"Making up for it with courage..." Those words were simple to say, but putting them into practice was far from easy. When Lu Tianming pressed confirm, it was almost equivalent to pressing the button that would end his own life.
He felt as if his brain had been struck hard by a heavy hammer, his consciousness blurring for an instant. A massive amount of information flooded into his mind, and he felt his head was nearly bursting.
But as the connection was reestablished, Lu Tianming felt the load in his brain lighten slightly, though there was still a noticeable discomfort... as if a mountain were pressing down on his mind.
He tried calling out a few times but still couldn't hear Xia Chuan's voice... It seemed that the forced connection had only established a link between him and the Strike Suit as a body, without reaching the deeper soul.
But even that was enough.
As the connection was established, the dark cockpit gradually lit up. The images captured by the Strike Visual Sensor were almost directly transmitted to his brain, creating a very peculiar sensation.
Lu Tianming instinctively wanted to grab the control stick to operate the Strike Suit... but found that before he could even grip it, the heavy mechanical arm moved according to his thoughts.
Right... now, he was the Strike Suit.
Realizing this in an instant, Lu Tianming felt the surging power flowing through his body... and a fighting spirit spontaneously rose within him.
————————————
"Damn it, is this battleship trying to get itself killed? Fighting so fiercely?"
In the midst of the duel, Yzak clicked his tongue lightly. While it was good that the Archangel had actively closed in, this kind of reckless firepower coverage made it difficult for him to find an opportunity to strike.
Moreover, he had expended too much ammunition earlier to restrain the Strike Suit... It seemed there wasn't enough firepower left now. If he couldn't directly hit the bridge or the propulsion unit, he might not even be able to take down the Archangel anytime soon.
"Tch... Since I can't capture the Strike Suit, I'll have to settle for destroying it outright!"
With that thought in mind, Yzak decisively maneuvered the Duel Gundam to retreat slightly, then raised his Beam Rifle and pulled the trigger, aiming at the Strike Suit that lay motionless in space like a corpse.
Unable to move, armor ineffective... I refuse to believe you can survive this shot!
However—just as the beam was about to hit, Yzak clearly saw the Strike Suit sidestep, easily dodging the shot. Then, the mobile suit restarted, and the color of the PS Armor returned.
Yzak watched as the Strike Suit abruptly turned its head in his direction, the light in its monitor eyes flashing.
The moment his gaze met the Strike Suit's eyes... Yzak's heart inexplicably tightened, and a feeling of fear instantly surged within him.
"Tch... Mission failed, retreat immediately!"
Yzak immediately issued the command, then began maneuvering the Duel to fight while retreating.
Regardless of that inexplicable sense of foreboding he had just felt... the mere fact that the Strike Suit had restarted was enough to declare this battle a failure.
With the main fleet of the Eighth Fleet about to arrive, there was no more time to waste here.
"Who said I'd let you leave so easily—"
Seeing the Duel preparing to retreat, Lu Tianming unhesitatingly pushed the thrusters to maximum output. All thrusters of the Striker Pack instantly fired at full power, dragging a brilliant blue trail across space like a comet.
Inside the cockpit, Lu Tianming was immediately pressed back into his seat by the G-forces... but consumed by bloodlust, he completely ignored the physical strain, his crimson eyes fixed unwaveringly on the enemy.
"Tch... Is that guy trying to get himself killed? How can any human withstand such acceleration!"
Yzak, who was retreating, felt a sudden shock as he watched the Strike Suit charging at full speed.
He decided to abandon evasive maneuvers, pressing the pedals to accelerate his retreat and regain distance.
But he suddenly discovered... no matter what he tried, the Duel Gundam remained frozen like a crashed system, completely unresponsive.
"Move, Duel! Why won't you move!"
Yzak muttered anxiously, repeatedly attempting to reboot the Duel through the control stick and instrument panel.
He now felt a strange sensation... from the Strike Suit, he could perceive an undisguised, overwhelming killing intent rushing toward him.
This murderous aura was so intense it seemed to manifest as a tangible force... gripping both him and the Duel by the throat, rendering the Mobile Suit completely immobile.
Meanwhile, Lu Tianming's lips twisted into a mad grin as he saw the Duel had nowhere to escape.
Though his weapons had been disabled earlier during system failure, he showed no fear.
For one who had mastered this steel body, fists and feet were the ultimate weapons!
All power instantly concentrated in the legs as the Strike Suit, under Lu Tianming's control, suddenly drew back its knee to accumulate energy—then unleashed a devastating kick!
"Super——Inazuma——Kick!"
"Yzak?!"
Nicol, who was retreating, noticed the Duel had suddenly stopped moving on radar. Just as he turned curiously to look, he witnessed a scene that shattered his worldview.
The lightning-fast Strike Suit delivered a direct kick to the Duel's frame, followed by an earth-shattering explosion—he had no doubt that had they been in atmosphere, the blast would have been deafening.
A cloud of debris instantly erupted where the two Mobile Suits met, obscuring the Strike's form—he could only see the Duel being sent flying backward from the smoke.
The previously equipped Corpse Armor had been shattered by the powerful shockwave... even the main PS Armor appeared dim and faded.
Nicol had no doubt that had the explosion been slightly stronger, both Yzak and the Duel would have been completely obliterated.
"Yzak? Are you alright—"
Nicol asked with concern. If the Mobile Suit had sustained such damage, he dreaded to imagine the pilot's condition.
But before he could receive a response, warnings flashed across his cockpit—the Strike's targeting lock had followed the Duel's trajectory and was now locked onto him!
"I'm fine, Nicol... Retreat now! There's no time, get out of here! I'll cover your escape, I'll hold off the Strike as long as I can!"
Yzak's communication reached Nicol's cockpit... Through the transmission, his helmet visor could be seen shattered from the impact, having injured his face.
But these injuries were completely insignificant now... Their top priority was to retreat immediately.
Otherwise, forget about the Eighth Fleet that would arrive later—just this inexplicably frenzied Strike Suit alone could take all three of their lives!
Nicol, who had always been obedient, now showed defiance... Instead of following Yzak's orders, he stubbornly escorted the Duel back with the Blitz providing cover.
Whether the Blitz's long-range support truly succeeded in harassing the enemy or something else happened... In any case, after that initial long-range lock-on and intimidation, the Strike Suit didn't see
m to pursue them further.
Even so... the image of the Strike Suit as a white demon became deeply engraved in the minds of all three of them through this battle.
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