The high-speed machine dragged a trail of blue light behind it, appearing as if it were performing a magnificent waltz amidst the beams and missiles.
"They've appeared again... Dragoons that don't use thrusters."
Creuset maneuvered the ZAFT unit, constantly twitching his fingers. Green beams almost blanketed the entire battlefield, and within them, countless missiles weaved through the web woven by the light.
In such a dangerous battlefield, every movement was like dancing on the edge of a blade. Even the Aces of the Earth Alliance and ZAFT might not survive for long, yet the Unicorn was able to find a path through these attacks and pierce through.
"And it's not red, nor the green or yellow that appeared in the records, but blue..."
Looking at the faint blue light glowing on the Unicorn's frame, he instinctively narrowed his eyes.
"So... what is it this time?"
Durandal and Creuset had once spent days repeatedly studying Roz's combat records from his Jegan D Type period to the current Unicorn period. They had reached the conclusion that "the color the machine glows with reflects certain traits of the unit."
The red combat style was as aggressive as ever but with greatly enhanced performance; the yellow indicated falling into some kind of berserk state; while the green had appeared too few times and for too short a duration to be properly evaluated.
So, what traits would this blue manifest?
While Creuset was attacking the Unicorn and contemplating, not far away, Orphee Lam Tao—sitting in the cockpit of the white MS—looked on with a grim expression as the Unicorn threaded through the dense attacks.
After all, they had been fighting for so long that the missiles from the drone support ship were almost exhausted, yet they still hadn't shot down the Unicorn. Once the firepower dropped and the Unicorn seized an opportunity to attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Ingrid, prepare to control the Dragoons. We must stop the Unicorn!"
After a moment of thought, Orphee made his decision.
"Also, Shura, get ready. When we pin the Unicorn down, you will hold him in place!"
The white MS leapt from the drone support ship and unfurled its wings. Eight distinct Dragoons detached from the wings, extending red beam cutting blades from their sides as they carved out streaks of red light.
After the eight Dragoons detached from the white machine, the wing frames that had previously held them erupted with red light, forming a pair of red Wings of Light that propelled the machine toward the Unicorn at extreme speed.
"Cal-re.A, launching! All other units, continue executing the predetermined Unicorn destruction operation!"
Sitting inside the white MS named "Cal-re.A," Orphee's expression was dark.
Though he said "other units," the only Foundation machines actually participating in this localized battle against the Unicorn were the Cal-re.A and the "Destroy" piloted by Shura.
However, far away on the Moon, there was a hidden Foundation Kingdom force ready at a moment's notice to receive orders and use the Kingdom's "trump card."
In Orphee's view, using this trump card against the Unicorn was not "using a cannon to kill a mosquito," but a very worthwhile trade.
But now was not yet the time to use that "trump card." He had to find the perfect moment.
-----------------------------------
On the other side, the combined fleet and the Minerva clashed.
The first to engage in a chaotic melee were the MS units dispatched by both sides.
"Careful, Shinn. This battle isn't like our usual training; we don't know what their machines are capable of."
Hearing Rey Za Burrel's voice over the comms, Shinn Asuka's expression turned complex.
Asking himself honestly, the M1 Astray that had stepped forward in Orb to draw the Calamity's attention away from him and Mayu Asuka had left him with a deep-seated goodwill toward Orb's machines. At the very least, he did not want to fight the MS of the Orb combined fleet right now.
Don't come over here... run away... just run away!
While he howled in pain internally, his throat felt as if it were sealed with cement, unable to make a sound.
Don't get involved in this!
"Shinn, we have to block them."
Over the comms, Rey remained unaware of Shinn's internal agony and continued speaking. "The Kingdom of Foundation's MS support will arrive soon. When they do, we can counterattack, drive them away, or even destroy them."
"Now is not the time to be willful, Shinn."
As if realizing something, Rey's tone became stern. "This is war, not a game of house. People die. It's either them or us!"
"...I understand."
Shinn's voice was low. He wanted to say something, but in the end, the words wouldn't come.
"Engage!"
Following Rey's shout, Shinn saw a stream of MS from the combined fleet flying toward him.
There were M1 Astrays, Murasames, Jegan D Types, and even some unknown new units, but they all bypassed him, continuing toward other directions.
Then, Shinn saw that familiar machine: the Strike.
Although its original Aile pack seemed to have changed, he couldn't mistake that silhouette equipped simultaneously with the Sword and Launcher packs.
But surprisingly, the Strike completely ignored the Destiny—a machine that, at a glance, would be considered a formidable foe—and instead went straight for the Legend nearby.
