We'll set aside for now how Kati Mannequin developed firepower deficiency anxiety from this battle.
Only three Mobile Suits remained operational on the battlefield: the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam, Kapursli Muninn, and the Ex-S Gundam.
Ange was engaged in a one-on-one duel with the Ex-S Gundam, and Reid felt that if he intervened, Ange would challenge him to a duel upon their return.
Don't get the wrong idea - it definitely wouldn't be a duel in bed, but rather a sparring match in the Royal Palace training arena.
Reid decided there was no need to subject himself to one-sided physical impact endurance training, so he turned his attention to the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam and Kapursli Muninn.
The former was currently locked in combat with the Gundam Eclipse and Delta Gundam, while the latter was being pinned down by the NT-X2.
However, with the defeat of the Gundam Swan and FAZZ, the threat of the Super MEGA Particle Beam had vanished, and the remaining Mobile Suits from the assault squad began closing in, aiming to claim these last two kills.
To be honest, given his current position, Reid found it somewhat embarrassing to steal kills from his subordinates.
Just as Reid was wrestling with this dilemma, Hoshino Ruri's communication came through:
"Reid, Earth Federation Forces are gathering troops in the surrounding areas, and numerous Mobile Suits are preparing to descend from geosynchronous orbit. It appears they're trying to surround us."
Hearing this, Reid immediately understood that A-Laws still hadn't accepted defeat and wanted another round with them.
This was understandable though. While the MS Squad commanded by Kati Mannequin from this Guyana-class Land Battleship was among the more combat-effective units in A-Laws,
their combat capability represented just the tip of the iceberg when it came to A-Laws' full strength, let alone the entire Earth Federation Forces across the AD Universe.
Thus, Reid decided to return to the Gran Chaos to observe the battle, as the Gundam Artemis's Funnels indeed needed replenishment. By the time the external fighting concluded and the Gundam Artemis was resupplied with Funnels, it would be fully maintained and ready to engage any subsequent battles at peak condition.
Before returning to the ship, Reid said over the team comms:
"Everyone, wrap up the remaining enemies quickly. The surrounding Earth Federation Forces seem unwilling to accept defeat and are planning to throw us a party. We can't still be cleaning up when guests arrive. However, please avoid using special burst systems unless absolutely necessary."
After saying this, Reid immediately piloted his Mobile Suit back to the ship.
Everyone naturally heard Reid's communication, and almost simultaneously, they all began pressing their attacks.
After Ange lured away the Ex-S Gundam with her Ice Phoenix Gundam, its pilot Rio Lutz transformed the Mobile Suit into MA Mode to pursue the extremely fast Ice Phoenix Gundam.
During the pursuit, the self-learning computer [Alice] installed in the Ex-S Gundam had actually been continuously advising Rio Lutz to retreat.
The [Alice] system equipped on the Ex-S Gundam was an Artificial Intelligence entity similar to those in the Full Metal Panic universe, capable of independent thinking and analysis, and could even independently control the Mobile Suit during combat.
In fact, it was a developmental logic/non-logic identification device designed to learn and understand human emotions, ultimately reaching the stage where it could make its own judgments about right and wrong and develop a soul.
(Original setting had Alice possessing independent personality from the start, which must be modified here. A computer having independent personality would mean directly stepping into strong artificial intelligence. This machine could practically be considered silicon-based life.)
Of course, in reality, the [Alice] system in this machine only showed slight signs of awakening when the Ex-S Gundam was destroyed at the end of the storyline.
The system had clearly delivered the Ex-S Gundam from just before the final battle, with Rio Lutz as the sole pilot instead of the three pilots from the original final battle.
Although the [Alice] here already displayed somewhat human-like dialogue, it remained an imitation of humans through emotional simulation logic modules. Therefore, after being delivered by the system, it wasn't subjected to berserk programming and could still offer suggestions to the pilot based on the situation.
Naturally, the already berserk Rio Lutz, with his inherently rebellious nature, only became more determined to stay and fight. Retreat? That wasn't an option.
So Rio Lutz ignored [Alice]'s advice and continuously fired the Beam Cannon at the Ice Phoenix Gundam ahead.
Ange had originally planned to evade the Ex-S Gundam for a while longer, since the others' battles weren't over yet and she hadn't decided how to deal with her prey.
However, when Reid's voice came through the team comms, Ange knew it was about time to end the battle.
Thus, the continuously evading Ice Phoenix Gundam maximized its GN Field and directly tanked a volley of Beam Cannon fire from the Ex-S Gundam. Then it burst through the explosion smoke generated by the collision of Minovsky Particles and GN Particles, ready to test its opponent's close combat capabilities.
Rio Lutz's piloting skills were only mid-tier among Universal Century Gundam pilots. Relying solely on his own abilities, he would likely only be able to perform a sideways barrel roll evasion in MA Mode against Ange's assault.
