When Reid emerged from the debris belt and rushed to the battlefield, what he saw was utter chaos.
The Ice Phoenix Gundam, the Phantom Dragon Gundam in Mirage Gundam Armor, the Nightingale, and the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley were locked in a four-way melee.
The primary targets for the Ice Phoenix Gundam, the Phantom Dragon Gundam, and the Nightingale were still the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley.
But Haman was cunning; she clung tightly to the Ice Phoenix Gundam.
The chaotic Char inside the Nightingale would not avoid innocent bystanders and would certainly attack indiscriminately.
Naturally, after being attacked, Ange would retaliate, and Salamandine wouldn't just stand by and watch her close friend, whom she had slept with, get beaten, so she would retaliate as well.
Back and forth, the three Mobile Suits began firing at each other.
At this point, no one dared to engage in close combat, because if two sides started fighting, the third would seize the chance to slash both engaged Mobile Suits. Although the Phantom Dragon Gundam could change forms, it couldn't single-handedly keep either the Nightingale or the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley in check.
It could be said that in this battle, Salamandine, due to her Mobile Suit's disadvantage, could only defend herself, which frustrated her immensely.
Thus, the battlefield between these four had, amidst the chaos, formed a bizarre equilibrium where no one could gain the upper hand. The Butterfly Shadow Qubeley, which was supposed to be the target of both sides, had truly managed to blend into the chaos.
Moreover, right beside this four-way battlefield.
The Alpha Wazolon, the Hi-Nu Gundam HWS Equipment Type, the Blade Angel Gundam, the NT-X2 Gundam, three Kyubey EX units, and the Jet Black Hunter—eight Mobile Suits in total—were also embroiled in a chaotic battle.
Although Reid's side had far more numbers in this area, both the Alpha Wazolon and the Hi-Nu Gundam HWS Equipment Type were Mobile Suits with extensive area-of-effect capabilities.
Moreover, Amuro, caught in that chaos, fought with extreme cunning; decoy balloons and the like were certainly not in short supply.
And Amuro wouldn't fixate solely on attacking Char; if he felt the other six Mobile Suits posed a greater threat, he would decisively switch targets.
So, in this battlefield, Reid's squad, despite outnumbering the enemy, could only fight to a stalemate. If not for Char occasionally drawing aggro, they might even find themselves at a disadvantage despite outnumbering the opponent six to one.
However, Reid wasn't worried about the safety of the six, because none of them had activated their Burst Systems, indicating they judged themselves far from being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Tekkadan, leading the Virgo II forces, was engaged in close-quarters combat with the Amakusa Unit led by the Gundam Bael Supreme King Form.
The close-quarters combat here was literal; since both sides' Mobile Suits were powered by Ahab Reactors, ranged attacks were largely ineffective. Only the Heavy Armament Type Gundam Flauros's telescoping electromagnetic cannon could deal some damage.
This battlefield was actually advantageous for Tekkadan, because the Gundam Bael Supreme King Form was being held back by the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form. With the remaining Amakusa forces outnumbered, and with other Gundams providing support for Tekkadan, they could only rely on mobility to buy time.
As for the frontal battlefield between the Gran Chaos and Londo Bell, the situation there was the clearest.
Londo Bell's Jegan forces had already been routed, and the Gran Chaos had broken into warship artillery range, initiating a ship-to-ship bombardment.
However, although the Ra Cailum had excellent overall performance, its firepower wasn't outstanding. The other ships in the fleet were Clop-class, and exchanging fire with the Gran Chaos was pure slaughter.
Therefore, after surveying the battlefield, Reid decided to head straight for the Tir Na Nog. As long as he shot down the Mothership, he could easily deal with Haman's remaining forces if they didn't flee.
Moreover, even if the people escaped, Codename: Amelius Squad would be back to square one overnight.
However, just as Reid was about to move, Amuro, piloting the Nu Gundam, caught up from behind.
But at this moment, Amuro wasn't particularly eager to fight and even proactively initiated communication.
Reid thought for a second before finally accepting the call, only to be met with Amuro's barrage of accusatory questions.
"Reid Isaac, what's the deal with those two Mobile Suits that suddenly appeared? Why do I feel like the people inside are me and Char?!"
To this question, Reid thought to himself that even if he told the truth, Amuro wouldn't believe him. So he replied coldly,
"Why don't you go ask yourself? That person who suddenly appeared shares the same Mental Wave as you. As long as you get close, you should be able to resonate and understand everything."
Reid said this purely to mess with Amuro, because if Amuro were to resonate with his counterpart in the Hi-Nu Gundam now, his mind would undoubtedly become a chaotic mess.
