When it comes to weapons, people always have the idea that "the more powerful, the better." From prehistoric civilizations—"bigger stones, thicker sticks"—to the Common Era—"bigger explosions, larger calibers." Large weapon size not only brings greater visual impact, but due to the limits of gunpowder technology, the bigger the weapon, the greater its power.
This pursuit of "large" weapons seems to have become a kind of meme, deeply engraved into human DNA.
The Shamblo that landed on the front-line base at the Orb coastal region was precisely such a weapon, created by Blue Cosmos under this subconscious impulse.
At this moment, the pilot sitting inside the Shamblo, wearing a black pilot suit and not in the best mental condition, could still clearly feel the sense of power and safety that came from piloting such a massive object.
Sensing the shock coming from both ZAFT and the Archangel as they observed, he couldn't help curling his lips into a nearly exaggerated expression, pushing the control stick forward.
Although he could also operate the Shamblo to attack ZAFT and the Archangel right now, that was Blue Cosmos' concern. As a pilot of the Kingdom of Foundation, he only needed to complete his own task.
"Should we stop him, Captain?"
Seeing the direction this "monster" was heading, Sai became a bit anxious.
"We can barely protect ourselves right now, and we can't return to Orb territory either. Otherwise, we'd drag Orb into this as well, Sai."
Murrue was worried, but there was nothing she could do.
"Signal from an aircraft detected above… wait, the transport plane released MS—it's…"
Just then, the Archangel's radar transmitted a scan signal, pulling Sai's chaotic attention back to his duties.
But when he saw the result, surprise and an inexplicable sense of relief filled his heart.
"…It's a Jesta! Mr. Roz is here!"
A few high-explosive rockets slammed precisely into the Shamblo's shoulder armor, blossoming into dazzling sparks.
But when the flames and smoke cleared, the Shamblo's armor had only been blasted open on one layer, and more layers remained beneath.
To increase the Shamblo's defense, Blue Cosmos had adopted a simple and crude method: stacking armor. As long as the armor was thick enough, a standard beam rifle could not penetrate it.
"Zzz… Archangel, this is Roz Links."
The Archangel's communication channel connected, and Roz's calm voice came through. "Archangel, continue forward and leave this area. You are not a match for this MA."
"…Understood."
Hearing Roz's voice, Murrue didn't hesitate at all and responded immediately.
"Archangel, full speed—leave this sea zone!"
Meanwhile, ZAFT, even though confused by the sudden appearance of this giant MA bearing ZAFT markings, would not let go of the Archangel, which they had been chasing all this way.
"Trying to slip away in the chaos… And Cub actually appeared here. So they're not working together? Or do they have another mission?"
Standing on the bridge of a submarine, Rau Le Creuset looked at the radar readings and narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
"I'll stay here with Yzak and two Copy squads to check things out. Athrun, take the rest and continue chasing the long-legs."
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"Mm… an attack? From the sky?!"
Feeling the vibration coming from the Shamblo, the black-clothed pilot froze for a moment.
What followed was a surge of anger rising from deep within.
"To dare attack me, the one piloting the Shamblo… you really must be tired of living."
A blue-gray mobile suit twisted nimbly in the air and landed about ten meters away from the Shamblo.
"Only one MS? Are you looking down on me?!"
Sensing the calm emotion coming from that MS, the black-clothed pilot pressed several buttons.
The Shamblo's rear vertical launch system opened, sending ten drones equipped with coaxial rotors into the air.
These drones spread out around the Shamblo, but did not launch any attacks.
"I'll use you to test Shamblo's armaments."
The pilot pulled the trigger, and the beam emitters on Shamblo's shoulders began to charge.
"To die crushed under the Shamblo is your honor, insect!"
He didn't take the Jesta seriously at all. Considering the Shamblo's firepower, even if a G-Project machine appeared here, it would still be difficult to destroy the Shamblo.
Several split beams emerged from the Shamblo's shoulder emitters and struck the drones.
Watching nearby, Rau Le Creuset and Yzak had originally thought the drones would be destroyed. But unexpectedly, the beams refracted, scattering into countless thin beams and sweeping toward the Jesta.
"Big Haro, switch the rocket launcher to fragmentation rockets."
Roz pulled the control stick; the Jesta began weaving around the scattered lasers, occasionally using its shield to block one or two beams, forcing open space for movement.
After the mechanical arm hung the empty launcher on the backpack, the freed arm attached a new fragmentation-rocket magazine to the rocket launcher mounted on the backpack, grabbed it again, and returned to battle.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Fragmentation rockets continuously shot upward. Most were detonated midair by the scattered laser beams, but a small portion successfully reached their effective range.
As the fuzes triggered, a mass of high-velocity metal fragments showered down onto the beam-scattering drones.
