"Then don't worry about it." Yang Hui patted Setsuna on the shoulder.
"But my mission isn't—"
"That's not just your mission alone, Setsuna," Yang Hui said seriously. "And... you've never had just this one mission."
"...But if I can figure out what they truly want, wouldn't that prevent this war?"
"War, huh..." Yang Hui chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe they're just saying hello."
"How could—"
"So, Setsuna, right now you're like a hopeless simp pining after unrequited love."
"Huh?" Setsuna's expression finally underwent a dramatic shift, perfectly captured by the word "dumbfounded."
They had been discussing something serious, yet the tone had suddenly shifted into something utterly ridiculous.
"If you have something to say, why not just say it directly? Instead of guessing what the other side is thinking based on vague feelings and obsessing over it—isn't that the definition of a simp?"
"Uh..." Setsuna felt like Yang Hui was mocking him—and he had proof!
But... even with proof, he couldn't refute it. What now? Urgent help needed!
"Setsuna, you need to understand one thing: simps end up with nothing. So say what you mean clearly instead of endlessly speculating about the other side's thoughts."
"...Why do you always have such bizarre analogies?" Setsuna asked expressionlessly.
"Don't sweat the small stuff."
"..."
It might be small stuff, but being made the butt of the joke was no small matter!
Still, Setsuna had to admit that despite the absurdity, Yang Hui's words made sense. He had been agonizing over vague feelings and calls, yet in reality, he knew nothing—everything in his mind was just his own imagination.
So why not just ask directly? What did the other side truly think?
Besides, hadn't Yang Hui already told him from the start? The ELS were simply searching for a new home because their planet was dying. Their method of communication was entirely different from humanity's, which led to misunderstandings, conflicts, and war.
"So... what I must do hasn't changed!" Setsuna raised his head, his anxiety and confusion replaced by determination.
"Exactly. Eliminate conflict, achieve mutual understanding—what we must do hasn't changed." Yang Hui smiled in relief. Setsuna was back to normal. Otherwise, if he stubbornly activated the [Quantum Burst System] to communicate with the ELS and ended up frying his brain, things would get messy.
Especially if the OO Q Gundam got corrupted by the ELS due to a mistake—that would be a real disaster. Yang Hui didn't even want to imagine facing an entire ocean of ELS-replicated OO Q Gundams.
(Note: In the TV anime, the ELS transformed into GN-X IVs, but in the manga, they became OOR units. Plus, Graham mentioned in the anime that their opponents were Gundam-types, so personally, I think the manga version is more accurate.)
...
Three days later, the deployed decoys were successfully assimilated by the ELS. Due to the ELS's rapid assimilation speed, it was impossible to confirm whether they had transformed into completely unarmed [Ural-class] transport ships or basic [Gag] units. However, one thing was certain—VEDA's sub-machines had not been assimilated, nor had the ELS launched any cyberattacks.
Several more days passed. By the time the ELS armada fully deployed along the final defensive line, they were about to enter the maximum firing range of long-range missiles, advancing like a dense silver curtain toward the fleet.
"They're ahead of schedule, as expected."
Calculations based on the ELS's speed suggested a three-month journey from Jupiter to Earth. But Yang Hui knew better—the ELS could accelerate to speeds surpassing even the [Trans-Am]-enhanced Demon Angel Gundam and Prison Angel Gundam. Just how terrifying was that?
To avoid being caught off guard, Yang Hui had instructed Aeolia Schenberg to closely monitor the ELS's movements, continuously updating data and recalculating their arrival time.
"Distance to large ELS units: 1000. They'll enter long-range missile range in 0032!"
"It seems we won the initial gamble," Revil's adjutant remarked, wiping sweat from his brow in relief.
"This is just the beginning," Revil said, glancing at him before issuing firm orders. "All fleets, commence attacks the moment targets enter range. Set missiles to proximity fuses—it doesn't matter if they're assimilated."
"Understood!"
"All fleets, long-range missiles ready!"
"Good." Revil observed as the ELS vanguard entered firing range and commanded, "All ships, commence first-wave missile barrage. MS units, prepare for orderly deployment."
"Understood!"
The orders cascaded through the fleet chain of command. In an instant, a sky-obscuring volley of missiles launched—so dense it seemed to rival the ELS's numbers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
The missiles streaked across space, detonating prematurely before contact with the silver tide. A wall of fire erupted, stitching together explosions that incinerated the foremost ELS with searing heat, shrapnel, and concussive blasts.
"All missiles hit!"
"Genesis charge status?" Revil didn't wait for ELS casualty confirmation. Given their numbers, the missiles' impact would be negligible regardless.
"Charge at 98%... 99%... Fully charged!"