After all, those summoned by the World Impact—every time Reid sensed them—none had a clear mind. They would only indiscriminately attack everything around them.
But Amuro fell for Reid's trick. He felt that although Reid had ill intentions, his words made some sense. So he decided to communicate with the person who shared his Mental Wave and ask what exactly was going on.
Thus, Amuro immediately piloted the Nu Gundam toward the battlefield where the Hi-Nu Gundam was located.
Seeing this, Reid didn't ambush Amuro. Instead, he spoke in the squad voice channel:
"Yulan, Yufang, the Nu Gundam is heading your way. Don't stop him.
All six of you, withdraw from that battlefield once the Nu Gundam enters. Observe the outcome of the communication between the two Amuros.
However, whether they fight or make peace, if you end up battling them again, activate Burst Mode immediately. If Burst Mode fails to resolve the three of them within the last ten seconds, all of you retreat to the Gran Chaos."
After giving the command, Reid ignored the other two battlefields and headed straight for the New Danuu's Child.
To speed up his journey and prevent Teletha from commanding her forces to return for defense, Reid even activated Trans-Am for a few seconds during the assault.
After all, if Trans-Am wasn't used for long, its cooldown would be quick, and the particles would replenish rapidly.
At this moment, the New Danuu's Child was completely unguarded.
When Teletha noticed the Joyeuse Gundam charging toward the New Danuu's Child, she immediately activated the ship's automated defense systems and sortied in the Fallen Angel.
Teletha knew all too well that, against Reid piloting the Joyeuse Gundam, whether there was someone inside the New Danuu's Child directing its fire made little difference.
While its hundreds of cannons might deter others, they were meaningless against Reid.
So Teletha personally piloted her Mobile Suit to protect her ship.
Seeing Teletha emerge, Reid halted for a moment and used Laser Communication to ask,
"Teletha, what reason do you have now to stand in my way?"
To this question, Teletha merely replied with a smile,
"Because once you're on a pirate ship, there's no getting off. How does that answer sound to you, Reid?"
Hearing this, Reid used his mind-reading ability to determine that Teletha was likely telling the truth. He responded,
"A perfect answer, though you're a bit overestimating yourself."
With that, the Joyeuse Gundam instantly launched a sudden assault, closing in directly on the Fallen Angel.
Teletha insisted on putting up a fight. The Fallen Angel extended its arm forward, deploying the Lambda Drive Field at full power in an attempt to force the Joyeuse Gundam back.
However, Reid's current psychic power far surpassed Teletha's, and the Joyeuse Gundam's output also exceeded that of the Fallen Angel.
Thus, after the Lambda Drive Fields from both sides canceled each other out, the Fallen Angel was completely defeated. With a few swift maneuvers, Reid's mobile suit sliced the Fallen Angel into a limbless suit.
Reid spared Teletha's life purely because he saw that she was merely caught up in this mess. Haman had already given her numerous chances, so granting Teletha one more wasn't an issue.
After finishing the task, Reid left a message:
"Return now. Don't come out again next time. Once I obtain administrator privileges, I'll free you."
With that, Reid paid no further attention to Teletha. The Joyeuse Gundam activated its GN Field, charging toward the New Danuu's Child while enduring its automated interception beams. It then plunged its Super GN Sword into the ship's armor and began peeling back the hull.
The interior of the New Danuu's Child was now packed with Ahab Reactors. With this design, any explosion powerful enough to affect the Ahab Reactors would trigger a chain reaction, resulting in a fireworks display brighter than any other.
After tearing open the armor, Reid rotated the two Magnum Beam Cannons on the mobile suit's back to its waist and fired continuously into the ship's interior.
Soon, a series of explosions echoed from within the New Danuu's Child. Reid immediately maneuvered the mobile suit away from the ship to avoid being caught in the subsequent blasts.
This was a wise decision. Seconds later, the Ahab Reactors inside the New Danuu's Child nearly simultaneously reached their limits and detonated.
The entire ship resembled a massive bomb filled with hydrogen bombs, instantly erupting into a miniature sun in the cosmos.
This was a literal miniature sun. Its high-energy reaction terrified Reid, who was so close that he activated Trans-Am for a few seconds to escape.
In the distance, those engaged in combat, including the two individuals whose minds were in disarray, halted their attacks due to the terrifying energy released, turning to see what had happened at the explosion site.
Only Haman and McGillis, upon witnessing this, quickly maneuvered their mobile suits to rush back.
However, all they saw was the Joyeuse Gundam approaching head-on.
At this moment, both of them understood what had occurred.
McGillis was visibly furious. Using Laser Communication to directly link with the Joyeuse Gundam, he roared:
"Reid! Did you really kill Miss Teletha?"
