Before Mu in the Strike could even react, Barbatos had already swept its blade across, knocking him back.
Inside the cockpit, Mu suffered a violent impact and let out a muffled groan as the Strike stumbled to the ground.
"This kid... is he for real?"
After knocking the Strike aside, Barbatos raised its left arm.
Thud!
A lamp-like practice sword struck the raised arm of the Barbatos.
Mikazuki maneuvered the machine, swinging the practice sword in his right hand toward the Freedom's waist. Seeing this, Kira narrowed his eyes and brought his shield forward to block the strike.
However, he had underestimated Barbatos' strength. Along with his shield, Kira was blown back by the sheer magnitude of the force.
The Freedom landed and steadied itself. Kira looked at Barbatos with a heavy expression. "Is this Mikazuki's true strength...?"
"You little brat, take this!"
Mu's Aile Strike charged toward Barbatos with surprising speed.
Barbatos spun around suddenly. Just as the Strike was about to hit its shoulder, Mikazuki shifted the machine's position and drove his knee upward, knocking the sword out of the Strike's hand. He followed up with a punch to the Strike's head, reeling the machine to the side.
Inside the command tower, Mayura, who was piloting an M1 Astray, cried out in surprise, "His reflexes are so fast!"
"That reaction speed... how is he even doing it? And those movements... even battle-hardened veterans like Mu La Flaga and Wuxia couldn't pull that off."
Erica Simmons crossed her arms, watching the battle with a logical yet pensive gaze. Beside her, Murrue Ramius watched the Barbatos on the screen and spoke up.
"Mika's fighting style is different from any MS pilot we know."
"Different?"
Not only Erica, but Cagalli, the M1 Astray pilots, and the crew of the Archangel all perked up their ears, deeply curious about Mikazuki's overwhelming power.
"Do you know how a wolf hunts its prey?" Murrue asked.
"A wolf?" Erica didn't quite understand the question, but she answered anyway. "By relying on its natural predatory instincts?"
Murrue nodded slightly. "Exactly. The Barbatos Mikazuki pilots is like a wolf. He fights with the instinct of a beastwild, yet precise. There is no traditional technique or calculation involved; he relies purely on sensation... the Alaya-Vijnana System."
Murrue only said the name of the system in her heart, not out loud.
"It's best not to try and learn from him. This style of combat... no, this way of survival, is suited only for him and the rest of Tekkadan."
"I see... instinct," Erica muttered. She turned her attention back to the screen. Seeing Barbatos move with speed and agility that far surpassed the Freedom and the Strikemovements no ordinary pilot could executeshe became puzzled again.
"Can a pilot really withstand that kind of speed? I remember... wait, that boy seems to be bare-chested, doesn't he? Can he really handle the G-force and the shocks the machine transmits to the cockpit?"
"It's true. You might not believe it, but back when we were in space, Mikazuki didn't even wear a pilot suit. Granted, we didn't have one that fit him on the ship, but every time he launched, I worried about what would happen if the cockpit were breached."
Murrue had indeed harbored that fear while the Archangel was still sailing through the stars. Space was a vacuum, after all. If the cockpit was damaged, the air would be sucked out instantly. Combined with the freezing temperatures, going out without a suit was practically a suicide mission.
But Mikazuki was just that bold. If clothing hindered his ability to fight, he simply wouldn't wear it.
Erica wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "That child really is something else..."
Murrue gave a bitter smile. "Yes, he's incredibly reckless."
On the exercise grounds, Mu's breathing was ragged inside the Strike. Sweat was visible on his forehead. Facing such a powerful enemy in a Mobile Suit for the first time was exhausting him both mentally and physically. He felt so drained he could barely feel the pain.
He took off his helmet, wiped the sweat from his face, and put it back on.
"That kid... is this the kind of enemy ZAFT has been facing? if this weren't a simulation, I would have died thirty-seven times over by now."
Nearby, Kira wasn't faring much better in the Freedom. Although a Coordinator's physique was superior to a Natural's, the drain was still immense, even if he was in better shape than Mu.
"Is this the pressure of facing Mikazuki? Thank goodness he's not an enemy..."
Indeed, Mu and Kira shared the same thought: they were relieved that Mikazuki was on their side.
Inside Barbatos, Mikazuki casually stretched his hands, which had grown stiff from gripping the control levers for so long.
"Holding back is hard work. It's difficult to gauge the right amount of force."
"Hey, hey! You call that holding back?"
At some point, the three units had connected to a public channel. Mikazuki's voice reached Mu, and not just himeveryone in the command tower heard it too. Mu felt a bit embarrassed.
Kira smiled wryly. "Mikazuki did indeed hold back. From what I know, the output of Barbatos is far higher than what we just felt. Otherwise, he would have snapped our machines at their weakest points long ago."
"Are you serious? Just how strong is this kid?"
Mu's lip twitched in disbelief. The M1 Astray pilots in the command tower were equally horrified.
"Is that thin-looking boy really that powerful?"
"No way..."
"But Major Flaga and Ensign Yamato were clearly suppressed..."
The three beautiful female pilots spoke one after another, finally saying in unison, "He's amazing..."
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