"Understood. The Positron Cannon will fire toward your position in ten seconds as scheduled... Please stay safe."
Seeing Lu Tianming's determination, Murrue stopped trying to dissuade him and began the countdown immediately.
Lu Tianming and Xia Chuan remained silent, but their Resonance Level quietly broke through the 70% threshold and continued climbing toward 100%.
Within the Atlantic Federation forces, Azrael watched in confusion as the Archangel raised its elevation angle strangely while the Freedom Gundam hovered silently in the air, unable to figure out what kind of combination attack they were planning.
"Sir, should we respond to them?"
"Hmm... Dispatch several MS Squads to concentrate their attack on the Archangel."
Azrael nodded. When the Archangel raised its hull angle, its underside was relatively unprotected - launching a surprise attack now could deal heavy damage even if it failed to interrupt their actions.
As for his own position... After a moment's thought, Azrael quietly ordered:
"Move our ships further away from the Archangel."
The Earth Alliance wasn't the only one deciding to attack the Archangel. Upon seeing the exposed weakness, ZAFT Forces also tentatively dispatched MS units to launch a surprise assault.
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded on the battlefield... Duel Daggers and GINNs from different factions mixed together as they advanced toward the Archangel.
"Attacking the Archangel at this moment... What a failed strategic decision..."
Nicol sighed with regret as he watched the assault unfold.
They naturally wouldn't stand by while the Archangel exposed its vulnerable underside... Before the Positron Cannon finished charging, the defense units had already gathered, protecting the Archangel while tightening their formation to avoid friendly fire from the upcoming attack.
The area before the Archangel now resembled a gathering of elite warriors.
Not to mention the Strike Suit duo fighting while teaching others, Nicol confidently believed he alone could intercept most enemy units with his single machine.
Having trained extensively with the Strike and Freedom as imaginary opponents, Nicol's piloting skills had been forced to improve considerably.
Now facing these mass-produced machine pilots trained in haste... he felt it was no different from shooting moving targets.
Moreover, stationed here was one of the heaviest artillery platforms - the Buster Gundam piloted by Dearka.
"Nicol, move aside! I'm going all out!"
Hearing Dearka's voice, Nicol nodded and piloted his Blitz away from the enemy formation.
"Let me experience... the thrill of Freedom's Full Barrage too!"
Watching Nicol clear the firing range, Dearka smiled slightly, his hands on the control sticks trembling slightly with excitement.
As a heavy firepower Mobile Suit, the Buster Gundam had been equipped with a modified multi-target locking system under Lu Tianming's consideration.
This modified version lowered the usage threshold, allowing even less skilled pilots to operate it—but required the system to perform calculations and lock onto moving mobile suits beforehand, creating a very noticeable wind-up animation.
Just now, Nicol had been covering for Dearka to complete the targeting lock.
Seeing Nicol break away from his field of vision, Dearka no longer held back and immediately pulled the trigger.
In an instant, a torrent of missiles and beams erupted from the Blitz. Faced with this sudden burst of firepower, the ambushing Mobile Suit Force had no time to evade. Chain explosions immediately erupted throughout their formation, detonating from the front lines all the way to the rear.
"Hah... So satisfying."
Watching the Mobile Suit Force plummet into the ocean, Dearka let out a refreshed sigh.
Meanwhile, the Archangel's Positron Cannon finished charging. A dazzling crimson energy stream suddenly tore across the sky, carrying an aura of instantaneous annihilation as it shot toward the airborne Freedom.
"Xia Chuan, the Positron Cannon is coming."
Lu Tianming warned while simultaneously channeling link energy into his shield, aiming it toward the incoming positron blast, ready to absorb it at any moment.
"Alright! Star Absorption Technique—Activate!"
The Haro-mounted Xia Chuan shook his head excitedly before pouring all his link energy into the shield in his hands.
The moment the Positron Cannon made contact with the shield, a miraculous scene unfolded—the majestic energy torrent spiraled into the shield as if being sucked into a vortex.
Simultaneously, the Freedom's frame began glowing with golden radiance as it absorbed the energy, appearing like a blazing sun suspended above the ocean, evoking an involuntary sense of awe.
"What... what kind of technology is that?! Could it be... the intelligence was true?"
Azrael watched the scene unfold, feeling as if his heart might leap from his chest in terror.
He had previously received combat records of the shocking hundred-meter Armor Schneider from the Strike Suit era... but he had dismissed it as exaggerated ZAFT propaganda, assuming other factors must have contributed to that incredible slash in the records.
How could a single Mobile Suit achieve such output?
But witnessing it firsthand made him realize... the records weren't exaggerated—they might have even been modest.
The machine called Freedom before him didn't resemble anything man-made... it seemed more like a divine weapon descended from the heavens!
As Freedom's wings gradually unfolded, a crimson halo emerged behind the mobile suit.
"Hmph... This stance means you're going for that move, right."
Sensing the changes in the mobile suit, no words were needed—Lu Tianming already understood Xia Chuan's intended attack.
His right hand left the control stick, palm facing forward as if preparing for something.
Instead of verbal response, Xia Chuan operated Freedom to retract its weapons and mirrored Lu Tianming's gesture.
With determined expressions, they shouted in unison:
"This hand of mine burns red with fury! It cries out for me to grasp victory!"
As if responding to a command, the Freedom's frame instantly sprang into action. Its hands abruptly spread open, energy transfer ports in its palms releasing energy like a bursting dam, forming an ever-expanding sphere of light under the constraint of linked energy.
From a great distance, Yzak watched the energy projectile in the sky, blazing like the sun... An inexplicable feeling, both alien and familiar, rose within him.
"Take this! This is the ultimate secret technique of the School of the Undefeated of the East!"
"Burning! Sekiha—Tenkyoken!"
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