Wang Hu stared intently at Creuset, who now wore no mask and looked almost identical to Mu, appearing completely at ease.
To be honest, Wang Hu's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Theoretically, due to his genetic disease, Creuset shouldn't be able to appear so carefree, as if he had shed all his bitterness and resentment.
Wang Hu had never imagined that he would one day see Creuset in such a state.
And honestly, Creuset in this form was far more handsome than Mu.
Clap, clap, clap.
Wang Hu applauded appropriately, gaining a new appreciation for the technical capabilities of the organization known as the Library.
Moreover, Wang Hu was pondering another point: even if he managed to eliminate the Creuset before him today, would he encounter new versions of Creuset in the days to come?
And—
His gaze shifting, Wang Hu glanced at the other elite pilots of the ZAFT Forces who had flown to Red Mantis's side.
At this moment, Wang Hu strongly suspected whether the individuals inside those mobile suits were the originals or Imitators created by the Library Organization!
"Are you afraid?"
Creuset interrupted Wang Hu's applause. Just by looking at Wang Hu, he could guess what was going through his mind.
"Yes, very afraid. I'm afraid that every person I meet from now on might not be who they truly are."
In response to Creuset's question, Wang Hu showed no intention of hiding his feelings.
Casually, Wang Hu turned the question back to Creuset.
"What about you? Don't you have any doubts about your current situation?"
"I was always a clone."
Perhaps due to his own experiences, Creuset seemed entirely indifferent to the question of who he truly was.
Even if he might not be the original but a copied Imitator, what difference did it make compared to being a clone?
Staring at Wang Hu on the screen, Creuset knew only one thing!
Whether he was the original or possibly an Imitator, both shared a common goal—to kill Wang Hu!
And this goal took precedence over even his desire for revenge against the world!
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and on his handsome, smooth face, Creuset's killing intent became unmistakable.
Without alerting Nicol and the others beside him, 30 Dragoons mounted on Red Mantis's back took to the air.
Bearing Creuset's deep-seated hatred for Wang Hu, these Dragoons swarmed toward Wang Hu in a frenzied assault.
"Hey, hey, isn't this a bit exaggerated?"
As if channeling the spirit of the carefree Mu, Wang Hu stared at the dark swarm of approaching Dragoons.
Wasn't this number of Dragoons a bit excessive?
Immediately, Wang Hu launched one of Dendrobium's 108 micro-missile pods to intercept the enemy.
Then, he quickly pulled the control stick, piloting his mobile suit to put distance between himself and his opponent.
"Wang Hu, you must die here today!"
Skillfully maneuvering the 30 Dragoons to evade the chain explosions of Wang Hu's 108 micro-missiles, Creuset's Red Mantis burst through the smoke left by the detonations.
The massive crimson mobile suit, wreathed in swirling smoke, gave Creuset the aura of a world-destroying demon king.
From the skirt armor of his own mobile suit, wave after wave of missiles were deployed.
Given Creuset's current firepower display, if his opponent weren't Wang Hu, but even an entire Atlantic Federation Army detachment, they would likely have been effortlessly annihilated by Creuset.
Fortunately, facing him was Wang Hu!
The Dendrobium first deployed its Beam Shield to block the beams fired by Creuset's Dragoons, which made Nicol break out in a cold sweat. Then, with a combination of strikes and parries—using either the rocket launcher, the Vulcan Cannon on the mobile suit's head, or the Demolition Claws—Wang Hu shot down every projectile Creuset fired.
Of course, Wang Hu wasn't about to take a beating without fighting back. Seizing an opportunity, the Dendrobium launched two High-Explosive Flash Grenades.
The blinding light instantly nearly blinded Creuset and the others on the battlefield. Taking advantage of the moment when their mobile suits' central computers were filtering the flash and their eyes were adjusting to the sudden change in brightness, Wang Hu maneuvered the Dendrobium to swiftly swing its hundred-meter-long Beam Saber, aiming to slice Creuset's Red Mantis in half at the waist.
"Zzzzt!"
The collision between the Dendrobium's Beam Saber and the Red Mantis's Beam Shield produced countless beautiful sparks, scattering like silver flowers from an iron tree.
When fighting someone like Wang Hu, no amount of caution was excessive. Thus, Creuset never deactivated his Beam Coating. Even though maintaining this shield consumed a significant amount of energy and drastically reduced the Red Mantis's operational endurance, Creuset considered it a necessary sacrifice.
As it turned out, Creuset's foresight paid off. If he hadn't been cautious enough, Wang Hu's strike would have taught him a harsh lesson!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
At the same time the blade and shield collided, Yzak and Dearka, as if parasitic on the Red Mantis, immediately leaped out from above Wang Hu's Dendrobium. While launching attacks at Wang Hu, they rapidly dove down, attempting to mimic Athrun's close-range assault tactics—though Athrun had yet to return to the battlefield.
"Get lost!"
Wang Hu snorted lightly from the cockpit, retracting the Dendrobium's hundred-meter-long Beam Saber. He raised the Beam Cannon and fired several Beam Torrents upward. Simultaneously, the Dendrobium circled Creuset's Red Mantis, trying to find a weak point in its defenses.
However, while Yzak and Dearka were relatively easy to handle, the combination of Creuset—restored by the Library—and the Red Mantis was a match made in heaven. The Red Mantis, with its high attack and defense capabilities, under Creuset's control, left Wang Hu with no clear opening to exploit.
After several circles, not only did Wang Hu fail to find an opportunity, but he was also pursued relentlessly by 30 Dragoons under Creuset's command, clinging to him like maggots to bone.
