Chapter 192: Attack on the Colony II
Unfortunately, the space-type Leos were no match for the unmanned Taurus units. Even ten against one, they were quickly overwhelmed under the unmanned Tauruses' relentless long-range fire.
And the unmanned Tauruses weren't limited to ranged combat—when the space-type Leos suddenly closed in, they would accelerate and ram forward, driving the sharp spikes on their elbows into the enemy.
It took at least twenty or thirty space-type Leos ganging up on a single unmanned Taurus to bring one down. Even then, they would suffer heavy losses—at least a dozen Leos destroyed in the process.
Worse still, the unmanned Tauruses never gave them that opportunity. They always operated in squads of three, moving and attacking together.
Watching the brutal battle unfold, Milliardo couldn't sit still any longer. He launched his Tallgeese into the fray to help defend the colony satellite.
The Tallgeese plunged straight into the cluster of unmanned Tauruses, closing the distance and unleashing rapid fire from its Dober Gun. At such close range, the MD system couldn't react in time—the shells smashed the unmanned suits to pieces.
Sensing that one of their own had been destroyed, the surrounding unmanned Tauruses immediately turned their fire on the Tallgeese. Beams from their rifles poured down like rain all around it.
Facing such concentrated fire, Milliardo swiftly pulled the Tallgeese back, retreating beyond their range before searching for a weak point to break through.
Spotting a smaller group on the perimeter, he rushed them, using the same tactic—closing in and firing the Dober Gun at close range—destroying several unmanned Tauruses in quick succession.
Meanwhile, the United Earth Sphere Alliance forces, seeing the one-sided slaughter, made a quick decision. While the unmanned Tauruses' attention was still focused on them, they began evacuating all the civilians from the colony satellite onto shuttles and safely sent them away to other colonies for refuge.
The Alliance's supreme commander chose to remain behind with the colony, determined to share its fate. He knew the OZ forces would eventually fire the beam cannon at the Barge Fortress—but he wanted to make sure everyone understood what this destruction meant.
This would be remembered as the first colony satellite ever destroyed in war—a direct consequence of the Alliance bringing military power into space. He wanted every colony seeking its own military strength to see the outcome clearly—the price of that mistake.
On the battlefield, only Milliardo's Tallgeese was achieving results, taking down seven or eight unmanned Tauruses alone.
The rest of the Alliance forces were being wiped out. In just over ten minutes, more than sixty or seventy space-type Leos had been destroyed, and their minefield had been completely cleared.
The OZ unmanned Tauruses, on the other hand, had lost fewer than ten units—and if not for the Tallgeese's intervention, that number would've been even lower.
At that moment, Lady Relena—Saint Relena—also entered the battlefield, piloting her own Taurus. But she neither dodged nor fired back at the space-type Leos' beam rifles; she moved as if seeking death.
Inside the shaking cockpit, as explosions flashed across the main monitor, she gazed blankly at the battle raging around her and murmured:
"Lord Treize… Is this the kind of battle he wished for? Lord Treize… can even he not create a new future?
All that remains is war. Battle is the only path. Without fighting, nothing can ever be born."
At that moment, Milliardo noticed Relena's Taurus on the battlefield—motionless, unresisting, and not attacking. He raised his Dober Gun, hesitating whether to fire, when suddenly Treize's voice came through his Tallgeese's comm system.
"Treize?"
"Zechs Merquise—no… my eternal friend, Milliardo Peacecraft. Hearing that you've returned to space fills me with joy.
OZ has changed, and my strength is no longer enough. The Romefeller Foundation, or rather humanity itself, has chosen a path of reckless indulgence.
I never imagined that as power flourished, it would make mankind's spirit so decadent."
Milliardo replied with conviction, "I've always believed that OZ's purpose wasn't war, but to cultivate soldiers with the spirit to fight. But now, these battles no longer even need humans."
Treize sighed softly. "Yes… I am merely a soldier, and I've chosen to resist this tide with my own will.
Milliardo, I no longer have the power to change the path the Romefeller Foundation has taken. But at this moment, to speak with someone who understands me—it makes me truly happy."
Closing his eyes with a faint smile, Treize continued, "Milliardo, besides you, there are two others who understand me. But one of them, because she cared too deeply for me, has become a woman with two souls."
Milliardo, recalling Relena's strange behavior, immediately asked, "You mean Lady Une?"
Treize nodded helplessly. "Yes. To think I've driven someone so close to me into such turmoil—I have no right to speak of the future. Please, Milliardo… if possible, save her."
Milliardo nodded firmly. "You have my word."
"Thank you… my dearest friend, Milliardo."
Meanwhile, Saint Relena's Taurus was drifting ever closer to the Alliance colony satellite. Swarms of space-type Leos surrounded her, firing relentlessly.
Under the barrage, her Taurus's limbs were blown off one by one.
Inside the violently shaking cockpit, Colonel Une's persona surfaced again, her eyes turning sharp and fierce as she shouted:
"For my ideals—for Lord Treize's ideals—I will fight!"
Ignoring the storm of enemy fire, she forced the battered Taurus onward, aiming to crash it straight into the colony's outer wall.
Just as a powerful beam cannon was about to strike her, Tolle finally arrived.
He grabbed hold of her damaged Taurus, instantly deploying the reflector shield to block the incoming barrage, then pulled her back from the battlefield as fast as he could.