"Jehart..." Asemu bit his lip, the bright red blood trickling down the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his pilot suit in a particularly glaring manner.
He thought he had finally earned the right to confront Jehart with the Gundam AGE-2 designed specifically for him by Yang Hui, but now he realized that Jehart could still see through his movements. There remained an insurmountable chasm between him and Jehart.
"This is the power of an X-Rounder."
"X-Rounder..."
"Asemu, you have no chance of winning. Withdraw from the war; let me handle the dialogue between Earth and VEGAN."
"Impossible! I will never give up, Jehart!"
"Is that so… then I can only eliminate you first!"
Jehart attempted to push the control stick, aiming to stab the Jedra sword into the cockpit of Gundam AGE-2, decisively determining the outcome between him and Asemu, but…
The control stick felt incredibly heavy in his hand, as if something was stuck within it, preventing Jehart from pushing it forward.
"What's wrong? Why won't my hand obey me? No, it's me… I can't move…" Jehart gritted his teeth, struggling internally. For the sake of the bet's victory, for the future of VEGAN, he should eliminate Gundam AGE-2 and reduce a strong enemy.
But memories from Tordia surged up, filling his mind, reminding him of the times they worked hard together, laughed together, and telling him that he could not kill Asemu.
In the end, the psychological battle was won by emotion over reason, and the Jedra sword was sheathed.
"Jehart?" Asemu didn't understand why Jehart wasn't making a move.
"..." Jehart did not respond. He took one last look at Gundam AGE-2 and quickly turned to leave the battle area.
"Jehart..." Asemu couldn't comprehend it, but he was relieved to have survived by a stroke of luck. Yet, he felt a deep sense of frustration because he had lost again, once more to Jehart. "This… doesn't it mean nothing has changed!? Ah~!"
...
Not long after the Jedra left, Jehart received a communication from his subordinate.
"Els, what's the situation?"
"Lord Jehart! The front line cannot be maintained, please give instructions!" The voice on the communication was panicked, filled with fear.
"What? In such a short time…" Jehart looked at the display, noticing that more than half of their signals had already gone dark, and he was taken aback.
"Yes! The Grim Reaper is attacking the fleet's main formation. If this continues…"
"Order a structured retreat! I'll be there immediately to buy you time." Jehart commanded.
"But you…"
"This is an order!"
"Understood…"
After the communication ended, Jehart cursed his own negligence. As a commander, he had abandoned his troops for his own fleeting pleasure, resulting in heavy losses for them.
Without hesitation, Jehart pressed the pedal to the floor, and the Jedra instantly accelerated, weaving through the asteroids at top speed, heading to the battlefield to find his target.
"Not on my watch!"
...
"Beep beep beep…"
"Hmm?" Just as the Dawn Gundam was about to sink a battleship, the urgent alarm diverted Yang Hui's attention. Seeing the rapidly approaching Jedra, he immediately abandoned his attack on the battleship and switched to evasive maneuvers, dodging the Jedra's fire.
The Jedra did not slow its advance. Just as it was about to collide with the Dawn Gundam, it transformed its gun into a sword, aiming directly at the Dawn Gundam's vital points.
The Dawn Gundam did not back down, discarding its dual guns and drawing its sword to meet the attack.
"Bang~!"
The immense inertia sent the Dawn Gundam flying, and the Jedra sword transformed back into a gun, firing continuously.
For an ordinary person, this blow would either kill them or leave them unconscious, waiting to die. But Yang Hui was not an ordinary person; in the split second before contact, he assessed that the opponent's speed and inertia would create a tremendous impact, so he began to retreat in advance.
Thus, while it seemed the Dawn Gundam was sent flying, it did not impose too much strain on Yang Hui. In fact, he used the Jedra's force to create distance, easily dodging the Jedra's fire.
"Wow? You really have some skills, kid." Yang Hui smirked, connecting to the Jedra's communication.
"Hmph, I don't want your praise, Grim Reaper of the Federation." Jehart replied coldly, but he wasn't in a hurry to engage Yang Hui in battle. What he needed to do now was buy time for the fleet's retreat, and Yang Hui's willingness to chat suited him just fine.
"You're here, which means Asemu lost? Is he still alive?" Yang Hui asked.
"Who knows?"
"Is that so…" Yang Hui's tone gradually turned icy, sending a chill down Jehart's spine.
"Beep beep beep…"
The alarms blared in the cockpit, and the X-Rounder alert was so loud that Jehart struggled to maintain his composure. Yet, the sense of impending doom instinctively made him press the pedal, causing the Jedra to retreat.
It was this survival instinct, deeply embedded in his DNA, that saved Jehart's life. The Jedra's right arm, along with the Jedra gun, was pierced by a beam, but fortunately, he had moved away from his original position; otherwise, the point where the beams intersected would have been the Jedra's head.
