Sachez could hear the murmurs in the Earth Federation Forces' communications.
His mission this time was to prove through Celestial Beings that SDP had actually been assisting terrorists all along, posing an extreme threat to the government.
Ribbons had already noticed that many high-ranking A-Laws attending today's banquet were growing timid.
The threat of SDP was akin to a village knowing there was a tiger in the mountains—one that followed rules, rarely descended, and even when it did, would only kill one or two sheep without harming people.
Yet the tiger's threat was real. No one knew when it might turn violent, so everyone began pooling resources to raise dogs, build fences, and develop weapons against it.
But now things were different. The A-Laws high-level officials realized SDP might not be a tiger, but a dragon.
These A-Laws executives valued their lives dearly. If SDP were a tiger, they'd still have the courage to fight. But if it were a dragon, they'd start considering how to offer tribute to keep it from tormenting them.
Thus, Ribbons needed the A-Laws high command to understand that SDP was an enemy—they wouldn't play by the rules, and their goal was to overthrow their thrones and cast them into the abyss.
However, it seemed Ribbons was now grasping at straws, having recruited someone unsuitable.
From Ribbons' perspective, Ali al-Saachez was truly the most suitable candidate available on short notice.
Among the Quasi-Innovators, no one could arrive quickly. The only combat-capable person by his side was Shirine Keel, but her current status—alive or dead—was unknown. His attempts to contact her through Veda yielded no response; she was either unconscious or deceased.
Therefore, Ali al-Saachez, who held grudges against both SDP and Celestial Beings, was sufficiently unhinged, and technically reliable, naturally became the optimal choice.
Yet, Ribbons never expected Reid to dig up a four-year-old incident.
Sachez, who had survived thanks to a Mechanical Prosthetic Body four years ago, had been active openly all this time. Ribbons assumed SDP had decided to spare this accomplice connected to otherworlders.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Sachez remained unusually calm as SDP publicly broadcast the four-year-old footage.
Of course, this calmness wasn't due to a change in personality, but an instinctive response to extreme danger. However, anyone seeing him in the cockpit would notice only madness in his eyes.
Thus, maintaining this superficially calm demeanor, Sachez once again denied the events in the footage. He knew admitting any connection to otherworlders was absolutely forbidden—otherwise, no one would intervene no matter what SDP did to him today.
"SDP commander, this footage alone can't prove I colluded with otherworlders. Isn't it just you helping Celestial Beings eliminate an enemy? Brutally killing an ordinary mercenary, then framing him as an otherworlder—what a clever tactic. You could use it to justify killing anyone."
Seeing Sachez still trying to weasel out, Reid sneered. Thinking the Joyeuse Gundam's arm hadn't fully recovered yet, he decided to chat a while longer and replied.
"Don't you find your own words contradictory? If we were going to help Celestial Beings resolve their issues, would we let you and that outsider Kowloon kill their pilots? Besides, if we hadn't been focused on dealing with the outsider, do you think you'd have escaped alive?"
Hearing the retort, Sachez thought this SDP commander was just as shameless.
The reality was that after they dealt with Kowloon, they immediately took off with another Gundam without any intention of fighting him. Now they were distorting the truth, claiming he only escaped because they were concentrating on the outsider?
Sachez desperately wanted to expose the facts, but before cursing aloud, he suddenly realized he had absolutely no evidence.
Not only was there no evidence, but stating the truth would only help SDP prove they had no connection to Celestial Beings - after all, if they were related, why would they watch Celestial Beings die and then take a Celestial Being Gundam back as a souvenir?
Four years ago, the Celestial Being Gundams' performance was far inferior to SDP's frontline Mobile Suits. Taking one back could only serve as a keepsake.
Silence fell over the scene, which others interpreted as Sachez having no rebuttal.
However, Sachez was about to reveal his mad side.
Suddenly and without warning, the Throne Gundam charged toward the Joyeuse Gundam, its GN Sword swinging down in an overhead slash while Sachez shouted over the open comms:
"All this talk and you still want to protect that Krugis brat! Whether you're planning to recruit him or fuck him, if you want me dead, then you can all go to hell!!"
Reid had already sensed Sachez's killing intent and paid no mind to his desperate ramblings, simply stating over the squad channel:
"Don't rush. I can handle him alone."
The Joyeuse Gundam then raised its Super GN Sword, crossing them to block the Throne Gundam's GN Sword.
Since the Joyeuse Gundam's arms hadn't fully recovered, their output was significantly affected.
