Wang Hu brandished his Beam Saber, deliberately increasing its output power.
The Lightning Zeta Gundam moved as if scooping clear water from a river, then playfully splashing it toward Yzak ahead—like friends joking around.
If this were elsewhere, without Mobile Suits and with actual clear water, the scene would have been incredibly heartwarming.
But unfortunately, this was a battlefield, and Wang Hu and Yzak were not friends.
Thus, what could have been a poetic and tender moment instantly became filled with murderous intent.
"You %￥￥&*!"
Yzak's opening words were filthy, so vulgar that Dearka, who had intended to curse as well, was shocked into silence by his friend's profanity.
"Yzak has gone mad."
Deactivating his Beam Cannon, Dearka attempted to assist his friend in this barely effective manner.
Simultaneously, he nervously watched for Yzak's countermeasures.
While cursing, Yzak's hands never stopped moving.
Seeing Wang Hu employ such a shameless move again, Yzak was so enraged that his eyes seemed to spit tangible flames.
Yet, facing the beams splashed toward him by Wang Hu, the Freedom Justice Guetz had no choice but to evade.
Even with the PS Armor on his Qilin, he didn't believe its head could withstand the damage from the beam splashes in this diving posture.
Moreover, while his Ship-Slicing Sword was long enough, compared to the beam splash damage, his sword would never reach the opponent before he suffered irreversible losses.
With a barrel roll, Yzak reluctantly sheathed his sword and dodged to the right.
"Arghhh!"
Due to the excessive acceleration, the G-forces during the roll made Yzak scream inside the cockpit.
"Don't think you've got me cornered just like this!"
Having fought Wang Hu several times, if not knowing him inside out, Yzak had some understanding of his opponent. Enduring physical discomfort, he hastily lowered the electromagnetic railgun at his waist.
Because someone like Wang Hu, who never lets up when he has the advantage, would inevitably chase him down for a killing blow.
Sure enough, just as Yzak prepared the electromagnetic railgun, Wang Hu—exactly as predicted—closed in like a teleport, raising his sword before the Freedom Justice Guetz.
"Eat shit!"
Veins bulging on his forehead and teeth clenched tightly, Yzak roared furiously inside the cockpit.
Seizing this hard-won opportunity, the white-haired pilot decisively pulled the trigger.
At such close range, Yzak refused to believe Wang Hu could retreat unscathed.
"Zzzzt."
The electrified barrel fired a shell brimming with Yzak's rage.
"Naive."
Holding his sword, Wang Hu utilized the posture adjustment ports distributed across the Lightning Zeta Gundam's body, abruptly sliding sideways away from Yzak's gun muzzle.
"Missed? No matter."
Seeing his seemingly certain attack fail once more, Yzak was no longer surprised by repeated failures.
Not even showing a hint of astonishment, the large combat backpack—identical to the Justice Gundam's—lowered two beam cannon barrels.
"Again! Again!"
Refusing to admit defeat, unwilling to accept loss, tempered by his mother's loving discipline—if nothing else, Yzak's mental state was exceptionally steady at this moment.
But Wang Hu had been constantly attacked by Yzak and Dearka. Would he just keep enduring their assaults?
The answer was obviously no.
Wang Hu's purpose here was to swiftly eliminate both of them.
This would fulfill General Zheng's strategy of crushing enemy morale.
If he kept entangled with these two for too long, even if Wang Hu eventually killed them, the psychological impact would diminish significantly, becoming an inefficient use of effort.
So while maneuvering sideways, Wang Hu's Lightning Z Gundam opened the launch bay on its left arm.
Two long metal whips shot out just as Yzak lowered the cannon barrels of his combat backpack.
Wang Hu's metal whips coiled around Yzak.
"What's this?"
Trapped by Wang Hu's whips on his Freedom Justice Guetz, a foreboding gloom descended over Yzak.
His bewildered eyes scanned the situation and quickly deduced Wang Hu's intention.
But today's Yzak was already resolved to face death head-on.
As the saying goes: you fight your way, I'll fight mine.
Come on, let's perish together! I'm not afraid!
There's a proverb: the strong fear the ruthless, the ruthless fear the desperate.
One man fighting with his life terrifies a thousand.
Completely ignoring Wang Hu's whips binding him, Yzak stubbornly adjusted his mobile suit's position.
Then he manipulated his machine's hands to firmly grip the whips, using them to pull Wang Hu back and prevent his escape.
"Heh heh heh, come to hell with me."
Several beam shots flashed from the shoulder beam cannons as Yzak vowed to drag Wang Hu down with him even in death.
"This guy."
Astonished by Yzak's fighting spirit and fearless attitude toward death today, Wang Hu had originally intended to use the whips to bind Yzak and swing him like a meteor hammer. But their mutual struggle ruined that plan.
Facing the enemy's beam attacks while being suppressed by this suicidal ferocity, Wang Hu ultimately severed the whips at the critical moment to evade Yzak's killing move.
Undeniably, from appearances, Wang Hu seemed to be gradually falling behind.
"Hahaha! You're scared, aren't you? You're scared, aren't you?"
