Chapter 114: Such a Strong Sibling Bond
It was five minutes before the Solar Ray System's activation.
"Lalah... did she pass out?"
Char forced his eyes open, the first thing he did was turn his head to check on the girl behind him.
Lalah remained motionless, her hands floating away from the control panel.
He opened her visor and checked her breathing. Confirming that Lalah was still alive, Char let out a deep breath and turned his gaze toward the Gundam in front of him.
That punch earlier hadn't caused significant damage to the Zeong's head.
However, if he hadn't been wearing his pilot suit properly, that blow could've at least knocked out both pilots—still a worthy accomplishment.
As he stared at the cracked screen showing the Gundam moving again, a shadow crossed Char's face.
There was only enough particle energy left for one more low-power attack. If that shot failed to end it...
Eli, on the other side, also noticed that the Zeong's head still had combat capability and wore a grim expression.
The EXAM system had already timed out.
The entire mobile suit was lit up in red alerts, especially the reactor and force field engines, which had been overstrained.
Yet somehow, the air conditioning was still working.
Jokes aside, the only functional part left was the mobile suit's left leg.
Am I supposed to finish this with a flying kick?
Eli cursed inwardly as he eyed the Zeong's head, still mostly intact despite its unstable flight posture.
Yellow light began to glow once again from the mouth of the Zeong's head.
Eli, too, prepared to push the thrusters to their limits once more.
"Stop!"
Just as the final clash was about to erupt, a familiar voice echoed simultaneously in both their ears.
"Sayla?"
"Artesia... huh? Wait!"
While the EZ-SR had only preheated its thrusters, the Zeong head's MEGA Particle Cannon was already fully charged!
The yellow beam fired, aiming straight for the EZ-SR's chest.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Eli was on the brink of despair, his suit refusing to respond, when Sayla's voice burst through the comms, as if right beside him.
In the next moment, the EZ-SR violently jolted to the side.
It had been shoved away by the Full-Armor Gundam!
"Artesia!"
Char stared in disbelief at the rising cloud of smoke.
He had no idea what the beam had ultimately struck.
But what if... what if I just killed my own sister with my own hands?
Everything he had done so far would become a complete joke.
He had set out on this path of vengeance for his family—only to now possibly become his sister's killer?
Panic surged within him.
But soon, the Gundam's shadow reappeared through the smoke, snapping Char out of his cold sweat.
For the first time, he was grateful for the Federation's thick MS armor.
From what he could see, the low-power MEGA Particle Cannon had pierced the shield, the arm holding it, and the outer chest armor.
Sayla quickly turned to check on the EZ-SR she had pushed aside. Seeing it still intact, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Eli, please, let me talk to him."
Hearing Sayla's plea over the comms, Eli didn't show much emotion but agreed.
After all, he never wanted this fight between him and Char to unfold in front of Sayla.
"Alright then, Sayla. I've got something else to handle… don't go anywhere."
With the grim voice of the Reaper urging him on, Eli piloted his battered suit, following the Reaper's directions.
Sayla exhaled softly, sending Eli a reassuring response before turning back to face her brother.
"That's enough, Casval. You've done more than enough."
"...I don't know. Two Zabis are still alive. I have to finish this."
"And what about the woman by your side? She's given you her whole heart. Are you just going to abandon her?"
Sayla, now attuned to her own sensing abilities, fully understood the bond between the two inside the Zeong's cockpit. She also felt a connection to the girl, who was family in a way, making her plea all the more heartfelt.
It wasn't just for herself—it was for that girl, too. She wanted to stop Casval from pursuing this path of revenge.
"Artesia, revenge is something I must accomplish as Char. Only after that... can I be Casval again."
This man pinned all his actions on his identity—on the role he had taken—and used that as the pillar holding himself together.
As Char, he was a soldier of Zeon, a spirit of vengeance.
And so, there was no way he would abandon this mission and leave with her.
Artesia, sensing this clearly, knew her words could never break through that mask to reach the true Casval beneath.
Disheartened, she prepared to turn her suit around and leave.
"You won't come with me? Once this is over, I'll take Lalah and leave this war, leave Zeon. We could live together, Artesia."
But Casval was a man driven by family. How could he stay indifferent to his sister's sorrow?
"I'm sorry, Casval. I have my own path to follow... Let's not force each other."
Just as Sayla had seen through the bond between Char and Lalah, Char now understood the relationship between his sister and the man who had just fought him to the death.
A flicker of anger flared in his chest.
Artesia is only seventeen!
But, having just been rejected by her, Char could no longer scold her as an older brother.
In the end, all he could say was—
"Take care of yourself, my sister."
It was now two minutes before the Solar Ray System's activation.
Eli had reached the system's core area.
There were no guards left.
Staying here would only mean getting vaporized by the system's residual heat.
And one lone MS couldn't stop the Solar Ray from firing.
Unless it had a nuke.
Even if he managed to damage the barrel slightly, at this close range, it would still deal devastating damage to the Federation forces.
The Federation troops were still locked in battle at A Baoa Qu's front lines.
Eli stared at the countdown—one minute and forty seconds remaining—before his eyes shifted to the man smiling smugly beside him.
Kycilia's hand slid over the pistol holstered at her thigh.
Man, these siblings are way too close!
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