Moreover, Nicol, whose vision had recovered, joined the fray with the 11 Dragoons of varying sizes on his Destiny Gundam, adding to the siege against Wang Hu.
In an instant, nearly a hundred Beam Rifle shots were fired in a single volley, pressing down on Wang Hu like a violent storm, leaving him no room to attend to anything else.
As the old saying goes, "Two fists are no match for four hands." Even if Wang Hu were made entirely of iron, how many nails could he possibly drive in such a situation?
Faced with this chaotic, overwhelming assault that could overwhelm even a master, Wang Hu had no choice but to evade the brunt of the attack and retreat to a safe distance.
Amidst the entanglement, misfortunes never come singly. Wang Hu found himself once again breaking through ZAFT Forces' outer defensive line while locked in a fierce battle against Creuset and his resilient squad.
Though the Dendrobium was hailed as a mobile arsenal, even it would eventually exhaust its weapon reserves.
Currently, apart from energy-based weapons like the Beam Cannon and Beam Saber, the Dendrobium had nearly depleted its Demolition Claws and missile pods!
"Wang Hu, you've run out of weapons, haven't you?"
Sensing Wang Hu's predicament within the Dendrobium, Creuset's spirits immediately lifted.
Strike while the iron is hot—there was no camaraderie between Creuset and Wang Hu.
If anything existed between them, it was a karmic debt that could never be cleansed even over three lifetimes. What more needed to be said?
Urging his resilient squadmates, Creuset intensified his attacks, unleashing powerful Beam torrents one after another against Wang Hu.
The suppressive fire from the Dragoons never ceased for even a moment!
Inevitably, constant defense leads to vulnerabilities. While desperately blocking attacks from all sides, Wang Hu finally gave Creuset an unexpectedly perfect opening.
The Red Mantis's Beam Claw came perilously close, narrowly missing Wang Hu's Dendrobium.
Even without scoring a direct hit, Creuset had created ideal conditions for another combatant who had remained hidden since the battle began.
"Heine!"
Placing all his hopes on this Red Coat Elite who had joined their ranks later, Creuset shouted to the battlefield assassin who had been waiting patiently for the perfect moment.
"Wang Hu, take this!"
Heine, who had worn the Nebula Medal since his debut in the Second War, might have been overshadowed by staying too long with underperformers like Yzak and Dearka.
Though this had deprived him of opportunities to shine, one should never underestimate his capabilities.
The strategy mirrored that of the previous Boaz Fortress engagement.
Heine had been waiting for the right moment to utilize the Blitz Gundam's special characteristics to deliver a fatal blow to Wang Hu.
Back then, Yzak and Dearka failed to create an opening, but now Captain Creuset had practically served the opportunity on a silver platter.
Heine had calmly waited for the perfect moment to strike!
Emerging from Mirage Colloid stealth mode, he targeted Wang Hu—who had overcommitted to evading Creuset's attack and now couldn't adjust his trajectory.
The Blitz Gundam unleashed all three Armor-Piercing Shells it carried in rapid succession. For insurance, Heine pushed the control stick down sharply.
Following behind the missiles, he continuously pulled the trigger, sending beams of light chasing after the projectiles toward the Dendrobium's shield.
One had to admit: while the Atlantic Federation Army's personnel might be lacking, their developed technology was truly impressive.
Whether due to excessive energy depletion or the formidable power of the Blitz Gundam's Armor-Piercing Shells—
Though the Dendrobium's Beam Coating offered similar physical and energy resistance as the Red Mantis's Beam Shield—
Wang Hu's shield was pierced by the Armor-Piercing Shells' destructive force.
Heine's subsequent Beam Rifle shots then struck Wang Hu's massive mobile suit with precision.
"BOOM!"
Thick black smoke billowed from one side of the Dendrobium's frame, electrifying all who witnessed the scene.
"Finally, finally!"
Especially Yzak, this white-haired youth was openly shedding tears inside the Qilin cockpit.
He was simply too overwhelmed, overwhelmed beyond words!
But what excited him even more was when Heine shattered Wang Hu's Beam Coating and damaged the Dendrobium's frame.
And it didn't stop there - Heine's assault continued unabated.
Like a sea eagle locking onto its prey, Heine maintained his diving attack.
The already short distance between them vanished in an instant under the Blitz Gundam's assault.
In the blink of an eye, Heine brandishing his Beam Saber closed in on Wang Hu.
Swinging his Beam Saber, Heine stabbed repeatedly into the Dendrobium's inner frame, sending spectacular sprays of sparks flying with each strike.
"Well done, Heine!"
Victory was within grasp, and his comrade was performing so brilliantly!
Yzak couldn't contain his restless excitement, piloting his Qilin away from Creuset's Red Mantis.
How could he miss out on the opportunity to kill Wang Hu?
Yzak didn't just want to kill Wang Hu - he wanted to grind his bones to dust, and then dance tango on his grave!
If Wang Hu would even have a grave left.
"Boom! Boom!"
Just as Creuset and the others were competing to reach Wang Hu first.
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred - the fiery explosions of battleships and Mobile Suits being destroyed around Genesis flashed across their cockpit screens.
Don't misunderstand - this wasn't Wang Hu activating Seed Mode in his final moments. Being pinned down by Creuset and the others, Wang Hu couldn't have done so even if he wanted to.
Nor was this the East Asian Army's main force arriving, though the Boaz projectile was indeed fast.
It would certainly smash into Genesis before the third firing of Genesis.
But it still needed time, and there were Coordinator fleets under Patrick's command desperately obstructing its path.
This would inevitably waste a little more time.
"Who is it?"
Witnessing the sudden development, countless people on the battlefield voiced their confusion.
(End of Chapter)