Reid acknowledged the question.
If Teletha had returned before the explosion, she was still alive. If she hadn't, such a massive explosion would have sealed her fate.
Seeing on the radar that others were closing in from behind Haman and McGillis, Reid decided to buy some time.
Thus, he replied coldly:
"I don't know. The Fallen Angel came out to try and stop me, and I destroyed it. But I only severed its limbs; I didn't harm the pilot. I advised Teletha to return immediately, but I didn't check whether she actually did."
After Reid finished speaking, McGillis's anger gradually subsided. Teletha was clever enough; she must have returned directly. He then used a private channel to speak to Haman:
"Miss Haman, our plan has failed. Before the enemy catches up, you should return now. I'll buy you some time."
Meanwhile, Reid, aiming to stall, suddenly turned the question back to Haman:
"Haman, how did you use World Impact? Did Code Amelias really grant you the authority for World Impact as well?"
Regarding this question, Haman, in an extremely foul mood due to the failed plan, replied:
"I tricked her into giving it to me. Are you surprised?"
Reid did not question Haman's words but instead continued speaking to McGillis:
"McGillis, I previously told Teletha that as long as she returns and doesn't cause trouble for me in the future, I would rescue her from Code Amelias's grasp once I become an administrator.
I can make the same promise to you. As long as you return now and stay out of things afterward, I will let bygones be bygones."
Reid felt he had offered McGillis a way out, but McGillis was the type to stubbornly cling to his own path.
McGillis's response was simple. He laughed heartily:
"Haha, Reid, you want me to run away?
Hahaha, if it were before, I definitely would run. After all, as long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood. Unless absolutely forced, once a person dies, there's nothing left.
But I understand very clearly that Code Amelias at least promised to help me change the world, while you repeatedly emphasized to Miss Teletha that you would not deliberately alter tragedies.
I'm sorry, but for the sake of my goal, you cannot become the administrator of all worlds—at least, not until you change your mind.
So, let's duel. I will convey my convictions to you through battle and make you change your mind."
McGillis's reply made Reid think this guy truly had a personality that refused to give up until hitting a dead end, never turning back until crashing into a wall.
And talking about changing minds through a duel—did he really think pointing weapons at each other could lead to mutual understanding?
During battles, Reid had only ever sensed the enemy's killing intent and wails. So-called Awakenings and convictions—he had never felt them even once.
So Reid couldn't be bothered to persuade him further. After all, the encirclement of reinforcements he had been waiting for was already in place.
However, Reid remained cautious, worried that the two Amuros and two Chars left behind might take the opportunity to attack the Gran Chaos.
Thus, Reid ordered the Gran Chaos to immediately withdraw from the battlefield and go into stealth mode, so that even if those four wanted to find someone, they would come after him.
The best outcome would be if Amuro and Char, upon encountering his confused mind, also became confused, leading the four of them to pair off and fight to the death over there.
However, while McGillis had no intention of fleeing, Haman certainly wanted to retreat.
So, while Reid was conversing with McGillis, the Butterfly Shadow Qubeley vanished from the spot.
Seeing this, Reid said nothing. After all, if Haman dared to show up again next time, there would be no one else to cover her retreat.
Reid didn't believe that the people Code Amelias would bring in after suffering such heavy losses this time would be reasonable, intelligent antagonists.
McGillis paid no mind to Haman's departure and ignored the encirclement, instead issuing another challenge to Reid. His Mobile Suit raised its sword, adopting the posture of a knight's duel, as he said:
"Lord Reid, it's just me now. Surely you won't refuse me."
At that moment, Reid really wanted to just order his forces to gun McGillis down. The fewer fools who sought duels on the battlefield, the better.
But Ange stepped forward first, declaring:
"You're not qualified yet, Mr. McGillis. To challenge the strongest, you must first defeat the gatekeeper."
Ange clearly said this to allow McGillis to meet his end in the form of a Duel.
Because Ange was someone who recognized the honor of Duels, although she couldn't influence Reid in this regard, as husband and wife, they were meant to complement each other. So now she was willing to step forward and accept this Duel.
Seeing Ange take the initiative to accept the Duel, Reid naturally wouldn't order anyone to open fire. After all, with Ange facing McGillis, Reid couldn't imagine any possibility of failure, so he went along with it and said,
"That's right, McGillis. You'll have to get past Ange first."
McGillis didn't dwell on it here, saying things like Reid was hiding behind a woman.
After all, the first time McGillis piloted the Gundam Bael into battle, he was defeated in a one-on-one fight by Ange's Ice Phoenix Gundam.
So this rematch against the Ice Phoenix Gundam was also McGillis' chance to redeem his reputation.
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