Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam spread out, separating the six UE MS, with each one tackling three as planned.
"First, take one down!"
With Graham's excited shout, the thrusters of Samurai Gundam erupted with fierce flames, instantly increasing speed as it charged towards a Galanff. The high-output Beam Saber shone with a pink glow, slicing cleanly through the Galanff's waist without any obstruction, splitting it in two.
"Cut, trash machine." Although he had destroyed an enemy unit, Graham's expression was far from pleased, filled with disdain for Samurai Gundam.
During his time at Prometheus Fortress, the training simulation pod allowed him to use all the machines he had encountered, including all the Gundams.
But...
After getting used to the anti-gravity characteristics of the GN Drive during training, driving the GN Drive-less Samurai Gundam made him feel somewhat uncomfortable due to the effects of gravity. The recent burst of acceleration was merely Graham's most basic maneuver, yet he could clearly feel the machine trembling, accompanied by slight creaking sounds.
Graham also knew that Samurai Gundam was of a lower grade, not only struggling to keep up with his reaction speed but also too fragile. This was quite fatal for someone like Graham, who enjoyed pushing himself to the limits and performing extreme maneuvers.
While dodging the Galanff's fire, he maneuvered around, looking for an opportunity, quickly circling behind one of the Galanffs, drawing his dual swords and leaving fiery red cross marks on its body.
"Second one down, but as an enemy, it's really weak. Just relying on technological suppression." Graham complained, finding the movements of UE's MS too monotonous, completely akin to cannon fodder.
Hmm? Wait, why did I say 'again'?
Shaking off that inexplicable sense of familiarity, Graham continued to maneuver, dodging while accelerating, ultimately executing a sharp turn to take down the last Galanff.
"Beep beep beep..."
Victory was achieved, but the alarms in the cockpit blared incessantly. The area on the screen showing the status of Samurai Gundam was largely lit in yellow, with only a few parts still green.
From the outside, Samurai Gundam appeared intact, but every movement produced a piercing creak, with occasional arcs of electricity jumping.
Seeing this, Graham broke into a cold sweat, swallowing hard: "Oh no, I'm not going to get bagged, am I?"
...
On the other hand, Yang Hui was quite different from the impulsive Graham. Surrounded by three Galanffs, he calmly dodged their attacks, occasionally firing a symbolic shot, which didn't matter if it hit or not.
"Mobility... torsional force... output power... beam weapon performance... standard C-grade machine. It seems Mephis's data is quite accurate. Against D-grade Genoece, it's a complete crush. Sigh, why does the Earth Federation always get crushed by technology? Do they think that once they leave the Earth, they don't need to develop military capabilities anymore?"
He had tested everything that needed testing. Although Mephis provided reconnaissance support, a mere letter grade distinction was not rigorous enough. For instance, there was a gap between Yang Hui and Graham, both classified as B-grade pilots, so it was more prudent to test it personally.
After the tests, it was time to conclude. Just when it seemed that Dawn Gundam was being suppressed and unable to move, its actions suddenly changed. A bright yellow Beam Cannon shot out, and Dawn Gundam merely tilted slightly to avoid it, simultaneously firing both guns, hitting two Galanffs in different directions.
The Galanff that was shot in half exploded in a shower of sparks in mid-air.
The last Galanff, sensing danger, rapidly descended to the ground, using the city's buildings and fleeing innocents as leverage against Dawn Gundam.
"Too naive."
Dawn Gundam followed it down to the city, holstering its guns at its sides, charging towards the Galanff.
The Galanff's pilot was likely startled by Dawn Gundam's actions, hastily firing, but all shots missed as Dawn Gundam danced around gracefully.
Dawn Gundam approached the Galanff, which hurriedly gathered a Beam Saber at the tip of its palm, ready to strike down, only to be blocked by Dawn Gundam's raised hand. Another hand's forearm ejected a cylindrical hilt, which he grasped and pressed against his chest.
"It's over."
Before the Beam Diffusion Cannon on the Galanff's chest could fire, it was pierced by a pink beam, extinguishing the flames on its wings and the light on its head, causing its body to slump down.
Yang Hui did not let his guard down; he severed the Galanff's limbs and most of its torso, sending the remaining wreckage flying into the air, then forcefully threw it away, crossing his arms in front of him and quickly retreating.
Sure enough, shortly after being thrown, the Galanff, which had completely stopped functioning, exploded in mid-air.
"Indeed, it has a self-destruct system, and it's directly installed on the energy source. Truly insane."
...
With the battles of Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam concluded, the Commander's department fell silent, everyone staring at the large screen, still in shock.
If Flit's manufactured Gundam was merely a beautiful hope, then the two Gundams piloted by Yang Hui and Graham were already tangible opportunities.
