10 minutes and 21 seconds—a time that was both ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary for the Federal Army, but extraordinary for Yang Hui himself. For the Federal Army's enemy, VEGAN, it was a devastating blow. Their sharpest war blade, the X-Rounder unit, was completely annihilated in just 10 minutes and 21 seconds.
Eight units, like a sharp sword, pierced through the enemy's tight defense line, aiming to sever their bones and strike at their heart. They were expected to break the Federal Army's myth of invincibility and defeat the terrifying Reaper. But...
Reality mercilessly slapped VEGAN in the face.
"How... is this possible..."
"The Devil Man unit... the X-Rounder unit... warriors blessed by the gods..."
"How could this..."
"Monsters... the Federal Army's monsters..."
On the flagship's bridge, everyone began to tremble, their legs going weak, unable to stand.
Temporarily in command, Medel Sant was also in shock. Although he had never expected the Devil Man unit to defeat the Celestial Being squadron—after all, the Federal Reaper's fearsome reputation was built on the lives of countless VEGAN soldiers—it was not something a group of newly deployed X-Rounders could easily overcome.
Even so, Medel Sant had hoped the Devil Man unit could stand toe-to-toe with the Celestial Being squadron. But he never imagined that one side would lose five units in just over ten minutes, with only three barely escaping, while the other side was completely wiped out in about the same time. Jehart and his elite guard, the core and only hope, were also being pushed back by the Moon Angel, whom they saw as the only weakness.
Medel Sant's thoughts were interrupted by the bridge's cries of fear and despair. Seeing the terror in everyone's eyes, he knew they had lost this battle—and it was a crushing defeat.
"Jehart... no, Commander!"
...
Jehart and Asemu's battle continued uninterrupted, the two MSes drawing arcs in space, circling and colliding, or spiraling around each other.
"Jehart!"
"Asemu!"
The Jedra forcefully parried the Gundam AGE-2's Solid Sword, trying to kick it away, but to Jehart's shock, the Gundam AGE-2 seemed to anticipate his move, flipping backward to evade, then switching from sword to gun, relentlessly firing at the Jedra.
Facing the Gundam AGE-2's high-output Vangs Rifle, Jehart dared not block with his shield, dodging left and right, forced into a precarious position.
"Why? He shouldn't be an X-Rounder..."
"I've already seen through your moves! Jehart!"
"Could you also..."
"I don't rely on X-Rounder! I have the Gundam AGE-2, the guidance of Uncle Yang Hui and Uncle Graham, the support of Captain Woolf... I... I'm a super pilot!"
"Who would believe that!"
Although Asemu had seen through his moves, Jehart still had control over the Gundam AGE-2's actions. Their collision became even fiercer, with one piercing the other's shoulder armor, the other severing shields and weapons. Even as their MSes creaked in warning, sparks flying around them, they couldn't stop their frenzied battle.
"Ugh~!"
"Ah~!"
The Jedra's right shoulder exploded, causing the entire arm to fall off, while the Gundam AGE-2's wing shields shattered, its legs cleanly sliced away, bringing a brief pause to the intense clash.
At that moment, Jehart suddenly heard a distress call over the comms. Turning, he saw a Fah Bausser being blown to pieces under the enemy's fierce assault, with two more Fah Baussers teetering on the brink.
"Jehart... no, Commander! The Federal Army's tactics have completely suppressed our front line. The Devil Man unit is almost annihilated, the Reaper is unbound, and even with our reserves deployed, we can't continue the operation! We must retreat!" Medel Sant's grim voice came through the Jedra's comms.
"Tch, is this the end?" Jehart bit his lip, filled with regret. Although he had never been fully confident in the operation's success, he hadn't expected to lose so quickly, without even achieving his goal of depleting the Federal Army's forces.
"Order the entire fleet to retreat!"
"Yes."
Ending the comms, the Jedra didn't hesitate, pushing its output to the maximum to disengage from the battlefield at top speed.
"Wait..." Asemu, unwilling to let Jehart escape, immediately pursued in the Gundam AGE-2.
"That's enough." The Luna Gundam appeared beside the Gundam AGE-2, stopping him in time.
"Aunt Yurin..."
"Call me Colonel."
