Char charged toward Reid. From a great distance, the two powerful Newtypes began sensing each other.
In Reid's perception, Char's mental intensity at this moment far exceeded that of his U.C. 0088 self. Over these five years, his Newtype ability had made significant progress, so his mental intensity approached that of the berserk Amuro Reid had encountered during the assessment mission.
Unfortunately, Char's Newtype ability had always been a mystery, and he couldn't actively open a Psychic Communication Channel with other Newtypes—he could only passively receive them.
Reid sometimes thought that aside from the passive abilities all Newtypes shared, Char's special ability as a Newtype was various forms of escape.
However, this time, Char wasn't his target. Given the choice between fighting Char piloting the Sazabi and Amuro piloting the Re-GZ, even a fool would know which to pick.
As for the idea that he couldn't reach Amuro without taking down Char first, Reid indicated he had another series protagonist here.
So, Reid commanded in the squad voice channel:
"Mikazuki, you handle the red Mobile Suit leading the enemy formation. Take it down if you can; if not, just keep it occupied. Tekkadan will intercept the other units following it.
Yufang, you come with me alone. We'll go find the other boss."
After speaking, Reid piloted the Joyeuse Gundam away from the formation, preparing to detour toward Luna V.
Xia Yufang naturally piloted the NT-X2 Gundam to follow, while the rest of Tekkadan charged directly toward the Neo Zeon forces led by Char.
Reid's decision to avoid battle was immediately sensed by Char, whose Newtype ability was now fully Awakened.
When Char felt Reid's mental pressure, he initially wanted to marvel at where yet another Super Rookie Newtype had emerged from. But the next moment, Char realized this Newtype didn't seem particularly interested in him and wasn't very eager to fight.
Then, Char saw the Joyeuse Gundam and the NT-X2 Gundam break away from the formation to detour.
At this moment, Char felt as if he was being looked down upon, so he said in the team voice channel:
"You all intercept the enemy's main Mobile Suit force. I'll pursue the two that broke away."
After speaking, Char attempted to pilot the Sazabi to chase Reid and the other.
However, the Sazabi had barely flown a few meters away from the formation when Char suddenly sensed a killing intent.
A killing intent akin to a beast locking onto its prey.
The next second, the Mobile Suit's alarm sounded, and Char instinctively tilted the suit forward.
Then, Char saw a heavy sword glowing with plasma blue light sweep over the Sazabi's head, its owner close behind. A Mobile Suit with large wings, emitting red particle light from within them, swept past the Sazabi and incidentally stomped on it.
Though the stomp didn't cause much damage, the enemy also needed to decelerate and turn due to high-speed inertia, allowing Char to right his Mobile Suit and get a clear look at the enemy who had just ambushed him.
So, Char earnestly assessed:
"Claws that seem capable of tearing a Mobile Suit apart directly, backward-curving wrist blades, huge antennae like bull horns—truly a beast. And the pilot is a master. Quite interesting."
Meanwhile, inside the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form, Mikazuki looked at the Sazabi and coolly muttered to himself:
"Able to dodge an attack without looking—a Newtype? Predicting killing intent is such a hassle."
Though both sides held high regard for each other, in the very next second, they simultaneously charged toward one another.
Char could sense that his opponent was not a Newtype, so his choice was simple. With a short, sharp "Floating," the Funnels mounted on the Sazabi's back thrusters launched forward, while the Mobile Suit itself drew a Beam Tomahawk from its Shield, ready to deliver a heavy blow.
In fact, according to the logic of the Universal Century, Char's judgment wasn't flawed. Non-Newtype pilots often struggled against Funnels, and a single misstep could lead to their Mobile Suit being ambushed and destroyed.
Moreover, a Beam Tomahawk had a special advantage against solid weapons like the Rebuilt Sword. Given the output of the Sazabi's Beam Tomahawk, that lump of metal should have been melted through in just a few strikes.
From its appearance, the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form carried no Shield. Without its weapon, the Mobile Suit would have only two options: flee or be shot down.
However, Reid had assigned Mikazuki to deal with Char not just because he was the protagonist of Iron-Blooded, but also because the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form's characteristics almost completely countered the Sazabi.
It was worth noting that the Sazabi's only solid projectile weapon was the small missiles stored in its Shield. The dual-bladed Beam Tomahawk counted as half a solid weapon, at least because its beam blades were supported by a physical axe head.
However, the primary function of this physical axe head was to shape the external beam into an axe form; its actual cutting capability was quite limited.
Against the armor of the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form, even if the Sazabi exhausted all the small missiles in its Shield, it might not manage to destroy a single piece of armor. As for the physical axe head, striking it would yield results similar to chopping at a Maus tank with a firewood axe.
In terms of speed, the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form, equipped with its halo thrusters, far surpassed the Sazabi. This was evident from how easily it intercepted the Sazabi's pursuit of the Joyeuse Gundam.
