"What... did you say?" Yzak stepped back in shock and alarm, his gun hand trembling uncontrollably.
"The pilot of Freedom... he was also the pilot of Strike before. He's a Coordinator, and I heard he's been friends with Athrun since childhood."
"What?"
"Dearka and I don't have the same grudges or resolve as them," Nicol continued. "But we witnessed it—we saw everything. We saw what happened in Alaska, Panama, and Orb. We saw how Orb, which you always called opportunistic, refused to compromise even in the face of overwhelming enemies and the threat of annihilation, standing firm on their principles. Asking us to return to ZAFT now, to become soldiers who just blindly follow orders... I can't do that."
"Same here. I can't either," Dearka agreed with Nicol.
"Nicol! Dearka!"
Neither side could convince the other, leaving them at an impasse. Yzak was frustrated—he didn't dare leave, nor did he want to fire. Dearka and Nicol were fine with the stalemate; they never wanted to fight Yzak in the first place, nor did they want him interfering in the other battle. So they waited, buying time.
Meanwhile, Strike Gundam discarded its now-empty Wired Pods backpack and drew its Armor Breaker knife, charging swiftly toward Creuset's Gells.
But Creuset was no ordinary opponent. Even though the lightly equipped Strike was fast, Creuset was still the superior pilot. His Beam Claws lashed out—one severing Strike's right arm along with the shoulder, the other piercing the lower left abdomen. The resulting explosion rocked the cockpit, sending a shard of debris into Mu's side.
Strike Gundam crashed to the ground in a heap. Gells' Beam Rifle locked onto it, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Fate truly stands on my side..." Just as Creuset prepared to end Mu's life and settle his vendetta with the Flaga family once and for all, a sudden neural alert screamed through his instincts. "What—?"
BOOM!
Instinctively yanking back the controls saved his life. The moment Gells retreated, multiple beams tore through its right arm and leg.
"Mu!"
"Yang Hui!"
The golden silhouette of Dawn Gundam closed in at blinding speed. Creuset tried to resist, but before he could react, Dawn had already flashed past Gells. Inside the cockpit, the light dimmed as alarms blared—every component except the main frame had been severed from the Mobile Suit.
A violent impact told Creuset he had hit the ground. His machine was wrecked, and staying in the cockpit meant certain death. He flung open the hatch, firing two desperate shots toward Strike to pin down Mu, who was also trying to exit, before leaping from the wreckage of his CGUE and fleeing deeper into the Colony.
Originally, Creuset had planned to settle things with Mu today. But with Yang Hui here, he knew that was no longer possible. And then there was Yang Hui himself...
Dawn Gundam landed beside Strike. Seeing Mu about to disembark and pursue Creuset, Yang Hui quickly exited his own cockpit to stop him.
"Old man, don't chase him," Yang Hui said, steadying the swaying Mu and helping him sit against Strike.
"But... that Creuset..." Mu didn't know Creuset's true identity, but they were old rivals who had fought many times before. Many of his comrades had died at Creuset's hands, and he knew just how dangerous the man was. He wasn't about to let him escape here.
"I'll go. You stay here and wait for me." Yang Hui found an emergency medical kit in the Strike Gundam and tended to Mu's wounds before speaking.
"I should—"
"If you come, I'll have to split my attention protecting you. Don't be a burden, old man." Yang Hui pressed down on Mu's shoulder to keep him from standing.
"...Fine. Be careful." Mu reluctantly agreed.
"I will."
With a nod, Yang Hui turned and chased after Creuset's retreating figure. Sitting on the ground, Mu watched Yang Hui's departing back with a complicated expression that eventually dissolved into a sigh.
"Tch. Even I'm being looked down on now. That brat really doesn't hold back with his words..."
...
Yang Hui followed Creuset deep into the Colony's interior. Seeing the sign above the entrance, his lips curled upward.
"So this is the place."
Biosafety Level 4+ · Human Genetic Adjustment Research Lab.
This was Ulen Hibiki's research facility—the birthplace of both Kira and Cagalli, as well as Creuset himself. The root from which this entire war had grown.
"Listen, Creuset. Since you lured me here, why not stop playing hide-and-seek?" Yang Hui shouted into the darkness of the lab. The faint lighting revealed research equipment and even dead infants or embryos floating in preservation tanks.
"Heh. So you did leave Mu behind, Yang Hui." Seeing Yang Hui standing openly in the light without attempting to conceal himself, Creuset finally emerged from the shadows to face him—though he kept his gun raised.