After 14 years, the identity of the UE had remained unclear. Each attack by the UE left the Earth Federation helpless, suffering heavy losses without even managing to destroy a single UE MS.
But now, the dawn of humanity had appeared!
Two Gundams, each easily taking on three UE MS, and what if there were more than two? What if they could be mass-produced? Then what threat would the UE pose?
If Yang Hui were to hear this thought, he would probably be ridiculed for it. Mass-producing Gundams? What a joke! The production cost of Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam was even higher than Flit's AGE-1. The Earth Federation, which couldn't even mass-produce Gundam AGE-1, expected to mass-produce Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam? Dream on!
Moreover, even if they had the capability to mass-produce, where would they find pilots like Yang Hui and Graham?
It's not bragging; there are no better MS pilots in the Gundam AGE world than them. Yang Hui estimated that even a fully grown Jehart would only be on par with them now, and a fully grown Kio might have a chance to surpass them, but only as they are "now."
"How's it going on Flit's side?" Commander Bruza was the first to snap back to reality. The battle wasn't over yet; there were still two UE MS invading Nora, and they were heading towards the Commander's department.
"Engaged already, play the footage!"
"Oh oh oh~!"
...
On the other battlefield, Gundam AGE-1 successfully activated, but the AGE System hadn't had time to create new weapons for it, so it could only awkwardly wield a standard beam spray gun against the enemy.
Two Galanffs charged in, one of which was purple, clearly the Captain machine. Flit, who was participating in battle for the first time, couldn't hold off three enemy machines like Yang Hui and Graham and easily take them down. In an instant, the pre-arranged defensive position was torn apart by the UE, and all Genoece were destroyed, leaving only Gundam AGE-1 entangled with the two Galanffs.
"Damn it!" Flit's emotions were in turmoil, filled with hatred for the UE, anger at his companions being shot down, and a sense of helplessness at his inability to quickly break through the enemy.
Fortunately, the armor of Gundam was sufficient to withstand the Galanff's Beam Vulcan. Although Flit was in a tough battle, he wasn't seriously injured.
"Damn UE! Vargas! Are the weapons not ready yet?"
"Almost there! Data is still being analyzed…"
"Faster!"
"I'm trying!"
At that moment, a Beam Cannon shot directly hit Gundam AGE-1's shield, the immense force sending it flying, leaving Gundam AGE-1 wide open. The Galanff seized the opportunity, charging in with a Beam Saber formed in its palm.
"Uh-oh!"
Watching the tip of the Beam Saber getting closer on the screen, Flit suddenly lost the ability to think, all actions taken over by instinct.
The control stick sank, then pulled back; Gundam AGE-1 crouched down, and the Beam Saber grazed past its head.
"It's not over yet! Haah~!"
With Flit's roar, Gundam AGE-1 thrust the Beam Saber into the Galanff's abdomen, then pulled it out and stabbed again, as if venting his frustration, stabbing several times before finally stopping.
After tossing the destroyed Galanff aside, Flit panted heavily, holding the Beam Saber and facing off against the Captain machine in the sky.
The Captain machine's head flickered, seemingly aware that its subordinates had been destroyed and that two strong enemies had appeared, so it prepared to retreat. However, before retreating, it also destroyed the Galanff that had lost power, then transformed into a winged dragon and flew away.
"Ha~ha~ retreating? Great…" Flit was now very tired, having been in a state of high tension, both physically and mentally drained.
"Flit, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I…" Yang Hui's communication connected, and Flit instinctively replied, but upon seeing the machine descending in front of him, he was dumbfounded.
"What's wrong?"
"This this this… is a Gundam!?"
"Ah, you're asking about this? This is my machine, Dawn Gundam."
"And my Samurai Gundam is here too."
At the same time, Graham piloted Samurai Gundam from the other side. As for why he was walking instead of flying… just look at Yang Hui's coal-black face to understand.
But he wouldn't make a move now; he couldn't let the already severely damaged Samurai Gundam take any more hits. If there was a lesson to be taught, it should be done in a real fight!
"One more… what is this…" Flit was completely confused. He had always thought that the one he created was the only Gundam, believing that his mother had given him the AGE Device before she passed away, guiding him to find his purpose in life through piloting Gundam and becoming a savior.
And now, with two brand new Gundams appearing before him, could he still become the savior?
Flit's mind was in chaos, unsure of what the answer was.
"I say, Flit, have you forgotten that our Yang Family is on par with the Asuno Family as a renowned MS manufacturing family?" Yang Hui asked Flit.
"Huh?" Flit was taken aback, realizing… that it was indeed the case.
"So is it surprising that I can create a Gundam?"
"It seems… it really isn't…"
"Good, now that you understand, take a good rest. The damage this time is significant, and there are many troubles ahead."
"Oh, okay…"
(End of Chapter)