Inside the Red Frame's cockpit:
"Ro, a battleship is approaching us at high speed! Confirmed to be ZAFT's elite forces!"
"Understood."
Nodding slightly, Ro acknowledged Shuri's report while pulling the trigger. With AI Hachi's assistance, the aim was adjusted, and the Red Frame's Beam Rifle fired another shot.
Ahead, the Hyperion Gundam dodged to the left, evading the attack while returning fire with its own Beam Rifle.
Just as the Hyperion's trigger was released, a voice echoed through its cockpit.
"Canard, sensors detect a battleship closing in rapidly. Database comparison confirms it's ZAFT's elite unit."
After delivering the report, the voice suggested, "Canard, should we retreat?"
"Shut up!"
The mere mention of retreat made Canard's mind flash with the name Kira Yamato. His reply was filled with irritation and impatience.
Having said this, Canard cut off the communication and continued piloting the Hyperion Gundam to assault the Red Frame.
Meanwhile, aboard the Athena:
In the Central Hangar, inside the Genesis Gundam's cockpit:
Felix activated the Genesis Gundam with a single button, then opened a comm channel to instruct Aric. "Aric, I'm entrusting battleship command to you."
"Rest assured, Captain!" Aric saluted and pledged firmly.
Hearing this, Felix gave a faint smile and ended the transmission.
...
Observing the cosmic scenery on the screen and hearing the authorization to launch through the comms, Felix gripped the control stick and pressed the pedal down firmly. "Felix Leo Griffith, Genesis, launching!"
...
The Genesis Gundam shot out of the battleship, speeding straight ahead under Felix's control.
In the combat zone where the Hyperion Gundam and Red Frame were engaged:
The Hyperion Gundam twisted to evade a beam attack, then raised its Beam Rifle to fire at the Red Frame.
The Red Frame sidestepped and moved left, dodging the beam while returning fire with its rifle. After this shot, the Red Frame charged directly at the Hyperion Gundam, propelled by its backpack thrusters.
"Looking for close combat?" Seeing the Red Frame's charge, Canard smirked disdainfully and executed a maneuver.
The Hyperion Gundam shifted left to avoid the beam, firing its rifle at the Red Frame mid-turn.
After unleashing the volley, the Hyperion Gundam retreated, thwarting the Red Frame's attempt to close in for melee.
"Damn it!" Ro cursed upon seeing the Hyperion's evasive path, then pushed the throttle forward and stomped on the pedal.
Responding to the command, the Red Frame's backpack thrusters erupted with intensified power, accelerating even faster toward the Hyperion Gundam.
Charging forward, the shield was held in front for defense.
Enduring the damage, the Red Frame continued its charge without slowing down.
As Canard calmly controlled the Hyperion Gundam to retreat and fire, he contemplated how to eliminate the MS before him.
A moment later, a faint smile appeared on Canard's face.
His controls shifted at that instant—the Hyperion Gundam no longer retreated blindly.
"Huh?"
Watching the Hyperion Gundam's change, Ro's expression turned puzzled, then alert. While pushing the Red Frame forward, Ro remained wary of any underhanded tactics from the Hyperion Gundam.
A blade gleamed in space as the Red Frame's Kiku-Ichimonji struck the shield held by the Hyperion Gundam.
The powerful, heavy slash tore through the already damaged shield.
As the Kiku-Ichimonji continued its descent past the shield, Ro's face paled in shock.
"Damn it!"
Gritting his teeth, Ro quickly manipulated the controls, retracting the Kiku-Ichimonji.
"It's over!"
Observing the Red Frame's predicament, Canard smiled triumphantly and declared confidently.
The Hyperion Gundam swung its arm, its Beam Saber rising upward—the intense heat beam cleanly severed the Kiku-Ichimonji.
Gripping the broken sword, the Red Frame retreated under Ro's control, shield raised defensively.
Meanwhile, the Hyperion Gundam, piloted by Canard, pursued relentlessly. Its Beam Saber shifted techniques, thrusting sideways toward the Red Frame.
"Ro!"
Aboard the Junk Guild's mothership, Shuri watched the Red Frame's situation with deep concern, shouting his name.
