“Miguel!!”
The moment the Aegis Gundam’s gray armor was suddenly covered in red, Athrun immediately made the stolen Aegis Gundam take off from its position, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the enemy at top speed.
But still!
Deep down, he desperately wanted to destroy the machine that had suddenly appeared and killed Miguel with a weapon he couldn’t currently comprehend.
However, the gap in strength between the two sides and the condition of his own mobile suit simply didn’t allow him to act recklessly.
Moreover, the order to prioritize completing the mission was constantly suppressing Athrun’s rage.
“Trying to run!!”
Having succeeded with a single strike, Leon Vance had no intention of letting his prey escape so easily!
Even if the person piloting the Aegis Gundam was once a character Leon had liked as a child!
Now that he stood on the battlefield, he must not—and could not—hesitate because of past sentiments!
“Leaf-Wheel Blades!!
Go!”
The sensory ability he had just acquired in the early morning suddenly activated, driving the two spinning light-wheels hovering in the air to sweep across the sky, flanking the Aegis Gundam from left and right.
“Not good!
Can’t dodge!”
A warning alarm blared in Athrun’s mind!
But the Aegis Gundam, which he had just stolen, couldn’t respond promptly to Athrun’s precise maneuvers.
And at this critical moment, that slight delay meant death!!
“Boom!!”
“Boom!!”
As two explosions erupted in the sky, the Aegis Gundam narrowly shot out from the smoke and flames.
Athrun’s face was pale, but his eyes were filled with relief.
“Captain Le Creuset, you’re here!”
“Yes.
I noticed you and Miguel hadn’t returned, so I couldn’t rest easy and came personally.”
A GINN swooped in from the distant port, positioning itself in front of the Aegis Gundam and looking down at the scene below from its vantage point.
“Hmm?
Two very similar new-type machines?
What kind of trick are those fools in the Earth Alliance playing?”
Inside the GINN’s cockpit, Rau Le Creuset—who commanded the fleet attacking the colony satellite and was also personally piloting the MS GINN—narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on the Sky Raider Gundam as it retrieved the two light-wheels.
Those two light-wheels, in particular, put Le Creuset on high alert.
He had clearly hit them just moments ago, but judging from the current situation, the attacks from his GINN had been completely ineffective against the light-wheels.
“What kind of weapon is this?
To possess such power?”
“Captain Le Creuset, Miguel, he…”
“No!
We retreat immediately!
Our achievements at this stage are sufficient!
Athrun, we’re pulling back!”
With the enemy’s situation unclear, Le Creuset decisively chose to cover Athrun’s retreat.
Although there were still two new-type machines developed by the Earth Alliance on the ground, from the current circumstances, Le Creuset’s side had already gained a significant advantage.
Moreover, Le Creuset wanted to learn more about the Sky Raider Gundam from Athrun.
Without fully understanding the situation, Le Creuset had no intention of launching a rash attack.
Unknown weapons, an unknown mobile suit, and that mysterious yet undeniable presence all made Rau Le Creuset hesitate to act recklessly.
“Yes!
Captain Le Creuset!”
Under Rau Le Creuset’s orders, Athrun gritted his teeth, shot a fierce glance at the Sky Raider Gundam, and immediately withdrew toward the port, with Rau Le Creuset’s GINN providing cover.
Watching the enemy retreat, Murrue Ramius finally let out a slow sigh of relief.
She looked around, chose a relatively flat open area, and with great effort, landed the Strike Gundam there before releasing the boy trapped in the cockpit.
“Sorry!
I ended up dragging you into this!”
Murrue Ramius apologized.
“No.
You were protecting me.
No need to apologize!”
The boy shook his head and bowed slightly in thanks.
“Well, let’s get down and rest for now!
Then I’ll have someone take you to a shelter.”
Murrue Ramius was immensely relieved to have saved both the Strike Gundam and the boy before her.
At least amid such intense combat, she had managed to accomplish something rather than perish under ZAFT’s gunfire.
Meanwhile, a group of students who happened to be encountered by Leon Vance and escorted to this open area saw Kira stepping down from the Strike Gundam.
They rushed over, pulling at Kira and asking all sorts of questions.
Looking around, their faces were filled with expressions of relief after surviving the ordeal.
Standing by the Strike Gundam’s cockpit and trying to climb down on her own, Murrue Ramius suddenly paled, instinctively clutching her right shoulder as her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“Didn’t I tell you this morning not to act recklessly?
Look, you’re injured now.”
Suffering from the gunshot wound on her right shoulder, her face deathly pale and nearly on the verge of fainting, Murrue Ramius vaguely noticed a large metallic hand appearing before her.
Struggling to stay conscious, she looked up to see Leon Vance holding a medical kit with a reproachful expression.
He leaped along the Sky Raider Gundam’s right arm and landed in front of Murrue Ramius.
“Your little hiking trip turned out to be quite something!
In the end, you even managed to find a new model very similar to the Strike Gundam.”
Leaning against the edge of the cockpit, Murrue Ramius slowly sat down and tried to relax her body so Leon could treat her.
Over the past few months of interaction, Murrue Ramius had grown to deeply trust this young man.
Leon opened the medical kit, took out scissors, and looked at Murrue Ramius.
After she nodded in permission, he carefully cut open the clothing around the gunshot wound to expose it, making it easier to clean and treat.
During the treatment, Leon joked.
“Who knows how it happened?
Maybe it was luck!
ZAFT’s missiles didn’t blow me up.
Instead, they blasted me into a secret warehouse, and then, it appeared right in front of me.”
Although enduring the intense pain of wound cleaning, Murrue Ramius wasn’t fooled by Leon’s nonsense.
“Do you think I’d believe that?
Lieutenant Vance.”
“Oh?
Still trying to pull rank on me?
Captain Murrue Ramius.”
Leon rolled his eyes, looking utterly exasperated.
“How could I?
My life is in your hands right now!
Lieutenant Vance.”
Murrue Ramius gasped sharply, her face extremely pale as she glanced at the wound on her right shoulder.
Bearing the agony, she asked.
“Did we dig out the bullet?”
“No, fortunately, it’s a through-and-through wound!”
After giving Murrue Ramius a reassuring smile, Leon Vance bandaged her wound.
Upon learning the injury wasn’t serious, Murrue Ramius let out a long sigh and looked up at the harbor flickering with flames.
“What should we do next, Leon Vance?
ZAFT will likely continue their attack.”
“What else?
If the enemy comes, we have guns!
Hurt them enough, and they won’t dare come back!”
After finishing the bandaging, Leon Vance tried to move Murrue Ramius to a flatter spot to rest, only to be surprised to find that his mature neighbor had fallen unconscious from exhaustion and her injuries.
“Sleep well.
I’ll handle things from here.”