"Firing path cleared. Ready to fire!"
"Genesis, sweep left and right flanks!"
"Understood. Genesis commencing sweep!"
With no vanguard fleet for the ELS to assimilate, the first long-range missile wave achieved full impact. Yet against the ELS's overwhelming numbers, the losses were but a drop in the ocean.
The silver ocean soon broke through the curtain of flames and intense heat, reemerging—only for the two Genesis cannons positioned at the fleet's rear to unleash their devastating power the next moment. The cataclysmic Gamma Ray Bursts split the cosmos into three segments, obliterating ELS of all sizes in their path before striking two satellites, each with a radius of 3,000 kilometers.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
The two satellites were now like onions, their layers being stripped away one by one by the Gamma Ray Bursts.
"It's working!"
Watching as the surfaces of the two satellites gradually disintegrated, the crew was exhilarated. The destructive force of the Gamma Ray Bursts was enough to annihilate any lifeform—even metallic ones. If the outer defenses were breached, the satellites themselves could be destroyed outright, drastically reducing pressure on the flank formations.
However, just as they were celebrating, they were horrified to discover that within the silver ocean, the ELS had converged into countless surging currents, turning back toward the two satellites in an endless tide. They threw themselves at the rapidly thinning outer layers, heedless of their own destruction, like moths to a flame.
The influx of small-scale ELS couldn't fully repair the nearly breached surfaces, but they steadily eroded the power of the Genesis Light.
Before long, the Genesis Light faded, leaving behind massive craters on both satellites—yet, frustratingly, failing to fully penetrate their outer shells. And with the ELS gathering once more, the damage was soon restored to its original state.
"Damn it! We were so close!" someone in the Celestial Being's central command cursed in frustration.
"Stay calm. This was within our projections," Revil reassured them, knowing that losing composure mid-battle was a fatal mistake. The fight had only just begun.
Moreover, the Genesis cannons had already fulfilled their primary objective—clearing two clean paths through the ELS on both flanks.
"Flanking MS units, move out and prepare for close-quarters combat! All ships, fire at will—commence mop-up operations!"
"Roger that!"
A commander's role wasn't just to issue orders. Revil's unshakable composure steadied everyone in the central command, bringing their heightened emotions back under control.
"What terrifying numbers..." Char muttered as he observed the ELS ahead from the left flank. The cleared paths left by the Genesis cannons were mere thin lines in the vast silver ocean.
"Colonel, don't charge too far ahead this time," Lalah Sune reminded him. Char's high-speed tactics often left him isolated from the main force—a strategy ill-suited for the current battle. Not to mention, both he and Lalah were serving as decoys.
"...Yeah, I know," Char replied, sounding slightly dejected.
"Char really can't say no to Lalah, can he?" Amuro chuckled nearby. He had been worried that Char would vanish at triple speed despite any warnings—but fortunately, Lalah Sune was the one person who could keep him in check.
"Enough chatter. The enemy is approaching. All units, avoid direct contact with the ELS. Keep your GN Fields active at all times during combat!"
"Roger that!"
The order was given. With Char's [Sazabi], Amuro's brand-new [Hi-ν Gundam] (equipped with dual-linked Beam Gatling guns, beam combat blades, and a shield as composite armament, along with 10 GN Super Dragoons mounted on its wing binders), and Lalah Sune's new [Pallas Athena] (its ship-to-ship missiles replaced by the GN Super Dragoon System, foot-mounted combat claws modified for both beam and physical attacks, and shield-mounted missiles swapped for a Beam Diffusion Cannon), these three Mobile Suits formed the spearhead, leading the left-wing MS units into the cleared passage within Genesis.
"Come at us, ELS!"
Upon reaching the center of the passage, not just the three leading Mobile Suits but all units capable of activating the Psycommu System did so. Countless GN Super Dragoons detached from their units and scattered, unleashing a torrent of beam fire like rain, striking the silver tide and sending ripples across its surface.
"Ugh—!"
The moment the Psycommu System activated, the surrounding ELS were indeed drawn by the powerful Brain Quantum Waves, changing course to swarm toward the central "feast."
Simultaneously, Char and the others felt a piercing pain in their brains, as if needles were being driven into their skulls—just like when the ELS had first emerged from Jupiter.
"Damn it! Don't just... invade my mind like that!"
The pain enraged them, driving Char and the others to unleash beams and solid rounds recklessly at the ELS in an attempt to ease their suffering—though it did little to help.
This also reduced the combat efficiency of elite Newtypes like Char, forcing them to be protected at the center of the formation.
Fortunately, they weren't fighting alone. Soon, support arrived in the form of ship cannons, their massive beams sweeping across the battlefield, wiping out swathes of the silver tide.
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