Inside the Red Frame's cockpit, Ro heard Shuri's call but gave no response, his focus entirely on the screen as his hands moved rapidly.
Using its Attitude Control Thrusters, the Red Frame twisted its body, positioning the shield to block the Beam Saber.
Yet, instead of relief, Ro's shock deepened the moment the block was executed.
In the next instant, the Hyperion Gundam's other hand drove a second Beam Saber straight toward the cockpit.
"I'm finished!"
Muttering in despair, Ro's survival instincts kicked in, forcing the Red Frame to keep evading.
"You've run out of chances."
Watching the Red Frame's desperate struggle, Canard sneered coldly.
Beep! Beep! Beep!!!
Urgent alarms blared inside the cockpit.
Hearing them, Canard scanned the screens and pulled the Hyperion Gundam into a swift retreat.
Within milliseconds, a Beam shot past from afar, slicing through the space between the Hyperion Gundam and the Red Frame.
"Who was that?"
Staring at the Beam that had nearly struck him, Canard's face darkened with anger.
Inside the Red Frame's cockpit, Ro watched the retreating Hyperion Gundam and let out a sigh of relief, his tense nerves easing slightly.
"That was close! Too close!"
Grateful, Ro turned his gaze toward the direction from which the Beam had been fired.
Under the gaze of both, Felix's Genesis Gundam charged at extreme speed, wielding two Beam Sabers.
Canard watched the Genesis Gundam with a grave expression, controlling the Hyperion Gundam to retreat while pulling the trigger repeatedly.
The Beam Rifle fired one beam after another.
The beams shot straight toward the Genesis Gundam.
Inside the Genesis Gundam's cockpit:
Felix remained calm, gripping the control stick as he maneuvered the Genesis Gundam into a roll through space. With this evasive motion, the Genesis Gundam dodged all incoming beams.
Pressing deeply on the foot pedals, the Genesis Gundam's backpack thrusters erupted with even greater propulsion.
The seemingly vast distance was instantly closed by the high-speed charge!
Closing in on the Hyperion Gundam, Felix swung the left Beam Saber toward the Hyperion's Beam Rifle. Seeing this, Canard swiftly manipulated the Hyperion Gundam to react.
Raising its arm, the Hyperion attempted to evade the Beam Saber's strike.
Noticing the Hyperion's intent, Felix allowed a slight smile to curl his lips as he made minute adjustments to the controls.
Lifting the arm further, the Beam Saber arced upward, cleanly slicing through the Hyperion's Beam Rifle.
Canard reacted instantly, fingers dancing across the command buttons. The Hyperion Gundam discarded the severed half of the rifle while simultaneously pressing the pedals to retreat.
As the Hyperion moved backward to evade the Genesis Gundam's other Beam Saber, the discarded rifle fragment exploded, casting fiery reflections across the cockpit screens.
"Not quite up to par," Felix murmured, frowning slightly as he observed the Hyperion's evasive maneuvers, a trace of disappointment in his eyes.
He subtly adjusted the Genesis Gundam's attack pattern, deliberately leaving a small opening for Canard to exploit.
Seizing the opportunity, Canard maneuvered the Hyperion Gundam to a safer position.
Gripping the control sticks tightly, Canard stared at the Genesis Gundam on his screen, his expression a mix of vigilance and bitter frustration.
Then, with a voice dripping with loathing and resentment, he spat out the name:
"Kira Yamato!"
As he spoke, Canard activated controls on his console.
The Hyperion Gundam's two back-mounted Beam Cannons deployed and opened fire on the Genesis Gundam.
Simultaneously, the Genesis Gundam's wing-mounted Whale Plasma Cluster Beam Cannons extended, returning fire directly toward the Hyperion's beams.
The two beams fired by the Genesis met the Hyperion's shots with pinpoint accuracy.
The precision stunned Canard.
"What?!" he exclaimed, watching as the beams mutually annihilated each other in the void of space.
With the beam exchange concluded, Felix propelled the Genesis Gundam forward toward the Hyperion.
Canard responded by pulling the Hyperion into retreat while continuously firing the triggers.
The two back-mounted Beam Cannons sustained their barrage!
