Chapter 204: Accelerating the Storyline II
Tolle controlled the Tallgeese Wing Zero still hovering in the distance and raised its beam rifle, firing several rounds at the Epyon Gundam.
The barrage disrupted its attack on Treize's army, but Heero immediately turned his gun toward Tolle and charged straight at him.
The Epyon Gundam lifted its massive beam saber and slashed down toward the Tallgeese Wing Zero.
Tolle had no choice but to defend with his left-hand knight's lance—but after only one block, the lance was shattered by the Epyon's enormous beam sword.
Staring at the exploding remains of his beloved weapon, Tolle couldn't help cursing aloud. "Damn it! My favorite lance, wrecked by you, brat. Just wait—I'll beat you until you call me daddy!"
Still, he couldn't underestimate the Epyon Gundam's Zero System—especially with a maniac like Heero at the controls. Who knew what insane moves that guy might pull?
Just then, Treize's voice came through the communicator: "Colonel Darks Shaw, please go easy on that Epyon Gundam if you can. Try not to destroy it.
"The pilot inside is the original Wing Gundam's pilot—he's actually helping us. But it seems the Zero System has sent him into a berserk state."
Tolle sighed. Of course Treize was calling to dump a headache on him. Still, he wasn't particularly eager to destroy the Epyon either.
Feigning ignorance, he replied, "So this Gundam is one of yours, huh? Seems the Zero System really is dangerous. I'll try my best—not to damage the machine while rescuing the pilot."
He'd said it boldly enough, but whether he could actually beat a Heero under the Zero System's influence was another matter entirely.
Still, he had to follow the advice of the nation's founding ancestors: Strategically despise your enemy, but tactically respect him. In battle, carelessness was never an option.
"Nami," Tolle ordered, "help me manage the reflector shields in a bit—I might not be able to handle everything at once.
"You know how broken that Zero System is. It can literally predict the future, so we have to be extremely careful."
"Yes, Master. Leave the defense to me. Just focus on attacking."
After giving his instructions, Tolle focused his mind, pulling the Tallgeese Wing Zero back to create distance.
Nami deployed five reflector shields while Tolle hurled the broken lance handle toward the Epyon Gundam's face.
Epyon countered with its heat whip, but Nami quickly activated the electromagnetic barrier, blocking the attack for several seconds—long enough to prevent serious damage.
The move gave Tolle a breather. Switching weapons, the Tallgeese Wing Zero now held a beam rifle in its left hand and a beam saber in its right, charging straight at Epyon.
The two mobile suits clashed beam sabers repeatedly—their I-field interactions creating bursts of plasma lightning with every collision.
However, the Tallgeese Wing Zero's beam saber was slightly weaker. Tolle had to fire his rifle intermittently to force Epyon into evasive maneuvers, hoping to wear Heero down over time.
After several minutes, Tolle began to feel the strain. Heero's relentless assault showed no sign of slowing, and the Epyon's massive beam sword was swinging even faster. His concentration alone could barely keep up.
"Nami," Tolle said through gritted teeth, "I'm going to activate my berserk mode—along with full focus. I can only maintain it for less than two minutes. Set a countdown for me.
"If I pass out, take over the controls. And if it looks hopeless, don't hold back—just use the neo DG cells to assimilate the Epyon Gundam."
With that, Tolle triggered his berserk mode, and a countdown timer appeared on his display.
The Tallgeese Wing Zero's movements suddenly accelerated. After several rapid beam saber strikes that failed to land cleanly, Tolle discarded his left-hand rifle and drew a second beam saber.
Now dual-wielding, he alternated between offense and defense—sometimes attacking with both sabers at once. Gradually, he began to overpower the Epyon.
Catching Heero off guard, Tolle knocked the massive beam sword from Epyon's hands, followed up with a side kick that sent it sprawling, then pressed the advantage—stomping down hard with one foot.
He repeatedly stomped on the cockpit area, refusing to let up.
Epyon swung its heat whip wildly in an attempt to break free, but Nami directed the reflector shields to pin its arms with electromagnetic barriers, completely restraining its movements.
The relentless stomping shook Heero violently inside the cockpit until he finally lost consciousness. Epyon went still, its systems shutting down.
Seeing no further resistance, Tolle deactivated his berserk mode and concentration ability, slumping back in his seat, gasping for breath. The timer had stopped at twenty-nine seconds remaining.
After resting a bit, he stepped off the immobilized Epyon.
Heero's unconscious body was soon carried out of the cockpit by Treize's men and rushed to a hospital.
When Treize came forward to meet him, Tolle feigned ignorance and said irritably, "Your Gundam's intact. Didn't break it."
Treize dismissed his attendants, then spoke quietly, flattering him:
"I knew our leader had the skill to handle it, but I didn't expect you to do it this fast—and without damaging the Epyon. Truly remarkable."
Hearing Treize butter him up so shamelessly, Tolle's earlier irritation melted away.
"Not bad, huh? If that Gundam had been just a bit stronger, I might not have been able to wrap this up so easily.
"But enough about that. How's the battle going on your end?"
Treize quickly briefed him on the current situation. With the addition of the Virgo II units, his forces had turned the tide—Romefeller Foundation's defeat was now inevitable…
Meanwhile, back in the space colonies, members of the Romefeller Foundation had located the Wing Zero Gundam drifting in space.
However, after several failed test attempts, fear of the machine grew, and they decided to destroy the unmanned Gundam.
Upon learning this, Zechs immediately took the Tallgeese and seized the Wing Zero for himself.
Once in the cockpit, he activated the Zero System—but unlike others, he remained completely unaffected. Instead, he used it to annihilate all of the Romefeller Foundation's unmanned drones.