The black-clothed pilot did not freeze up just because the drones were destroyed. As one of the top pilots of the Kingdom of Foundation, he wouldn't make such a mistake.
The beam emitters were cooling down—but that didn't mean the Shamblo had no other weapons.
The Shamblo's legs suddenly opened, and a giant mechanical claw lunged toward the Jesta.
Roz stepped on the pedal. The Jesta's thrusters fired, and it leapt backward at high speed, narrowly avoiding the claw.
The Shamblo's claw slammed into the ground, producing a thunderous sound and kicking up dust.
Roz would not waste this opening. His fingers tapped several buttons on the control stick, activating the multipurpose launchers on the Jesta's waist and legs. Anti-ship missiles launched one after another toward the Shamblo.
A total of twelve anti-ship missiles struck the Shamblo's legs and torso, erupting in violent explosions.
The Jesta landed smoothly. The emptied multipurpose launchers unlocked and ejected off the suit.
With this reduction in load, the Jesta's mobility increased slightly. Unfortunately, without the high-mobility backpack, its movement on Earth could only be described as "jumping."
"Huff… huff…"
Performing evasive maneuvers while quickly locking on and firing all missiles—these high-intensity actions made Roz start to breathe heavily.
He now understood clearly that his physical abilities truly were improving. A few years ago, when piloting an MS on Earth, he could only perform simple movements. But now he could execute continuous maneuvers under Earth gravity, and was only slightly out of breath.
Roz looked at the flames in the distance and pressed a button, releasing the equipment lock on the Jesta's shoulder.
He could clearly sense that the person inside the Shamblo was still alive. However, there was no way something like the Shamblo would be destroyed by simple anti-ship rockets.
Suddenly, Roz felt that familiar electric shock sensation surge through his forehead. Instinctively, he twisted the control stick and stepped on the pedal.
The Jesta side-stepped at extreme speed. Two beams shot from the smoke, striking two drones precisely.
As the beams refracted again, the area where the Jesta had been standing was swept by countless thin beams, leaving scorched earth behind.
"You think… just those little missiles can destroy me?"
A voice with clear hints of madness echoed from the loudspeakers. The Shamblo extended its claw, sweeping aside the smoke in front of it, revealing its full form.
Even though the Shamblo's frontal armor had been heavily blasted by anti-ship missiles, it was still clear that beneath the holes was yet another layer of armor.
"Shamblo is invincible! It can't possibly fall here!"
Along with the pilot's manic declaration, the Shamblo's head opened vertically, revealing the internal structure.
A thick cannon barrel emerged from the Shamblo's "mouth," producing an eerie sound.
At that moment, Roz felt a sharp, dagger-like threat pressing at the back of his skull. He instinctively made the Jesta dodge.
The Shamblo's mouth-cannon fired a blast comparable in power to the "Lohengrin" positron cannon on the Archangel, easily plowing away an entire section of land.
Watching the boiling seawater pour back into the crater, Roz tightened his grip on the controls.
"What a pain…"
Taking a deep breath, he felt not only the razor-sharp hostility coming from the Shamblo ahead, but also the needle-like malice lurking all around him.
"From here on… it's hell. You ready, Jesta?"
The Jesta lifted its head slightly. Its red visor seemed to shine even brighter.
"The grim reaper won't come when you're ready for him, Roz."
Big Haro flapped its oval wings, its eyes blinking rapidly.
"Heh… Easier said than done!"
Roz laughed, but in the next instant he stepped hard on the pedal.
The Jesta shot forward at extreme speed, charging straight toward the Shamblo.
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"That… is that the thing Roz mentioned?"
Inside Morgenroete, Inc., Cagalli looked at the image displayed on the screen. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
"…It's started. The performance of that MS has increased slightly compared to earlier."
Compared to the still-shocked Cagalli, Erica watched the battle between the Jesta and the Shamblo with a frown.
Setting aside the Shamblo's condition, just from the first round of exchanges between the Jesta and the Shamblo, Erica had already judged Roz's piloting ability. It was absolutely to the level where he could crush Orb's three most elite test pilots at this stage.
"Director Erica, it seems ZAFT still has two warships that haven't withdrawn."
At that moment, the radar controller reported the scan result.
"…Have the fleet launch. The target is that giant MA. And once the battle ends, retrieve Mr. Roz."
Cagalli made the decision without even thinking.
"We can't just leave someone who's stopping such a major threat for us out there. Besides, that small island is part of Orb's territory."
Erica fully agreed with Cagalli's judgment and nodded.
"But before that, let me take a look."
Erica watched as the Jesta weaved and dodged through the Shamblo's beam barrage, occasionally firing its beam rifle or using the rocket launcher held by its mechanical arms to attack.
"Let me see what you—and this machine—are capable of."
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