The enemy aircraft blocking Diva's path were increasing in number, and the advantage they had previously established had vanished. The combined MS units of Zalam & Auba were suffering heavy losses under UE's counterattack.
"Graham!"
"Understood!"
Yang Hui and Graham knew that they had reached a critical moment; it was no longer a time to consider whether their machines would fall apart. They released their self-imposed restraints, and the Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam transformed into two streaks of light, weaving through the UE formation, quickly tearing apart the reassembling lines.
"Now's our chance!"
Seeing the path open, Grudick made a decisive call: "Photon Burst Cannon, prepare to fire! Diva, maximum speed!"
Diva erupted with flames, its speed suddenly increasing, shaking off the escorts of other warships and MS units, charging into the path opened by Yang Hui and Graham.
"Protect Diva! Don't let the enemy interfere with the firing!" The MS units abandoned their protection of other warships and surrounded Diva.
The anti-beam dispersion shells that had been deployed at the start were nearly exhausted, and Fah Bausser's bombardment was already upon them. The UE had noticed Diva's unusual movements, and all their forces closed in, aiming to sink Diva directly.
"Photon Burst Cannon energy charge at 92%!"
"Maintain speed!"
The MS units fought desperately to hold off the UE's MS units, but Fah Bausser's ship cannons had already hit Diva several times, even piercing the armor on the starboard side. However, this did not cause panic among the crew. Grudick fixed his gaze on the display screen; in about one second, Fah Bausser would enter effective firing range.
This was a gamble between life and death—either Diva would be sunk now, or the Photon Burst Cannon would fire.
Just one second, stretched infinitely, everyone stared intently at the enemy ship's coordinates, sweat soaking their foreheads and hair.
"Enemy ship, entering effective range!"
"Photon Burst Cannon energy charge at 100%!"
"Good! Target! The UE warship ahead!" A large amount of pink photons began to condense in Diva's abdomen, gathering immense energy. "Fire!"
A thick pink beam surged forth, seemingly splitting the cosmos in two, instantly engulfing Fah Bausser and piercing through the Ambart Fortress behind it. Any MS that was even slightly close was caught in the energy's aftermath, ultimately exploding into fragments.
"Zzzzz…"
As the beam wore on, the anti-beam coating and heavy armor on Fah Bausser were worn away, and finally, under the backdrop of dancing arcs of electricity, it exploded in a tremendous blast.
"Oh~!!"
"Haha, we did it!"
Everyone was ecstatic; this shot had nearly cleared 70% of the remaining UE forces, and the roadblock that was Fah Bausser had been eliminated. The upcoming assault landing operation would face no further obstacles.
"Not yet! Diva, be careful! Some enemy motherships are breaking off, suspected to be small warships!" Yang Hui, who knew the plot, kept a close watch on Fah Bausser and indeed saw a small warship break away at the last moment, likely to launch a suicide attack.
"What?"
Everyone was momentarily stunned, and before they could react, a damaged small warship broke through the fire's blockade, speeding straight toward Diva.
"Not a chance!"
Dawn Gundam immediately followed, launching all missiles at the warship's rear, instantly damaging its propulsion system. Other MS units also opened fire, trying to destroy the UE warship to prevent its suicide attack, but the warship's armor was beyond what the MS could handle; the shots from Vargas rifles were all deflected by the remaining armor.
Though it had lost power, it still hurtled toward Diva due to inertia.
"Emergency evasion!"
In the end, the UE warship barely grazed past Diva, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"Phew~" Grudick let out a sigh of relief and quickly adjusted his state to issue the final command, "The fleet will clear the enemies along the way and break into Ambart Fortress! MS units continue to support all ships!"
"Understood!" XN
Fah Bausser had been destroyed, but Ambart itself still had terrifying firepower deployed. The MS units had lost more than half, but there were still a significant number left, making Diva's landing path difficult.
"Starboard sector eight hit, sealing system failure, confirm the situation in that area!"
"Understood! Emergency team, deploy immediately!"
"Power transmission system normal, we can hold on!"
Bad news and good news intertwined, and Grudick couldn't help but clench his fists.
"We can't sink yet; we must hold on until we land at Ambart Fortress!"
"Understood!" XN
Diva maintained maximum speed, and Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam had returned to protect Diva, but the previous explosion had left their components visibly damaged, and they could no longer engage in high-intensity combat.
"Tch, what a hassle." Graham couldn't help but curse; problems with the machine during battle were the most fatal.
"Just hang in there; once Diva lands, our mission will be basically complete… Huh?" Yang Hui's words trailed off as a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Still so impressive, big brother…"
"Graham, it seems we won't get a chance to rest."
