The Laglamis Fortress withdrew from Earth's orbit, and the Federal Fleet seized this opportunity to reclaim it without engaging in combat.
At first, Admiral Argreus thought that the Laglamis Fortress had retreated to defend its homeland under the pressure of the Federal Fleet. He even considered that Yang Hui and Flit were perhaps being overly cautious.
However, to his surprise, the Laglamis Fortress stopped in the L2 region, not far from Earth's orbit, and heightened its defenses there, adopting a stance of a decisive battle with the Federal Army.
Within a few days, the massive Second Moon appeared in space, joining forces with the Laglamis Fortress. At that moment, Admiral Argreus knew that the final battle had arrived.
"Lieutenant General, Commander, as you predicted, VEGAN is indeed preparing for a decisive battle with us."
By this time, Yang Hui and Flit had already sortied in their mobile suits, and Admiral Argreus could only communicate with them remotely.
"Expected. They have no other choice," Flit said with a hint of pride.
"Since they've come, let's end this war once and for all," Yang Hui smiled casually before turning serious. "Please give the order, Admiral Argreus."
"Orders!" Admiral Argreus stood up and solemnly issued commands to Yang Hui, Graham, and Yurin. "The Dawn Gundam, Flag Gundam, and Luna Gundam are to break away from the main formation and penetrate the enemy's rear. Destroy the enemy fortress cannon. Until the mission is complete, ignore any unexpected developments."
"Understood." X3
The fortress cannon, capable of obliterating the Big Ring base in a single shot, posed the greatest threat. As long as it remained operational, the fleet's movements would be constrained, making it difficult to launch an effective offensive.
Admiral Argreus understood the principle that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to failure. Until the fortress cannon was destroyed, the Federation could only remain on the defensive, unable to mount a decisive attack.
As a strategic weapon of this scale, the fortress cannon would undoubtedly be heavily guarded by the enemy. Only Yang Hui and his team could break through the layers of defense to destroy it.
"Commander…"
"Don't call me Commander anymore, Argreus. I'm just an ordinary soldier now. Feel free to give me orders."
After being repeatedly reminded by Yang Hui, Flit had let go of his stubbornness and pride. He had retired and held no military rank. Now that he had rejoined the battle, he was no longer the supreme commander and could no longer overstep his authority to issue commands to the troops.
"Comman… Ah, orders! Flit Asuno is temporarily appointed as the acting commander of the Celestial Being unit. Lead the Celestial Being unit in free hunting, with the primary target being the enemy X-Rounder forces!"
"Understood."
As the communication ended, Admiral Argreus breathed a sigh of relief. He had been somewhat worried that Flit might not be able to let go of his past glory and would once again act on his own. For this final battle, he had already scripted the entire narrative and did not want any uncontrollable elements, even if that person was his most respected mentor.
"Asemu, have you received the orders?" Although he had given up acting on his own, Flit still carried an air of authority in front of Asemu. It was a habit that couldn't be completely reversed in a short time.
"Received, Father…"
"Call me Commander!"
"Yes, Commander. We have received the Admiral's orders. The Celestial Being unit is temporarily under your command. Please issue your orders."
"Hmph. Asemu, take two squads and deploy from coordinates D32 to G19 horizontally. Gerard, Rena, lead three squads from U45 to Z99. The remaining three squads will follow me, Kio, you too."
"But Grandpa..."
After the operation to retake Artemis Base, Kio's actions were criticized by many, and even Asemu gave him a stern scolding.
However, Kio was also a descendant of the Asuno Family. The determination and stubbornness ingrained in his bloodline were well inherited by him. Once he decided on something, he wouldn't easily waver.
In the end, there was no other choice but to temporarily transfer Kio into the Celestial Being unit and keep him under close supervision. The goal wasn't to completely change his ways, but to prevent him from interfering with the operations of allied forces.
"Silence, Kio! This is an order. You are a soldier now!" Flit reprimanded, realizing that he had been too indulgent with Kio, who couldn't distinguish right from wrong or prioritize properly.
"...Understood."
Flit received Kio's response, but it was clear from his demeanor that it wasn't sincere. Flit could only decide to keep a close eye on him during the battle to ensure he didn't interfere with the allied forces' operations.
"It's starting!"
The VEGAN forces had also deployed. As both sides entered each other's firing range, the gaps between the golden and pink beams were filled, weaving into a dazzling and vibrant tapestry.
...
The Dawn Gundam, Flag Gundam, and Luna Gundam formed an inverted single-column formation, acting as the spearhead of the entire front line, piercing into the heart of the enemy forces. The Flag Gundam transformed into a red meteor, leading the charge and freely switching between MA and MS forms.