For a moment, Shinn felt a sense of "drawing one's sword only to find no enemy to strike."
But soon, a rapid warning alarm blared in his cockpit, snapping his attention back.
Almost instinctively, he maneuvered the Destiny to raise its left hand. The beam shield deployed, and two thick beams struck it, scattering particles in every direction as they dissipated.
Only then did Shinn see the attacker.
It was a crimson figure trailing a massive plume of thruster fire, charging toward the Destiny like a falling star.
"Is that... a GINN? No, a ZAKU Warrior?!"
Seeing that somewhat familiar shape, Shinn froze for a moment.
At the same time, Stellar Loussier was observing the Destiny. She knew very well that the person inside that machine was the one she had made a promise to.
Regarding the attack she just made with the beam bazooka—Stellar knew Shinn could block it easily. But what came next was the specialty of close-quarters combat.
A mechanical arm extended from the thick, rocket-fuel-tank-like backpack, taking the beam bazooka from the Psycho Zaku's hand. Another mechanical arm retrieved a telescopic ship-cutting sword from the backpack's rack and handed it to the Psycho Zaku.
The Psycho Zaku lifted its head, the horn atop it flashing with a cold light. The telescopic ship-cutting sword extended its blade, and a beam-cutting edge formed along the length.
Then, timing it perfectly, she delivered a practiced overhead slash.
"Ugh..."
Seeing this ZAKU Warrior—covered in numerous thrusters and moving at a speed that almost outpaced his reactions—launching an attack, Shinn instinctively drew his own telescopic ship-cutting sword to block the strike.
Then, without hesitation, Stellar began a frantic, rhythmic assault with the sword, delivering overhead slash after overhead slash, exactly like she had during the theft of the MS at ZAFT.
With a fighting style so full of personal characteristics, she was certain Shinn would recognize her.
Thinking of this, Stellar connected Mayu's communication line.
Stellar's hunch was correct; Shinn indeed felt a strange sense of familiarity. Although the machine was different, that relentless madness and the disorganized, purely instinctive heavy hacking made him feel as if he had returned to the moment the Minerva first set sail after the MS were stolen.
He instinctively followed the rhythm of the Psycho Zaku, swinging his own ship-cutting sword. The two blades clashed repeatedly, sending sparks from the beam edges flying everywhere.
Finally, Shinn could no longer suppress the question in his heart. The two swords locked together, bringing the two machines into a stalemate.
"You... just who are you?!"
After a moment of silence, Shinn adjusted his channel to short-range communication and asked the question. Even though he had a faint guess, he still didn't want to believe it.
The Psycho Zaku tilted its head slightly, its bright mono-eye appearing to gaze into the Destiny's face.
"Brother..."
An unexpected voice came over the comms, leaving Shinn stunned. "You're a total, ultimate, invincible idiot!"
Accompanied by a violent physical and mental shock, Shinn's brain momentarily stalled.
Suddenly, the Psycho Zaku freed one hand, balled it into a fist, and punched the Destiny away—a scene that was quite comical in its bluntness.
But Shinn wasn't happy to hear a relative's voice again at this moment.
"Why are you doing things to escalate the war... Were all those ideals about wanting to stop the war you told me before just lies? Was it all a deception?"
Mayu Asuka's voice shifted from interrogation and complaining to finally carrying a sob. "Do you... do you want to create even more people like us?!"
"I don't want you to earn this money anymore. Please come back, okay? Let's go work a part-time job together, okay..."
Over the comms, Mayu made a sniffling sound, as if she were crying her eyes out. "I know, it must be that Di-whatever guy from ZAFT who tricked you, right!"
Listening to Mayu's crying, Shinn, who had just recovered from his shock, felt as if a knife were being twisted in his heart. At this moment, he instinctively began to doubt himself—wondering if he truly had been deceived.
"...Sorry, Shinn."
Stellar's voice came through the comms. "This was Mayu's request to me. She wanted me to punch you."
"But... this time, I've caught you."
Stellar looked toward the location of the Destiny's cockpit, as if her gaze could pierce through the machines to see her beloved sitting inside. "We won't be separated again."
However, the others clearly didn't know the current situation between Shinn and Stellar. At the very least, Rey—who was entangled with the Strike—became instinctively anxious when he saw the Destiny punched away by the Psycho Zaku.
But looking at the information appearing on his comms, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Shinn! Hold on a bit longer! The Kingdom of Foundation's reinforcements have arrived!"
...................