"Rare opportunity, isn't it?" Yang Hui shrugged with a casual smile, ignoring the weapon trained on him.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"Will you?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I'm your only hope. You won't kill me." Yang Hui answered with a knowing smirk.
Beneath his mask, Creuset's brows furrowed deeply before he finally scoffed and lowered the gun. For the first time, he voluntarily removed his mask to reveal his true face.
"You're not surprised at all?" Creuset asked, for his face was nearly identical to Mu's—even slightly younger.
"What? That you're Al Da Flaga's clone? Mu's other 'father'?" Yang Hui countered with the same smirk.
Creuset froze momentarily before clutching his face and laughing. "Hah... hahaha! You really do know everything, Yang Hui! Then you must also know what this place is?"
"Of course. Kira and I are good friends."
"Just as I thought—we're the same!" Creuset declared with a grin.
"..." Yang Hui remained silent for a few seconds before speaking earnestly to Creuset, "I admit that initially I did recognize Kira's potential and even manipulated him, exploited him. But now I'm not forcing him to do anything. Everything he's doing is his own choice."
"Hahaha! What's the point of giving me such excuses, Yang Hui? I originally thought you were different from others, but it turns out you're just as hypocritical."
"Can't be helped. My personal charm is too overwhelming—those around me naturally fall under my influence. It's quite troublesome, really." Yang Hui spread his hands in an exaggerated display of helplessness, but his gaze at Creuset was filled with mockery.
"Tch!"
"I know far more than you imagine. You'll never know how many cards I hold, Creuset. But you—you have no secrets from me. So why waste time? Let's get straight to the point."
"Heh, amusing. I doubt you know—"
"Let me guess—you've already obtained the Neutron Jammer Canceller data and handed it over to that fool Azrael , haven't you?"
"You—!"
"Oh, and of course, one side alone isn't enough. Genesis is complete now, isn't it? Right next to Jachin Due, correct?"
"You... how could you...?"
For the first time, Creuset lost his composure in front of someone—flustered, speechless. If the Genesis intel had leaked from ZAFT, or if the Earth Forces obtaining the Neutron Jammer Canceller data was unsurprising, Yang Hui's absolute certainty that he was the one who delivered it to Muruta Azrael was impossible. That knowledge existed only between him and Muruta Azrael. How did Yang Hui know?
"I told you—you have no secrets from me, while my methods remain beyond your grasp." Yang Hui's enigmatic smile seemed to Creuset like an unfathomable abyss—unknowable, unapproachable.
"Hmph! So what if you know? The distortion is reaching its peak. Hatred drives men mad—it will erupt. Orb is already gone. How could you possibly stop me?" Creuset's blustering question was as much for Yang Hui as it was to steel his own resolve.
"With the power I currently hold, it's enough." Yang Hui's confidence made even this fantastical claim seem credible to Creuset.
"Tch! Anyone can boast. Where's the proof?"
"Care to make a wager?" Yang Hui smiled confidently.
"..."
"Our previous agreement—you've seen our capabilities firsthand. You should have made your choice by now. So... what's your answer?" Yang Hui pressed Creuset.
"...Hah, you're impressive, Yang Hui." Creuset was shaken. The overwhelming aura Yang Hui exuded at this moment, his absolute confidence, made Creuset unconsciously want to follow Yang Hui's line of thought. But a sudden sharp pain in his body jolted his mind back to clarity. "Your attitude, your presence—they're all influencing me to follow your lead, keeping the initiative firmly in your hands. But don't forget, Orb is gone. No matter how capable you are, what can you do? Even if you had three warships—no, thirty—could you stop the final battle between the Earth Forces and ZAFT? You can't!"
"Then let's make a bet, Creuset. If I succeed, you work for me." Yang Hui's expression was grave as he issued his ultimatum.
"..."
"Afraid?"
"Hah. I already hold all the cards. Why should I gamble with you?"
"Because I'm the only one who can save your life!"
"...I don't trust you."
"You have no choice, Creuset. You can only believe in me."
"...Then prove it with facts, Yang Hui. Prove you have the power to end the world's distortion—that you deserve to stand at its peak!"
"Deal."
With those words, Yang Hui turned to leave, deliberately exposing his back to Creuset. This wasn't mindless arrogance—Creuset couldn't kill him if he wanted to live. Just as Yang Hui had said, he had no choice.
As he reached the lab door, Yang Hui paused. Without turning back, he said, "This is the last time, Creuset. I won't give you another chance. My journey, my team—they don't need you."
(End of Chapter)