Watching the swarm of white DINNs closing in ahead, Roz tapped several switches on the control stick. The mechanical arms of the high-mobility backpack replaced the magazines on the two electromagnetic rocket launchers.
With the enemy's overwhelming numbers, all of the remaining fragmentation rockets had already been used up. Only standard high-explosive rockets and a few cluster rockets—originally reserved for anti-submarine use—were left.
Suddenly, a beam shot past Roz's flank, destroying two of the white DINNs in front of him.
"Roz, hurry back! We've broken through the encirclement and are about to accelerate!"
Murrue's voice came through the comm channel. Roz gritted his teeth, pulled the control stick, and stepped on the pedal.
The Jesta flew backward toward the Archangel. The Vulcan pods on the right side of its head fired continuously, suppressing the white DINNs and forcing them to change positions.
Although they were clones, the Copy Unit pilots still retained solid combat skills. To maintain their machines' maximum effectiveness, they maneuvered deftly, evading the Jesta's Vulcan fire with precision.
But that played right into Roz's plan.
The Jesta's beam rifle began charging, then fired—a crimson-violet beam pierced straight through three overlapping DINNs at once.
"Hm… I didn't expect it. It looks almost identical to your old weapon, yet its output is more than double, isn't it?"
Creuset dodged the Jesta's firing line, piloting his DINN—its armor partially melted—through the air while taking aimed shots at the Jesta with a standard DINN rifle.
Then, suddenly, the Jesta's left shoulder-mounted electromagnetic launcher fired a high-explosive rocket at Creuset. Startled, he quickly pulled up, gaining distance from the Jesta.
"Tch, missed."
Inside the Jesta's cockpit, Big Haro's eyes flashed twice, its tone full of regret.
"If that high-explosive rocket had hit, that guy who keeps running his mouth over the open comms would've finally shut up."
"Creuset's still ZAFT's ace pilot—it's not that easy to kill him."
Roz was now within the Archangel's anti-air defense range. The twin anti-aircraft guns fired over the Jesta's path, giving Roz a small sense of relief and the chance to respond.
"Besides—who can even understand half the stuff he's talking about anyway?!"
-----------------------------------
It was clearly the Copy Unit that had been chasing the Archangel everywhere, giving Athrun's team a chance to focus on dealing with the Strike Gundam.
But neither Athrun nor Yzak looked relieved. Both wore grim expressions.
"This… doesn't even count as a battle."
Athrun opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, but in the end, that was all he could manage.
"Has life itself become something like this because of these units?"
After witnessing Lacus's ideals, seeing a scene like this no longer brought Athrun any sense of victory. Instead, a deep, creeping fear rose from the bottom of his heart.
He was horrified to realize that, no matter how many of those Copy Units were destroyed—or even when some of them used their remaining thrusters to rush toward the Archangel and self-destruct—he felt no emotion at all.
They clearly looked just like humans, yet inside, he felt as if he were watching a cheap, meaningless movie—utterly numb.
"Athrun, you're the captain. Focus on the mission."
Yzak's tone was strange—like he wanted to curse, but had nowhere to vent his anger.
"This was a decision made by the homeland. We can't interfere. Just do your job."
Apparently disturbed by the scene before him, Yzak lost even the will to argue with Athrun. After saying that, he went silent on the comms.
Dearka, meanwhile, operated the Buster Gundam in silence, standing on the flight platform and firing round after round toward the Strike Gundam.
As for Nicol, he was already stunned speechless by the sight.
"Zzz… Everyone, pick up the pace. The Archangel has already broken through the encirclement and will soon reach the waters near Orb."
At that moment, Rau Le Creuset's somewhat relaxed voice came over the communications channel.
Everyone fell silent for a while, the atmosphere heavy and tense.
"…Understood. Everyone, increase your attack intensity!"
In the end, it was Athrun, as captain, who forced himself to respond to Creuset.
-----------------------------------
At that moment, on the Archangel's central deck, Kira piloted the Strike Gundam, holding a live-ammunition rifle he had seized from a destroyed white DINN. In a half-kneeling stance, he fired continuously into the sky.