"What…"
"Beep beep beep…"
The alarm interrupted Graham's question, and the radar displayed an MS launching from Ambart, approaching them at over twice the speed of other MS.
"Spread out!"
Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam dodged to the sides, avoiding the Beam Cannon, but the two machines were separated. The high-speed Genoace collided directly with Dawn Gundam, dragging it away from the battle zone.
"Yang Hui!" Samurai Gundam hurriedly followed; Yang Hui couldn't be in danger. What would happen to him and the people on Prometheus Fortress? Even if everyone here died, he had to protect Yang Hui.
"Ugh~ Desil…" Yang Hui glared at the Genoace, which was now so close on the screen, his expression filled with anger as he drew his Beam Saber, aiming to stab it into the cockpit.
Desil sensed the danger; Genoace transformed into MS mode and threw Dawn Gundam aside, wielding a Solid Sword to clash with Dawn Gundam.
"Hahaha, I've been waiting for this opportunity for so long, big brother, let's play!"
"I don't have time to play battle games with a little brat! So can you not move? I'll send you to meet your parents you've never seen."
"That won't do, big brother; I really hate losing to you!"
The voice in his mind turned vicious, and Genoace's movements became more aggressive. With just a Solid Sword, it used its claws, continuously striking at Dawn Gundam.
"Just as I thought, a brat; the battlefield is not a place for you to mess around!"
Dawn Gundam sidestepped, avoiding Genoace, while raising the Beam Saber, aiming directly at the cockpit, but…
Genoace suddenly pulled its arms back to guard its chest, and the Super Beam Saber struck Genoace's arm without cutting through. The intense flash and sparks indicated that the determined strike had been blocked.
"How could this happen…"
"Hahaha! How about that, big brother? I've made quite a few preparations to win against you!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Genoace swung its arms aside, pushing the Super Beam Saber away, then kicked Dawn Gundam in the abdomen, sending it flying, and immediately followed up with dual Beam Vulcan fire.
"Tch, reinforced the armor and anti-beam performance on the arms? But only the arms; otherwise, mobility would definitely be affected. In that case…"
While dodging, Yang Hui allowed Genoace to close the distance. The Solid Sword was raised high, striking down like lightning, but Yang Hui excelled at subtle movements, gently sidestepping, exposing Genoace's back to Dawn Gundam once more.
"The engine area surely won't have armor, right? Goodbye, brat; see you in the next life…"
"Beep beep beep…"
"What?"
Hearing the alarm, Yang Hui instinctively pulled the control stick, halting Dawn Gundam's action to pierce through Genoace, quickly retreating. Just as it left, the spot it had occupied was pierced by several beams, and a pink figure flew in from afar, blocking Genoace's path.
Seeing Farsia appear, Yang Hui's pupils constricted; he didn't need any further proof to know who the pilot was. It seemed he should have taken Yurin away directly back then, instead of leaving her in Minslie.
"How about it? Big brother, to win against you, I've prepared quite a few trump cards. If I'm not mistaken, you and this sister should be… tsk tsk tsk…"
Hearing Desil's arrogant voice, Yang Hui's grip on the control stick tightened, his expression growing more and more indifferent, his gaze turning colder.
"Yang Hui! Are you okay?"
"Graham…"
The cold and indifferent voice startled Graham, who quickly asked, "What happened?"
"That pink machine is Yurin; Yurin has been captured by them…"
"What? Then I…"
"Instantly cut down the cockpit and get away from the machine; help me rescue Yurin, and don't let the machine overload…"
"That's quite difficult…" Graham frowned; to safely rescue Yurin in the shortest time possible, the machine's components would inevitably show signs of overheating. Yang Hui's request was a bit unreasonable.
"And help me cover the area; don't let the other one escape…"
"Yang Hui…"
Seeing Yang Hui completely ignoring him, talking to himself, Graham knew he was furious at seeing Yurin bound to the battlefield, but the current situation made it hard to fulfill Yang Hui's request.
At that moment, Yang Hui lifted his head, allowing Graham to see his expression. Any further persuasion got stuck in his throat, his eyes shimmering with colorful light, his face expressionless. Yang Hui had entered Innovator Mode, becoming absolutely rational.
But… Graham could feel the anger within Yang Hui, suppressed by reason, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"...I want to kill him."
With an expressionless face, he spoke the most ruthless words in the calmest tone. It was the first time Graham had seen Yang Hui so furious, and it was also the first time he felt such bone-chilling coldness emanating from him.
(End of Chapter)