"Uh... Colonel, are you okay?" Asemu asked with concern, hearing a hint of exhaustion in Yurin's voice.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired." In the cockpit, Yurin had taken off her helmet, letting the sweat drift in the cabin, her gentle face pale.
Yurin's refraction tactics were indeed formidable, but fully engaging the Psycho-Link System for extensive predictions and calculations had severely drained her energy.
"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself, Asemu. Have you forgotten what Yang Hui and Graham taught you about staying calm in battle?"
Yurin's scolding made Asemu glance at the MS's display. Most of the yellow indicators were in the minority, and his legs were gone. A cold sweat broke out—if Yurin hadn't stopped him, charging forward in this state would have been suicidal.
"This... it's not because..." Asemu tried to use Yurin as an excuse but was cut off before he could finish.
"You can't even take care of yourself, yet you're worried about me?"
"Uh..."
"Go face the maintenance team's wrath when we get back."
"Ugh! Aunt... Aunt Yurin, I think..."
"No, you don't think. And call me Colonel."
At that moment, the Dawn Gundam and the Flag Gundam joined them. At the first sight of the Gundam AGE-2, Yang Hui's interrogation and Graham's teasing followed, making the already nervous Asemu quickly excuse himself to "return to his unit."
"That brat is definitely going to get a sack over his head," Graham chuckled.
"You're his mentor, so you'll have to walk the same path," Yang Hui teased Graham.
"Really? The one time I got caught was because of you!"
"Haha, so what?"
"You! I... you... Hmph!" Graham had no retort. Before the Celestial Being squadron expanded, the Flag Gundam had always been maintained by Yang Hui, as had the Samurai Gundam before it. So...
Was it wrong for Yang Hui to sack him? Or was it not? Hmm... never mind, it's too confusing. Just have to be more cautious around him in the future.
"Let's head back."
"Yeah, I need some rest too."
...
With VEGAN's retreat, the battle was won, and the Big Ring base was secured. The gates to Earth were firmly shut. After the intense pressure, the Federal MSes erupted in cheers, firing into the sky to celebrate their victory.
"Hahaha, we did it, Commander," Argreus laughed excitedly.
"Yes, but don't get too complacent, Argreus. This level of victory was within our expectations," Flit reprimanded.
"Yes, sir!"
But Argreus's expression showed he wasn't really taking the lesson to heart, his eyes blazing, hands clenched in excitement.
Although the Celestial Being squadron had played a crucial role in the victory, this battle had been more about them intercepting and eliminating the enemy's X-Rounder unit. The real foundation of the victory lay in the series of tactical commands by Flit and Argreus.
Winning against the odds, overcoming a stronger foe—that was the highest honor for any tactician. Today, he and Flit had achieved it, and his next goal was to reach that glory alone, proving to the world that victory in war wasn't achieved by individuals or units but by the brilliant command of the strategist.
"Still, this battle has also served as a warning," Flit began to briefly review the battle in his mind, searching for oversights—a habit Yang Hui had taught him.
"You mean VEGAN's X-Rounder unit?" Argreus asked seriously.
"Yes. This time we had the Celestial Being squadron, but what about next time? What if an ordinary fleet encounters them?" Flit worried.
Argreus fell silent. Indeed, the appearance of the X-Rounder unit was expected, but the sudden deployment of nearly 20 X-Rounders had startled him.
With tactical command, they could contain the X-Rounder unit's assault, but only contain—not repel or eliminate them.
And that was only possible with sufficient forces and the precise command of Flit and Argreus.
What if they and the Celestial Being squadron weren't there?
An ordinary fleet facing the Devil Man unit would only face annihilation, making the Devil Man unit VEGAN's version of the Celestial Being squadron.
"But thankfully, the enemy's X-Rounder unit is almost completely wiped out," Argreus consoled himself, mainly because he couldn't think of an effective countermeasure.
"Too complacent, Argreus. VEGAN's research in the X-Potential Field has always been ahead of the Federation. This time they sent 20, but what about next time? Will there be another 20? Or more?"
Flit's warning made Argreus realize the gravity of the situation.
"Commander, what do you think we should do?" Argreus asked humbly.
"We must form our own X-Rounder unit. Even if we can't, we need an elite force capable of withstanding them. When the Celestial Being squadron returns, have Vice Admiral Yang Hui, Major General Graham, and Colonel Yurin report to me."
"Yes, sir!"
(End of Chapter)