The Dawn Gundam was positioned in the center, with all its Funnels deployed, maintaining relative positions with the Flag Gundam and Luna Gundam. It provided fire support for the Flag Gundam while protecting the Luna Gundam from flanking enemy attacks.
The Luna Gundam brought up the rear, also deploying its Funnels to provide sniper cover for the two units ahead.
The three Gundams were like boiling oil poured into a pot of cold water, instantly exploding. VEGAN's dense front line crumbled upon first contact. Many enemy units were instantly pierced by beams and exploded in space without even reacting.
The three units didn't horizontally tear through the enemy's front line but instead charged forward like an arrow, piercing through the entire formation.
However, they found it strange that the central front line they chose to assault had very few MS units, and these MS units were scattered and positioned closer to the flanks. The center was mostly occupied by warships, with no escorting MS units, as if... they were deliberately left to be destroyed.
"Something's wrong..." Yurin connected to Yang Hui and Graham's communication lines.
"What did you find?" Yang Hui quickly asked.
"These warships... no, these warships are wrong!"
Yurin noticed that although the warships maintained their speed and continued firing, their anti-aircraft defenses didn't activate as they approached. They were just mechanically firing into empty space ahead.
Seeing this, Yang Hui's memories flashed in his mind, and he immediately contacted Argreus.
"Argreus!"
"Lieutenant General..."
"The central warships are all drones! The fortress cannon is about to fire!"
"What!?" Argreus was shocked and didn't have time to confirm. He immediately contacted all the units on the fortress cannon's firing axis.
"All units, evacuate the firing axis of the enemy's fortress cannon!"
Upon receiving the order, no one dared to hesitate and immediately began to disperse in all directions.
But...
The Laglamis Fortress suddenly lit up with a blinding flash. The beam erupted, colliding and refracting on the fortress's spherical device, eventually converging at the front...
"Boom~!"
A massive beam carrying earth-shattering energy surged forward, engulfing the fleet of warships on the firing axis.
Although the Federal Fleet had begun to disperse in advance, it was still a step too late. The units originally located in the core area of the firing axis still couldn't escape their fate of destruction, being swallowed by the energy tide.
...
"Hmph, the Federation must have thought we wouldn't dare to fire because our fleet was on the firing axis," Jehart confidently laughed.
"The Digmazernon Cannon has been fired."
"Electromagnetic interference has weakened, confirming results... Enemy! The enemy has only lost 7% of their forces!"
"How is this possible!?" Not only Jehart, but everyone on the bridge was in disbelief. It was supposed to be a perfect operation, so why was the result so much lower than expected? Jehart had deliberately weakened the central front's deployment to make the Federal Army think there was an opportunity there, hoping they would gather a large force for a central breakthrough.
Originally, it was expected to directly eliminate over 30% of the enemy's forces, but now...
"It seems the enemy detected it in advance. The units on the firing axis took evasive actions beforehand!"
"Lord Jehart! The Dawn Gundam, Flag Gundam, and Luna Gundam have been spotted! All units are intact and rapidly advancing towards the Laglamis Fortress!"
"What? Did they figure it out?"
Mentioning Yang Hui, Jehart wasn't as shocked. After all, Yang Hui was a tactical master himself, so it was understandable that he could see through the plan.
"Recharge the Digmazernon Cannon. Order Zannald's fleet to head to the central front and intercept the three Gundams. They must stop them before we fire again."
"Yes!"
"Fram, Dole, Dit, Orfa, follow me into battle."
"Yes!" X4
...
Outside, the battle was raging. Meanwhile, inside the Second Moon, Ezelcant, who had been lying in bed, finally woke up.
"You're awake? How do feel?" Mrs. Doreen, seeing Ezelcant awake, was overjoyed and gently helped him sit up.
"Doreen, is there... a battle outside?" Ezelcant felt a faint tremor and asked Mrs. Doreen.
"...Yes, it's Jehart's decision," Mrs. Doreen nodded.
"Help me... help me up..."
"You need to rest now," Mrs. Doreen advised, seeing Ezelcant struggling to get up despite his weakness.
"There's no... time left... Doreen, take me to Room Zero..."
"Room Zero!" Mrs. Doreen gasped, covering her mouth, then showed a pained expression. "Are we really... going to activate them?"
"Hmm... originally... everything of mine should have been inherited by one of them, but... without the complete technology, they lack a soul... so... I can only entrust the future of VEGAN to Jehart..."
Seeing this, though it pained her, the lady could only support Ezelcant's decision, just as she had unreservedly supported him all these years.
"Dorine..."
"I'm here."
"Jehart... though he cannot inherit my soul... they can inherit my body and become Jehart's right-hand men. And you... Dorine, I hope you will support him as you have supported me..."
"...I will."
"Thank you, Dorine, for all these years... you've worked hard. I believe Jehart... will surely lead you and everyone to Eden."
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!