RNP Chapter 46: The Mosaic of the Battlefield, the "Debut Show" of the Three Musketeers
Chapter 46: The Mosaic of the Battlefield, the "Debut Show" of the Three Musketeers
"Hey! Is there a party here? How can you not invite us?"
Olga Sabnak's manic laughter pierced everyone's eardrums through the public channel.
The Calamity Gundam's multi-phase energy cannon on its chest opened fire.
A thick beam of light swept across, and the three M1 Heretics that couldn't dodge in time were instantly vaporized in mid-air, leaving no trace.
Immediately afterwards, the shattering ball that had stolen the Gundam roared out, the iron ball connected to a long cable, smashing the cockpit of a ZAFT Zeon. The Forbidden Gundam then deployed its energy deflection armor, twisting and deflecting the incoming beam, its scythe drawing a deadly arc.
The entire battlefield was in complete chaos.
The ZAFT forces and the Archangel, who were originally supposed to be in a standoff, have now become prey for these three "demons".
"What kind of monsters are these guys?!" Kira roared, firing his Strike Gundam's beam rifle with precision, only to have it easily deflected by the Forbidden Gundam's armor.
Athrun's Aegis Gundam was also in dire straits, watching helplessly as a friendly Zeon was blasted to pieces by the Calamity's shoulder cannon.
This is no longer a war.
This was a one-sided massacre.
Inside the ghost cockpit, red warning lights flashed wildly, and a piercing buzzing sound almost tore at eardrums.
"Warning: Energy remaining at 3%. Ammunition depleted. Multiple armor cracks appear on the machine."
"Damn it..." Ling Yu spat, staring intently at the three monsters on the screen that were wreaking havoc.
Just now, in order to save Nicol, the few "red triple speed" maneuvers that Char used to mimic were almost draining the last drop of energy from this dilapidated Zeon. Now, let alone fighting, it's even difficult to move.
Even more critically, Orb's M1 heretical forces, following Su Yunxiu's orders, were frantically converging on his side, attempting to provide cover.
"Don't come any closer! You idiots! You're just making me a target!" Ling Yu was so angry that he started smashing the control panel.
Sure enough, the Calamity Gundam's monitor turned in this direction.
Olga licked her chapped lips, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across her face: "Oh? That black grunt, looks like the leader of these flies? I'll crush you first!"
The cannon of the Calamity Gundam began to charge.
A chilling premonition of death gripped Ling Yu's heart.
[System notification: The driver's vital signs have dropped rapidly, and adrenaline has surged. The conditions for 'Fight to the Death' have been met.]
[Suggestion: Activate a higher-tier card, or choose to die on the spot.]
"Fuck you, you dead!" Ling Yu's eyes were bloodshot as he frantically searched through the system's card pool.
Not enough points! Not enough points! All those S-rank cards are grayed out!
The only hope is an SSR card that radiates golden light.
[SSR Card: Judau Ashita (Z Gundam Ver.)]
[Submission cost: 5000 system points.]
[Special Effect: Activates 'Savage Survival Instinct,' temporarily increasing the pilot's reaction speed and mental resilience by 150% when the body's energy is below 20%.]
He only has less than 6,000 points left! Using this card would be like going back to square one!
"I can't worry about that anymore!"
The cannon muzzle of the Calamity Gundam was already shining at its limit.
Ling Yu took a deep breath, used all his strength, and shouted that cringeworthy yet perfectly fitting line into the communication channel.
"What? You guys have no idea what the belief in 'survival' means!"
"Get out of my way, all of you! I'm the man who's going to pilot the ZZ Gundam!"
[System successful.]
[SSR Card: Judau Ashita, let's begin the role-playing!]
boom--!
A wild, primal, and vibrant fighting instinct instantly washed over Ling Yu's senses!
His mind had never been so clear, and his hands moved like afterimages on the joystick.
In a fraction of a second before the Calamity Gundam fired, he jerked the control stick.
"Ghost" Gene plunged to the side and rear in a completely aerodynamic manner, almost "crashing" the entire machine into the sea.