Thus, when Mikazuki saw his enemy brandishing a Beam Weapon to engage in close combat, he thought, "Perfect, if you want to fight, I'll fight."
As for the Sazabi's Funnels, although Mikazuki could roughly sense their positions thanks to the spatial awareness provided by the Alaya-Vijnana System, he simply ignored them at this moment.
Funnels firing at a Mobile Suit with Nano-Laminate Armor were like water pistols spraying against a steel door—more about visual effects than actual damage. There was no need to dodge at all.
Mikazuki directly swung his Rebuilt Sword, accelerating to slash at the Sazabi, ready for a head-on clash.
Consequently, Char watched as the beams from the Sazabi's six Funnels struck the enemy Mobile Suit without even causing its armor to glow red, much like shining a toy laser pointer at a wall.
Simultaneously, the Sazabi's Beam Tomahawk struck the enemy's Rebuilt Sword without melting it. Instead, the High-Energy Plasma of the Rebuilt Sword clashed with the beam blade, locking them in a stalemate.
Then Char felt as if he had struck a high-speed meteor with the Sazabi's dual-bladed Beam Tomahawk. The immense force caused a critical failure in the Sazabi's right hand, and the Beam Tomahawk was knocked loose and sent flying.
But Mikazuki's attack wasn't over. Like Shinn, he was straightforward and not one for cunning schemes. So, when faced with mind-reading tactics, Mikazuki had only one response: rapid, consecutive strikes.
As long as the speed is fast enough and the attacks are relentless, the Newtype's killing intent perception becomes half useless. After all, there's no need for deception—just straightforward frontal assault.
Even if the Newtype's killing intent perception knows the timing of every attack, it's all for nothing if the Mobile Suit can't react in time.
It can only be said that fortunately, the Sazabi is equipped with a Psychoframe, so its reaction speed isn't slow.
But that's useless. Prolonged defense inevitably leads to failure. Right now, the Sazabi simply can't create distance from the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form, and the power gap between the two Mobile Suits is enormous. If the Sazabi dares to clash head-on again, it will definitely lose parts. So, Char has no choice but to make trade-offs.
Seizing the tiny opening when Mikazuki swung his sword, Char deliberately used the Shield to meet the next strike from the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form.
Although the Sazabi's Shield is made of Composite Armor and coated with Anti-Beam Coating, it was still heavily dented by a single blow from the Rebuilt Sword, rendering it half-useless.
Moreover, using the recoil to create distance is futile—the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form's ring thrusters can instantly burst into high speed to catch up.
So, Char's move was actually just to block the line of sight. The Sazabi's waist-mounted High-Energy MEGA Particle Cannon was already charging.
Thus, when Mikazuki charged in for another combo attack, he saw the enemy Mobile Suit wide open, with a High-Energy MEGA Particle Beam blasting straight at his face.
The Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex Angel Form's external cameras, including the main head camera, were temporarily blinded by the beam scattering after hitting the Nano-Laminate Armor head-on.
Once the beam scattering effects faded, Mikazuki could only see that the Sazabi had already fled near Luna V and directly entered a passageway.
Clearly, this Escape-Type Newtype had once again utilized his ability, completing the Sazabi's turn and high-speed escape in just an instant.
However, Mikazuki decided he couldn't just let the enemy escape and tried to pursue. But suddenly, a team communication from the Gran Chaos came through the squad channel, with Salamandine quickly saying:
"The combat strength of Code Amelias's team exceeds expectations. Everyone, fall back. Ange and the others have already been repelled."
Salamandine's words not only interrupted the battle between Mikazuki and Char but also the fight between Reid and Amuro.
It must be said that Amuro might truly be a Newtype specialized in crisis perception.
After Reid approached with malicious intent, Amuro's experience and strength as the oldest recorded Newtype came into play.
First, Amuro told the other pilots who had come out with him from the Ra Cailum to run immediately. Through his Newtype instincts, Amuro was certain that anyone else here would be instantly killed unless the enemy Mobile Suit's performance was extremely poor.
And judging by the appearance of the Joyeuse Gundam through remote cameras and its approach speed, it didn't seem like a weak Mobile Suit at all.
Moreover, Amuro also instructed the others to inform Bright Noa to retreat as well—this group of mysterious enemies were foes, not friends.
After that, Amuro directly ducked into Luna V, adopting a stance of playing hide-and-seek.
Thus, Reid could only have Xia Yufang stand guard outside first, to prevent Amuro from escaping through other exits by circling around, while he entered Luna V to capture Amuro.
However, Reid had no idea what the terrain inside Luna V was like. The place had long been abandoned, with all electronic equipment shut down, making it impossible to download a route map by hacking into the database.