"Dodged? Is that the X-Rounder ability? But… it's still not enough!"
Yang Hui's hands moved rapidly, the floating cannons surrounding the Jedra like iron chains. As the Dawn Gundam sheathed its sword, it quickly retrieved the Beam Rifle floating nearby, combining it with the floating cannons to fire at Jehart.
"Ugh~! This is the Grim Reaper of the Federation… this kind of pressure…"
In just a few seconds of engagement, sweat drenched Jehart. The dense web of beams locked him in, making the Jedra a solitary boat in a storm of destruction, with the X-Rounder ability constantly warning him of death.
"But… don't underestimate me!"
Pushed into a corner, Jehart erupted. The X-Rounder ability broke through the mask's limitations, fully merging with the Jedra. The remaining Beam Vulcan swept across, hitting three floating cannons in an instant, creating a gap in the net of fire.
Seizing the opportunity, the Jedra accelerated and broke through the firepower blockade, simultaneously rolling in place, its chest glowing with golden light as the beam destruction cannon unleashed its power.
"Haah~!"
Jehart gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from the inertia, controlling the Jedra to sweep with the beam destruction cannon, destroying four more floating cannons.
"An outburst in desperation? Interesting, but useless…"
Yang Hui was surprised by Jehart's outburst, but it was merely surprise. This level of power was not enough to distract Yang Hui in battle.
In the moment the Jedra became rigid, the Dawn Gundam's gun was already aimed at the Jedra's head, a pink glow shining brightly, the beam like a scythe of death, gradually covering the cockpit's screen.
"How could this… I actually…" Jehart was unable to react at this moment. Feeling the impending death, his mind went blank, waiting foolishly for the Grim Reaper to claim his soul.
Just then…
"Lord Jehart!"
"Protect Lord Jehart and retreat!"
Suddenly, a Dorados rushed out beside the Jedra, pushing it away and exposing itself to the Grim Reaper's line of sight, entering the embrace of death in place of the Jedra.
At the same time, two Dorados held back the Jedra, rapidly retreating, while three Bacta-types and three Dorados stood in front of the Dawn Gundam, pouring firepower without regard for their lives.
"You…"
"Lord Jehart, we're buying you time!"
"You are the Commander; you cannot die here!"
"We all saw it, even if just for a moment, you are the only one who has ever suppressed the Grim Reaper! You are our hope!"
"Please hurry and leave!"
"You all…" Jehart wanted to scold them for disobeying his orders, but…
He couldn't bring himself to say it, whether in reprimand or persuasion.
He thought his will was strong, but at that moment, tears flowed from the gaps in his mask.
The ones saving him were just ordinary members of the VEGAN army, but at this moment, they erupted with a brilliance he had never seen before, as dazzling as fireworks, yet fleeting like fireworks as well.
...
The Dawn Gundam weaved through the chaotic fire net, sometimes hitting the limbs of enemy machines with a shot, sometimes severing the necks of enemy machines with a slash.
In less than a minute, all the MS blocking the Dawn Gundam had lost their combat effectiveness, but…
"W-why not kill us?" one person asked Yang Hui.
"I acknowledge your loyalty. Go back and tell Jehart that, for your sake, I'll spare him this time. Next time we meet, I won't hold back."
With that, he turned and left without giving them a chance to respond, heading towards the Baize and Diva.
"We… survived?"
"What does he mean by that?"
"I don't know… but it's terrifying!"
"Stop talking; I don't even know where I got the courage before. I'm so scared I might pee myself!"
"Hahaha, we can say we survived under the Grim Reaper!"
"But how does the Grim Reaper know Lord Jehart? He sounds quite familiar…"
"Who knows? We should hurry back before he changes his mind."
The group didn't dare to waste any more time. The MS that could still move quickly regrouped with their companions and retreated towards the fleet.
...
Yang Hui arrived in the B543 area, finding Gundam AGE-2 lying on an asteroid.
"Hey, Asemu, are you okay?"
"Uncle Yang Hui! What are you doing here? What about the battle? What happened to Jehart?"
"It's over; VEGAN has retreated. I… taught him a lesson." Yang Hui said, shaking his head self-deprecatingly. Jehart's outburst was something he hadn't anticipated, instantly destroying seven of the Dawn Gundam's floating cannons. This was the first time he had sustained this level of damage since arriving in this world.
"Is that so… I lost again… I…"
"Alright, stop crying here." Saying this, the Dawn Gundam lifted Gundam AGE-2, dragging its arm back. Now, it wasn't just Asemu who was in a state of disappointment; Gundam AGE-2 had also suffered severe damage from the impact, with sensors, circuits, and frame all broken. Rather than forcing it to act and worsening the damage, it was better to take it back, easing the burden on the maintenance crew.
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