A scorching beam of light grazed his scalp, instantly vaporizing an M1 Heretic behind him.
The splashing waves slammed against the cockpit screens.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ling Yu controlled his machine to roll in the shallow sea, grabbed a piece of the wreckage of a Zeon that had just been destroyed, and threw it violently towards another Robber Gundam in the sky!
"What kind of messed up fighting style is this!" Shani Andras, the pilot who had forcibly taken the wreckage, cursed and swung the Shattering Ball to smash through the debris.
This is the gap!
Ling Yu's Gene burst from the water, its engine groaning under the strain, as it hurtled toward an M1 Heretic that was attacking the Archangel.
"Hey! Can I borrow something?"
Under the horrified gaze of the Orb pilot, the black Zeon ripped off the intact composite armor on the back of his vehicle and kicked him away.
"Hey, not that I'm discriminating against you guys," Ling Yu said, holding up his makeshift "shield," not forgetting to complain in the public channel, "but the M1's armor is way too fragile! Is your military factory doing shoddy construction?"
The entire Orb army: "..."
Submarine command center.
Xiao Ran stared expressionlessly at the black dot on the main screen.
The data analyst behind him was trembling.
"Report, sir! Target 'Phantom' has changed its piloting mode again! According to database comparison... this style is 87.4% similar to the early combat records of Judau Ashita, the ace pilot from the Neo Zeon War in UC 0088!"
"First Amuro Ray's precision, then Char Aznable's elegance, and now Judau Ashita's wildness..."
The analyst swallowed hard and uttered a conclusion that even he found absurd.
"He... he's practically a living database, a collection of the fighting styles of ace pilots from every era!"
A cold smile curved Xiao Ran's lips.
Sure enough, it was a "player".
Moreover, he is a "player" who has developed his personal combat power to the extreme.
"Interesting." He tapped the table. "However, no amount of personal strength can change the course of strategy. You like to perform, so I'll give you a bigger stage."
He raised his head and issued a cold command.
"Order: All mobile suit units, abandon the assault on the Archangel."
"There is only one target—Area A3, where 'Ghost' is located."
"Indiscriminate area-of-effect fire suppression! I'm going to wipe him and those annoying Orb flies off this world!"
"yes!"
The battle situation changed again.
The ZAFT forces that were originally besieging the Archangel suddenly turned their guns around.
Dozens of beams of light poured down like a torrential rain onto the airspace where Ling Yu was located.
Olga's Calamity Gundam also joined the revelry with a sinister grin.
"Hahaha! That's awesome! Now that's what a party should be like!"
In an instant, Ling Yu went from being a troublemaker to the center of the storm.
He had to dodge the fierce attacks of the three main characters while also avoiding the indiscriminate fire from ZAFT.
The shield that was ripped off the M1 was reduced to ashes in the first volley of fire.
"Ghost" Gene's left arm was grazed by the beam and melted off instantly.
The vibrations in the cockpit became increasingly violent.
"hateful……!"
Judau's cards bring amazing resilience, but the physical limits of the machine are still there.
This patched-up Gene finally gave out.
A burst of sparks erupted from the back of the aircraft, the engine completely shut down, and it plummeted straight down into the sea below.
On the screen, the Forbidden Gundam's scythe and the Broken Ball that stole the Gundam are rapidly magnified.
"Damn it, this is a disaster!" Ling Yu cursed as he watched the alarms escalate on the screen.
He prepared to draw his last weapon—the high-vibration particle knife—for a final, desperate struggle.
Just then.
A hoarse, cold voice, mixed with static, abruptly cut into his private communication channel.
There was a hint of mockery in that voice.
"Kid, you're pretty good at fighting."
"But if you keep hitting him, you'll turn into scrap metal."
"Do you need me to 'clear the area' for you?"
Ling Yu froze.
That sound...
Before he could respond, the voice continued, stating its conditions.
"The price was a complete set of 'Strike Gundam' operating system source code."