"Yzak, hold him down! I'll take the shot!"
Dearka's voice echoed through ZAFT's exclusive communication channel. Even with the automated fire control system jammed... his manual aiming accuracy remained impeccable!
With the Duel and Strike locked in close combat, this was the perfect moment for him to land a heavy blow!
The Blitz's twin long-barreled cannons connected front and back, instantly assembling into a long-range beam sniper rifle. Under Dearka's control, the Blitz completed its aim in an instant—a violent beam suddenly erupted!
Coordinating with this move, Yzak maneuvered the Duel to charge forward with its combat knife—under this pincer attack, Lu Tianming would either block the Duel's blade and get hit by the sniper shot, or attempt to dodge the beam and expose an opening in close combat.
—At least, that's how Yzak and the others had envisioned it would play out.
"Shield defense, kick the bastard!"
Lu Tianming issued the command, then abruptly pulled back on the control stick.
Xia Chuan acknowledged with a roar. Instead of meeting the attack with its sword, the Strike delivered a powerful kick directly to the Duel's cockpit hatch.
Simultaneously, using the recoil from the kick, the Striker Pack's attitude control thrusters fired at full power, causing the mobile suit to dart backward like a phantom. The Blitz's sniper shot only managed to graze the edge, and even that glancing blow was completely blocked by the front shield.
"He dodged it... No matter! Athrun, now!"
Yzak's eyes flashed with astonishment as he realized their combined attack had been evaded.
This guy's movements... truly resembled human motions more than typical MS maneuvers! The agility was almost unnatural for machinery!
But... they weren't the only ones on this battlefield!
"No need to tell me!"
A crimson mobile suit flashed into view as the Aegis precisely intercepted the Strike's retreat path. Both arms extended yellow beam sabers, thrusting directly toward the Strike's undefended back!
Despite their ongoing conflicts with Yzak... on the battlefield, they were comrades who trusted each other with their lives!
But—the Strike wasn't fighting alone either!
Mu's Moebius Zero emerged like a lurking shadow, its wire-guided cannons unleashing consecutive strikes against the Aegis.
Even though the PS Armor minimized the damage from physical projectiles, the momentary disruption from the impact was enough to buy the Strike time to counterattack!
"Thanks, Mr. Mu."
Lu Tianming silently expressed gratitude as he watched the Moebius execute its hit-and-run tactic, while his hands never stopped moving.
The beam saber that hadn't been used since the initial assault—now, with a sharp turn, the Strike violently swung it toward the Aegis.
——————————————-
"Mr. Lu is incredible... He's holding his own against three MS of the same series..."
Inside the Archangel's hangar, Kira, Sai and others watched the battlefield projection, unable to contain their admiration.
They hadn't fully appreciated it during previous battles... but this confrontation made it crystal clear.
The Strike Gundam piloted by Lu Tianming... moved like a white phantom, freely navigating through enemy formations without accumulating a single scratch.
The close-quarters combat of the Duel, the sniping of the Blitz, the assaults of the Aegis... Lu Tianming deftly evaded every attack launched by the opposing trio while piloting the Strike Suit.
It was as if... he were a dancer performing gracefully amidst a storm, elegant and magnificent.
"As a Coordinator... isn't this level of skill to be expected?"
Flay sat nearby, chin propped in her hands... feeling somewhat out of place among Sai's group, who were marveling at Lu Tianming's abilities.
Due to her earlier reckless comment that had been rebutted, Flay's impression of Lu Tianming... wasn't particularly favorable.
Hearing them praise his piloting skills now, she casually offered this dismissive rebuttal.
"No... Mr. Lu is a Natural, actually?"
Kira was momentarily stunned by Flay's words before instinctively correcting her.
"Right, it's precisely because he's a Natural yet can still outperform ZAFT's Coordinators in piloting that we find it impressive," Tolle chimed in. If he were a Coordinator, they wouldn't have been as amazed.
It was his ability to defeat Coordinators as a Natural... that made Lu Tianming such a hot topic within their group.
"Eh? He's... a Natural?"
Flay clearly hadn't expected this answer... Like most people, she held the stereotypical assumption that Mobile Suit pilots were almost always Coordinators.
From the moment she first saw Lu Tianming, she had assumed he was a Coordinator... which was why she hadn't dwelled on losing the earlier debate—after all, he had genetic advantages, so her loss was natural.
But now, learning that Lu Tianming was a Natural like her, born and raised without genetic modification... her mind was thrown into turmoil once again.
He and she... were both Naturals?
Flay stared in disbelief at the screen, where the Strike Suit was nimbly maneuvering and engaging all three enemy units... her eyes filled with utter astonishment.
She felt as if she were gazing up at a towering mountain... one she could never hope to climb or conquer.
Seeing Flay plunge into shock again, Kira and Tolle exchanged glances, unsure what strange thing they had said.
They then looked at Sai, the fiancé of the person in question—he merely shrugged helplessly and shook his head.
Who knew what was going through her mind? Best to leave her be for now.
——————————
While Kira and the others were marveling aboard the Archangel... Lu Tianming had already endured several rounds of intense combat.
Though from the spectators' perspective, he seemed to handle it with ease, only he and Xia Chuan knew—every exchange in these rounds had been heart-stoppingly perilous.
After several engagements, Lu Tianming grew anxious—why hadn't the Blitz appeared yet? Was its pilot so cautious that he'd only strike when Lu Tianming was at a disadvantage?
Or perhaps... its disappearance wasn't meant for a surprise attack on the Archangel at all?
Just as these doubts clouded his thoughts, Mu's voice suddenly crackled over the comms:
"Lu Tianming, the Archangel has finished charging! Get clear of the firing line now!"
Hearing Mu's warning, Lu Tianming felt a wave of relief—it seemed the Blitz truly wasn't part of this assault.
"Still... Tianming, how do we break free now?"
Xia Chuan asked with some difficulty, as three enemy mechs now surrounded them. The moment he resolved one situation, he had to deal with the next. Forget about escaping—even catching a breath felt nearly impossible!
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianming lowered his head in thought, and an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
"Don't worry—just follow my lead from now on. Let's give them a real show!"