Just as the orders were finalized, the bridge of an escort ship several nautical miles from the flagship erupted in a violent explosion and plunged straight into the sea.
"Where did that attack come from?" the captain shouted, his voice strained as he watched the distant blast.
"We can't find anything! I can't confirm the source of the attack!"
"What?" The captain spun around to glare at the radar operator, his face flushed with rage. "That's impossible! We're in the middle of the ocean. Even the main cannon of a space battleship would be detected within Earth's atmosphere. Expand the radar search to the maximum range!"
"It's already at maximum, sir! There is truly no trace of the source."
"Could it be... coming from the island? Don't be ridiculous. How far are we from Oro Island and Zero-Two-Seven? Even a Positron Blaster Cannon couldn't hit a bridge with that kind of precision from this distance! Besides, that wasn't a beam at all. But no physical cannon has a range like that. What on earth is it?"
The captain stumbled back, dazed. Muruta Azrael, sitting in his chair, shared the same look of blank shock before he suddenly found his voice and screamed.
"Don't just stand there! Retreat! Get away from this sea! The operation to attack the Orb Union ends here!"
Boom!
The bridge of another warship was blown apart, sending the vessel sinking into the depths. The captain finally snapped out of it and ran to the communications officer.
"Quickly! Notify all ships: cease combat operations and clear this area immediately!"
Mikazuki, gripping the severed head of a Strike Dagger with the hand of his Gundam Barbatos, looked back toward Oro Island with a celebratory glint in his eyes.
On a high platform on Oro Island stood a tan-colored machine, raising an ultra-long-range rifle. The high-sensitivity sensors on the machine's head retracted, revealing a standard Gundam mechanical face.
"Heh, this gun isn't any worse than the ones made by Teiwaz," Akihiro muttered.
Inside the cockpit, the burly young manbare-chested just like Mikazukitightened his grip on the control sticks. "I'm here to help, Mika."
"Akihiro?" Mikazuki paused for a second, and then a smile broke across his face. "You're too slow, Akihiro."
Orga Itsuka's voice crackled over the comms inside the Gundam Gusion Rebake's cockpit, and Akihiro scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Sorry I'm late. Though it looks like you didn't really need me."
"No, you've been a huge help."
Mikazuki wasn't lying. The Earth Alliance fleet had been thrown into utter chaos by the Gusion's ultra-long-range strikes. They had no idea which ship would be the next to sink because they couldn't find the source of the fire, making tactical predictions impossible.
Their formations were breaking apart. In the panic caused by the Gusion's sudden sniper fire, the Earth Alliance had almost forgotten that a monster like Barbatos was still in their midst.
Mikazuki seized the opportunity. After taking down two nearby Strike Daggers, he landed on the deck of the nearest aircraft carrier. He drove his Tachi deep into the carrier's bridge and then fired two rounds directly into the flight deck.
Boom!
The Pacific Fleet had just lost another incredibly expensive vessel. The MS pilots, the crew of the Archangel, and everyone in the Orb command center watched the screen in stunned silence as Barbatos unleashed its fury.
Dearka Elsman, having just landed his machine, swallowed hard as he watched the monitor. "Have we really been fighting a guy that terrifying this whole time?"
Athrun Zala remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Muruta Azrael stood up, looking like a man driven to madness, and roared, "Fire! Fire the cannons! I don't care if there's only one machinekill him!"
In Muruta's eyes, Barbatos had become far too dangerous to be left alive.
"But the MS units haven't fully returned yet! Firing from this range carries a high risk of hitting our own ships!" the captain protested.
"I don't care! It can't be helped even if we hit our own ships and MS! If we don't attack, that machine will never stop hunting us! We are important; we cannot die here! Don't worry, we'll avenge the soldiers who died 'protecting' us later. Now, fire!"
There wasn't a trace of hesitation on Muruta's face. He didn't care one bit how many friendly lives his decision would cost.
The captain's face contorted in a brief struggle before he finally pulled his hat down and spoke in a low, heavy voice. "Notify all ships... target the enemy MS. Full fire saturation. All ships to maximum speed."
The weapons systems on the eighteen carriers were unlocked. An all-out firing sequence commenced. In an instant, the sky over the sector was blanketed by a dense, suffocating cloud of missiles and beams.
"Mika!"
Murrue Ramius's face turned pale in the command center. Cagalli Yula Athha slammed her hand onto the table, her voice thick with rage. "Do they intend to kill their own MS as well?"
Several Strike Daggers that hadn't reached the fleet in time were instantly turned into scrap metal by friendly fire, falling into the sea. Even two of the slower carriers were caught in the crossfire of their own side's missiles and beams, sinking into the depths.
Mikazuki was momentarily stunned by the Earth Alliance's complete disregard for their own men, but he adjusted quickly. He maneuvered his machine in a frantic dance of evasion, grabbing the shield of a destroyed Strike Dagger to use as a makeshift barrier against the shockwaves.
The quality of the fancy shield was pathetic; it crumbled after only a few missile impacts. Mikazuki decisively threw it away and boosted his machine upward, attempting to break out of the fire saturation zone.
He swung his Tachi in front of him, slicing through incoming beams and missiles. On Oro Island, Akihiro's expression darkened as he tried to cover Barbatos.
"Damn those bastards! Mika, get out of there!"
He couldn't risk a shot now. Too many missiles were swarming Barbatos; if he shot one down, he might trigger a chain reaction of explosions that would swallow Barbatos whole.
Boom!
The onlookers watched in horror as a series of beams and missiles detonated directly against the body of Barbatos.
"Mika!"
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