Clack, clack…
The giant rifle made the sound of an empty magazine. The Strike Gundam casually threw it into the sea, grabbed the beam rifle lying nearby, and fired at the flying platforms above.
In the current battle situation, if the Skygrasper took off, it would be destroyed amid the barrage of the white DINNs. So Mu could only assist from the bridge by controlling the Archangel's weapons.
As a result, Kira couldn't swap his equipment pack mid-battle.
Moreover, with so many mobile suits surrounding them, the Archangel had already lost two engines, its left High-Energy Beam Cannon was blown apart, and several areas of the ship were burning.
Kira was anxious, but there was little he could do.
"Kira, use this!"
Just as Kira was debating whether to risk grabbing two more DINN assault rifles, Roz piloted the Jesta past him. The right-side mechanical arm precisely tossed an electromagnetic rocket launcher and two cluster missile magazines in front of the Strike Gundam.
"Thanks, Roz!"
Kira controlled the Strike Gundam, quickly grabbing the electromagnetic rocket launcher and firing at the Duel Gundam in the sky.
"So fast!"
The moment the rocket left the barrel, Kira could immediately tell how different this weapon was from the Earth Alliance's standard model.
A single rocket shot out at extreme speed, striking the flying platform beneath the Duel Gundam's feet.
As the platform was destroyed, Yzak had no choice but to rely solely on the Duel Gundam's flight pack to continue fighting.
"Yzak, be careful!"
Athrun's voice came through the comms.
When Yzak turned around, he saw the Jesta suddenly appear before him. Instinctively, he raised his beam rifle to shoot—but found it firmly locked in the Jesta's grip.
With a burst of power, the Jesta yanked the Duel's beam rifle right out of its hands.
"Damn it! You thief!"
Yzak couldn't stand such humiliation. The railgun on his left shoulder fired repeatedly at the Jesta, while his right hand drew the beam saber.
Roz pulled the Jesta into an abrupt deceleration and leaned it backward, letting gravity take hold as the suit plunged toward the sea.
Yzak's slash, as expected, missed completely—and he was promptly rammed by a white DINN.
The Jesta ignited its thrusters mid-fall, flipping 360 degrees. Just as its toes brushed the sea's surface, it completed its posture adjustment.
Thrusters flared behind it, splashing seawater into the air.
Sensing Creuset's mental waves approaching, Roz pressed the pedal down. The Jesta performed a sharp stop, then rapidly pulled upward.
Turning around, the Jesta threw the beam rifle it had snatched from the Duel Gundam to the side of the Strike Gundam.
Immediately after, the Jesta's leg thrusters and attitude jets activated. In one smooth motion, it kicked in the head monitor of a DINN behind it, crushing it and knocking the DINN's physical sword from its hands.
"Your awareness is still as sharp as ever."
Creuset's voice continued over the open channel, still full of taunting amusement.
"So, what now?"
The DINN suddenly pulled out a shotgun from somewhere and was about to fire at the Jesta.
But the high-mobility backpack's mechanical arm swung at a strange angle, bringing up an electromagnetic rocket launcher and firing a shot straight at the DINN.
The explosion blasted apart the DINN's right arm, tearing open its cockpit. Creuset's figure could be faintly seen inside.
"Ah… Rocket launcher—just like you."
Creuset glanced at the condition of his machine and, with characteristic calm, chose to retreat.
Roz maneuvered the Jesta to evade a beam shot from the Blitz Gundam, then countered by firing a single beam rifle shot that blew apart the flying platform under the Blitz.
Boom, boom, boom…
Suddenly, several bursts of water erupted around the Archangel. The ZAFT forces halted their advance.
Just as Roz noticed the red warning of near-depleted energy and felt a bit puzzled—
"Roz, return to the ship. We've reached Orb's territorial waters."
Amid the sounds of distant explosions, Murrue's voice came through, clearly relieved.
They had maintained maximum ship speed all the way. Though slowed somewhat by atmospheric drag on Earth, the Archangel had still managed to reach Orb's waters before the main ZAFT fleet caught up.
"We're safe."
"…I wouldn't say that."
...............