Such a sideways roll would inevitably earn him a Magnum Beam shot from Ange. It's important to note that the Ex-S Gundam's I-Field Generator was located in its chest - taking a Magnum Beam hit from the side would be fatal.
Fortunately, the [Alice] system's assistance capabilities were exceptional.
When the [Alice] system determined that the opposing Gundam was charging toward them and that maintaining MA Mode would be disadvantageous, it immediately took the initiative to control the machine's transformation.
Rio Lutz was already accustomed to the machine sometimes moving on its own, and in his berserk state, he paid even less attention to such details.
Therefore, facing the Ice Phoenix Gundam's surprise attack, the [Alice] system controlled the Ex-S Gundam's transformation while the berserk Rio Lutz focused on maneuvering the machine to counter the incoming Beam Saber strike.
Their coordination was seamless, allowing the Ex-S Gundam to complete its transformation to MS Mode before the Ice Phoenix Gundam reached melee range, drawing the Beam Saber from its leg storage to parry the Ice Phoenix Gundam's slash.
The Ex-S Gundam's frame, like the ZZ Gundam, was composed of two units and a Core Fighter forming the complete Gundam.
The G Attacker Unit (upper body) and G Bomber Unit (lower body) each contained two Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactors to power various large Beam Weapons.
Naturally, the FXA-08GBG Core Fighter also had its own independent Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor.
In other words, the Ex-S Gundam is actually a five-reactor machine (the claim of four generators clearly forgot the Core Fighter). Only this configuration could support the Mobile Suit's numerous high-power Beam Weapons and the energy-intensive I-Field.
Thus, even with five Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactors from the Z era, their combined output could still contend with the Ice Phoenix Gundam's AC Universe Miniature Nuclear Fusion Reactor and Twin Solar Furnace system.
Of course, this contention was unsustainable. Ange wasn't naive enough to merely engage in a saber duel with the Ex-S Gundam.
As the two Mobile Suits clashed with Beam Sabers, causing localized atmospheric discharge, Ange immediately deployed the Funnel Blades from the Ice Phoenix Gundam's wings.
Though Ange had always been average in controlling Funnel Blades, hitting a stationary target was no issue.
Facing the Funnel Blade assault, the frenzied Rio Lutz inside the Ex-S Gundam wanted to scream "cheating!"
After all, the Ex-S Gundam's Head Wired Control Cannon and two Leg Reflector Type Wired Control Cannon Units were unusable in atmospheric conditions, yet the opponent could employ floating weapons.
Rio Lutz wasn't a Newtype, inherently poor at sensing floating weapons. Even after spotting the wing-like objects detaching from the enemy Gundam, he couldn't predict their attack patterns.
Fortunately, the [Alice] system could resolve this. Originally, the Ex-S Gundam's Head Wired Control Cannon also required [Alice] system assistance to operate.
So, the moment the [Alice] system detected the launched Funnel Blades, it prompted the frenzied Rio Lutz to pivot the Ex-S Gundam's leg Beam Cannons forward and fire at the Ice Phoenix Gundam's torso.
The [Alice] system didn't actually expect the enemy to be shot down so easily; it merely intended to force evasion, granting the Ex-S Gundam an advantage in the saber clash while freeing the Mobile Suit to counter the enemy's floating weapons.
Unfortunately, Ange had the same idea.
The two GN Particle VSBR Beam Cannons mounted on the Ice Phoenix Gundam's waist similarly swiveled forward, preparing to fire at the opponent's torso.
Thus, the four beams nearly collided right after leaving their barrels.
Unlike the saber clash where the Ice Phoenix Gundam's Beam Saber was powered by the AC Universe Miniature Nuclear Fusion Reactor (preventing particle conflict explosions), the collision between the Ex-S Gundam's Beam Cannons and the GN Particle VSBR Beam Cannons instantly triggered a massive explosion.
The Ex-S Gundam and Ice Phoenix Gundam were violently thrown apart by the blast.
However, once the smoke cleared, the Ice Phoenix Gundam—constructed with AC Gundanium Alloy—remained completely unscathed. In contrast, the Ex-S Gundam, built with UC Gundarium γ Alloy, showed visible deformation in its waist and abdomen, with the muzzles of its two leg Beam Cannons melted and twisted.
This was purely a disparity in Mobile Suit materials—the superiority of AC Gundanium Alloy over UC Gundarium γ Alloy was glaringly obvious.
Moreover, the explosion didn't fully resolve the Ex-S Gundam's crisis; it still had to confront the Ice Phoenix Gundam's six Funnel Blades.
Now, the frenzied Rio Lutz could only rely on the [Alice] system's audio warnings and micro-adjustments to narrowly evade the six Funnel Blades' attacks.
This was already the limit of what the berserk Rio Lutz—not a Newtype—could achieve with the [Alice] System. Expecting berserk Rio Lutz to shoot down Funnel Blades one by one like berserk Amuro was utterly futile.