Dense beams filled the view, but Felix remained composed and focused. The Genesis Gundam moved like a dancing butterfly amidst the beam attacks, evading every shot with precise, graceful motions.
The Genesis Gundam raised its Beam Rifle.
A pull of the trigger sent a green beam lancing from the barrel.
Seeing this, Canard controlled the Hyperion Gundam intending to replicate Felix's maneuver.
He pulled the trigger, firing a beam toward the green beam.
However, Canard had overestimated his own abilities.
His beam failed to achieve the precision of Felix's, and the two beams merely passed by each other in mid-air.
"Damn it!"
Watching the beams narrowly miss, Canard growled under his breath while making slight adjustments to the Hyperion Gundam's position.
This allowed the Hyperion Gundam to evade the beam attack.
Just as it dodged the beam, the Genesis Gundam had already closed in right before it.
Facing the approaching Genesis Gundam, the Hyperion Gundam drew two beam sabers from its legs and thrust them toward the Genesis.
Observing the incoming beam sabers, Felix pressed commands on the control panel.
With the assistance of its attitude control thrusters, the Genesis Gundam turned sideways and slammed its shield into the Hyperion Gundam's chest.
The violent impact sent vibrations through the cockpit.
Felix frowned slightly but withstood the shock. In contrast, Canard, unprepared for the impact, didn't handle the turbulence as effortlessly as Felix.
His recovery window was slightly longer than Felix's!
During this brief moment of vulnerability, the Genesis Gundam drew a beam saber from its waist with one hand, gripping it in a reverse hold and executing an upward slash.
In one swift motion, it severed one of the Hyperion Gundam's arms.
"Damn it!"
Canard stared at the damage, his expression a mix of fury and grim determination as he cursed under his breath.
Under his control, the Hyperion Gundam began retreating backward.
"Don't run away!"
Felix said with a laugh, his fingers dancing across the command buttons.
The Genesis Gundam grabbed the Hyperion Gundam's remaining arm with one hand, halting its retreat, and delivered a powerful knee strike to its torso!
"What kind of move is that?!"
Feeling the impact, Canard questioned with a hint of astonishment.
After his outburst, Canard manipulated the Hyperion Gundam to mimic the Genesis Gundam's action, attempting a knee strike of his own.
"You're underestimating me."
Noticing the clumsy knee strike from the Hyperion Gundam, Felix remarked with a smile.
As he spoke, he input commands into the Genesis Gundam.
The Genesis Gundam released the Hyperion's arm, moved backward to avoid the knee strike, and countered by kicking the leg the Hyperion had used for the attack.
While destabilizing the Hyperion Gundam's balance, a Sailfish Railgun deployed from the Genesis's waist and fired directly at the Hyperion's leg.
Seeing the activated railgun, Canard's expression shifted, and he urgently commanded the Hyperion Gundam—still correcting its stability—to dodge left.
Though his input was timely, the Hyperion Gundam's system lag prevented it from responding quickly enough to his controls.
Beep! Beep! Beep!!!
An urgent alarm blared inside the cockpit.
Canard checked the instrument panel and saw that one of the Hyperion Gundam's legs had been severed.
"Useless system!"
He cursed the operating system.
Lifting his head, he stared at the opposing MS, and the word "death" surfaced in his mind.
As the thought of death lingered, Canard shook his head vigorously, casting the idea aside.
"No, I can't die here!"
He declared with unwavering resolve.
The name Kira Yamato surfaced in Canard's heart.
Inside the Genesis Gundam cockpit
Felix gazed at the heavily damaged Hyperion Gundam and sighed inwardly.
'One really can't handle major battles without experience!'
Then, as alertness rose in his heart, Felix's fingers moved over the communicator.
"I know where Kira Yamato is!"
Looking at the Hyperion Gundam, Felix smiled faintly and spoke into the communicator.
Inside the Hyperion Gundam cockpit
As Felix's words came through the communicator, Canard first froze in surprise before speaking with a trace of doubt in his voice.
"You know Kira Yamato?"
"Yes, and I'm quite familiar with him."
Hearing Canard's skeptical questioning, Felix continued with an amused smile.
Upon hearing this response, Canard grew agitated and urgently asked.
"Where is he?"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "TLGod" on Patreon!"
Thanks!