Meanwhile, the Throne Gundam was a triple-drive unit. Although these three drives were all outdated red particle Pseudo GN Drives from four years ago, with individual output inferior to the drives used by the Earth Federation Forces' current Ahead units.
But quantity made up for quality - the combined output of three red particle Pseudo GN Drives slightly exceeded that of an original GN Drive, while also carrying the "heavy injury" effect against carbon-based lifeforms.
Thus, the Joyeuse Gundam and Throne Gundam reached a stalemate, with Reid unable to immediately overpower the Throne Gundam using his Mobile Suit's strength.
Noticing this, Sachez continued roaring over the comms:
"Haha, your Mobile Suit's arms haven't fully recovered, right? Coming out with a half-crippled machine shows how little you think of me! And not letting your teammates help? Such pointless honor!!"
However, Reid remained unaffected by Sachez's words. The GN Buster Swords on his shoulders launched directly, aiming to pierce two holes through the Throne Gundam's cockpit first.
But Sachez's MS piloting skills were quite formidable, and his reactions were swift.
The moment the GN Buster Swords moved, he made the Throne Gundam perform a mid-air split. The Mobile Suit's Leg Blades blocked the GN Buster Swords' thrust.
Having accomplished this, Sachez triumphantly roared:
"Haha, my turn now! Fly—"
"BOOM!!"
With an explosion, Sachez's voice abruptly ceased.
This was the work of the two Magnum Beam Cannons mounted on the Joyeuse Gundam's backpack.
While Reid activated the Sword Saint System to drive the GN Sword in an attack against Sachez, Nein quietly folded the two Magnum Beam Cannons from the backpack down to the waist.
Since the transformation of these two cannons was blocked by the Joyeuse Gundam's Mobile Suit body, Sachez didn't notice them.
Thus, just as he was gleefully preparing to counterattack, two Magnum Beams, under Reid's mental control, shot directly from the Joyeuse Gundam's waist and pierced through the lower half of the Throne Gundam, triggering an explosion.
Reid deliberately avoided targeting the cockpit located in the chest at the front of the Throne Gundam's torso because Sachez owed many debts to others.
With the lower half of the Throne Gundam blown apart, the Mobile Suit naturally couldn't maintain its posture. Even with GN Particle Anti-gravity, the suit began spinning in mid-air.
Reid then spoke directly over the Celestial Beings' public channel:
"Alright, the Throne Gundam is disabled. To all present, if you have grievances, seek redress; if you have grudges, settle them. There's only one Mobile Suit and one person here, so whoever strikes first should leave something for those behind.
By the way, Neil, you take the last shot. This Mobile Suit has a Core Fighter as an escape pod. Wait until Sachez thinks he's escaped to safety, then take him out with one shot."
Hearing this, Neil immediately understood that Reid was intentionally leaving Sachez for him to exact revenge. He laughed and said,
"Don't worry, just watch. If I can't finish him with one shot, I'll go back to the factory for a rebuild."
As for the others, since Reid decided to give the kill to Neil—whose parents and sister were killed by Sachez—naturally no one objected.
The only one who might have objected was a younger brother who felt he couldn't compete with his elder brother for the kill, so he could only fire a few shots to vent his frustration.
Thus, Lyle, who had been watching Setsuna and Bushido's duel while waiting for an opportunity to intervene, drew the GN Handgun from his Cherudim Gundam and fired several shots at the Throne Gundam, treating it like a frisbee and blasting off both its arms and head.
Actually, both Setsuna and Tieria wanted to land a blow as well.
However, the 00 Gundam was tightly entangled by the Masurao, leaving Setsuna unable to divert attention to fire a shot.
Tieria mentioned that holding a hostage made it inconvenient for him to shoot, and his Mobile Suit's firepower was too intense—one shot from him would eliminate any need for Neil to finish the job.
Fortunately, Sachez promptly abandoned the Mobile Suit after it was reduced to a Limbless Suit. The Core Fighter detached and flew straight south, attempting to blend into the Earth Federation's Ahead units and escape to safety.
Seeing this, Neil deliberately didn't snipe the Throne Gundam's Core Fighter immediately. Instead, he waited until it was almost within reach of the Ahead units, with survival hope seemingly within grasp, before a beam shot straight through the Core Fighter.
Reid, noticing Sachez's mental wave vanish instantly, knew he had been reduced to ashes.
Checking the World Change Fluctuation Value again, it remained at 8.103%. Indeed, whether Ali al-Saachez lived or died had no impact on Setsuna's Awakening.
