Ange and Haman were stunned.
Moreover, the two machines were now fighting right in the middle of the two forces, their evasive maneuvers and speed dazzling to the eye. Under the orders of Salamandine and Teletha, neither side advanced recklessly.
However, just because the two sides didn't approach didn't mean the battlefield wouldn't shift.
Even in a confused state, Amuro would prioritize fighting in complex environments.
With two forces currently in the vicinity, naturally, the side with more units would provide a more complicated battlefield.
Thus, Amuro charged straight toward Reid's forces, dragging the Nightingale along with him.
At this moment, Salamandine, who was in charge of commanding the troops, just wanted to shout, "Don't come over here!!"
But the Hi-Nu Gundam was incredibly fast, plunging headfirst into the Virgo II formation.
This showcased the mechanical nature of the Mobile Dolls. The Virgo II's AI, seeing someone attempting to breach their formation, deemed it unacceptable and decisively opened fire.
The confused Amuro in the Hi-Nu Gundam naturally retaliated after being attacked. The High-Energy MEGA Rifle, being a high-compression particle weapon, instantly blasted seven or eight Virgo II units, tearing a hole in the formation.
Subsequently, the Nightingale also charged in and naturally retaliated when attacked.
With both machines now inside the formation, Salamandine could only order the isolation of the area where the two Mobile Suits were. She abandoned the Virgo II units in that sector, instructing the remaining forces to bypass the battlefield of the two machines and attack the New Danuu's Child.
However, Teletha would never let such a good opportunity slip. She ordered her troops to charge forward, ensuring the battlefield merged with the two summoned machines that had started fighting immediately.
Thus, Haman and McGillis immediately led their forces to charge through the gap torn open by the Hi-Nu Gundam and the Nightingale.
At the same time, Char from this world, sensing his and Amuro's sudden appearance, broke through the blockade of Virgo II on the other side and rushed over to see what was happening.
This directly caused the Alpha Wazolon to draw the aggro of the Hi-ν Gundam.
Additionally, Teletha overlooked one thing: if Amuro was removed, Char's hostility toward Haman was also quite high. So when Haman charged at the Nightingale from behind, Char in the chaos immediately turned to attack Haman.
Thus, for a time, both the Hi-ν Gundam and the Nightingale had their aggro overtaunted, and they occasionally attacked other passersby.
Meanwhile, McGillis took the opportunity to cause trouble for Tekkadan, intending to spar with the Tekkadan from the same world while Reid was absent.
As a result, four (or perhaps five?) factions were entangled in a chaotic melee on the battlefield, turning the entire scene into a complete mess.
(End of Chapter)