"Who knows what will happen next?"
Dearka raised his hands, his gaze fixed on the Archangel as a trace of worry rose in his heart, murmuring to himself.
While Dearka was raising the white flag, the battle between Athrun and Kira remained intensely fierce.
"Athrun!!!"
"Kira!!!"
Voices filled with hatred and rage roared from both of them.
The Strike Gundam swung its Beam Saber, executing a horizontal slash that severed the head of the Aegis Gundam. Not to be outdone, the Aegis Gundam kicked with one leg, its Beam Saber cutting off the Strike Gundam's shield-bearing arm.
After this exchange, Athrun quickly manipulated the controls, transforming the Aegis Gundam into capture mode. At extremely close range, three Mechanical Claws instantly secured the Strike Gundam. The speed was so fast that Kira couldn't react in time.
The Scylla Cannon aimed directly at the Strike Gundam's cockpit.
Staring at the massive cannon barrel before him, Kira's rage under hatred faded somewhat, replaced by the fear of imminent death filling his slightly calmer mind.
Just as the Scylla Cannon charged up and was about to fire, it suddenly went silent, accompanied by the deactivation of the Aegis Gundam's PS Armor.
"Damn it, running out of power at this exact moment."
In the Aegis Gundam's cockpit, Athrun saw the power indicator and growled in frustration, unwilling to accept it.
A look of resolve flashed in Athrun's eyes as he pressed a button, bringing up a special nine-key pad. His fingers tapped the numbers 2, 8, and 7, with 8 pressed twice.
A countdown instantly appeared on the screen.
Unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the cockpit hatch, he scrambled outside to escape.
Meanwhile, in the Strike Gundam's cockpit, Kira watched the Aegis Gundam's situation, a glimmer of hope rising in his despairing heart—only to be shattered moments later.
Seeing Athrun emerge, Kira instantly realized what was happening. Driven by survival instinct, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled out through a crack, propelled by sheer instinct.
...
The countdown ticked on the screen!
Time passed second by second. Just as the final few seconds were about to expire, an MS suddenly appeared near the Strike Gundam and Aegis Gundam.
The arriving MS raised a long blade and slashed at the Aegis Gundam's Mechanical Claws.
The severed claws amplified the hope in Kira's heart, and without stopping, he continued his desperate escape outward.
He had barely begun to leap when a violent explosion erupted.
The shockwave from the intense blast struck Kira's back like a high-speed car, the sharp pain instantly knocking him unconscious as his body flew uncontrollably forward.
At that moment, the MS that had cut the Mechanical Claws rushed over, extending its hands to catch the falling Kira, providing him a brief buffer.
...
Aboard the Archangel, everyone stared at the explosion on the screen, their faces paling in shock, eyes fixed intently on the large display.
Seated at the communications station, Miriallia wore a headset, her face pale and her voice trembling as she repeatedly called out.
"Kira! Tolle!"
"Kira! Tolle!"
"Kira! Tolle!"
"Ki—"
Before the fourth call could escape her lips, the comms were abruptly shut off. Following the hand that had done so, Miriallia looked up to meet Badgiruel's grave expression.
"No one could have survived that explosion. Stop calling!"
Badgiruel's voice was heavy as she delivered the harsh truth, watching Miriallia's pallid face. At her words, Miriallia's pupils contracted, and the next moment, tears welled up and spilled from her eyes.
She buried her face in her hands, head bowed, and the sound of weeping filled the air.
Seeing her in such a state, Badgiruel found no words of comfort, eventually settling for a gentle pat on Miriallia's shoulder.
Lifting her gaze to Murrue, Badgiruel spoke with resolute gravity.
"Captain, it's time we moved out!"
Hearing this, Murrue turned to Badgiruel, paused briefly in silence, then faced forward and gave the order.
"Advance!"
...
On a small island in the Marshall Islands, where Malchio resided,
Ro, who had rescued Kira, brought him here. After a brief conversation with Malchio, Ro took his leave.
Not long after Ro's departure, a group of figures clad in black appeared at Malchio's dwelling.
"Who are you?"
Malchio shielded the children beside him, calmly addressing the intruders.
The lead black-clad figure regarded Malchio with a placid expression, his tone neither warm nor cold.
"Best not to inquire, Mr. Malchio. We are here only to take the pilot. The rest of you will be left unharmed."
Without waiting for a response from Malchio, the group swiftly moved into action.
Several minutes later,
the lead figure turned to Malchio, a note of apology in his voice.
"Our apologies for the disturbance, Mr. Malchio."
"Who are you?"
Malchio pressed once more.
No reply came; instead, he heard the voice of a child beside him.
"Sir, they've already left."
"Is everyone all right?"
Hearing this, Malchio gently stroked the child's hair and softly inquired after the group.
The children shook their heads, replying in unison.
"Sir, we're all fine."
...
The next day,
the small island that had witnessed fierce combat was bathed in clear skies and sunshine. The warm rays nourished all life on the island, yet could not dispel the grim aftermath of the battle.
Setting foot on the island, Cagalli felt her heart sink at the devastating scene before her, sorrow spreading through her chest. The moment she spotted the Strike Gundam, she rushed toward it without a second thought.
Climbing to the cockpit, she peered inside, her pupils contracting and her eyes instantly reddening.
"Cagalli! We've found someone!"
A voice called out from a distance.
Hearing this, Cagalli ran toward the sound, hope and anticipation mingling in her heart.
But the sight of the ZAFT Standard Combat Suit dashed her rising hopes. An Orb Union rescue worker, crouched beside Athrun, carefully turned him over.
Seeing the face beneath the helmet, Cagalli instinctively exclaimed.
"Athrun?!"
"Miss Cagalli, do you know him?"
"You could say that!"
Hearing this, Cagalli nodded slightly in response.
...
"Am I not dead yet?"
Waking from unconsciousness, Athrun stared blankly at the ceiling above, murmuring with emotion.
Just then, a somewhat familiar voice sounded in the room.
"You're awake?"
Hearing the voice, Athrun turned his head and saw a familiar face. Looking at Cagalli, he instantly understood he had been rescued by Orb. As he was about to say thank you, Athrun noticed the pistol raised in Cagalli's hand. Suppressing his pain, he sat up and calmly asked.
"Are you prepared to fire?"