This scumbag's existence merely provided Ribbons with someone to handle dirty work—his presence or absence made no difference.
With the battle on Reid's side concluded, he turned his attention to the situation on Setsuna's end.
Bushido was now a complete fanatic. While Reid was "judging" Ali al-Saachez, he relentlessly pursued the 00 Gundam.
Moreover, Bushido knew to use SDP's Mobile Suits as cover, sticking close to the Automated Soldier Murasame while fighting.
The other three members of Celestial Being also knew that if they provided covering fire and caused SDP's Mobile Suits to be hit, it would create serious complications for Reid. Thus, they waited for the right moment to intervene.
Among the four Gundams, only the 00 Gundam was designed for close-quarters combat. While the other units had melee capabilities, they were primarily supplementary attack methods.
Fortunately, Setsuna was currently holding his own against Bushido. In this environment, free from concerns about others and fully focused on the enemy, he could fully utilize the combat skills he had honed over the years. In terms of piloting skill, he was only slightly inferior to Bushido.
Unlike four years ago, when without the advantage of superior machine performance, Graham fighting Setsuna would have been like an adult disciplining a child.
Although both machines were dual furnace units, Setsuna's 00 Gundam was equipped with original furnaces, while the Masurao used specially designed pseudo GN Drives with far greater output than those used by Quasi-Innovator machines like the Ahead.
Therefore, the 00 Gundam still held an advantage in output, which compensated for Setsuna's slight disadvantage in piloting technique.
Their battle was exceptionally spectacular. Both pilots employed dual-sword styles, engaging in high-speed exchanges while incorporating kicking techniques, proving that the Gundams' legs weren't just for show.
However, with Ali al-Saachez's death, Bushido knew SDP would soon try to intervene in his battle. Although SDP hadn't openly sided with Celestial Being, their partiality was completely undisguised.
After kicking the 00 Gundam away once more, the Masurao didn't pursue this time. Instead, it hovered upright in the air and declared:
"Young man, time is running short. We should settle this. Come, show me your full power."
As he finished speaking, the Masurao became enveloped in red GN Particles, clearly activating the Trans-Am System.
It must be noted that the Masurao's Trans-Am System wasn't the one designed and invented by Aeolia Schenberg.
Rather, it was a system restored by Billy Katagiri based on particle burst methods he discovered in manuscripts left by his teacher, Ralph Eifman.
Ralph Eifman was truly a genius. Even before the Trans-Am System was unveiled, he had already researched how GN Particles could be compressed and burst in certain forms, completing preliminary research that formed the prototype of the Trans-Am System.
Of course, the Trans-Am System developed by Billy Katagiri had significant flaws.
This Trans-Am System would cause severe damage to the pseudo GN Drives, and the Mobile Suit would cease functioning immediately after Trans-Am ended.
Additionally, since the Masurao wasn't equipped with the inertial buffers used by Celestial Being, the powerful acceleration generated by the Trans-Am System placed enormous strain and danger on the pilot. Only someone like Bushido (Graham Aker) - essentially made of reinforced concrete in the Gundam 00 universe - could withstand it.
Nevertheless, the system provided genuine enhancement to the Mobile Suit, directly tripling its normal output.
Setsuna felt his hair stand on end at that moment. He had no choice but to ignore Ian Vashti's warning not to activate the Trans-AM system and similarly activated the 00 Gundam's Trans-AM.
If he didn't use it now, Setsuna felt he would be instantly killed.
Fortunately, after both sides activated Trans-AM, the combat power returned to an equilibrium.
However, with both sides moving at extreme speeds, it was clearly unsuitable to continue fighting near the SDP forces, as neither could guarantee avoiding collateral damage to SDP's Mobile Suits.
Since neither wanted to be the first to cause accidental damage, they wordlessly transformed into two intertwined red meteors, fighting while charging directly through the gap left by the Earth Federation's Ahead units in the north.
The other three Gundam pilots, seeing this, shared the same understanding and simultaneously activated their Trans-AM systems to pursue them.
The surrounding Earth Federation Ahead troops were left dumbfounded - had the Celestial Being's Four Gundams just escaped like that?
By the time the frontline troops received the furious order from Abert Lint to "chase them immediately," the Celestial Being Gundams had long disappeared from sight.
Even though they knew catching up was impossible, the Ahead forces still felt they should at least fire a few shots to prove they deserved their military pay. Completely disregarding the SDP forces, they all chased in the direction where the Celestial Being's Four Gundams had vanished within one minute.
(End of Chapter)