Seeing that he'd forced Wang Hu back—the first time he'd ever gained the upper hand against him—Yzak's chest heaved like an ancient bellows. Gasping for breath, his energy and stamina draining rapidly in these short moments, he laughed wildly and uncontrollably, saliva flying as his mouth gaped wide, his face twisted and ferocious.
"Come on then! I'm not afraid of you!"
Yzak in the Freedom Justice Guetz beat his chest and roared at Wang Hu.
"Yzak?"
Dearka stared blankly at his friend, his eyes moistening.
"I'm not afraid of you either!"
Raising his beam cannon, how could Dearka let his friend face Wang Hu alone?
Moved by Yzak's actions and inspired by his fighting spirit, even though his Buster Gundam was designed for long-range attacks, Dearka recognized that ranged weapons had minimal effect on Wang Hu.
Abandoning his Gundam's advantages, he too sought to truly harm Wang Hu through desperate close combat.
For this, even risking utter destruction would be worth it.
"Tch, why do I feel like the villain here?"
Wang Hu inside the Lightning Z Gundam revealed a subtle smile as he drifted backward to create distance from Yzak and Dearka.
"A hero to their nation, an enemy to ours—that's the truth of it."
"Opposing standpoints and conflicting interests make this inevitable."
"However—"
His smile vanished, replaced by a glacial sharpness in Wang Hu's eyes.
Consider all this wasted time a courtesy to them.
Now, prepare to welcome hell.
With a sudden grip on the control stick, the Lightning Z Gundam lived up to its name.
It transformed into literal lightning in space, fully unleashing the mobile suit's speed.
In an instant, to Yzak, Dearka, and numerous observers,
the high-speed movement left afterimages on their retinas, making it seem as if Wang Hu's Gundam had mastered shadow cloning.
Looking up, they saw Wang Hu's figure everywhere across the sector.
"How is this possible?"
Horrified, Yzak and Dearka had believed their desperate efforts could narrow the gap between them and Wang Hu.
They never imagined that facing Wang Hu at his full seriousness would reveal a chasm spanning kilometers between them.
"Watch this!"
Eyes wide with frustration, Dearka couldn't distinguish Wang Hu's real body among the afterimages.
But it didn't matter—if he couldn't tell them apart, he'd attack them all.
Splitting the Beam Cannon, he raised one of the large-bore shotguns and fired at every visible Wang Hu.
The Missile Pods equipped on the Buster Gundam's shoulders opened, unleashing a full volley of missiles.
"Missed?"
He'd expected this move to at least pinpoint Wang Hu's real location among the afterimages, even if it didn't hit him.
But to his dismay, all his attacks passed harmlessly through the illusions, failing their intended purpose.
"Look out, Dearka!"
Just then, the white-haired Yzak beside him shouted urgently.
"What?!"
His pupils contracted to pinpricks as the Lightning Z Gundam flashed like lightning, appearing instantly beside the Buster Gundam.
Before Dearka could react, Wang Hu launched a powerful kick, sending the Buster Gundam spinning away.
Raising his rifle, the muzzle of the Lightning Z Gundam's High-Power Beam Rifle glowed with gathering energy.
"Burn."
At close range, he gave Dearka zero chance to respond—three to five beams slammed into the Buster Gundam.
"BOOM!"
Even though ZAFT Forces' engineering team had upgraded the Buster Gundam with a high-output nuclear energy core,
the PS Armor, bolstered by this power source, still couldn't fully neutralize the Beam Rifle's damage.
"Dearka!"
Witnessing his friend's Buster Gundam erupt in sparks, Yzak screamed in anguish.
His eyes burning crimson, he fixed a death glare on Wang Hu, now positioned where Dearka had been.
"I'll kill you!"
Like a madman, completely unhinged, Yzak charged forward recklessly, swinging his Ship-Slicing Sword.
Calmly tracking the approaching Yzak, Wang Hu manipulated his Gundam and fired a few precise shots, almost as if sniping.
"Don't look down on me."
Even having lost his reason, Yzak wouldn't be hit by such an attack.
Howling like a bull in an arena, Yzak desperately thrust forward his Ship-Slicing Sword.
"Swish."
A simulated sound effect echoed as Wang Hu noticed Yzak's persistent desire for close-quarters combat.
He decided then and there to show him in melee what East Asian-style bayonet techniques truly meant.
Fast, accurate, fierce, ruthless, steady, and agile - these six principles.
Forged through prolonged combat, the East Asian Army had absorbed strengths from various schools to develop these six core tenets unique to their forces.
The muzzle of his Beam Rifle emitted a beam resembling a bayonet.
With a swift step and sideways flick, Wang Hu's rifle barrel deflected Yzak's Ship-Slicing Sword from the side.
Following through, Wang Hu retracted his left arm while thrusting the rifle forward with his right, smashing the weapon's stock directly into the head of Yzak's Freedom Justice Guetz.
It must be understood that the East Asian Army's bayonet techniques are rooted in martial arts, comprising two segments with sixteen forms.
Each thrusting motion flows seamlessly into the next, every movement possessing both offensive and defensive properties, with flexible and varied combinations of techniques.
How could ZAFT's makeshift military training possibly compare?
In his haste, Yzak had barely stabilized his mobile suit's posture.
Yet with a simple upward-blocking thrusting strike.
Wang Hu gave Yzak no opportunity, effortlessly concluding the battle.
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