So, even though Reid could roughly determine Amuro's location through his Newtype Sense after entering, he had no idea how to navigate the passages, which resulted in him failing to catch up with Amuro for quite some time.
Then, Reid suddenly sensed that Char had also entered Luna V, and not long after, Salamandine's notification arrived.
Upon hearing it, Reid was stunned. Had Code Amelias regained partial authority? Had she also given her team a boost? Otherwise, how could they possibly contend with the Ice Phoenix Gundam that had activated Trans-Am?
It couldn't be that Ange had gone easy on Haman, failing to activate Trans-Am from the start and getting her Mobile Suit ambushed and destroyed, leaving her unable to activate it afterward.
After all, given Salamandine's rapidly intensifying feelings for Ange, if something had really happened to Ange, her tone wouldn't have been so calm.
That could only mean Ange was still fine for now, and Code Amelias's team had genuinely managed to repel Ange and the others even while she was going all out.
Thus, Reid hurriedly exited Luna V, breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the signals of the others were all present, and then quickly piloted his Mobile Suit back.
On the way, Reid had Hoshino Ruri briefly recount what had happened on Ange's side, finally learning about the clever tactics employed by Code Amelias's team.
In truth, the strategy to counter the Ice Phoenix Gundam's Thirty-Thousand-Meter Great Sword was both difficult and simple, and the answer lay in Nano-Laminate Armor.
Of course, the Nano-Laminate Armor on ordinary Mobile Suits couldn't possibly withstand the Ice Phoenix Gundam's Thirty-Thousand-Meter Great Sword. Once the nanomaterials on the Nano-Laminate Armor were depleted, the armor would just be relatively hard ordinary armor, losing its immunity to Beam attacks.
Normally, Nano-Laminate Armor couldn't be applied to warships unless it was an Unmanned Warship with an entire Ahab Reactor inside.
Of course, there's always the solution of making up for lack of quality with quantity.
If a warship wanted full-body Nano-Laminate Armor, it was simple: install Ahab Reactors beneath the armor. One Ahab Reactor would power one large armor plate, ensuring an abundant deposition of nanomaterials on the surface.
As for how many Ahab Reactors a warship would need, at least over a hundred.
Did Code Amelias's team have that many Ahab Reactors? Most likely, yes.
The warehouse of Gjallarhorn's Mars branch must have had plenty of spare Ahab Reactors, and they were also listed on their procurement list.
Even if they didn't have enough, Code Amelias could summon Mobile Suits to dismantle for parts, since the grunt units in the Iron-Blooded universe were all powered by Ahab Reactors.
However, playing it this way, not to mention the cost, would greatly compress the internal space of the ship.
Moreover, although these Ahab Reactors were independent units and not connected in series, their inherent gravitational fields would create extremely chaotic gravity within the ship's hull. In the worst-case scenario, some areas could become invisible gravitational distortion points, where passing individuals might get their hair caught and unable to pull it free.
A head-on collision would allow a person to experience the pain of their flesh being twisted over 180 degrees—it's even normal for flesh to be torn right off.
It's important to know that the output of Ahab Reactors cannot remain perfectly stable. If even one reactor fluctuates in output, the positions of these small gravity fields will shift.
While these gravity fields don't inflict significant damage on steel in a short time, flesh and blood certainly can't withstand repeated exposure.
However, Danann's Child is now most likely doing exactly that.
Because its hull surface is now entirely covered with ultra-strong Nano-Laminate Armor, the first wave of Trans-Am strikes from the Ice Phoenix Gundam's Great Treasure Sword actually resulted in the Beam being deflected, unable to cut through.
It can only be said that if the Gundam 00 Raiser's 400-Kilometer Great Sword could be deflected at several angles by the Empress's GN Field, it's no surprise that it now temporarily cannot penetrate ultra-strong Nano-Laminate Armor specifically designed to counter beams.
Moreover, a ship equipped with so many Ahab Reactors wouldn't use them solely to power the Nano-Laminate Armor. The New Danuu's Child is now moving at an extremely high speed, executing a burst acceleration that carried it out from under the Ice Phoenix Gundam's sword.
Immediately after, hundreds of laser firing ports opened across the ship's armor, unleashing hundreds of Beam Cannons in an instant, forcing back others attempting to close in.
Now, the question of how Danann's Child resolves the chaotic internal gravity fields also has an answer.
That is, simply abandon the internal structure plagued by chaotic gravity fields and add an external hangar beneath the ship. After all, the New Danuu's Child lacks nothing, least of all power—doubling its weight is a trivial matter.
And enemies rarely attack a ship's underbelly right from the start.
This external hangar clearly provides direct access to the bridge, located outside the chaotic gravity fields, and can even be converted into a large Hangar.
The Mobile Suits of Code Amelias's squad soon launched from below, and their numbers surprisingly exceeded thirty.
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