The problem was that the Ex-S Gundam was armed only with cannons or high-power Beam Cannons, lacking any scatter-type weaponry. There was no possibility of using area-of-effect attacks to shoot down the Funnel Blades.
As for directly attacking the Ice Phoenix Gundam to resolve the crisis, the [Alice] System calculated that if it overrode the pilot to fire now, the Mobile Suit—currently using all thrusters for Evasion—would lose posture control momentarily due to recoil. In this situation, losing posture control meant suicide.
However, Ange was not one to show mercy when her enemy was vulnerable. Seeing the Ex-S Gundam desperately evading her Funnel Blades without any capacity for counterattacks, she immediately launched the Beam Boomerangs from both shoulders.
Beam Boomerangs, with their returning trajectory, often caught first-time opponents off guard. After dodging the initial throw, attention would remain fixed on the enemy Mobile Suit, only to be killed by the returning boomerang.
This held true for both berserk Rio Lutz and the [Alice] System.
Since Beam Boomerangs didn't exist in the Universal Century, neither the pilot nor the system had any experience dealing with them.
By the time the [Alice] System detected the two Beam Boomerangs circling back, it was too late.
The [Alice] System forcibly activated the Ex-S Gundam's leg thrusters, abruptly raising the Mobile Suit's altitude. This only changed the boomerangs' trajectories from slicing through the waist to severing both legs.
With the legs gone and the sudden altitude change unexpected by berserk Rio Lutz, he failed to evade a Funnel Blade aimed at the Mobile Suit's head.
Once the Ex-S Gundam's head was severed, the [Alice] System immediately judged the battle lost, deeming the VMSWR System useless.
To ensure Rio Lutz's survival, the [Alice] System ejected the Core Fighter and controlled the upper and lower components to launch a suicidal assault against the Ice Phoenix Gundam, buying Rio Lutz a slim chance to escape.
Unfortunately, the only resistance the Ex-S Gundam's components offered was forcing the Ice Phoenix Gundam to swing its Beam Saber twice, cleanly destroying both parts.
As for the ejected Core Fighter, berserk Rio Lutz—not completely mindless from his frenzy—didn't attempt a kamikaze attack.
He merely intended to use the Core Fighter's Quad Missile Launcher for one last counterattack.
But berserk Rio Lutz was overthinking. As soon as the Core Fighter completed its turn, it witnessed the Ice Phoenix Gundam obliterating the Ex-S Gundam's two components.
Afterward, facing the fragile Core Fighter, Ange couldn't be bothered to use her Beam Saber. She closed in and shredded it with the twin Gatling guns on her shoulders, destroying the Core Fighter piloted by berserk Rio Lutz.
Shortly after Ange eliminated the Ex-S Gundam, the other two battlefields concluded almost simultaneously.
Kapursli Muninn, after Xia Yulan in the Blade Angel joined forces with Xia Yufang in the NT-X2 Gundam, found himself relentlessly pursued by the two women. To make matters worse, Belfgang in the Mystic Lightning soon joined the chase.
In other words, the Blade Angel Gundam had just activated Trans-Am, which slightly affected its mobility speed. Otherwise, Kapursli Muninn wouldn't have been able to hold out for this long.
However, constant evasion eventually leads to failure. In the end, while in MA Mode, it was struck by the NT-X2's Rocket Heavy Ion Funnel and exploded into a firework display.
As for the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam, it was ganged up on by Noin, Salya, Hilda, the Black Tri-Stars, and the Tekkadan Ghost Jegan Team.
The fact that the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam managed to hold out until now can only be attributed to Van Aishiri Eno experiencing a sudden burst of potential.
But the outcome remained unchanged. The Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam was chased by Reid's squad of over a dozen Mobile Suits with no escape route in sight. A barrage of unavoidable Beam shots perpetually trailed behind it, forcing the pilot to focus entirely on Evasion while only managing sporadic counterattacks.
However, the final blow to the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam didn't come from those surrounding it.
Perhaps Neil felt that returning to the battlefield with zero kills would be too embarrassing. Piloting the Jet Black Hunter, he seized the moment when the Full Armor Red Falcon Gundam was cornered with almost no room for Evasion, delivering a ultra-long-range snipe to the torso to steal the kill.
This move immediately caused an uproar in the squad's comms, with everyone criticizing Neil. They pointed out that the Jet Black Hunter had been largely inactive and observing from the sidelines during the previous combat, making this last-minute kill steal utterly unethical.
Of course, everyone was just venting their frustrations. Reid's squad had no performance pressure—shooting down one or two enemy units wouldn't lead to immediate promotions or raises.
Thus, Neil pacified the squad by promising to treat everyone to a lavish meal after returning, smoothly defusing the tension over his kill-stealing antics.
(End of Chapter)